The Laughter and the Night

by AugieDog

Book III

High above, the sky stretches cloudlessly,
Till to the east with a jagged smack,
Mountains stab like claws bent on sundering:
Luna observes them and eats her snack.

1.

The luncheon passes in a blur
Beneath that perfect blue,
The grasslands rustling all around,
And Luna rustles, too.

When Pinkie swallows at one bound
A dozen candied fruits,
The princess laughs, a sound she's heard
Compared to crystal flutes.

Yet all the same, unease has stirred
Through Luna from ahead,
From where the Mountains of the Moon
Lie cloaked about with dread.

That voice, that silken little croon
Bucephalus has used
To touch her thoughts, is quiet now
But still, she feels bruised.

The sweat that starts upon her brow
Is cold, then hot, then cold,
And sensing his benighted gaze,
She trembles, less than bold.

"Power," comes a whisper from Pinkie Pie.
"Beauty and life: all the things he fears.
You're so near, he's feeling his nothingness,
Feeling how empty he's been for years."

2.

She startles, then, when Pinkie lays
A hoof upon her leg.
"He knows you're strong, and in the end,
He knows he'll hafta beg."

For what? the princess can pretend
She doesn't think at all.
She stands and spreads her wings. "Perhaps
We'd best pay him our call."

Her tongue extending, Pinkie laps
Up all remaining crumbs;
She climbs aboard at Luna's nod,
The air around them thrums,

And Luna launches from the sod,
Outracing ev'ry doubt
To land sure-hoofed upon the stone
Outside his foul redoubt.

"It's nice!" says Pinkie. Luna's thrown:
"Excuse me, Pinkie Pie.
It's meant for his imprisonment."
"You sure?" She squints an eye.

Redwood trees, ten dozen and fully grown,
Latticed together both good and tight:
Curving, vaulted, massive, a palace-sized
Palisade butting the mountains' height.

3.

A bouncing Pinkie laughs. "The scent
Of all this gorgeous pine!
The dappled sunlight... Ooo! A stream!
This place is mighty fine!"

While Luna's glare's been known to steam
The dew from off the grass,
Against the wall of Pinkie's grin,
It shatters like it's glass.

But then a rumbling voice—"Come in."—
Makes Luna gasp and freeze:
Caressing, gentle, promising,
The perfect summer breeze.

"Is that—?" asks Pinkie, whispering.
The princess somehow nods,
Her words again all jammed inside
Her throat like soiled clods.

Unbidden, Luna's glance goes wide;
It settles on the door,
Half-hidden in the undergrowth,
And sparks her inner war.

Step on through? Bucephalus never could
Squeeze himself out from a gap that small.
Step on through?! That's absolute craziness!
Sever your ties to him quick! That's all!

4.

"The rules," says Pinkie, "state that both
The breaker and breakee
Must meet each other face to face
Before you can be free."

"The rules?" asks Luna. "There's a place
Where these things are defined?"
"Just in your heart." Then Pinkie taps
Her head. "And in your mind."

Another rumble: "If perhaps
You fillies would allow,
Your safety here in my domain
I'll solemnly avow."

"You what?!" A stab like real pain
Makes Luna wince and glare.
"You have no standing, prisoner!
What right have you to dare—?!"

"Ah, Luna." How it shivers her
To hear him speak her name!
And how revolting that she feels
Affected by his game!

"That's enough!" she bellows while blasting a
Bolt from her horn to remove the gate.
Striding through, she strives to maintain herself,
Wants indignation displayed, not hate.

5.

The space within the prison steals
Her breath: the redwood beams
Immense to keep the spell contained,
So cavernous it seems.

And there, his rocky hide unstained
By dust or time or age,
Bucephalus stands towering,
Still locked within his cage.

He isn't grim or glowering,
Although the arrow clenched
Between his teeth makes Luna think
Of all the pain he wrenched—

And suddenly, a fetid stink
Invades the piney smell,
A stench of fear and blood reborn;
She rears and starts to yell:

"You're nothing to me, Rage Forlorn,
A blot I've cast aside!
Begone from all my dreams and thoughts!
I shall not be defied!"

"Glorious," he whispers. "You're ev'rything
I had remembered and so much more.
Luna, please, accept my apologies;
Grant me forgiveness, I do implore."

6.

She tells herself of all the plots
And schemes he might attempt,
This one is simply juvenile,
Too ragged and unkempt.

