Dinky and Derpy's Big Adventure

Chapters

Prologue: Nothing to Hold Us Back
The First Day Outside
Time in the Woods
The Pool of Solace
Fright in Everfree
The Royal Graveyard
The Stars at Night

Prologue: Nothing to Hold Us Back

Derpy flew along her usual route, peering down at the homes and denizens of the village she called home. She could still feel a substantial weight in her mailbags as she went along, dampening her flight and wearing her down. She had volunteered for a double-shift that morning and had been hard at work ever since, delivering a myriad collection of packages and letters to all her friends across Ponyville.

She glanced at her list with her crossed eyes, concentrating hard as she looked down hard at her list of houses. Up next was Roseluck’s, with a package of what sounded like new seeds for her garden. She dipped her wings forward, brought them in tight and descended.

The blonde mailmare landed harder and closer to the door than she had meant to, being forced to dig her hooves deep into the ground to avoid skidding into the door. As she came to a halt, she could even see the marks from where she had run into it last time. With a sigh of relief, she knocked.

Roseluck was a pretty young girl who had been one of Derpy’s first friends when she had arrived at Ponyville, her soft nature only marred by an anger as thorny as the flowers she so carefully tended. She squinted out into the sunny day and noticed Derpy standing before her, the pegasus’ mouth carrying the package of seeds. With a smile, Roseluck caught the package as Derpy tossed it to her, giving her a muffled “Thanks” in reply. Giving a smile in return, Derpy took to the skies once more, on to the next house.

“Hey, Derpy!” said a voice, and the pegasus turned to see Berry Punch heading towards her, as fast as the mare’s hooves would carry her.

“Hi, Berry Punch,” Derpy greeted cheerfully. “What do you need? I know I delivered all of your mail correctly today.”

“No, Derpy, I know you always look out for me, but aren’t you forgetting?” Berry Punch asked her, gazing at her meaningfully.

Derpy returned the gaze confusedly, her cross-eyed expression somehow becoming more cross-eyed than usual. “Forgetting what?”

“Derpy, school let out a while ago. Dinky’s waiting on you!”

Derpy bit her lip, for she hadn’t actually forgotten that school had been let out of prison. What she had forgotten was to ask Berry Punch to go get Dinky for her.

Berry Punch peered over at the mailbags, still full of various items. “Are you taking a double shift again?”

“Uhh…”

Berry Punch sighed and shook her head. “Derpy, you know you don’t need to do that. Roseluck, Carrot Top and I would all be willing to help you out. You KNOW that, don’t you?”

This was an old argument between the two, one that Derpy had grown tired of. “Yes, Berry Punch, I know that.”

“Then why won’t you let us help you and Dinky? We know what you’ve been through and I understand why you would rather not, but please, Dinky needs you full-time. You can’t just continue on like this.”

“I appreciate the offer, but the answer is still no.”

“But why?”

“Has the answer ever changed?” Derpy asked her.

“No, it hasn’t,” Berry Punch conceded. “But-”

“Would you be able to go grab Dinky for me, Berry?” Derpy asked distractedly, cutting the purple Earth pony off. “I need to finish this shift if we’re going to afford this month’s payments.”

Berry Punch opened her mouth as if to protest, then gave a gusty sigh. “Sure, I can do that.” As she walked off to pick up Dinky, she turned back. “Derpy?”

The mailmare had already taken flight, but halted and hovered when she heard Berry Punch speak. “Mm?”

“Will you please think about it? For real this time?”

Derpy regarded her friend for a moment, taken aback by the intensity of the mare’s expression. Berry Punch was typically a jovial pony, not one to be serious for any length of time. This was such a change of pace that Derpy could do nothing but nod.

“Thanks, Derpy,” Berry Punch breathed, sounding relieved. “See you this evening, then!”

Dinky had had better days, if she were honest. Normally she performed well in her studies, but she just hadn’t been able to concentrate today. Whether it was the tantalizing breeze that filtered through the open windows or the distractions that came in the form of her fellow students, she could barely sit still. If it hadn’t been for Miss Cherilee’s patience, she might have gotten in more trouble than she had ended up in. An hour later, with all her friends having already left, she found herself still waiting for her mother to arrive.

She swung herself back and forth on the swings, looking around hopefully as she waited for her mom to descend and take her home. She loved her mother dearly, and she missed that the two were not able to spend as much time with each other as they once did. She had been seeing dark shadows lining her mom’s eyes lately, and she had been more imbalanced than usual. Once or twice, though Dinky hadn’t told anyone, she had woken in the middle of the night and heard soft noises that sounded very much like crying, emanating from her mother’s room.

She heard the sound of hooves on pavement growing ever closer, and Dinky peered up hopefully, but felt her heart sink like a stone when she saw it was none other than Aunt Berry Punch. The Earth pony gave the unicorn a smile and Dinky smiled in return, albeit one tinged with sadness.

“Ms. Berry Punch!” Cherilee greeted kindly, walking towards her friend. “I was getting worried that Derpy wasn’t going to show up.”

Berry Punch glanced over at Dinky, then said lowly, “She’s working a double shift again. I hope you don’t mind me taking her home again.”

“No, not at all,” Cherilee replied graciously. “Although, do give this note to her when you see her, will you?”

Berry Punch settled the note in the back of her mane like a filly would a pencil, said her goodbyes, and walked over to Dinky. “Ready to go?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Dinky said morosely, getting to her feet and walking alongside her aunt without another word.

Berry Punch regarded her niece, noting her downcast expression as she pattered alongside her. She remembered the day Dinky had been born, the joy she had brought her mother that day, and thousands of days since. She had taken more after Berry Punch herself than she had taken after her own mother, favoring a bright and cheery personality over the dutiful, often klutzy demeanor her mother possessed. Today, she seemed more downtrodden than anything.

“Everything OK, Dinky?”

“Yes, Aunt Berry Punch,” Dinky answered quietly. She hesitated for a moment and said, “I just miss Mommy, that’s all.”

That was an odd thing to say, Berry Punch thought to herself. “What do you mean?”

Dinky cocked her head, something she always did when she was thinking hard. “Well, she’s been really quiet lately, and she acts like she’s super sad all the time but doesn’t want me to notice. Do you know why she’d be sad, Aunt Berry Punch?”

“Uhh…” Berry Punch knew perfectly well why Derpy would have a reason to be sad. In truth, she had several. But… “I don’t think that’s something I can tell you, sweetie.”

“Why not?”

“Well, your Mommy would probably want to tell you rather than me telling you.”

“Why’s that?”

She always was persistent, even as a foal, Berry Punch thought. “It’s complicated, Dinky. I’m sure she’ll tell you someday.”

“Oh. OK,” Dinky replied, noting a tone of finality hidden in her Auntie’s voice. “Where’s Mommy?”

“She’s working late tonight, sweetheart, so you’ll be staying with me until she can pick you up. We can eat whatever you want, how does that sound?”

“Alright, I guess,” Dinky replied.

Berry Punch felt a twinge of desperation as the two walked to her house, wishing Derpy was here. Dinky needed her mother to fix this, not her aunt.

Derpy felt a warm flame burning inside her heart as she watched her only child reading intently, laying atop her bed. She had always been so proud of Dinky and her enthusiasm for learning. The young unicorn was a bright and gifted girl, always ahead of her fellow students. She often would bring her mother new books and read them aloud, telling her mother of all the new and interesting things she had learned while reading. She loved books on the ocean most, and always told Derpy that she wanted to go live on the seashore one day. Derpy was grateful that she had inherited that love of reading from her. Derpy loved books, but struggled to read them for… well, for obvious reasons.

Therefore, it was with a twinge of sadness that she had to have this conversation. She stepped in and knocked on the door. “Dinky? Honey?”

Dinky looked up at her mother and said, “Watch out for the pile of books in front of you, Mommy.”

“Thank you, dearest,” Derpy replied, taking care to not knock over the substantial pile. “I wanted to talk about something.”

“Sure, what is it, Mommy?” Dinky said, putting down her book. Squinting for a moment, Derpy saw it was a book on whales, Dinky’s favorite creature.

“Sweetheart, I was given a note from your teacher today,” she began. “She said you fell asleep in class this morning, and then you said some mean words to another student today.”

Dinky dipped her head, averting herself from her mother’s gaze.

Derpy gave a sigh. “Dinky, that’s not like you. Can you tell me what happened? From your side of things?”

Dinky continued to stare at the floor for a moment longer, then said, “I was bored.”

Of all the answers Derpy had been expecting, that wasn’t one of them. “Bored? Sweetie, I thought you liked school.”

“I do, Mommy, but we don’t do anything!” Dinky protested. “We never go anyplace or see anything interesting! And life here in Ponyville is so boring! Nothing exciting happens here!”

Derpy thought back to all the commotion that had occurred during the time she had lived here, particularly in the last two years. “We’ve had exciting things happen here, dear.”

“Yeah, but I never get to experience any of it!” Dinky continued. “It’s almost like everyone gets to go and do exciting things but me! The Cutie Mark Crusaders are always doing something fun, they get to study with Princess Twilight, and Princess Twilight is always doing something exciting. She got to go on that adventure with that blue pony just a little while ago!”

Derpy remembered that incident full well, as the entire events had only occurred a few months ago. She had made sure that Dinky had been kept well inside when he had returned. “Adventures can be scary things, Dinky. They’re not always as fun as they seem.”

“I still wanna go on one!” Dinky pouted. “I want an adventure, even if it’s just a small one! Let’s go on an adventure, Mommy!”

Derpy stood there for a moment, thinking hard. She felt a throbbing sensation growing in between her eyes, and she squeezed them shut tightly for a few seconds. As the pain subsided, she replied, “I don’t know if we can, honey. Mommy needs to work, remember? And you have school?”

Dinky gave a disappointed sigh, leaning back on her bed. “You’re right Mommy,” she answered in a low voice.

Derpy gave her a sympathetic smile and nuzzled her daughter lovingly. “I promise I’ll think about it,” she said softly, leaning over and pulling the covers to her daughter’s chin. “But it’s time to go to bed now, OK? You’ve got another big day of school tomorrow!”

“Goodnight, Mommy,” Dinky said, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. Derpy knew she was still disappointed, she could see it in her eyes, but she hid it all the same.

As she closed the door to Dinky’s room, she felt a lump rise in her throat, threatening to choke her. She sat on her haunches and brought her front hooves to her head, rocking slowly in a rhythmic motion. She counted to ten -once, twice, three times over- and felt her breathing normalize.

I’m sorry, Dinky, she thought sadly, wiping the tears away from her eyes. I wish I could give you the life you deserve.

