The Essence of Existenceby pilordChaptersBestDarknessFireInsideEnergyBestBest What does it mean to be the best? The fame and glory, performing before thousands, the recognition as a master of your art. These all come from being the best. But, what does it 'mean' to be the best? The destination is easy, it is well defined and clear. But one does not simply become the best on a whim. The journey is what matters. 'Best' is not just a title, it is a way of life. It is an over arching, all consuming goal. Many could be good or even great, without even a chance of being best. The best know that they are at the top; but also that what is possible is far beyond them. Those who are great yet bask in their own greatness, can never be the best. The best is the one who practices when none can see, who won't stop until they succeed. The best do not gloat, for they know the vastness of what they still cannot do; they push themselves ever onward towards a goal they know cannot be reached. What does it mean to be the best? It means to aim for a goal that you know cannot be attained, yet you strive to get there anyway. Author's Note As you may have guessed, this poem is about the essence of being the best as something. It is specifically about RD and how she has the drive and mindset need to become the best. It is also about Twilight Sparkle, in that she is already the best at magic in all of Equestria, and yet she knows how much she still cannot do. DarknessDarkness What is darkness? It is evil, it is bad. No! Not that. Darkness is more primal, darkness has no alignment, it does not choose a side. Darkness is a refuge, a sanctuary sought by those who wish to not be sought themselves. Yet darkness gives all contrast; without darkness, there can be no light. Darkness is the friend of all things bright and shining, for without the dark, the bright and glorious are indistinct from each other and useless. Darkness is the nothingness against which all that ‘is’ can be seen. Darkness is the canvas of creation. It is the light that is evil and bad, but light is also good and righteous. For light is merely existence, the paint against the canvas that is darkness. Author's Note This one is about Luna, or more specifically the general misunderstanding of the nature of darkness; which she represents. FireFire Fire, what is fire? To people of science and reason, fire is plasma; nothing more than heated gasses emitting light when electrons change shells. But fire is more. To the caveman, fire is power. Power which is feared and respected, but also power which can do good. Fire is the tool to cook their food, the way to heat their homes. It is the weapon to scare predators away and the shield against the darkness. To nature, fire is a great destroyer. It burns down forests, and kills animals; it can block out the sun and poison the water. To some, fire is a metaphor. It is a symbol representing the abstraction of something else. To some it is determination; to others, hate or rage. Sometimes it is love, or even pure lust. To me. To me, fire is life. Fire is an idea, an object with power. Fire can help or fire can destroy. A single fire can keep a hundred lives from a frozen death, or burn so many that the ash falls like snow. The more you fuel it, the faster it burns; and the more you need it the longer it lasts. When you try to kill it before it’s time, it will resist, hissing and smoking until it dies. But fire can live on; one fire can be used to start a thousand more. And even after death, a fire lives on as the aftermath of it’s effects and the heat of the coals, a fleeting memory of what once was. Author's Note This one is intended to be about the nature of the power in all things, by way of using the example of fire. The nature of power to be able to be used for good, evil, or to not be used at all, comes up with Nightmare Moon, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Discord, and many others. InsideInside This place is a fortress, a stronghold more impregnable than any made of mortar and stone could ever be. Within it is held, all things. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be. But, there is more. It holds also all that which does not or cannot exist; all the terrible and horrifying, all the beautiful and calm, and all things in between. At its core lies the essence, around which the fortress was founded; built piece by piece with logic and planning. Padded and protected, encased in all things, the essence does lie in the fortress it made. Now something has happened! The essence is changing. Something broke through the fortress to change it. This thing does not care about walls made by logic or protection and padding made of things that can be defined. This thing is undefinable, like the essence itself, and it grows stronger as it closes in. When it reaches the essence the walls tumble down, the fortress collapses, and ‘all things’ come unwound. The essence is free, in a sea of all things, to dance with the one thing it cannot define. The thing is called friendship; and it is the cause of the radical change in the view in this place: inside the mind of the lavender mare. Author's Note This one is about the change that happens in ones mind when they get friends; and how the vault of knowledge and ideas that one hides in, becomes a wealth of them that can be used to help others. In this case, the mind is that of Twilight Sparkle. This one was easy to write, only taking about eight minutes from start to final draft. It was easy because I have experienced this change myself when I first found true friends. EnergyEnergy All around us there is energy, it surrounds us, permeates us, and radiates from us. It is this energy which gives us the strength to wake up and the will to do so. It is this energy that gives us the courage to stand for what we think is right, even against those we trust. We gain this energy from our friends and loved ones, but also from ourselves. With enough of this energy, one can do things that they never thought they could. It can let you see things in a new way; or share a piece of yourself that you keep locked away. It can give you the strength to confront those that you love with your feelings, or help them with theirs. This kind of energy cannot be measured. This energy has no bound, it flows through all of us, formed by the bonds we share with others and the satisfaction we derive from ourselves. Some may call this energy the soul, but I would say that the soul is just the container for this energy. When it is shared, it grows; ever spreading, from friend to friend, lover to lover, and stranger to stranger, whenever one is kind. This is the energy to do what must be done when a decision must be made, or a task completed. This is the energy to tell someone that you love them; and also to hear that they don’t love you back. This is the energy of compassion, of kindness, of friendship, and of love; forever kept in the confines of one’s soul. Author's Note This poem is about friendship, but more precisely it is about the energy of live that causes friendship ans love and kindness.
