Hope in the rain

I slowly opened my eyes and immediately shut them again against the bright sunlight streaming through the cottage window. I felt...well, pretty great. I had slept dream-free for the first time in months. I felt as if my mind had been cleansed, the way only a good night's sleep could feel. With my eyes still lazily closed against the strong morning sun, I stretched. First my back legs, then my front legs, then my wings. My wings and my ribs were still a little sore, but only in a low, far-off way that let me know that the pain would be gone by noon. Opening my eyes a little, I observed the light green sofa I was lying on. The events of last night came rushing back to me, and I sat up quickly. I only vaguely remembered stumbling back into the yellow pegasus's cottage, wearily drying off my coat with a soft towel, and sprawling out on the couch. Did I even thank her? I didn't think so. I couldn't even remember if we exchanged any more words. I felt a little guilty.

My eyes quickly darted around the cottage. It was cozy, even more so than it looked on the outside. Small tunnels, animal hideouts, more birdhouses, and plants in vases seemed to be the main theme. It was very open and welcoming. My stomach growled loudly, interrupting my admiration of the decor. I slowly pulled myself off the sofa. I was longing to side with my hunger and search for breakfast, but my common decency was demanding that I at least find Fluttershy first. I didn't want to impose on her generosity any more than I already had, but I was hoping I could at least thank her. Also, maybe she knew where I could get started in Ponyville.

I searched the entire lower floor of the cottage, but she was nowhere to be found. Maybe she was still upstairs. I hardly thought it was appropriate to go wandering into her bedroom. I sighed in frustration. Then it dawned to me that she might be outside. She did have animals to attend to, after all. She also didn't seem like the type to sleep in late. I made my way through the front door, then stopped. Birds, around a hundred of them it sounded like, were trilling and singing gently. Of course I had heard birdsong before, but never like this. They weren't screeching and scolding each other, in nonsensical patterns. No, these birds were actually...singing. In perfect harmony. There was one particular bird that was singing slightly louder than the rest, with a clear melody. It was unlike any bird I've ever heard before. Curious, I made my way around the cottage to the garden, where the singing seemed to be coming from.

My eyes widened a little at the sight. There were indeed about a hundred birds perched in the trees, on rocks, and just wherever else they could comfortably sit. Curled up on the ground in the middle of them was Fluttershy, and she was singing along with them. She didn't look a bit out of place; on the contrary, she looked as if she was born to be there, singing with the birds. I smiled a little bit, even as my heart sank slightly. I yearned to know what it was like to know where I belonged. To have my hooves rest on just a small patch of ground that wanted my hooves to rest there. To have...friends. Again, a small voice whispered in the back of my mind. I squashed it, but I knew the voice would be back.

I cleared my throat, and just like that the spell was broken. The melodious birdsong shattered as the birds streaked off into the sky and bushes, and Fluttershy gave a squeaky gasp as she leapt to her hooves. She whirled around, saw me, and stared. Her eyes were wide. I expected her to bolt, but instead she relaxed and smiled. She began walking towards me.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized. "I didn't mean to scare away your birds."

To my confusion, she began to giggle. She put a hoof in front of her mouth as she did. "What?" I asked, a little annoyed before I realized that she wasn't laughing at me. She giggled some more, then cleared her throat.

"Oh...nothing," She smiled. "You just reminded me of the first time I met one of my friends. That's all. Did you sleep well, Rayne?"

"I slept great, thanks! It was so nice of you to let me stay with you. Thank you so much."

"Oh, it's okay. I'm very glad I could help. I'm just...I'm just sorry that I didn't let you in when you first knocked on the door. I'm...well, as you can tell I'm very shy," she finished, saying the last part a little softer than the rest as she looked at the ground.

"I understand." She looked at me with polite incredulity . "No, really I do. I don't really like to be around ponies much myself."

"Oh no, it's not like that," Fluttershy insisted. Her wings began to beat slowly and she gently hovered a few inches off the ground. She clasped her front hooves together and began wringing them back and forth. Her long pink mane covered half of her face as she turned her head and gazed up into the clouds. "I'm..well, I'm not very comfortable around strangers. But I have many close friends, and I love them very very much. I love to be around them."

"Oh."

She caught my tone and returned to the ground. She smiled and glanced down. "I don't feel quite as nervous around you though. Angel told me that you were a nice pony, and I believe him. You seem very nice. I don't think you'll be mean to me, so..."

"Of course I won't. You helped me when I needed help, why would I be mean to you?"

Dragging a hoof across the ground, she mumbled something. All I caught was something about "some ponies just are". Then she looked back up at me. She smiled and began walking forward, back to the cottage. "Would you like something to eat?" she called back softly over her shoulder. I nodded and trotted quickly until I caught up with her.

............................................................................................

Ignoring Fluttershy's whispered objections, I cooked breakfast for the two of us. I thought it was only fair and I hoped that I was able to at least return some of the kindness that she had shown me. We ate mostly in silence. She heartily complimented my cooking and daintily nibbled on toast, strawberries, and pancakes. On the other hand, I devoured seconds of everything and was finished before she was halfway through eating. I hated the fact that I looked greedy, but my rough journey from yesterday had left me ravenous. When she was finally through, she cleared the plates and followed me back into the living room.

"So, what exactly brings you to Ponyville, Rayne?" she asked as I curled back up on the couch. She folded her legs beneath her as she sat on a cushion on the floor. She shook her head as I jumped up. "Oh no, I like sitting on the floor. Please don't get up for me. Really, I prefer the cushion." I reluctantly sat back down. I pondered her question as I gazed out the front window.