The morning brought the very tired, very melancholy Hooves family to life, albeit at a slower pace than they were used to. Dinky struggled to pack her books into her bag, Derpy tripped over the coffee table twice, and by the time they managed to reach the door, they were both a little battered from a fierce altercation with a glass of orange juice.

“Now, have fun today, alright, sweetheart?” Derpy said, giving her daughter a goodbye kiss.

“I will, Mommy,” Dinky replied, running off to school before the bell rang.

“Behave today!” Derpy yelled, though she doubted her words ever reached her daughter’s ears. It was a rather blustery day, poor weather for mail delivery.

Mail delivery! Derpy hadn’t changed into her uniform yet! She dashed back home and slid open the doors to her closet in a hurried attempt to assemble herself. In her haste, she overreached and smacked a box off the top shelf, causing it to fall atop of her. She gave a cry of pain, her eyes watering, as she noticed the cover of the box had come loose, revealing a bit of cloth hanging over the sides of the container.

It took Derpy a second to realize what she was looking at, a shudder coursing through her body as she did so. Slowly, with a careful reverence, she lifted the cover off and stared down at an old, weathered Equestrian flag. An old one, as it only possessed Princess Celestia’s sun on the front and back. The flags flying atop Canterlot today would have both the sun and the moon, in honor of Luna’s return.

Derpy felt hear heart twist as she examined the flag. It was pristine, nearly untouched since she had held it last. It still contained all the smells, sights, sounds and memories of a time that felt like it was part of a different life. It was a part of her in a way nothing else was.

She gazed around at the bare house, cluttered by a few books, worn and ragged furniture, and second-rate appliances. They managed to scrape through due to Derpy’s hard work and careful spending. They lived, but Derpy felt overwhelming guilt that, despite all her efforts, Dinky hadn’t been given a chance at making a life.

She took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the neatly folded flag, her eyes closed. She hadn’t felt this at peace in a long, long time. She returned to her room, packed a few things in her bag, and did the same in Dinky’s room. It was time to go.

“Derpy, you’re almost late, girl!” Her boss, Stamp, yelled. “Here, I need to you take the western route today, you’ve got some priority deliveries to do!”

Derpy pushed aside the bag, staring at her superior with a lopsided intensity. “Stamp, how long have I worked here?”

The inky pegasus was taken aback. Derpy may be his most accident-prone employee, but she was certainly one of his best. “Uhh… gee, Derpy, got to be over six years now.”

“Have I ever taken a sick day or a vacation day during that time?” Derpy pressed.

“Not one,” Stamp answered. “And I wish you had back when you had the feather flu,” he muttered under his breath.”

“So tell me, then, Stamp,” Derpy said, “how many vacation days do you owe me?”

“Uh…” Stamp peered around as he ran the numbers. “About a month’s worth, I think.”

Derpy smiled in satisfaction, having come to that conclusion well before she arrived. “Excellent. I’ll be taking a week’s vacation, if you don’t mind.”

“N-now?” Stamp stammered. “Vacation d-d-days? Now?”

“That’s right,” Derpy replied with an energetic nod of her head. “See you in a week, Stamp!”

Recess! Dinky and the other schoolponies raced to the doors and burst out onto the playground, eager to eat their lunches, play games with friends, and generally disregard school for as long as they could.

Dinky’s day had been going as poorly as yesterday had gone. She had been too tired to take notes in class like she should, and had almost fallen asleep more than once. She was starting to worry she would fall asleep and miss the school bell for the end of recess-

“Hey, Dinky, your mom’s here!” Pipsqueak cried, pointing to the sky.

“Mommy!” Dinky cried in surprise, watching as her mother performed a pinpoint landing- something she had seen her mom do only twice before. “Mommy, what are you doing here?”

Derpy caught sight of her daughter, gave her a wink, and went into the schoolhouse. In a few minutes, she was back out again, gesturing for Dinky to join her.

“Mommy, what are you doing here?” Dinky asked in confusion. “Don’t you have to work today?”

“I won’t have to work for seven whole days, sweetheart,” Derpy said happily. “And I just talked to Miss Cherilee about how you’ll be out of school for a couple of days. Do you know what that means, Dinky?”

Dinky caught her breath in excitement, her eyes growing wide as her mother lifted her wings, revealing the pair of saddlebags hidden beneath. “Mommy, Mommy! We’re really gonna go? Where are we going?”

“Oh, wherever we want to, I guess,” Derpy said mysteriously, a grin across her features. “You ready to go?”

All tiredness forgotten, Dinky grabbed hold of her saddlebag and strapped it across her back. Leaping up onto her mother’s back, the two raced off into the distance, taking flight at the top of the hill and soaring out into the wilds.

Author's Note

Woo-hoo! My first Derpy Hooves story! I hope you stick around long enough to see it to it's wonderful finish. I'm very excited to start this, and I hope you are as well.

The First Day Outside

Fresh air! Dinky’s lungs filled with the sweet, clean air of the open wildlands that surrounded her home of Ponyville, staring down at the ground far below them. She could see they were now above the Unicorn Range- not far off from Ponyville, but a new experience nonetheless. It was a sight her young eyes had never seen, and the small filly was enthralled. She doubted many unicorns had seem them from such a height!

Derpy shifted her wings and gave a small flap, beginning to scan the ground for a place to land. She slowed her rate of speed and began to descend, taking a slow spiral to ensure the safety of the filly atop her back. Her crossed eyes blurred her vision, but she remained steady. If she just did it by instinct, she could make this easily. Reducing her vision to mere slits helped cancel out the wobble her gaze was so tormented by-

“Look out, Mommy!” Dinky cried suddenly. Derpy looked about and suddenly found her vision obscured by a large, dirty-white balloon that had appeared as if from nowhere.

It was too late to change course. The pegasus did her best to slow her rate of speed but went face-first into the rubber, the material enveloping her and Dinky for a few moments, then spitting the two of them back out and down to the heard earth below.

“Mommy!” Dinky cried, desperately trying to perform a teleportation spell with her horn, but summoning only sparks.

“I’m coming, sweetie!” Derpy gasped, folding her wings beneath her and diving underneath her daughter, catching her with outstretched hooves before she hit the ground. Sailing back upwards, Derpy gently flapped her wings for a gentle descent, settling on the ground and immediately falling to the ground.

Dinky jumped up and shook herself, trembling from head to toe. “Mommy, are you OK?” she asked, turning around and staring at her mother in concern.

Derpy was out of breath, her heart racing a mile a minute, but she gave her child a weak smile, determined to alleviate her worries. “I’m fine, Dinky, don’t worry,” she managed to spit out. “Mommy’s just very glad you’re alright. Tell me, are you hurt? Do you feel anything wrong?”

Dinky shook her head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help, Mommy. I tried to teleport myself to the ground but it was too hard.”

“It’s alright, dear, don’t fret,” Derpy replied gently, rising to her feet to comfort her daughter. “You’re not quite ready to use spells like that, it’ll just take some time. Besides, we’re safe now, aren’t we?”

“I guess so,” Dinky said meekly. She looked up at the white balloon that hovered above them, gently drifting east in the currents of wind above. “Where did that balloon come from, Mommy?”

Derpy studied the balloon with her fractured gaze for a moment, then replied, “I don’t know, Dinky. It looks like a weather balloon, but I don’t know why it’s here. We pegasi stopped using weather balloons a long time ago, we don’t need them thanks to unicorn magic.”

“Hey! Hey, are you all alright?” said a panicked voice. Derpy turned to her right and saw an Earth Pony the color of dust running towards them as fast as his legs would carry him, a panicked expression on his face. “I’m so sorry! I hope you all aren’t hurt!”

“We’re fine,” Derpy replied politely. “Is this balloon yours?”

“Yes, ma’am, it is,” the dust-colored stallion replied, clutching his chest as he gasped for air. “I’ve been trying to catch up with it for the last hour and a half, it got pulled away from me due to a circular updraft that put it out of reach. It must have risen all the way up to standard flight routes if you ran into it!”

Derpy was not the brightest pegasus in Equestria, but she knew enough of the basics to know that standard flight routes were at a far greater altitude than what she and Dinky had been flying at. Not that she expected any Earth Pony to know that; it was, as Flitter might say, a pegasus thing.

“Well, no need to worry, we’re fine,” she replied casually, watching Dinky as she examined the balloon above her.

“What’s that balloon for, sir?” the little filly asked inquisitively. “My mommy says it’s a weather balloon, is that true?”

The stallion turned his attention away from Derpy and knelt down next to Dinky, a smile on his face. “Yes, little one, it’s a weather balloon. I study the weather, hence my cloud cutie mark,” he said, shaking his hindquarters for extra effect, which indeed bore the symbol of an ashen cloud.

Now Derpy was one of the most gentle and kind-hearted ponies anyone would meet, but she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about a complete stranger talking with her daughter. So, being the kind mare she was, she decided to make him less of a stranger. With a polite cough, she asked, “Excuse me, sir, but I don’t believe I was told your name?”

“Oh! Of course, where are my manners,” the stallion exclaimed, getting back to his hooves. “Stormwatcher is my name, and stormchasing is my game. I’m a weather pony!”

“But I thought only pegasi could be weather ponies!” Dinky said, a confused look upon her eager young face.

“So did I, little one,” Stormwatcher replied, “but I love weather, all kinds of it! Thunderstorms, hurricances, floods, even tornadoes- though we don’t get many of those here in Equestria! I do wish pegasi didn’t have to control the weather all the time, just think of all the exciting weather events we could have then!”

Derpy raised her eyebrows at that remark. If the pegasi of Equestria didn’t control the weather, there certainly would be a lot more weather events. There would also be a whole heaping lot more of dead ponies to go along with them. Controlling the weather had been keeping Equestria safe for centuries.

“So what were you doing with this weather balloon before you lost it?” Dinky asked excitedly, ignorant of the potentially catastrophic events Stormwatcher had been telling her.

“Well, little one,” he began, “I was trying to get some valuable data on the weather here in the Unicorn Range! You see, the pegasi keep all their knowledge of the weather to themselves, so there’s not a lot for an Earth Pony like me to read about,” (Derpy was starting to wonder if Stormwatcher hadn’t noticed her wings or if he was deliberately trying to goad her), “so I have to perform a lot of experiments by trial and error, and without any help. With this balloon, I was hoping to record what weather occurs here in the Unicorn Range and see if it fits my theory!”

“What’s your theory, Mister Stormwatcher?” Dinky asked.

Stormwatcher peered both left and right, as if looking out for eavesdroppers. “My theory is that the Unicorn Range is a storm magnet! And that someday, someday soon, there’s going to be a mammoth storm with unbelievable power! And I want to find a way to harness that storm’s energy!”

