The Wishing Pool

The stone walls shimmered with silvery light as Rarity slowly stepped into the cave.

It was an old place; a magical place. Flowers and moss sprouted underhoof, heedless of the fact that sunlight had not touched this place in ten thousand years. Origami birds chirped in the trees, their sharply-folded wings unblemished by the moisture that clung to the plants underhoof. A beautiful clockwork construct shaped like a pony stood against one wall, golden gears shimmering on its surface as it held its eternal vigil.

But it was the pool that caught Rarity’s attention. Blue as the sky, it rippled silently beneath the high ceiling, shedding light as if a lantern was lit beneath its surface. A half dozen statues ringed it, ponies, griffons, even a donkey, all gazing into the water, the stone untouched by the centuries.

Rarity swallowed as she padded softly over the mossy floor, eyes locked on the pool. She approached slowly, the scent of the impossible flowers filling her nares. Taking a deep breath, she moved to the bank and gazed into the rippling abyss. It seemed endless from here. Rarity’s face danced across the glowing water, refracted into a thousand tiny white unicorns that gazed back at her.

Her horn glowed, extracting a small piece of parchment from her saddlebags. Her hooves trembled as she lifted it, speaking slowly and glancing between the incantation and the Pool of Dreams.

Pool of wishes,
Pool of dreams,
Pool of greatness,
Pool of schemes.

Far I went beneath the Sun,
A journey’s prize I sought, now won.
Came I did, as few would dare,
Pool of Dreams, please hear my prayer.

The paper birds fell silent; the quiet tick of the clockwork pony stilled. Even the scent of the flowers seemed muted as a great weight pressed down over the whole of the cave. The pool boiled, great bubbles rising and popping as the too-blue waters churned, Rarity’s reflection disappearing as the water became nothing more than a sheet of shimmering silver light.

Meter and rhyme,
Sorrow and song.
Wishes aren't made
By those who belong.

A wish is desire:
A heart laid bare
Of one who believes
More should be there.

A genie grants you wishes three
But such a thing is not for me.
You have one chance to use my might
Be certain that you use it right.

Rarity swallowed loudly. “Anything?”

Your wish I'll grant
But beware this:
My heart is naught but amethyst.
I have no blood within my chest.
I feel no love within my breast.

I do not care for mortal things.
Before me, peasants are as kings.
The world is mine to bend and break
Be careful of the wish you make.

The voice died away, the cave swallowing the final echos as the pit of pure magic frothed before the unicorn’s hooves, awaiting her response.

Rarity took a deep breath.

“Well, if you must ask… Nopony loves me!” Rarity wailed, putting a hoof to her head and swooning, heedless of the beautiful flowers. “Yes, it is true. A pony so elegant, so regal as myself does not have a companion. It just isn’t fair. Is it really so much to ask that somepony born and raised in Canterlot would want me? Somepony bold, daring, adventurous? Certainly not some trophy stallion like Prince Blueblood, but a pony who is every bit my equal.”

She paused for a moment, sitting up. “But not in fashion. It would be terrible to compete with one another in a show.”

Rarity fell back again, leaning into the soft shrubbery. “Oh, some nights we would go to the finest restaurants in all of Equestria, whatever suited our fancy. Other nights, we would stay in alone, tucked into bed together, giggling and whispering sweet nothings.”

She shot back to her hooves. “But I don’t want somepony who spends all day doting on me! Not some slave or servant, bound to kiss my hooves for all eternity. And nopony who tries to lord their status over me, either; I want to be loved, not owned.” She shook her hoof sternly at the roiling mass of magic in the pit before her.

“Somepony sweet and kind. But I don’t want somepony who is too perfect.” Her hoof cut through the air. “Flaws are important. Even I have some. I suppose I could ask you to fix mine, but then I wouldn’t be me. Plus, I can imagine how that might end poorly.” She eyed the too-lifelike statues ringing the pool for a moment, before coughing into her hoof.

“No. I just want somepony who loves me. Imperfect, but perfect for me.” She put a hoof to her chin. “And, you know, much as I am a lady, I would like it if I could take the lead at times. But not too often! Balance.”

The pooled magic frothed, droplets of iridescent fluid rising into the air, only to boil away to nothingness before her eyes. It churned with all the colors of the rainbow, periwinkle blue and sea-green mingling with the burning red of the setting sun and the vibrant purple of the aurora.

Is that all?

Rarity casually fluffed her mane. “I would like to be a princess, too. If that wouldn’t be too much trouble, of course.”

All the colors in the world and several no pony had named flooded into every nook and cranny of the cavern. The sound of a thousand waterfalls rushed into Rarity’s ears as the mossy floor vanished beneath her hooves, leaving her hanging in an infinite expanse of white. She could smell the magic, feel it coursing through her body, magic as great as that of the Elements of Harmony themselves.

And then it was over, and Rarity found herself at the water’s edge once more. The origami birds flew from branch to branch, chirping and fluffing their paper wings as if nothing had happened. The clockwork pony stared impassively, gears quietly clicking away as it resumed its vigil.

Fate has bent and broke to your will.
Soon you shall see your wish fulfilled.
Away at home your love awaits.
Return to her for your first date.

“Oh! Thank you! Thank you!” Rarity bowed as she began slowly backing up towards the entrance. She turned, stepping off the moss before pausing with one hoof frozen in midair.

“Wait… ‘her’?”

Twilight nuzzled up against Rarity’s jaw. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re back! We’ve got so much to catch up on! I uhm, took the liberty of making reservations at Chez Gusteau. You know, in case you wanted to eat dinner while we were talking. You know, about things.” Twilight blushed. “By candlelight.”

Rarity sighed.

Author's Note:

I'd like to thank Not_a_Hat and Foehn for their help editing this piece and making sure the poetry flowed properly. They both were a big help in cleaning this up and removing overly flowery verbiage. The nares are my fault.

I'd also like to thank everyone in the Writeoff Assocation who gave me feedback on the original version of this story, which made the finals in last summer's "Best Laid Plans" minific writeoff.

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