42! ...That's the answer I'm supposed to give, right?
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42! ...That's the answer I'm supposed to give, right?
“What does life mean to you?”
The words that left Luna’s lips caught you off-guard. The silence that had fallen over the balcony you shared had been unbroken for quite some time now, making the mare’s words that much more discernible amidst the comfortable silence of the night.
“Life?” You replied, your gaze tilting towards the Moon Princess. “Like… what do you mean?”
Her grin widened a touch. “Here in Equestria, very few ponies ever question what the meanings of their lives are. To wonder what one’s place in the world will be is considered a foalish question—one that only the young ask. Once you earn your cutie mark, the path of your life is one that becomes clear—and it is a path you walk until the Maker above determines that it is your time to ascend into the next life.”
Luna’s gaze turned towards the moon. The brilliantly illuminated disc that hovered above the night-covered world cast a reflection in her eyes that you could easily make out. There was clearly much on her mind—but exactly what, you could not quite tell. “Meanwhile…” she began again. “From what you have told me… the purpose of life for… hyoo-mans, in your world, is not so clear-cut. You can spend your entire life without ever knowing quite why you were put there… or if anyone ever put you there at all. So… what does it all mean to you? What purpose have you given yourself that keeps you moving forward?”
You blinked. Your mind was already in a haze from the day you’d had—and if there was one thing you’d come prepared for when Luna had invited you to speak with her on the balcony, discussions to do with philosophy was not it. “I… I don’t know, really,” you eventually replied, hoping that it would be enough for her.
But alas, it wasn’t. The princess shifted in place, re-orienting her posture such that she could better face you. “I do not believe that for a moment, young one.”
You raised an eyebrow. “…What?” you replied, your expression contorting in confusion. “That’s… it’s the truth, though. You asked what it is that keeps me going, and… I’ve gotta be honest, I don’t really know.”
Luna’s smile seemed to broaden. As her eyes peered into yours, you could tell that she was still unsatisfied—almost as though she now saw the conversation before her as a mystery to unwrap, or a challenge to surmount. “Well… surely there is something you live for now, yes? You appeared in our realm of Equestria not two months ago, and when you arrived, you had been, through no choice of your own… torn from everything you had ever known. Every family member, every friend, every acquaintance… gone. Potentially never to be seen again. Every familiar place, every location you’ve remembered fondly… out of your reach for good. And, to top it all off, you were summarily thrust into a world entirely unfamiliar to you, filled with creatures unlike anything you had seen before, living in a world that was, in many ways, entirely different to your own. Yet… here you still are. You have not run away; you have not broken down… you have adapted. Not only have you adapted, but you have found it within yourself to attempt to thrive here.”
Luna’s gaze continued to transfix upon yours. “That is most unusual, by my mark—by most anyone’s mark, really. Nopony here, apart from perhaps the most adventurous, would have a similar reaction. So tell me… why? Why has this been your choice?”
You chuckled. “You have a knack for making what I do sound extraordinary. I’m just doing what I need to do to get by. And I mean, it’s not like that’s been too hard; you and Princess… er… Princess…”
“Celestia.”
“Right, Celestia. Sorry, I’m good with faces, bad with names, eheh…” you cleared your throat, giving yourself a moment of pause before continuing. “But yeah, like… you and Celestia basically gave me a job on a silver platter, and a house to live in. I have good food, clean water, and safety and security. Sure the folks around here are a little weird compared to what I was used to back home, but… I mean, hey, nobody’s malicious. Everyone seems to look out for everyone, and everyone plays a part working together for a common goal. ‘Far as I’m concerned, that’s about as good as it gets. Sooo… I mean, I guess that’s why I carry on?”
“So you do not miss your old life?” Luna queried.
“’Course I do,” you replied, nodding your head. “I miss my folks, my friends, even my old coworkers. But, as much as I miss them, I can’t bring them back—all I can do is just build whatever life I can here. Twi… Twilight, I think her name was, was pretty clear that there really isn’t a way for me to get back home, so… I mean, it sucks, but… darn it, what am I trying to say…”
You lean back in the little beanbag chair Luna had graciously provided for you. As you looked towards the sky, you let out a deep, contemplative breath before continuing. “…I guess what I mean is that… it doesn’t do me any good to just sit in anguish about what I’ve lost. I’ve had my time to mourn over it—and while that still doesn’t change the fact that it hurts to think about every once in a while, I know that the people I left behind would want me to carry on and live the best life I can. I mean, goodness knows that’s what I’d want for them. So… I guess I just kinda do that.”
