//------------------------------// // From the Sea, part two: The Summit of All Fears // Story: From the Sea // by ForeverFreest //------------------------------// As no one would heed him, and no hearth had holp him So Silver was sent to go solely, and spurned So fled he from out of the clans who had shunned him Yet willed and avowed one day soon to've returned Now heedless of obstacle, path, or direction The youth yielded nothing, and hardly did halt And never looked back, lest like Trot's wife of legend He too should be shaped to a standard of salt So galloped he on through the fields and the marshlands And only in front did his gaze ever fall And beggared his breath grew, and fewer his footsteps Unaided by wing, through his strength plew a pall At long last he came to the roots of a mountain A remnant of giants, a shard of a throne A kingdom of age past, a long-ruined splendor The future that Silver had come to disown When they came over the sea In a tide of crimson hue When the anvil rang, and the landers sang Of the bright ones bathed in blue For hours gazed he at the tower, which treeless Had served as a sentry, surrounded to stand And standing surrounded, had stayed still superior In all ways majestic, above all the land The mead-hall of giants, the conquest of heroes Which through ages long past had stood at its base The ring-room of elk and the playroom of eagles Who soared round its heights with superlative grace The bane of the ruthless invaders from outlands It stood as a sentinel, barring the way But unto those willing and strong and courageous The monument toppled as it were of clay For it was a magic time, when both immortals And mortal magicians held runes carved by Wyrd And often as not, held the runes unto leylines Though not 'til the warlock was lengthy of beard When they came over the wake In a tide of crimson hue When the anvil rang, and the landers sang Of the bright ones bathed in blue So as the colt stood by the sundering stonework Awaiting the dawn which would bathe it in light His soul, steeped in sorrow, soon sensed his surroundings And Strength, all-pervading, filled Silver for flight Aye, filled him with courage (though he was not lacking) And heartened him hardily, set him for ought It stripped him of sorrow, and quickened him quivering No nervousness this, but a powerful drought Which acted as ale, though it veiled not his vision Not blindly to battle, but bravely, and bold He clear coursed with confidence, caring, and careful Ran reckless no more, though he faced the untold And thusly imbued with the blessing of Fortune He strode forth with sureness and faith in his quest Empowered with energy, never ambition For his selfish gain, he stood pure of the rest When they came over the wake In a tide of crimson hue When the anvil rang, and the landers sang Of the bright ones bathed in blue So set he his mouncher, and folded his fliers And straightway set out on his long journey up His blood coursing now like magnificent magma No food he required, nor soup needed sup So never he harked to the hell-hail and howling And whistling winds but as whispers did sound His eyes fast' he forward, and fairly was flying No freezing, no frailty he felt on the ground Steep upward he soared; though on hoof, he was gliding So safe was his soul and so healthy his heart While fire of phoenix full flared from his lamp-lights He smiled and ascended, and straight as a dart And straight as a dart was he lifted by Whoadin, Who graced him with wisdom and strength to rebuild They say that the gods help those ponies with passion So Silver was holp on his quest for a Guild When they came over the wake In a tide of crimson hue When the anvil rang, and the landers sang Of the bright ones bathed in blue But this is a story (and natheless a true one) And stories read best when the scroll is unfurled So hie we from Silver, and make the map smaller And fly o'er the land as with wings o'er the world So passing through prairies and running through rivers And trotting a bit through the marsh and the fields At last we arrive at our story's beginning The place—not the time—and see what it yields So firstly we visit the unicorns' commons Where they were constructing ballista and sword For tall trebuchet they felled yew in the sapling And vines and e'en fishgut they strung into cord So all was in shambles, though strongly constructed And Dvalin's Delight then in shame failed to shine And almost all ponies forgot their old nature And all of old Nature began to repine When they came over the wake In a tide of crimson hue When the anvil rang, and the landers sang Of the bright ones bathed in blue But even in times when the world seems to crumble And reason by fickle Dame Fortune is tossed She never annihilates Order's firm foothold And Harmony's cause is but veiled, never lost For there was one unicorn, sprightly and cunning Whose horn only served her to act as a lamp A filly was she, and her magic uncrafted But never for ought grew her young spirit damp They called her Young Aurum, the daughter of Scefing, Who ruled all the unicorns westly of Gryph Who had now assembled and readied their mana And waited and stood at the base of a cliff For she was not like them, Young Aurum of Scefing, And never she warred when the bloodmoon was full She set out for peace, and for Harmony's Order And ready and waiting the hate to annul. When they came over the wake In a tide of crimson hue When the anvil rang, and the landers sang Of the bright ones bathed in blue