Devotion's End

Chapters

First Canto: Hope
Second Canto: Love
Third Canto: Faith
Coda: Peace

First Canto: Hope

I.

Once upon a day of rest
A filly stepped into a cage
On crystal bars were carved the crest
Of Love herself who played the sage

Council gave she to the Stars
That mercy, kindness, and reform
Must balanced be with all the scars
She could inflict if freed from stone

Prudence won their hearts that day
And so the traitor was condemned
Within a statue, so to stay
'Til safely she could be redeemed

Endless darkness stoked the flames
Of vengeance, hate, and enmity
Encased in rock, she doled out blame
To those who brought this tragedy

All these thoughts and more were plain
To she who braved her family
The Child of Love did see her pain
And seized the opportunity

"Who amongst you has not erred?
Nor given clemency to sin
But justice was for her deferred
Now let at last her trial begin"

Such was posed to four wise mares
The Sun, the Moon, the Stars conferred
Until a Mother did speak fair
To daughter now she did refer

"Danger lurks along this path
This mare knows naught but treachery
I can't protect you from her wrath
Her silver tongue speaks sorcery"

"History I've studied well,"
The snowy mare did give reply
"But love is strong enough to quell
The greatest storm to lullaby."

"Faith I give you, child of mine
And pride enough to fill my heart
For now I see how bright you shine"
With trust the four then did depart.

II.

Thus she stands before a mare
Returned to stone, then left to rot
And now condemned into her care
Until she has all that she sought

Magic from her horn unfurls
To shatter chains of arcane light
The stone unravels, colours swirl
And with a flash, a mare gains sight

Fall from grace, into her arms!
The atrophy within her bones
Is mirrored not by mind alarmed
At sight of alicorn unknown

"Who are you, accursèd beast?
I see the wings and horn you sport
The price you seek for my release
Do not attempt from me extort"

"Flurry Heart, my name from birth
But name alone tells not my tale
For long ago was my rebirth
From my domain Devotion hails"

Scoffs the mortal at reply
So plainly given yet unwise
"Devotion is the greatest lie
That traps the fool within your vise"

"Loyalty you've yet to learn
For faith is succour to the soul"
A hoof is offered in concern
"So I shall feed you, tired foal"

"Foal!" she cries, the hoof denied
"In Tartarus my soul was forged
And now I see my toil decried
By one whom mother's milk hath gorged?"

"Suffering is all you've known
And loneliness that's drunk in kind
I know the ways that you have grown
Another life you could not find"

Flurry speaks upon release
Of prisoner to leave at last
"If you should wish this all to cease
Then step outside, towards your past

"But I offer you a cause
A life to live, a seed to sow
For I can see beyond your flaws
To your potential, Cozy Glow"

III.

Freedom beckons, yet gives pause
"A chain you offer, nothing more
And why should I support your cause?
There must be something else in store"

"Cunning suits you well indeed"
The alicorn a smile affords
"Should you accept my righteous creed
A kingdom come be your reward"

Scornful frown she does return
"A kingdom come, beneath your rule?
The thought of it makes stomach churn
Deny I shall to be your tool"

"Tool of mine, yet also Queen
For I have no desire to rule
From alicorns we must be weaned
An end to infancy so cruel"

"Cruelty?" she whispers soft
"You dare to speak against your kind?
The ones who hold your world aloft
You would not leave all that behind"

"Time moves onwards," she replies
A cloud of wrath within her tone
"But they would see us ossify
So vow I will to break their throne"

"Trickery, your words must be,"
Accuses traitor of the god
"Deception that I clearly see
For I have walked the path you trod"

"Risked you once the world's demise
And now you've nothing to your name
So much to gain, if you reprise
Your role in this upcoming game."

Long she stands there, pondering
Refuse she can and trot away
But Flurry speaks the truth that stings
That she has no one left to sway

"Very well," does Cozy say
Acidic tone to match her heart
"But when I'm Queen, without delay
Your head I'll place on pike to start"

Hoof extended, pact is made
And though one enters two return
Angelic countenance displayed
To those who one day they will spurn

IV.

