A Chance of Rain

It was now late into the evening and both Fluttershy and Rainy decided it was time to brave the storm and head home. Fluttershy paid the check at the counter while Rainy collected her scarf and hat from the stand. “Hope you two had a lovely evenin’.” Said Gingham to Fluttershy.

“It was wonderful, thank you.” Fluttershy replied sweetly before making her way to the door.

“You all set?” Fluttershy asked, approaching Rainy. Rainy smiled and nodded. “I guess we’re doing this then.” She smiled feebly, Rainy responded in kind. She went to open the door and the ponies were bid adieu by the pony who’d been serving them.

“You girls come back anytime now!” Gingham waved to her customers. The two ponies looked back and smiled.

“I’m sure we will.” Said Fluttershy, looking at Rainy. The two pegasi walked out of the diner to the awaiting storm and prepared themselves beneath the awning. Rainy pulled her hat down snug and wrapped her scarf round tightly. Lastly she made sure to protect her new saddle bag with cover from her wings. “Same time at the sanctuary tomorrow, okay?” Fluttershy reminded her volunteer.

“I’ll be there, don't worry.” Rainy replied. She looked down the street and could see her destination through the spitting rainfall. She looked at Fluttershy and tried to alleviate the tension. “Looks like it’s let up a little.” She said feebly. It may have been true but it wouldn’t change the fact that Fluttershy had a long walk in the storm ahead of her.

“I’ll be fine Rainy, honest.” Fluttershy assured her.

“Thank you for tonight, it was really lovely.” She was unsure if her last word was appropriate but meant it all the same.

“Don’t mention it. Now you should be getting to bed, we have an early day tomorrow.” Fluttershy said in a soothing tone.

“Okay I’ll jus-” Fluttershy hugged her friend, and Rainy reciprocated, after a brief moment of shock.

“Run along home now.” Her words were almost sickly-sweet.

“O- Okay.” Rainy was extremely flustered by the sudden affection. She did as her friend told her and began a gallop down the street. Fluttershy stayed back and waved her friend goodbye, even though she wouldn’t see.

Rainy was no stranger to a trip in a storm. Back home inclement weather was the norm. She rushed down the empty street, hooves sounding off as they clipped the stone, nothing but a dim lamp in the distance as her guide. She followed it through squinted eyes and found her way back easily enough. She looked back at the Hay Burger to see that Fluttershy was gone, and promptly entered the inn.

“Oh dearie, get in here, come on! How long you been out in that storm, you’ve been gone all day?!” The inn pony rushed out from behind her podium to help Rainy.

Rainy didn’t want a fuss being made over her. “It’s okay I was just at the Hay Burger, I was only out in the rain for a minute.”

“It’s a doozy of a storm tonight, just a minute and you can still come down with something.” The inn pony said very matronly. “You head straight to your room and bundle up, I’ll get the kettle going for a cup of tea.”

Rainy’s eyes spread wide across her face, she had had enough tea for the night. “Um, that’s okay honest. I think we went through two pots back there.” She laughed nervously.

“Ooh, ‘we’ ya say?” She smiled. Rainy looked bashful. “Oh I won’t pry, don't worry, now off to bed with you.” She practically shooed Rainy up the stairs.

Rainy climbed the remaining two flights to the third floor where her room was. She turned the knob to her humble lodgings and threw off her hat and scarf onto the stand by the door. She took off her new bags with care and set them down on the table. She quickly closed the door and got her towel from the radiator to dry off starting with her face, chest, body and lastly, legs. She surveyed her room from the centre, was satisfied she hadn’t forgotten anything and immediately fell face first into her bed. She wanted to let out a scream into her pillow but couldn’t find the energy to do it. It felt like she was now an outside observer to the events of her day. She scrutinised every little detail from when she left the inn to when she and Fluttershy departed. The agonising embarrassment from all of her mishaps was all she thought about for her few final waking moments of the night, as she quickly fell asleep face down in her pillow.

