Symphony headed out of her town without looking back. If no one was going to listen to her, she did not need to be here. She trotted up to the forest line and was just about to enter the dense trees when she heard hoofsteps behind her. Frightened, thinking it could be one of her bullies, she darted into the green and dove into a large bush. She held her breath, waiting for the mysterious pony to show his or her face.
"Symphony!" her name flew out of the somepony's mouth.
Her long ears perked up in curiosity, her fear fading away. She peeked through the leaves and saw the icy-blue coat of a familiar colt. His light purple eyes were filled with what appeared to be worry. The usually perfect white hair mane that sat on his head was tangled and sticking out in every direction.
"Symphony! Where are you?" he called out.
"Right... here," Symphony struggled to get out of the bush. She not-so-gracefully landed on her face, but tried to get up quickly as if it did not hurt as much as it truly did.
Arctic Mist looked over her and he said softly, "I was at the post office and when I walked out, I saw you leaving with a backpack. I was afraid the colts and fillies at school had gotten to you."
Symphony shook her head vigorously, "No, no, no. I"m just going on a hike!," she lied. "Don't worry, I'll be back later tonight."
He eyed her suspiciously, "You're not a very good liar. I can read you like a book. Please, don't go. If you leave, that just means the bullies win."
Her stormy blue eyes fell to the ground. She shifted her weight on her hooves and looked around uncomfortably. A song bird in the distance caught her attention and she just listened. Its voice was beautiful, the song unique. A small smile formed upon her face, "I am not leaving because they win. I am leaving because in order to fit in, to feel good about myself, I am going to find Coral Moon and her mule community. That way, I won't feel so alone anymore."
Arctic Mist nodded at her plan, "Okay, well if I can't change your mind, I am going with you."
The filly jumped back in surprise, "What? No. I am alone, I've always been alone and I'm going to find where I belong. By myself."
He started walking ahead of her, "Sweet Symphony, you will not be alone on your journey. If you wish me to leave once we get there, I will, but I won't leave you a moment sooner. If you are as lonely as you say you are, I will keep you company. It's okay to be alone, but it isn't okay to be lonely."
"I'm not..." Symphony started, but she knew she had already lost this argument.
"Are you coming or not?" Arctic laughed and galloped ahead.
She chased after him, a smile plastered on her face. Is this what it is like to have friends? She thought to herself. If so, I never want to be alone--lonely--again.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
They walked in silence for nearly an hour, but Symphony did not feel uncomfortable. Just having Arctic walk beside her was soothing. Company of another pony who did not judge her for her looks was not something she was used to. She thought she saw him smiling at her from the corner of her eye, so she looked up. He quickly looked away and began to whistle.
"Um... yes?" Symphony asked.
"Hm? Me?" Arctic asked, surprised.
She shook her head at his silliness, "You know I'm talking to you. Why were you looking at me? Is there something on my face? In my hair?" Symphony started to swipe at her muzzle.
He laughed softly, "No. I was looking at your spots. I think they're adorable."
Her cheeks blushed a bright crimson, "N... no. They look like splattered coffee creamer. Not cute at all."
Arctic Mist flew ahead of her, turned around, and stopped right in front of her face. "Listen here, Missy," he started. "Learn to take a compliment! When I say your spots, mane, face, whatever... is adorable, the proper response is 'thank you.' Try it."
The red in her cheeks was still burning, "Th-th-thank you," she stammered nervously. "I just have never been told anything differently." She nudged the dirt with her hoof, afraid to look him in the eyes, afraid to have him see the blush in her cheeks, afraid of what might be.
After several moments of silence, Arctic Mist began to walk again, "The river up ahead is said to have some of the freshest water around. Want to see if it's true?"
She nodded, still not making eye contact and slowly followed him.
The trees were gently swaying in the wind, another song bird sang in the distance. The trees began to thin out, the unbeaten path widening. Up ahead was a river, just as Arctic had said. It past by them with only a soft trickling. It was very calm, the surface relatively undisturbed. She peeked over the edge and could see every rock, pebble, and fish. As she contemplated drinking, Arctic ran past her and dropped into the peaceful river with a cannonball. The splash he created got her completely soaked, her mane was dripping, her coat matted with the water. She glared at him as he came up for air.
"Symphony, you have to try this water! It's delicious! Oh, and it feels great, too. You may want to put down your backpack so you don't get it wet," he said, doing the backstroke back and forth in front of her.
She took off her backpack and glared at it. It was soaked from Arctic's splash. She sighed and edged towards the river, just dipping her muzzle in for a sip. He was right: it was amazingly delicious, the freshest water she had ever tasted. Even as she watched Arctic having fun, she was not quite sure if she wanted to jump in. There was a bridge to her left and she could easily just hop over it, without getting any wetter than she already was.
"Come in! It's fun. You know how to swim, right?" Arctic began to tread water and just watched her.
She nodded, "Yeah... I can swim. I've just never gone swimming with anybody before. What if you try to drown me?"
He scoffed, "Do you really trust me that little?"
Symphony shook her head and delicately stuck her two front hooves into the river's edge. The water lapped at her eagerly and she waded in a little deeper. It was chilly, but not unbearably cold. She finally made it out to where Arctic was and offered a small smile.
"That wasn't so hard now was it?" he asked. His sweet smile turned into an evil grin and he splashed her with all his might. She let out a high-pitched whinny and dove underwater to avoid him. He chased her and she swam. They played tag until they were both exhausted.
"Ready to continue?" Symphony panted.
Arctic dragged himself out of the water and looked towards the bridge, "Yes, but only if we can take a nap first."
They found a small clearing and Symphony snagged a spot with a bunch of sun. Arctic plopped down mere inches from her and fell asleep instantly. She fell asleep and dreamt of new found friendship.