Somnambula thought hard about the question. Hisan waited patiently. After a moment, she answered.
“It is one of the most powerful emotions. Hope starts wars and brings peace. Hope pushes ponies to change and improve. Hope convinces ponies of a better future. It can be unshakeable. Unconquerable. Impossible to overcome.
“Hope can tell lies. It can turn fantasy into reality. It can turn a pony into a monster. It can give someone the determination to overcome any obstacle, to conquer any task for a single poisonous glimmer of the intoxicating ambrosia that is hope.
“To me, hope is what allows me to push past my limits. To do things that no pony would ever dream of doing. To go beyond what the ordinary would deem impossible. To overcome anything that the world may cruelly decide to serve me.”
“Hope is everything, Prince.”
A moment of silence.
“You’re a terrifying mare, Somnambula,” Hisan finally said. “I fear that even death itself couldn’t stop you.”
“Well, thankfully for death, I will never have to test that.”