Collab Cage Mini-Monthly April -- Pitter Patter, Splatter Splashby The Collab CageChaptersA Rainy Day MovieRain, Rain, Go AwayWaitingA Talk Under the TreeBig Mac’s Rainy Day or How he learns to stop worrying and started thinking about somepony elseA Rainy Day MovieWritten by: KrazyTheFox Rainbow trotted through town, the light rain pelting her back as she flexed her wings. She’d just finished setting up that day’s storm and was enjoying the particularly pleasant Spring weather. While she had a harder time doing some of her more daring tricks, there was just something about the rain that got to her and lifted her mood. Taking a deep breath and savoring the petrichor, she took off and flew a small loop in the air before landing in a puddle with a large splash, whooping with joy. Today, she decided, would be perfect. The rain meant that Applejack would probably have nothing important to do, though she’d probably insist that she had chores to take care of. Rainbow snorted. That pony found just about any excuse to do work when she could. Except for when her friends would call on her to do something or when the world needed saving. And that’s exactly what Rainbow intended to do. There was this new movie out, ‘The Five Elements’ or something, and since Applejack had nothing to do (as determined by Rainbow Dash, herself), she was going to come with Rainbow to watch it. Rainbow quickened her pace, brimming with excitement as she neared the Acres. The fragrant apple blossoms mixed with the petrichor filled her nostrils; a smell she loved more than anything else. As she splashed through another puddle, the farmhouse came into view through the orchard. She shook her haunches and listened for the clink of bits in her saddlebags, making sure she hadn’t forgotten them. Yep! She was ready. “Hey, Applejack!” yelled Rainbow, standing under Applejack’s window. Applejack poked her head out of the window. “Rainbow? What brings you out here?” “You. Me. We’re going to see a movie!” “Rainbow, you know I have chores to do.” Rainbow waved her hoof. “Yeah, right. They’re not important. It’s raining and I know you have nothing to do.” “Excuse m—” “Nope!” interrupted Rainbow. “We’re going to see a movie and I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer. I’ll even pay for you.” “I suppose I could...” “Now come on and get down here or we’re going to be late!” Applejack sighed and gave Rainbow a little smile. “Alright, if you’re payin’ and all. Just gimme a sec to get ready.” She disappeared through the window and closed it. Rainbow paced outside the door of the farmhouse for a few minutes. When Applejack finally opened the door, Rainbow almost bowled her over in a big hug. “So, you ready?” Applejack returned the hug and tossed her hat onto her head. “Yep!” The two set off along the path, Rainbow stomping through a few more puddles along the way, earning some chuckles from Applejack. “Alright, Rainbow. Since you decided to drag me out of my home and into the rain to see a movie, what are we watchin’?” “Some new action movie that just came out. I hear it’s really good. ‘The Elements Five’, I think.” Applejack shoved Rainbow lightly and smiled. “I think you mean ‘The Fifth Element’.” “Yeah, that! Twilight said it was like a Daring Do movie, but in the future. And not Daring Do. But still good!” The two bantered back and forth on the walk to the movie theater and they arrived just as the rain had started to pick up, rumbles of thunder rolling off in the distance. They shook themselves off at the door and trotted up to the ticketing booth, Rainbow dropping a few bits on the counter. “Two for ‘Five Elementals’.” The attendant raised his eyebrow. “‘The Fifth Element’?” “Er, yeah. That.” Smiling at Rainbow, the attendant tore off a couple of tickets and slid them over to her. “Enjoy the film!” Scooping up the tickets in her mouth, Rainbow motioned for Applejack to follow. She deposited the tickets into her saddlebags and made her way to the concessions counter, Applejack close behind. “Hey AJ, you want anything?” “Hmm. Can’t go wrong with popcorn and some cider.” Rainbow nodded in agreement, paid for their food, and the two made their way into the theater, finding a spot in the middle of an almost empty room. “Ain’t seen an empty theater in a while,” said Applejack, settling into her seat. “Yeah, nopony comes around during rainy days. They don’t want to get wet on the way over. It’s really nice sometimes. Ooh, it’s starting!” The curtains drew apart and the lights dimmed, Rainbow digging into a hoof-full of popcorn. The movie opened up on a temple in the desert with a few explorer ponies studying the interior, eliciting a muffled, excited squeal from Rainbow Dash. “It is just like Daring Do!” About a half hour into the movie, the main character, Cobin, brushed the mare’s face with his hoof and Rainbow touched her own hoof to her face, blushing as she mimicked the action. Shooting a glance over at Applejack, she blushed a little harder. Wasn’t that the whole reason she took her on a ‘date’ in the first place, even if she didn’t know it? Cobin kissed the mare and Rainbow felt an intense longing. How long had it been? A couple years now, at least. After a short internal battle, she gingerly reached her foreleg in Applejack’s direction. Good, she hadn’t noticed yet. Holding her breath, her heart beating in her ears, she brought her leg to rest on Applejack’s shoulders. Applejack tensed and jumped at the unexpected contact. She looked at Rainbow, who was looking pointedly away, and relaxed, leaning in against the mare. Letting out the breath she’d been holding, Rainbow relaxed and pulled Applejack into a closer hug. The rest of the movie passed with Rainbow whispering about particularly exciting scenes and her squeezing Applejack whenever any romance was brought up, especially at the end. When the lights turned back on, the pair separated themselves reluctantly and made their way back outside and into the rain. “I have to say, that was a pretty good movie, Rainbow.” “Yeah, it was. Ruby was really weird, though. I’m not sure if I liked him or didn’t.” Applejack chuckled, sidling up close to Rainbow. “I hear you on that one.” The pegasus smiled and draped her wing over Applejack’s back, scraping at the ground with her hoof. “So, uh, AJ...?” “Yeah, Rainbow?” “Dinner?” “I’d love to, sugarcube,” replied Applejack, nuzzling Rainbow’s cheek. Rainbow really did love rainy days. Rain, Rain, Go AwayWritten by: Lapison “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...” Applejack sang the old filly’s song, so softly that only she could hear it. Maybe it was a prayer. Maybe it was a plea. Either way, the heavens didn’t answer her. They never did. Applejack wished with all her heart that they would, but they stayed silent. She stared out the window, the glass reflecting false tears onto her face. In other times, the gentle roar of water falling from the sky would have been music to Applejack’s ears. Usually, it was the sound of life, of the earth and sky’s mutual bond. It was a symbol of a simpler time, a time when rain had been a sign of peace between both the powers of nature and the ponies that wielded it. But the world now was far from the world that she had known. Now, rain was something to be feared. The rain was no longer a friend. It was no longer on her side. The endless sheets of water were bleak, frightening even. Applejack winced at that thought. As much as she tried to brush it off, it always came back. Applejack had never realized just how much she had depended on the rain, or its absence, to do her daily tasks. It dictated just how much she could do that day. While she had never thought herself at the mercy of the weather, it was clear to her just how hamstrung she was by this endless torrent of water. Applejack’s eyes passed over the rows and rows of apple trees sadly. All that work, gone. Wasted by the rain. What hurt even more was that she knew that this weather was to be expected. The schism between earth ponies and pegasi had made sure of that. Like a thunderbolt from the blue. It had happened without warning, without preamble. A week ago, Applejack had been hanging with Rainbow Dash, their usual banter and retorts filling the air. She still remembered the promise Rainbow had made to help her buck apples the next day. But then Rainbow never showed up. She’d walked into town under a darkening sky filled with clouds, the weather matching the hurt and anger in her mind. There she heard the news. The bureaucracy in Canterlot had had an altercation over some stupid little issue or another. Despite the best efforts of Celestia and Luna along with some of the more level-headed officials, the sides had split evenly along the labels of earth pony and pegasus and neither side planned to give in soon. Plain speak? It meant that earth ponies and