Pluviophile

Rain rain go away

come again another day

I recalled the tune as I walked down the roads of Ponyville, enjoying the lack of company. All the ponies stayed inside when it rained, and I really appreciated that. It was one of the only times I could really be myself. I could always be myself in the rain.

I enjoyed these moments, I cherished them with all my heart. I keep them, and remember them in times of sorrow. Gosh how I love the rain.

I closed my eyes, and listened to it's beauty.

I could hear the water running down the streets beside me, making that distinctive trickling noise that came with all streams. The volume and pitch varied depending on what the rain had made contact with. I heard the pools of rain building atop the roofs of houses spilling down onto the patios of homes, hitting brick as the spillage made it's way down.

The spillage's impact with the ground was violent, yet gentle. I could hear the explosiveness of the water, imagining it spraying everywhere creating an everlasting mobile crater that was supplied by the rain.

I listened harder.

I could hear the sounds of water hitting plant matter. It sounded soft and more passive then the immobile ground. I imagined the the rain, softly gliding down the leaves, as if to catch the rain from exploding as does when hitting the brick.

The acoustics of the rain, were titillating.

But nothing could drown out the sound of the raindrops hitting the road. That sound, that distinct marvelous sound. The entire collection of the constant pattering of raindrops hitting the ground, reverberating through the moist air. It was like a roar and it followed me everywhere. When you think of rain, that's the sound you think of. That's the sound your trying to imitate as your teacher asks to pat your hooves gently on the carpet in your days of kindergarten. That's the sound, that makes me smile. The sound of rain.

I opened my eyes with the biggest grin on my face. The rain was amazing. It was awe inspiring. It makes me want to laugh, cry, and dance all at the same time.

I remember the first time I felt the rain gloss over my face. I was a little filly at the time, back when I used to live in Cloudsdale. Our school was going down to the surface for our bi-monthly field trip. The subject was biology.

We brought a questionnaire and surveyed the surface wildlife. Most kids didn't do anything productive, they just poked around and only sought to cause ruckus among the animal life. I just clung to the teacher and hoped it would all end soon.

It never rains in Cloudsdale, obviously because all the actual raining happens under Cloudsdale, which was part of the reason I moved to the surface.

It was lunch time and all the fillies and colts were playing freeze tag. I just sat there with my teacher. Not really talking, just being around him. I just didn't want to be with the other kids, I found their bantering irritating.

Then, I felt a drop. I thought somepony was drooling on me from above, but I could only see the cloudy grey sky as it's shade covered as far as the eye could see. I continued staring up. Wondering if maybe it would happen again.

Then, another drop fell onto my left cheek. I flinched in response to it's cold touch, but still I looked up at the sky. I was curious, but also mesmerized. I didn't question what was happening, I felt I just had to let it happen. Whatever it was.

I was immersed into the moment. I had never felt anything like it. It started with a few drops, before transforming into a constant drizzle. It felt cold at first, but as it continued to rain, it felt like a warm blanket wrapping around everywhere it touched. I reached out my hoof and felt it's warmth. It felt amazing, like the soft touch of some angelic being.

I got up on all four hooves when it really started to come down. I could see in the corner of my eye some kids freaking out over the crazy phenomenon. Not me, I felt alive. The teacher was laughing behind me. I looked over to him and started laughing too.

"It's just rain fillies and colts! it won't hurt you! Follow me under the tree if it really bothers you!" Cried the teacher.

I looked back at the field. Some kids went flying to the tree in a hurry while others just continued to run out in the rain, continuing their games. I looked over to the sky, then back at my teacher. He gestured to me, nodding his head. I smiled contently and ran as fast as I could through the rain. I flew up into the air, letting the rain envelope me as I flew through the sky. I felt alive, I felt like myself. Some ponies joined me, and we danced in the air. Like multicloured leaves soaring through the wind. Us the paint brush, the air our canvas, and the rain our spectator. It was glorious. I felt alive, and I felt like myself. Free from the tethers of reality. Free from anxiety and introversion.

I imagined myself, flying up into the air, trying to recreate that sensation I felt oh so many years ago. I felt it every time. I felt free, every single time I flew into the rain.

I finally grounded myself back into reality, taking a look at my surroundings. The rain made everything look so beautiful. Everything had this sheen of brilliance that made the world pop up. Dry rocks, turned into sparkling spectacles. Once dull leaves on trees, glimmering with radiance in what little sunlight had gone through the clouds.