But if it's true... A tiny smile
Tugs squirming at her lips—
When Pinkie bursts out into tears.
"That's beautiful!" she drips.

"You've pined here all alone for years
Just waiting her return!"
She jams a kerchief to her snout.
"Oh, how your heart must yearn!"

The princess stares, this turnabout
Unnerving her a bit
Especially when Pinkie turns
On her: "You hypocrite!

Remember those who had concerns
Right after Nightmare Moon?
But ev'rypony knows you now
And sings a diff'rent tune!"

Once again, the old inner argument:
Save him? Impossible! Must it be?
"Princess?" Pinkie holds up a hoof to her.
"Step yourself back now; leave this to me!"

7.

A bounce, and Pinkie bends a bow.
"Hello, Bucephalus.
My name is Pinkie Pie, and I'm
So glad you met with us!"

"Indeed." The statue seems to chime
The word, its mouth unmoved.
"It's nice to find my ancient name
By some not disapproved."

"I understand you like to game,"
Says Pinkie with a grin
And something Luna thinks a wink.
"And that you play to win."

The statue's head with creak and clink
Adjusts a slight amount.
"I never lose," his voice declares,
"At least in ways that count."

"Terrific!" Pinkie further bares
Her teeth. "And goodness me!
The prize we're playing for today?
The key that sets you free!"

Gasping, frozen, Luna's eyes widening,
Staring as out from her tangled mane,
Pinkie pulls an object of blue and white,
Holds it up, shivering Luna's brain.

8.

"The puzzle stone." His words like clay
Take shape upon the air
And harden fast. "Where did you get—?!
It's mine, you stupid mare!

I've sought for centuries, have set
My spies upon its trail
Without success, and now you pull
The thing from out your tail?!

I'll kill you, you contemptible—!"
A choking sort of gasp.
"I mean," he goes on, soft and sweet,
"I only wish to clasp—"

"No more." The princess sighs. "Deceit
Was ever your lifeblood."
A flame inside her gutters low;
She stomps it in the mud.

"No more." She growls this time. "You show
At last your one, true face!
I thus dismiss you from my heart,
This world, and ev'ryplace!"

Luna flares her horn, and the puzzle stone
Hurtles against him to crack the spell.
"Here's your freedom! Let us confront ourselves,
Settle the truth, and no more rebel!"

9.

He splinters, scatters, bursts apart,
His rough and stony skin
Exploding in a storm of dust—
But standing there within,

Bucephalus, as dark as rust,
As bloody red as Fate,
Expels a snort, and lightning flares
Around his armor plate.

He shouts, his voice all trumpet blares:
"Oh, how I've longed for this!
To crush you after savoring
One final, loving kiss!"

The princess laughs unwavering,
Her ev'ry sense alive.
"But now I've seen you truly, dear!
My kiss you won't survive!"

He charges, roars, but Luna's fear
Has vanished like the dew.
She meets him solid as a fist,
As righteous and as true.

Time goes spinning, she and Bucephalus
Dancing a galliard of fire and death.
Battered, both, but when she decides they have
Paid for their crimes, Luna takes his breath.

10.

A roll of thunder, then she's kissed
His cold, unmoving mouth,
The storm that raged around their brawl
Now clearing to the south.

"I'm sorry," comes a gentle call,
And Pinkie's standing there.
"But now at least you'll start to heal.
You've washed him from your hair."

"Except," says Luna. "Was he real?
When fighting, I could tell
I made him move. I pulled his strings.
I rang him like a bell."

"Until you stopped it!" Pinkie sings,
"'Cause now you've got no need!
Forgive yourself and take the blame!"
And Luna nods. "Indeed."

But ev'ning's falling, clouds aflame
And fading with the light.
Together, then, they raise the moon,
The Laughter and the Night.

Friendship shines, a beacon of hopefulness,
Sharing a burden to banish doubt.
Here, two friends descending a mountaintop
Quietly watch as the stars come out.

Comments

[AugieDog]

And once again:

They all lived happily ever after.

Mike

[Glazius]

A part of me has decided that Pinkie nicked that thing from one of her exes on the way out the door, and the rest of me can't really bring itself to contradict.

[AugieDog]

3157367

Things do turn up:

In the oddest of places, don't they?

Mike

[hypervelocity]

Awww...I was hoping that there would be more! (I kinda like the combo of Pinkie and Luna.)

