All the King's Horses

by Vanity

An Ode To Captivity (Bonus)

I sit in silent darkness,
My home is a cold iron cell.
Yet still it fills me with comfort to be here,
This strange, yet familiar hell.

The exit is guarded by a three-headed canine,
Watching us greedily from high on his shelf.
The door is wrought of metres of steel,
Sealed and enchanted by the Princess herself.

Chains bind me hoof and fetlock,
Sheer walls stretch up to the clouds.
But I would not dream of escaping this place,
Nor would I leave if I were allowed.

The Princess still sends me a letter each week,
For old time's sake, I assume, nothing more.
It pains me to think back to all that I left behind,
Of the world that lies beyond that great door.

Beyond these walls, I am a legend,
A story told to all foals under the sun.
The filly friendship and all her armies could not save,
The mare who challenged the Princess, and won.

In some, I am a villain of the darkest art,
A cruel witch whom all would despise.
In others, I am a victim of destiny and fate,
A tragedy, with hellfire and stars in her eyes.

Neither tale are true, nor is any woven of me,
But perhaps it is better this way.
"'History is forgotten by all in a generation or two,
But a fable lives forever", they say.

The real story is only known to my fellow prisoners,
And to ones who still remember those times.
The filly who was tricked by the icon of chaos made flesh,
The mare who didn't learn from her crimes.

I have told it before, and shall tell it again,
A thousand times if I can, and I will.
Every prisoner here flocks to hear my story again,
And for once, every furious tongue lies still.

If I wanted, I could loved, cherished and worshipped,
A shining Queen in this world they abhor.
But then, I would have truly learned nothing at all,
And I have twice played the fool before.

When they ask what I want? Simple, I tell them;
A friend, just one, would suffice.
No slaves, no servants, no adoring fans do I seek,
A fellow equal is my only price.

They do not understand; I do not blame them,
My only offer is one they have all spurned.
They are treated like animals in this frozen pit,
What other lessons should I expect them to learn?

When I first came here, I was a mere filly,
This place seemed so much smaller then.
Today, it houses dark creatures from lands far beyond,
Yet I am the only pony in this great demon's pen.

They cry every night without fail,
A legion of wretched souls screaming in regret.
My heart is torn by their anguish and pain,
And for their sorrow I cannot abet.

More than once I have begged for silence,
For every tongue to lie still, for the end.
I cannot tell how many years it has been,
Only that in here, sanity is hard to defend.

Their sadness is matched by their anger,
At the world that built them this cage.
Though many lose their minds inside of this place,
Not one has ever let go of their rage.

But I cannot bring myself to blame my captors,
Nor do I feel injustice towards these creatures.
The dwellers in here may be tortured, lost and sick,
But innocence is hardly one of their features.

The warlords, the brutes, the killers,
Demons, and the tyrants they serve.
Bloodthirsty monsters hellbent on destruction,
What more do they think we deserve?

I am content, not happy, but satisfied,
My place in here has been well earned.
For the sorrow I have wrought in the world beyond here,
And for the offers of friendship I have spurned.

I sit in silent darkness,
The banners of hell unfurled.
My home is a prison of sinners and stone,
Yet I would not trade it for The World.

Author's Note:

This is a poem I wrote for The Legionnaire that I had planned to include as the final chapter ("The World") before a major (seriously major) rewrite. That's right, at one point it was going to be even more depressing.

I don't want it to go to waste, so I thought I'd include it here.

Comments

[Cyana Flame]

[Moonlight Blitz]

It was a pleasure reading the main story and these bonus sequel chapters the hard work definitely shows thanks for creating this and enjoy your holidays

[Biglulu]

No Cozy/Luster chapter? Bruh.