//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: Luna 
// Story: Camp Orion 
// by Meemie7 
//------------------------------//

I flip my head over to the opposite side of the pillow for the billionth time that night. Come on, come on… just go to sleep. I keep my eyes shut tight, waiting for my mind to slip into unconsciousness. All the while, thoughts swim in my head. Flashes of memories drift in and out of my focus. Even though it’s been years, I can still feel the desolation and silence like how it was on the moon. I can still see the darkness that swallowed me. I still remember the small sprite that became a monster because of me a matter of days ago. I squeeze my eyes tighter. No, I can’t think about that now. If I do, he might come back. The Tantibus might return.

I let my hoof hang off the side of the mattress, rubbing the plush fabric of the blanket supplied to us. This is not working. I sit up and let my back hooves hit the wood paneled floor. It creates a rather loud noise but, probably not loud enough to wake my colorful housemate. Not that I would really care anyway.

The door doesn’t give off any sort of squeak as it floats open. The main room has a soft glow to it from the moonlight outside. The walls and furniture are stained a shade of cerulean. The moon outside hovers silently among the few stars that speckle the sky. My moon. My stars. My sky. Yet, for tonight, and for so many nights before, they are hers to control. I turn away from the window and my eye catches a faint golden light coming from the bottom of Discord’s door. I can faintly hear footsteps from the other side. I shift to the side a bit. So, I’m really so bored as to resort to this… With a hesitant hoof, I knock on the door.

“Whooiiiizzzzzzzzzzziiiiiit?” A shrill, high pitched version of Discord’s voice sings from behind the door. 

“It is Luna.” I announce. The door opens, the bright light forcing me to squint my eyes. Discord stands in the doorway and raises his eyebrow at me.

“Oh, poo. I thought you were the guard. You haven’t seen him come back, have you?” I shake my head. 

“Why would the guard be coming to your door at night?” Discord returns to his room, which is already covered in paint splatters of various bright colors. I wince at the stained walls, some dripping with still-wet paint.

“I ran out of green, so I asked him to get me some more.”

“So, they’ve been giving you paint to throw on your walls.” I retort. Discord gives me a toothy grin.

“Celestia said they would tend to our needs. I needed some paint.” He walks over to an easel in the middle of the room that I didn’t see at first. “And I haven’t been getting it on the walls on purpose. They’re just in the way.” I let out a huff. The guards certainly have a loose definition of what constitutes as a “need”. I walk over to the easel, curious about the painting. I picture an insane image of a confusion of colors and shapes that bear absolutely no resemblance to any physical thing. It would suit him quite well, after all. Discord steps aside and lets me in front of the easel. My lips part ever so slightly. 

“Oh…” I involuntarily let out. A sprawling meadow speckled with tiny dots of white and yellow to represent flowers lies out before a lone tree. The tree trunk has careful brush strokes along the trunk of more shades of brown than I can ever imagine. The trunk leads up to the bushy top of the tree that is only halfway finished. The meadow and tree look so real, I feel like I could touch it. Each stroke blends into each other to form a beautiful landscape. Resting under the shade of the lone tree is a lone pony. Her cream-colored coat rests against the tree trunk, the yellow and brown complimenting each other nicely. The pink-colored mane of the pony falls down to the ground like a curtain. The familiar combination of cream and pink brings one unmistakable pony to mind. 

“Fluttershy.” I whisper.

“Indeed. Now if that guard would just get here in this century, I might be able to finish the rest of the tree.” Discord flops on the bed, the mattress recoiling upon impact. My eyes role around and around the painting, taking in every detail. 

“I didn’t know you could paint.” Discord lifts his head.

“Well, of course I can. You don’t?” I shrug. I’ve tried drawing in the past, but I’ve never really cultivated the pursuit. “Living for thousands of years has its perks. For example, I had ample time to master any craft I wanted. I’m surprised you haven’t done the same.” I look down at the floor.

“Not everyone can just do as they please. Some ponies have certain responsibilities such as running a nation.” Discord nods and lets his head crash onto the pillow. “It’s a lovely painting. I certainly didn’t expect something like this.”

“What did you expect?”

“I suppose something more… erm… surreal?” 

“You say ‘surreal’, but you mean ‘chaotic’.” I don’t say anything. Discord swings his legs to the side of the bed, sits up, and glares at me right in the eye. “Just because I am the Master of Chaos does not mean I cannot be an artist. In fact, it is the other way around. I am an artist because I am the Master of Chaos.” I keep eye contact with him and let a heavy silence flow between us until I finally break it.

“I apologize.” Awkwardly, I turn to leave the room to retreat to my own. “Good luck with your painting.” I still feel his glare on me as I shut the door. I feel it as I crawl in my own bed. I feel it as I continue to toss and turn in what I finally surrendered to a sleepless night.