Of all the things Derpy had heard this stallion say, this one might have been the most ridiculous. She rolled her eyes at the thought. For being a weather pony, Stormwatcher sure didn’t seem to know his facts, for even the most ignorant of pegasi knew that the Unicorn Range was a natural barrier to weather formation. It was one of the perfect places to find good weather nearly every day.

“What do you have the balloon for? Is it going to make a storm?” Dinky asked eagerly.

“No, but I do hope all the instruments I have connected to the balloon will be able to tell me if my calculations are correct or not,” Stormwatcher answered. He gave the little unicorn a sly look. “I could use an extra hoof for the day, if you’re interested.”

Dinky gave a cry of delight, her excitement for learning bubbling up once more. “Yes, please! Oh, hold on.” She turned around to face her mother, her eyes wide with longing and her lip trembling. “Can I help Mr. Stormwatcher, Mommy, can I, please?”

Derpy considered the thought for a moment, examining the stallion out of the corner of her lopsided eyes. Stormwatcher certainly seemed to have no knowledge of actual weather, nor did he seem all that attentive to Derpy, though that didn’t really matter. But he did have an unusual interest in Dinky, and that overly wide smile of his made her wonder if he was completely sane. However, Pinkie Pie was somewhat of a nutter, and she hadn’t hurt anyone. She decided to just keep an eye on him for now. She gave a soft smile and nodded at her daughter, who squeaked in delight.

“My Mommy says I can help, Mr. Stormwatcher!” Dinky cried.

“Excellent, little one!” Stormwatcher replied. “Let’s get started!”

As Derpy had expected, the rest of the day passed fairly uneventfully. Stormwatcher and Dinky had a wonderful rapport, as the Earth Pony rattled off his (Inaccurate) knowledge on weather and she listened on eagerly. All of the stallion’s misinformation made Derpy hope that Cherilee wouldn’t hand out a meteorology test at school when they returned. Her daughter would be sure to flunk.
Stormwatcher made his way to the highest hill of the Unicorn Range (Which, for the Unicorn Range, wasn’t very high at all) and told Dinky to release her grip on the balloon’s rope. The three of them watched as the contraption floated up higher and higher until Stormwatcher grabbed hold of the rope and held the balloon at an elevation of about 1,000 feet. Just as it had been during almost the entire time they had met, Derpy knew Stormchaser’s methods were faulty. The balloon wasn’t high enough to record the kinds of weather patterns Stormwatcher was hoping for, not if he was seeking out a major weather event.

“Now what do we do, Mr. Stormwatcher?” Dinky asked.

“Now we let the balloon’s instruments record the data,” the Earth Pony answered, sitting down on his hooves and watching the balloon patiently. After a while, he tugged at the rope to bring the balloon down, examining the instruments with utmost care and precision. It might have looked halfway professional if his tail hadn’t been flicking about madly the entire time.

“So what’s gonna happen? Huh? Huh? Is there gonna be a storm?” Dinky asked, bouncing around on her hooves.

“Hmm…” Stormwatcher reached for his saddlebags, pulling out a notebook and a pencil, jotting down some calculations. He studied them for a moment, when suddenly his expression brightened. “Aha! This is wonderful!” Turning to Dinky, he said, “If my calculations are correct, we’re going to have a very big storm! And we’re going to have it very soon!”

“Yay!” Dinky cried exultantly, leaping for joy. “So are we gonna wait for it to come?”

“Why of course, little one!” Stormwatcher replied. “Just let me deflate this balloon, then we’ll be able to just relax, sit here, and wait for it to arrive. Soon, it’ll be soon.”

The rest of the afternoon came and went, and not a single cloud was in the sky. Derpy had discreetly asked Dinky to bring her Stormwatcher’s calculations, and she had studied them herself for a few moments, struggling to read with her poor vision. However, after some difficulty, she had come to a predictable conclusion: the calculations were garbage. Stormwatcher was waiting for a storm that would never come.

As the hours had ticked by, Dinky’s excitement had begun to fade. After an hour of waiting on her haunches, she had asked the stallion, “How much longer, Mr. Stormchaser?”

“Soon, it’ll be soon,” he had replied, in a delicately soft voice that hinted at impatience. “Soon, it’ll be soon.”

After another two hours of solid waiting, Dinky began to yawn, eventually curling up at her mother’s hooves to fall asleep. She was in a deep slumber now, worn out by the excitement of today’s events.

Derpy and Stormwatcher, however, were wide awake. Stormwatcher was studying the clear horizon with a positively manic expression on his face. Unbeknownst to him, he himself was the subject of study, for Derpy was staring at him with a scrunched look on her face.

She wondered to herself how it was possible that such a pony had come to believe in himself when it came to meteorology, for it was clear to her, a fairly dim pegasus, that he was completely incompetent. She wondered if any pegasi had ever come to him and told him he was wrong, or what had put him on such a path, but it certainly wasn’t wise counsel. He was terrible at this. Her cross-eyed stare, at the moment, was more focused on his cutie mark. The more she studied it, the less it looked like a simple cloud to her. In fact, if she was honest with herself, it looked more like smoke. And smoke only came from fire.

She gave a cough, trying to get the Earth Pony’s attention. “Excuse me, Stormwatcher?” she asked. Noticing that he didn’t budge an inch, she wondered if he hadn’t heard her. “Stormwatcher? I had a question about some of your formulas, if you don’t mind hearing me.”

Stormwatcher shifted for a few seconds, then said tersely, “Go on ahead.”

Derpy said, “I don’t know if you realize this, but… well, your formulas are all wrong. You’re basing your theories on insufficient data. There’s not going to be a major weather event here. You do know that, right?”

“It’s coming, I know it is,” he said rapidly, still not facing her. “Soon, it’ll be soon. Soon.”

“No, it’s not coming,” Derpy replied flatly. “No storm is going to form over the Unicorn Range. It never has, and it never will. It’s the way this part of Equestria work. Besides, the pegasi would never allow it to happen.”

It was if she had caused an explosion. Stormwatcher whirled around so quickly that Derpy immediately covered Dinky with her large wings, maternal instinct automatically kicking in. Gone was his wide smile, which had been replaced by a leering snarl, and his mad eyes danced with insanity.

“It’s coming!” he hissed, positively snorting at her in rage. “I know it’s coming, I know it will! You’re wrong, just like all the others who keep telling me I don’t know what I’m doing! I’m smarter than you think, you stuffy, blind bat!”

Dinky peered out from behind her mother’s protecting wings at the stallion that had doted on her all day, backing away fearfully at the sight of the enraged stallion.

“You pegasi are all the same,” he spat. “You all think you’re so great and wonderful and that you know everything about everything! Well guess what- I know a few things too, and I know there’s going to be a storm here! So why don’t you keep your big fat mouth shut and just leave, and take your stupid child with you, because I bet she’s just as dumb as you are!”

Derpy felt Dinky rustle at her feet, and the pegasus unfurled her wings as her daughter crept slowly backwards and onto the safety of her mother’s back. “She’s smarter than you could ever hope to be,” Derpy said coldly, turning her back on the Earth Pony and stalking away, eventually taking flight to gain some distance from the angry stallion.

Dinky peered out and watched as Stormwatcher set his sights on the horizon once more, seemingly intent on ignoring them and focusing on the nonexistent storm that would never form. She couldn’t understand what had caused such anger when he had been so nice to her all day. “What happened, Mommy?” she asked Derpy. “Why did Mr. Stormwatcher get all mad?”

“Because he didn’t like it when I told him his weather formulas were wrong,” Derpy answered, shaking her head. “He’s been telling you all sorts of misinformation about weather all day.”

“But isn’t he a weather pony, Mommy? He said he was,” Dinky protested.

“I don’t think he really is, sweetheart,” Derpy replied. “But he certainly wants to believe he is.”

“Why wouldn’t he let you tell him he was wrong?” the little unicorn inquired.

“Someponies just can’t take being told they were wrong,” Derpy answered softly, flapping her wings and soaring off into the night sky.

Author's Note

Finally. I've been trying to write this blasted chapter for a month. Enjoy!

Time in the Woods

The afternoon sun grew hot on their backs as Dinky and Derpy walked along, beating them down with its unforgiving rays. They had been traveling along for the better portion of two days now, taking their time in their journey to enjoy every sight and indulge their every curiosity. Despite the lack of home comforts (including a bath, for that matter. Derpy was deathly terrified she smelled horrible), the trip had been a delightful one, particularly for Dinky.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” Derpy asked, gazing down at her daughter.

“It’s hot, Mommy,” Dinky replied heavily, beads of sweat dripping down her brow. “Could you please fan me again?”

“Sure thing,” Derpy said obligingly, and began to hover just above her daughter, using the downdrafts created by her wings flapping to induce cool air to the ground below. It wasn’t perfect, but she hoped it would be enough. It needed to be, for they were almost out of water.

It hadn’t exactly been Derpy’s intention for the pair of them to run dry- she had packed plenty before she left. But what she hadn’t anticipated was needing to ration the supply; the majority of their water had been gulped down yesterday, forcing the two to have little liquid at their breakfast. Biscuits were pretty dry without water.

“I didn’t think adventures were so hot,” Dinky remarked to her mother. “Or so long. My hooves are tired!”

“We’ll rest in just a minute, sweetheart, don’t worry,” Derpy replied assuredly. “Do you see those cliffs up ahead?”

Dinky looked up. It would be hard to miss the staggering outcroppings, as they had been traveling to them for most of the entire afternoon. They loomed over the landscape like a sea wave, threatening to fall and crush all who came near.

“That’s Galloping Gorge, Dinky,” her mother continued. “How does going to see them up close sound?”

Dinky suddenly refilled with energy, dashing out of her mother’s shadow and crying, “That’s so cool! Ms. Cherilee told us once that archeologists keep finding all sorts of neat old pony artifacts there, even drawings done by really old ponies from a long time ago!”

“Well, why don’t we see if we can find one of those really old ponies, huh?" Derpy asked, a grin sliding across her features.

“Yay!” Dinky cried exultantly, leaping for joy, then immediately dashing off towards the gorge as fast as her little legs would carry her. With a sigh that mingled with laughter, Derpy followed closely behind.

Derpy took a deep breath of the sweet air and gave a long, warm sigh. It had been years since she had been out in the wilds of Equestria. Years since she had felt any semblance of freedom- freedom from responsibility, from worry, from any sort of fear. It was just her and her wonderful child, out in the beautiful land that she called home. It was like a dream come true.

I just hope we can afford it, she thought grimly. After all, I’ve never had an entire week off before. That’s a lot of money we’re not getting.

She shook her head violently, putting on a burst of speed to race past her daughter and almost instantly losing equilibrium and crashing into the ground, where her daughter leapt onto her with a stream of giggles. This had been a wonderful time, and she wasn’t going to let anything distract her from enjoying her time with her little filly.