"Well, I'm looking to start my future somewhere. I need to find somewhere to work. Start a career and such. Problem is, I don't really know what I want to do. And...I need money. I don't really have anywhere else to go. There's not much to do in Cloudsdale, unless you like working with the weather. Which I don't. I know that sounds weird for a pegasus..."

"Oh no. I know how you feel. I much prefer being on the ground, near my animals. So you're from Cloudsdale too?"

I shook my head. "No, I was born and raised in Fillydelphia."

"Oh my, that's a long way from here! You must have been traveling for quite some time," she whispered.

I closed my eyes. "About a year and a half now. I worked part time in a quill shop in Manehatten for a while, but I..got replaced." I didn't want to go into details on the reason. I had learned that when you get close to ponies, they usually had a knack for finding things out about you. And your family. "I went to Cloudsdale next, and when I couldn't find anything there I started asking around. Somepony said that I might be able to find something to do in Ponyville." I opened my eyes and turned my head around. I fixed my gaze on a rosebush outside the front window. I didn't want to look directly at Fluttershy. "They also told me there was a large library there with lots of books, and a very smart unicorn who lives there. They said that she was a student of the Princess herself, and one of the Elements of Harmony." I took a deep breath and hoped she wouldn't ask any questions. "I kind of have a problem back home, and I was hoping she might be able to help me."

I cautiously glanced back towards Fluttershy. To my surprise she looked delighted. "Why, that's Twilight!" she said happily. "She's one of my dearest and closest friends. Of course she will help you! She might also even know where you can get settled in here in Ponyville. We can go see her right away." Her smile fell a little bit. I could see some of her old, carefully reserved self creeping back. "Oh, whenever you want to, I mean..."

I stood up. "Now is fine. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. I'm sure I can find my way. You've done so much to help me already."

"Um...I want to come with you," she said slowly but surely. "I still feel a little bad that I didn't let you in last night right away. I want to prove to you that I really am a nice pony."

She honestly thinks that she still has to prove her kindness, I thought. Why else would she want to accompany me? Almost nopony ever wanted to get to know me better. Nopony who knew my family history, that is. But she won't ever know. Not if I can help it. I smiled. "I know you are. Thank you."

She opened her mouth. I think she was about to say something, but I interrupted her with a gasp of surprise. I quickly backed up a couple of feet when I felt something brush my legs. I glanced down and saw Angel Bunny. He narrowed his eyes at me and rapidly leaped into Fluttershy's waiting hooves. She giggled and gave him a quick hug.

"Be good, Angel. I'll be back later."

He promptly stuck his nose in the air and hopped back down on the ground. Like a flash he vanished. Snootiness aside, I could see why Angel appeared to be Fluttershy's favorite animal friend. He was her polar opposite, with his fearlessness and confidence. He rounded her personality out nicely and gave her what she could not give herself, as I'm sure she did for him.

Fluttershy began walking towards the door. I walked beside her, grateful that she didn't suggest that we fly instead. My wing didn't hurt too badly, but I didn't want to push it. I liked to fly, but walking was just as nice. Once or twice I caught her glancing at my flank, and I knew that by now she had to have noticed the lack of cutie mark. She either didn't find it odd or was too polite to say anything. I knew that sooner or later the subject would come up, if not with her then certainly with one of the other ponies that we were bound to meet today. I was also beginning to think that maybe Twilight knew of any other ponies that had reached adulthood without earning a cutie mark. I certainly had never heard of them. I was the first anypony had every seen go this long without a cutie mark, and it only added to my lifelong loneliness.

For about ten minutes we chatted as we walked. She was really starting to warm up to me, and I could see her true personality beginning to blossom forth. I mostly listened as she talked. I didn't mind. She talked about her animals, her Ponyville friends (I had a hunch that this Pinkie Pie would especially be interesting) and the adventures that they shared together. My jaw dropped when she casually mentioned that she, along with the rest of her friends and Twilight of course, was also one of the Elements of Harmony. I had a pretty good idea which element she represented too.

"Look, that's Ponyville!" she exclaimed, although softly. Almost everything that she said came out soft and gentle. We were crossing a bridge, and I could in fact see Ponyville. It was a small town, and ponies of all colors and types were briskly going about their daily business. I could see a few pegasi clearing the clouds, but as it was a relatively clear day they were going about it in a very lazy manner. I saw one pegasus in particular, a light gray mare with a blond mane and tail and very peculiar crossed eyes, turn around in midair and start flying backwards as she enthusiastically waved to Fluttershy. Fluttershy waved back and gasped when the gray pegasus crashed into a tree. She sighed with relief as the pegasus promptly shook herself off and flew back into the sky, obviously unharmed.

"That's Ditzy Doo," Fluttershy said in a low voice. "She's very nice. Most of the other ponies call her Derpy. At first I thought it was a little mean, but she doesn't seem to mind. I suppose if it's good enough for her it's good enough for me. Oh look, there's the library!"

She pointed her hoof at a very large tree/building near the edge of the town. I swallowed back the fear that was slowly threatening to creep back in. I was having second thoughts about asking Twilight for help after finding out that her and Fluttershy were such good friends. It was strange, but I was beginning to care about what this shy yellow pony thought about me. I wondered if this Twilight could keep a secret? Only one way to find out, I supposed. I took a deep breath and followed Fluttershy to the library entrance.