Celebration, bring the feast!
For feted daughter has emerged
Victorious, she tamed the beast
And proved that Love could evil purge

But the four were not yet fooled
For they had heard this filly’s screed
Time again they sought to prove
That she was nothing but a weed

Cloaked in shadows, in her dreams
A mare of night takes on the form
Of one familiar to glean
The purpose true of her reform

On an altar she does lay
In front of Cozy, whilst a blade
Of ice most pure, does then display
While alicorn is bound and splayed

"Cozy Glow, 'tis Flurry Heart
Defenseless, scared, and vuln'rable
Will vengeance take you and depart?"
Is asked to filly damnable

"Princess Luna." Cozy bows
"You honour me with your misdeed
But I was taught to pierce the shroud
That you have donned to test my creed"

Smiling still, she speaks at length
"I could have falsely answered you
But now I see in truth is strength
So I will give you answers true

"Vengeance did I seek at dawn
When stone was rendered into flesh
But Flurry offered me a crown
If I could heal these wounds so fresh

"Now I'll learn her ways of Love
And earn the role I'm meant to play
For cause was given from above
To prove you wrong, and make you say

"'It is right to give her praise!'"
Triumphantly her case is made
With righteous flame does Cozy blaze
The sword discarded, unafraid

Laughter echoes through the skies
Surprising she who pled her case
Then Luna doffs her failed disguise
And speaks reply with royal grace

"Honesty I hear you crow
Yet cunning too within your words
Immortal wisdom I’ll bestow
Beware of love, the subtle sword

"Lest it rend your heart in twain"
With this she vanishes to mist
Awakening from sleep arcane
A filly whom deception graced

V.

Seeking out their spellbound cove
Where secrecy is paramount
She shares the visit from above
By one who sought a case to mount

“Bold are you for speaking true”
Is Flurry’s answer to her tale
“But bolder still, to carry through
There’s time enough to yet turn tail”

“Kingdom mine I still await
Now teach me how Devotion sings
That I might quench my thirst for hate
Until the time of reckoning"

“Know you well the strength of Friends
For many overcome the one
And those who'd die to friends defend
Will give up more than those who'd run"

Here is Flurry radiant
As cutie mark with purpose glows
"But Faith is coin that Friendship spent
And with belief do mountains grow"

Unperturbed, the mortal says
"So you have said, and it is so,
That I know of the price to pay
By fools whose lives away they throw"

"Fools, yet wiser than thee still,
For souls of theirs are satisfied
The emptiness you try to fill
The faithful never did abide"

"Save your breath for one who cares,"
Demands the mare to princess fair.
"I'll learn of faith, so to ensnare
My future servants, to the mare"

"Acquiesce for now I shall."
Says princess bowing, taking flight
"But one day you shall find your call
And happiness will be your blight"

VI.

Seasons changing, Winter, Spring
Routine established, morning, night
Complacency is just the thing
To soothe the worries and the fright

Daytime sees the palace guest
Engaged in lessons on the law
And politics, she aced the test
On statecraft, using sword and plough

Nightfalls lands and she retreats
To sanctuary does she fly
With open arms does Flurry greet
And two defy their destiny

"Artifacts to sap the soul,
And spells to fell the strongest mare
Though both we must have knowledge full
Support of ponies can't compare

"Both are vital to our goals"
Does Flurry say, and Cozy frowns
"Do not assume me as the fool
For I have studied for the Crown

"Lessons that shall help me claim
The hearts and minds of ev'ryone
For when I climb that throne acclaimed
They shall reject the lies you've spun"

"Only you have spun a lie
Continue to apply your mind
As I too learn of magic's might
And what we seek we both shall find"

Second Canto: Love

VII.

Thus the pair continued so
The months turned slowly into years
As time went on, so both did grow
And Flurry preached to all who'd hear

"Faith shall set you truly free
A cause to die for gives us life
So find what makes you come to see
The joy that outlasts any strife"

Soon enough she'd then become
The apple of the people's eye
The lost would seek from her a home
And council she would then apply

"What do you love most of all?"
She'd ask the ones who did not know
And then she'd help them to recall
What lit the fires in their souls

Reputation spreads afar
As all across the world they came
And youngest princess turns to star
While giving purpose all the same

At her side does Cozy stand
Advising alicorn when asked
So her renown spreads through the land
As one who overcame her past

But in private she does rail
Against the one she rose beside
"Is it your wish that your plans fail?
These ponies that you choose to guide

"Loyal servants would they be
But you instead have them take flight
A solider lost with each one freed
By finding cause beyond your sight"

"None should bind themselves to me
All worshippers I shall but spurn,"
With calm does Flurry repartee
"For I wish not their faith to earn

"Freedom is the cause I choose
From tyranny of alicorns
To use the faith I have let loose
Myself would I have naught but scorn"

"Foolishness shall be your fall"
Says this and more by Cozy Glow
But secretly is she enthralled
For Flurry's will respect bestows

VIII.

