The Ballad of Jim the Squid

O Muses of Equestria
Of odes both bright and grim:
Your blessings I beseech you give
To this, the Tale of Jim.

That blessed squid of thoughts so deep
And honor of a knight,
Sacrificed all for a damsel
In her dark time of plight.

Out from the sky Jim came to be
Within his lake, his home.
And now its secrets does he keep
A living, squid-shaped tome.

And as all tomes are wont to do,
His secrets does he share:
He fills his gummy gator friend
With thoughts and hopes and care.

For hours those two ponder life
And what its depths do hold,
Of meaning and fragility,
Of warmth and air and cold.

And to the sky his thoughts would oft'
Rise up into the light.
And oft' he dreamed of joining them
Ascending wise and bright.

One fateful morn came as they do:
With cloud and dark and strife.
A rainstorm meant for nourishment
Would end one dreamer's life.

Jim's scaly friend did seek him out
With earnest and with speed.
But when he came he found with shock
His friend was but a steed!

A demon sat upon his head
It's fur a golden hue.
A rosy halo did still burn
And mock the water blue.

With fright Jim shrieked at such a sight
And tried to get away
But wisdom from Gummy did come
And wipe his ink astray.

A mammal did now ride his head:
A creature from up top.
And air she needed for her life
Did bring musings to stop.

Through breaths and dives Gummy did tell
The reason for their swim:
A pink lily they did seek out
Their need for it quite grim.

With glee Jim told them of their luck
And what the storm had done:
The lilies were now in one spot
Gathered from the storm's run.

With haste they made for those lilies
A pink one sure to find.
And as he said they all were there
To one spot now confined.

With joy the mammal pointed out
Their search was now complete.
But trouble had now found its way
And call for one last feat.

The pegusai up in the sky
In circles had they flown.
And in the process did create
A powerful cyclone.

A vortex made of rain and sky,
Upon them did descend.
And threaten all the lilies there
The maelstrom would rend.

Of fleeting hope and great despair
The mammal did cry out
And pleaded to her scaly friend
To dive into the spout.

But fearful of that whirling mass
The gator did now pause.
The funnel posed too great a threat;
Their quest a now lost cause.

Of noble heart and noble mind
Did the great Jim possess:
And one great deed did Jim offer
And promise his success:

Into the funnel he would go
And grab a pink lily.
To help a lady in distress
'Twas his noble duty.

Without waiting for objection
Jim sped toward his goal.
Upon grabbing a pink lily
The vortex took him whole!

Around Jim spun the maelstrom
The lily in his grip
Refusing to give up his catch
From this fateful last trip.

The funnel raised Jim higher still
Shouts of glee did he cry;
Until at last he reached the top
And met with clouded sky.

A heavenly bolt did pierce the clouds
Of radiance quite bright
Caressing Jim up in the air
In wonderment and light.

His body lit up like a star,
His eyes sparkle with glee,
What thoughts that fateful bolt did give
Now lost, a mystery.

And all great things come to an end
As dusk fades into night
That bolt which brought Jim happiness
Did in the end him smite.

A thousand stars fell from the sky
From clouds that ceased their strife.
Jim's quest to gain that pink lily
Had ended with his life.

No more remained upon the lake
The outlook seemed quite grim:
The pink lilies the two had sought
Had departed with Jim.

But in one last act of glory,
A gift from past the grave
Inside his tendril did they find
One lily Jim did save.

And to the Heavens goes our Jim
A hero in his prime.
May his glories naught be forgot
Until the end of time!