“Look, Mommy, look!” Dinky cried, pointing ahead. “We’re right at the gorge, lookit, lookit!” she galloped over to the edge of the cliff and peered down intently, as if scanning it for the ancient ponies she had learned of in class.

“Be careful, Dinky!” Derpy warned, getting to her feet clumsily. “Don’t get too close to the edge, I don’t want you to have another fall!”

“It’s so far down, Mommy!” Dinky said breathlessly, seemingly ignoring her mother’s warning. She paused for a moment, then cried in delight, “My voices echoes! Watch- I mean listen!” and she gave a throaty scream that indeed echoed back to her in diminished returns.

“Dinky, I told you to not go to the edge of the cliff!” Derpy reprimanded sharply. “Now get back over here.”

“Yes, Mommy,” Dinky replied in a dull voice, apparently dripping in disappointment. As she pattered back to her waiting mother, a great thunderous Crash! Echoed from the bottom of the canyon, causing the tiny unicorn to jump a good three feet in the air. “What was that?!”

“I don’t know,” Derpy anwered, peering over the edge herself in a search for what had made the noise. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a mighty tree still tumbling to the lower depths of the deep gorge, its many leaves still a healthy green. Had the earth beneath it given way and allowed it to fall to the ground below?

The answer came in the form of a distant cry of frustration, followed by a stream of curses. Very vile, very loud curses. Derpy’s head shot back up and she saw, across the gorge and overlooking the depths was a dark green stallion that was still letting his mouth spit out a variety of complaints as he stormed over the fallen tree.

Dinky, who couldn’t have missed the stallion’s remarks even if she was deaf, looked up and peered at the newcomer. “What’s he saying, Mommy?”

“Uh…”

“Ooh! What does that last word he said mean? I think he said-”

“Let’s go over and have a talk with him, shall we?” Derpy asked hurriedly, hoping she could prevent any further damage by starting a conversation with the stallion. Or at least get him to shut up.

“OK!” Dinky said compliantly, leaping onto the usual position on her mother’s back and peering down as they flew over the emptiness of the gorge.

Derpy, who had been watching the stallion with her right eye while she focused on flying with her left, felt a strange sensation as she caught sight of him. She knew him from somewhere, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on when and where. If she just had her memory jogged…

It was as if he had read her thoughts. The next words that came out of the fuming stallion’s lips were, “… not since Baltimare have I dealt with this wicked amount of bull-”

Baltimare! But it can’t be! “Bluegrass!” Derpy burst out, the memories of an old neighbor and friend rushing back to her in an instant. “Bluegrass, is that you?”

“Eh?” the stallion stopped mid-rant and turned to see the strange pair coming towards him, a shudder of recognition coursing through him as he caught sight of the pegasus. “Derpy! Well dye my hooves bright pink, Derpy Hooves!”

“Bluegrass!” Derpy said again, settling down next to the stallion. “I haven’t seen you in years! -How, how are you?”

“Well, not too great at the moment,” he replied, his voice deep and husky. “That blasted tree was one of the healthiest in the entire area, and I was hoping to take it down and haul it back to the site. Instead, the ground started giving way and I had to abandon it. Lost some good tools, too.”

Dinky hung back behind her mother’s back hooves, peering up at the hardy stallion curiously. His size intimidated her, and after the whole matter with Stormwatcher, she felt a bit shy. However, as she watched her mother and the stranger converse, she felt her uneasiness begin to ebb away.

Bluegrass caught sight of the timid filly, and gave her a warm smile. “No! Is this Dinky? She’s sure grown a lot since I last saw her!”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Derpy said, twisting around to look down at her daughter. “Dinky, this is Bluegrass. He was a neighbor of mine when I lived in Baltimare! He’s an old friend of Mommy’s!”

“Hi,” she said tentatively, gazing at the stallion with a small smile.

Bluegrass knelt down on all fours and peered at her with kind eyes. “You don’t remember me, of course, you were so small when your momma packed up and left town for Ponyville to live with your aunt, but I knew your momma real well. She was the little sister of the neighborhood where we grew up.”

“You knew Mommy?” Dinky asked.

“Knew me, teased me, played with me, and was basically my big brother,” Derpy confirmed. She gave a laugh as her daughter mouthed in awe.

“But that was so long ago! Wouldn’t you be really old?” Dinky protested.

Derpy was taken aback, but Bluegrass absolutely roared with laughter. “Your momma’s not THAT old, kiddo! Course, I sure feel a lot older than I am.”

“Bluegrass, you wouldn’t happen to have any water, would you?” Derpy asked, remembering the potential crisis. “You see, when we left Ponyville, we…”

Bluegrass smirked at her. “Didn’t think to ration it out, did’ja? Typical Derps, always flying into danger. Sure, I’ve got some back at camp. Follow me.”

The forest that encroached on Vanhoover was a deep, powerful wood that had been a part of Equestria for centuries. The trees that grew here drew from an ancient power, one as old as Equestria itself. They were tall, massive in size- and according to Bluegrass, perfect for logging. “The amount of properties these trees contain is perfect for whatever resource we could think of,” he explained. “Not just parchment and basic supplies, but unicorn objects and magic. I’ve heard some of the trees I’ve felled made their way to Canterlot more than once! Heh! Imagine Princess Celestia using something made from one of these!”

Dinky stared up at the sprawling forest of redwoods in awe, feeling particularly miniscule in comparison to their gargantuan size. For one who had spent her entire life living next to the Everfree Forest, she had never imagine something could grow this tall.

“Ah, here we are!” Bluegrass declared as the woods opened up to a small clearing where a camp resided. It was a fairly rustic affair, obviously crafted by Bluegrass himself and built to sustain only one pony. For Derpy, it set off a sense of unease. Something about this setup wasn’t right.

“When I moved out of Baltimare, I left behind the carpentry company I was working for and decided to start working with wood right at the beginning,” Bluegrass explained as he checked the coals in his fire. “Guess it didn’t matter when I put my hooves on it, I always knew how to handle wood.”

“Why did you leave Baltimare, Mr. Bluegrass?” Dinky asked inquisitively.

Bluegrass didn’t respond, pulling a face that disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived. “Well, I obviously don’t have any faucet water here at home, so we’ll have to travel a bit. There’s a stream of fresh water you can use.”

The trio traveled along through the woods for a few more minutes before the sound of water coursing over rock broke through. The three ponies, unicorn, pegasus, and Earth Pony, laid eyes on a stream of crystal clear water. To Derpy, it was as if it beckoned to them. Dinky immediately bounded forward and drank from the stream face first, then pulling back as she pulled a face. “It tastes so funny!” she exclaimed.

Bluegrass let out another booming laugh. “Nothing in that water except water, kiddo! No treatments, no extras, no minerals or whatever else they do with water these days, it’s just water pure and simple. You can’t get more natural than that.”

Dinky stared down at the water for a moment, and then began drinking again. Derpy sat herself down a bit more gently and took deep, thirsting gulps until she felt like she could drink no more. Not wanting to run out again, she took the water bottles from her saddlebags and began filling them to the brim. She would be more careful this time around.

“Why don’t you all come back to camp, rest a spell?” Bluegrass asked. “Looks like you all could use a breather, and I’ll have some good fresh chow for your daughter.”

Derpy gave her old friend a damp smile. “That sounds wonderful.”

An hour or two later, the pegasus and her unicorn filly were relaxed in front of a pleasant fire, Dinky practically salivating over the smell of tasty stew that awaited them. She kept gazing at the pot that hovered over the coals in eager anticipation, just waiting for a sign that it was ready.

Derpy kept gazing at Bluegrass. She had known him well before she had left her home, and she wondered what had sent him out here. He had loved Baltimare, even telling her once that he never wanted to leave, that he would die there. So why had he come all the way out to the middle of nowhere?

She heard a gasp of pain and watched as Bluegrass straddled into his makeshift cabin, gritting his teeth in apparent agony. Worrying for his sake, she crept silently indoors behind him.

The sight she saw was gruesome. Blood was streaming from a broken hoof that had been split by means she didn’t even dare to fathom. Bluegrass sat next to a table that was covered in medicinal supplies, tugging at a bandage that refused to leave its home.

“What happened?” Derpy asked, horrified.

Bluegrass turned around, not having noticed she was there. “It’s nothing,” he replied brusquely, turning his back on her.

“No it’s not, let me help!” she replied forcefully, stumbling forward to examine his injured hoof. She took a step backwards when she saw its condition, as well as the condition of the other front hoof. Both were covered in numerous scars and scabs, wounds both old and fresh. The fact that Bluegrass could even walk was nothing short of a miracle. “What have you been doing to yourself?”

“I lead a hard life,” he answered shortly, trying once more to put the bandage on the still bleeding wound.

“But that seems almost deliberate! You haven’t been harming yourself, have you?” Derpy asked suspiciously.

“And if I was?” he challenged. “It’s better than the alternative.”

Derpy fell silent, her eyes going to his cutie mark. The very same one it had been the moment he had lain eyes on their mutual friend- a pair of wedding rings, bound together. “Bluegrass?” she asked softly.

“Mm?”

“Where’s Sunfeather?” she asked softly, her heart starting to pound painfully in her chest. “This camp looks like you’re the only one who lives here.”

Bluegrass stopped tending to his wound to gaze up at her, his eyes full of a pain so deep and raw it took Derpy’s breath away. It made her heart sink and twist in protest, as she recognized a pain she knew all too well. “I’m… I’m sorry,” she whispered tearfully.

“Tell me something,” Bluegrass asked her gruffly, his voice choking. “Do you tell anypony why you left Baltimare?”

“No,” she answered.

“Because it’s too painful to talk about- I know, I’ve been there. When Sunfeather, when she- I had to leave. I couldn’t take being there without her. I ran, Derpy, I ran until all I could do was be alone. It’s all I’ve got left.” He gazed out of the one window and down at the camp, where Dinky had lain down to rest for a moment. “Does she know what happened?” he asked.

“No,” Derpy responded softly.

“She needs to,” he said. “And soon. She’s not a little kid anymore, Derpy. Soon she’ll be an adolescent, and she’ll have to know what happened to her father. I’ll bet five bits that Berry Punch has been urging you to tell her what happened?”

Derpy nodded slowly. “I know I need to,” she replied. “I just don’t know how to. How do I tell her about him?”

“That,” Bluegrass said as he finally managed to best the bandage and tie it around his hoof, “Is something you’ll have to decide for yourself. I can’t make it for you. But you need to make up your mind, because someday she’s gonna come asking, and you’ll need to answer. For your sake as well as hers. You don’t want to end up like me, Derpy.”

