The drumming sound on the window suddenly grew noticeably louder, causing the filly to tear her eyes away from the book she was reading, and raise her head to gaze absently at the rain outside.
It ran into rivulets down the windowpane, dancing in random directions, driven by the wind into jagged lines like constantly changing lightning strikes. The window outlined the mercurial pattern much like a picture frame hung on the wall of a gallery, but one that provided a continually shifting perspective, as if the artist had yet to make up his mind.
She stared briefly, trying half-heartedly to make sense of the shapes and looking for repeating patterns, but succeeding only in mesmerising herself.
“Luna” came a soft voice, “Luna darling …”
“Sorry Mama” the filly replied, snapping back to reality and looking up at her mother through big teal eyes.
A friendly maternal smile greeted her in return, and instantly she felt the bond of love reaching out and embracing her warmly.
“I’m sorry, Mama” she said, “I was just …”
“It’s OK” the mare interrupted softly, before her foal would feel pressured into constructing some excuse for simply wanting a break from her studies, “It’s been a long day.”
“I have been working hard today, really I have” the filly recounted enthusiastically, “All about the sun and the moon.”
“I know” agreed her mother with a gentle giggle.
“You can test me if you want” Luna continued earnestly.
“Later, but first why don’t you come back here and sit with me?” said her mother flicking her tail away to create a space next to her.
Luna’s ears perked up and she beamed happily, rose to her hooves and trotted over to where her mother waited, one wing already raised in a welcoming gesture. The cornflower maned filly approached and bumped affectionately into the floof on the mare’s chest, turning to lay her body down next to her mother’s warm barrel, and then felt the comfort of a wing lower over her.
The mare felt her foal wriggle to get comfortable, then turned her head to meet the upward stretching face of the adoring filly and gently booped muzzles.
“I love you Mama.”
“I love you too. Now, as a treat for working so hard today, what would you like?”
“Can you tell me a story please, Mama?”
“Of course” agreed her mother, “But first, tell me, do you feel a closer connection with the sun or the moon?”
“The moon” came the reply without hesitation.
“What can you tell me about the sun?”
The filly cleared her throat and started to recount some of the things she had learned that day, “It’s warm, it makes plants grow, ponies can see better and it’s when the schools are open …”
“Do you like it?”
“Not as much as the moon. The sun is too bright and sometimes too hot. The moon is a lot more friendly” she replied thoughtfully, “There’s so much more magic around at night time; I don’t think the sun is quite as clever.”
The mare looked at the twisting and turning patterns of rain on the window, vaguely aware that the drumming sound was continuing to serve as a reminder how unpleasant the conditions were outside.
“I think you will find the sun is cleverer than you realise; in fact, I know a story that might make you change your mind.”
Luna snuggled down next to the warmth of her mother, looking forward to the promised story.
“Can you think of a pony who is a little bit too fussy and would not like to be out in the rain?”
“Yes, Mama” Luna giggled, “I know a filly a bit like that.”
“Alright” said her mother, “Then we’ll think of her, shall we? Now, as this is a story, we’ll have to give her a name. How about Verity?”
Luna nodded her approval, eyes wide in expectation.
“Once upon a time, a pony called Verity had to go out in a storm to get food for her pet cat because she had run out. Now, she was a pony who was rather fussy about her appearance and more than a little bit vain, so she had put on a rain cape, a rain hat and boots. But, even wearing all this, she still didn’t want to be outside.”
“Didn’t she have an umbrella too, Mama?” Luna asked.
“Well, she had started off with one, but the wind had turned it inside out, so it no longer worked. Anyway, far above her, the sun and the wind looked down and noticed that she was the only pony out in the storm. The sun felt a bit sorry for her and said that she looked like more of an indoors pony who was not suited to the bad weather. The wind agreed, saying that she probably had a very fancy cutie mark, nothing to do with an outdoors lifestyle. The sun was intrigued, and they started trying to guess what it would be, and had lots of fun making up cutie marks.”
“Oh, like it could be for flower arranging?” Luna chipped in.
“Yes” agreed her mother, “Instead of something like tree cutting that would be a very outdoors sort of job.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony with a cutie mark like that” Luna speculated.
“No, that’s because they’re most likely always at work far out in the forest” replied her mother, “But to get back to the story; by now both the sun and the wind wanted to know what her cutie mark was. Now, as you can imagine, they couldn’t ask her, so the wind said that he would blow really hard until the rain cape came off. The sun thought this was a little unkind, but had a plan and agreed that if the wind couldn’t do it, and he could, then the wind would have to promise to be nice to the ponies for a very long time. Well, the wind was very cheeky and liked causing mischief, but believed he would win easily, so agreed. Then he started to blow and blow for all he was worth.”
“How hard did he blow, Mama?” asked the filly.
“As hard as you can and a bit more” she replied.
“Like this?” said Luna taking a deep breath and trying as hard as she could.
“I think it was even more than that” said her mother with a gentle giggle.
“Poor Verity” Luna sympathised, snuggling a little deeper into her mother.
“Yes, that wasn’t very nice, was it?” agreed the mare, “Anyway, the wind blew so hard that poor Verity could barely manage to stand upright, but all she did was pull the rain cape tighter round her, until eventually the wind had to give up because he had tired himself out. Then the sun asked if he could take his turn, and the wind agreed, confident that he wouldn’t fare any better. Next thing, the sun came out and smiled warmly on Verity, who started to get hot wearing her rain cape, rain hat and boots. In fact, she got so hot that she …”
“… took off her rain cape and uncovered her cutie mark!” finished Luna, “That was very clever of the sun, wasn’t it, Mama?”
“Yes, it was, and that’s why you shouldn’t underestimate the sun, because it may just be cleverer than you think.”
“Thank you, Mama, I’ll be sure to remember that now” said Luna, starting to feel sleepy and unable to hold back a yawn.
“Mama” she said after a brief pause, “What was Verity’s cutie mark in the end?”
“Well, my little one, that is a secret known only to Verity, the sun and the wind.”
“I bet it was flower arranging” Luna pondered, closing her eyes and resting her head on her forelegs, “Thank you for the story.”
“You’re welcome” said her mother holding her precious filly close, and in a few minutes, Luna was making cute little snuffling noises that told the mare she was asleep.
“Sleep well my darling” her mother whispered softly.