pegasi were no longer on speaking terms. Or at least, it meant that the snobs in Canterlot weren’t talking to each other. Along with Fluttershy, Applejack had laughed it off. Nothing like that could have split apart Ponyville. There was a sense of kinship, even of family in Ponyville, and it was ludicrous to believe that simple squabbles could break that apart. Unfortunately, fate had a different idea of the word ludicrous. The day afterward, Fluttershy had been called back to Cloudsdale without warning. She left just as the first drops of rain fell. There was no way that wasn’t a coincidence. Her last words to Applejack before she flew up into that wretched sky were, “If you can...forgive me. I never wanted this.” She paused as a thunderclap rumbled overhead, her teal eyes filled with sadness. “And neither did Rainbow.” And with that, she left, leaving only the cold slashes of the rain behind. It wasn’t just Fluttershy too; it seemed as if Ponyville had been abandoned to the coming storm by the pegasi. They’d been abandoned to both the darkening sky overhead and the absolute idiocy of the powers-that-be. That something so stupid as a quarrel between two powerful ponies could cause a unified town to fragment broke Applejack’s heart. That somehow this meant that she couldn’t be friends with pegasi smashed it to pieces. And the rain kept falling, its cold touch only worsening the wounds. It was as if the world had fallen apart. And given the tumultuous weather, it didn’t look to be putting itself back together anytime soon. ~~~ Rainbow Dash had always taken pride in her job as a weather pegasus. Everypony knew what it took to make a sunny day, and she usually got one or two compliments on how nice the day was. The first thing that any weather pegasus learned: the rainy day was just as important as the sunny day. It wasn’t as nice as the sunny day, sure. Rainbow didn’t expect any compliments for bringing rain. But rain was essentially the lifeblood of the earth. Without it, everything would wither. And now, they were using it as a weapon, a perversion of what the rain was truly made for. Second thing that any weather pegasus learned: too much of anything will offset the delicate balance of nature, blah blah blah. Rainbow didn’t really care for all that philosophy. The short version? Don’t have day after day of the same weather. It’s boring for everypony else, it’s tedious to set up, and it makes life crazy. But that’s just what Rainbow was being ordered to do. That’s what every pegasus was being ordered to do: to lay down an endless siege of rain over the entire land of Equestria. She gazed at the endless platform of gray that stretched across the sky. There’d been protests from a few of the pegasi. Celestia and Luna couldn’t be agreeing with this. There were family down there; it went against their morals to do this to someone they loved. And what about the land? Every single protest was shot down. Of course Celestia and Luna weren’t agreeing with this, but their magic, as powerful as it was, could not subjugate nature. The higher-ups really didn’t care if there were family down there; the earth ponies would give in soon enough, being pressured by the unicorns and the torrents of rain. And same argument for the land, and why wasn’t Equestria wet already? Any other protests were quickly silenced when the bureaucrats had threatened the pegasi who didn’t do their job with legal sanctions so complex, they’d never find their way out. And if there’s anything worse than the slow death of nature, it’s the torturous death by legal means. At least with nature, you can die relatively painlessly; the labyrinthine rules of law were agonizing to go through. It was blackmail, in its simplest form. Even if they were to rebel and refuse to obey their orders, they’d all be trumped up on pseudoreal charges and tossed in prison for Celestia knows how long. Sure, Celestia could pardon them, but there was always another way to slow down the process. Rainbow had never hated the job of weather pegasus so much. What they were doing was despicable, evil even: they were slowly killing the earth. And all because of a few stupid words. Rainbow still remembered the promise that she’d made to Applejack to buck trees with her. It seemed so far away. She kicked at the clouds angrily. Rainbow wanted nothing more than to go down there and help Applejack. To help the town that she lived in. It wasn’t in Rainbow’s nature to abandon her friends. Or her duty. But she couldn’t see any way out. There was no loophole she could exploit. No way to get past the endless layer of clouds that separated her from the world below. No way to stop the rain from falling. Rainbow whispered a song under her breath. Maybe it was a prayer. Maybe it was a plea. “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...” WaitingWritten by: KartalTheWriter “Don’t worry about it, Rose! We’ll be there at two o'clock, sharp! We promise!” That had been Lily speaking. Lily always kept her word. Daisy, on the other hoof...well...she had the tendency to get distracted and not be completely on time, especially when it involved others and their plans. So here I was, wearing my best hair accessory and waiting under the awning at our favorite café. We had all planned to have tea together, since that’s something my friends liked. I had agreed, because it’d give me a chance to wear my new sparkly bow. Normally, I wouldn’t care for things like that, but I’d recently developed a hint of vanity after becoming a minor celebrity vocalist in Vinyl’s club. But that’s another story. Out of boredom I began scanning the menu posted on the outside of the café. Having woken up so late that breakfast became lunch, I was now beginning to feel hungry. The images next to the menu items were torture, each one more amazing-looking than the next. Even the sandwiches I’d normally never touch--potato salad--started sounding intensely appetizing. In fact, even that experimental tuna sandwich was delicious in my mind. I had no idea what tuna was but at that point its very name made my stomach growl. And with every growl, I grew even more impatient. Unconsciously I began running a hoof through my mane and fidgeting with my bow. That’s when it started raining. It wasn’t a gradual thing, either. It just came down, like somepony had suddenly turned on the shower. I looked up to the sky and saw Lightning Bolt and Sassaflash bucking some clouds violently. Those two were always so serious about their jobs it was almost comical. While I giggled endearingly at Lightning, I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic for Sassy. She had a wing condition she didn’t like to talk about that caused her to make a slight whistling noise when she flew, causing some ponies to call her “Wind Whistler” behind her back. Because of that she was always the most enthusiastic worker so nopony could ever suspect her condition held her back in any way. I knew this story because Sassy and I became friends over a sad song over in Vinyl’s club, and it turns out I’m not only a “great listener”, but also a “very understanding pony”. It only makes sense for the quiet ones to be the best at paying attention, right? Again, that’s a story for later. So anyways, I was standing under that awning, staring at this sundial and wondering why I couldn’t tell what time it was. I was doing this for a good long while too, which just shows how bored I got. So finally when I figured out you need the sun’s rays to cast an angled shadow to calculate the time on a sundial, I gave the sky another good hard look. Then I shook my hoof at it and muttered under my breath for a few moments. Despite not knowing the real time--due to the unhelpful darkness of the sobbing sky--I could feel the lateness of the hour creeping up. Being my usual punctual self, I had arrived at the scene exactly ten minutes early. Okay, so maybe it was only four minutes...late. Okay okay, so I was late to the meeting too, but it still didn’t excuse my friends taking so long as well! So in the end it was probably my own fault for being a few minutes late regularly, giving them permission to never show up on time. With a great heavy sigh, I sank down next to the wall. My sigh bounced off the walls melodically. For the first time, I felt the entirety of the space with my whole body. I sighed again, this time to hear the sound caress the walls gently. That was when I realized that this was truly a place to unleash the music of my frustrations. I sighed once more, this time more melodically, just one note to see what would happen. Then another, this one louder. Relief, intense emotional relief. Focusing my eyes on the falling rain, I inhaled a double dose of irritation. Exhaling beauty, I felt the new notes vibrate off my lips and into the walls framing the awning. With a lighter intake of