The Sun Still Shines in the Rain...
The small, quiet, and yet persistent pattering of rain against the windows and roof overshadow the echoing footsteps of your strides as you walk silently through the hall. It was dark, but it was the kind of dark produced by an overcast sky blocking the sun from view; a dark that was comforting and soothing… one that struck a perfect balance with the light that guided your eyes, that guided your movements through the corridor. This, combined with the lovely, rhythmic tapping of the many water droplets upon the building that shielded you, set an unconscious smile on your face--one that seemed unshakable.
Smiles had been quite the rarity to you when you had first arrived here in this strange land. While many would think that a chance to start over in a brand new world would be quite attractive, you had found that leaving your old life behind brought with it many heartaches. Yes, all of the problems you had dealt with before had vanished, but so too did everything--everyone--you had held dear. Never again would you see your family, your friends, nor your home. The sights and sounds that had invoked many good and happy memories… all of it had disappeared, and were it not for your memories of them, it would have been greatly difficult to know that they had even happened, or existed, at all. All of this had hit your mind with the strength and force of a freight train, and in the ensuing days, weeks, and even months that had followed, your heart had felt like a block of cinder in your chest, and your mind had been able to venture few pleasant places.
And yet, here you are, walking through the halls of Equestria’s most magnificent castle, a smile upon your face, and a pleasantness about your attitude.
“Reminiscing again?” a soft, gentle voice calls, stirring you from your thoughts. You turn, and soon before your eyes you see none other than the one who had taken you in: Princess Celestia.
“How’d you know?” you chuckle, slowing so that the Sun Princess may come to trot beside you.
“You have this certain look about you. It’s slower. More deliberate,” she answers with a smile, giving you an affectionate nuzzle as soon as she reaches your side. “Were you thinking about your first months here?”
You can only titter at her accuracy. Sometimes, you would swear this pony could read minds, however frequently she denied it. “Mmhmm… right again,” you hum, still smiling. “How’d you know that one?”
The alicorn princess only smiles again, unfurling a wing to pull you flush against her side as you walk together. “Rain always makes me think… contemplate, even. It has a unique charm about it that always makes my mind wander this way and that… oftentimes to the past. I figured that it might have the same effect on you.”
You cannot help but drape an arm around her neck, and pull her into a soft, tender hug. “Yeah… yeah, it does…”
Hugging Celestia was like hugging a cloud. A soft, warm, fluffy cloud. What was more, was that you felt… safe, around her. Even when you had been in your darker days, sometimes even just being around her had been enough to set your mind at ease, and make you feel more comfortable. Relaxed, even. It was almost as though her stoic, calm, and pleasant demeanor was contagious, and spread to every creature that needed it, just when they needed it. You take in a deep breath, and exhale happily, running your hand up and down her plush fur as you lay your head down to rest upon hers. Although you cannot see it, you can feel her smile grow broader, her wing flexing your body against hers ever-tighter as she nickers contentedly under her breath.
“Anon… where were you headed before I interrupted you?” she asks, her voice just barely above a whisper. With how tightly she was holding onto you, you doubted that she wanted to let you go. It was always… odd, considering that idea. It had come across your mind once or twice before, and every time it had, the idea of this pony who was now squeezing you against herself desperately wanting anything felt… foreign. Almost like it was out of place.
And yet… at the same time, it did not. The princess beside you was, at the end of the day, a pony like any other. She had desires, hopes, fears, dreams, likes, and dislikes like all other ponies did…
...It was perhaps so strikingly odd to you, because you were what she wanted in this moment.
“Nowhere in particular,” you murmur softly, giving her a short squeeze before you both continued slowly forward.
You feel Celestia’s excitement grow at your words, creating an atmosphere of giddiness and joy--an atmosphere you always loved experiencing around her. “Aaand… would you be opposed to maybe coming with me to my chambers… and relaxing a little bit?”
Back on Earth, you would have made some sort of snide remark about how risque that sounded, but here with Celestia… you could only giggle and shake your head. “No… I wouldn’t be opposed to that at all…”
Almost like young lovers, you begin to quickly make your way to Celestia’s bedroom, quietly giggling and smiling broadly with pure, unadulterated excitement. When you reach the chamber entrance, the guards quickly step aside with a smile, opening the doors so that you may enter. In no time at all, you are lying down upon her bed, holding her closely against you as she fans a wing out over your form, snaking her forehooves around your midsection as her tail hastily coils around one of your legs.
Times like these were what made the change in surroundings worthwhile. Because even through the lack of familiarity in the world around you, happiness could still be found. If there is one thing the horse you were currently cradling had taught you, it is that bad things never last. Beautiful things always happen, even in the midst of overarching sorrow or grief. Hope, joy, and beauty are always present--you sometimes just have to look a little harder for them.
“Celestia…” you whisper, running a hand up and down her back. “How did I get so lucky?”
“I ask myself that question with every new day, Anon…” the Sun Princess answers, nestling her head right underneath yours. “Of all of the things that have happened in my long life… there are none that I consider myself more lucky to have experienced, than to have experienced you… I couldn’t tell you how many days like this I spent snuggled up under a blanket, reading a book by a fire, feeling what should have been absolute bliss… but still feeling like I was missing something critical. Almost like something was absent from my life that was of the greatest importance and value… yet, I was never able to place what it was. The time I spent searching for that missing piece… many ponies would think it was all for naught… but now that I have you here in my hooves, I consider that time well spent, for it has made moments like these all the more sweet, and all the more lovely.”
You can feel your heartbeat sync with hers, creating a captivating rhythm that your ears cannot help but turn their full attention to. A warmth like no other courses through you with every breath, every movement, and every thought… it encompasses you, leaving you wishing for nothing more than for this moment to last as long as time will allow.
“I used to think that I had lost my world forever…” you speak softly. “But… the more time I’ve spent here, the more I’ve realized… I never lost my world at all… because you can’t lose what you haven’t found yet.”
Celestia, perplexed, lifts her head from underneath yours and raises an eyebrow, still smiling, but with a curious look upon her face. “Whatever do you mean, Anon?”
That same, tingling excitement began to rush through you again as you prepared your answer. It was bliss, knowing that the next words that would leave your mouth would be ones that spoke such truth… but that also would speak such love.
“I never lost my world at all. I couldn’t have, because… when I came here, I hadn’t found my world yet. Because, Celestia… you are my world.”
A tear. It glistens in the light provided by the nearby fire, leaving a wet trail down the alabaster cheek from which it falls. This tear, however… is not one of sorrow. It is not one of anguish, of pain or of loss. It is one of happiness… of joy that knows no limits. And it is with that, that you lean forward… and kiss her. The tender moment you share is one that is sweeter than any candy, and more beautiful than any landscape or city. It is one that surpasses explanation, one that could never be quantified by any combination of words that you, or anyone else, could ever possibly throw together. But it is there, nonetheless… there, with the most special creature there has ever been in your sight.
The small, quiet, and yet persistent pattering of rain against the windows and roof provide a unique comfort. However, there is no comfort that could ever compare, to the sun that shines before you.
Author's Note
Heeeey!! I hope you all enjoyed this little story!!
I'd like to give the warmest of shout-outs and thank-you's to Jenna Starbright. They inspired this story, and without them, I don't think I would have had the inspiration to put it to paper. I cannot thank them enough for their help, and if you have a spare moment, I highly recommend checking out their work!
I hope you (yes, you!) are doing well, and that you have an absolutely lovely day!!
