The Ballad of Hearthswarming

by The Dimension Diver

Rating: everyone
Tags: Drama, Smart Cookie, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy, Princess Platinum, Adventure, Clover the Clever, Private Pansy, Commander Hurricane
Length: 7796

Nopony ever thought Hearthswarming's tale was epic. Until this happened.

Hark! Everypony gather 'round
To hear the bitter tale
Of times before the Princess hurled
The sun about the weary world
Upon a winded sail.

This be the volume of the lore
All spun in metered rhyme;
Of heroes in the nights before
The current track of time.

When Winidigoes would walk the world
And set to freeze it stale,
The warmth of friendship, yet unknown,
Its light upon this era shone
To halt the frozen tide alone:
This is those heroes' tale.

Candy Twinkle here be my looker - over, so thanks to her!

Published 2016-04-14 18:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2017-03-24 03:05:27 UTC

The Ballad of the Snow

A flutter and a chill upon
The Autumn’s icy wind
Was all the warning given as
The winter blundered in.

The treetops cracked beneath the strain
As gust repeated gust,
And many crops upon the earth
Were frozen past the point of worth
Beneath the snowy dust.

The cotton clouds were chased away
Upon the stormfront black.
Their darkness swallowed up the sun
And such eternal night begun
Beneath the choking pack.

It speared the land with arrows of
Impenetrable frost.
Though many fought against the tide
No matter how they pushed or tried,
Each one of them had lost.

The cities of the unicorns
Upon their haughty crag
Were buried underneath the snow
And neither hoof nor magic’s glow
Could loose the icy snag.

The fortress of the Pegasi
Was on all sides assailed.
They martialed every class and rank
To fend the storm from every flank
‘Till their dear city froze and sank
Unto the ground and failed.

But worse the earthen ponies fared,
With neither wing nor horn;
Their farmlands froze beneath the drifts,
And though they worked on triple shifts
So little fruit was borne.

The harvest was but little, with
The happiness forgot.
As each race turned themselves about,
Their spite was mixed with fear and doubt;
The accusations fired out
Without much given thought.

A second council eagerly
Was called as was before.
The leaders of the races came
Each lacking good rapport.

The final line was drawing taut
As councilponies knew.
They stood upon the verge of war,
The winter making hatred soar
Too bitter to be true.

First Chanc’lor Puddinghead spoke out,
His mind upon the storm.
“You pegasi have made it snow
When weather should be warm!”

Commander Hurricane replied,
“This is not our design!
If we have had enough to eat,
To beat this storm would be a feat
That we’d pull off just fine.

“Just ask those snobbish unicorns:
What happened with the sun?
Why do we keep a winter moon?
Why does the sun go down so soon?
The night is long, the day’s a boon
We’re freezing, everyone!”

The princess shook her head, forlorn.
“The storm will not subside.
The sun will never warm the clouds,
Though long and hard we tried.

“Our magic never caused this mess,
This unbecoming snow!
The only thing that changed around
Was that those ponies on the ground
Hogged all the food we know!”

The chancellor grinned wide and smirked.
“We didn’t hog the chow!
The harvest gathered dry this year.
The little food we gathered here
Could never feed a cow.”

The princess leveled him a gaze
That well could pierce a soul.
“We shall once more make our demand.
What we stood for before we stand
Again. I am no foal.”

“If anyone can fight the storm,
Our magic it will be.
We must be at our peak of strength
So we can set us free.”

“For magic is more elegant
Than Pegasi can deal
And I refuse to see us crushed
Beneath their steel-shod heel.”

Then Hurricane grit all his teeth
And stared the princess down.
“You think you are that special, just
Because you wear the crown?

“I’ve never bucked a mare before,
And hope I’ll never try.
But as for you, I’d buck you in
So you could see your toothless grin
And look you in the eye.”

He snatched his helmet viciously
And thrust it on his head.
“I’m leaving this unwholesome place,
Where you would offer such disgrace
To our heroic airborne race.
We’ll stand alone instead.”

“Well, I am leaving far before
The likes of you set out!”
“And I’m a-going so I don’t
See both you losers pout!”

The trio stumbled past the door,
While never looking back.
The winter dropped its crystal tears
Upon those ponies’ necks and ears;
For once in all those bitter years
Both skies and hearts turned black.

Flew Hurricane within the storm,
His loyal guards with him.
The winds held fury of the sea
And nightmares past the rim.

Till breaking through the cloudy bank
The city came in sight.
It crossed the verge of faltering,
And slowly lost its fight.

Upon his entry, Pansy came
With gravely rendered news.
“Sir,” she saluted him in fear,
“We cannot hold position here.
The clouds close in, our city dear
We dread that we will lose.”

“The Unicorns won’t help us,” said
Commander hurricane.
“And those who make the plant life grow
Have not a stalk of grain to show
For all their sweat and pain.

“If what you say is accurate,
A single option stands.
We leave the city of our sires
And find untainted lands.”

The princess and her entourage
Returned amid the cold.
Their castle stood its lonely guard
And watched as years unfold.

Where once proud edifices gleamed,
Now barren crystals hung.
Despite the lack of cold inside
No songs of hope were sung.

