A Chance of Rain

Rainy and Fluttershy sat in their booth. Gingham Frill had just brought them a pot of tea to share. “Good thing you girls got here when ya did. I don't think anybody else’ll be comin’ tonight.” She set down the teapot. “You two enjoy now.” She smiled and sashayed away. Fluttershy and Rainy thanked her as she left. The storm had grown worse, the wind whined with each gust that blew by. Fluttershy delicately poured herself a full cup and sweetened it with three sugar cubes. Rainy took the pot and poured one out for herself, finishing with two lumps of sugar.

“Now where was I? Oh yes! So I flew calmly over to him, and he yelled something about ‘preparing to meet my doom’ but I wasn’t phased by it. I just asked him why he was chasing us.” She took a tiny sip of tea. “Leave it to Rainbow Dash to never try something like that.” She smiled. “Well Ahuizotl had the saddest story. Daring Do and Caballerron had been stealing the artifacts he was tasked with protecting, and all the other guardians were so upset with him. To make a long story short; we all came to an understanding.”

Rainy sat dumbstruck, she’d been on the edge of her seat so long that she let her own cup of tea was barely tepid. “Now he’s a best-selling author of his own!” Fluttershy exclaimed gleefully. “He’s done so well for himself.” She said with pride.

Rainy composed herself. “I’ve never heard about you meeting Daring Do before.” She said with awe.

“I still keep in touch with Ahuizotl and Caballeron. They’ve become quite good friends actually.” She smiled, then sighed. “That was one of the last big adventures I had before the coronation.” She took a longer sip of her tea. “Times like that are few and far between these days. Of all my friends you’d think I’d be the least likely to miss it.”

“Uh, I wouldn’t know.” Said Rainy, stalling at practically every syllable. She remembered the tea in her hooves and drank its whole contents in two long gulps. She poured herself a refill as Fluttershy spoke.

“Of course not.” Fluttershy smiled. “Every now and then there’s some little occurrence here in Ponyville I’ve even been called out again by the map a few times but things have definitely quieted down lately.” She looked deep into her student’s eyes. “You don’t really notice these changes as they happen; it takes a while, then you look back and realise how different everything is.”

Rainy felt those words deep in her heart. “You’ve thought about this a lot haven’t you?”

“Yeah.” Fluttershy replied. She took a sip of her tea and said no more.

“I sort of had the same thing back home.” Said Rainy, lacking confidence. “But all I realised was that everything stayed the same.”

“You always want what you don’t have I suppose.” Fluttershy interjected, Rainy nearly shot her head up in surprise. Fluttershy was smiling, her mood apparently lifted. “I worry I spend too much time thinking about what could be different. Sometimes I wonder if Twilight would be happier back in Ponyville, working as a librarian in a new Golden Oaks.” She sipped her tea. “But then I think about someone like Rarity and how she always wanted to ‘shine all over Equestria.’” She smirked at herself. “More often than not, one pony can help you understand another. Even as our lives became so different my friends still helped me learn that change was a good thing for all of us.”

“How?” Rainy was very intrigued.

“They were all doing what they wanted to do with their lives. Rainbow Dash wanted to be a Wonderbolt since she was a filly, Pinkie wanted to be with Cheese Sandwich and Applejack is with her family.” She finished her cup. “Do you understand?”

Rainy sat in her chair worrying over the question like a schoolpony. “I... I think so.” She said. “Did Twilight always want to rule Equestria?” She asked with a genuine curiosity.

Fluttershy took a moment. “She always wanted to do the right thing.”

Rainy was remarkably satisfied with that answer, but she noticed there was one pony unaccounted for. “What about you?”

“Well I have the sanctuary.” When she spoke her voice had its usual brightness, but her face was listless.

Rainy quickly developed her own thoughts on the benefits of change. “I suppose you get to wait and see what new changes will come, and hopefully they’ll be exactly what you need.” Rainy spoke the words with complete candor.

Fluttershy smiled. “Exactly.” She looked at Rainy. “Like this.” Rainy wondered exactly what she meant by that, but was cut off as Fluttershy continued speaking. “I think I have a story you’ll really enjoy.”

The two ponies laughed vigorously at Fluttershy’s anecdote, she wiped a tear from her eye. “So." She giggled. "That was my last Heath’s Warming!” She practically fell onto the table clutching her sides. Rainy leaned forward and put her head on the table to muffle her loud laughter.

“I can’t believe all that went on right under the princess’s nose.” She poked her head up, but covered her face with both hooves. They were both managing to repress their howling for now.

“If only she’d been sticking it around the right places!” The raucous laughter began again. Fluttershy had capsized onto her side and Rainy pressed her hoof to her mouth to try and stifle her outburst to no avail.

“I just hope she doesn’t decree it an official holiday tradition.” Rainy joked. Fluttershy’s eyes widened in feigned fear, receiving a laugh from Rainy in return.

Once the energy had subsided Fluttershy inspected the teapot, now empty. “How about another?” She asked. “Still my treat!”

Rainy nodded her head affirmatively. “Great, I'll go get a refill.” Fluttershy left the table with the empty pot, and quickly returned with a full replacement. She sat back in their booth and courteously poured a cup for Rainy and then herself. Rainy held her cup tightly, enjoying the feel of the warmth in her hooves. The two ponies sat quietly, with nothing but a pot of tea and the sound of rain pelting against the window between them.

Fluttershy stirred a splash of milk into her tea. “I’m not sure this storm’s going to get better anytime soon.” She blew the rising steam from her cup and lifted it for a sip. “Thank goodness this place stays open so late.” She looked around. The diner was empty save for two pegasi, Gingham Frill and ostensibly the chef. “Although it does feel awkward to be the only ponies in here.” She looked back at Rainy with lips sealed in a display of self-consciousness.

