The Cough in Verse

‘Twas Fluttershy alone who did not speak,
She merely watched her friends; tears in her eyes,
Remembering how the week turned so bleak.
All the coughing, screaming, mournful cries...
They were the Elements of Harmony.

Equestria was saved by them before;
So many times, they had quelled disharmony.
When the cough started, they were so... so sure
They would save the day... surely destined to
But like the browning leaves their hope did fall.

The cough was different; it was something new.
It bested magic, medicine, them all.
The Princesses, one by one fell to it;
Poor Cadence died in a foul coughing fit;
The Crystal Empire shattered with her loss.
Celestia in fearful hope burned bright
The sun and set aflame each plant; e’en moss.
Some slower ponys were lost to her light,
The others safe behind the castle’s wall.

But such sights are not easily forgot,
Nor is Celestia bent; forced to crawl,
And coughing... coughing... coughing... a whole lot.

‘Twas Luna, who did end her misery,
And in des’prate breath she brought back the Nightmare,
Who with unbridled fury, bitterly
Cast every spell whilst screaming, ‘Tis unfair!’
As each in turn failed; spurning her e’en more.
‘Twas few pleased when they needed Nightmare Moon
But less still when she fled for the Moon’s shore,
Which left the moon and sun cross the sky strewn.

Discord too had fled to his pocket home,
Unable to click the foul cough away,
‘The cough’s too ordered, chaos needs to roam’.
All Fluttershy’s sad pleading could not sway.

Twi had sent Starlight trav’ling to the past
But nothing changed; not like they would e’en know.

They did not e’en know if they were the last.
‘Twas mayhem; all not knowing where to go.
Poor little Spike was trampled as all fled,
When the girls next saw him, he was red... dead.