Advisor in things magical,
The clever Clover came
And bid the princess welcome home,
And welcomed in the shame.

“Good princess,” spake the unicorn,
Her face alight with hope,
“Did they agree to work as one,
Apart from how we’ve always done?
Or did they choose instead to run
From cliffs without a rope?”

“I tire of your adages,”
The weary princess drawled.
“They never offered hoof nor wing
To help our cause. They only sting
Our dignity,” she bawled.

“The only action I see fit
Is flee away from here.
I cannot handle all this snow,
And, after all, how much can go
Awry when you are near?”

The night had set its piercing breath
Upon the pony town
Where good ol’ chanc’lor Puddinghead
Returned well past sundown.

Smart Cookie waited at the hearth
For Puddinghead to come,
When down the chimney with a crash
The fire snuffed beneath a mash
Of slush and frozen scum.

The chancellor emerged from thence
A swagger in his stride.
“The door would be a better choice,”
Said Cookie in a meager voice,
Though Puddinghead just sighed.

“The chimney was sufficient for
The door was blocked by snow.
But all those ponies were absurd,
Not caring aught about our herd
With spite of wrath and bitter word
Infesting them like so!

“We’ll have no friendships with their kind,
The valley won’t survive.
But wait, what’s this? I have a plan!
We’ll go and find another land
Where we can grow and thrive!”

The same conclusion all the three
Agreed without consent.
And thus began the journey’s start
With sleet on icy air and heart
They foraged to a land apart
And this is how it went.

The thunder ‘round the city-clouds
Grew ever in its might.
Where all the pegasi around
Had gathered high above the ground,
All clinging to a hope they found-
The dread before the fight.

The rows and ranks were glistening
Within the failing sun.
Their armor, swords and shining shields
Were small defense a pony wields;
Where victory’s the battlefield’s
The storm already won.

Then Hurricane addressed his folk,
Though thin and worn they were.
“The day has come when Pegasi
Should fight to save their fur.

“Beyond these clouds a new land lies,
The winter bars our path.
‘Tis time to show this tempest here
Our unforgiving wrath!

“I never hoped to see this day,
I hoped it would not come.
But hope is dashed to smithereen’
As doom is standing in between!
Your shields be strong, your swords be keen,
Now beat the battle drum!”

The Pegasi set grim their eyes
And took formations fast
With Hurricane up in the lead
And Pansy trailing last

One thousand Pegasi took flight
Into the stormy sky.
One thousand charged the bitter cloud
With swords at ready, shouting loud;
One thousand hit the blackened shroud
As fast as they could fly

As weakened they already were,
They thrashed within the gale.
The lightning roared, the tempest blew,
The sleet, like arrows, ran them through-
And everything that they could do
Was little of avail.

But hard they pressed it onwards,
And hard they pressed it true.
One thousand ponies made the charge.
Five hundred made it through.

Five hundred saw the new land,
So dearly was it bought.
And victory was bitter
For all of those who fought.

And Pansy, wheeling in the storm
Was struck upon her shield.
And down she plummeted to earth
And landed in a field.

The minutes passed like hours.
She called aloud for aid.
And one earth pony heard her cry
And came back with a spade.

“Cookie’s the name,” he said to her
And dug away the snow.
He pulled the private to her hooves
As quick as she could go.

He took her slowly back to camp
Where ponies stayed the night.
And though some gave her scornful glares
She did not want to fight.

The pony gave her shelter
And bandaged up her wing,
And said that kindness has no fee,
A freely given thing.

Upon the high-peaked mountainside
The Unicorns set forth,
With Platinum well at the lead
Still thinking of her hearth.

They pushed their way through snowy drifts
Near freezing as they went.
For lack of food and needing rest
Their strength was all but spent.

The roar of water echoed ‘round,
The princess cringed in fear.
A river’s current came to view,
So wide and deep and fast it flew
That bridges broke, collapsing too;
No ford could happen here.

“This is a painful happening,”
The stricken princess said.
“But though the river’s harsh and cold
We mustn’t stand here getting old.
Would Clover step ahead?”

The princess beckoned forth her aide
And pointed to the side.
“Assistant, would you be a dear
And teleport us all from here
Across the river wide?”

Said Clover, “Tis a miracle
Which I could never make.
A levitation is more sure
To take us all across from where
We stand, for pony’s sake!

“Then ferry us,” said Platinum,
A-gathering her gown.
The horn of Clover glowed with light,
And with the force of magic’s might
She set the princess down

Upon the river’s other edge.
She panted with the strain.
For she had not a scrap to eat
And could not ease her pain.

Remaining were the commoners
Their hearts a weight of doubt.
But one by one, they took ahold
Of one another, and they pulled
Across the river’s route.

But all were not as lucky as
The royalty had been.
For many, weakened wan and starved,
Lost hold and tumbled in.

But Clover rallied to their aid,
And pulled the drowning free.
Upon the freezing riverbank
The cold set in, the dim sun sank,
But They, despite the cold and dank
Pushed on relentlessly.

The last to cross was Clover, but
She could not cross alone.
Those on the other bank prepared
Their magic; even as it flared,
She plummeted like stone.

