Rainy Day
Raindrops looked up from her coffee dourly, trying to avoid eye contact with the energetic mare opposite her. Seafoam has insisted that she spent her day off with her, shopping in Canterlot to relieve the stress that had been piling onto her ever since she dropped a piano on the head of Celestia’s star pupil. It wasn’t helping that Seafoam was so cheerful about this whole affair and had quite nearly crammed Raindrops into a variety of summer dresses.
“... word is they’re going to be expanding the harbour! It’s about time! We’ve even had to turn away some of the frigates from Glyph because there isn’t enough room in the dockyard! Imagine that! I mean, our ship is perfe- Raindrops, are you alright?” Seafoam looked over the table with concern, extending a reassuring hoof. “Remember what we said? Today’s supposed to be happy! C’mon, forget about Ponyville for a while!”
“Easy for you to say,” Raindrops muttered, looking away. The warm glow of the cafe’s lamps provided a nice contrast to the torrential rain outside, and the heat radiating off the coffee machines at the counter filled the shop with a toasty atmosphere of crushed coffee beans and occasional blasts of warm, scented air. Although she loved the rain, she likened the weather outside to a small tornado at the very least.
“Well... the weather isn’t quite what I was expecting, but at least there’s no lightning!” Seafoam finished cheerily, playfully poking Raindrops in the shoulder. The pegasus smiled weakly and nodded as she drained the last dregs of her latte, trying to block out the negative feelings that had followed her from Ponyville. “So, where are we going next? I heard there’s a market in town, but I can’t see many ponies staying out in this weather...” she said thoughtfully, raising a hoof to her chin.
Raindrops didn’t reply for a few seconds, instead gazing out of the rain-pelted window. “I could just stay here all day...” she sighed, feeling the stress ebb out of her. She loved the sound of rain and the sweet, earthy smell that accompanied it.
“C’mon Rainy! We can’t sit here all day! We’ve got stuff to do, places to be, things to see!” If Seafoam were any more enthusiastic she’d probably explode in a shower of sheer excitement and extremely surprised barnacles. Raindrop’s mouth quirked at the notion, eliciting a frown from Seafoam. “Raindrops? Are you alright?”
“Uhh... yeah! I was just thinking; maybe the museum would be interesting?” Raindrops had suggested the location purely off the top of her head, but when she paused to consider it... yeah, she really wanted to go there!
“Are you sure? I mean, there’s so much to see here!” A few seconds went by before she noted Raindrops’ expression. “I- I mean, yeah, the museum here is supposed to be great too!” Raindrops rolled her eyes, a wry smile crossing her lips. Seafoam wasn’t the most socially attuned pony, but she had a kind heart and a kinder mouth. Most of the time, anyway. The two ponies quickly donned their raincoats and trotted out onto the street, collectively yelping as the fierce weather pounded them.
“M-maybe we should... hurry up?!” Raindrops shouted, voice carried away by a strong blast of wind. She shouted again and was finally acknowledged as Seafoam nodded her head. They trotted down the street, passing other drenched ponies battling the torrential rainstorm battering the city. Although it was humorous to see the noble Canterlot elite with their sodden robes flapping around like their unkempt manes, she couldn’t hang around to laugh at them.
She fought the instinctive urge to leap into the sky and try to assist the Canterlot weather team with taming these unruly thunderheads. In Ponyville, every weathermare and stallion watched each other’s backs, helping out even if they were off-shift. Still, she realised that Canterlot would lack that friendly rural community spirit, and Seafoam would certainly not be happy if she was left in the middle of the street waving a hoof angrily at the yellow streak blasting into the sky. With that thought, she quickly turned her attention back to the street and-
Whoosh! The startled pegasus tried to leap backwards from the blast of water cascading through the air towards her, thrown up by a hastily-passing carriage. “Get back here, you spineless pigeon!” she shouted angrily, brushing her soaking wet mane out of her eyes. A reassuring hoof landed on her shoulder, calmly but forcefully steering her into a nearby doorway.
“Raindrops! I saw you thinking about chasing that carriage down!” Seafoam chided, her own mane dripping with water. The momentary flash of anger subsided, and Raindrops let out a small, shaky laugh. Her coat was soaked through. The various sediment and gutter water would undoubtedly mar her usually well-kept fur. Still, there were more important things to worry about!
“Weather’s pretty wild out there, huh?” She giggled and pointed at Seafoam’s ridiculous wind-blasted mane. “So, where are we? Where’d you drag me to?” she asked as the unicorn tried to smooth down her mane with embarrassment.
“We’re here, silly!” she replied, waving a hoof towards the big banner draped across the entrance hall. Raindrops gasped. All around, all she could see were the rich reds and purples splashed across various exhibits and displays, colours that were only displayed for... “The Crystal Empire Exhibition,” she breathed in awe. “I- I read about it in the Foal Free Press but I didn’t think this was here for another few weeks!”
“You silly mare!” Seafoam laughed, pushing her companion away from the doors as other soaked ponies rushed in to seek shelter. “I thought that was why you wanted to come here!” Raindrops ignored her, instead trotting further into the atrium. All around her were glittering Crystal relics and artefacts donated by the Crystal ponies, and even a few of them giving tours and explanations. The atmosphere in the museum was much more subdued than the watery chaos of the street outside so it only took Raindrops several minutes to calm down from the ordeal.
“Wow, just... all of this is brilliant!” she said happily, trying to figure out where to start first. There was so much on display, so many things to see and do, that she didn’t notice Seafoam laughing to herself.
“Rainy, maybe we should start by getting a guidebook or something?” Oh, yeah. Seafoam rolled her eyes, trotting off to purchase one from a stall while Raindrops looked around the atrium with foal-like awe. The place even smelled like a museum, with the scent of thousands of years of history permeating the air around her.
“So, first time here in Canterlot?” a voice enquired from next to her. Raindrops wheeled around, finding herself face-to-face with the Canterlot noble she’d been giggling at earlier, out in the storm. Strangely enough, his voice was much gentler and softer than she’d first imagined. Maybe it was the look of misery and complete disapproval at the abysmal weather surrounding him that had given her the first impression of a grouchy, elitist unicorn, as was frequently associated with the city.
“U-uh... yeah, I came h-here with a friend from Ponyville,” she stammered nervously, not quite sure how to respond. Had he seen her giggling at him in the street? Did he just notice her and want to say hello to her?
“I thought so. You country folk always look so gormless when you visit our city for the first time,” he replied nonchalantly, trotting away. Raindrops stood in the same place, a look of shock on her face. ‘What... what just happened?’ she thought, still reeling from the casual insult.
Seafoam trotted back over, giggling to herself. “Here five minutes and already chatting with the locals, Rainy?”
Raindrops was speechless, mouth trying to deliver words but instead making silent, confused motions. “I... I don’t even know what that was.” Seafoam stifled another burst of laughter, pushing the small guidebook into Raindrops’ hooves.
“C’mon Rainy, you’re the one that wanted to come here! Are you going to get started, or just stand here in shock that a stallion spoke to you?” Raindrops protested, but Seafoam was already trotting off to the first exhibit.
“Well, I guess nothing’s gonna change her mind about that,” Raindrops grumbled, trotting after her companion. Here she was, trotting around one of her favourite places, and all she had to do was bear Seafoam's upbeat attitude for a few more hours. Surely it wouldn't be too much of a burden?
"Rainy, come and look at this!" It'd work great as a locker for the ship! Those crystal ponies sure knew how to decorate with style." It only took one glance at the priceless Peridot Prophecy lockbox for Raindrops to realise she was in for a long day.
