It was the perfect day for writing. The Ponyville Weather Team, as they often times did, missed a couple of scheduled sprinkles and had to make up for it with a daylong shower. It was dark, gloomy and rather cold outside. Water poured off of the small homes and cottages around my own and trickled down the dirt street, creating two murky streams on either side. I didn't mind though, I was warm and cozy as I sat at my desk, the glow of a small lamp illuminating it. I didn't much notice the temperature either though. I was lost in my own thoughts, a quill surrounded by a periwinkle aura writing them down on the parchment in front of me. Every now and again a strand of my steel blue hair would fall over my eyes and I would quickly brush it away with my hoof, making me lose concentration. I would sit there for a moment, my eyes squinted, saying to myself "Come on, Dream. Come on," before returning to my writing.
I jolted at the sound of a loud knock on the door and soon after heard somepony yell, "Delivery! Anypony home?" I couldn't leave the desk quite yet. I had to finish the paragraph I was working on or the beautiful, moving words that had just come to mind would be forgotten. This time the yell was louder, "Anypony there?" I hurried, scribbling down the words as quickly as possible then threw down the quill and trotted to the door.
I opened the door to a forest green Pegasus, his fur an even darker shade because of the water which presently dripped off of it. Although it too was soaked through, it could be seen that his brown mane had been rather messy and unkempt before the water had touched it. What stood out to me though, were his face and eyes. His face was rather coltish or perhaps even closer to that of a mare's rather than the broader faces of myself and other stallions. His eyes were blood red. They weren't menacing though, not at all. He looked at me almost innocently but yet with pride at the same time. "Finally," he stated harshly, contradicting the innocent stare.
"Sorry for the wait," I said, realizing that it was my fault he was standing out in the rain. "I was a bit busy."
"N-No problem sir, its fine," he mumbled, his cold, wet body beginning to shake, seemingly shaking off any grievances as well. I levitated the package out from under his wing. "Ink and quills, sir."
"Thanks...why are you out delivering in the rain anyways?" I asked because it did seem rather odd. He could have just waited until the storm was over. That's what I would've done at least. "Can't you just wait until it’s done?"
"N-n-no sir, w-whatever the weather, I am sworn to del-deliver this package." he stuttered, a feeble hoof rising up to his forehead to form a salute, his body now shaking even harder.
The dedication to his job was very admirable, especially for something like delivering packages. "I wish I had that kind of drive," I thought to myself. That day was the first day I had written in quite some time. I always got distracted, wasn't in the mood, busy doing other jobs to support myself, or some other bad excuse.
"Well, thanks again," I said, smiling as I closed the door. It was time to get back to writing, I was actually in the mood to do it for once and besides, I had nothing better to do on a day like that. I couldn't though. As the door latched shut, the image of the shivering Pegasus returned to my mind, his innocent eyes staring into my own. I couldn't leave him out there in the cold like that. I quickly reopened the door just as he was turning to leave, his wings unfurled, preparing to take off. "Was that the only package you had to deliver?" I asked. His wings returned to his sides as he looked back at me. "Yeah, why?" he asked.
"Well, you can come in and dry off if you'd like." I said, smiling at him.
He sneezed before sighing, "Thank you," and trotted inside.
As he walked passed me, I noticed that his body was very slender, almost small compared to the strong wings I had seen extended just moments before. Coming to a stop, he shook his body and flapped his wings, sending droplets of water flying through the air, effectively getting myself and the floor around him wet. I backed away, trying to avoid the unwanted shower. As I placed the package on my desk, he turned to face me. "Um...want anything to drink?" I asked. "Something hot like coffee, hot chocolate-" I paused, watching those eyes of his grow wide, a sense of warmth and happiness in them. It was as if the mention of the hot velvety liquid brought back something nearly forgotten from his childhood, perhaps sitting next to the fire with his family after a day of playing in the snow on a frigid winter's day.
"Hot chocolate, please." he stated, smiling.
His smile made me begin to as well as I spoke, "Okay, I'll be right back. You can sit down if you'd like." I pointed my hoof at the old scruffy couch in the center of the room. It wasn't much, practically ancient, an odd faded brown color, almost tan. I only had it for a couple of years but bought it used. I loved that raggedy old thing though. It was soft, warm, and always cozy. I spent many nights reading there or just relaxing. Anyways, that's not really important. This story isn't about an old couch.