The icy torrent swept her far,
And tore her from her breath.
She struggled hard to stay afloat
And cheat a freezing death.

But pony hooves clutched ‘round her neck
And pulled her from the stream.
She held on tight as up she flew
Suppressing quite a scream.

Her rescuer, a pegasus
With one undamaged wing
Strained hard against the frozen wind
Her wingbeat faltering.

They landed far away from thence
Within a patch of sun.
“I’m Pansy,” spake the pegasus,
As they began to run.

Said Clover, “I am grateful for
Your well - timed charity.
But I must race away this cold
Before the frost bites me.”

And thus departed Pansy, now
A-questing for her kind.
And Clover ran to find a way
Before the night snuffed out the day
Where, in the distance long there lay
A campsite all too kind.

She hurried to the travelers
Where all were near despair;
And all of them were earthen folk,
Who welcomed not the mare.

The Chancellor within his tent
Stood gazing at the map.
For half had holes inside the sheet
Where somepony had tried to eat
The paper in his cap.

“Confound this storm,” said Puddinghead,
His face a comic blue.
“There are no stars to navigate,
We’re lost, we’re starved, last time I ate
I couldn’t fill a quarter plate.
What ever shall we do?!”

Said Cookie, “We’ve been going on
In circles for a day.”
The two sat dismally forlorn,
When in there stepped the unicorn.
Who pointed out the way.

She took the map from Puddinghead
Who nearly burst with rage,
And set a course beyond the edge
Depicted on the page.

They traveled straight as Clover
Had commanded them to do.
And she departed in the night
And took a trail so that she might
Find ponies whom she knew.

But three days hence for all the tribes
A new land found the three.
‘Twas fresh and warm and full of grass,
They entered merrily.

The Pegasi set down their flag
Up high atop a cloud.
“This land be Pegasopolis,”
Cried Hurricane aloud.

The Unicorns their banner lay
On hills alive with jewels
“This land is Unicornia,
A land bereft of fools!”

The ponies raised their standard high
Within the fertile vale.
“Why this,” Cried Puddinghead “Is clear
To be the best dirt of all year!
This place is Dirt-ville and right here
We ponies will prevail!”

But as the banners all unfurled
The colors caught the eye,
And every eye looked ‘cross the plain
And saw two other banners reign.
They looked abroad with bitter pain
On valley hill and sky.

Author's Note

Huzzah!
I had intended to get this out once the Hearthswarming episode came out, but I'm about a week too late.
Oh well.
So, this is the longest part to the poem, easily doubling the first part. It is also one of my favorite, even though I didn't have enough energy to expound on the earth pony problem as much as I may have liked. :fluttershysad: Aaaand it's also the most epic part as well! :rainbowdetermined2: So far... I may get the cave scene even more over the top, if that's even possible. Sorry to all my 43 or so dedicated viewers :pinkiehappy: that this came out so late; poetry is not easy as it seems to churn out like this. :derpyderp2:Coming soon: The Ballad of Equestria and of the Windigo! Yes, that's the title. :derpytongue2: I hope to get it out soon, but...
Y'know, reality and stuff...
Anyhoo, leave a comment, as I love feedback, and may the ballad continue! Huzzah!:trollestia:

The Ballad of Equestria and of the Windigo

The weary find no respite, and
The restless no reprieve.
The tragic truth stared back at them,
Too shocking to believe.

The pennants waved within the breeze,
The ponies all stood still.
Their gaping shock lined every face
And poisoned every will.

A tremble from the refugees
Broke forth among their legs,
And though the luscious grass was free,
As distant as the eye could see,
To have to share the land would be
More bitter than the dregs.

The legions of the Pegasi
Could hardly find their feet;
And yet they stood - a stubborn strain,
Refusing to retreat.

The Unicorns were deadened by
The burden of the sun;
And yet they stood, a battle force:
The battle would be won.

The Earthen Ponies struggled forth,
A much bedraggled band,
And yet they stood defiantly-
As farmers for their land.

A curdled hush, a murmur, then
A growling, angry roar-
The tribes erupted, burnt within,
More bitter than before

How sad this tale may seem to be,
As fated it would fail.
But if there are no trials first,
Then where would be the tale?

The ponies may seem doomed to choke
Upon their own conceit-
But this is a tale of heroes
Who cannot take defeat.

For what can make a hero?
A will of hardened steel?
A hero does what’s good, what’s right,
No matter how hard, how harsh is the fight,
In a world of black, you’re a scrap of white,
No matter what’s the appeal.

When the world needs a hero,
A hero stands alone
A hero is a shock to all-
Shocking to the bone.

But here a hero stood her ground,
And Pansy was her name.
She stood to her commanding chief
Her face aghast with shame.

“Good sir,” said she, “I may not be
An officer at wing,
But even I have duties in
Accord to you, my king.

“We may be mighty warriors, though
I find myself apart.
I have a warrior’s body,
But not a warrior’s heart.

“All wars we fight seem endless,
Though every war must cease.
And warriors who are fighting wars
Are fighting wars for peace.

“But if we fight this here and now,
We fight to keep the score;
We fight not for the sake of peace,
But for the sake of war.”