breath, I acknowledged how very akin to singing in the shower this was. You couldn’t get perfect conditions like this just anywhere. Daisy laughed her shrill little laugh in my mind. It was that certain type of laugh that wasn’t so much loud, but piercing. I countered the sound with a lilting melody, mimicking that voice. Adding a couple of dissonant notes, I reflected on how annoying Daisy could be when she left me waiting. “I’m just going to go by one store and then I’ll meet you, okay Rose?” “Daisy, I’ve got a lot of work to do, today. Lily’s been waiting nearly fifteen minutes already. “This won’t take long, I promise!” “Daisy...” Subito forte, as the rain seemed to pound harder against the awning. My voice wailed with the thunder, pleasure at releasing so much emotion increasing its intensity. Perhaps it was a little dramatic. Decrescendo, and andante. “On the contrary, your voice is beautiful.” The dissonance resolved peacefully. “You’re looking very pretty today, Rose. Any special reason?” Lightning flashed, but the thunder was more gentle this time. I flinched all the same while my voice wavered slightly. “Well of course I want you to come! Why wouldn’t I?” Poco a poco rallentando. I allowed the last note to end briefly, as opposed to drawing it out needlessly. After the sound stopped, my heart was racing and my breath was coming fast. I hadn’t realized I was using so much staccato until it was over. As I caught my breath, I gazed out at the rain again. The thunder had all but faded out and I saw no lightning. Once again, I heard a voice in my head, this time Lily’s. “You know what my favorite thing about rain is?” And suddenly, I found myself leaping out from under the awning and into the downpour, eyes wide open. A Talk Under the TreeWritten by: Therizzen “Well, this wasn’t part of the plan.” Twilight was barely audible over the pouring rain as it crashed into the leaves overhead. With an ocean soaked into her fur, Rainbow Dash snorted as she shook her body, jostling the waves loose. She scowled up at the sky through the little holes in between branches. “We should’ve left sooner,” she said. Twilight nodded, and the action sent beads flying to the ground. “Sure, we could have, and we were going to, but then a certain someone spied the team leaving and scrambled to get all the autographs she could carry.” Rainbow Dash unconsciously shifted her souvenir heavy saddle bag and tossed the unicorn a baleful glance. “Hey, in my defense, it was the Wonderbolts.” “But that’s a terrible defense.” The pegasus sighed. “Yeah, it is.” She plopped down onto her haunches, leaning against the rough tree as she slipped the bag off her back. It made a squelching noise as it landed. “Not that it matters anyway, they’re probably all wet and soggy by now.” Rainbow took a hoof and rummaged through the pack. Pulling out a limp, white poster she gingerly unraveled it, hoping the damage wasn’t too catastrophic. Her ears drooped. Webs of black ink spun down the Wonderbolt’s chipper face, and his trademark smile was tainted by an ugly smudge. It fell to the condemning ground with a groan, and in an instant the wind swept by and plucked it up. Within moments it was consumed by the hungry forest, lost forever. Rainbow didn’t watch it go. Twilight sat down beside the flyer, her own mane dripping onto the damp grass. She nudged her friend’s shoulder. “Hey, cheer up. It’s not like you don’t have plenty already. You’ll get some more next time.” Rainbow lifted her head, looking into her friend’s eyes. With a shiver she noticed it made her think of the rain. How unfortunate. “I know,” she said. “I’m just kinda bummed. Today was awesome. But this?” She gestured at the deluge around them. “Not so much.” As the rain tumbled out of the sky, leaking through the canopy above and dappling their already soaked coats, Twilight smiled. “Good.” Rainbow balked. “Good?” “Yes, good. I’m glad that you had fun.” “Oh...” She chose to ignore Twilight’s smirk and rolling eyes. Instead, she ran a hoof through her sodden hair and nodded. “Thanks for that, by the way. Usually I treat you guys to a show. It’s a... cool, the other way around.” Twilight smiled, and in the gloomy haze, it seemed so bright. “You’re welcome.” They both let the silence slip in, choosing to listen to the oddly symphonic sound of crying clouds. It was almost calming, and Rainbow found herself thinking that, while sitting under this tree was downright dreary, it had been a good day. And how couldn’t it have been? She had gotten to see the Wonderbolts. Spent the rest of her time wandering around Canterlot. And, smiling at her friend, she had had good company. A good day indeed. A stray thought jumped into her head, though, as she saw a leaf fall away from the tree and seat itself on Twilight’s horn. She furrowed her brow. “Hey, Twilight.” “Yes?” “Why aren’t you using your magic?” She quirked one of her eyebrows and looked around. “On what?” “Oh, I dunno, maybe the rain?” As if it wasn’t obvious. Twilight frowned at the pegasus, and then up at the roiling clouds. Her tail twitched. “I don’t think that would be very wise.” As the wind growled, it was Dash’s turn to look bemused. “Why’s that?” Sweeping her tail side to side, Twilight fidgeted, as if she was suddenly uncomfortable, and Rainbow cocked her head. She was about to speak, but eventually the mare seemed to settle, almost complacent. Almost. “There are things unicorns aren’t meant to interfere with.” “Like the rain?” “More like the weather in general.” Rainbow huffed. “Okay, you’re losing me now, Twi.” She grinned a small grin at that. “Probably the melodrama,” she said. She was about to continue speaking, but the wind picked up again, and the words were cut short by a fit of coughs. Rasping coughs. Rainbow Dash frowned. The wind was chillier, the temperature dropping. She hoped the rain let up soon. “Ugh, excuse me,” Twilight began, sniffling. “Where was I?” “Um, Twilight, are you okay?” Dash asked, concern seeping into her voice. Twilight waved her hoof dismissively. “I’m fine, just a bit of a cold. Now what--” “You were talking about unicorns and the weather.” “Right, right. Okay.” She sniffed again. “Well, you remember what we were taught in school, about the Old Ages?” Grimacing, Rainbow racked her brain, trying to think back and sift through the years and the ponies and, eventually, the classes. She had never been much of a history buff, preferring to sleep through the class and nettle one of her friends about it later, so she wasn’t entirely surprised when it came up nearly blank. “...Kinda?” "That’s what I figured.” “Hey!” Rainbow threw her a hurt look, and Twilight had the decency to act apologetic. She crossed her hooves. “The chapter made for a good pillow...” That caused Twilight to laugh. And then cough. And Rainbow found herself frowning again. Was she shivering? It was faint, a small trembling of the shoulders, but it was there. Without hesitation she sidled over and wrapped a wing around her troubled friend. Twilight tensed at first, but she sank back into the warm feathers, and her shivering slowly abated. “Thanks,” she said with a small sigh, a crestfallen smile on her face. “I was never much of a resilient child.” “It’s not a problem,” Dash said. “Not a problem at all.” There was silence again, save the constant rain, and Rainbow let her thoughts fill the void. She was used to the cold, she’d been flying in it for years, but not Twilight. She had a wing, maybe a prayer, and that was it. She had to get her mind of off it. She needed a distraction, but what? The answer was obvious, really. Twilight loved to talk, to discuss and teach, and it seemed to warm her up. And so she decided that yes, they would talk, talk under the tree and the rain, and under her feathers Twilight would be safe It would have to do, for it was all she had. Throwing on a smirk, Rainbow cleared her throat and spoke up. “Are you ever going to finish this story?” Twilight snorted. “At this rate, probably not.” She spied Dash’s withering glance, and she straightened up a bit. “But, point taken.” Shifting in her seat, Twilight took a breath. Rainbow had mixed feelings about that breath. It sounded like the beginning of every lecture she had ever heard. But she would bear it this time, just this once. It was worth it. She let it out. “The Old Ages, right? That’s when it happened, in the thick of the Great Pony War some two thousand years ago. The pegasi had become embittered by the unicorn’s constant success on the battlefield, and their numbers were rapidly declining with every other engagement. Duke Aveun, the pegasus monarch at the time, was furious. They say he was literally tearing out his hair trying to find something, anything at all to aid them. There wasn’t.” Twilight paused, letting the words sink in. Rainbow Dash blinked. “That is, not