Travel through the land of Equestria,
Friendship joining Magic, around us see!
Watch as the morning comes, when Celestia
Raises the bright Sun over the Everfree.
Come day’s end, her younger sister Luna
Brings out her night’s Moon over the sea.
Cadance’s Love permeates all with a heart,
While Twilight makes Friendship a fine art.

Three tribes of pony reside, namely unicorns,
And pegasi too, who have wings of feathers.
The unicorns cast spells with their horns.
The pegasi control the clouds and weathers.
The earth ponies support by farming corns,
Apples, too, among various others.
These three support each other like family,
So that all can live and prosper easily.

There are also dragons, breezies and donkeys,
Gryphons and phœnixes, throughout spread.
Dragons are found below in the valleys,
Breezies in their grotto, donkeys widespread,
Gryphons trade endlessly, their greed a disease,
And phœnixes rise when their plumage is shed.
These and other fauna here can be found.
Indeed, Equestria is with life abound!

To you, Celestia, I do implore,
With your blessings I may elaborate,
She who raises the Sun once more,
Surely this legend to me you can relate,
I beg, so as to tell this tale of lore,
Grant me an audience on this date.
A story such as this is not to be missed,
Therefore, I ask of you, please assist!

You, Luna, grant a voice with such power,
One from a being so great and divine,
That the podium will rise up and tower,
And will reach the audience this story of mine,
That the ground below will shake and cower,
And all will heed my voice and my rhyme,
That everyone from all the walks of life
Hears this story cut through like a knife.

You, Mi Amore Cadenza, of you I ask
That you calm all who are attending.
You alone are capable of such a task;
Their strife by now should be ending.
Their hatred for one another you should mask,
Turn it to true love, not simply pretending,
For this story, it is meant for all time,
Despite its very nature being sublime.

And you, Twilight Sparkle, I request
That you cement what Cadance began.
Once you carry through, I will do my best
To deliver this epic, exactly as how it ran.
Surely this is for you but another test,
To excel you truly have an excellent plan,
Keep the crowds tame, while I speak,
So that my voice dœs not go weak.

O! and the ones who wield Harmony,
Pray, let us not neglect their existence:
Two unicorns there are, one named Rarity,
Twilight was one once, but an alicorn hence.
Rarity weaves dresses of the highest quality;
For Generosity, she has an unfailing sense.
Twilight studied under the Solar-Princess.
Consequently powerful Magic she can express.

Two pegasi as well, named Rainbow Dash,
And one who is bound to the ground, Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash can clear the sky in a flash,
So the sun shines, so the ground stays dry.
Fluttershy cares for animals in her hollow ash,
Be they ground-beasts like her, or of the sky.
Rainbow Dash is unrivaled in her Loyalty,
And Fluttershy’s Kindness branches like a tree.

In addition, two earth ponies are in this troupe,
These are named Applejack and Pinkie Pie.
Applejack hails from a large family group;
Her Honesty is pure, no other can come nigh.
Pinkie Pie, baker is she, and not one to droop;
She instead causes Laughter, in the passers-by.
These are Harmony’s Elements, all six all told.
Now that I have appeased, let the story unfold.

The forest Everfree is not a well-known place,
Not many are able to traverse its thickness,
Or stare its so-called nature in the face,
For its independence causes them deep distress.
In this independence the fauna takes grace–
The Manticore, for one, is venomous.
Small wonder that much of it is cloaked in fear,
That nopony voluntarily dares venture near.

And yet, on occasion, it has to be done,
Usually by those with no choice on the matter.
They stay to a few known paths, maybe one,
And still they travel slowly, with little chatter.
Many a threat on occasion they have to outrun,
Or to the egress? Most hope for the latter.
Nonetheless, this is indeed a rare occurrence
That requires one with some competence.

Now we go to two such brave travelers,
One a mother, the other her unmarked son,
The father stayed behind, –Oh, horsefeathers!
He is irrelevant– the focus is on mom and son.
The two were headed to some far-off sellers,
Through the Everfree, so business can be done;
But the colt’s legs soon became tired,
And about this problem the mother inquired:

“My youth, thou must keep up thy strength–
This is the Everfree Forest, for Celestia’s sake!
I know it is difficult for thee to walk at length,
For it causes thy legs to start to ache,
But I ask thee, I reiterate, maintain strength,
Or something evil will find thee, like a snake,
And then no more will be my little Thorn–
How hard for me thy passing to mourn!”

“Soft, mother!” returned Thorn. “I’ll be fine–
The Everfree Forest isn’t as bad as it seems!
Sure it’s dark and thick, but I find it divine,
The sort of thing I can only find in dreams.
I don’t understand why others find it malign–
Look at this stone here! Beauty it screams!
There’s more to the Everfree than first glance,
If only you can brave giving it a fair chance!”