Time does pass, until the day
Atop a hill two ponies sit
A game of chess they both do play
Diversion as they chat and chit

Often do they both engage
In games of skill, and games of chance
Today, however, seething rage
Does cloud this intellectual dance

"Queen takes rook," a gambit made
As Flurry fights to keep her calm
But slip of tongue she can't evade
As acrid query shows her qualms

"Would you kindly please explain
Your tantrum earlier this week
Our diplomatic ties are strained
With Maretonia peace we seek"

"This I know." So Cozy shrugs
"But more than peace the duke would see
With kiss upon your hoof he wrongs
Your royal hospitality"

"'Tis your move," reminds her foe
"And I had plans to make him pay
For know we both he fancied more
But it was not your place to say"

"I am your advisor first"
A piece she moves in enmity
"My rook takes queen, my heart did thirst
To safeguard royal dignity"

"Know you well I always have
And you had more than pride to sate
Or else you would not fail to stave
Distraction off and miss this mate"

Cozy swears; her king is trapped
And Flurry sees too well her heart
But not so well to know she kept
A secret that she'll now impart

"Fie on you, who art so fair!
If truth you seek, then choke on mine
For I have fallen past repair
And now my heart is wholly thine"

Silence stretches 'cross the board
As Flurry reckons with the lie
They both have guarded in their hoards
A single word she speaks now, "Why?"

"Why, she asks, the perfect mare
Who saved me from eternal sleep
With wit and will I can compare
And beauty that makes angels weep

"Long have I admir'd your cause
Though fool I still believe you be
But admiration grew to house
A love for you that you now see"

IX.

Sweeping board and bounds aside
The princess steps towards the mare
"A secret I as well did hide
And in return I shall now share

"But before I doom us both
A warning I will give you once
To love me is to swear an oath
That you will be what sorrow hunts

"Destiny I chose myself
Will not be swayed by love alone
My cause I'll see until my death
Regardless what my heart hath known

"Knowing this, I shall now say
That longer still I loved you back
As even 'fore that fateful day
When cage of yours I went to crack

"Study you I did at length
And chose you for my rightful heir
Because of courage and the strength
Displayed when you faced down those mares"

Passion blazed between the gap
That separated two from doom
With one swift step did Cozy trap
Herself into a life of gloom

"Even now, your beauty shines
The strength of will to hide your love
Is proof of quality divine
That I have sought from stars above

"With this kiss I seal my fate
An end for one, a start for two
Your warnings have come far too late
A princess now becomes my due"

Lips meet lips, and tongue now dance
As sacred union has been forged
The spark ignites a fiery trance
And lust the pair does plainly gorge

Once they part, regret slides in
But quickly is it purged again
And so a chapter new begins
As Cozy, Flurry, are now twain

"What shall we to tell the world?"
Asks Cozy after doomèd kiss
"And what of our goals deferred
Or current friendship that exists?"

"Nothing changes," is reply
"The alicorns will fall as claimed
And you shall be the queen on high
To usher in an age untamed

"But if you would have it so
Until the reckoning is nigh
I would not want us to lay low
When all the world could see us fly"

"Let it be so, as you've said"
Agrees the other mare with glee
"Another kiss will tie the thread
That binds our hearts for all to see"

X.