until she died.” “Who?” Twilight glanced her way, a grim expression on her lips. “His daughter.” The sky howled, and they jumped in fright. In a cutting lash of wind, the tempest swung down at them, and Rainbow squeezed Twilight closer, using her own body to shield the ill mare. When it was over, they sat with frazzled coats and disheveled manes, breathing heavily. Raising her eyebrows, Rainbow noticed she felt more dry, less wet. The rain was slowing. She almost smiled. It was stolen away as Twilight cleared her throat, covering a cough. “Well that was rude.” Dash chuckled, feeling lighter for some reason, happier. “You can’t blame the wind, Twi. It’s only doing its job.” Her mood faltered when Twilight didn’t respond. Twilight was silently gazing at the dark sky, a thoughtful expression painted onto her face. “I suppose that’s true,” she said. “But then who receives the blame, who tells it what to do?” What? Before Rainbow’s smile could spill into a frown, Twilight flicked her hoof, as if discarding the question. “Anyway, daughter, right? She died? Yes? Okay.” She spun her hooves, gesturing towards the sky. “It was up there where they fought, high on the clouds. She was being escorted by a detail of guards, making their way for the now fabled White Cloud hall. The unicorns had been waiting, preparing an ambush. The guards hadn’t expected it, who would? Unicorns couldn’t fly, nor could they touch down on clouds. At least, that’s what they thought.” Twilight gave Rainbow a sad glance. “As we’ve seen, they could. “They say it was supposed to be an easy mission: Subdue and apprehend. Completely routine. Unfortunately, this was their first operation in the sky. They didn’t know how the clouds worked, how they would crumble under prolonged weight.” Twilight sniffed, taking a breath of the mist laden air. “They had singled her out in an instant. There was a stunning spell, she was hit, and they just... forgot about her.” Rainbow Dash swallowed, glancing up at the calming clouds overhead. The grey puffs were slowly swirling in the breeze, almost deceivingly docile. She knew where this was going. An exhale grabbed her attention, and she looked back. Twilight was speaking again. “She laid there on the cloud, paralysed as the two factions fought, unable to call out or receive help. She couldn’t do anything as the white crumbled underneath her, and no one saw as she fell through the hole, spinning to the ground below.” She sighed. “A pegasus killed by the sky. She couldn’t even scream as she fell.” The air cooed in her ear, and Rainbow shuddered this time. It wasn’t because of the wind. No pegasus deserved that. No one did. “Of course, the duke was beside himself,” Twilight began. “A pegasus, his own daughter, attacked in her own sky? It was inconceivable. Unforgivable. Thousands mourned that day, and when the night came he flew himself up to his tallest tower, rage burning in his chest, and he screamed. He screamed at the sky, screamed of the atrocity, of the unicorns and their taint. Screamed that it do something, anything to make up for this horrible loss...” She worked her mouth, but the words didn’t come. She stood there, staring at the ground and the little green blades, lost in thought. Eventually, Rainbow’s query enticed her to resurface. “What happened?” She sniffed again, running her hoof over her nose, and looked to the heavens one more time. The droplets were coming down in the dozens now, the clouds were calm and quiet, and the wind was nestling into her hair like a friend. It was peaceful. It was perfect. It was not hers. “The sky listened.” The world whispered, and there was silence. With an explosive sigh Twilight stood up, dusting herself off with her damp tail. “Well, the rain’s stopped. We better get going.” Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat. “Wait... what?” She got up in a flash, following her friend back to the road. “That’s it? What happened next?!” Twilight chuckled, then she sneezed, and gladly snuck further into the wing Rainbow offered her. “You don’t need to know everything right away. Mysteries can be fun too,” she needled. “But you left it on a cliffhanger,” Dash moaned. “Those suck.” “Aw, is my little bookworm in training sad?” She grinned into Rainbow’s glower as she arched her hoof towards the forest. “You can always look at the trees. Applejack says their fun.” “We’ve been looking at trees for the past hour. Story. Now.” Twilight sighed as they reached the dirt path, and she shook her head, placing a hoof down and moving to the right. Back home. She couldn’t help but smile, though. Sure, the developing cold would vex her to no end, but it was a good day. Somewhere, a bird sang, and she nuzzled further into the warm feathers. A good day indeed. “Have you ever heard of curses, Rainbow?” Big Mac’s Rainy Day or How he learns to stop worrying and started thinking about somepony elseWritten by: ADRNEL “Sorry that yer date got cancelled on account of weather,” comforted Applejack to her big brother, MacIntosh--called ‘Big Mac’ for short, trying to cheer him up. Big Mac lay on his bed, saddened that Cheerilee had to cancel their date because of an unplanned rainstorm. He looked out the window to see the rain pouring from the sky, soaking everything it touched. “Ah know ya’ve been looking forward to this date, seein’ as yer so busy on the farm an’ all,” continued the orange mare. Applejack was right, due to his hard work on the farm, he hardly ever had time to see his marefriend. The last time they went on a date together had been over a month ago. “I’ll tell ya what, when Granny comes back from the market, I’ll try to convince her to give yo’ a day off next weekend to make up fer the cancelled date. How’s that?” offered the mare to her brother. Big Mac just turns to her and gives her a grateful smile, his way of saying “Thank you,” without actually saying anything. He prefers not to say much, it makes things easier and more simpler that way. Applejack just smiles back. “Ah knew ya’d like that. Anyways, I’ll be downstairs if ya’ need me,” happily stated the mare as she trotted off out of her brother’s room. Happy to have at least cheered her brother up, while he returned to staring at the ceiling in deep thought. The sound of the rain hitting the roof of the farmhouse being the only noise he could hear. What Applejack did not know, was that her brother was having doubts about his relationship with Cheerilee; he had been dreaming about somepony else lately. It all began about three weeks ago, that’s when the dreams started. He couldn’t go a single week without dreaming about her, dreams that occurred on nights after a rainy day. Each dream got more daring and explicit than the last, and he hated himself even more each time after dreaming them. The dreams always started the same, he and the mare would be lying under a tree together, usually cuddling and talking to each other while keeping an eye on all the woodland critters and flowering plants that surround them. After several minutes, he and the mare, who he assumed at first was Cheerilee, would begin to kiss passionately, their tongues intertwining. He would then proceed to run his hooves across her body until he would feel something strange that proved it wasn’t Cheerilee he was kissing the entire time. That’s how the dream would end, with him waking up in his bed, breathing heavily and covered in a cold sweat. What does it mean?! Big Mac would scream in his head every time. Why was he dreaming about her and not Cheerilee? What were his heart and mind telling him? Why did they always happen on rainy days? These questions, and many more, he would hopelessly ask himself time and again, but he still hadn’t found an answer yet. He would continue to stare at the ceiling for what felt like an hour to him, until he suddenly noticed that it was unusually quiet. He could no longer hear any rain nor thunder. Big Mac turned to look out the window to see the sun out, the rainstorm over. He got up from his bed, getting on all fours and slowly walking over to the window. From his bedroom window, he can see the farm in all of its beautiful splendor; everything looked better after a rainstorm, especially during spring, he always mused to himself. The stallion then notices something odd on his window: a butterfly. It was a strange looking butterfly, one with pink wings and a blue body. He had never seen such a butterfly before, but he couldn’t help but feel like it was familiar. Curious, he slowly opened the window to let the strange butterfly in, only for it to get frightened and fly off toward Everfree forest. Rainy days; a pony could do a lot of thinking about their lives on these days, especially when they had nothing to do. Big Mac had no idea what the butterfly symbolized. Was it a sign? Who knew. Would the dreams stop? Maybe someday. Would he ever find out what they meant? Hopefully. But until then, Big Mac had a date with Cheerilee next weekend to look forward.