She laid her heavy helmet down,
Her armor and her shield.
And as the clouds prepared to rain,
She stood across from Hurricane
Before the battlefield.

Her shield was badly damaged and
Her armor was a shell.
Her wing was bandaged by her side,
Her flank was badly lightning-fried
And scared she was as well.

But Hurricane saw all of this,
And found a deep respect.
This mare was scared to death and back,
But stood there open to attack
And knew what to expect.

“I never knew you had the guts
To say that to my face,”
Then Hurricane bowed down his head
And grunted, “What I may have said,
You aren’t a disgrace.

In all my years as officer,
Not one stood up to me.
Alright then, private, what you say-
We may not fly to war today.
I’ll give them one last chance - and they
Must take it as it be.”

He snatched the army banner then,
And waved it proud and high,
And marched betwixt the mountainsides
With Pansy stumbling by.

Between the vale and hills and plain
He stuck it in the ground
And bellowed out a challenge to
The ponies all around.

“One more negotiation may
Be granted here,” said he.
May all your leaders show their face
And meet with me upon this place
And come honorably.

The princess of the Unicorns
Descended from the herd
With gallant Clover by her side,
Afraid but undeterred.

And from the ponies came the chief,
Chancellor Puddinghead,
And faithful Cookie at his place
With caution in his tread.

The six were brought together in
The vale between the three,
Where Hurricane set down his hoof
And stated blatantly:

“You blacken our horizons and
You threaten us with war.
But now I offer better ways,
That we return to elder days,
The way we were before.

“I offer you a treaty, to
Unite beneath my reign;
The flag of Pegasopolis
Will harbor no disdain.”

But Platinum scoffed haughtily
And sought to keep her grace.
“But what,” said she, “supremacy
Is given to your race?

“You claim to give a second chance,
Yet place yourself premiere.
What offer can you claim to make
Which others fail to fear?

“The role of a commander is
To hold the battle-line.
The office of a ruler, though,
Is furthermore refined.

“If well you are a leader,
You lead accordingly.
But we are hardly soldiers,
And few of us will be.”

Then Puddinghead spoke out, appalled,
“And what a whacky name!
I couldn’t live in such a place
With Hurricane to blame!

Myself, I found that Dirt-ville was
A title down to earth.
Now who’d think Pegasopolis
Could have intrinsic worth?

“Now Dirt-ville?!” hollered Platinum,
How dismal! How uncouth!
But Unicornia’s a name
Without that muddy language-maim;
“‘Tis better far in sooth.”

But Puddinghead had none of it
And billowed up in rage.
“You want to hog the name as well?
Just ain’t that peachy? Ain’t that swell?
Let’s see if this can ring a bell!
Get off the snooty stage!”

He scooped a slushy hoof of snow
And hurled it at her pate.
The snow ran frigid down her ears
And in her eyes and froze her tears;
Her crown fell down for once in years
Relinquishing its weight.

Said Hurricane, “I offered peace,
You choose to fight instead.
Well, all of you can go back home
With snowdrifts for your bed!”

Another snowball smacked his scalp,
He faltered in his stride.
The snow was falling thick and fast,
The wind was whistling, whipping past.
With shock it dawned: they would not last.
They struggled in the tide.

But Cookie rallied presently
And shouted in the storm:
“Come everypony, follow me!
There’s shelter yonder, I can see
A cavern mouth, and hopefully
The inside will be warm.”

He stumbled forward, step by step
Within the howling gale.
The other ponies fell in line,
A chain by mouth and tail.

The snow descended heavily
And blotted out the sky,
But on pressed Cookie, sure of step,
Though doubtful of the eye.

At last they found the tunnel-cave;
Though dark, it was not deep.
Then Clover raised a magic flame
And crumpled in a heap.

But Cookie, standing sure of hoof
Made count of every mane
And found that of the six who came,
At present, five remain.

“The princess is not here with us!”
Cried Cookie in a huff.
“Leave her to be,” croaked Hurricane,
“We’ve heard from her enough.”

But Cookie caught, his visage dark,
A dagger in his eye,
“And when did life and death become
As plum as making pie?

“You may not care for Platinum,
Nor does she care for you;
But feathers! That don’t give the right
To leave her out on blizzard night
Without a coat or firelight
To help her make it through!

“If you were lost and freezing there
In her own royal stead,
Then I would do the same for you
Or shame upon my head!”

With that he turned and plunged again
Into the bitter frost.
He called her name both long and loud
While fighting through the wild shroud,
A beacon for the lost.

For Cookie was a hero too,
A hero to the core.
With selfless service, out set he
To seek to help an enemy
For but the sake of charity
This duty well he bore.

The chilly wind rebuffed his face,
He carried on his cry,
‘Till finally the earth pony
Distinguished a reply.

He made his way to Platinum,
And found her thick in snow.
He carried her upon his back,
His eye on Clover’s glow.

A scanty, snapping fire was
A welcome to the pair.
They sat beside the fireside
In silence with their hooves spread wide
Or dusting out their hair.

“What tragedy has brought us here,”
Sighed Clover with a groan.
“How could the winter seek our wake
When every scheme and step we take
Amounts not even to a break
With all our efforts shown?