Kisses shared, and vows remade
As era new dawns on this day
A courtship broadcast unafraid
As hoof in hoof without delay

Princess and her trusted steed
Atop the world, on balcony
Announce that they have both agreed
To serve the people honestly

By this time the princesses
Have learned to trust the pegasus
So she their blessings does possess
For now until she breaks their trust

Tangled legs in summer heat
Sweet nothings whispered in the night
Caresses shared beneath the sheets
Suffused in everlasting light

Afterwards, in afterglow
When face-to-face on pillows deep
Conspire still as they both sow
The seeds of ruin they shall reap

"Power grows within my soul"
Does Flurry promise with a kiss
"Forbidden strength to see our goal
Moves closer to us with each miss"

"Knowledge of the earthly things
I've mastered well, like laws of state"
In winged embrace does Cozy speak
"And matters royal small and great

"When the time should come at last
And find you well the magic dark
So that the final spell be cast
To end them all, and make our mark

"Worthy I shall be to rule"
To this does Flurry sigh in bliss
"Though future may be far too cruel
On this we'll fondly reminisce"

Day by day, does Cozy change
Conquer all, they say love does
And so does she fall furthermore
In love with she who gave her cause

XI.

Then it happens, as was feared
One night as they lay intertwined
And Cozy stares at one revered
By more than just the common mind

"Finally I understand
Devotion's call, the lure of Faith
For I have found a cause so grand
That I would walk another's path"

Flurry stills, her breath cut short
Within her eyes a storm does churn
Disaster now she might have court
With care does she response return

"Glad I am you understand
The fire that my soul does tend
To see a pony take a stand
The pleasures earthly do transcend"

"Truly does it feel like such
The void you spoke of in my heart
Denied I did, yet it hurt much
And now this flame I can't revert

"Ev'ry morn and ev'ry night
From dusk 'til dawn, in sick or health
My soul is filled with sweet delight
By goddess true that is yourself"

"Goddess, no! Do not believe
That dreadful moniker of me!"
Denounces princess fervently
"For know you well what I've decreed"

"I know well that what you speak
Is not the absolutest truth
For all my life I knew I'd seek
A greater strength that I in youth

"Wrongly thought I'd take myself
But through these years, I've watched you shine
Much brighter than I could in life
So Goddess are you, lover mine

"Thus I pledge myself to you
When time does come for us to rise
And all the tyrants we eschew
Instead of I, you'll take the prize

"Consort only I shall be"
A peaceful sigh, a mare content
With lover's kiss, to bend the knee
To she who taught her Faith's intent

XII.

But her joy does not impart
On Flurry Heart, who turns away
Across the bed, yet miles apart
With desperation does she say

"You must rule once blizzard ends
When deed is done, and storms disperse
Upon the throne must you defend
The freedoms that they have reversed

"Alicorn cannot divest
From us immortal tyranny
Should I become what I resist
You'll all do well to turn and flee"

"Rule alone, I shall refuse
And should you love me as you say
Then let me worship as I choose
And all your fears I shall allay"

Silence then does fill the night
As wills of steel clash in impasse
The air grows dense, on edge of fight
Then Royal voice, as soft as glass

"Never you have you played me fair
Command that you deny your love
I could, and yet, I am aware
That would destroy my soul thereof"

"Know you best, my guiding light
Because of this I tell you true
That I shall be the acolyte
To you, and you shall not rebuke"

Smugness wafts now from the mare
Who knows her better than herself
At last she has in time ensnared
An alicorn, yet not with death

But instead with strings of red
That binds more tight than any chain
For though the path that Cozy treads
Is not unique, forsooth, in vain

Others tried to serve as well
But Flurry saw their love was weak
For they did not perceive what dwelled
Within her mind, and heart so bleak

Only Cozy understood
Why Flurry did not want a church
And only Cozy knew she would
Be most deserving of that charge

"I see too well, the flame is lit"
A sigh from Flurry as she turns
"Within your soul, you cannot quit
But I can choose command to spurn"

Smirking, Cozy strokes the cheek
Of one she'd serve, and one she'd kiss
"Obedience I do not seek
My faith does not extend to this

"But instead I always will
Devote myself to serve your needs
Above my own, for greater still
Are you than I, in word and deed"

With a sigh, and sorrowed smile
Does Flurry take her lover's lips
A kiss is shared, and all the while
A princess does rewrite her scripts

"Only you would find a way
To disobedience define
As loyalty to cause you pray
For now I can't but make you mine"

Argument dissolves in bliss
As pleasure overwhelms them both
Forget for now, enjoy the kiss
For one day they shall test this troth

XIII.