The next day came bright and early, unlike Rainy. The purple pegasus was in a particularly prickly mood from sleeping on her front side all night. She’d forgotten to draw the curtains before bed and was practically disgusted by the sunshine pouring into her room, thankfully this was incentive enough to get her up. She crawled across her bed to the window and looked outside. The rainwater sparkled in the sunshine and the air was fuming with the scent of morning dew, the ambience was very refreshing and helped kick-start Rainy’s brain. She turned around and got out of bed to have some breakfast.

“Darn.” Rainy exclaimed angrily. She had forgotten to soak a bowl of oats overnight and she wasn’t set up to cook them in her room. She sighed in defeat and looked at the time on her clock. ‘It’s only seven o’clock.’ She thought, and then remembered there was a diner serving breakfast right up the street from her. “I have time.” She exclaimed with excitement. She grabbed her hat and scarf in a dash for the door, then remembered her new bags. She rushed back in to grab them and was out the door again, throwing the items on as she clopped down the stairs.

“Early start again?” Said the inn pony coming out from the parlour doorway.

Rainy felt a rush of confidence flow through her body and out of her mouth. “Big day ahead of me!” She spoke the words with a smile and was out the door.

It was a straight shot to the diner and the trip was much less eventful this time. Water pooled in the seams between the cobblestones and all of Ponyville seemed to glisten in the sun. Rainy wasn’t the biggest fan of sunny days but she could still appreciate this. The rain had dampened everything through the night and made it all appear a few shades darker which she felt complimented the sunshine better. The flowers in the street and window boxes seemed more vibrant and vivid with little droplets hanging off their petals. Rainy would have splashed through a few of the puddles were she not about to go inside again.

She trotted beneath the awning where a few drops of rain fell down onto the nape of her tail sending a shiver up her back. She wiped the wetness off her feet and opened the door accompanied by the ring of a bell. The diner was a much busier than the night before; mostly elderly ponies catching the early bird special. She wandered over to a stool at the counter and was greeted by a familiar face.

“Well good mornin’ missy!” Said the bubbly Gingham. “Glad to see ya back so soon, what can Ah get ya?” She pulled her pad and pencil from the pouch in her apron. “Don’t suppose you want another round o’ pancakes do ya?” She said jovially.

Rainy did but she knew it would leave her loggy for the rest of the morning. She smiled at Gingham. “I do but I have a busy day ahead so I probably shouldn’t.”

“Aw well don’t you fret, this here menu’s chock-full o’ health food perfect for fuelin' a busy day thanks to your’s truly.” She smiled with pride holding a one-sheet menu. “Might Ah recommend the ‘banana-rama oatmeal delight’? It’s got rustic steel-cut oats, sliced bananas, cinnamon, an incy bit o’ brown sugar all topped off with a dollop o’ fat-free yoghurt.”

Rainy could tell Gingham really wanted her to try the dish, it sounded delicious regardless. “I’d love to try it.”

“Hoowee! That’s what Ah like to hear, Ah’ll have it right out for ya!” She didn’t even write it down, she just spun around and made her way into the kitchen.

Rainy looked round the diner. She was sat right next to a display cabinet of muffins and deserts. She noticed that most of the other diners were eating the likes of hash browns, eggs benedict and even the occasional hayburger. Her wait wasn’t long as Gingham quickly returned with a white bowl and a spoon.

“Here ya go hun’! One banana-rama delight!” She set it down on the counter in front of Rainy. “Thank you so much for orderin’ it darlin’, Ah only get to make whatever’s on the healthy menu.”

“It looks delightful.” Rainy gave her a pleased smile. Gingham stood with her hooves held together in anticipation of Rainy’s reaction. She grabbed the spoon poking out from the porridge and procured a bite with every ingredient. Delightful was the right word. “This is delicious Gingham-” She realised she might be acting a little too familiar.