A Rainy Day MovieWritten by: KrazyTheFox Rainbow trotted through town, the light rain pelting her back as she flexed her wings. She’d just finished setting up that day’s storm and was enjoying the particularly pleasant Spring weather. While she had a harder time doing some of her more daring tricks, there was just something about the rain that got to her and lifted her mood. Taking a deep breath and savoring the petrichor, she took off and flew a small loop in the air before landing in a puddle with a large splash, whooping with joy. Today, she decided, would be perfect. The rain meant that Applejack would probably have nothing important to do, though she’d probably insist that she had chores to take care of. Rainbow snorted. That pony found just about any excuse to do work when she could. Except for when her friends would call on her to do something or when the world needed saving. And that’s exactly what Rainbow intended to do. There was this new movie out, ‘The Five Elements’ or something, and since Applejack had nothing to do (as determined by Rainbow Dash, herself), she was going to come with Rainbow to watch it. Rainbow quickened her pace, brimming with excitement as she neared the Acres. The fragrant apple blossoms mixed with the petrichor filled her nostrils; a smell she loved more than anything else. As she splashed through another puddle, the farmhouse came into view through the orchard. She shook her haunches and listened for the clink of bits in her saddlebags, making sure she hadn’t forgotten them. Yep! She was ready. “Hey, Applejack!” yelled Rainbow, standing under Applejack’s window. Applejack poked her head out of the window. “Rainbow? What brings you out here?” “You. Me. We’re going to see a movie!” “Rainbow, you know I have chores to do.” Rainbow waved her hoof. “Yeah, right. They’re not important. It’s raining and I know you have nothing to do.” “Excuse m—” “Nope!” interrupted Rainbow. “We’re going to see a movie and I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer. I’ll even pay for you.” “I suppose I could...” “Now come on and get down here or we’re going to be late!” Applejack sighed and gave Rainbow a little smile. “Alright, if you’re payin’ and all. Just gimme a sec to get ready.” She disappeared through the window and closed it. Rainbow paced outside the door of the farmhouse for a few minutes. When Applejack finally opened the door, Rainbow almost bowled her over in a big hug. “So, you ready?” Applejack returned the hug and tossed her hat onto her head. “Yep!” The two set off along the path, Rainbow stomping through a few more puddles along the way, earning some chuckles from Applejack. “Alright, Rainbow. Since you decided to drag me out of my home and into the rain to see a movie, what are we watchin’?” “Some new action movie that just came out. I hear it’s really good. ‘The Elements Five’, I think.” Applejack shoved Rainbow lightly and smiled. “I think you mean ‘The Fifth Element’.” “Yeah, that! Twilight said it was like a Daring Do movie, but in the future. And not Daring Do. But still good!” The two bantered back and forth on the walk to the movie theater and they arrived just as the rain had started to pick up, rumbles of thunder rolling off in the distance. They shook themselves off at the door and trotted up to the ticketing booth, Rainbow dropping a few bits on the counter. “Two for ‘Five Elementals’.” The attendant raised his eyebrow. “‘The Fifth Element’?” “Er, yeah. That.” Smiling at Rainbow, the attendant tore off a couple of tickets and slid them over to her. “Enjoy the film!” Scooping up the tickets in her mouth, Rainbow motioned for Applejack to follow. She deposited the tickets into her saddlebags and made her way to the concessions counter, Applejack close behind. “Hey AJ, you want anything?” “Hmm. Can’t go wrong with popcorn and some cider.” Rainbow nodded in agreement, paid for their food, and the two made their way into the theater, finding a spot in the middle of an almost empty room. “Ain’t seen an empty theater in a while,” said Applejack, settling into her seat. “Yeah, nopony comes around during rainy days. They don’t want to get wet on the way over. It’s really nice sometimes. Ooh, it’s starting!” The curtains drew apart and the lights dimmed, Rainbow digging into a hoof-full of popcorn. The movie opened up on a temple in the desert with a few explorer ponies studying the interior, eliciting a muffled, excited squeal from Rainbow Dash. “It is just like Daring Do!” About a half hour into the movie, the main character, Cobin, brushed the mare’s face with his hoof and Rainbow touched her own hoof to her face, blushing as she mimicked the action. Shooting a glance over at Applejack, she blushed a little harder. Wasn’t that the whole reason she took her on a ‘date’ in the first place, even if she didn’t know it? Cobin kissed the mare and Rainbow felt an intense longing. How long had it been? A couple years now, at least. After a short internal battle, she gingerly reached her foreleg in Applejack’s direction. Good, she hadn’t noticed yet. Holding her breath, her heart beating in her ears, she brought her leg to rest on Applejack’s shoulders. Applejack tensed and jumped at the unexpected contact. She looked at Rainbow, who was looking pointedly away, and relaxed, leaning in against the mare. Letting out the breath she’d been holding, Rainbow relaxed and pulled Applejack into a closer hug. The rest of the movie passed with Rainbow whispering about particularly exciting scenes and her squeezing Applejack whenever any romance was brought up, especially at the end. When the lights turned back on, the pair separated themselves reluctantly and made their way back outside and into the rain. “I have to say, that was a pretty good movie, Rainbow.” “Yeah, it was. Ruby was really weird, though. I’m not sure if I liked him or didn’t.” Applejack chuckled, sidling up close to Rainbow. “I hear you on that one.” The pegasus smiled and draped her wing over Applejack’s back, scraping at the ground with her hoof. “So, uh, AJ...?” “Yeah, Rainbow?” “Dinner?” “I’d love to, sugarcube,” replied Applejack, nuzzling Rainbow’s cheek. Rainbow really did love rainy days.
Rain, Rain, Go AwayWritten by: Lapison “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...” Applejack sang the old filly’s song, so softly that only she could hear it. Maybe it was a prayer. Maybe it was a plea. Either way, the heavens didn’t answer her. They never did. Applejack wished with all her heart that they would, but they stayed silent. She stared out the window, the glass reflecting false tears onto her face. In other times, the gentle roar of water falling from the sky would have been music to Applejack’s ears. Usually, it was the sound of life, of the earth and sky’s mutual bond. It was a symbol of a simpler time, a time when rain had been a sign of peace between both the powers of nature and the ponies that wielded it. But the world now was far from the world that she had known. Now, rain was something to be feared. The rain was no longer a friend. It was no longer on her side. The endless sheets of water were bleak, frightening even. Applejack winced at that thought. As much as she tried to brush it off, it always came back. Applejack had never realized just how much she had depended on the rain, or its absence, to do her daily tasks. It dictated just how much she could do that day. While she had never thought herself at the mercy of the weather, it was clear to her just how hamstrung she was by this endless torrent of water. Applejack’s eyes passed over the rows and rows of apple trees sadly. All that work, gone. Wasted by the rain. What hurt even more was that she knew that this weather was to be expected. The schism between earth ponies and pegasi had made sure of that. Like a thunderbolt from the blue. It had happened without warning, without preamble. A week ago, Applejack had been hanging with Rainbow Dash, their usual banter and retorts filling the air. She still remembered the promise Rainbow had made to help her buck apples the next day. But then Rainbow never showed up. She’d walked into town under a darkening sky filled with clouds, the weather matching the hurt and anger in her mind. There she heard the news. The bureaucracy in Canterlot had had an altercation over some stupid little issue or another. Despite the best efforts of Celestia and Luna along with some of the more level-headed officials, the sides had split evenly along the labels of earth pony and pegasus and neither side planned to give in soon. Plain speak? It meant that earth ponies and pegasi were no longer on speaking terms. Or at least, it meant that the snobs in Canterlot weren’t talking to each other. Along