BestBest What does it mean to be the best? The fame and glory, performing before thousands, the recognition as a master of your art. These all come from being the best. But, what does it 'mean' to be the best? The destination is easy, it is well defined and clear. But one does not simply become the best on a whim. The journey is what matters. 'Best' is not just a title, it is a way of life. It is an over arching, all consuming goal. Many could be good or even great, without even a chance of being best. The best know that they are at the top; but also that what is possible is far beyond them. Those who are great yet bask in their own greatness, can never be the best. The best is the one who practices when none can see, who won't stop until they succeed. The best do not gloat, for they know the vastness of what they still cannot do; they push themselves ever onward towards a goal they know cannot be reached. What does it mean to be the best? It means to aim for a goal that you know cannot be attained, yet you strive to get there anyway. Author's Note As you may have guessed, this poem is about the essence of being the best as something. It is specifically about RD and how she has the drive and mindset need to become the best. It is also about Twilight Sparkle, in that she is already the best at magic in all of Equestria, and yet she knows how much she still cannot do.
DarknessDarkness What is darkness? It is evil, it is bad. No! Not that. Darkness is more primal, darkness has no alignment, it does not choose a side. Darkness is a refuge, a sanctuary sought by those who wish to not be sought themselves. Yet darkness gives all contrast; without darkness, there can be no light. Darkness is the friend of all things bright and shining, for without the dark, the bright and glorious are indistinct from each other and useless. Darkness is the nothingness against which all that ‘is’ can be seen. Darkness is the canvas of creation. It is the light that is evil and bad, but light is also good and righteous. For light is merely existence, the paint against the canvas that is darkness. Author's Note This one is about Luna, or more specifically the general misunderstanding of the nature of darkness; which she represents.
FireFire Fire, what is fire? To people of science and reason, fire is plasma; nothing more than heated gasses emitting light when electrons change shells. But fire is more. To the caveman, fire is power. Power which is feared and respected, but also power which can do good. Fire is the tool to cook their food, the way to heat their homes. It is the weapon to scare predators away and the shield against the darkness. To nature, fire is a great destroyer. It burns down forests, and kills animals; it can block out the sun and poison the water. To some, fire is a metaphor. It is a symbol representing the abstraction of something else. To some it is determination; to others, hate or rage. Sometimes it is love, or even pure lust. To me. To me, fire is life. Fire is an idea, an object with power. Fire can help or fire can destroy. A single fire can keep a hundred lives from a frozen death, or burn so many that the ash falls like snow. The more you fuel it, the faster it burns; and the more you need it the longer it lasts. When you try to kill it before it’s time, it will resist, hissing and smoking until it dies. But fire can live on; one fire can be used to start a thousand more. And even after death, a fire lives on as the aftermath of it’s effects and the heat of the coals, a fleeting memory of what once was. Author's Note This one is intended to be about the nature of the power in all things, by way of using the example of fire. The nature of power to be able to be used for good, evil, or to not be used at all, comes up with Nightmare Moon, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Discord, and many others.
InsideInside This place is a fortress, a stronghold more impregnable than any made of mortar and stone could ever be. Within it is held, all things. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be. But, there is more. It holds also all that which does not or cannot exist; all the terrible and horrifying, all the beautiful and calm, and all things in between. At its core lies the essence, around which the fortress was founded; built piece by piece with logic and planning. Padded and protected, encased in all things, the essence does lie in the fortress it made. Now something has happened! The essence is changing. Something broke through the fortress to change it. This thing does not care about walls made by logic or protection and padding made of things that can be defined. This thing is undefinable, like the essence itself, and it grows stronger as it closes in. When it reaches the essence the walls tumble down, the fortress collapses, and ‘all things’ come unwound. The essence is free, in a sea of all things, to dance with the one thing it cannot define. The thing is called friendship; and it is the cause of the radical change in the view in this place: inside the mind of the lavender mare. Author's Note This one is about the change that happens in ones mind when they get friends; and how the vault of knowledge and ideas that one hides in, becomes a wealth of them that can be used to help others. In this case, the mind is that of Twilight Sparkle. This one was easy to write, only taking about eight minutes from start to final draft. It was easy because I have experienced this change myself when I first found true friends.
EnergyEnergy All around us there is energy, it surrounds us, permeates us, and radiates from us. It is this energy which gives us the strength to wake up and the will to do so. It is this energy that gives us the courage to stand for what we think is right, even against those we trust. We gain this energy from our friends and loved ones, but also from ourselves. With enough of this energy, one can do things that they never thought they could. It can let you see things in a new way; or share a piece of yourself that you keep locked away. It can give you the strength to confront those that you love with your feelings, or help them with theirs. This kind of energy cannot be measured. This energy has no bound, it flows through all of us, formed by the bonds we share with others and the satisfaction we derive from ourselves. Some may call this energy the soul, but I would say that the soul is just the container for this energy. When it is shared, it grows; ever spreading, from friend to friend, lover to lover, and stranger to stranger, whenever one is kind. This is the energy to do what must be done when a decision must be made, or a task completed. This is the energy to tell someone that you love them; and also to hear that they don’t love you back. This is the energy of compassion, of kindness, of friendship, and of love; forever kept in the confines of one’s soul. Author's Note This poem is about friendship, but more precisely it is about the energy of live that causes friendship ans love and kindness.