“Aw shucks darlin’ you’re too kind.” She rested over the counter. “Don’t believe Ah got your name last night?”

“Rainy Day, but you can call me Rainy.” She said modestly.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance.” Gingham smiled. “Ah ain’t seen you ‘round here before. An’ your accent almost sticks out worse than mine! Where ya from if ya don’t mind me askin’?”

‘Just say Trottingham.’ Rainy thought to herself. “Trottingham.” She said in a half-truth.

Gingham looked puzzled. “Really? Ah woulda pegged you for a Trotland pony, what with the tartan scarf an’ all.” She said sounding very astute.

“Not many ponies know about Trotland.” She finished with a nervous chuckle, feeling like she’d been caught in a lie. She quelled her anxieties with spoonfuls of porridge.

“Well those ponies are missing out if ya ask me. Ah can’t get enough o’ that plaid y’all got there. It ain’t too dissimilar to gingham don’t ya know.” Gingham said with great excitement.

Rainy was amazed that someone was actually interested in Trotland fashion. She swallowed the porridge in her mouth to speak. “I’ve never met anyone who knew even that much about Trotland before.”

“Ah’m a pony of what ya might call eclectic tastes. Everybody always said so back home.” She smiled which then became a pondering look. “Well actually they weren’t exactly usin’ words like ‘eclectic’ but that’s what they meant.” She looked cheerful.

“I get what you mean, believe me.” She said with a mutual understanding. She spooned up her last mouthful of porridge and swallowed. “That was just lovely, thank you so much.” Rainy said with delight.

“Why thank you sweetie. It’s good to hear somepony appreciate my health food.” Her eyes peered as if she were looking at someone behind her. “What’s this busy day you have ahead got in store for you then?”

Rainy felt happy to share. “Oh I’m volunteering at Fluttershy’s animal shelter.”

Gingham looked as though she’d just cracked an intensely difficult code. “Oh o’course, you two were in here last night together. Ah just thought that maybe you two were uhm… ya know, on a sorta…”

Rainy was puzzled for a moment before realising what Gingham was hinting at. “Oh no! It’s not like that. She was just treating me to dinner after my first day of work, honestly it’s nothing like that.” Rainy was flushed with embarrassment.

Gingham scrunched her mouth and squinted her eyes before releasing her face to a more casual expression. “If ya say so! Ah’m not one to speculate about such things. Rainy felt relieved. “So you’re volunteerin’ at Fluttershy’s sanctuary? Ah’m an apprentice over at her friend Rarity’s boutique!”

“Oh, so you work for Rarity?” Rainy enquired.

Gingham looked slightly disparaged but she brushed it off with a smile. “Me workin’ for Rarity? Wouldn’t that be somethin’!” She chuckled. “Naw, Ah’m just part of an apprenticeship programme she’s runnin’ out o’ her home boutique. Supposedly she does review each an’ every application personally, bless her. Can’t be easy work what with her runnin’ boutiques all over Equestria.”

Rainy was impressed. “You must have done amazing work to get her attention.”

Gingham blushed. “Oh you flatterer. Ah was worried my ideas weren’t gonna fit to her tastes; It wouldn’t be the first time, so Ah was pretty surprised when Ah got in.”

Rainy thought about the matter for a second. “I suppose sometimes it’s better to stand out when everyone else is clear;y trying to fit in.” She said, almost reluctantly.

“Ain’t that the truth! ‘Be yourself’ that’s always been mah motto! Looks like we got that in common.” Rainy smiled nervously. Gingham looked round the diner and sighed. “Ah better be gettin’ back to work. Ah’ll just leave your bill, feel free to stick around though.” She winked and went about bussing tables. Rainy wished she could stay but always liked to be more than early for anything she was expected at. She left the money for the bill and left a generous tip for Gingham. She trotted out of the diner and made her way through Ponyville to Sweet Feathers.