Derpy sat there in silence, staring at the floor beneath her hooves to hide any chance of tears falling down her face. She barely heard Bluegrass walk past her out the door and down towards the fire where her fatherless daughter awaited their next meal.

Author's Note

The intrique is afoot. More's to come, dear reader. Hope you enjoy!

The Pool of Solace

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.

Author's Note

I think I just made Vanhoover the coolest place in Equestria. MAN, that was a fun place to delve into!
Things are about to get interesting, and I dropped some major hints in here. Hang on, dear reader, just three more chapters to go!

And, just have to say... I loved writing this chapter. All of it in one night.

Fright in Everfree

The sky was a dull, rainy gray as the bubble-marked mailmare and her daughter moved further inland, away from the coastline they had been dwelling on for the past few days. With only one full day of vacation time left on Derpy’s schedule it was time for the pair to finally return home. The melancholy sky fit the mood perfectly.

Ever since they had left Vanhoover Derpy had stuck to the coastline, trying to do what she could to avoid larger groups of ponies wherever they went. Despite her unwillingness to do so, Dinky had talked her into visiting Las Pegasus and taking a look at Applewood. It was now one of the biggest regrets in her career as a mother, for Las Pegasus had been nothing short of decadent, the ponies who lived there crude and cruel. Derpy had been the subject of near-constant taunting during their short stint in the city and she was quite sure that some of the things Dinky had seen were likely illegal. They had taken a moment to peer into Whinny World through the outer gates, but were unable to go in.

“Why can’t we, Mommy?” Dinky had asked sadly, the very picture of dejection with her ears flat and eyes as big as saucers.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but we just can’t afford it,” Derpy had answered, feeling stung by her own words.

Dinky sighed and began to walk away from the steel gates surrounding the park, where the cries of children’s laughter could be easily heard. “OK, Mommy,” she had replied dully, trotting away slowly.

Derpy walked slowly behind her, willing herself not to scream aloud in frustration. She worked harder than any other mailpony in Ponyville, spent more time on the clock, and still couldn’t afford even a simple pair of cheap tickets for her and her daughter for Whinny World. It was the place of dreams for a young filly, and no doubt she had heard stories from her schoolmates about their trips to the place. Odds were that’d be the closest littly Dinky would ever get to actually visiting the place herself.

She deserves better than this, Derpy thought furiously, hot tears of anger threatening to burst from her eyes. She deserves better than what she’s been given.

A day later, and much worse weather than what they had encountered during their time in Las Pegasus, Derpy felt absolutely miserable. Though she still believed that bringing Dinky out into Equestria for a vacation was the right decision, she felt torn at her own heart, frustrated by all that had gone wrong during their journey. The fight with Stormchaser, their meeting with Bluegrass, Vanhoover… she knew the time was coming soon. Despite all the fury and pain she had endured at the Cosmic Gardens, she knew that Crystal Clear and the others were right. Dinky was of age now, where she could handle the truth. It wasn’t her fault that her mother was terrified to tell it, after all.

“Mommy? Did you hear that?” Dinky asked anxiously, breaking through the muddled confusion of her mother.

“What was that, Dinky?” Derpy asked. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening-”

A second later and she didn’t need to. A quaking boom of thunder rattled the cross-eyed pegasus to the bones, and not far in the distance, a bolt of lightning struck the ground with devastating power. It was much, much too close and they were two small ponies out in the middle of a large clearing underneath a strong storm.

“Mommy!” Dinky cried out, rushing to her mother’s side and hopping on her back. “Mommy, that was really close!”

“I know, dear, hold on!” Derpy replied, looking around desperately for cover. Come on, something- there! Off in the distance, a grove of trees -she shook her head to adjust her vision- no, a forest stood, offering shelter from the furious squall that was threatening to assault them. “Hold tight, Dinky!” she cried and dashed across the fields as fast as her legs would carry her. Rain began to fall from the sky like a million bee stings, pelting their skin like needles. Derpy brought her eyes to a squint in an attempt to focus them hoping to keep her path from becoming crooked. Hail began to drop from the angry skies above and Dinky gave a squeal of pain as the ice balls struck her.

“We’re almost there, Dinky, hold on!” Derpy yelled, pushing her pain-wracked legs to greater speeds, doing her best to ignore that her body was being assaulted from every direction-

Leaves smacked softly across Derpy’s face for a few moments before she realized she was inside the forest. In fact, she didn’t even stop until a large branch left a red weal across her right eye, immediately causing it to swell shut.

Dinky went flying from her mother’s back as her mode of transportation came to an unexpected halt. She tumbled across the dry forest floor for a moment before being stopped by a gnarled oak tree, where she gave a squeak of pain as she lay there on her head, looking shocked that she was suddenly on the ground. She righted herself immediately and came over to her mother, who was rubbing her forehead in an attempt to soothe the harsh bruise. “Mommy, Mommy, are you alright?” Dinky asked anxiously.

Derpy, feeling it was very strange that her daughter was fussing over her, got back to her feet and managed a painful smile, trying to ignore the fact that her right eye was still stinging. “I’m alright, dear, don’t you worry,” she answered. “Are you OK? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine, I guess,” Dinky replied. “Why did you stop?”

“A certain branch told me to,” Derpy responded, shaking her head and peering around. “Where are we?”

Dinky looked about at the old trees and hardy vegetation that surrounded them on all sides. The place looked ancient, untouched by ponies’ hooves. The whole vista had the aura of an untouched wildness untamed by civilization. It was very familiar…

“Mommy, we’re in the Everfree Forest!” Dinky exclaimed.

“The Everfree Forest..?” Derpy let her mind wander to her own experiences with the place, the occurrences few and far between. The last time she had even seen any creature that came from it had been months ago when that pack of Timberwolves had swept through Ponyville-

Derpy stood stock-still as the reality of their situation began to overtake her. The weather above her had not changed, leaving them with little visibility in the murky woods. No matter what they did, they would be in danger. As she recalled that strange visitor had said, “The wolves roam wherever the darkness allows them to. The only thing they fear is sunlight. If the light isn’t there, then there is no place they will not hunt.”

“Dinky, sweetheart, follow me as quick as you can,” Derpy said quickly, keeping her voice soft so as not to attract attention.

“Why, Mommy?”

“Ssh!” Derpy replied quickly, muffling her daughter’s words with her wings. “Not a word until we’re clear of the forest, do you understand me? You must not say a word.” Dinky nodded solemnly, understanding that this was a time to be serious and obey her mother’s instructions. “Good, now stay close to me and follow my lead. Remember, not a sound.”

The two ponies walked along in silence, doing their best to avoid sticks and branches as they wove their way through the labyrinthine maze of wood, vine, and rock. It was as if the very forest was set against them and their quest for safety, Derpy thought wryly. It seemed as if the more Derpy avoided her fate, the worse things seemed to become.

A branch snapped somewhere to their right. Cursing her swollen eye (and her overall vision in general), Derpy swung her head so as to see the disturbance. Though she wouldn’t swear to it, she thought she saw a glimmer of those emerald eyes, and smell the fetid stink of its breath. It’s almost on top of us, she thought.

Beckoned to her mother by the smallest movement of her wings, Dinky crept slowly towards her mother and underneath her right wing, hidden out of sight. Derpy crouched low to the ground, doing her best to disappear from sight.

The sounds of a deep, guttural growl reached her ears and she forced herself not to quiver in fear, lest she rattled the foliage around her and alert the beast to their whereabouts. The clack of wooden pawsteps was too close for comfort, the deep rumbling of its strong body terrifyingly near. It seemed to last for an eternity until finally the creature moved away, its smell becoming more and more faint.

“Alright, Dinky, let’s keep moving,” Derpy whispered in her little filly’s ear, slowly folding her wings back and rising to her hooves. Together, the two of them moved on as quietly and as quickly as they could.

For several minutes they journeyed on in relative peace. The sounds of ordinary wildlife occasionally met their ears, but nothing that suggested the stalkings of a predator. “I think we’re alright now, Dinky,” Derpy said lowly, “but don’t say anything yet just in case, OK?”

A sudden flash of light from above and a bolt of lightning blazed before them, striking a tall, knotted maple and blowing it to pieces. “GET DOWN!” Derpy screamed and she dove to cover her daughter from the onslaught of wood and bark that was assaulting her back, piercing her coat and into her skin. A creaking noise to her left caught her attention and she saw, to her horror, a moss-covered tree falling straight towards them. Kicking Dinky into the underbrush, Derpy braced herself for the death blow.

A great Crash! met her ears and she felt a heavy weight suddenly across her back legs, but she found herself, miraculously, alive. She took a few short, sudden breaths before she opened her good eye and saw that though she was most certainly alive, she was not without injury. Cuts covered her body in swathes, each one deep red and oozing blood. A thick, heavy branch about as wide as she was lay across her back legs, and she found herself tangled in a myriad of vines. Getting out of this would be no easy task. “Dinky? Dinky!” She coughed.

“I’m here, Mommy,” Dinky replied miserably, limping her way over to her mother’s side. “You kicked me,” she said accusingly.

“I didn’t want you to get hurt by this tree, sweetie,” Derpy gasped. She had attempted to adjust her legs and release them from the tree’s grip, but instead had made it fall harder onto her right hoof. “Dinky, do you think you can lift this branch off my legs? I can’t move.”

“I’ll try, Mommy,” Dinky replied, and closed her eyes in concentration. A bright yellow glow emanating from her tiny horn, surrounding the thick trunk. Beads of sweat formed around the young pony’s brow but she didn’t relent- even now, Derpy could feel the weight beginning to lessen. Slowly, slowly, now! Derpy slid her legs from out beneath the tree just as Dinky gave out, letting the heavy object fall to the ground. The small unicorn fell to the ground beside her mother, both of them panting in exhaustion.

“That’s my girl,” Derpy said proudly, ignoring the lump of a bruise she had on her right leg. “You’re so strong.”

“Thank you, Mommy,” Dinky replied. “Do you want help with those vines?”

“If you can bite through them, sure,” Derpy replied, trying to get to her feet.

The snapping of a branch brought them to a standstill. Derpy’s heart began to pound in her already pain-filled chest as she slowly pulled her gaze towards the sound. Off in the distance, in the deep blackness of the forest, were a pair of emerald-green eyes. A vile, overpowering odor reached her nostrils just as the sound of vicious snarls met her ears. A streak of moonlight tore through a small opening in the canopy, revealing a massive Timberwolf staring right at them, licking its chops in pleasure at its find.

