The Bells' Toll

by xTSGx

First Published in "The Silent Throne and Other Poems", July of 617

It started long ago when the bells were first rung
In a land far removed from the throne of the Sun
The message they sang, ‘twas not kind and merry
When the bells first tolled for the Apothecary

Who was this pony? The Lordmages did ponder
His funeral bells made his followers grow stronger
They rang of a Cure the doctor had ferried
When the bells first tolled for the Apothecary

Love, hope, and kindness, His followers did sing
Is the heart of this Cure, so hear its great ring
It’s but a simple magic, most ordinary
When the bells first tolled for the Apothecary

Their message was strong, to the heart it did reach
For loss is so draining, like a blood sucking leech
It spread far and wide, from the ground to the aerie
When the bells first tolled for the Apothecary

I’m sure you now realize, all was not well
For the Cure they spoke of was an insidious spell
It would prove ponykind’s greatest adversary
When the bells first tolled for the Apothecary

The following soon demanded more than just words
As its corruption spread, they brought their swords
The Lordmages responded, with their fierce military
When the bells first tolled for the Apothecary

The mountains burned, the valleys bled
But the ringing grew louder, continuing to spread
Death will stop the Cure. Oh, contrary
When the bells first tolled for the Apothecary

The Lordmages fought hard, to their dying breath
For the world would burn if the ringing cured death
But their fate seemed sealed, the Cure now primary
When the bells first tolled for the Apothecary

But like the legends of old, one pony did find
Light in the darkness, and hope in kind
Her magic did make the ringing miscarry
When the bells first tolled for the Apothecary

The rebellion was crushed, the Lordmages made sure
But the followers secretly still spread his dark Cure
They stashed it away to remain solitary
When the bells first tolled for the Apothecary

The ringing returned, so gentle and soft
When the crops could no longer be held aloft
The sound, it grew from Equestria’s prairie
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

The ringing was tame and quiet at first
For the Archmage thought he could stop the worst
But the dark cold’s return made him desperate and harried
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

The Archmage, now frantic to save his great land
And keep it from crumbling apart like mere sand
Heard the ringing echo from the dark library
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

He thought he could tame it, he thought he could win
Pride, after all, is ponykind’s greatest sin
He imagined himself as a true visionary
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

Not all were blind to the Archmage’s descent
For one of his colleagues knew what it meant
But her pleas went unheard, like a miner’s canary
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

A mare from the shadows nearly prevailed
To silence the ringing, but she only failed
Her pooling blood shown most necessary
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

The Archmage then realized his crescendo was near
And enacted his plan to spread a great fear
The streets ran red, like the juice from a cherry
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

He tempted the Sun with powers perverse
For immortality is nothing but a tragic curse
But she swept him aside, like a small wood fairy
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

The ringing was silenced, the Sun made quite sure
She banished her Archmage to keep Equestria pure
But the still bleeding wounds prove not temporary
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

His colleague attempted to end that marred sound
By destroying the bells, from where it was found
But her efforts were frustrated and made arbitrary
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

Keep your ears perked up, since you never will know
When the ringing returns to reap what it sowed
If you hear the sound, please do not terry
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

I beg you, please take this message to heart
Don’t let pride make you believe you’re smart
Like the Lordmages caught flathooved drinking their sherry
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

The cocky among you may smirk and be smarmy
This is only a poem, its words cannot harm me.
This poet is mad, she thinks repetition is scary?
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary.

But you’d do well to keep your ears perked high
And listen intently or you will surely die
This tale is a warning, most cautionary
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

Because the ground will shake and the rains will pour
While the pegasi try to desperately soar
But there’s no escaping what the graves won’t bury
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

You think you’re strong? You think you’re brave?
Don’t you realize you cannot be saved?
Through the fog they’ll rise from the cemetery
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

Don’t believe the lies from your mother’s face
For she’s been long gone from this earthly place
Friends and family you loved, you should be wary
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

The Sun will sear and the Guard will bleed
But its magic will never bow nor heed
No mage or knight can hope to parry
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

Ignore the screams, drown out the pleas
You must only do one thing and flee
Escape the city to your sanctuary
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

It’s slumbering now, but it will return
And once it does the whole world will burn
So stay sharp and alert, the ringing will vary
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

Author's Note:

We’d like to thank the kind ponies at the University of Canterlot’s Ponish Department and Equestria Library Association President Nighty Night for their help in publishing this. The Crimson Week anniversary will continue tomorrow with a symposium in the Archives’ Atrium hosted by the Canterlot Historical Society.

If you’d like to know more about Songbird or the Crimson Week, or any other literary topic of interest, feel free to visit the Canterlot Archives. We’re open 8 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Friday, and 10 AM to 7 PM on the weekends, or if you’re unable to visit, write to us at: 15 One Castle Drive. Canterlot, DOC 00355.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Written for Princess Celestia over the summer of 617 during her melancholic “Rump Regency,”

How can something with a name like THAT be sad?

[oblivion2k]

Read this while listening to deathcore, it was an experience.

[Rain_Flick3r]

Oooooo, I do love this poem.

[Bicyclette]

Love, hope, and kindness, His followers did sing
Is the heart of this Cure, so hear its great ring
It’s but a simple magic, most ordinary

aww that does sound like the good ol’ Magic of Friendship so far!

The Lordmages fought hard, to their dying breath
For the world would burn if the ringing cured death
But their fate seemed sealed, the Cure now primary

ooh, the Cure being undeath?

He thought he could tame it, he thought he could win
Pride, after all, is ponykind’s greatest sin
He imagined himself as a true visionary
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

that is true, a lot of pony problems do seem to originate in that

He tempted the Sun with powers perverse
For immortality is nothing but a tragic curse
But she swept him aside, like a small wood fairy
When the bells tolled anew for the Apothecary

Celestia W

The cocky among you may smirk and be smarmy
This is only a poem, its words cannot harm me.
This poet is mad, she thinks repetition is scary?
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary.

the repeated line carrying into the thoughts of the cocky among us is really quite something

The Sun will sear and the Guard will bleed
But its magic will never bow nor heed
No mage or knight can hope to parry
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

so much for simply parrying the undead

Ignore the screams, drown out the pleas
You must only do one thing and flee
Escape the city to your sanctuary
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

a sage warning or an induction of panic?

It’s slumbering now, but it will return
And once it does the whole world will burn
So stay sharp and alert, the ringing will vary
When the bells again toll for the Apothecary

and who knows just how many previously vanquished Equestria-ending threats still remain just waiting to be revived again? Celestia’s long reign sure seems to be chock-full of those, especially given how many natural cycles of civilizational collapse and rebirth that it spans. thank you for writing!

[FanOfMostEverything]

One could make a tasteless joke about Celestia’s Rump Regency, and I imagine many Canterlot academics have over the centuries.

Overall, this is a great bit of narrative verse, but the meter is inconsistent at times. Reading it aloud reveals the iffy spots. Still, no mean undertaking here, and a haunting tale besides. As horror it arguably leaves too much to the imagination, but there’s incredible dramatic heft. Thank you for it.