with Fluttershy, Applejack had laughed it off. Nothing like that could have split apart Ponyville. There was a sense of kinship, even of family in Ponyville, and it was ludicrous to believe that simple squabbles could break that apart. Unfortunately, fate had a different idea of the word ludicrous. The day afterward, Fluttershy had been called back to Cloudsdale without warning. She left just as the first drops of rain fell. There was no way that wasn’t a coincidence. Her last words to Applejack before she flew up into that wretched sky were, “If you can...forgive me. I never wanted this.” She paused as a thunderclap rumbled overhead, her teal eyes filled with sadness. “And neither did Rainbow.” And with that, she left, leaving only the cold slashes of the rain behind. It wasn’t just Fluttershy too; it seemed as if Ponyville had been abandoned to the coming storm by the pegasi. They’d been abandoned to both the darkening sky overhead and the absolute idiocy of the powers-that-be. That something so stupid as a quarrel between two powerful ponies could cause a unified town to fragment broke Applejack’s heart. That somehow this meant that she couldn’t be friends with pegasi smashed it to pieces. And the rain kept falling, its cold touch only worsening the wounds. It was as if the world had fallen apart. And given the tumultuous weather, it didn’t look to be putting itself back together anytime soon. ~~~ Rainbow Dash had always taken pride in her job as a weather pegasus. Everypony knew what it took to make a sunny day, and she usually got one or two compliments on how nice the day was. The first thing that any weather pegasus learned: the rainy day was just as important as the sunny day. It wasn’t as nice as the sunny day, sure. Rainbow didn’t expect any compliments for bringing rain. But rain was essentially the lifeblood of the earth. Without it, everything would wither. And now, they were using it as a weapon, a perversion of what the rain was truly made for. Second thing that any weather pegasus learned: too much of anything will offset the delicate balance of nature, blah blah blah. Rainbow didn’t really care for all that philosophy. The short version? Don’t have day after day of the same weather. It’s boring for everypony else, it’s tedious to set up, and it makes life crazy. But that’s just what Rainbow was being ordered to do. That’s what every pegasus was being ordered to do: to lay down an endless siege of rain over the entire land of Equestria. She gazed at the endless platform of gray that stretched across the sky. There’d been protests from a few of the pegasi. Celestia and Luna couldn’t be agreeing with this. There were family down there; it went against their morals to do this to someone they loved. And what about the land? Every single protest was shot down. Of course Celestia and Luna weren’t agreeing with this, but their magic, as powerful as it was, could not subjugate nature. The higher-ups really didn’t care if there were family down there; the earth ponies would give in soon enough, being pressured by the unicorns and the torrents of rain. And same argument for the land, and why wasn’t Equestria wet already? Any other protests were quickly silenced when the bureaucrats had threatened the pegasi who didn’t do their job with legal sanctions so complex, they’d never find their way out. And if there’s anything worse than the slow death of nature, it’s the torturous death by legal means. At least with nature, you can die relatively painlessly; the labyrinthine rules of law were agonizing to go through. It was blackmail, in its simplest form. Even if they were to rebel and refuse to obey their orders, they’d all be trumped up on pseudoreal charges and tossed in prison for Celestia knows how long. Sure, Celestia could pardon them, but there was always another way to slow down the process. Rainbow had never hated the job of weather pegasus so much. What they were doing was despicable, evil even: they were slowly killing the earth. And all because of a few stupid words. Rainbow still remembered the promise that she’d made to Applejack to buck trees with her. It seemed so far away. She kicked at the clouds angrily. Rainbow wanted nothing more than to go down there and help Applejack. To help the town that she lived in. It wasn’t in Rainbow’s nature to abandon her friends. Or her duty. But she couldn’t see any way out. There was no loophole she could exploit. No way to get past the endless layer of clouds that separated her from the world below. No way to stop the rain from falling. Rainbow whispered a song under her breath. Maybe it was a prayer. Maybe it was a plea. “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...”
WaitingWritten by: KartalTheWriter “Don’t worry about it, Rose! We’ll be there at two o'clock, sharp! We promise!” That had been Lily speaking. Lily always kept her word. Daisy, on the other hoof...well...she had the tendency to get distracted and not be completely on time, especially when it involved others and their plans. So here I was, wearing my best hair accessory and waiting under the awning at our favorite café. We had all planned to have tea together, since that’s something my friends liked. I had agreed, because it’d give me a chance to wear my new sparkly bow. Normally, I wouldn’t care for things like that, but I’d recently developed a hint of vanity after becoming a minor celebrity vocalist in Vinyl’s club. But that’s another story. Out of boredom I began scanning the menu posted on the outside of the café. Having woken up so late that breakfast became lunch, I was now beginning to feel hungry. The images next to the menu items were torture, each one more amazing-looking than the next. Even the sandwiches I’d normally never touch--potato salad--started sounding intensely appetizing. In fact, even that experimental tuna sandwich was delicious in my mind. I had no idea what tuna was but at that point its very name made my stomach growl. And with every growl, I grew even more impatient. Unconsciously I began running a hoof through my mane and fidgeting with my bow. That’s when it started raining. It wasn’t a gradual thing, either. It just came down, like somepony had suddenly turned on the shower. I looked up to the sky and saw Lightning Bolt and Sassaflash bucking some clouds violently. Those two were always so serious about their jobs it was almost comical. While I giggled endearingly at Lightning, I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic for Sassy. She had a wing condition she didn’t like to talk about that caused her to make a slight whistling noise when she flew, causing some ponies to call her “Wind Whistler” behind her back. Because of that she was always the most enthusiastic worker so nopony could ever suspect her condition held her back in any way. I knew this story because Sassy and I became friends over a sad song over in Vinyl’s club, and it turns out I’m not only a “great listener”, but also a “very understanding pony”. It only makes sense for the quiet ones to be the best at paying attention, right? Again, that’s a story for later. So anyways, I was standing under that awning, staring at this sundial and wondering why I couldn’t tell what time it was. I was doing this for a good long while too, which just shows how bored I got. So finally when I figured out you need the sun’s rays to cast an angled shadow to calculate the time on a sundial, I gave the sky another good hard look. Then I shook my hoof at it and muttered under my breath for a few moments. Despite not knowing the real time--due to the unhelpful darkness of the sobbing sky--I could feel the lateness of the hour creeping up. Being my usual punctual self, I had arrived at the scene exactly ten minutes early. Okay, so maybe it was only four minutes...late. Okay okay, so I was late to the meeting too, but it still didn’t excuse my friends taking so long as well! So in the end it was probably my own fault for being a few minutes late regularly, giving them permission to never show up on time. With a great heavy sigh, I sank down next to the wall. My sigh bounced off the walls melodically. For the first time, I felt the entirety of the space with my whole body. I sighed again, this time to hear the sound caress the walls gently. That was when I realized that this was truly a place to unleash the music of my frustrations. I sighed once more, this time more melodically, just one note to see what would happen. Then another, this one louder. Relief, intense emotional relief. Focusing my eyes on the falling rain, I inhaled a double dose of irritation. Exhaling beauty, I felt the new notes vibrate off my lips and into the walls framing the awning. With a lighter intake of breath, I acknowledged how very akin to singing in the shower this was. You couldn’t get perfect conditions like this just