Rainy smiled at Fluttershy’s open display of emotion. She took a small sip of her tea, hoping to make it last. “I don’t suppose you live close by, do you ?”

Fluttershy let out a deep exhale that became a chuckle. “Nope.” She looked at Rainy with a resigned but humourful expression. Rainy thought the situation was far more grim than Fluttershy meant and wore this worry on her face. “I’ll be fine Rainy there’s no need to worry.” She reached her hoof over the table to Rainy’s and looked at her as if to say ‘I can handle a little rain sweetie.’

Rainy looked down into her cup, focusing on the dancing vapour emanating from the tea. “I just wish I had room to offer you; I’m only down the street.” She looked out the window and rubbed out a small circle in the mist, the inn was now even harder to make out in detail. All she had to know it was there was the faint orange glow of the lamplight above the door.

Fluttershy chimed in. “I don’t think you’ll fare much better than me on the walk home tonight.” Rainy looked back. “It’s not so bad being stuck here with me is it?” She said with a coy disposition.

Rainy wasn’t going to be victim to such an obvious ploy. “You stop that now Fluttershy. I’m not falling for that again.” She took a big gulp of her tea, anticipating that she would likely waste it again if she didn't drink it quickly.

Fluttershy giggled. “I’m sorry, I can’t resist.” She smiled. “I don’t meet many new people and everyone in Ponyville seems to have gotten used to the fact that I’m not as shy as I used to be.” She took a long sip of her tea. “Whenever I travel I’ll sometimes meet someone who read Twilight’s book and thinks they have to tread so lightly around me; it’s actually quite funny.” She looked down wistfully. “I can’t believe how much I’ve changed since then.”

The mention of the book distressed Rainy. She wished she had her scarf to tug on. She almost didn’t notice that Fluttershy had continued speaking.

“It might be time to put out another one.” She posited. “We’ve done so much more since the first and maybe I won’t be hounded for not changing enough.” She said quite glibly. She shook out the irritation and looked calmer. “Then again Twilight is very busy and I don’t really see the rest of my friends being all that interested in chancing a repeat of the last incident.” She trailed off into a chuckle. “I shouldn’t laugh but you should’ve seen them. Rarity went completely off the walls, Applejack ran away from home and Rainbow Dash… Hmm, well she actually got off easy now that I think about it.” She squinted her eyes in a grumpy expression. “And each of us had our share of strange ponies who thought they had this right to us based on a silly book… I suppose Applejack got the worst of that though.” She looked at a sullen Rainy. “Is everything okay?”

Rainy thought about what Fluttershy had said, the ponies she was talking about, and how she might as well be one of them. She looked up at the pony she respected and thought about how much her opinion meant to her, and how wrong it was to be doing this.To be having such a good time under these false pretences. It wasn't lying exactly but it felt like it. She was about to open her mouth, then hesitated, then carried on. “I… I read your book.” She was completely despondent. Feeling like she’d confessed to some mortal sin. She fixed her stare to the table, unable to look at Fluttershy.

“So?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean I suspected as much.” She said in a soothing tone.

“You did?” Rainy looked up, her sullen expression remaining.

“Well there were a few clues dear. You acted a little strange whenever I brought up something about my adventures, you were ‘inspired’ by a day of watching me pat a few animals with tummy aches on the back, and…” A little smirk grew on her face. “...You have this... thing you do with your scarf. You even make the same face when you're not wearing it.” Rainy’s face turned red with embarrassment. “You might have been doing it whenever I brought up my past.” Fluttershy looked away, as if she herself was embarrassed. "

For a moment, there was silence.

“I’m sorry.” The words spilled out of Rainy’s mouth.

“For what?”

Rainy had been thinking about this all day. How wrong it all was, what a weirdo she was, how pathetic she was. “I’m just like all those other weirdos you were complaining about.” She paused, Fluttershy was just about to say something before Rainy continued. “I didn’t mean to, I promise it’s not like that. I just thought…” She let out a heavy sigh. “...I just thought that maybe this town… had something about it.” She squeezed herself into the corner of the booth and looked out the window. “I tried everything back home but I never found anything that worked. The whole time I was there it just felt wrong. No one ever leaves because they’re just content to live the same way they always have and never change anything.” She paused. “I thought here it would be different. So much magic happened here. I just thought that maybe seeing it for myself would help somehow.” Rainy paused and Fluttershy opened her mouth but Rainy had one last thing to say. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” The words tapered out into mumbles by the end.

“It is magical isn’t it?” Fluttershy looked at the dour pony across from her. “I’ve always felt that there’s something special about Ponyville” She scooted along the bench to be opposite Rainy. “I think certain places do have a special energy and that they can conflict with our own sometimes.” She placed her hoof on Rainy’s arm. “I felt like that about Cloudsdale.” She had her own sullen look now. “Some places just don’t allow for certain ponies to flourish like they’re meant to. I had to come here to do that, I wouldn’t have been able to do it back home.”

Rainy didn’t have anything to say. She was trying her hardest to just stop thinking. “When my friends started moving on, I thought the magic went with them.” She tugged on Rainy’s arm to get her attention. “But you proved to me that it’s still here. There are still so many new and wonderful experiences to have, and it doesn’t matter if a silly old book is what brings them here.” Rainy looked at her mentor. “You’re still my friend Rainy. "

Rainy felt the dread flush out of her chest and the worry pour from her mind. Fluttershy made everything feel okay. "You're really good at this kindness thing." She joked. "I can't believe how much better I feel."

Fluttershy smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." She picked up her cup. "I would hate to lose my only volunteer on her first day." She took a sip and noticed Rainy's exaggerated surly expression once she lowered the cup. "I'm sorry." She blushed.

Rainy smiled and they both chuckled. "This was one heck of a night."