Derpy’s mind began to fill with panic. Every instinct in her screamed at her to move, to run away, to free herself from her binds and escape into the sky. But her maternal instinct kept her from her fear, if only for a moment. She had to act now. “Dinky, you need to go, now,” she commanded, feeling her daughter begin to creep backwards slowly. “Dinky, you need to go now. Now, run! RUN!”

The little unicorn raced away from the clearing as fast as her little legs would carry her, leaving her mother behind as the Timberwolf decided to forgo the younger prey in favor of an already captured, easily overcome item. Derpy struggled against the vines with every ounce of strength she could muster, trying to find a way to cut through and break free. The Timberwolf crept closer and closer, baring its sharp teeth as its snarls grew ever louder. All around the clearing, Derpy could see new pairs of emerald eyes coming to life, all of them waiting for the finishing blow before beginning their feast.

“No, No! NO!” Derpy screamed.

Dinky ran, not knowing which way was which. To her, it didn’t matter where she went in this darkness, for every direction was the same: blackness.

She felt her hooves bump into a hard stone and she stumbled head over hooves into the dirt once more, her forward momentum causing her to crash painfully into the earth. This one hurt more than the last one, and that one had even included barreling into a tree. “Ow!” she squealed aloud. She immediately shushed herself, remembering her mother’s orders: keep quiet until they were free of the forest.

She felt sick at the thought of her mother, remembering that it was, in fact, her idea to go on this adventure in the first place! And now look- she was stuck somewhere in the Everfree Forest and she had run away to leave her mom fighting off a big bad Timberwolf! This was all her fault! Tears began to drip down her face as she sat there in the dirt, misery and fear overtaking her.

No! She shook herself forcefully, trying to gain some semblance of self-control. She was strong, she knew it! After all, she had just lifted a big heavy tree! She can get out of here and go find help. Zecora, that nice zebra she had met once or twice before, lived somewhere in the forest. Maybe she could go find her! Dinky set off at a hustling pace, hoping it was the right direction. Maybe, if she got lucky, she’d run into Zecora sooner rather than later.

On and on she went, venturing deeper and deeper into the forest. Beams of moonlight began to creep through the canopy more and more as she ventured along, leaving Dinky to wonder if she was coming to the edge of the forest. She certainly hoped so.

Wait, she thought to herself. Doesn’t Miss Zecora live DEEP in the forest, and not on the edge? That was what Princess Twilight told me, once. She turned back around and headed into the dark of the forest, a sense of desperation beginning to consume her small frame.

She began to sing to herself softly, remembering a short little lullaby her mother had taught her since she was very young. It was a nursery rhyme, but it made her feel more confident here in the nasty, ugly woods. Maybe she’d find Mommy soon, and everything would be alright-

Whoa, that stinks! Dinky thought disgustedly, wrinkling her nose at the smell. Wait, I’ve smelled that before- Oh no!

Dinky whipped around and found herself face-to-face with a huge, hulking Timberwolf, its mouth agape in preparation to clutch her tiny head and take a deep bite.

She gave a high-pitched scream of terror and bolted, running as fast as she possibly could. The Timberwolf gave chase behind her, howling in devilish glee. The powerful beast easily overtook the small filly and gnashed its teeth at Dinky’s hooves, causing her to stumble and lose her footing. “Stop that! That’s not fair, you big mean Timberwolf!” She shrieked. “MOMMY!”

A hard, deep smack of weight struck her right hoof as the wolf’s head slammed into her and she took one last, great tumble before coming to a halt. She looked up and saw she was backed up against a large boulder, blocking her from escape. Standing before her was the Timberwolf, eyeing her in vicious satisfaction at his easy catch.

Dinky began to cry, trying to cause some magic to flow out of her horn and at her assailant, attempting to summon the powerful magic she had seen Princess Twilight do once before- but nothing! She had used it all on helping Mommy!

“MOMMY! HELP ME!” Dinky screamed-

The Timberwolf gave one last great howl of triumph and prepared to leap onto its prey-

“NOT MY DAUGHTER!” came a bellowing roar, and out from the deep of the forest came Derpy, racing not towards Dinky, but straight towards the imposing Timberwolf-

The wolf didn’t stand a chance. Derpy crashed through it and dismantled with the pure force of her speed, killing it instantly. Without stopping, she grabbed Dinky with her hooves and held on tight, racing away from the scene as howls began to surround them from all sides.

“Close your eyes, Dinky! Close your eyes!” Derpy ordered but the small unicorn filly was overtaken with terror, and she screamed aloud as she saw almost a dozen wolves barreling towards them at top speed, their jaws hanging open, waiting to just get a little closer and take one strong bite-

Derpy pushed through the foliage, ignoring every strike of pain, every whip across her face, every little thing that blocked her, flying like she had never flown before, perhaps faster than even Rainbow Dash had ever done-

A hard, thick branch broke into splinters and Derpy came crashing to the ground in an open clearing, breaking free from the forest at last. Her lungs burst and she collapsed to the ground, her hooves dropping her daughter.

I can’t do it, I can’t do it, she panicked. The wolves will take us because I can’t do it.

Dinky shook her head and peered around. There wasn’t much to see, as it seemed the entire area had been overtaken by mist. The rain had stopped, and the sky was now dotted with the stars of an early evening.

The wolves! She looked towards the forest’s edge and saw pair upon pair of emerald eyes watching her in deep disappointment. They gave a few more snarls before retreating back into the depths of Everfree, disappearing from sight.

“They’re gone! Mommy, they’re gone!” Dinky yelled.

“Dinky! Derpy barreled over to her daughter as she ignored the numerous cuts she had gained on her hell-bent flight. She grabbed hold of her little child and brought her into a bone-crushing hug. “Dinky, are you alright? Did they hurt you?”

“No…” Dinky, answered. All the pain and terror she had just endured in a few short minutes overtook her and she began to cry into her mother’s chest.

“Sh, sh, it’s alright, now, it’s alright,” Derpy said soothingly, dotting her daughter’s forehead with gentle kisses. “It’s alright, they’re all gone, they’re gone and we’re safe. You’re going to be OK. You’ve been such a brave girl, and it’s going to be alright.”

Derpy wait patiently until Dinky regained control before looking down at her and giving her a warm smile. Dinky, tears streaking her flushed cheeks, returned with a watery smile of her own. “Why didn’t they chase after us, Mommy?”

Derpy’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I’m not sure, sweetheart. In fact, where are we..?”

The mist did nothing to aid her damaged vision, as her right eye was still swollen, but it took little more than a glance for her heart to sink like a stone. A nearby sculpture of stone rose above the forest canopy, depicting an armor-clad soldier with a spear in hoof. A long row of gravestones lay nearby, the marble polished and obviously well-cared for.

Derpy recognized this place. She had come here long, long ago, for a ceremony that had been too painful for words. Every year since she had tried to convince herself to return, to visit a place that held someone she loved more than life itself, but had never dared to. A place that her daughter had never known of, until now.

Not here, she begged, anywhere but here.

Author's Note

Jeez, it feels like forever since I've updated this story. Feels good to be back, folks. Hope you all enjoy, a big chapter's coming up next!

The Royal Graveyard

Dinky detached herself from her mother’s chest and turned around to stare at the stone statue of the guard, peering at it curiously. She crept over to it, her big round eyes growing ever wider as she came closer. “Who is that, Mommy?” she finally asked.

Derpy swallowed the lump in her throat before answering. “He was a member of the Royal Guard many years ago, Dinky,” she said tremulously. “His name was Iron Stead.”

“What was his job?” Dinky inquired.

“He was a sergeant major,” Derpy answered. Noticing a look of confusion on her daughter’s face, she added, “He helped lead other soldiers. He was very brave.”

“Oh.” Dinky stole another look up at the guardpony. “Was he ever in any battles?”

Derpy trembled as she nodded, lower lip beginning to quiver. “Yes, he was in a very fierce battle.”

“OK,” Dinky replied, apparently satisfied. She trotted along down an alleyway of gravestones, staring at the marble fixtures with a mixture of curiosity and fear. “Where are we?”

“This is the Royal Graveyard, Dinky,” Derpy answered softly, watching as Dinky began to look around in reverent awe. “This is where the Royal Guard buries their fallen brothers and sisters.”

“Wow! I mean,” Dinky added hastily, “I remember reading about this place in school once. Miss Cheerilee told us about it during history class.”

“What do you remember about that lesson?” Derpy inquired.

“Miss Cheerilee told us that this is a very special place to all of Equestria, and that we should be quiet and respectful if we were to ever come here,” Dinky whispered.

Derpy nodded. “That’s right, Dinky. Very brave ponies are buried here, and they gave everything they had to make sure we stayed safe. They did it for me, you, and everybody.”

“They did?” Dinky echoed, awestruck. “They must have been really courageous.”

“They were.”

Dinky resumed her walk down the alley, this time making sure to tread lightly as she walked, her hooves gently pressing into the earth with each careful step. Derpy watched as the tiny unicorn squinted at the writing on the headstones, trying to decipher the words written upon the worn marble. “Mommy, there’s something underneath this pony’s name,” Dinky said. “I can’t read it very well, can you look for me, please?”

Complyingly, Derpy knelt down beside her daughter and pretended to examine the markings on the headstone. She didn’t truly need to. She knew what was underneath by heart. “It says Feath Drang,” she stated quietly.

“Where’s that, Mommy?”

“It’s in a place very far away from here,” Derpy replied as she stared at the name etched into the marble. Copper Forge, it read. A Private. She had met him only once, right before the deployment.

Dinky, her curiosity satisfied, had already moved on to the next headstone, and the one after that. “They all say that same weird place,” she reported. “Are all of the ponies in this graveyard from the same battle?”

“Many of them are,” Derpy answered.

The two of them moved along slowly through the myriad of graves, occasionally pausing whenever Dinky asked a question. Usually confusion regarding a guardspony’s rank. After all, Derpy thought to herself, most of this knowledge wouldn’t be common to a little filly, particularly in a time such as this.

After a while, Dinky came to another row and began to walk down, stopping at the fourth gravestone in the line. “Mommy, what’s this one say?”

A memory from long ago, hidden deep within the recesses of her mind, came rushing forth as if bidden by instinct. She knew that gravestone. She knew who lay under it, who had fought and died and come to lay there forever. She would always know.

“That is Lance Corporal Crimson Beam,” she answered weakly, not even bothering to humor her daughter by looking at the words. “He fought at Feath Drang.”

Dinky looked up at her mother, head cocked to the side, wondering how she knew that so effortlessly. “How did you know that, Mommy?”

Derpy squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to hold back her tears for a little longer. She knew the time had come now. After the many years of pressing by Berry Punch, along with all the experiences on their journey, she knew this was the moment.

She didn’t answer directly, instead walking over to the forest’s edge and began to nose around in the foliage, looking around.

