A Friend In Need

I knew I should have listened. The dark clouds formed overhead, as the first drops of rain descended from the angry skies. The teachers told me not to go, but I wanted to see my animal friends... I wanted to see my critter friends before I went home. Now I had to pay the price for leaving and be stuck under the cold, hard rain. It didn't make any sense; the sun a few moments ago was bright and the sky was a shade of light blue. I was walking down the alleyway; looking around for anything that seemed interesting; something for me to get. Suddenly, I realized the clouds had turned gray; I didn't notice them change. A drop of rainwater fell on my cheek, then more followed. A flash of lightning came from the distance; the sound of thunder felt like it was amplified because it echoed on the walls around me. The next thing I knew, I was running to find some shelter. The rain didn't make this easy, but at least the wind wasn't blowing hard, that was a good thing. Sadly, the trail that I was in didn't have anything to stop the rain from hitting my body; sending a chill down my spine on how cold it was. It was freezing even without the wind.

The storm didn't show any signs of giving up; the water still came down hard on me. Every few seconds, thunder would roar above my head; I didn't dare look up and kept on running. At some point I reached on what some might call a clearing, but I didn't know where I was. The ground was covered in mud and water; making puddles in every step I take.

Fortunately, I found somewhere to stay for a while before the rain lets up. Unfortunately, it happened to be a small cardboard box that could only cover my head. Not taking any chances, I ran to it and covered myself with what little there was; the interior was dry at least. I then heard a loud crack of thunder; followed by kids screaming in a distance. Hugging my knees close to me, I shivered inside; trying to keep myself warm as the wind blew a little stronger, the rain got thicker and the fog intensified.

It was a cold feeling to be alone. I should've listened to the teacher. Suddenly, I heard steps. Loud splashes on the puddles that formed from the rocky ground. They got closer and closer to me; I instinctively attempted to push myself further back but couldn't. I stayed silent; I didn't want to attract any attention right now. I don't want someone to see me like this; covered in dirt and grime; my hair was all messy; my body weak from exhaustion. From where I was, I could make out a shadowy figure through the rain. The figure was carrying an umbrella and from the looks of it was a kid my age. What would someone be doing around here? The figure was standing in the rain protected by an umbrella; looking around.

"Are you here?" The voice called out.

I was confused; it knew I was here?

"Where are you? I saw you running here."

It had been trailing me?

"Who are you?" I asked wary.

How anyone could see in this fog was beyond me. For some reason, the fog faded a little, and I could see a little better. It was a girl around my age.

"Who are you?" She asked.

I didn't reply and the girl was silent.

"My name is Rainbow Dash, now what's your name?"

I paused; thinking whether to really tell her or not.

"F-Fluttershy." I replied, weakly

There was a silence that followed; the only sound heard was the drops that kept on falling from the sky. Strange, the rain seemed to have gotten lighter.

"Why did you follow me?" I asked her.

She was now the thoughtful one, standing there while doing a thinking pose.

"I'm not really sure...I guess I didn't want you to get caught under the rain. My umbrella can fit the two of us...y'know?" She said, smiling.

It occurred to me that she still didn't know where I was. When I look back, I didn't know why I approached her; I went out of the small box that kept me warm for a while. I approached her under the rain and she gladly went beside me; under the gray umbrella even though I looked like a rag doll that was tossed in to a sewer. Unlike most people who saw me, she didn't even flinch. The rainbow hair girl smiled brightly.

"Hey, you wanna come back to my house? I can make a good hot chocolate. My parents will probably get mad at me for getting soaked though." She said with a laugh.

Something that I haven't heard in a while even to the other kids. It's something that I haven't heard myself done lately either. Laughter...even though it was short, it made me smile.

"Okay...but, are you sure?" I asked.

"Oh, don't be so modest." She said, laughing.

I chuckle along side her.

"I'm counting on you then...Rainbow Dash." I said, quietly.

She smiled again.

"I knew it; I knew I could trust you. I don't know why, but when I saw you running in the rain, I felt like I needed to follow you." She said.

I blushed, probably from the embarrassment.

"That was...my real reason for trying to find you. I thought I met you before." She said, looking at me.

I didn't know how to reply; now that she mentioned it, she looked...familiar? But why? Maybe it's like what she felt when she saw me.

"Ahaha...I probably sound weird to you now, huh?" She asked, jokingly.

I shook my head.

"N-No, it's fine." I replied.

She seemed surprised by my response.

"Then, maybe I was right. Maybe we did meet before. We should be friends!" She said, pulling me closer.

"Friends?" I asked.

The idea sounded nice.

"Yeah, definitely!" "She said, ecstatic.

We started to walk out of the alley that I passed through not long ago. And in every step I took, the rain vanished little by little...the burden I felt in my chest felt lighter and lighter. Back then when I was getting used to being ignored, I always had this feeling that there was someone I had to find. Strangely, I didn't think of my parents, but I thought of a family. Maybe she was right. Maybe she was the family I was looking for. Maybe she was the best friend that I had been yearning for and missing. Maybe she was the person that looked out for me and I looked out for her...like sisters. And as all these thoughts swirled in my mind; the final drops of rain disappeared. The sun hasn't come out of the clouds yet, but its yellow light was seen in the sky... That last drop even if it shouldn't reach me did...and it tasted a little like a tear.

"Thank you... Rainbow Dash." I whispered.