But congrats for getting me to read a poetry story! If anything, I kinda feel like the ending was rushed, but I'll take it. A quick but super cute read!

[AugieDog]

3160118

I was seriously considering:

Trying to squeeze another book out of it, but I couldn't make it work structurally--another 10 strophes woulda thrown the story out of alignment, and I couldn't figure out a way of expanding the first two books to, say, twelve strophes each without knocking the whole thing over sideways. Still, "quick and cute" is kind of the definition of "epyllion," so thanks!

Mike

[paintom_phan]

Free of disappointment, as usual. By this point, I'd gotten used to the odd meter in the italicized bits. Nice work, as always, Augie.

[Zoegrace1]

:D

[AugieDog]

3332745
3332900

Thanks, folks!

Mike

[Ekevoo]

That was a fun read, a great story, but I feel it didn't take advantage of poetry form. I'm not sure how to elaborate on this.

I also have to say that you're by far my favorite writer for Pinkie Pie. Everything that I have read from you had her exactly like my headcanon for her, uncannily so. As a matter of fact, if Amy Keating Rogers is the one show writer I love the most, and whose hypothetical leave would grieve the most, if it was you to take her place I'd keep my hopes up.

Welllllllllllllll, that was a strange compliment

[AugieDog]

3403126

The stranger:

The better has always been my motto, especially when it comes to compliments. So thanks!

Mike

[TheGPT]

This has become one of my favorite fics. The cover art is very nice too. Is that your statue, and did it serve as inspiration for the story?

[AugieDog]

3496887

Thanks!

Yes, those three at the time were the entirety of my Pony collection. The Pinkie is the Christmas Tree ornament American Greetings put out in 2011 and the big guy is the statue the artist Angry Woebots did for the My Little Pony Project art show in Los Angeles back in the summer of 2012. And looking at the three of them standing on the shelf in my room, I came to realize there wasn't just a story there but a mini-epic!

Mike

[HyperBlossom7]

That. Was. Awesome!!!

[AugieDog]

3939159

Thanks!

Can't go wrong with Pony Epic, says I!

Mike

[HyperBlossom7]

3944513 It also brings me back to my days in High School and Middle school when we read from the textbooks...though I considered myself on a higher reading level than that lot since I can read quickly and easily.

My point is that I read your story in the poetic verse rather than that of regular prose.

[Wellwater]

Well, that was pretty slick. I liked that.

[AugieDog]

4206860

Thanks!

I've still got a few more edits I want to make on it--presentperfect went through the thing with a fine-toothed comb a couple weeks ago and pointed out some spots that need attention. And with my work schedule changing for the better this week, I hope to have time to get in and tune it up soon!

Mike

[YoshiFawful64]

How truly beautiful, this was;
A piece of art, indeed
And if you meant to touch my heart,
Then there, you did succeed.

"The rules?" asks Luna. "There's a place
Where these things are defined?"
"Just in your heart." Then Pinkie taps
Her head. "And in your mind."

This stanza oh, so deeply spoke
Of Luna's feelings toyed
It was the highlight of a poem
I thoroughly enjoyed

[AugieDog]

4524781

Thanks!

I've been kicking around some shorter fixed-form stuff lately, too, if you might be interested: Ponyville & Other Poems it's called.

Mike

[YoshiFawful64]

4524794
It had, in fact, already piqued
My curiousity;
Though other tales may take some time,
It will be read by me!

[Papa Dragon]

Wonderful

[AugieDog]

5700165

Thanks!

The world needs more little pony epics. I'm firmly convinced of it.

Mike

[Conscat]

Tbh I liked this more than Beowulf

[Winter_Solstice]

A moment please
If you will read
My simple, short review

Approved this is
For The Goodfic Bin
A gift from me to you!

camo.derpicdn.net/cfb7e7c5db77f37f7061c766059078be3c297e6a?url=http%3A%2F%2Fs13.postimg.org%2F5a2dthj87%2FGiz_Vyc0.png

[AugieDog]

8700867

Thank you:

Very kindly! I also see that you added my Ponyville & Other Poems collection to your Favourites, so I hope you enjoy those shorter pieces as well. I still manage to add things over there every now and again, too!

Mike

[Ice Star]

This was quite delightful!

[Winter_Solstice]

Featured for March in The Goodfic Bin