Experiments in Haiku

by Midnight Moon

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Random
Length: 1727

Some tests to see if stories can be told in Haiku.

Stories in Haiku
The Format: Five-Seven-Five
Come and read with me

A series of self-imposed challenges to write entire stories in Haiku. They'll be short, and likely lacking in detail, but I'm giving it a shot.

Published 2017-04-10 23:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-04-10 23:50:01 UTC

Harmony and Sacrifice

A world built upon
Harmony and Sacrifice
Ruled by the Sisters

Tree of Harmony
In this world, it did not grow
No more Elements

Spirit of Chaos
Discord the Draconequus
Unopposed, he ruled

With no Elements
He could not be trapped in stone
Instead, he was slain

Lives were sacrificed
Lives were given willingly
To kill Lord Discord

The Princesses said
“Remember the Fallen, and
Remember them well.”

And the dear Princess,
Luna, Warden of the Night
She Remembered them

Lives that were given
Ponies, drained of their essence
For the ones they loved

Then, she made a vow
“I live not for my own self.
I live, so they can.”

“They’ve suffered enough.
I will bear our ponies’ pain
So they can live free.”

Anger did not grow
Jealousy did not linger
For her, only love

For her dear ponies
She moved on, and Nightmare Moon
Never came to be

Now, in the present
Twilight Sparkle, Student of the Princesses
That’s right, both of them

Sent to Ponyville
Festival of Remembrance
The one thousandth year

Specters of the Past
The Spirit of Chaos lives
Discord has returned

The Princesses march
To battle with an old foe
One they could not beat

Even when weakened
Not yet at his full power
Still stronger than them

As much as she’d trained
To take on any that would
Hurt those she cared for

Against Lord Discord
Even with her dear sister
Luna was too weak

“Too strong... I’m too weak...
No! I can’t let them suffer!”
The darkness took root

“Discord! Now you die!”
A Nightmare for those that would
Harm those that she loved

Even in darkness
Her eternal love shined through
Guardian Nightmare

“You shall not harm them!”
Luna, aided by Nightmares
Fought Discord once more

Even Lord Discord,
Spirit of Chaos, could not
Survive her onslaught

Slain, once and for all
But, some would say that the cost
Was too much to bear

Dear Princess Luna
For her ponies, she would die
That’s what came to pass

With her sister dead
Princess Celestia wailed
Her poor heart, shattered

“My sister, Luna,
Gave her life for all of you.
Please, just leave me be.”

No more did she love
No more did she care for those
Her sister died for

Yet she still moved on
As her sister would have wished
To take care of them

Alternate ending:
One to bring her sister back
One more sacrifice

Dear Twilight Sparkle
With the Princess heartbroken
Devised one last plan

Equivalent Exchange:
To bring someone back to life
Someone must give theirs

Still, just one pony
Her life force could not bring back
The Goddess Luna

Five friends she had made...
No! She could not ask them to
Throw their lives away

Find another way
Do not take a pony’s life
Only she should die

Her five friends found out
When they did, almost too late
To save their friend’s soul

A hideous spell
A ritual to drain life
From the Whitetail Woods

“My life force alone
Isn’t enough for Luna
To be brought back with.”

“The forest’s life force?
Just enough to bring her back
When added to mine.”

A few seconds more
The Whitetail Woods would be dead
And their dear friend, lost

When they learned her goal
They gladly offered their lives
To bring Luna back

“No... No! I just can’t!
None of you should have to die!
I can’t lose you, girls!”

“And WE can’t lose you!”
But, if they go together
Best Friends Forever

Their world is built on
Harmony and Sacrifice
They choose the latter

“I so love you, girls,”
Twilight Sparkle’s final words
‘Fore their final end

The Princess Luna
Brought back by their Sacrifice
Much to her dismay

“I died so you’d live!”
But she cannot bring them back
She can only mourn

“I shall honor their
Sacrifice, and so shall I
Remember them well."

Dear Celestia
Overjoyed for her sister
To be by her side

But their dear
Twilight, who willingly died
To bring Luna back

“I will Remember
Your Sacrifice, and the friends
Who joined you in death.”

Princesses returned
Six friends to be Remembered
Now and forever

"Goodbye, dear Twilight
Goodbye to your friends as well
May you rest in peace."

All for you, Lulu

Many years ago,
Celestia and Luna,
The Sisters were born.

