I had to land now; I had no choice. The wind was pushing at my body mercilessly and pulling me off course. I had to keep fighting to continue flying in the right direction and my wings were exhausted. I wasn't even sure I was still headed the right way, the rain made everything seem blurry and I only vaguely knew where Ponyville was. I could barely see my hooves stretched out in front of me. I was silently cursing myself. I was just in Cloudsdale, why in tarnation why I hadn't asked somepony what the weather schedule was? Stupid weather. I made a mental note that I would always pay attention to that sort of thing from now on. My wings were now aching unbearably. I had to find a good place to land, quick. Squinting through the downpour, I could see brown peaking between the dark green of the forest trees. A road. Thank Celestia.
I cautiously began maneuvering myself down, still fighting against the wind that was struggling to push me to the right. I was almost to the ground when a sudden strong gust threw me to the side, flinging me against a nearby tree limb. I bounced off it and landed on the road with tremendous force. I sat there, dazed, my vision blurring a bit with tears of pain. Carefully picking myself up off the ground, I limped to the semi-shelter the tree offered. Rain was still falling through the gaps between the leaves, but it wasn't so bad. At least I could see better now. I began inspecting myself for injuries. I stretched, looked at my hooves, my body, and my wings. All seemed okay. The pain in my side and wings was already fading. I breathed a sigh of relief. It could have been much worse.
I curled up underneath the tree, gazing out in front of me where the road stretched on. It crossed my mind that I could just stay here for the night, but the ground was hard and I was really hoping for a soft bed. I decided that when the rain slowed down a bit, I would continue on. The road might not lead to Ponyville, but it would lead somewhere.
My mane was already beginning to dry. I absentmindedly ran a hoof through it. I liked my mane. It was my favorite feature, the only part of me I physically liked. It was pure white, with streaks of cyan twisting through it. It had the perfect amounts of volume to it; when it wasn't damp with rainwater, of course. I wished the rest of me was pretty too. I glanced down at my body. Slate gray, but when it fully dried it would return to the light/medium gray it normally was. My eyes focused on my flank. My blank flank. I blew a sigh and looked away, back towards the road. What did I expect, to get my cutie mark flying through rainstorms?
I closed my eyes, the old familiar pain threatening to return. I was a young adult mare, most little fillies had their cutie marks. Would I ever find out who I really was, what I was meant to do? All my life I seemed to be lost. Maybe that was my special talent. Being lost. I chuckled a little.
About twenty minutes went by before I realized that the storm wasn't going to die down any time soon. On the contrary, it seemed to be gathering strength. The rain was beginning to cascade down even heavier through the partial shelter of the leaves. I gathered up my resolve and stood. Hopefully there was a town, or at least an inn, nearby.
I mentally braced myself and took off down the road. The water was cold, and lightning was flashing through the sky. If there was any thunder, I didn't hear it. The wind was howling through the trees, my blood was pumping in my ears, and the thundering of my hooves on the road was loud. My body began to ache again and it was getting hard to catch my breath. I wasn't lazy by any means, but neither was I exactly an athlete.
After about ten minutes or so I squinted my eyes. I saw right. There was a light glimmering ahead through the downpour. I smiled with relief. Probably not a town, as there wasn't that much light, but at least a house. Maybe I could at least find out if I was on the right path to Ponyville.
My sides heaving, I finally reached the path leading up to the dwelling. I slowed to a walk and began making my way to the entrance. Not really a house, but a cottage of sorts. It looked cozy even in the storm, with lots of windows. Brightly painted wooden bird houses hung everywhere, and from where I stood I could see a stream, a chicken coop, and a garden surrounding the cottage. Obviously animal friendly. I smiled a bit. I liked that in a pony; I was an animal lover myself. I decided that if I was ever able to settle down, I would want a little cottage like this one.
I reached the door. I thought that whoever owned this house, they might invite me in, and I quickly shook the water off myself. I knocked on the door and waited. There was no answer. I caught movement out of the corner of my eyes and saw somepony peeking out of the left-side window through the curtains. I smiled and waved. The big blue-green eyes grew even wider, and the pony ducked down out of sight. I waited patiently for an answer, or for the door to be opened. Nothing. Slightly annoyed, I knocked again.
"Hello!" I called. "Is anypony home?" Even though I already knew the answer, I knew it was only polite. There was still no response, even though I could hear shallow, frantic breathing behind the door. My annoyance was quickly replaced by disappointment, and the old familiar sadness. Why had I expected any different? Nopony had ever really wanted me around. Except for...no. I immediately squashed the memories that were threatening to well back up.
If it weren't for the weather I would have left then and there. But the wind was gaining strength, and I could finally hear the thunder booming in the sky. I didn't want to risk getting back in the road, and I didn't want to sleep under a tree.
"Hello?" I shouted again. "Please, if anypony's there,I think I'm lost, it's storming, and I need a place to sleep!" Still no answer. I growled a bit in frustration. "I saw you in the window!" I yelled.
