Mantra

by The Drifting Bard

Rating: everyone
Tags: Human
Length: 1034

A simple tale, involving a human, a pony and realization

i'd like to think of this as a personal test, a simple thing to see if I can still write stuff.
mostly revolving around something a Buddhist monk once said to a musician.
"you, are a monk without restrictions"
I've also decided to see if i can re-capture what got me hooked on the show. hopefully something good will happen.
inspired by the song "Mantra" by the sound city players.
It may evolve into something more.

As the old Stallion looked to the young man, he fell into a thought.
"a being of balance, neither at peace nor at war with himself, stranger still is his way of thinking"
he watched as the young man simply took out a guitar and tuned it, simply lost in watching the embers floating on the cold night air.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-02-03 00:01:27 UTC

a lion is a lion, a leash is a leech.

you'll open up your eyes, to how you'll fit in the wild...

The Old Stallion, shook its bald head at the young Human, "you've got it all wrong, my friend" He chuckled.

The human scratched his unkempt beard for a moment, an air of deep thought surrounded him.

"Perhaps, but say that the whole thing doesn't happen again" an age old argument between species was being re-discovered.

"what then?" the human continued, "wouldn't the whole debate surrounding the existence of other worlds be thus proved by myself walking in and saying all glory to the hypno toad and then singing the British national anthem"

the gentle sounds of an old guitar being picked and strummed perforated the air. the young man was soon lost in watching floating embers.

As the human struck a minor chord, he simply smiled lightly. finally settling on a small slow tune to play whilst talking just to try and fill the silence.

The air was slightly cold, the moonlight mirrored off a small pond just a few meters away from the wall.

the old temple was kept mostly tidy, the dust had only just finally settled after a long rain.

Underneath a nearby canopy, a small fire was lit. to most it would just be a sign of light and life.

to others it would have been a beacon.

but to these two unlikely friends, it was simply a means of warmth.

It had been two months since the human's arrival, and so far he had simply been welcomed and treated like any other.

but all things come to an end.

the old stallion simply chuckled. His strange friend from another world cocked his head to the side, "whats funny"

finally the old pony grinned, "you truly are clueless," he then let out a sigh "much like the first day you walked through the temple gates"

casting his mind back to a more chaotic time, he recalled the events that would lead to a bizarre yet interest friendship.

"what was it you had said again?, oh wait I remember...bah weep granna weep ninny ban" once again chuckling away before giving a slight cough.

"hey, are you alright?" the human asked, worry etched across his face.

"I've got a few more years in me left" the old pony smiled as he finally got to his hooves.

"Walk with me," the human stood up too and simply followed.

"Friend, remember when i said you are free to leave whenever you felt? Why have you stayed here?"

the old monk asked. The temple had its own share of threats, but the human had always stuck its neck out to help.

"do you feel indebted to us, hm?" a loaded question.

"I just, don't know how i'll fit into this place, its... all so confusing"

He sighed as he placed the guitar back in its case.

"Human, do you recall the tale of the two spirits?"

"two spirits? one dark, one light, right?" the human replied.

"right, did i ever get to the point?"

the human shook his head.

"the point is that neither can exist without the other"

realization slowly started to dawn as they reached the balcony.

"how do you feel about your home?"

"I feel tethered, almost as if I'm on a leash to an old world I've long since left"

"That world, is much akin to a leech, you fear removing it a letting your life essence spill, but in order to break free.."

the Monk coughed again, "you must simply let go, pull it off much  like a.. a ... band aid"

the human sighed, looking over the horizon. "whats out there?"

"something only you can discover for yourself" the old pony trotted off, leaving the human in deep thought.

Was this all just meaningless? where am I to go if i do leave he thought to himself.

perhaps i should just give in to my second nature The human slowly started to make up his mind.

"Char Sui?" he called the old stallion's name.

"you've made your choice then, i see?" came the reply.

The human stood just outside the old stallion's room with one bag in his hand and another on his back.

He simply nodded. "peace shall go with you, my dear friend. take some of this tea with you"

the old pony hoofed over a small box. "Perhaps you could make history, perhaps the universe works in mysterious ways"

as the human took the tea, and gentle placed it within one of the bags.

"You have taught me much in these two passing months, Char" the human smiled at his aged friend.

"but you have taught me in kind, I believe it was you who had brought the teaching of Lee to us?"

The human simply smiled. "As you think, so shall you become"

The temple gates had opened once again.

"Goodbye, moonlight guide you" The old stallion waved at his friend.

walking the beaten path to the horizon. slinging his bags onto his back and small song in his heart, he set off back into the wild.

shouldering his guitar as he walked, he could only think of the impact he could make given the right circumstances.

as he began to move foliage out of the way and begin his new journey, the human, licked a finger and held it to the wind.

he had been told of a bright shining city, a beacon of hope in a far away place.

alas with nary a map nor compass to guide him, he headed North... Always to the north...

as he walked, he could only think of what he had learned so far. Perhaps he was an unknown value in this mixed up equation.

Perhaps it's just down to luck.

Along the way, maybe he'd continue to learn more about what he was. as the old monk had called him. "a Monk without restrictions"

lost in deep thought, he carried on his own path. perhaps leading to a bizarre form of self-enlightenment.

but after all his thinking, he still left with more questions than answers.

but now..

he had the right questions.