Birth of Winter


                                            I

                                            The earth was warm,

                                            The fields were green,

                                            The soil was rich

                                            Beneath the tree.


                                            Far in the north,

                                            Where no eyes gazed,

                                            The stars grew cold

                                            With whispers strange.


                                            The dark of night,

                                            The world was still,

                                            The skies did hum

                                            Winter's cold song.


                                            Dreams turned to frost,

                                            And winds like blades,

                                            Crept into hearts,

                                            With chill so deep.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            II

                                            The earth grew soft,

                                            So warm below,

                                            It stirred and shook

                                            Beneath the tread.


                                            Mountains sighed loud,

                                            And rivers moaned,

                                            Something ancient

                                            Woke in the north.


                                            The wise ones saw,

                                            In visions clear,

                                            A land of white,

                                            A world of snow.


                                            None could tell how

                                            This call to frost

                                            Had grown so strong—

                                            A yearning cold.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            III

                                            The fields once green,

                                            With songs of spring,

                                            Now whispered low,

                                            Of changing times.


                                            The roots grew cold,

                                            The soil turned hard,

                                            The north began

                                            To call them forth.


                                            No call was heard,

                                            No banners raised,

                                            Yet hooves did turn

                                            To distant peaks.


                                            Through forests dark,

                                            Through rivers wide,

                                            The march began,

                                            Silent and sure.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            IV

                                            It was one alone,

                                            A chieftain wise,

                                            Whose dreams were filled

                                            With winter's light.


                                            Her name was Cirrus Wisp,

                                            A mare of strength,

                                            Who heard the stars

                                            And knew their song.


                                            One night she saw,

                                            In crystal clear,

                                            The Great White Land

                                            Beyond their reach.


                                            The way was hard,

                                            The winds were fierce,

                                            No pony crossed

                                            Without great price.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            V

                                            In dreams she stood

                                            At the veil’s edge,

                                            Where stars hung low,

                                            And skies gleamed white.


                                            A shadow rose,

                                            A force unknown,

                                            Before her path,

                                            It barred her way.


                                            "Come forth, dreamer,"


                                            The shadow called,


                                            "Beyond this veil

                                            Lies cold and storm.


                                            But those who pass

                                            Must pay the toll,

                                            For winter takes

                                            What warmth has made."


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            VI

                                            The chieftains met,

                                            At dawn's first light,

                                            With hearts of doubt,

                                            But eyes like ice.


                                            The earth was warm,

                                            Yet stirred with fear,

                                            For something far

                                            Had made its claim.


                                            Cirrus spoke out,

                                            Of stars and snow,

                                            Of visions cold

                                            From northern lights.


                                            "The north is harsh,

                                            Its light a call,

                                            But every step

                                            Will test our fate."


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            VII

                                            In distant north,

                                            Where stars grow cold,

                                            The Veil awoke,

                                            Its will untold.


                                            It hummed and shook

                                            With ancient might,

                                            For snowbound lands

                                            Demand their right.


                                            The Veil was thin,

                                            A wall of light,

                                            That shimmered bright

                                            With frost in flight.


                                            No pony knew

                                            Its full true form,

                                            But all could feel

                                            Its chilling call.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            VIII

                                            The Veil called out

                                            To those who dreamed,

                                            Not with warm words,

                                            Nor voice of peace.


                                            Its voice was wind,

                                            Its song was wild,

                                            And those who came

                                            Would face its test.


                                            With hearts of doubt,

                                            Yet hooves of strength,

                                            The ponies marched

                                            To lands afar.


                                            Cirrus led forth,

                                            Her gaze like steel,

                                            For she had seen

                                            The northern stars.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            IX

                                            Through forests dark,

                                            Through rivers wide,

                                            They ventured forth

                                            In silent step.


                                            The nights grew long,

                                            The winds blew sharp,

                                            And frost began

                                            To bite their coats.


                                            At last they came

                                            Unto the Veil,

                                            A wall of mist,

                                            Of snow and light.


                                            But as they neared,

                                            The winds grew fierce,

                                            And shadows danced

                                            In Veil's cold glow.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            X

                                            From mists emerged

                                            A figure dark,

                                            With eyes of ice,

                                            And voice of stone.