He plopped down and let out a large sigh as I left for the kitchen. I grabbed the kettle, filled it with water and set it to cook on the stove. I opened the can of cocoa and placed a scoop in it along with grabbing out two mugs. I tapped my hoof impatiently on the wooden floor beneath me. I hated waiting, especially when I had company. "How long has it been? It can't be fun sitting alone on a couch doing nothing. I hope he's not getting angry or something," I thought to myself. I watched the blue and orange flames lick the bottom of the faded silver kettle, their reflections dancing back and forth in the parts of it which still shone. Condensation would appear on the sides, soon to be evaporated by the heat and soon after to return once again. It was in those moments that I realized the Pegasus sitting out there on my couch was something special. I had just met him, didn't even know his name but somehow it felt as though we were connected. I felt a strange, tingling, longing sensation come over me. Something I had felt before but never so strongly.
The shrill, ringing whistle of the kettle quickly shook me from the almost hypnotic state. I placed a couple of powdery scoops into each mug, poured the steaming water over each mound, and began to stir as I levitated them out of the kitchen. My heart began to pound as I saw him leaning back on the couch, his hooves rested behind his head, the fabric around him soaked by his wet fur. I had no clue what to say. I gave him his mug and sat down beside him with my own. "This will definitely warm you up," I mumbled and laughed nervously. I quickly gulped down some of the hot liquid in an attempt to cover up my stupid little quote, failing to realize how hot it really was. I let out a small yelp of pain, nearly spitting my drink onto the carpet below. My cheeks flushed as he started to chuckle, a large grin on his face. "Hot!" I exclaimed, my cheeks now burning just like my mouth.
He sighed and took a sip from his mug, leaning back to relax once again. "Nice moves," he said, smiling. "Today's been pretty crazy."
"Why?" I asked, attempting to continue the conversation.
"I had to deliver so many packages, probably around a hundred," he stated but not in a bragging manor. "And that storm was horrible!" He shivered, either remembering his earlier excursions or because his fur was still slightly damp.
I was rather surprised that he was able to do all of that in one morning and started to wonder if his statement was completely true. I could feel my eyes widen slightly and my eyebrow rise as a spoke, “And you finished delivering already? It's not even noon yet."
He shrugged and said, "Well, I try my best to be quick, customer satisfaction, ya know?"
I took a sip of my still steaming cocoa and smiled, nodding my head before swallowing. "You sound pretty dedicated to your job," I complimented, still cautious of whether or not he was being honest. "Must be something you really enjoy."
"No not really, it’s okay but you gotta be dedicated no matter what," he said. I nodded my head appreciatively. I couldn't even stay dedicated to my writing for long periods of time, something that was my passion, my special talent, and here he was, the best of the best in something he didn't even enjoy.
"Wanna know what I really want to do?" he asked, shaking me from my thoughts. I nodded my head again. "Become a Wonderbolt!" A look of awe, inspiration, and complete joy came over his face as he said the word, Wonderbolt. Everypony has their dreams and seeing his made me smile.
It seems like being a Wonderbolt is almost every young, aspiring Pegasus' dream but that's completely understandable. Who wouldn't want a life filled with fame, exhilarating stunts, and heroic deeds? Not I, well, except the fame part. "Nice!" I stated, trying to sound somewhat impressed. "Looks like you have the skills for it."
"Yeah, I'm pretty fast." he bragged, nodding his head.
I figured I'd let him have his moment and besides, from what I'd seen and heard so far, he had to be fast. "Oh, I bet you are." I embellished. "I saw your wings when you were about to take off, they looked pretty strong."
"These?" he asked, slightly spreading them.
"Yep," I mumbled, gazing down at them. They looked amazing. I could feel my cheeks warming up and hoped it wasn't too noticeable. I like wings, okay? Anyways, let's get back on the subject. He slowly let them return to his sides, a smirk on his face. "And considering the fact that you delivered almost one hundred packages in the span of a morning is pretty impressive. Not only does that require speed but dedication."
"Thanks," he smiled an air of pride coming over him.
"So why haven't you gotten in yet?" I asked out of plain curiosity.
"Long story," he mumbled, shaking his head slightly. He raised his mug to his lips and gulped down the rest of his now lukewarm drink then set it atop the small wooden coffee table in front of us, creating a quiet thud. "I'm still kinda cold,” he stated in an attempt to change the subject. He shrugged and looked down at his almost air dried fur then returned his gaze to me. "Wanna hug?" I was shocked by the unexpected statement that had just come from hismouth. My entire body froze and I muttered incomprehensibly.
"Come on!" he laughed "It'll help warm me up and its a great way to say thanks."
"Alright," I mumbled, setting my still almost completely full mug on the table as well, then extending my hooves outward. He wrapped his hooves tightly around my chest then patted them against my back. I returned the gesture and wrapped my shaking hooves rather weakly around him.
"Don't be shy," he stated with another chuckle, rocking me back and forth.
I tried my best to relax a bit and in doing so, realized how tense I really was. "What's your name?" I asked, breaking the almost awkward silence. I had no idea how such a simple question had slipped my mind up until that point.
"Lightning Clash," he stated, continuing the hug. "Just call me Light."