anywhere. Daisy laughed her shrill little laugh in my mind. It was that certain type of laugh that wasn’t so much loud, but piercing. I countered the sound with a lilting melody, mimicking that voice. Adding a couple of dissonant notes, I reflected on how annoying Daisy could be when she left me waiting. “I’m just going to go by one store and then I’ll meet you, okay Rose?” “Daisy, I’ve got a lot of work to do, today. Lily’s been waiting nearly fifteen minutes already. “This won’t take long, I promise!” “Daisy...” Subito forte, as the rain seemed to pound harder against the awning. My voice wailed with the thunder, pleasure at releasing so much emotion increasing its intensity. Perhaps it was a little dramatic. Decrescendo, and andante. “On the contrary, your voice is beautiful.” The dissonance resolved peacefully. “You’re looking very pretty today, Rose. Any special reason?” Lightning flashed, but the thunder was more gentle this time. I flinched all the same while my voice wavered slightly. “Well of course I want you to come! Why wouldn’t I?” Poco a poco rallentando. I allowed the last note to end briefly, as opposed to drawing it out needlessly. After the sound stopped, my heart was racing and my breath was coming fast. I hadn’t realized I was using so much staccato until it was over. As I caught my breath, I gazed out at the rain again. The thunder had all but faded out and I saw no lightning. Once again, I heard a voice in my head, this time Lily’s. “You know what my favorite thing about rain is?” And suddenly, I found myself leaping out from under the awning and into the downpour, eyes wide open.
A Talk Under the TreeWritten by: Therizzen “Well, this wasn’t part of the plan.” Twilight was barely audible over the pouring rain as it crashed into the leaves overhead. With an ocean soaked into her fur, Rainbow Dash snorted as she shook her body, jostling the waves loose. She scowled up at the sky through the little holes in between branches. “We should’ve left sooner,” she said. Twilight nodded, and the action sent beads flying to the ground. “Sure, we could have, and we were going to, but then a certain someone spied the team leaving and scrambled to get all the autographs she could carry.” Rainbow Dash unconsciously shifted her souvenir heavy saddle bag and tossed the unicorn a baleful glance. “Hey, in my defense, it was the Wonderbolts.” “But that’s a terrible defense.” The pegasus sighed. “Yeah, it is.” She plopped down onto her haunches, leaning against the rough tree as she slipped the bag off her back. It made a squelching noise as it landed. “Not that it matters anyway, they’re probably all wet and soggy by now.” Rainbow took a hoof and rummaged through the pack. Pulling out a limp, white poster she gingerly unraveled it, hoping the damage wasn’t too catastrophic. Her ears drooped. Webs of black ink spun down the Wonderbolt’s chipper face, and his trademark smile was tainted by an ugly smudge. It fell to the condemning ground with a groan, and in an instant the wind swept by and plucked it up. Within moments it was consumed by the hungry forest, lost forever. Rainbow didn’t watch it go. Twilight sat down beside the flyer, her own mane dripping onto the damp grass. She nudged her friend’s shoulder. “Hey, cheer up. It’s not like you don’t have plenty already. You’ll get some more next time.” Rainbow lifted her head, looking into her friend’s eyes. With a shiver she noticed it made her think of the rain. How unfortunate. “I know,” she said. “I’m just kinda bummed. Today was awesome. But this?” She gestured at the deluge around them. “Not so much.” As the rain tumbled out of the sky, leaking through the canopy above and dappling their already soaked coats, Twilight smiled. “Good.” Rainbow balked. “Good?” “Yes, good. I’m glad that you had fun.” “Oh...” She chose to ignore Twilight’s smirk and rolling eyes. Instead, she ran a hoof through her sodden hair and nodded. “Thanks for that, by the way. Usually I treat you guys to a show. It’s a... cool, the other way around.” Twilight smiled, and in the gloomy haze, it seemed so bright. “You’re welcome.” They both let the silence slip in, choosing to listen to the oddly symphonic sound of crying clouds. It was almost calming, and Rainbow found herself thinking that, while sitting under this tree was downright dreary, it had been a good day. And how couldn’t it have been? She had gotten to see the Wonderbolts. Spent the rest of her time wandering around Canterlot. And, smiling at her friend, she had had good company. A good day indeed. A stray thought jumped into her head, though, as she saw a leaf fall away from the tree and seat itself on Twilight’s horn. She furrowed her brow. “Hey, Twilight.” “Yes?” “Why aren’t you using your magic?” She quirked one of her eyebrows and looked around. “On what?” “Oh, I dunno, maybe the rain?” As if it wasn’t obvious. Twilight frowned at the pegasus, and then up at the roiling clouds. Her tail twitched. “I don’t think that would be very wise.” As the wind growled, it was Dash’s turn to look bemused. “Why’s that?” Sweeping her tail side to side, Twilight fidgeted, as if she was suddenly uncomfortable, and Rainbow cocked her head. She was about to speak, but eventually the mare seemed to settle, almost complacent. Almost. “There are things unicorns aren’t meant to interfere with.” “Like the rain?” “More like the weather in general.” Rainbow huffed. “Okay, you’re losing me now, Twi.” She grinned a small grin at that. “Probably the melodrama,” she said. She was about to continue speaking, but the wind picked up again, and the words were cut short by a fit of coughs. Rasping coughs. Rainbow Dash frowned. The wind was chillier, the temperature dropping. She hoped the rain let up soon. “Ugh, excuse me,” Twilight began, sniffling. “Where was I?” “Um, Twilight, are you okay?” Dash asked, concern seeping into her voice. Twilight waved her hoof dismissively. “I’m fine, just a bit of a cold. Now what--” “You were talking about unicorns and the weather.” “Right, right. Okay.” She sniffed again. “Well, you remember what we were taught in school, about the Old Ages?” Grimacing, Rainbow racked her brain, trying to think back and sift through the years and the ponies and, eventually, the classes. She had never been much of a history buff, preferring to sleep through the class and nettle one of her friends about it later, so she wasn’t entirely surprised when it came up nearly blank. “...Kinda?” "That’s what I figured.” “Hey!” Rainbow threw her a hurt look, and Twilight had the decency to act apologetic. She crossed her hooves. “The chapter made for a good pillow...” That caused Twilight to laugh. And then cough. And Rainbow found herself frowning again. Was she shivering? It was faint, a small trembling of the shoulders, but it was there. Without hesitation she sidled over and wrapped a wing around her troubled friend. Twilight tensed at first, but she sank back into the warm feathers, and her shivering slowly abated. “Thanks,” she said with a small sigh, a crestfallen smile on her face. “I was never much of a resilient child.” “It’s not a problem,” Dash said. “Not a problem at all.” There was silence again, save the constant rain, and Rainbow let her thoughts fill the void. She was used to the cold, she’d been flying in it for years, but not Twilight. She had a wing, maybe a prayer, and that was it. She had to get her mind of off it. She needed a distraction, but what? The answer was obvious, really. Twilight loved to talk, to discuss and teach, and it seemed to warm her up. And so she decided that yes, they would talk, talk under the tree and the rain, and under her feathers Twilight would be safe It would have to do, for it was all she had. Throwing on a smirk, Rainbow cleared her throat and spoke up. “Are you ever going to finish this story?” Twilight snorted. “At this rate, probably not.” She spied Dash’s withering glance, and she straightened up a bit. “But, point taken.” Shifting in her seat, Twilight took a breath. Rainbow had mixed feelings about that breath. It sounded like the beginning of every lecture she had ever heard. But she would bear it this time, just this once. It was worth it. She let it out. “The Old Ages, right? That’s when it happened, in the thick of the Great Pony War some two thousand years ago. The pegasi had become embittered by the unicorn’s constant success on the battlefield, and their numbers were rapidly declining with every other engagement. Duke Aveun, the pegasus monarch at the time, was furious. They say he was literally tearing out his hair trying to find something, anything at all to aid them. There wasn’t.” Twilight paused, letting the words sink in. Rainbow Dash blinked. “That is, not until she died.” “Who?” Twilight glanced her way, a grim expression on her lips. “His daughter.” The sky howled, and they jumped