“What would my master Starswirl say
If he were with us now?
His wisdom would amount to much
And he would rescue us from such
A quandary somehow.”

Commander Hurricane was grim,
His eye upon the light.
But then he said to Puddinghead,
“Your breath is rancid, rotten fed.
Move over to the right!”

“Not moving,” said the chancellor,
“You’ve pushed us ‘round enough.
You want some breathing air so bad?
Then shift yourself, don’t drive us mad
With bullyings and stuff!”

So Hurricane stood, calling to him
Pansy right away.
He said to her, “Mark openly
One half the cave’s territory.
It shall be ours for all to see
No matter what they say.”

The private did her duty, though
Somewhat reluctantly.
But Puddinghead stayed where he sat
Glaring defiantly.

“Get off our land,” Quoth Hurricane,
As stubborn as a rock.
The chanc’lor stood with dignity
Displaying deep despondency
Came calmly and collectedly
And cleaned the captain’s clock.

He stumbled backwards, fuming from
The boldness of the blow.
Then sharp he bucked and squarely hit
His rival in the stomach pit.
He drew his saber by the bit
Advancing on his foe.

A flash erupted ‘cross the cave-
A brilliant beam of blue.
The captain’s sword flew far away
And shuddering, transfixed the clay;
The magic’s aim held true.

The princess marched upon the two,
Her head held halfway high;
A fire danced upon her horn
And danced within her eye.

“You brute,” said she, “You drawing swords
On one whom no sword hath!
But now you face a Unicorn,
And you shall taste my wrath.”

“That fight is mine!” yelled Puddinghead
And clocked the princess too.
The three began a hefty brawl
The others standing shocked withal,
Unsure of what to do.

A stirring in the blizzard, and
A howl upon the gale
Sent echoes churning ‘round the cave
As dismal as a ghostly grave
And even filled with fear the brave-
A ghastly, groaning wail.

A spectral set of footsteps trailed
A patchy path of ice.
The unseen phantom pranced around
And left its vestige on the ground
And circled ‘round them thrice.

But Clover saw the icy tracks
And reasoned out their fate.
“Stop, Platinum!” she cried in vain,
“Stop, Puddinghead! Stop, Hurricane!
Your fight will break us all in twain!
It almost is too late!”

But neither did they heed her words
And neither did they care.
They battled fiercer than before,
Completely unaware.

Then Hurricane’s hoof hit the ice
And froze and stuck him fast.
Then Puddinghead a hoof set down
Upon a patch of icy ground
And Platinum did last.

So fastened were the three by fate
As slowly did they freeze.
The dreaded frost encumbered them
And traveled up their knees.

Still, heedlessly they threw their words
Into the others’ face,
A-slandering the things they did
Until the ice completely hid
Those models of disgrace.

But Pansy, Clover, Cookie too
All huddled ‘round the fire,
Watching grim in fear and dread
While Windigoes danced ‘round their head
And the ice gathered higher.

“These winter spirits,” Clover spake,
“They glut on hate and spite.
My master called them Windigo,
As Starswirl knew and now I know-
‘Twas they who made this dismal snow.
But how to set it right?”

But Cookie sighed and hung his head,
His muzzle turning blue.
“I never thought to face the end
In such a way without a friend
To help to see it through.”

“But wait,” said Pansy, “I know you!
You helped to save my wing!
That’s cause enough to be a friend,
More so than anything.”

“And you’re the one,” said Clover, “who
Had pulled me from the flood!
Without you I would long have sunk
And frozen stiff my blood.”

“And you!” cried Cookie, “You’re that mare
Who helped us find the way
Without a star set in the sky
And half a map to guide us by-
I’d know you any day!”

The Windigoes ran dark and high
But faltered in their gait.
The gloomy ice crept up their hooves
But stopped and seemed to wait.

“Well, what strange fortune found us here,”
Quoth Clover quietly.
“A Unicorn, a Pony and
A Pegasus, all seem to stand,
But not at enmity.

“The world may never see us now,
May never know our fate.
But should the world be steeped in snow,
Shall everypony see and know
That we bear no such hate.”

The darkness swirled, the hard ice bit,
And Pansy with her wing
Saluted sharply to the two
And Cookie bowed his head hereto
And Clover’s magic shone into
The shadows, glimmering…
Then flushed in full a flaming hue,
The wreaths of fire wrapping through
The silver spirits, thrust and drew
And twirled, all shimmering-
Thus friendship’s primal flame was lit!

Upon the cusp of victory,
The Windigos were slain.
For those who dine on bitter hate,
To swallow love is pain.

Hark! Merrily had thawed the three
Before the flaming heart.
Said Clover, “This was not from me,
But rather came it from us three,
Not one or two apart!”

One fire dwindled by the hoof,
One burgeoned overhead;
For though one fueled itself on wood,
The next on friendship fed.

Then thereupon good Pansy drove
Her sword into the ash
And said, “My blade is made for war,
But I will draw it forth no more.
My lot is better than before;
Reverting would be rash.”