The puddles were like distorted mirrors., taking a picture of the sky before changing it around to their liking.

I chanced upon a small tree that was planted on somebody's yard. The once immobile organism had been given new life as it's small, yet mighty, branches swayed gracefully with aid from the storm's winds. I watched it dance back and fourth before I too joined in it's dance. We danced together in the rain.

I like to think that the tree was only able to dance for the same reason I was dancing. Because there was no one around. I felt lucky to be one of the only ponies to witness it's dancing. Like it could reveal itself to me. Like it trusted me. The thought made me smile.

As we danced in the rain, thunder boomed from the distance. Normally, I wouldn't be phased, but because I was so immersed in the moment, I staggered forward and tripped. Expecting mud all over my snout, I instead found myself in the branches of the tree.

I grazed my hoof along the branches, feeling it's damp texture. I took a deep breath in, smelling the intense petrichor and almost getting a high off of it. Oh the petrichor. It was one of her favorite characteristics about the rain. That smell, that breathtaking smell. Words, could not describe it. I loved it.

I pressed my face against the trunk of the tree and hugged it tightly, taking deep breathes to soak up all the Pretichor. It wasn't too big to tower over her, but it was just enough for her to just barely hug around it.

I used to be an instructor for cloud production back in Cloudsdale. I got the job because it was what everypony said I was supposed to do. My cutie mark was rain, so my destiny therefore was rain production. But I knew, right from the get go that I would feel dissatisfied with my job. I didn't want to make rain, I wanted to experience it. I wanted to look up at the sky and feel it touch my cheek like it did when I was a filly, but the only way that would happen, is if I were to go to the surface. That was impossible, I could never have a life on the surface. That was, until he came.

Me and a couple of my gal pals at the time got free tickets to the Wonderbolts show as an added bonus to our pay check. But when the 4 of us went to the show, their were barely any seats left. So when we eventually found some seats, there was only enough for the 3 of us. I volunteered to go find another seat. I tried to find a seat that was close to the group, but ended up trotting to the other side of the stadium.

I eventually sat down near the back of the stadium. That's when I saw him, wearing some goggles and carrying a weird fancy cane that had fabric attached to it. He was a unicorn, meaning he must have paid a lot to get up into Cloudsdale.

He sat right beside me, even though there was a seat right next to him that he could have taken. I sat there staring at the ground and feeling uncomfortable.

Who was this pony? And what is he holding? I questioned in the back of my mind.

I continued to stare at the ground, wondering who this pony was. When the show started, I glanced up at the stallion to get a better look, only to see that he was staring at me with a smirk plastered on his face.

Was he staring at me the whole time!? I blushed and looked straight forward, daring not to make eye contact with the strange stallion. I had never felt so uncomfortable as I did at that moment.

Stop staring at me...

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him lift his head up towards the sky. I dared not shift my gaze out of fear we would make eye contact again. Then, he lifted his weird contraption into the air and I watched in awe as the sides opened up to create a dome above myself and he.

I opened my mouth to complain but was silenced by a sound. A familiar, wonderful sound that brought memories of that time back in kindergarten. I looked up and could hear the sounds of water droplets hitting the contraption.

The stallion looked up and smirked.

"I told them! I told them those everfree clouds would come! But they never listen to the scientist. Those dim witted politicians,". I was absolutely astonished and mesmerized. It was raining, in Cloudsdale.

How is this possible? How did he know? Who is this pony? What was he holding? I asked all these questions, repeated them, and more. But they were all silenced as I gazed into his eyes. His eyes were like waterfalls leading into an abyss. They sparkled like the water droplets reflecting the light that dropped around us. I wanted to run out into the rain, but was to captivated by his eyes.

"I'm Sunshower,"

"Cloud," He replied.

As everything around us was in chaos and ponies were running left and right to get out of the rain, we just sat there. It was breathtaking. He, was breathtaking.

Soon after we went inside, we talked about who we were, what we liked, what we did, etc. He was a scientist who studied weather patterns in the Everfree forest who lived in Ponyville. Seeing that I had an interest in rain, he asked me if I wanted to join him on one of his expeditions. I said yes with enthusiastic vigor and hugged him. He smelt like an oak tree dribbled with petrichor. I hugged him tighter and smiled.

I never went back to Cloudsdale after that.