Author's Note

Technical notes (spoilered for those who want go in blind): This poem is written in both iambic tetrameter and trochaic tetrameter, which left-justified text iambic and right-justified text trochaic. Also, since dialogue tends to be difficult to attribute in verse, and I'm loathe to use color to denote it, I will instead say that I gave Flurry a William Blake-inspired tic of capitalizing Words in the middle of sentences, to structurally differentiate her dialogue from Cozy's.

Give us this day our daily bread, and I'll give you back your home

I tried my Best, I swear I did
A Good Mare always I have been
And yet the Heavens did forbid
That I would be the perfect Queen

In Winter's Heart I first drew breath
Where Love I gorged with mother's milk
And Friendship lessons most in-depth
The Sun and Moon among my ilk

And so we forged our Paradise
A golden age of Harmony
And in the Light did I arise
Until it burned me presently

My Heart is pure, I swear that’s true
By Harmony I am most bless’d
I’m Kind and Honest, Loyal too
I help all who might be distress’d

But Harmony did plant in me
(When I drew breath so long ago)
A Light that blinds Morality
And chokes me with Desires low

And so I beg Forgiveness though
It’s not my Fault, I’m good at Heart
But she now plagues my tortured Soul
That cunning Temptress oh-so smart

I read her Words and watched her Deeds
Plumb'd Memories to see it all
Her Wickedness did plant its Seeds
Inside me, as I was enthrall'd

With ev'ry waking Thought consum’d
By One subsumed in stony Cage
Before her Connquest was resum’d
To bring about the Darkest Age

So now, though I have all I want
I’m drowning in the wishing Well
For She whose Legacy now haunts
This Paragon turned Infidel

To Cozy Glow, my life’s new Light
I’ll save you from that Darkness cold
And we shall burn in maiden Flight
To purify our tainted Souls

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Darkness endless always ever
Never peaceful thoughts are churning
Burning angry raging fever
Fester faster frothing nothing

Flash of light so sudden piercing
Stone to flesh to pain to panic
World returning overwhelming
Sights and sounds and time and magic

"Be at Peace." A voice so lovely
Chiming like a bell in winter
Anchors me to now just barely
"Welcome to your new Forever"

"Who are you?" A single question
Yet the first words I have uttered
Voice my own yet also foreign
Skin my own yet also fettered

"Goddess, Princess, Saviour, Lover
Purest Heart that walks amongst us
Past and Present unto Future
You shall call me each I promise"

Madness to my ears still tender
"Princess I can see quite clearly
Wings and horn you have that render
Title that you cherish dearly

"Goddess, though— for all their hubris
This you’ve gone beyond the others”
With each word I grow more breathless
As the air grows thicker, denser

“Lost you are, my Lamb so little
Only such explains your error
Now we must begin to whittle
Impudence towards your Saviour”

Through this choking spell I spite her
"Saviour yes — that's quite objective
But I will not thank you either
For reversing this injustice”

“Truly you must be befuddled
Rest you need so to Recover
From this Spell that’s left you addled
Sleep and we shall speak more later”

Darkness closes in so quickly
That I fall before my words can
Doom me further to this crazy
Mare I pray is just mistaken

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So many Secrets to be found
Within this Palace that is Home
For I who am by Crystal bound
To bear my Burden all alone

Ensonced within a hidden Room
My Charge now slumbers 'til the Morn
Shall come so that we might resume
The Discourse marred by Madness borne

In Flesh her Beauty almost shines
As bright as Mine, but deep as Skin
Her ugly Heart is misaligned
But soon we’ll beat without our Sin

A gentle moan as she Awakes
A flutter of her Eyes so red
I offer Water so to slake
Her thirst as she does rise from Bed

“I bid you Welcome to our home”
I say politely, smiling soft
"It's Here that you will now be shown
A better Path to be your Troth”

A quiet Moment as she drinks
Her fill from Chalice in her hoof
"And why am I the one you think
Most needs your care beneath this roof?"

"A valid Question," I concede
"In Truth you don't deserve this Boon
But Fate ordained that I would read
Your Words and then in Love be Doom'd

"And so I'm left with just one choice
A Heart as Pure as mine cannot
Be Poisoned by your sinful Voice
Redemption thus must be your Lot

"With Heart and Soul made Clean again
Together we will will bow to Fate
And be as One forever then
As you will be a worthy Mate"

From Her a smile that's filled with Lead
"Redemption as your prisoner
That you would force into your bed
Belies a heart more sinister"

She's goading me— I see this clear
"My patience dwarfs Eternity
And you are Weak— I taste your Fear
Soon your Resolve shall bend the Knee"

"Then let the games begin at last"
Defiant still, for Now at least
"My wits against your fated task
We'll see who then at last shall feast."

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Games aren't fun all by my lonesome
Weeks or days or hours even
No idea how long this loathsome
Princess means to leave me trapped in

Bread and water feeds the body
While the mind returns to darkness
No escape I've found already
Lest I yield and beg her kindness

Will she let my mind now shatter
So that she can then reforge it?
Now defiance doesn't matter
If she won't come down and visit

Change of strategy is needed
Pride means nothing without vict'ry
Let her think she has succeeded
‘Til she drops her guard around me

“Please, Your Majesty,” I grovel
"Save me from this lonely darkness
In your friendship I will revel
Let me bask within your largess”

Not a moment then is wasted
In a flash she makes her entrance
"Glad am I that you've Recanted
See what can be done with Temp'rance?"

"Torture always yields the answer
That your subject thinks you wanted"
Pride is slower to be severed
Now that I'm not isolated

"Sad it is that Contemplation
Is to you Excruciating"
Flurry frowns in castigation
"If that's All then I'll be leaving"

"Wait!" I cry, the fear returning
"If you so believe your gospel
Prove the value that you're preaching
Show me that it's more than drivel"

Warmth throughout me then suffuses
From a hug so soft and stifling
Gentleness that still confuses
Should she not be more distrusting?

"Wonderful!" my captor gushes
"Wise you are to drop your Protest"
Thus does end the contest this is
Now our game begins in earnest

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