Once again, the seasons pass
On cusp of victory they stand
But first does Cozy have one task
She must complete before the grand

Finale comes at last to claim
The throne where they will both reside
And when the spark ignites the flame
So future come, the past elide

But before that reckoning
A final trip into the past
As Cozy leads in trespassing
And takes her love where die was cast

Perfect was the day as planned
A day of rest, where both enjoyed
Together roaming ‘cross the land
In carefree travels was the ploy

After taking in the sights
And then enjoying modest meal
Of bread and wine, did Cozy lead
Her love towards the doors concealed

Gasped in outrage Flurry did
When recognition lit her brain
“Accursèd place that I do bid
You leave behind this fount of pain”

“Leave in body, long ago
Did I, and yet, my soul had dwelled
In part within these walls of woe
Comes now the time my pain is quelled"

Stolen key slips into lock
And icy chill creeps up two spines
The first to enter, slowly walks
Into the prison so confined

XIV.

Once again within the cage
Does Cozy beckon paramour
To join her up atop the stage
Where did begin a love so pure

"Anger trapped me in this stone
A cause to kill for kept me sane
But now I do not live alone
For you have shown me your domain"

Bending knee, her faith renewed
"My goddess true, I come to you
In worship and in servitude
To ask eternity that's due"

Hidden box, beneath her wing
Now opens up, to one in shock
To see a perfect diamond ring
Held close in hoof, that jeweled rock

Glistening beneath the sun
Portending naught but misery
And Flurry, helpless, can not spurn
The future queen’s cursed inquiry

“Marry you, I can't refuse
Your heart I did not mean to win
But company of yours suffused
These years of toil with joyous grins"

Love's embrace in Death's cold shade
As fates are sealed with just a kiss
The celebration unafraid
Lasts 'til the morn, and end of bliss

Third Canto: Faith

XV.

Sound the wedding bells at once!
On ev'ry corner, cry in joy!
Beloved princess hath announced
A union that all played coy

For they always did agree
That matrimony can't be staved
Their love was obvious can be
Now let the final trials be braved

Cakes and dresses, line them up
Measure twice, and then again
Ensure there’s wine in ev’ry cup
And music systems, watch that gain!

Now the revellers arrive
In droves to see the nuptials
With gifts aplenty, commerce thrives
And ev'ry room is booked in full

Morning comes on day ordained
A kiss as Flurry wakes her bride
"I'll see you when it’s time to claim
Reward for all our swallowed pride”

“On the 'morrow we shall be
United in the eyes of law
There is naught else I wish for me
Than moniker of ‘wife’ to call”

With reply replete in love
Does Cozy part from Flurry Heart
Attendants ev’rywhere above
Descend upon the two apart

First the dress, of finest silk
Sends shivers as it slides past wing
And then the jewels; white as milk
The pearls surround her neck in strings

Next the preening, do hold still
The pain will only last a skosh
Then makeup too, applied with skill
And finally, bouquet of rose

Bride of Crystal, mise en scene
Reception where they all await
The princesses, who all are then
Sequestered in the tower great

Cold seeps into revelry
As guests complain, a guard draws near
To Cozy is delivery
Of news most grim, sowing fear

"Lost all contact have we now"
He warns her as the ice creeps in
"With all five princesses somehow
And just outside the air grows thin"

XVI.

Frozen fractals lace the walls
An icicles descend from high
Beyond the doors, the wind does squall
Unnaturally Nature cries

"Take me to her room at once"
Commands the next surviving heir
She's led through halls in ice ensconced
As Winter's touch corrupts the air

At the doors, it's hard to breathe
And Cozy tells the guards to leave
With all her courage now unsheathed
She calls to one who starts to grieve

"Open up, my one true love!
I know the patterns of your spell"
So slowly, heav'ly, door does move
And Cozy trots through blinding hail

Storm now pulls her dress from clutch
A string of pearls is wrenched away
As howling wind and chilling touch
Attempt this sacred bride to slay

Calm asserts itself in time
When Cozy finally tumbles out
Into the eye of storm sublime
And sees her lover free of doubt

"Welcome, Cozy, to the end"
Serenity exudes the mare
As from above she does descend
To grace the saviour too aware

Of the horrors now unleashed
"The princesses were no great match
Surprise was all I had to pierce
Defenses then at once dispatch

"Foes for which we've sought for long
To fell and start a golden age
The throne to you alone belongs
Your pride and anger now assuaged"

Round the princess, chains of light
Lock others in an icy cast
Above the one who ended fight
An orb of magic holds them fast

"What of you, O Goddess cold?"
Though power burned throughout the room
The pegasus does stand so bold
And questions she of finest plume

"Victory, I see you've won
And though this day was marked for us
Commend I must this ploy you've spun
To score this win without a fuss

"But condemn your secrecy
I also must, for I would fain
Agree to yield to clemency
On this, the day of our domain"

"Sorry, truly, I do mourn
The loss of greatest vow in life
But better now than morrow's morn
No mare should have to kill her wife"

XVII.