Then Cookie shook his cold legs free
And sat beside the fire.
“I don’t seem to have all that much to say,
But I’ve got a tune that I’d like to play
Since long it’s been from the end of the day.”
Forthwith he unslung his lyre.

He struck upon a jovial chord
And danced the notes along.
Ecstatically sang Clover too-
The tune became a song.

“The friendship’s fire lives in us-
It lives within our hearts.
As long as one another shares
Our burdens, we divide our cares;
We’ll never drift apart!”

Across the nightly hill and vale
The music drifted free.
And where it brushed, the snow dispersed.
The earthen ponies gathered first
About the cave to see.

And lo! The other races came
A-following beside,
As drawn by curiosity
They wondered what the song could be
That struck the winter’s tide.

And deep within the cozy cave
The leaders melted too.
They looked upon the quiet scene
With friendship’s fire glistening,
Unsure of what to do.

At last outspoken Puddinghead
Removed his hat in shame.
He spake, “I haven’t done so well
As you have with your triple-spell;
The winter made a rotten smell
And I am all to blame.”

Then Platinum drooped down her head.
“The fault is mine,” said she.
“This may have gone much smoother
Had I done less haughtily.”

“And I too,” grumbled Hurricane,
“Have added to the fire.
Where conflict was, so was I too
And each offensive swelling grew;
Its scope was as my ire.”

But Clever Clover understood
And looked upon their shame,
For Clover had a hero’s heart
From whence had sprung the flame.

“I well forgive the three of you,”
She said without a pause,
“For anypony’s self can err,
And everypony has been there.
A dose of mercy we can share
To help a pony’s cause.

“However, if we must prevent
An encore of our plight,
I deem it wise to settle hence
This squabbling, petty dalliance,
To set aside our difference
And doing so, unite.”

The pact was drawn, the treaty sealed
Three kingdoms merged to one
Equestria stood proud and free
Embracing friendship graciously
Without a shroud of jealousy,
To mar what had begun.

Before the Princess raised the sun
And spun it thence and fro,
The friendship’s fire kindled once
Eternities ago.

And though the moon set many times
Across the sunken sky,
The fire burns unto this day,
And burns the eons by.

-A history, dictated by Clover the Clever, recorded and set into verse by Philip the page.

Author's Note

Ah… To finally get this in writing is phenomenal. I had such a blast. If this failed to make you squeal in apprehension or with the drama of it all, then I have failed as an author. Heck, every word of this thing had to be so deliberate, that I was getting conscious of writing “and” or “for” at the beginning of stanzas. So! A hearty thanks to God, for ideas, (Can’t live without ‘em), And my own dear sister for proofreading and supporting me every which way. The two stanzas before the last two stanzas were mostly her work, so thank you for that!:yay:
And why Hearthswarming? I really thought that the play performed couldn’t have been a really accurate depiction of the events shown… I mean seriously, a tiny stream? A cloud punching general? For these details to even be remembered after so long, there must have been something really significant behind the event itself. So it was my duty to blow things (reasonably) out of proportion. Turn Hurricane’s cloud-busting spree into the charge of an army of Pegasi against the mother-of-all-storms… and make it poetic! Make the earth ponies dying of hunger and literally eat half the map from desperation! All in all, it was fun choosing words, making art for it’s own sake. If you have things to say, comment! I’d love to hear opinions, second views, and stuff! Where was the rhyming forced? What was your favorite section? Did you catch the references? Ha ha ha… I had to mar art with references. Well, I hope you enjoyed all this. Cheers!
-DD

Epi(c)logue

“And that should about do it!” Twilight beamed from ear to ear, lowering the script and glancing at her good friends. They all displayed varying levels of discomfort, except for Rainbow Dash, who had her shades pulled over her eyes and seemed to be part way between stone-bored and drooling-asleep. For a moment, the purple mare just grinned, waiting, pleading for someone to say something. Her grin soon became a bit strained, and the uncomfortable silence dragged on.

“Well? What do you think?” she managed at last.

“Ah… Twilight,” Rarity hesitantly spake, “I think the play is very fabulous, and so very full of… ah… culture, and is really a magnificent piece… But…” She fidgeted with her hooves uncomfortably. “Oh, how do I say this politely?” She glanced expectantly to the other mares and the small dragon seated about, but no advice was forthcoming. “I… uh… don’t think we really have the time necessary to learn all those lines, don’t you think?”

Twilight blinked in confusion. “You don’t have the time? But why not? This should be easy! It isn’t that hard when you get down to it. It’s all in rhymes and meter and learning it should be a piece of cake. It couldn’t possibly take more than a couple hours for each character! I’d only be worried about the narrator, and Spike had his lines weeks before.”

Spike nodded confidently, dropping a couple marshmallows into his mug of hot chocolate. “No need to worry about me,” He jabbed a claw at his scaly chest, “I’ve got this one covered.”

“Now hold on a moment there sugarcube,” Applejack interjected, “Nopony said that we couldn’t memorize all those lines. We just don’t all have that mighty fast brain o’ yours. We need plenty o’ time to finish this, and the play’s tonight. And we’re almost at Canterlot.”

