Traditional Epic Poem: The Aftermath, The Exile and the Watcher
Year ????
Upon my nightly slumber
I beheld a mare of great majesty
As a break from my daily chores
My mind wandered onto shores far beyond this mortal coil
In my sight, I was beset upon by beauty and grandeur
Far more vast than the eldest castle
Greater than the mighty plains of my island kingdom
And in a field of smoke and dust,
There stood the mighty mare
With tears in her eyes.
I approached her and spoke
Though I knew not if she understood
“Dearest rare beauty
Why do you cry?
What in all this wondrous land
Could afflict a heart so majestic as yours?”
She sniffled and did not smile
Though I could see it was not for trying.
There were heavier thoughts weighing her heart.
She spoke to me in a voice at once both tremulous
And soft.
“Dear visitor,
I am alone and in inconsolable pain.
For I had to send my sister away
Because she was overcome by bitterness and rage.
It consumed her heart
And made her monstrous.
But my love for her is so deep
That when she was exiled to the moon
A piece of me went with her.
And now I shall rise to help my kingdom each day
But sleep at night
Because I cannot bear to look up
And see the shine of her prison staring back at me.
I am lost!”
I raised a hand to the mare’s cheek
And caressed her tears away with my glove.
She wore a crown and lowered her head to feel my touch.
Her royal tiara fell and clattered onto the field
Of a battle that was no more.
But she did not pick it up
And instead stayed within my grasp.
I felt from the contact
A warmth and a chill
Both fighting for control.
She moved close and we embraced.
And than I was gone.
Back here in my small room
With the small door
In this small town.
And all I can do is sketch the image
Of this majestic mare
Brought so low
By the loss of half her heart.
I looked up at the moon outside
And wondered.
Year ???? + 500
In all of the written works of the master playwrights
Never was there a tragedy such as this.
My telescope finally viewed the moon
And I was quick to sketch its features
As one notes the flaws and perfections
Of one close to the heart
And marvels at both in tandem.
But though I did not see anything unusual through the tool
I did perceive a vision in my nightly wandering.
I was no longer on my planet
But on the celestial body itself.
I stood and felt the reaches of the universe
Stretch far and away.
But then I felt something else.
Cold
Harsh and angry
Peering at me from the craterous landscape.
And there she stood
A pinnacle of fury and bitterness.
A raging Night Mare
Moon-stranded.
Though how I knew this
I knew not.
And she raged at me.
“Why have you intruded upon my prison?
Have you come to torment me
On the five hundredth anniversary
Of the first date of my exile?”
I cowered and staggered back
As my voice found itself again.
“Dear celestial creature
You are filled with might and anger,
And I know not what you are
But your fury fills my heart with terror
And I cannot think!
Please calm yourself
And tell me why I am here.”
The angry mare said nothing
For what seemed like an eternity
And for all purpose it might have been
Until she spoke.
And her words sounded so removed
From her previous shower of heavy emotion.
Softened, she said something
In a voice and form breaking through the darkness.
“I am…sorry.
I am alone
And scared
And I know of no one who can help me.
My sister and I fought
And I failed.
And I never got to say goodbye.
Please forgive my anger
For I have known not love
Nor closeness
Nor anything
For five centuries now.
I am lost!”
And despite my previous fear
I felt my heart ache for the exile
And her tremendous plight.
I wanted nothing more than to free her
But I could not remove that anger
Which ailed her so.
So I did the only thing I could.
With my knowledge of the coldness of space
And the vastness of the universe,
My mind had become somewhat of a vessel
For higher understanding.
So I saw past the anger
Past the hate
Past the raging words
And found the scared little mare
Shivering by herself in isolated fear.
For I knew when I awoke,
She would not
And would remain.
So I had to give something to calm the heart.
I approached and embraced her
She resisted as first
Out of unfamiliarity no doubt
To any contact with another
But all at once there was a wave of emotion
And I felt a lifetime of sadness
But also a lifetime of joy.
Thus was the nature of a moon
Constantly chasing the people of the world
Only to find sleepers.
When I released my grip,
Her smile was as radiant as the sun.
And as long as I live
I shall not forgot those eyes
And the hope behind them.
I’d like to think she lived happier
For at least one more day.
Year ???? + 1000
Something was off.
I had a dream last night,
But it wasn’t right.
I saw another world
And small creatures
Horses? Ponies, more specifically,
Awaiting the coming of something from the sky.
But it didn’t come.
Didn’t arrive like they thought.
I saw a confused Princess
A brilliant white mare
Looking around as she said
“This is all off.
Wait. There’s a gate somewhere.
Someone is watching us.”
She looked up
And saw
Me.
Her voice moved quick and with purpose.
“You have to prepare!
She’s not with us anymore
Because she’s with you!”
And then I awoke
And saw the moon
And the four stars surrounding them
As they swirled and collapsed onto that celestial body.
An image of a face
A Lunar Mare I had not noticed before
Was at once there
And then not at all.
But the wind became as cold as ice
And I heard
Laughter.
The name was the last thing
The Princess gave me.
And I wrote it in anxious anticipation
Of the one I would now
Have to fight.
Nightmare Moon had returned.