“Mommy? What are you doing?” Dinky asked. “How did you know this pony’s name?”

“Dinky, have you ever made a solar wreath?” Derpy asked, not pausing to lean over her shoulders and answer her.

“Umm, yes,” Dinky said. “A long time ago. Why?”

“Do you remember how to make one?”

“I think so.”

“Then come here, we’re going to make a wreath for Crimson Beam,” Derpy said.

Feeling more bewildered than before, Dinky came over obediently and aided her mother in the search for some leaves and branches. When they had found enough -that is, when Derpy said they had found enough- the little unicorn set straight to work, diligently weaving together the wreath, occasionally aided by her mother’s guidance. “Now tie the vine around the branch… No, weave it on the other side, dear… just a little further…”

Dinky stepped away from the finished wreath and admired her handiwork. It was a beautifully made wreath, resplendently dressed in wildflowers and tightly woven together. It was almost as big as she was tall.

“Now, grasp it at the top, very carefully,” Derpy instructed, her voice beginning to shake uncontrollably. “Now you turn and face the gravestone and go set the wreath right in front of it.”

Dinky nodded slowly, her eyes slowly becoming shadowed in anxiety. Ever since they had arrived here her mother had been strange, distant, and –quite frankly- omniscient. She knew something about this place, something that had woven her way into her soul. To the little filly, it felt familiar, yet like nothing she had ever known before. She didn’t know, but her mother certainly did.

She walked slowly over to the gravestone, clutching the wreath tightly in her teeth. Her steps became unsteady, her nerves working her way through her body and unsettling her.

Derpy watched in agony as her daughter walked forward, tears splashing down her cheeks. After a few moments, she finally managed to choke out, “And then you say ‘Thank you, Daddy.’”

Dinky went rigid. Her mouth opened wide in pure shock and the wreath fell from her grasp. Her legs wobbled underneath her and she felt her body start to sway. Nothing, nothing at all, could have ever prepared her for such an answer. She turned around and stared at her mother, as if she could scarcely believe what she had heard. “Mommy?” she whispered, her voice beginning to crack with the tears that had been summoned. “Mommy, was Crimson Beam my Daddy?”

Derpy, her face now covered in salty tears, nodded.

Dinky abandoned her wreath and ran straight for her mother, wrapping her legs around her as she began to sob. To her horror, she felt something begin to come between them- her own mother’s wings. Derpy detached herself from Dinky’s grasp and walked over to the gravestone, grabbing the wreath gently and placing it lovingly on the grave stone before collapsing next to it in utter grief and heartbreak.

Nothing had ever prepared for this. Nothing in her life had ever prepared her to feel such agony, such loss, and to feel it every hour of every day of her life. Nopony had ever told her that there would always be a void, a hole in her heart that would remain unfilled, a piece of herself that would be taken away. She felt ripped, torn, shredded by it all, and found herself able to bear it no longer. She was completely, utterly, alone.

A soft nuzzling against her cheek, a brush of fur against her own. Dinky, her own eyes streaming tears, fell next to her mother, crying for the father she had never met. Derpy folded her wings around her daughter, her only child, and the two of them wept together, wept for a past unforgotten and a future lost.

Derpy didn’t know how long they lay there. For her, it was an eternity, all the grief and fear she had kept bottled up for so long having finally burst forth from her heavy heart. It wasn’t until she felt Dinky’s presence begin to shift away from her did she in fact realize that she was even still alive.

“Why did you never tell me, Mommy?” Dinky asked, hiccupping.

Derpy sniffed and rubbed the tears away, rising back to her feet as she tried to assemble some semblance of control. “I… I never knew how to, sweetheart,” she murmured, her eyes gazing longingly at the name written on the headstone. “How could you ever talk about something like this? You Aunt Berry Punch has been trying to get me to tell you, but- but I just didn’t know what to say.”

Dinky crept back over to her mother’s side and latched herself to her. “Will you tell me now, Mommy?” she asked.

Derpy nodded. “Did I ever tell you I was born in Baltimare?” When Dinky shook her head, she said, “Well, many years ago, I lived in Baltimare, on Cushion Street. I lived there with my parents, one of several families that lived on that street. When I was young, there must have been at least twenty or thirty other children on that street, and we all knew each other. Every day we’d go out and play together in the city, getting into all sorts of trouble and commotion. Sometimes we’d get punished by our parents for what we did, but we’d always go back out and do it all again the very next day!

Well, one day, when I was out with my friends, we ran into a couple of bullies and they demanded our lunch money. They were a whole lot bigger than we were, even though there were only three of them to our ten, so we complied and gave them what they wanted. They kept it up for several days until one time, when I was having to walk home alone, they tried to steal my money. But I didn’t have any money that time, just a bag lunch and I told them so. They didn’t believe me, of course, and they were threatening to beat me up for it when suddenly, out of nowhere, comes a big strong unicorn and he tells those bullies to get out of there and to leave me alone. When the bullies didn’t do what he said, that big strong colt just charged straight for them and chased them off. That unicorn was your father, and that was the first day I met him.

Your father saw that I’d been really frightened and he was nice enough to walk me home and talk to my parents about what had happened. Before he left, he told me that if I ever needed help with those bullies again that I should come and let him know and he’d deal with them. When he left, I watched him walk out of sight, and I started having a crush on him right from that moment.”

“Did he like you back?” Dinky asked.

Derpy gave a soft, watery laugh. “Hardly! At least, I don’t think so,” she answered. “Your father was three or four years older than me when I first met him, I was just a little girl. That, and my eyes were already crooked so I wasn’t very pretty.”

“I think you’re pretty,” Dinky piped up, receiving a gentle hug in return.

“As it turned out, your father and I went to the same school, though he a few years above me, and I always tried to say something to him every time I saw him, even just catch a glimpse of him if I could. To me, he was the biggest, strongest, bravest pony I knew. I guess when I was younger I must have been pretty embarrassing, since every Heart and Hooves Day I left him dozens of notes in his locker.

As I got older, I grew up and got a little wiser, and decided to just be friends with him for a change, instead of being an awkward schoolfilly crush that followed him everywhere. For the first time since I’d met him, we actually had a relationship. We knew one another’s likes and dislikes. He liked mornings, I liked evenings. I liked cooking, and he couldn’t cook for all the tea in Canterlot! He and I were very different, but we were such good friends.”

“But how did you two end up getting married?” Dinky asked.

“We had known each other for so long, neither of us realized that we were beginning to spend more and more time alone, just the two of us. Sometimes he’d invite me over to his house to play games, other times he’d be with me at my house, taste-testing a new recipe I had discovered. After a year or so, right when your father was finishing school, he came and talked to me, saying that he wanted to discuss something really important with me. He said that he’d always been looking around and that he’d never be able to find a pony quite like me so would I like to settle down and marry him. I was so shocked that I couldn’t say anything- your father thought I was going to say no!”

“Were you?” Dinky gasped.

“I wasn’t very smart- I had barely gotten through basic schooling, and I was working in a bakery in Baltimare as a cook. I wasn’t very pretty, with my horrible cross-eyes and I still would occasionally run into things. But your father had decided that he loved me, a clumsy little girl that had loved him from the moment we had met. I practically knocked him over when I said yes.

Now, his parents weren’t very pleased with the whole arrangement, as they had never really thought much of me. They’d call me “Little Miss Dim” whenever they thought I wasn’t listening (“That’s so mean!” Dinky whispered), but your father wanted to get married nonetheless. So when his father demanded to know how he’d try to support himself and a wife with no help from his family, your father stood up real straight and said, “I’ll just go join the Royal Guard!”

Your father was away for two and a half months before I saw him again, a newly minted private. He was so happy to see me that he swept me off my hooves, not caring that he was still wearing his dress uniform or that he was making a fool of himself right in front of his new military buddies. He was not once ashamed of me, and I never stopped telling him how much I appreciated that. We got married three weeks later, and the two of us moved to a base near Baltimare.

While we were there, your father’s little brother, Red Feathers, decided that he wanted to join the Royal Guard too, so he enlisted and came to live in Baltimare next to us, along with his wife. Do you know who that was?”

Dinky shook her head. “It was your Aunt Berry Punch, sweetheart,” Derpy continued. “Whenever Red Feather and your father were away, Berry Punch and I would spend all our time together, along with the other wives who had husbands in the platoon. For three years your father and I had a wonderful life, becoming a happy military family. After a while, I even became pregnant- with you! When I told your father he nearly upended Red Feathers with excitement and Berry Punch had to remind him that since I was pregnant, he couldn’t take me dancing across the sky any which-way.

Some months later, word began to go round the base about trouble overseas in the Griffon Kingdom. Ponies said that the griffons were attacking visiting ponies and that Princess Celestia was considering sending troops to stop them. I began to see less and less of your father until finally, one day, he and Red Feathers came back home and told me that they were going to be deployed- they were going to go to war against the Griffon Kingdom. In two weeks, they’d be leaving. He also mentioned that his deployment would keep him away for at least thirteen months, meaning that he wasn’t going to be around when you’d be born.

The time finally came and your father gave me a kiss goodbye and promised he’d be back. He and the rest of his company set sail to the Griffon Kingdom to go to war and stop the griffons from killing everybody. He did fine for several months, and I did my best to cope with him away. Berry Punch and I were often together, she helping me do my exercises so I’d be ready when you came along. In fact, during one of the exercises, you suddenly decided to come out, and your Aunt had me rushed to the hospital, and I suddenly found myself holding a little bundle of joy that was you. My daughter, my husband’s little filly, was here in the world, and I could hardly wait for your father to come home and see you. He’d waited for you for so long.

But one day, we started hearing the name Feath Drang over and over again. Someone told us that our husbands were engaged in a serious battle there. Berry Punch and I had gone to call on a friend and when we came in, she was crying over a letter that had just been delivered by one of the executive officers. Her husband was dead. Berry Punch and I stayed with her the rest of the day, knowing full well that this could very well be us.”

Derpy paused for a moment, taking gulps of air to steady herself as tears began to make fresh tracks across her face. “And then, one day, it was. I was at home when an officer came to my doorstep and handed me a letter that told me Crimson Beam- my husband, my bravest champion, had been killed in action. He was never coming back.”

Tears ran silently down her face, grief consuming her ability of speech for a little while longer, her broken vision transfixed upon the gravestone that bore the name of her husband, her valiant defender for so many years. “It was like the world had just ended. First it was your Daddy, then Red Feathers was killed, on and on it went. So many of us lost husbands that day, and none of us knew what to do. Berry Punch came over to my house to check on me a few days later, and the two of us just cried and cried because we had lost the stallions we loved.”

“What did you do?” Dinky asked, sniffing sadly.