                                            It spoke to them

                                            With winter's breath,

                                            A voice that froze

                                            Their beating hearts.


                                            "No hoof shall cross

                                            This frozen veil,

                                            For ancient laws

                                            Its ancient claim.


                                            You seek the land

                                            Where stars grow still,

                                            But frost’s cold gifts

                                            Must match your will."


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XI

                                            One by one,

                                            The ponies stood,

                                            Their breath like frost,

                                            Their hearts unsure.


                                            Cirrus stepped forth

                                            With steady hoof,

                                            And faced the shade

                                            At winter's gate.


                                            "I seek the frost,

                                            And know there's cost,

                                            Yet speak your terms—

                                            What must be lost?"


                                            The shadow smiled,

                                            Its grin like ice,


                                            "For you, the price

                                            Is what you were."


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XII

                                            One by one,

                                            They stepped through frost,

                                            Through veil of mist,

                                            Into the cold.


                                            As they crossed,

                                            Their coats grew thick,

                                            Their hooves turned light,

                                            Their hearts like snow.


                                            The earth they knew

                                            Was left behind,

                                            And winter's breath

                                            Now filled their veins.


                                            No longer bound

                                            To field and stone,

                                            They became stars,

                                            Of frost and wind.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XIII

                                            Their eyes shone bright

                                            With winter's light,

                                            Their manes like ice,

                                            Their hooves like frost.


                                            They had become

                                            What stars foretold—

                                            The Frostmanes now,

                                            The cold’s own guard.


                                            From heart of frost,

                                            Three gifts arose,

                                            Bestowed on those

                                            Who crossed the veil.


                                            Bound by the chill,

                                            Their hearts were firm,

                                            A steadfast will,

                                            No cold could turn.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XIV

                                            The Sight of Stars,

                                            So deep and wise,

                                            Their eyes could pierce

                                            The northern skies.


                                            The Silent Strength,

                                            A heart of ice,

                                            That never bends

                                            Or breaks in storm.


                                            The Step of Snow,

                                            So light as wind,

                                            No storm could bind

                                            Their hooves to ground.


                                            Their coats grew thick,

                                            Their hooves grew light,

                                            And winter’s might

                                            Was in their bones.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XV

                                            Their first steps fell

                                            On fields of frost,

                                            Their hooves sank not,

                                            The snow gave way.


                                            Light as the wind,

                                            They moved with grace,

                                            Unbound by storm,

                                            At winter’s pace.


                                            Their coats grew long,

                                            In colors pure,

                                            Of browns and grays,

                                            Of earth and stone.


                                            For bright and bold

                                            Had no place here,

                                            Where stealth in snow

                                            Was their great shield.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XVI

                                            Their coats grew soft,

                                            As if by will,

                                            And fluff became

                                            Their arm and might.


                                            With every gust,

                                            They held the warmth,

                                            And walked in peace

                                            Where frost winds bite.


                                            But in this land

                                            Of endless white,

                                            The snowponies learned

                                            To fight and thrive.


                                            Their hooves grew swift,

                                            Their eyes grew sharp,

                                            For winter's world

                                            Was full of life.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XVII

                                            In forests dark,

                                            Of ancient pine,

                                            Their villages rose

                                            With logs and light.


                                            They gathered roots,

                                            And berries sweet,

                                            For winter's feast

                                            Was found in trees.


                                            In tundra wide,

                                            Where winds ran wild,

                                            They built their homes

                                            From ice and snow.


                                            Their igloos gleamed

                                            In northern lights,

                                            A beacon bright

                                            In endless night.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XVIII

                                            Upon the seas,

                                            Where waves turned cold,

                                            They fished the depths

                                            With lines of frost.


                                            The icebound catch,

                                            From waters deep,

                                            Filled their hearts warm

                                            Through long, dark nights.


                                            In lands once wild,

                                            Where frost took hold,

                                            The snowponies carved

                                            A home from ice.