The train jostled as if on cue, nearly spilling Spike’s drink. Twilight looked about as the realization dawned on her that they were indeed out of time. She held her grin, but the worry was clearly visible in her eyes; a lone hair curled up like a loaded spring, breaking away from her flawlessly groomed mane. Her lower eyelid twitched involuntarily. “You all were aware that we were doing this particular performance, right? I announced this to you when I got word that we had the star roles… right? Right???”

Rainbow dash let out a snore. Applejack gave her a swift kick to the shins, snapping her awake with a start. Rarity and Fluttershy gave blank stares. Pinkie Pie bounced over, a little less enthusiastic than her normal self. “Actually, Twilight, We all just assumed you meant we’d be doing the short version. We’ve always done that one in Ponyville, ever since I came here, and that was buckets of fun! Then we’d have a Hearthswarming celebration with cookies and eggnog and all sorts of surprises… but it was different back at home. I didn’t even know that there was a Canterlot version until you read it to us right now.”

Twilight whimpered. “So none of you have even looked at your lines?”

“Um… I have,” Fluttershy raised a hoof, “but it was for the short version. I have them all memorized, but, um, if you really want to do the official Canterlot version…”

Twilight threw her hooves up in despair. “Et tu, Fluttershy?!”

“Yeah… what are we talking about?” Rainbow dash lifted her sunglasses and rubbed her eyes. “‘Cause I was totally paying attention, but all that poetry, like, turned off my brain and I missed, like, the last half hour…”

“Did you memorize your lines, Rainbow Dash?”

Dash waved a hoof dismissively. “No sweat. I can get the lines down in five minutes flat. I can finish them in the dressing room before the audience even arrives! Unless… do you mean that poetry?”

Twilight nodded solemnly.

Rainbow nearly choked. “Ack! Really? That stuff is so boring and flowery and dry! You can’t expect me to ramble on in verse onstage! It would crimp my style!”

Twilight sighed in defeat. “Spike?”

Spike cleared his throat. Feast your ears. ‘Before the Princess raised the sun, or Luna raised the moon, the… uh… the candy colored ponies played around the… the…”

“Dreamscape…” Twilight prompted.

“Ah! Yes! The dreamscape room.”

Twilight buried her head in her forehooves and sobbed.

“All in favor of ditching the poetry play, say ‘neigh,’” Rainbow called out blatantly. A chorus of ‘neigh’s followed. “Democracy has ruled. We do the short version.” She replaced her shades and settled back down into the seat. Applejack passed Twilight her copy of the Ponyville Traditional script. “Here, you can use mine. Ah’ve learned ‘em already.”

Twilight accepted the papers and groaned. “Princess Luna will not be pleased. She’ll probably throw me in jail! Or yell at me! Or banish me to the moon for a thousand years! Or-”

“Hey! Don’t get all grumpy,” Pinkie burst in. “If you go to jail, we’ll all be going to jail with you! So you’ll still have your friends! So cheer up!” She shoved a dozen cupcakes into Twilight’s mouth before she could say a word. “Let’s enjoy the ride! And the show! And the celebrations afterwards! Oh boy, do you think they’ll have eggnog? Or cake? Lots of cake! Princess Celestia will be there, so there must be mountains of it! Or maybe…”

The train whistled and rattled on its merry way with its merry band of actors. As well or ill prepared as they were, they would nonetheless enter the stage in the spirit of Heartswarming as the bearers of harmony and unshakeable friends.

Author's Note

Hello again! This is a sort of reaction shot with no purpose in mind but humor and my headcanon on why the official Canterlot play seemed a bit... rushed. So, Yeah! Also, in case anypony is wondering, (which I'm sure nopony is) the poetry style I use is "borrowed from" or, rather, "inspired by" G. K. Chesterton's 'Ballad of the White Horse.' Hence the reference in part one. It is a must for the poetry lovers among you, which would be everyone who made it to the end and is reading this right now. It is inspiring and all, and some parts still make me cry. In a totally manly sort of way, that is! Yeah! YEAAAAH! Anyhow, I hope you have all enjoyed this humble production, and have a happy Hearthswarming the lot o' ya.
-DD

The Ballad of the Candy Horse

Before the princess raised the sun
Or Luna raised the moon,
The candy colored ponies ran
Across the dreamscape dune.

Before Equestria was made
Or Everfree was filled,
The ponies played upon the world
And shaped it how they willed.

The pony folk were of three hearts
Though all had equal worth:
The unicorns with magic ply
The heavens; and the pegasi
Reined in the weather, and could fly;
And ponies of the earth

Stood down upon the barren ground
And made it bud with fruit.
They coaxed the trees from saplings and
They nurtured bud and shoot.

The three were all of seperate flag
And all of different mind.
They looked upon each other just
To take what they could find.

For Earth ponies could not have had
Their crops had it not rained,
Nor could they make the carrots grow
If sunlight never waned.

The Pegasi could never feed
If food had never grown
Nor build their houses out of clouds
If sunshine always shone.

The Unicorns in castles had
A need for food and hire.
They all agreed to raise the sun
And then the moon about them spun.
They used their magic all as one
Telekinetic choir.

It happened once upon a day
As things quite often do,
That Princess Platinum gazed down
Upon her subjects with a frown
And sighed and said, “I’m through!

