Stemmen fra Scandineighvia

As the carriage's wooden wheels slowed to a stop on the well-worn dirt road leading into the port, the passengers' nostrils were filled with the serene scent of saltwater, and Symfoniske Strenge took a deep breath of the aroma as the four ponies disembarked the vehicle.

"Isn't the smell of the ocean just lovely?" She remarked with a sigh as she was handed her mahogany-crafted violin case by Brændende, taking the brass handle in her mouth and trotting down the road towards the harbor where the karvi to Equestria could be seen beside the pier, its mighty mast sticking out like a beacon.

Frysende Måne rolled his eyes, and grabbed the burlap sack carrying both his and Tell Tale's copies of The Horseshoe of the Nibelung script. After a few moments of straining from the weight of the thick tomes within the brown bag, he had a sudden epiphany and just encased it in a white aurora of magic to carry the script of their opera instead.

"I swear, if those books were any thicker they could be used as shields," he mumbled to Tell Tale as they followed Symfoniske down the path.

"Brændende Træ, hurry up! I'd like to get to Equestria before winter, if that's not too much to ask!" Tell Tale called behind him, growing somewhat annoyed at the brown unicorn's lollygagging. Brændende shot him a glare, then handing the carriage driver a pouch of thirty bits and grabbing his rolled-up map of Equestria in his mouth and following the others.

The four ponies were struck with a feeling of pride and excitement as they neared their transport across the sea to the land of hope and glory known as Equestria, the more elegant details of the longship becoming clearer.

The watercraft was built out of a sturdy wood, most likely oak or pine that had been smoothed and tempered and the ship had eloquent designs sand-casted along the rim, with the name, The Warhoof,  being the most prominent. Along the sides of the boat were oars that were fitted into harnesses along the rim and reached across the benches. As he and his mates sat in pairs of two upon the seats, Frysende Mâne took a look up at the mast.

     "You think if that was any taller, it'd brush against the sun and catch fire," He said to Symfoniske as she carefully slid her violin under the bench alongside the sack carrying the two copies of the Horseshoe of the Nibelung. She just shook her head, only half-listening. Near the top of the mast was a thick bar of wood with a large wool sail bound to it. Upon the sail was a silhouette of a pony striking a hammer to an anvil, crafting a weapon to bring those who threatened Scandineighvia to a fatal standstill.

Over the course of another half hour the rest of the ship's passengers took their seats, coming to a total of about twelve by Tell Tale's count, and that was including himself and the other members of Stemmen Fra Scandineighvia. As the grey Earth Pony looked over the starboard side of the ship, he saw that a crowd had gathered to see the ponies bound for Equestria one last time before they set off on their journey to the mainland.

After all of the passengers had boarded, a tall, rather lanky mare with a mane as blue as the ocean and coat of similar color trotted on board, followed by a much bulkier stallion who made his way to the stern of the ship, grasping the steeroar in his mouth.

"Mares and gentlecolts, I am Vassen Tåke, and welcome to my vessel. I shall be your guide on this trip to Equestria. We will begin our long crossing across the sea within the hour," the mare said. "May the winds and waves not lead us to a watery grave during our travels. "

"Real encouraging opening to your speech," Symfoniske mumbled under her breath. "Why not just cut to the chase and set the boat on fire while you're at it?"

Over the next half hour Vassen rattled off safety procedures with the same enthusiasm as she would while counting the tiles on a wall, and the passengers shouted their goodbyes to their friends and family. At last, the time came for the ship to begin its journey, and the sail was lowered, just in time for a gust of wind to push it from the harbour and out to the sea. As time went by, the shores of their homeland began to disappear, but it wasn't for several hours more that the Rainbow Bridge leading to Scandineighvia's capital disappeared from their sight.

The longship charged through the waves like a mighty herd of warriors breaking through the ranks of all that opposed, its outstanding speed created by the gusts of wind enraptured in the ship's sail and the efforts of the passengers' oars pushing through the ice-cold waves of the Foaltic Sea whenever the wind did not blow through their sail.

          "You know, I actually don't mind rowing that much," Brændende Træ said to Tell Tale with a grunt as they all maneuvered their oars through the water, the wood paddles sending saltwater into the air with each splash. "My main problem was getting enough bitsfor all four of us to cross."

           "Yeah, how much was the fee, anyways? You never told us," Tell Tale replied to the blonde unicorn as they pulled the oar once more.

            "It was three hundred bits per passenger," Brændende said with a deep breath of exhaustion. It had been a good hour or two since the last good blast of wind and the effort of rowing was beginning to take its tole on the passengers.

But after a few hours, the wind did begin to pick up once more, giving those aboard a chance to rest. The journey continued for a few days longer, the passengers heard those glorious words from Vassen Tåke.

"Equestria is in sight! We should arrive at the harbor by nightfall," she called behind her from the bow of the ship. Those aboard let out a cheer of excitement. Their trip was finally at an end. They had made it to Equestria, the land of hope and glory.