“A chance?” asked she. “Thorn, art thou mad?
The Everfree is the most vile thing that exists!
Around every corner there’s peril to be had,
Throughout the forest, only antagonists!
Only after leaving this place will I be glad,
Beauty, perhaps, but of vile mischief it consists!
Hasten, now, and pray, let us depart–
Let us not dally about, and stare at art.”

So the two pressed on, along the beaten trail,
Through a sun-lit part, under a clear blue sky.
Through one clearing, Thorn could see a vale,
So random, so majestic– he let out a sigh.
He stopped to gaze upon such fine detail.
“Come along!” said she. Thorn had to comply.
But the sight of the vale stayed with him,
It seemed so wide, and yet as well so slim.

He too paused to observe a harmless sparrow,
So graceful, so gentle, and so delicate.
Its beak pointed down the path like an arrow,
And its feathers were ruffled like velvet–
Nay, wait a minute, that indeed is an arrow!
And it was aimed directly at the path’s exit.
But pray, why was it pointing at that thing?
Perhaps it could be telling Thorn something?

“Thorn, dear, whatever is the matter?”
Said his mother, who had just now halted.
“Thorn, thy hooves now do not patter.
Art thou that tired? Needest thou to be exalted?
Oh, look now, thou’st made a sparrow scatter!”
And indeed, the sparrow earlier had vaulted–
Or perhaps it was leading Thorn on its target,
And prompting him to follow, lest he forget.

And Thorn took off! Galloping at top speed,
He pursued that sparrow with mad ferocity!
On he pushed, he did want, nay, he did need
To follow that sparrow, even at high velocity.
Where was it going? Thorn followed its lead,
The twists, the turns– ’twas pure insanity!
Until at last, little Thorn had come across
An unusual thing growing in the moss.

It was a plant indeed, that was expected–
But it was still strange even for the Everfree.
It was short, and two stems were connected,
As were several spines, but very strangely
Was its flower– saw other varieties Thorn did,
But this flower, despite it being so dainty–
Unlike those Thorn saw, this one was blue.
What! This is a blue rose? –That is true!

–Could it be? –Did it actually exist?
Even Thorn couldn’t believe his own eyes,
He had heard the legends, they all insist
That whoëver finds one is fated to be wise.
And now, here is Thorn, who Luck kist,
Blessed with such a wonderful surprise–
Here is young Thorn, without his cutie mark,
Led by a mere sparrow to his fate– “Hark!”

Thorn looked at it on all sides, once, twice,
Before he was sure– it was blue indeed.
He couldn’t think of anything nearly as nice;
All of his expectations did this bloom exceed.
Thorn was yet unconvinced, and checked thrice,
It was!– and for skepticism there was no need.
Thorn shook his head– this must be a dream!
Nay. Nay! –It was! –The legend, to deem!

But was Thorn disappointed? –Of course not!
Nay, he was glad to have chanced upon this!
He had seen specimens by the whole lot,
Yet none of them were azure, such as this!
Thorn imagined it could be the mark on his plot,
For this blue blossom he shouldn’t dismiss.
Thorn stared at it intently, against the tree-bark,
Wondering how it got here at all– “Hark!

“Hark!” hollered his mother. “Come, Thorn!
Thou mustn’t run off like that in the Everfree!”
“But mother!” replied he. “In the moss borne!
’Tis the most amazing thing you’ll ever see!”
“Nay, Thorn, that thing there thou must scorn!”
“Mother, why do you insist that I must flee?”
The two soon reached a tedious impasse,
Their arguments were transparent, like glass.

“If I’ve told thee once Thorn, I state endlessly:
This is the Everfree, not something to trifle!
So come hasten with me, don’t wait needlessly.
Any counterargument thou hast I will stifle.
To follow a sparrow like that so furiously,
And for– what? A blue flower so simple?
Truly, Thorn, why canst thou not behave right?
If this happens again, I’ll punish thee tonight!”

“Now hear me out, mother!” Thorn retorted,
And he indicated the space between two stones.
“If you could spare a moment, it’s important!
This is a living legend, in the skin and bones,
Don’t tell me that my argument isn’t supported,
Why, just look here between these two stones!
Once you see it for yourself, just try to oppose–
Tell me that you’ven’t heard of the Blue Rose?”

Upon the last two words did his mother jump–
Did he say it right? Were those fables true?
She took a glance at it, at the azure lump,
Nay, that’s not right! –It couldn’t be blue!
But it indeed was, so now Thorn did trump,
But why had Thorn not given her earlier a clue?
Why just take off, without any sort of warning,
Here in the Everfree forest in the mid-morning?

“Well, it appears that my little Thorn is right,”
The mother finally conceded, stepping back,
“But nonetheless, we have business tonight,
So hasten, before the forest sky gœs black,
As we head on the trail, on towards the light,
But I promise thee, when we do go back,
I’ll make sure thou seest this once more–
How wrong was I this thing to abhor!”