This time there was a response of sorts. I heard a small squeak behind the door. But I heard nothing else. Resigning myself, I turned around. Then I caught sight of the chicken coop behind the cottage, behind a small fence. It looked small, but comfortable and dry enough. Worth a shot. "Can I at least sleep in your chicken coop, please?" I called.
I heard the squeak again. Close enough. If there were any repercussions, so be it. I needed to get out of this rain. I began to run again as thunder crashed loudly in my ears and the rain fell harder than ever. I galloped through the grass, quickly opened the gate, and rushed into the coop.
I was worried about it being too small or dirty or cold, but to my surprise it was very comfortable. There was a little lantern hanging from the ceiling. It gave off just enough light. It was warm, and the roof didn't leak at all. There was plenty of room to move around. The chickens were all sleeping peacefully in their nests. I glanced around and saw a little pallet at the back of the building. Apparently whoever owned these chickens sometimes slept in here with them. I smiled. I couldn't be mad at somepony who apparently took such good care of their animals.
I curled up on the blankets, thankful for the pallet. It wasn't exactly a warm bed, but it was close enough. I closed my weary eyes, which immediately flew open again as I felt something kick my side. I gasped in surprise and quickly drew back. I didn't see anypony standing there and looked down instead. There was a little white bunny standing on his hind legs, with his front legs perched on the edge of the blankets. There was open hostility in his little black eyes.
I cleared my throat and tried to smile. "Um..hi there, little bunny. I hope you don't mind me sleeping here for tonight." The bunny cocked his head and looked at me. The hostility was slowly leaving his eyes, but he didn't look away, and it was obvious he wasn't in the least bit afraid.
"Am I in your spot or something?" I asked. I didn't find it weird that I was talking to a rabbit. I was always speaking to animals. They didn't exactly understand me, but it was still comforting. Animals usually didn't judge, the way ponies did.
The bunny came a little closer, and he seemed to be sniffing me. Then, as quickly as he appeared, he took off and disappeared through the doorway and into the rain. I lowered my head back on the blankets again, resigning myself to a lonely night. Even though he startled me a bit, I was kind of looking forward to the bunny's company. I wasn't a very social pony, but neither did I like to be alone for long periods of time.
I closed my eyes again, hoping it was for the last time tonight. My mind began to drift and take on that strange dancing quality of half-sleep. I was imagining my mother, whom I loved dearly but had always seemed strange to me, constantly preoccupied, like she was half-dreaming herself. I knew why she was the way she was, of course. I sighed a bit. I really hoped that I would be able to find a solution in Ponyville.
I wearily opened my eyes again as a noise lifted me out of my thoughts. Probably the bunny again, although he hadn't made any noise when he came in the first time. I lifted my head, and I saw that it was the bunny, although he hadn't made the noise. He was accompanied by a slender, light yellow colored pegasus mare. Her long pink mane was soaked with rainwater. She was shaking slightly, though with the cold or with something else I couldn't tell. Her eyes were glued to the ground, and right away I could tell she was extremely nervous. She whispered something and then cringed a little as the bunny kicked her hoof. She cleared her throat and slowly brought her eyes to mine.
"Hello," I said gently. She squeaked, then mumbled something again. The bunny glared at her and she swallowed.
"Um...hi," The pegasus said quietly. "Um...I'm sorry I didn't answer you before. You...startled me."
"It's fine. I didn't mean to bother you. It's just, I'm lost and this storm is pretty bad," I added.
"Yes, it is," the yellow pony agreed. "It's okay if you sleep in here, but Angel Bunny told me that he checked on you and you seemed very nice."
"Did he now?"
"Oh yes," She said quietly. She smiled as she gently patted Angel. Her eyes softened a bit. "He's very good at knowing if a pony is nice or not. I trust him." She turned her head back to me. She was still nervous, but this time she smiled a little. "Um...I have a sofa you can sleep on in my cottage, if you think that would be a bit more comfortable. And some food, if you want..."
She squeaked a bit and backed up as I stood. She was obviously terrified of strangers. I decided I had to be a bit more gentle around her. "That would be great. Thank you so much. I'm headed towards Ponyville, is that near here?"
"Oh yes," she replied with a small smile. She seemed to be relaxing slightly. "It's not far from here at all. About a ten minute's walk."
"That's great!" I said enthusiastically. "I guess I'm not too lost after all."
She turned and began to make her way to the doorway. I saw her flank and noticed her cutie mark was three pink and blue butterflies. I wondered if she had noticed my blank flank and decided it didn't matter. I began to follow her. "Oh!" she gasped. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. My name's Fluttershy. What's your's?"
"Rayne Cloud. But you can just call me Rayne," I answered. Her name really suits her, I thought.
"It's..it's nice to meet you, Rayne." She smiled through the curtain of her mane. She walked out of the doorway and I followed her back into the rain.
Author's Note
This is my first ever fanfic. Please read and review! Like I said I'm new to this, so any feedback is greatly appreciated.
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.
