Vanhoover was, to Dinky, the most beautiful city she ever could have imagined. Its towering skyscrapers were like huge monoliths, its parks and fountains like green and crystal jewels amidst a sea of gray. The beautiful western shore, with its high-rolling waves that crashed and roared, was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was as if the ocean was an animal all its own, a living being that lashed out at the earth with its many watery tongues, intent on licking all away.
At the moment, Derpy and Dinky made their way down the central thoroughfare, the little unicorn filly licking away contentedly at a strawberry ice cream cone her mother had bought her. As she gave the delicious treat another thorough lick, she wondered how other ponies would manage eating such an item. She had her magic to levitate the light object, but she couldn’t quite fathom how others managed it.
“Well, Dinky, we’ve seen the botanical gardens, we’ve got to the Mare-Lynn canyon, and the museum of anthro-anthro…” Derpy said, stumbling over the words for a moment.
“Anthropology, Mommy,” Dinky helped distantly, more intent on her ice cream.
“That museum, thank you,” Derpy finished. “We’ve got a little more sunlight left, is there anywhere else you want to go?”
“Hmm…” the filly looked around at the various shops and stalls that marked the streets of Vanhoover, watching the many ponies that made this city. She curiously watched a lone stallion draped in a deep brown cloak, not paying attention to who he bumped into as he trotted down the lane. To her surprise, his unusual garb wasn’t attracting much attention, with most ponyfolk simply walking by and ignoring the fellow.
The ponies that lived here were mostly unicorns, though more than a few Earth Ponies were among them. Vanhoover was a different city, to put it mildly. Strange ideas and traditions still permeated this place, from days gone by. It was a community that prided itself for its understanding of the old ways, of its knowledge of times long ago. Perhaps the city’s affinity for the old and unique made this stallion’s eclecticism feel normal. He was one of Vanhoover’s very own, and she –Dinky, a little unicorn filly from a small village known as Ponyville- was the strange outsider to be stared at.
“What’s that stallion with the robe doing, Mommy?” Dinky asked.
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” Derpy replied, sighting the pony with her left eye. “Do you want to go up and ask?”
“I guess so,” Dinky answered shyly, and the small unicorn pattered up to the stallion, who was still trotting along mutely, a solemn expression carved onto his features. “Excuse me, sir, what are you doing?”
The stallion ceased his walk, standing straight-backed and still. Slowly, deliberately, he turned his head down to face the young filly and stared at her intently, as if studying her. Dinky felt herself blush, feeling as if the stallion was examining every fiber of her being. It was such a long, intense stare that she silently squirmed inside.
“I am one who speaks in the silence,” he declared, his voice strong and firm, every syllable ringing with a quiet power.
“What does that mean?” Derpy asked, laughing slightly as such an odd answer. As the stallion turned his brilliant gaze to her, she immediately came under the same strange spell that had sapped her daughter of her speech. The pure intensity of the gaze was overwhelming, and she found herself wishing, as she did often, that her eyes weren’t so damaged.
“I am one who speaks in the silence,” he declared once more. “I speak for those who are dead, for those who live, and for those who are dead while they live.”
“So, what do you do?” Dinky asked, not fully grasping the stallion’s words.
“I am the keeper of stories,” he replied cryptically. “I am the voice for those who have no voice of their own. I shine a light on what is kept hidden in the darkness. Where there are lies, I come bearing the truth. I am a guardian of those who have no defense.”
Dinky squinted up at the unusual fellow, her young mind unable to grasp the unusual concept that he had thrust at them. He was such a thoroughly strange pony that she didn’t know what to make of him. Part of her wished she had not engaged him in conversation, while the other side of her was enthralled.
Her mother, however, had some semblance of understanding. She realized that he was studying her intently, gazing straight at her imbalanced eyes with a sort of studious curiosity. It was as if… as if he already knew her, without ever having known her at all.
“You there, pegasus,” he said suddenly. “Your eyes. If I may ask, were they born as such, or the result of accident and tragedy?”
“I- b-born,” Derpy replied, completely taken aback by the question.
The stallion nodded, a silent strength ebbing from him. “Then perhaps you are one of the many I have spoken for,” he remarked. Looking about at those who surrounded him, he said lowly, “There is a secret place, in the Cosmic Gardens that dwell in Westborough District. Follow the moonlight path and head to the sound of whispers. There may lie something that you seek. Come at night.” Without another word, he departed, his cloak billowing behind him as he raced off, almost like he had been called away to speak to another.
He left behind a mother and daughter who were completely taken aback by the peculiarity of the stranger, and quite uncertain what to do next.
“What place is he talking about, Mommy?” Dinky asked. “You’ve been here to Vanhoover once, right?”
“Yes, but that was a long time ago, sweetie,” Derpy replied. “And I wasn’t here long, just delivered mail and left. I wonder what he meant.”