So the two traversed along, with the sight
Behind them– a memory for years to come.
But the blossom, it had too much might
To simply be ignored, and by anyone.
Thus the sparrow set off again, so that he might
Get Thorn’s attention, so he again would run
To the flower, for its prophecy was unfulfilled–
Thorn must be wise, Thorn must be skilled!

Fortunate indeed, Thorn recognized the guide
He saw earlier– the sparrow! It knew him!
Back to the plant? What mystery dœs abide?
One way to find out– that was to follow him.
So his mother’s ominous threat Thorn denied,
And sprinted back– ducking under a tree limb,
He took the path straight back to the wonder,
She stopped– the limb she couldn’t go under.

Thorn arrived at the flower soon enough.
The sparrow landed nearby, merely to look.
“All right, rooted one, I have had enough!”
Declared Thorn, “Now my attention you took!
I demand to tell me your will, and don’t bluff.
Your escort brought me here to this brook,
So now I demand, if you’ve business with me,
That you spare no detail, I demand to thee!”

And the most amazing thing happened–
Why, this azure flower literally picked itself!
This blue flower that was aforementioned
Was floating up in front of Thorn himself!
No roots were there, ’twas oddly conditioned,
With the flower hovering solely by itself.
Then something happened ever stranger–
It spoke to him! Could this be danger?

“Have patience, colt, and heed my voice–
A prophecy is presented, and must be done.
Nay, you have no say, you have no choice,
It is purest Fate, and it has now begun.
But have no fear, if anything, do rejoice!
For this is once in a lifetime, and it has begun.
Come take grasp of me, and you will see
Just what it means to be wise like me.”

“Well, if that’s true,” retorted the young foal,
“Then my mother must join me! We belong
Together, me and her. together we are whole!
Nay, I shall refuse to coöperate, to come along,
Bring her here, or I won’t participate at all!
We both found you, sing us both your song!
We were together, you’ve two promises to keep,
Two prophecies to fulfill, don’t you be cheap!”

“Not at all,” it countered, “you are mistaken–
You were the first, so of this only you are part.
She won’t know where you’ve been taken,
But, in her eyes, you won’t be long far apart.
She won’t mind, nay, she won’t be shaken–
She must be that way, if we ever are to start.
Now I restate, take ahold of my stem,
Where there’s no spines. we’ll go right then.”

Thorn was an earth pony, having no horn,
Just hooves and mouth, holding only with them.
“Sir, without a horn or wings I was born,
Therefore how can I grasp your stem?”
The plant lowered itself down to Thorn,
And he grasped it, and then right then
The flower bloomed– spread its mighty wings,
As it prepared for a quest (among other things).

The thorns receded around Thorn’s mouth,
So it would not harm its own student.
“Now then, young one,” it said, “head south.
Don’t let go of me, for I am your agent.
Head to the place of the perpetual drouth,
Where dragons roam, those that do not relent–
There lies your first task, with them to interact.
The goal of this is to with them form a pact.”

“A pact?” Thorn asked through clenched teeth,
“Pray tell, why would that be of any use?
All those dragons do is inhabit their dry heath,
Hoard gold, sleep all day, and not be crouse.
And besides, dragons are evil beyond belief–
If anything arises, I couldn’t possibly defuse.
So I ask of you, why are dragons so vital?
What can they do? This seems so fatal!”

“Hush, now” it replied, “and let me explain:
These dragons are not as bad as you tell.
Let me calm your worries, in words so plain,
There’s no need for fear, nor for a knell
When we are through– allies we shall gain,
But only if we are careful, and do this well.
Now soft! young Thorn, and let us move–
You have a purpose, that you need to prove!”

Wait, what was this? The bloom was glowing!
And Thorn was suddenly lifted into the air!
Then he moved forward, high winds blowing–
The blue Rose! Certainly! It had lost its care,
And started moving him; now they were going!
Through the strong æther did move the pair,
As the flower carried him to his assignment,
To the Dry-Flat, to deliver such a consignment.

There was no stopping, there was no slowing,
Despite what Thorn wanted– a slower pace!
The plant itself insisted on haste in their going,
Towards the Dragon-Lands they gave chase.
The winds were fluid, like a river ’twas flowing,
Despite the uneven object through did race–
As they edged nearer, nearer to their goal–
The flower was eager, not so much the foal.

On! and On! and On! Forthward did they go–
To a fate most mysterious, amidst a high gale!
Over the mountains high, though the vales low,
At speeds that dared to clip the colt’s tail–
Through places of bright sun or thick snow,
’Til Thorn’s hooves touched ground so pale.
Then the winds did die down once more–
But this was not the same land as was before.