//------------------------------//
// Drums 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

Maple awoke with a start... but some instinct she never knew she had prevented her from actually moving. It pinned all her limbs in place, holding her still while her brain caught up with the rest of her body. It had nothing to do with fear, panic or hesitation, however.

No, this instinct was caused by not wanting to crush the fuzzy ball of lilac breathing pleasantly against her chest.

She smiled softly, memories of the previous night filtering themselves into the only thing that really mattered: Starlight was here. Starlight had been told everything there was to tell, and still, she was here. That was more than Maple had once thought she could ask for. Having no pressing reason to get up, she relaxed, sliding a tender foreleg over the filly and matching herself to Starlight's slumbering breaths. She could already tell this was going to be a perfect morning, feeling a tear threaten to slip through her closed eyelids.

One of her ears was inside out. Pressed to a fluffy pillow, she felt no reason to correct it... until she realized why she had suddenly awoken.

A rhythmic thumping reached her eardrum, the kind that travels through the ground rather than the air. It sounded like a beast with hooves the size of houses was marching many miles away, and while that would have been absurd, she couldn't think of any valid explanations. Annoyed, she rubbed her head against the pillow, trying to fix her ear so that it might blot itself out. Eventually content that it had worked, she curled more closely around Starlight, perfectly happy to continue relishing her morning.

But try as she might to ignore it, the thumping continued, pulsating in her very core and preventing her from returning to slumber. Eventually, she gave up, realizing she could neither get back to sleep nor banish a growing irritability at whatever had woken her... so she gently licked the top of the filly's head, just in case she was awake. "I'll be right back," Maple murmured, carefully disentangling herself and moving toward the edge of the bed. "Don't go anywhere."

"Mmmkay..." Starlight lowly mumbled, facedown, from where Maple had left her.

Sighing, the earth pony went about her way, slipping out the bedroom door and closing it before it could let too much light in.

Looking about her kitchen, she guessed the sun had risen about three hours ago. Outside, it was raining thunderously, such that even when she opened a window and stuck her head out all she could hear was the hiss against the ground. There was no sign of whatever had woken her.

Still, she left the window open as she went about preparing something to eat. The cool breeze felt pleasant against her filly-warmed coat, and she strongly suspected bed would feel nicer if she cooled off first. She had every intention of returning, having sat up far later than usual with Starlight before finally going to bed.

She didn't touch the stove, instead taking a serrated blade in her teeth and carving off the end of a partially-hardened loaf of sourdough bread. Casting around for something to put on it, she eventually settled for strawberry jam and nothing else. She took her sandwich and settled back at the window, munching thoughtfully.

It smelled nice out. The rain was mixed with the smell of pine, and while it was a smell that was frequently around, it was far from unpleasant. Her tail swished as she took a bite, her mind idly running over any ingredients she might be running low on. Powdered sugar, she'd have to pick that up... but little else. Not knowing what to do with herself, she had made a run two days before, while Willow was busy caring for Starlight shortly after the filly had been found.

The tower next to hers and immediately in her line of sight was four stories tall. She wasn't intimately acquainted with her neighbors, but knew that two separate families shared the space... or three, depending on how you counted. It was complicated. But there were plenty of foals living there... She'd have to take the time to get to know them better, to give Starlight someone nearby to play with. Mentally, she added taking them a gift cake to her to-do list.

As she watched, the door to the house burst open, and a mare wearing a thick poncho dashed out, hastily turning and charging off toward the center of town. Maple frowned. She hadn't seen the mare's facial expression, but she was moving with a haste usually the rain alone wasn't enough to cause, especially when one was dressed for it. She strained, almost feeling she could still hear the drumming in the distance. She could certainly hear the rain.

Maple shrugged, shutting the window and stuffing the rest of her sandwich into her mouth. It had been sufficiently filling, and she had better things to do. Cheeks bulging, she pushed open the door to the bedroom, tail flicking contentedly.

A pair of filly-sized eyes stared back out at her, shining in the darkness. "I stayed here."

"Sorry about that," Maple grumbled, climbing back into the bed and wriggling over to Starlight. "You can go back to sleep now, Starlight. I shouldn't need to go anywhere else for a while."

"I'm not tired," Starlight offered, laying with all four legs tucked underneath herself and her tail wrapped neatly around her side. "You're cold. And you smell like strawberries."

"Yes, I am cold," Maple astutely observed, "and you can do whatever you want, but I'm not getting up until I'm warm again."