“Do you know what all that strange stuff he said meant?” Dinky queried. “He was really weird!”
“He was weird, but he knew exactly what he was saying,” Derpy said softly. “I have a feeling we’re going to have an interesting night.”
The lights that streamed from the city’s center were all but abandoned in this beautiful village that had been swarmed by urban growth. Gone were the buildings of brick and steel, the innovations and machinations. Here the ponies were natural, taking heed from the earth. Their homes were hoof-designed, built from trees of ancient magic. With the beautifully starry sky above them, it was almost like Derpy and Dinky had entered a world from fairytales.
The mother and child pair had been wandering about the district for about a half an hour now, with no success at finding the Cosmic Gardens. The stallion’s cryptic words of a moonlight trail were more confusing than ever, and Derpy felt herself growing frustrated. They didn’t have a lot of their vacation time left, and they still needed to make the journey back home.
“Mommy, are we ever going to find this place?” Dinky whined. “I’m tired and my hooves hurt.”
“We’ll try for just a little bit longer, dear,” Derpy replied, feeling worn herself. It had been a long day and she was ready for a good long sleep.
She looked down a darkened street, searching for whatever might seem out of the ordinary, but came up empty. Maybe they would just have to try some other time.
Dinky paused, her young ears detecting what her mother’s had not. Whispering voices blew softly into her ear, gently calling her away. She began to trot down a northern street, seeking out the source of the sound.
“Dinky! Where are you going?” Derpy asked angrily. “Don’t walk off without me, young lady, especially at night!”
“Mommy, can you hear that?” Dinky asked.
“Hear what?” Derpy replied frustratedly.
“All those voices.”
The older mare hesitated, searching intently for the sound, and soon found herself greeted by the gentle yet eerie sound of voices with no one to claim them. “I think we should head this way, Dinky,” she said quietly.
The two ponies headed down the street for a few minutes, finding themselves greeted by a glorious display of flowers and other fauna. Crescent Lilies, Sunstars, and Mooncup blossoms had been wrapped around an ornate wooden gate that bid them enter. The Cosmic Gardens, with a trail of worn crystal that reflected the moonlight before them.
What took Derpy by surprise was the fact that other ponies were also making their way down this trail, some in groups and some on their lonesome. Some were strong and healthy, while others, like her, bore marks of disfiguration and pain. All, however, were heading down the long beautiful path towards the same destination. Derpy stared at Dinky, and Dinky at Derpy, and the two gave shrugs. What else could they do? They made to follow.
The pathway to their destination was a gloriously verdant one, covered with flowers and vegetation that neither Dinky nor Derpy even knew existed. Whoever had built this place had done so with great care and elegance, for not the slightest vine or leaf was out of place. This garden was gloriously pristine.
The sound of whispers grew ever louder as they trotted down alongside so many others, their curiosity growing with every step they took. Just what had gripped these ponies so? What lay ahead of them?
Their answer soon arrived in the form of a dim glow- moonlight reflecting off water. Before them lay a beautiful pool, dotted with reeds and lily pads. It was a resplendent sight that exuded a feeling of calm and thought.
“What is this place, Mommy?” Dinky whispered, hush by the silent beauty of this place.
“I have no clue,” Derpy whispered back, watching as many a pony walked over and knelt by the pool, staring into the clear blue waters. She heard a sniffle to her right, and saw a pair of mares sitting at the side of the pool, the older of the two crying softly while her friend comforted her.
“It’s OK, it’s OK,” said the younger mare, an Earth Pony with a deep-green mane. “It’s OK, I promise. There was nothing you could have done.”
“You’re wrong,” choked the other, a middle-aged unicorn that appeared to be somewhat of a socialite, if Derpy had to guess. “I tried everything I could to save him. Littlespark was so young, he had no business being out on that balcony alone- I had told Sleek that a thousand times! But he didn’t listen!”
“Please, leave them be,” said a gentle voice behind her, making both Derpy and Dinky jump. Out from the shadows, wrapped in a snow-white cloak was a young pegasus mare, her eyes a deep sapphire blue and her coat that of pure crystal. To Dinky, it was as if she was staring at an angel. “I must apologize,” she added, noting her two subjects, “My appearance must have startled you. I am Crystal Clear, and am at your service for this evening.”
“What is this place?” Derpy asked in confusion. “A stallion in a deep brown cloak sent us here-”
“Our young Speaker, I see,” Crystal Clear remarked, her blue eyes full of understanding. “Please, come this way and leave this poor woman be. She must grasp her understanding on her own.”
“What’s wrong? Is she OK?” Dinky asked as they walked away, staring back at the weeping mare.
“She is in grief, as she has been for many a year,” Crystal Clear answered serenely. “She comes here every now and again to seek out her pain and resurrect it once more.”
“But why would anypony do such a thing?” Derpy inquired.