“After a while, Berry Punch and I lived in a tiny, miserable apartment on the outskirts of Baltimare, trying to do what we could to make a living, but it was very hard. Living in the city is very expensive, and I couldn’t work because I was taking care of you, so it was all up to Berry Punch to support herself, me, and a growing filly. We were extremely poor, and there were some days when we didn’t have enough to eat.

Berry Punch and I started getting desperate. Ponies in Baltimare were unhappy with the war against the Griffon Kingdom, and the two of us had been outed as former military wives. We even received death threats from some of the other tenants in the apartment complex. To make matters worse, your father’s family began to send me warnings to make me give you up to them, or else they’d try to take you away from me by force.

We were totally desperate. I was worried I was going to lose you until Berry Punch came home one day and told me she knew of a village where we could get away and start over, where we’d be able to leave Baltimare behind and begin a new life. That was the first time I’d ever heard of Ponyville. Berry Punch had already made up her mind and said that I should go with her, so I made sure you were safe and off we went.

Ever since then, you and I have been living in our little house a little aways from town. Ever since Baltimare, I- I don’t like to be in areas with lots of people, even in a small town like Ponyville. I’m always afraid that someone will recognize me and hate me because of your Daddy, that they’d try to hurt you.”

Derpy’s head bowed, shadowed by the constant wave of tears and the darkness of the night. “I work so hard every day and we have so little money, Dinky. All of our things are secondhand, I can barely afford to send you to school, and I’m hardly able to be the mother you need. I’m so sorry, Dinky, I just wish… I just wish your father was here.

He always knew what to say, what to do. Nothing ever intimidated him, he was never afraid of any challenge. He always believed that no matter what, we’d be able to make it through.”

“We’ve made it through, Mommy,” Dinky piped up hopefully.

Derpy smiled at her daughter. “Yes, we certainly have,” she said. “By the skin of our teeth, we’ve made it through.” She gave a long, wistful sigh. “I wish you could have known him, Dinky. He was the best, bravest pony I’ll ever know.”

“I wish I’d known him too, Mommy,” Dinky said, leaning forward to give the marble gravestone a soft kiss. “Thank you for protecting me, Daddy.”

Derpy followed suit, leaving a long, lingering kiss upon the name of her husband. “Thank you for everything, my love. I’ll never forget you.”

The two of them began to walk slowly away from the gravestone and out into the clearing. Derpy spread her wings, signaling for her daughter to climb aboard. The sky now clear and dotted with stars, the time was right. Ponyville was nearby, just a short distance away.

It was time to go home.

Author's Note

To the families of those that have served, for those of of us who live in freedom, thank you...

forever.

The Stars at Night

Dinky, resting atop her mother’s back as the weary pegasus flew, resettled herself and peered down at the ground below. At this distance to such a young filly, everything looked as small as an ant, miniscule and minute, nothing more than a speck on the dark green that was the earth. The Everfree forest expanded beneath her in a misty, tree-dotted expanse that went on for miles. It seemed astonishing to her that just a few hours before, she had entered its depths simply to find shelter from a thunderstorm. Instead, she had escaped a pack of timberwolves and discovered a legacy she never even knew she had. It was so much to take in she hardly knew what to say or do, much less think.

The little unicorn found herself entranced by the view, taking in every tree, bush, and rock she saw. She stared off at mountains far away, gazing at their snowcapped peaks that cut like jagged spires into the beautiful starry night. She saw the shadow of Canterlot to the north, its many turrets and parapets aglow with lanterns and the magic of the unicorns that kept it safe. And, just a short distance away, she saw the dots of lanterns that revealed Ponyville, her home.

Dinky’s thoughts ventured back to the graveyard from which they had just departed, where so many souls lay sleeping. Where her father lay sleeping. They had fought for this, defended this, shed blood –and died- for this. All of it. Everything she could see of the land that she called home, and so much more, was safe because of brave ponies like her father.

He didn’t have to join at all, she thought to herself. He could have stayed, waited till he was a little older before getting married. He could have gotten a better job. He could’ve even avoided her mother and never married her. After all, his parents hadn’t liked her. But he did nonetheless. He chose to marry a girl that no one noticed, give up a future elsewhere to find a way to support her, and then went off to war to make sure no one would ever harm her. He had left before he had been able to see the birth of his firstborn child and gone off to fight in a faraway country. And he had died there, so she, along with so many others, wouldn’t have to.

Just before she drifted off to sleep, she wondered how anyone could be so brave.

Dinky couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so warm. A beautiful softness lay across her body all the way up to her chin, and a gentle heat was gleaming on her chest. It was like being wrapped in a cocoon of pure bliss.

She opened her eyes to slits and immediately opened them wide, head bouncing upright. She was home! The softness she had felt was her bedsheets, the warmth a beam of sunlight streaming in from the window. She looked around: a thin layer of dust sat across her schoolbooks on the desk, and the pictures of she and her mother were grayed.

Judging by the sunlight, Dinky guessed that she had been sleeping quite a while. It looked like it was nearly noon. “Mom?” she called, stretching forward from where she sat. When she received no answer, she walked out into the hallway. “Mommy?”

A rustle from her mother’s bedroom- it sounded very much like a box being tugged to the ground. Dinky trotted down and peered in to see her mother poring over the contents of a cardboard box full of trinkets. “Mommy?”

Derpy paused and turned around, smiling at her daughter. “You’re awake,” she greeted. “Did you sleep well?”

“I guess so,” Dinky replied, rubbing her eyes. “How long have we been home?”

“Oh, we arrived about an hour after you fell asleep. I decided not to wake you since it had been such a long day.”

Dinky peered over her mother’s shoulder at the contents of the box. “What’s in there, Mommy?”

Derpy looked down at her numerous trinkets with a soft warmth. “Just some things from when your father and I lived in Baltimare. I put them away when we moved here because of how we’d been treated back at home. After a while, I just… never got around to putting them back up.”

“Can I see?” Dinky asked, excitement rejuvenating her tired frame and she bounded over to her mother’s side.

Derpy nodded and gently extracted a framed photograph from deep within the pile and handed it to her daughter, who stared at it with reverential awe. “This was a picture of me and your father on our wedding day.”

Dinky held on to the picture so tightly that the frame shook, her eyes soaking in every detail. Her Aunt Berry Punch was in the background with a bright red pegasus that had to have been Red Feathers, both of them bright-eyed and laughing. Her mother was wearing a beautiful white dress, thought it appeared to be a dull, faded white and somewhat worn.

Derpy, perhaps guessing what her only child was thinking, said, “Neither of our families would support the wedding, so we had to make do with what little we had. I know it wasn’t much…”

“You look so pretty,” Dinky whispered happily. “And so happy, you’re smiling so big.”

Derpy gave a warm laugh. “I was marrying your father. Nothing in all of Equestria could make me happier, except maybe you.”

Finally, Dinky’s eyes drifted to the strong figure that was Crimson Beam, her father, the first time she had ever seen his face. He wore dress uniforms instead of a tuxedo, bare of any medals or decorations. He look somewhat tired (had he been training hard with the Royal Guard?) but his face, just like her mother’s was as radiant as the sun. Dinky closed her eyes and wrapped her hooves around the image, hoping she could seal it away forever. It was a part of her legacy, now and forever, and that was something she never wanted to let go. “Thank you, Mommy,” she said.

“I’ll show you one more thing today, before we go in to the village. We need some fresh food,” Derpy said, pulling ever so gently at a beautifully ornate, rich flag of Celestia’s sun. By the way she regarded it, little Dinky could tell this was an item of great importance to her mother. “This,” Derpy said shakily, “was the flag the Royal Guard gave me at your father’s funeral.”

Dinky felt the silky smooth fabric on her fur, drinking its scent. She could still smell the scent of fine wood, intermixed with the smell of the cardboard box it had been kept in. She wondered what he had been like, her father. Did he have any mannerisms? Any strange little quirks? Was he ever clumsy and silly, like Mommy? Or was he serious and strong, just as he looked? There was so much she didn’t know, but she knew of no way to ask.

Dinky gently returned the flag back to her mother, who draped it across her bed and stared at it with a blend of love and sorrow, longing for the one who had lain under it. “Let’s go, Dinky,” she said, and the two made their way to the front door.

The sun peeked through the windows of the mailmare’s bedroom and found their way to the top of the bed, striking deep into the heart of the sun woven into the flag. The sun began to glow with a deep, fiery light, pulsing as if it were a heartbeat.

The day passed as if a blur to the Hooves family. Friends made their way to them and welcomed them back home, inquiring about their journey. For Dinky, there were hardly any words to describe what she had seen and done. She settled for the simple things, telling her friends about Van Hoover and Las Pegasus. It was nowhere close to describing her adventure, but it was the best she could manage, for now.

Derpy walked slightly ahead of her daughter, feeling lighter than she had in many, many years. Despite all their hardships, their poverty and their struggle, she and Dinky had truly made it through and survived- no, thrived. They may not have much, nor may they have what other ponies have, but they had one another, and that was certainly worth something. Little Dinky had a legacy to be proud of, and a history so deep she could never have imagined it. No matter what, nopony could take that away from her.

Can you see her, Crimson? Derpy thought. Can you see what your daughter’s become? She’s grown so much in so little time and she’s more like you than ever. I wish you could have been here to see it yourself.

Derpy heard her name called and saw Berry Punch racing towards the two of them, being assaulted by Dinky and wrapped in a big hug before she reached the mailmare. Derpy couldn’t help but smile as the unicorn filly came and alive and told her aunt everything they had seen, and all of the ponies they had met.

Crimson, I wish you could have been here… but thank you for keeping our little girl safe. I hope I’ve made you proud.

Perhaps they had slept too late. Perhaps they were simply overexcited from their adventure. But for Dinky and her mother, the evening did not bring a time of rest. For them, something else awaited: a starry night, a beautiful sky illuminated by Luna’s moon.

Dinky sat atop her mother’s back, her chin nestled within her mother’s mane as the two stared up at the heavens. Never in her short life had she ever felt so content, or so at peace. “Mommy?” she asked.

“Mhm?” Derpy replied.

“I love you,” she said.

Derpy gave a smile. “I love you too, Dinky.”

Silence met them once more. A shooting star passed by.

“Mommy?”

“Mm?”

“Do you think Daddy would be proud of me?”

“He would have adored you. He looked forward to you all his life.”

“Oh.” There was a pause. “Can you tell me a story about you and Daddy?”

Derpy’s mind raced backwards, through her younger days of an early marriage, a blossoming love that started from a simple friendship that began when she was just a tiny little filly herself. “I can think of a few,” she said with a grin.

The End

Author's Note

For futures lost... and won.

Thank you for joining me on this journey, dear reader.