“These silly ponies grow their fruit
Ungrateful as they are,
And never give a handsome share
To those who raise the star.”

Now Platinum was royalty,
The daughter long of kings:
But she was but a unicorn
And lacked the royal wings.

“The time has come,” the princess cried,
“That we should have our due!
We do not raise the sun to starve
While others chomp and chew!”

To her assistant Clover, she
Made known her new demand.
But Clover simply shook her head
And said, “They would not stand

“To have this done to them. I beg
You reconsider this!
Your actions will affect not one,
But all the folk beneath the sun.”
Replied the princess, “See it done,
Or you shall be dismissed.”

As it was done, the Pegasi
Looked down atop a cloud,
And muttered all amongst themselves
On whether that’s allowed.

Their grim commander Hurricane
Kept silent not a scosche
“Why, this is just like Platinum
To take without reproach!

“She thinks that in her snobbish ways
The Unicorns are best!
That they can take all what they want
And just upon request!”

Now, Hurricane saw many wars
And many had he won,
And as a soldier to the core,
He would not be outdone.

“They take not into their regard,”
The staunch commander fumed,
“That it is we who bring the rain!
‘Tis we who act as evil’s bane!
Why, if we did not fight or train,
The others would be doomed.

“So as to keep the order here
And hierarchy high,
We shall demand an equal share
To be transported back with care
To cities in the sky.”

As all agreement passed around,
A single private stood.
She dusted out her wings and said
“We cannot take their food.

“The ponies work to make it grow,
They work to make it fall.
We cannot take their everything
And leave them none at all!”

Commander Hurricane replied
With fire in his breath,
“Your insubordination may
Have you court martialed any day
And that would spell your death.

“Remember well your place with us,
And I would let you stay.
But, Private Pansy, one more word,
And you will leave this noble herd
And find your lonesome way.”

Both Unicorns and Pegasi
Went through with their demands
For fruits - the product of the sun
And rains and earth - which only an
Earth Pony understands.

It happened Chanc’lor Pudding Head
Was in his office when
Smart Cookie burst in with the news
Of just what happened then.

He called out “This is terrible!”
And spat at him the sheets.
“Good Chancellor, what will we do
About these roguish cheats?”

Quoth Pudding head, “So, they would take
A hearty extra third?
Do they not know that we are pressed
To make enough when times are best?
Now this is just absurd!

“If they would like to be so fat
Then let them grow their own!
In fact, let’s cancel all our deals
And give ‘em only orange peels
So they can see how fun it feels
To wane as thin as bone.”

Smart Cookie shook his head and said,
“But Sir, I must object:
If we do that then you will see
That we’re not bein’ neighborly
And we will make an enemy
As well as lose respect.”

But Pudding Head just chuckled ‘till
His sides were shaken sore.
“It’s tactics, Cookie! When they’re thin
Then they will all be settlin’
For less instead of more.

“Besides,” the chancellor guffawed,
“I’m in authority.
While you are just a lowly scribe
You cannot veto me.”

But Cookie sighed and rolled his eyes.
“We shall do as you say.
I just don’t think it’s wise that we
Should go about this way.”

An apprehensive week ensued
As troubles all arose
Until beneath a silver moon
A court was called and none too soon
As how the story goes.

A court was called and all the three
Advanced from far and wide:
The princess and the chancellor
And the commander as it were
All smirking smug and snide.

And as the three assembled all
Within the house of law,
The princess was the first to speak
For this was fit, she saw.

“We Unicorns are regal, and
We unicorns are weak.
We find it as a crushing blow
To cut us from the trading flow.
Of orange peels we reek!

“You cease your monthly tribute, even
Though we always cared!
Your bitterness reeks four times more
Than I have yet declared.”

Commander Hurricane spoke next,
An ember in his eye:
“Your Majesty, I may intrude,
but it was you who was so rude
To have your own take all the food
And throw us all awry.

“Why, if you had a mote of sense
Asleep beneath your crown,
You would have left things as they were
And never let us down.

“You would have left things all alone
And things would all be well.
But now I say the least of you
Deserves that orange smell.”

The chancellor with merriment
Popped up his merry head.
For of the three, ‘twas only he
Who suitably was fed.

Quoth he, “I see you all complain
‘Cause that is all you do.
But if you all apologize
I’ll make our deals come through.

“So why don’t you two lend a hoof
And sign these charters here.
We’ll always have enough until
We hit a famine year!”

But Platinum turned up her nose.
“Those charters may contain
A lengthy set of binding rules.
Would you care to explain?

“I’ll never sign a document
For an apology.
It very easily could be
A legal travesty.”

The meeting never came to blows
But never came to good.
For all departed in the night
Upon the corner of a fight
And all about the food.

Upon that night it happened,
Although it started slow,
The temperature began to drop,
So frost appeared upon the crop,
The wind blew hard and would not stop,
And then there came the snow.

Author's Note

So, here it is. Part two should come out in a couple weeks: The Ballad of the Snow. That's when things really get hectic. You all know the story, so no spoilers here, but still, leave a comment. :moustache: I love feedback.