“She seeks the pain because it is all she understands,” came the answer from their guide. “We urge her to find forgiveness, an end to her mourning, but she refuses to be raised from the dead. So, her heart cannot leave the pain she endured, and therefore punishes herself with it.”
“But she wasn’t dead,” Dinky protested.
“A death of the heart is from what she suffers,” Crystal Clear responded calmly, taking root next to a free edge of the pool. “A death she freely chooses- a mistake I beg you not to mimic.”
“What are we doing here?” Derpy asked as she stood beside the snowy-cloaked pegasus.
“I am merely your guide, not your instructor,” Crystal Clear answered. “The Pool of Solace is a place that speaks to the soul of whoever gazes into it. What it says is known only to you. But please… sit. Rest. Gaze into the pool, and turn your heart to the thoughts of deeper waters.”
Feeling rather mystified by the whole affair, Derpy took a seat by her daughter, who was staring so intently at the pool’s calm surface that she half-expected for the tiny filly to fall in. Might as well, she said to herself, and gazed into the waters.
Her first thought was that of the splendid beauty that was inherent in this place. Crystal Clear, and others like her, must take great pride in maintaining this place.
Her next thought was unwelcome in every way. She felt a sickening loneliness, an aching pain that wrenched her heart and tore at her. A deep, deep longing erupted within her like an ignited flame, a need that cried, begged to be fulfilled. It was a loneliness that she had buried long, long ago and had tried very hard to forget, so great was her pain. It was a longing, a desire that was to be unfulfilled forever. For the void that cried out, the emptiness that desperately needed to be filled, would never be attended to. It never could be. Derpy felt herself tremble as the unwanted agony coursed through her body like poison.
For little Dinky, she didn’t quite know what to make of the place. All this grown-up talk was very strange, and she didn’t really understand it yet even though she tried. Maybe she should do what that pretty pegasus told her to do and look into the pool.
When she did, she felt an eruption of emotions that wracked her tiny little body like a sickness, rippling through her and awakening a desire she didn’t know she had. A passionate, desperate longing awoke in her, a hole that needed filling. She found her gaze clouded by memories; memories of she and her mother at the park, she and her mother at home at the dinner table, of she and her mother out happily enjoying the sunny fields that surrounded her home. Though she had never known it, she realized something was unfit here. A piece out of place, a character that was missing from the tapestry that was her life. Until now, it had remained dormant, but now had awoken like a fire that could not be quenched. Unbidden, hot tears welled up in her eyes and splashed onto the soft ground at her hooves.
“Dinky..?” Derpy asked, feeling her child’s distress, gazing down at her young with maternal concern.
“Mommy,” Dinky gasped softly, choking on the tears that continued to drip down her young face. “Mommy, someone should be there. Someone should be here with you and me. Someone’s missing from my life and I want them back.”
Derpy felt her heart twist in agony as she comforted her weeping child, unable to do anything to staunch the flow except…
No. She couldn’t. She didn’t know how. She felt discomfort run through her at the statement, but her fear kept her silent. The truth would have to wait. Cradling her distraught filly, she made her way over to Crystal Clear, who was staring at the two of them with an air of expectancy. “Why did your friend send us here?” she asked bluntly, a tinge of anger in her voice. “What do you want with me?”
“Our Speaker seeks out those in darkness,” Crystal Clear replied. “He reads and understands the hearts of those in need. He sent you here to us so you can find healing… the healing you and your daughter seek.”
“I found no healing here, only memories that tortured me,” Derpy shot back angrily, her eyes beginning to well up. “You have hurt me in a way that no pony has the right to. What you have done to me and my daughter is unspeakable.”
“The Pool of Solace shows only what is there,” Crystal Clear responded calmly. “It reflects the hearts and souls of those who gaze into it. What you saw is yourself, and that is who is hurting.”
“Why? Why do such a thing?” Derpy demanded, her voice starting to rise in her fury.
“Because nopony can live with pain unsaid forever,” Crystal Clear replied slowly, as if measuring her words carefully. “And your daughter needs to know her legacy and what is missing.”
Done. Derpy felt all emotion drain from her in an instant, becoming nothing more than dead weight. She no longer felt anger at this pegasus that somehow knew her so well, no sadness for the loss she had suffered, nothing. She merely wanted to leave. “Let me leave,” she said flatly.
“Please, do not go,” Crystal Clear begged gently, wisely keeping her hooves off Derpy’s shoulders. “You need to speak, your soul writhes in agony inside of you. Your daughter needs to hear you, for her sake. Do not leave what is at stake here.”
“Let me leave,” Derpy insisted in the same monotone voice.
Crystal Clear showed the first signs of real emotion as her shoulders slumped and sadness tinged her voice. “If that is what you wish, then I shall not stop you,” she said softly, stepping aside. The beautiful pegasus could do nothing but watch as the war-weary mother stalked away from the pool that had called to her, carrying her broken-hearted daughter away into the darkness.