                                            They built with frost,

                                            Their strength from snow,

                                            And named it Snowpitt,

                                            A village bright.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XIX

                                            The shamans spoke

                                            To northern winds,

                                            And called the ghosts

                                            Of frost and snow.


                                            With hairs of frost,

                                            From coats they wove

                                            Great charms of strength

                                            And magic deep.


                                            For snowponies knew

                                            That frost held will,

                                            And magic lived

                                            In every flake.


                                            They called the ghosts

                                            Of ancient days,

                                            Who wandered still

                                            Through snow and sky.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XX

                                            But not all ponies

                                            Knew the gift

                                            To walk on snow

                                            With steps so light.


                                            The snowtrot was

                                            A sacred skill,

                                            Passed down by those

                                            Who knew the way.


                                            Young fillies learned,

                                            Through toil and test,

                                            To place their hooves

                                            Like feathers soft.


                                            The greatest ones

                                            Could gallop swift,

                                            Without a flake

                                            Disturbed in flight.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XXI

                                            In northern nights,

                                            Where windigos roamed,

                                            The snowponies learned

                                            To guard their hearts.


                                            For hatred brought

                                            The winds of death,

                                            And anger fed

                                            The frozen beasts.


                                            But snowponies knew

                                            The ancient law:

                                            The balance held

                                            'Tween fire and ice.


                                            They stoked their hearths

                                            With careful flame,

                                            But never let

                                            Their hearts grow warm.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XXII

                                            Beyond the gate

                                            Where cold winds hold,

                                            Where glaciers gleamed

                                            And shadows slept,


                                            There roamed great beasts

                                            Of ice and flame,

                                            Leviathans deep

                                            In frozen seas.


                                            The snowponies fought

                                            With frozen spears,

                                            Enchanted blades

                                            Of magic bright.


                                            Their warriors bold

                                            Would guard the night,

                                            To shield their homes

                                            From winter's blight.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XXIII

                                            In Snowpitt bright,

                                            Beneath the stars,

                                            The tribes would come

                                            From far and wide.


                                            Through endless night,

                                            Where the sky grew dark,

                                            They gathered close

                                            In frost and flame.


                                            They sang the songs

                                            Of winter’s might,

                                            And danced below

                                            The northern lights.


                                            For though they thrived

                                            In ice and cold,

                                            The snowponies held

                                            Their hearts as one.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XXIV

                                            The snowponies rose,

                                            With strength and peace,

                                            Their hearts ablaze

                                            With winter’s gift.


                                            They held the balance

                                            Of snow and flame,

                                            And walked the world

                                            With steps of light.


                                            Though frost did bite,

                                            And storms did wail,

                                            Their hearts stayed warm

                                            Like hearths of flame.


                                            For love was born

                                            Beneath the snow,

                                            And friendship’s bond

                                            No cold could break.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XXV

                                            They gathered close

                                            In huts of ice,

                                            And shared the warmth

                                            Of voice and light.


                                            Their laughter rang

                                            Through winter’s night,

                                            And in their eyes,

                                            The stars shone bright.


                                            For though they’d changed,

                                            Their hearts stayed true,

                                            As fierce as storm

                                            As wild as gale.


                                            Through endless nights,

                                            They stood as one—

                                            Snowponies bound

                                            By love and trust.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XXVI

                                            When tempers froze,

                                            When frost crept in,

                                            Their warmth arose,

                                            And melt the cold.


                                            For when the winds

                                            Were fiercest blown,

                                            They never gave

                                            A cold shoulder.


                                            They laughed aloud

                                            In frost-kissed air,

                                            While snowflakes danced,

                                            In winter's wonder.


                                            Each one a vow

                                            Softly laid,

                                            As gentle as

                                            The frost that flakes.


                                            ❅ ❆ ❅


                                            XXVII

                                            In every flake

                                            Of snow that fell,

                                            A quiet grace

                                            Of wonder bloomed.


                                            For even when

                                            The world grew dark,

                                            Their love remained

                                            A winter’s glow.


                                            Through winters long,

                                            Through endless storms,

                                            Their bond endured,

                                            Forever warm.


                                            And in the heart

                                            Of snow so deep,

                                            Their love would hold

                                            And never sleep.