Luna hummed quietly, looking at you for a brief moment before turning her eyes to the marble floor of the balcony. “Fascinating… a creature guided by determination…”
“I mean, if that’s how you want to put it,” you laughed. “Momma always did say I was stubborn.”
Silence then overtook the air again. You sat up, letting your posture slump as you rested your head in one of your hands. Briefly, you gazed upon the slumbering city of Canterlot—and then above you, your eyes appraised the gorgeous canvas that was the night sky. It was beautiful… more beautiful than most any night sky you had had the opportunity to see at home.
But then, you thought of a question of your own. Clearing your throat, you turned to face the Princess of the Night, wearing the same expression of curiosity that she had worn when addressing you. “What would you do, if you were in my situation?”
Now it was Luna’s turn to be caught off-guard. “…You mean, catapulted to an unfamiliar world, thereby losing everything and everyone I hold dear?”
“Uh-huh,” you nodded. “Awful depressing when you continue to put it that way, but yeah. What would you do?”
“Hmmm…” the Moon Princess thought. She looked first towards the city below, and then towards the sky above. Several moments passed as she thought—and for a moment, you wondered if she was going to answer at all. But, finally, words came forth. “I… have to admit that I do not know,” she giggled. “The horseshoe is on the other hoof now…”
You chuckled again. “Ya’ don’t need to answer if you don’t want to. I was just curious, since… well, you seem to find what I’m doing remarkable, when I just see it as ordinary. So I wanted to know what you’d do in the same situation, I guess.”
“I… suppose I would probably try to make the best of it,” she answered with a giggle. “It would be very, very hard losing everything and everyone I love, but… I know that they’d want me to be happy, and I’d want them to be happy, too. So… I guess I would do what you are doing, young one.”
With a satisfied grin, you proudly put your fists to your hips. “Huzzah! I am become Anon, stumper of Princesses!”
“Do not look so proud of yourself, young one,” Luna laughed. “I could easily put you in the same position again.”
“And who’s to say I couldn’t do the same to you, hmm? HMMMM?” You jokingly tease before changing the subject again. “Nah, but really. Life isn’t too complicated for us humans… well, it is, but it isn’t, at the same time. It’s definitely not easy not knowing what life will hold for us… and, it’s really really really hard knowing that we may never know what our lives were supposed to mean. But, regardless of what happens, we have a habit of just. Carrying on, I suppose. No matter how tough things get, no matter how difficult things seem… we just keep going. We ask questions, we wonder why, we search for clues… but at the end of the day, no matter what each of us believes, human beings have a habit of just making things work. We make it to the next day… and then the next day, and the next day. And when we reach the end, a lot of us leave pretty satisfied with the life we’ve lived, even if we didn’t really know what it meant, or why we were living it. Mileage varies from person to person… but from my rather limited perspective, that’s about the best answer I can give you. How we carry on when things aren’t clear, I mean.”
Luna smiled at you once again, her expression finally seeming to settle into satisfaction. “I admire you, Anon… you hyoo-mans sound like a wonderful species.”
You laughed, shaking your head. “Hey now, I appreciate the praise, but don’t go glorifying us too much. We’re definitely not perfect creatures—matter of fact, I’d say we’re pretty far from perfect.”
“And yet… you are perfect as you are, as far as I’m concerned,” Luna grinned. “Far from perfect… but perfect as you are.”
Silence, ever the familiar face, then returned. As you sat back in your seat and rested your hands behind your head, you wondered briefly if you had said the right things or gave the right impression—but you soon pushed those questions from your mind. Even if things were different here in this strange land of talking horses… there was one thing you knew for sure:
Everything was going to be okay.
Author's Note
Full disclosure: this was written late at night while I was in a philosophical mood--so if this story is actually more of a jumbled, convoluted collection of words that make no sense together than a coherent story, please let me know! XD
I hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading! ^w^