"I'm Dreamscape, or Dream," I responded, slightly resting my head on his shoulder as I became more comfortable. Probably too nervous to notice earlier, I felt something cold, wet, and slimy in between his hoof and my back. "What...is that?" I asked, breaking the hug and pulling away.
"Oops," he said, looking down at his hoof and the unhardened mud caked around it. "I sunk into some mud while I was making deliveries and... I guess I sorta forgot to wash it off." He shrugged and let out a small laugh.
"Gross," I mumbled, peering over my shoulder and looking at the slimy, brown mess dripping from my fur.
"It’s not that bad," he said, a smirk appearing on his face, "here." He leaned over top of me and wiped his clean hoof against my back, smearing the mud around but successfully gathering the bulk of it.
My thanks was interrupted before I could get passed the 'th-" and quickly replaced by a wince as his hoof smacked against my face. I was shocked. I sat completely still, the muck from my back now clinging to my cheek, his laughter ringing in my ears. My shock quickly turned to anger as I realized what had just happened. I wiped my hoof against my face in an attempt to get at least some of the mud off before looking up and glaring at him. "Um, what'd you do that for?" I growled.
"It was funny!" he let out before bursting into full laughter once more. I continued to glare, unable to see the humor of it. As I watched him shake with laughter, his mouth turned upward in one of the largest smiles I had ever seen and those red eyes of his glowed with joy. I realized then, that he was just having fun and trying to keep both of us entertained. I chuckled and shook my head before admitting, "...Alright, it was pretty funny. You're fun, you know that?"
"Really?" he asked excitedly.
I smiled and said, "Yeah, really."
"Cool!" he responded before slipping down off of the couch and trotting joyfully into the kitchen. Still seated, I watched as he rinsed the mud off his hooves in the sink before grabbing the hoof towel next to him, wetting it, and returning. Before I had a chance to react, he put a hoof on either side of me, bent down, towel in his mouth, and rubbed the dirt from my cheek. The warmth of the cloth was rather soothing on cold day like that and as he rubbed my cheek, he rather unintentionally rubbed small tufts of his mane against my forehead as well. This combination of the warm damp cloth, soft mane tickling against my head, and I'll admit it, cute stallion being so close to me, made my cheeks light up. It's safe to say that they were probably as red as the apples on Sweet Apple Acres during Applebuck season. He was sure to notice this time, and he did.
He quickly pulled away and set the rag on the table before returning his gaze to me. In the silence of the room, over the quiet, pattering rain, I could hear my own heartbeat, hard and quick. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Unlike previous times, I was unable to tell by his eyes or the expression on his face. Did he think I was crazy? Did I make him uncomfortable? Was it...funny? As these questions raced through my mind, so too did the image of him bending back down and pressing his lips against mine.
Finally, he spoke. "You like me," he sighed. I nodded my head. I truly did, but what about this Pegasus made me fall for him so quickly? Yes, he was cute. Yes, he had a rather nice body. Yes, his proud but fun and caring personality was quite lovable, but there was something more to it than that. I had no clue what that main attractant was and still don't fully know to this day. "I get that a lot," he said after another long pause.
"I can see that," I mumbled hesitantly.
He slowly shook his head but his eyes stayed fixed on me. "I broke a lot of hearts back in school."
Why was he bringing up school? The thought of those horrifically awkward and insecure days sent a stinging shiver down my spine. "What?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"I'm gonna have to say no," he stated plainly.
And just like that my pounding heart came to a halt. I couldn't tell if that well maintained or at least fairly well maintained machine in my chest had stopped working or if it just barely clung to life, using the most minimal consistency of its beat driven pumps to keep me going. Was this it? Was reality soon to disintegrate from my grasp and leave a black void of nothingness in its place? At the exact moment in time, the prospect of such a thing seemed rather intriguing or at least an easy way to escape. Fate had other plans though, and the chances of dying of a broken heart are non-existent anyways. Even if some minuscule chance does exist, then it has to be one of the stupidest ways to die. Besides, I had just met him. How, in the name of Celestia, could a stallion who I had just met cause me so much grief?
I finally muttered a painful "Oh,"
"So, Dream," he said in an attempt to relieve the overflowingly awkward situation as he sat back down beside me, "what do you do for a living? I'm guessing by the cutie mark and the quills and parchment I brought, it must have something to do with writing or poetry."
"Yep," I answered with a nod, my heart grinding back to life. "I write."
He scratched a hoof against his chin, a smile appearing on his face. "Hmm, maybe you could write one about me," he said excitedly.
"Yeah, maybe," I laughed. As you've probably now discovered for yourself, I did end up making a story about him. I'm guessing it’s not at all what he originally expected, but oh well, beggars can't be choosers. "You'd be immortalized forever," I said, raising a hoof dramatically into the air for emphasis.