Life was not kind then
They were not yet Alicorns
Just two Unicorns

A terrible storm
Took their parents from their lives
When they were but Foals

The Elder Sister,
Celestia looked after
Her precious Luna

Life was not easy
She begged more often than not
She went hungry, too

If ‘twas not enough
For her sister to be fed,
She’d do... other things

All for her Lulu
As long as she was happy
She was happy too

Days to Months to Years
The Two Sisters grew and grew
Tia and Lulu

In their teenage years
The first hints of Destiny
Decayed Carbuncle*1

Luna was in pain
Celestia could not help
It tore at her heart

She’d do anything
She’d learned forbidden magics
Highly dangerous

Still, for her Lulu
She’d gladly pay any price
And so, she began

Herbs, chalk, salt, powders
Easy enough to acquire
Used to draw the runes

A few drops of blood
Some from Luna, some from her
Acts as catalyst

Now for the worst part
Healthy Carbuncle needed
She only had hers

Spellcasting hindered
Before complex ritual
That spells disaster

Luna was in pain
If there was a chance she could help
She would take that chance

The tip of her horn
Luna told her “Don’t do it!”
She did not listen

For her dear sister
The ritual was commenced
All or nothing now

She felt her grip fade
“No! I can’t fail now, not when
Lulu still needs me!”

A font of power
Celestia never knew
She had, was unleashed

Fresh Mana burst forth,
Almost beyond her control,
Completed the spell

Her sister was saved
Her own Carbuncle grew back
Quicker than it should

So many questions
For now, Luna was just glad
Her sister still lived

Days to Months to Years
The Two Sisters grew and grew
Tia and Lulu

Their young adulthood
Life is comfortable now
Until Discord came

For all her power
She could not hope to protect
Her sister from him

The two ran again
Discord wanted them somehow
She won’t let him win

Everfree Forest
Even then, an unnatural
Place beyond control

Still, even Discord
Could not tame the Everfree
Could not make it bend

But that did not mean
He and others did not search
For the two Sisters

In a cave one day
Fearing that they would be caught
Outside were soldiers

No more room to run
No hope to escape if found
The Elder prepared

“They won’t hurt Lulu
Even if I have to die
So that she may live”

Tree of Harmony
Felt Celestia’s hope wane
And answered the call

Not just a cave in
Kept the soldiers from getting
Inside, or them, out

A new path opened
A siren song called to them
One that spoke of hope

Tree of Harmony
Guardian of Everfree
The Bane of Chaos

It bestowed to them
A means by which the two could
Defeat Lord Discord

But, a warning too
“The Elements take a toll
On those that use them”

More than just them two
Discord was a threat to all
This, Luna foresaw

“No more running scared
Even if it takes our lives
Discord falls this day”

The two then agreed
They work together and win
Or die together

The Elements used
Lord Discord was sealed in stone
Not princesses yet

The King Of The North
Marched South when he felt Discord
Sealed, thinking he’d died

At first, they cared not
So long as they’re left alone
Let the world burn on

Sombra learned of them
In them, he saw potential
To undo his works

It was his mistake
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Destiny’s last call

He ordered them found
Celestia expected
The worst, and they fought

Still just a mortal
What threat could he be
Compared to Discord?

The cost of Hubris
Barely escaped with their lives
Sombra was smarter

In hiding, they learned
The cruelty of Sombra
It was then, they knew

“But if we best him
That still leaves a vacuum that
Must be filled, and quick”

“Cruel though he may be
He still brought stability
Dispelled anarchy”

“Without him, chaos
Enough of it could even
Bring back Lord Discord”

Someone had to rule
If they bested King Sombra
Only they would do

Deeds would come to light
Lord Discord’s defeat explained
Ponies would worship

Living goddesses
At least, they would seem to be
In the pony’s eyes

Some time to prepare
Ruling ponies takes effort
They would need to learn

Days to Months to Years
The Two Sister grew and grew
Tia and Lulu

At last, they’re ready
Magic learned, armed and armored
And ready to rule

Time to face Sombra
Even if he’d prepared too
No more they could do

Battle at Midnight
Hoped to catch the King off guard
It didn’t matter

Tia and Lulu
They fought Sombra all day long
Unexpected end

Dark Magic too strong
A finishing blow prepared
They refused to die

Tia would not let
Sombra kill Lulu, and her,
The same to Tia

A font of power
Like so many years ago
When Tia needed it

Apotheosis
Elements of Harmony
Brought Transformation

The Mad King Sombra
Spent from previous battle
Did not stand a chance

The Sun and The Moon
Could both be seen in the sky
From them, they descend

Dear Celestia
Came from the Sun, and Luna
Came down from the Moon

At last, Alicorns
This completed their image
As new Godesses

Ponies worshiped them
Celestia and Luna
Became Princesses

Together they ruled
They loved all of their ponies
Loved each other more

Everlasting love
Tia cared for her Lulu
Did not let her go

Love held back the dark
Jealousy did not consume
Nightmare Moon lived not

Days to Months to Years
The Two Sisters grew and grew
Tia and Lulu

Author's Note

*1: Carbuncle being the material inside Unicorn and Alicorn horns that acts as a conduit for their magic. Decayed Carbuncle means uncontrollable magic, which can easily be fatal.