Starlight responded by snuggling up against her again, causing Maple's heart to leap in her chest. The warmth from that feeling alone was more than anything physical Starlight was providing... though that was welcome too. "Thanks," Maple murmured, draping a hoof back over the filly.

"You really like cuddling," Starlight remarked, squirming slightly.

"I guess I do," Maple exhaled. "That's not a problem, is it?" she asked worriedly.

"No." Starlight rolled over. "It makes it easy to make you happy."

Maple flushed slightly, moderately uncomfortable at the idea that the filly was making accommodations for her... but also enjoying that she was being thoughtful. Before she could finish thinking, however, Starlight asked, "So how long ago did all that stuff happen?"

"From last night? Very recently," Maple answered, shifting uncomfortably. "Though it feels like forever. It couldn't have been more than two years ago that it started. Maybe a year and a half. I've only had this house for a few months. It's not history. I'm still on the end of it." She leaned in and nuzzled Starlight. "Or maybe it ended two days ago."

As she lay there, she began to hear the distant pounding again, and her ears twitched. "Starlight?" She sat up, craning her neck. "Do you hear that?"

"Yeah," Starlight mumbled, sliding slightly into the depression under Maple that had been left in the bed. "It's called the rain."

"Not that..." Maple stared hesitantly at nothing. "It's like... drums..."

Starlight's ears pricked too. After a minute, the filly said, "Huh. I think I do."

"Maybe we should check it out," Maple grumbled, sinking back to the bed. "Not yet, though. Nnngh... Gotta get ten more minutes..."

Starlight stuck her tongue out, flopping back against Maple. "I thought you were a morning pony. Hmmph."

She received no response.





Over thirty minutes later, Maple finally stirred. The noise was still present, and had, if anything, gotten louder. "All right," she muttered, stretching. "That's enough. Let's go see what that is."

"About time." Starlight was out of bed faster than Maple could blink. Standing by the bedside, she briefly tested her horn, and the expression on her face indicated she was pleased at the result.

"Is you magic feeling better?" Maple asked as she got up, figuring she'd prompt the filly to talk about something she might enjoy. Slowly, she paced to a mirror and began straightening her mane.

"Yeah..." Starlight squinted, summoning sparks. "It doesn't hurt to use, I guess."

"That's good." Maple hummed, brushing. "I'd love to see some of your tricks some time..."

Starlight shrugged. "Okay. I'm hungry."

"I'll find something. Just a moment." Finishing her work, Maple set down the brush... and as her eyes passed over Starlight, she squinted and tapped her chin. "I know what would look good on you."

"Huh?" Starlight twisted, then suddenly yelped as she was grabbed and set on the bed, Maple fussing with her mane. "Hey, that pulls! Ow!"

"Sorry..." Maple bit her lip, working. "And... there!" She stepped back, triumphant, and grabbed a mirror for Starlight to see. The filly stood with her mane in a neat ponytail, one of Maple's own bands tying back all the excess that had grown during Starlight's time in the mountains. "Now you can see again!" she proclaimed, waving the mirror. "Do you like it?"

Starlight touched it with a hoof. "Huh. I used to have pigtails back in Equestria. But this is bigger, and just one..." She turned her neck, examining herself. "Yeah, this is nice. I like it."

Maple tapped her forehooves happily. "Well, consider it a present from me. Now let's get you some breakfast!" Nearly skipping, she bounced back into the kitchen and began preparations.





One home-made caramel apple later, and Maple and Starlight stood downstairs, examining a poncho. The distant booming still ringing in their ears above the thrum of rain, somehow louder than ever, they were all set to investigate... save for one problem. Maple didn't own any filly-sized raincoats.

"I can just wear a big one," Starlight volunteered, looking up at the garments. They were sleeveless and more resembled rubber robes, allowing plenty of room for size adjustments. Any excess would just trail behind her... which would be dirty, but not unmanageable. The only perceivable issue was that the hood might fall into her eyes.

"You'd trip on the front," Maple replied, dashing her hopes. "Trust me, I did that once when I was younger. I'm trying to think of a way we could..."

Starlight shrugged. "We could tie the dangling part so it doesn't reach the ground?"

"Hmmm... maybe..." Maple scratched her chin with a hoof. "But there's got to be a better..." Suddenly, her eyes lit up. Had she possessed claws or talons, she would have snapped them. The kind of grin spread across her face that only comes with the hatching of a truly bad idea, and she giggled slightly. "Never mind! Heee! I just thought of the perfect idea...!"