Silence reigned as Cozy balked
"You surely cannot think that I
Would raise a hoof to one who walked
Beside me when I sought to flee

"Now we rise and fall as one
The throne we seize will seat but two"
Around the mare, the blizzard spun
A whirlwind trapping her into

Icy death should she remain
"Enough of this!" the princess screams
A blade of ice she forged arcane
Presented as was in the dream

"Do your duty, servant mine!
If you believe yourself are bless'd
As acolyte of one divine
Then drive this sword into my chest"

In the maelstrom, silence reigns
Except for tinkling as the blade
Fell onto floor, 'til Cozy deigns
To take the crown, so price is paid

"Truly did I swear to serve
A greater power than myself
And for that vow, you do deserve
To live, to love, the greatest wealth"

"Useless then, you are to me"
The air grows denser, colder now
As power glows for her to see
"If thou abandonest thy vow

"Death shall set you free as well"
Ice infects the wings of both
As jagged shards make lungs to swell
The chill finds bone, the mare does cough

But she's made of sterner stuff
In Tartarus, in stone, in flesh
The ice cannot her fire snuff
And so she takes up sword and leash

"Cause you gave me, cause to live
And cause to die for too, you see"
The hooves do tremble, but she gives
A smile to one who set her free

Stunned by beauty so divine
The princess watches as a mare
Takes to the skies, with wings so fine
And sheathes the blade with utmost care

XVIII.

Far and wide, a flash of light
Illuminates the eve'ning sky
Cacophony as all delight
That Death the princesses deny!

Question next that they do pose
If wedding still will carry on
A look of sadness, they disclose
Festivities, their time is gone

Somber is the mood that night
As five do gather 'round a bed
Where mortal mare for life does fight
Against the wounds from which she bled

Then it happens, as the spark
Departs one mare forevermore
A gasp of horror as her mark
Does now fade out, and is no more

Six to five, who all look up
Disturbance in the stars they sense
Relief as Aether uncorrupt
Does beckon one to guide commence

"Go to her," the Eldest says
To one who tried to end her life
With heavy heart and no delays
The youngest leaves to see her wife

Stars surround the one who gave
Her life to save another's soul
"Is this what sits beyond the grave
Am I to wander without goal?"

One of many lights transforms
And takes the form of alicorn
"My love, who braved the greatest storm
I come to you, deserved of scorn

“For we both can't but agree
Was greatest sin that ever lived
Corrupting faith did I to thee
Forgiveness I implore you give”

Sorrow plagues her as she kneels
Before the one she has so wronged
Upon her chin, a touch that heals
From one who smiles with peace prolonged

"Who among us have not erred?
You gave me clemency from sin
And now is judgment long deferred
Delivered unto one who grins

"For before the price I pay
A chance to love did I receive
To die for self, a most sad way
To die for love, I do believe

"Is better than to live with hate"
A kiss then shared in astral sea
As reconciliation sates
The guilt that makes both want to flee

"So is this the last goodbye?"
Does Cozy ask with tear-filled eyes
"When I am gone, will you still try
To fight until your last demise?"

Smiling, Flurry then replies
"An end for most this would have been
To strike a spell with sword of ice
The blast did break your body then"

Magic glows around them now
"But in an act of sacrifice
Did you prove true to be allowed
An honour that I can't suffice"

Transubstantiation starts
As arcane forces now consume
A mortal mare who did depart
Too far before her time to bloom

XIX.