in fright. In a cutting lash of wind, the tempest swung down at them, and Rainbow squeezed Twilight closer, using her own body to shield the ill mare. When it was over, they sat with frazzled coats and disheveled manes, breathing heavily. Raising her eyebrows, Rainbow noticed she felt more dry, less wet. The rain was slowing. She almost smiled. It was stolen away as Twilight cleared her throat, covering a cough. “Well that was rude.” Dash chuckled, feeling lighter for some reason, happier. “You can’t blame the wind, Twi. It’s only doing its job.” Her mood faltered when Twilight didn’t respond. Twilight was silently gazing at the dark sky, a thoughtful expression painted onto her face. “I suppose that’s true,” she said. “But then who receives the blame, who tells it what to do?” What? Before Rainbow’s smile could spill into a frown, Twilight flicked her hoof, as if discarding the question. “Anyway, daughter, right? She died? Yes? Okay.” She spun her hooves, gesturing towards the sky. “It was up there where they fought, high on the clouds. She was being escorted by a detail of guards, making their way for the now fabled White Cloud hall. The unicorns had been waiting, preparing an ambush. The guards hadn’t expected it, who would? Unicorns couldn’t fly, nor could they touch down on clouds. At least, that’s what they thought.” Twilight gave Rainbow a sad glance. “As we’ve seen, they could. “They say it was supposed to be an easy mission: Subdue and apprehend. Completely routine. Unfortunately, this was their first operation in the sky. They didn’t know how the clouds worked, how they would crumble under prolonged weight.” Twilight sniffed, taking a breath of the mist laden air. “They had singled her out in an instant. There was a stunning spell, she was hit, and they just... forgot about her.” Rainbow Dash swallowed, glancing up at the calming clouds overhead. The grey puffs were slowly swirling in the breeze, almost deceivingly docile. She knew where this was going. An exhale grabbed her attention, and she looked back. Twilight was speaking again. “She laid there on the cloud, paralysed as the two factions fought, unable to call out or receive help. She couldn’t do anything as the white crumbled underneath her, and no one saw as she fell through the hole, spinning to the ground below.” She sighed. “A pegasus killed by the sky. She couldn’t even scream as she fell.” The air cooed in her ear, and Rainbow shuddered this time. It wasn’t because of the wind. No pegasus deserved that. No one did. “Of course, the duke was beside himself,” Twilight began. “A pegasus, his own daughter, attacked in her own sky? It was inconceivable. Unforgivable. Thousands mourned that day, and when the night came he flew himself up to his tallest tower, rage burning in his chest, and he screamed. He screamed at the sky, screamed of the atrocity, of the unicorns and their taint. Screamed that it do something, anything to make up for this horrible loss...” She worked her mouth, but the words didn’t come. She stood there, staring at the ground and the little green blades, lost in thought. Eventually, Rainbow’s query enticed her to resurface. “What happened?” She sniffed again, running her hoof over her nose, and looked to the heavens one more time. The droplets were coming down in the dozens now, the clouds were calm and quiet, and the wind was nestling into her hair like a friend. It was peaceful. It was perfect. It was not hers. “The sky listened.” The world whispered, and there was silence. With an explosive sigh Twilight stood up, dusting herself off with her damp tail. “Well, the rain’s stopped. We better get going.” Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat. “Wait... what?” She got up in a flash, following her friend back to the road. “That’s it? What happened next?!” Twilight chuckled, then she sneezed, and gladly snuck further into the wing Rainbow offered her. “You don’t need to know everything right away. Mysteries can be fun too,” she needled. “But you left it on a cliffhanger,” Dash moaned. “Those suck.” “Aw, is my little bookworm in training sad?” She grinned into Rainbow’s glower as she arched her hoof towards the forest. “You can always look at the trees. Applejack says their fun.” “We’ve been looking at trees for the past hour. Story. Now.” Twilight sighed as they reached the dirt path, and she shook her head, placing a hoof down and moving to the right. Back home. She couldn’t help but smile, though. Sure, the developing cold would vex her to no end, but it was a good day. Somewhere, a bird sang, and she nuzzled further into the warm feathers. A good day indeed. “Have you ever heard of curses, Rainbow?”
Big Mac’s Rainy Day or How he learns to stop worrying and started thinking about somepony elseWritten by: ADRNEL “Sorry that yer date got cancelled on account of weather,” comforted Applejack to her big brother, MacIntosh--called ‘Big Mac’ for short, trying to cheer him up. Big Mac lay on his bed, saddened that Cheerilee had to cancel their date because of an unplanned rainstorm. He looked out the window to see the rain pouring from the sky, soaking everything it touched. “Ah know ya’ve been looking forward to this date, seein’ as yer so busy on the farm an’ all,” continued the orange mare. Applejack was right, due to his hard work on the farm, he hardly ever had time to see his marefriend. The last time they went on a date together had been over a month ago. “I’ll tell ya what, when Granny comes back from the market, I’ll try to convince her to give yo’ a day off next weekend to make up fer the cancelled date. How’s that?” offered the mare to her brother. Big Mac just turns to her and gives her a grateful smile, his way of saying “Thank you,” without actually saying anything. He prefers not to say much, it makes things easier and more simpler that way. Applejack just smiles back. “Ah knew ya’d like that. Anyways, I’ll be downstairs if ya’ need me,” happily stated the mare as she trotted off out of her brother’s room. Happy to have at least cheered her brother up, while he returned to staring at the ceiling in deep thought. The sound of the rain hitting the roof of the farmhouse being the only noise he could hear. What Applejack did not know, was that her brother was having doubts about his relationship with Cheerilee; he had been dreaming about somepony else lately. It all began about three weeks ago, that’s when the dreams started. He couldn’t go a single week without dreaming about her, dreams that occurred on nights after a rainy day. Each dream got more daring and explicit than the last, and he hated himself even more each time after dreaming them. The dreams always started the same, he and the mare would be lying under a tree together, usually cuddling and talking to each other while keeping an eye on all the woodland critters and flowering plants that surround them. After several minutes, he and the mare, who he assumed at first was Cheerilee, would begin to kiss passionately, their tongues intertwining. He would then proceed to run his hooves across her body until he would feel something strange that proved it wasn’t Cheerilee he was kissing the entire time. That’s how the dream would end, with him waking up in his bed, breathing heavily and covered in a cold sweat. What does it mean?! Big Mac would scream in his head every time. Why was he dreaming about her and not Cheerilee? What were his heart and mind telling him? Why did they always happen on rainy days? These questions, and many more, he would hopelessly ask himself time and again, but he still hadn’t found an answer yet. He would continue to stare at the ceiling for what felt like an hour to him, until he suddenly noticed that it was unusually quiet. He could no longer hear any rain nor thunder. Big Mac turned to look out the window to see the sun out, the rainstorm over. He got up from his bed, getting on all fours and slowly walking over to the window. From his bedroom window, he can see the farm in all of its beautiful splendor; everything looked better after a rainstorm, especially during spring, he always mused to himself. The stallion then notices something odd on his window: a butterfly. It was a strange looking butterfly, one with pink wings and a blue body. He had never seen such a butterfly before, but he couldn’t help but feel like it was familiar. Curious, he slowly opened the window to let the strange butterfly in, only for it to get frightened and fly off toward Everfree forest. Rainy days; a pony could do a lot of thinking about their lives on these days, especially when they had nothing to do. Big Mac had no idea what the butterfly symbolized. Was it a sign? Who knew. Would the dreams stop? Maybe someday. Would he ever find out what they meant? Hopefully. But until then, Big Mac had a date with Cheerilee next weekend to look forward.
