//------------------------------//
// A Dark and Stormy Night 
// Story: Sisterly Love 
// by Lux 
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Sisterly Love

Chapter 1 – A Dark and Stormy Night

A storm was brewing in Ponyville, one that its residents hadn’t seen with such intensity for a while. It was a rare occurrence but one that the ponies knew was a long time coming.  The weather ponies had missed the rain days and thus the town was due for a big storm to compensate for the lack of rain. Thankfully the Pegasus ponies had the right mind to schedule it at night when no pony was out in town. 

As the sun set, the storm clouds gathered. Soon it began to deluge on the town, turning any ground not held together with grass into thick mud. The winds then picked up, blowing the rain in a myriad of directions, causing it to lash against the buildings and trees. Anything not secured to the ground, whether it was a piece of paper or a garbage can was carted off by the winds, bound for some unknown final destination. Overhead the roaring thunder and bolts of lightning threatened to strike anything, acting as a warning to anypony that dared to venture out to stay inside and free of the storm’s force. 

There was one pony, however, that did not heed the warning. A Pegasus filly with a pelt as orange as a mango and a mane and tail a magenta shade trudged down the center of town. She fought desperately against the wind and rain that threatened to carry her off. Every step was a struggle forward as she looked for some kind of shelter, any place to get out of the storm. 

She was not alone in her plight. Clutched in between her fore hooves was a blue wooden scooter with red wheels. This made her journey even more treacherous as she was forced to walk on two hooves rather than four. It was clear that she cared so much about her possession as she cradled it like a mother would hold her foal for comfort. No matter how hard it would be, the orange filly was not about to lose her cherished scooter. 

For a moment, she did not look down at the road and tripped over a rut. With a cry of surprise, she watched as the rain soaked scooter slipped from her hooves as she fell face first into a puddle of cold mud. She pulled herself up and shook off the mud in a vain attempt to have some semblance of cleanliness as she looked for her scooter. Thankfully the wind had carried it only a short distance before it got stuck up against a tree. 

Galloping towards the tree, the Pegasus grabbed her precious scooter and proceeded through the town.  She passed by many buildings that had their lights on, ones that she knew were just as good to offer safety. Pausing before a particular home, she looked in the window. There before her eyes a mother and a father and their two foals were sitting down to dinner. The table was set up with an array of wonderful food as the ponies laughed and conversed. In her mind the filly cursed her lot, for having nothing that this family had and in her mind probably never would. 

Turning away from the scene in the window, she resumed her journey through the deserted street. She began to shiver from the cold rain that clung to her fur, making her trip even more miserable. Occasionally, bits of twig and debris would strike her. Most of them were a minor annoyance, but some cut her, causing her to wince in pain. Yet in her mind she knew she had to press on to her goal, no matter how miserable she was. 

It was then she stopped and looked across the street. There was a house with no lights on which stood out among the lit houses around it. She crept closer as she looked in the windows. The place looked empty, devoid of furniture with its windows dirty. She snuck around the side, still clutching her scooter. She was not about to lose it now, not after all she and it had been through. 

There was a loud banging sound which startled the orange filly as she looked around. There embedded in the ground was a metal cellar door that would rise and come crashing down as a wind passed under it. Without giving it thought, the pony opened the door and shut the door behind her. 

The basement was dark, cold, and devoid of any furniture. It was just a big open area with a few wooden beams dotting the area and a set of stairs leading up to the main floor. The only light was the periodic flashes of lightning streaming through the windows. Yet for better or worse, this was her home. That was, until she could find a better place to stay. 
The Pegasus filly had to be careful the next few days. She knew she needed help and having friends would ease her loneliness. Yet she couldn’t tell any pony where she was staying for fear that it would open more questions like who and where her parents were. Her parents: the object of her wonder and her anger as to her as to having such a cursed life. But there was no used trying to seek something that didn’t want to be found.

After stumbling through the dark and almost colliding with a support beam or two, the orange filly found a corner of the basement and curled up into it. The stone walls and floor were cold and uncomfortable. At least she was out of the rain, but that didn’t help the fact that she was already thoroughly soaked. This added further to the misery she was feeling, making this situation one that even the strongest of fillies would cry. 

The pony amidst her shivering did the best she could by wrapping her tail around the front of her body like a makeshift blanket. She then closed her eyes and desperately tried falling asleep amidst the sound of falling rain and thunder that echoed throughout the cavernous basement. Finally she eased into a wary but still sound sleep, her mind resolving to take things one day at a time. Anything else would be too much for the filly to take. There was much to do and even much more to forget.