In the night, a star descends
So bright that all can see as day
Before the Crystal Heart it bends
And lands in front, where dirges play

From the light, a mare steps out
With wings and horn, it's all too clear
What she's become, there is no doubt
The other princesses draw near

Front and center, Flurry stands
With horn aglow she then declares
That privacy they do demand
The spell is cast, away with flair

In their chambers, much to say
But first a hug, and tears to fall
For many trials have come this day
And many more, beyond recall

"Worthy of the throne no more
To you since I now have this horn"
Though Cozy smiles, the dread is fore
As she awaits her lover's scorn

"Blind was I, right from the start"
The guilt in Flurry's voice is strong
"Though horn your sport, within your heart
Does matter more than wings or prong

"Always was it I alone
That was unworthy of the throne
For unlike those who are more grown
I never earned this coat of down

"You, however, like the ones
Who came before, did sacrifice
The Heart, the Stars, the Moon, the Sun
Among the chosen you suffice

"Only I was born as such
And only I earned not my keep
And so my anger was my crutch
That cost your life, and so I reap

"Seeds of hate that I did sow
But you broke free and showed faith true
And now to you that I should bow
I doff my crown, to give to you"

"Once again, I tell you this
But selfishness did taint my vow"
With utmost urgency they kiss
"I wished to serve, so that somehow

"You would choose me evermore"
With that confession, both grow light
As sins forgiven, scars they bore
Begin to heal, so they take flight

"Much to learn, of Faith and Love
For both of us, a road so long
Together shall we grow thereof
As Hope will never cease Her song"

Dance among the stars as one
For reckoning has still to come
As they account for lies they've spun
And purge the darkness they succumbed

But for now, their hope shines bright
For they've found freedom in their faith
Belief gives darkest minds the light
To leave their pasts behind to waste

Coda: Peace

XX.

Dawn breaks o'er walls of steel
And arcane wires glowing faint
The speakers floating high do peal
With melodies of times more quaint

Flying constructs high above
A grassy hill that's lost to time
Atop the mound, a flitting dove
Descends on pair of graves begrimed

"Here lies two devoted wives
Who taught the world a better way
And out of love did give their lives
To guarantee a brighter day"

Smiling softly by the stone
A mare does poke her wife in jest
"That epitaph has quite the tone
Dramatic were we 'fore our rest"

"True enough," her partner laughs
"And truer still, that we did well
To abdicate, and give the cuffs
Of leadership with our farewell"

"You were right, right from the start,
That rule of alicorns must end
But glad I am we did not part
When time came for us to defend

"Cause for which we long had strained"
A gentle kiss, a reverie
As past recalled, free of pain
And princesses no more to see

"Thankful am I that you made
The sacrifice that I could not
To save the world from my crusade
Then did not leave me there to rot"

"Debt was paid, on fateful day."
Does Cozy softly say in turn
"And I could never part my ways
With such a beauty that I earned"

Silence stretches 'cross the hill
In quiet contemplation's shade
Two alicorns, both standing still
As twilight softly, gently fades

"So another day begins”
Says Flurry as she turns to leave
“And much to do, in all this din
Before we earn our sweet reprieve"

“We have all the time we need
To see the sights this city boasts
And din, you say, as if indeed
We came not for the concert most”

“Concert, yes, but that’s tonight
For now the streets play lesser fare”
As Flurry turns her nose up high
So Cozy giggles at her mare

“More vacations we should take”
The former pegasus replies
“If I had known that death would make
Us take up jobs as part of prize

“Crown I never would have passed”
At comment made does Flurry smile
For she knows well they’ve both surpassed
Their previous lives by many miles

“Happiness in toil we’ve found”
She says with one last look behind
“But truer still our clocks our wound
Too tightly still, for we might find

“Peace at last if we would just
Accept the rest that we have earned
As other alicorns suggest
Perhaps the next life we’ll have learned”

“Years have we until this life
Must then be doffed, and yet I doubt
That I nor you, beloved wife
Would spend a lifetime just passed out”

“Maybe so, and yet I see
My aunt so happy on the beach
With drink in hoof, right by the sea”
At this does Cozy then beseech

"Do not use her as a guide
As we both know that without toil
Our minds would wither, and our pride
Could not accept such lifestyles spoilt"

"Truly," Flurry does concede
"But let us not on future dwell
When present we have both agreed
Has much for us to do as well"

Casting spells to hide their wings
A pair of unicorns depart
From monument to long-cut strings
And sacrifices of the heart