"Yeah!" he boomed. What he didn't know was that I was being completely sarcastic, it’s not like many ponies would read a story of mine anyways.
"So, what kinda stories do you write?" he asked.
"Well, all sorts of stuff, really. I'd say that my go to genre is romance though," I responded, letting out a sigh of relief which only I myself could hear. Talking about a topic that I knew so well like my life was very calming compared to the previous conversation.
"Pshh," he teased and stuck out his tongue. I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "Nah, but really, romance sounds pretty boring."
"You never know until you try," I said, levitating one of my clean, crisp first edition prints from the small bookshelf in the corner of the room and into his hooves, the description on the back facing towards him.
I smiled, watching his eyes glide back and forth across the small block of text. "Doesn't sound half bad," he admitted, taking his eyes off the book.
My smile transformed into a smirk as I said, "Maybe I can get you to like romance."
"Yeah, maybe," he mumbled, flipping the book open and eyeballing the first page. After a moment, he looked back up and asked, "Mind if I take this with me? I'll bring it back as soon as I'm finished.”
I nodded my head. "Just be careful, that's a first addition..." my voice lowered to a grumble, "not that it’s that important anyways."
"Cool, thanks. So, why romance?" he asked.
I paused, it wasn't because I didn't know that answer but rather because I wasn't sure if I wanted to deal with explaining it. Finally I spoke, "Well, my stories are always based on my dreams and aspirations, things I can never seem to get in my real life. Love...is something I rarely find and when I do...it just, ya know." I could feel the pressure and tingle of tears welling up in my eyes. It was not often that I let out my inner self to anypony, well, except in my stories. It was even more uncommon that somepony was willing to listen. I sniffled, sucking some recently liquified mucus back up into my nose and rubbed a hoof against my eyes to wipe away the tears. "I-I turn them into fiction...because I can always let the hero get what he truly wants."
By this point, warm tears rolled uncontrollably down my face, cooling off as they settled into my fur. Maybe I was being a bit over emotional, but it was a touchy subject. My sight sheathed by tears, all I could see was a blurry vision of my thighs which I sulked down at and all I could wonder was what the victim witnessing the site was thinking. I watched as suddenly, a forest green hoof came into vision and felt it press against my chin. Before I was able to look up at its owner, his muzzle quickly came down and pressed against my own. My cheeks flustered and I closed my eyes as I felt his lips wrap around mine.
I wrapped my hooves around his back and pulled him closer, pressing his chest against my own. All traces of sadness in my mind were completely forgotten and instead, it was filled with complete joy and bliss accompanied by a few racing thoughts and questions. I gently brushed my hooves through his soft fur as the kiss grew even deeper and then moved on to the fluff feathers of his wings. Even in such an elated state I couldn't keep at bay, the question of why this was happening. Just moments ago, he had confidently stated he wanted nothing of me but yet here he was.
He pulled away and stared into my eyes, a heavy hue of pink tinging his cheeks and the bridge of his snout. His gazing eyes were warmer than his body which still pressed against me. "L-ligtning?" I muttered questioningly.
"You were just so sad," he said quietly, a small smile appearing on his face. "I was thinking too, might as well give this a chance."
Even if I wanted to, which I didn't, there was no way of resisting the large grin that appeared on my face. "You definitely know how to make somepony happy," I breathed before nuzzling myself against his neck, deep into his fur. In return, he pushed my hoof from his back and wrapped his own around it. After a few moments he pulled his hoof away and used it to gently push me back upon the couch.
I watched as he glanced over at the window, water still streaming down it, and then returned his gaze to me. "I like to snuggle during storms like this and it looks like we've got a while," he said with a wink before plopping down on top of me, letting his hind leg dangle off the edge of the couch and wrapping his front hooves around my shoulders. He gave me another quick but loving peck on the lips before unfurling his wings and wrapping them around me. "This is gonna be nice."
As we lay there in one another's embrace, I couldn't help but be amazed. If it wasn't for me ordering quills and parchment instead of plodding down to the local store to get some because I was too engrossed in my work to leave (or perhaps too lazy and reclusive,) he never would've come to deliver them. If the Pegasi hadn't missed a few showers, the downpour of that day never would have happened. He never would've been soaked, cold, and shivering and I probably would’ve never been sentimental enough to let him otherwise. I never would have fallen for him. I never would have admitted it and that moment in which I was presently experiencing never would've happened. It's amazing to think that sometimes so many things can work together to bring something to you, perhaps by chance or perhaps by fate. It's also amazing to think that things so simple and regular like a delivery, a rainstorm, and a little bit of kindness could bring on something so major and life changing.
Some of you may want to know what happened after that. Perhaps that will be for another time because how can I end a story that has not yet ended?
