//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Mr. Blue Sky 
// Story: Concerto For A Rainy Day 
// by Closer-To-The-Sun 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 4: Mr. Blue Sky

Trotting back to the center of Ponyville along the muddy trail, Twilight was deep in thought. She was thinking of what she had seen today. She saw another side of her friends that she didn't think she normally would have. She saw Spike be a true gentlecolt to Rarity, protecting her from the falling rain. She saw the bashful Fluttershy emerge from shy and timid nature and express her feelings in a small yet meaningful way. And finally, Twilight looked on as Applejack confided in Rainbow Dash a personal secret, to which Dash not only promised the secret was safe, she admitted a fear she once had. It certainly was enough for the unicorn to think about as she trotted through the rain. But one thing that also caused Twilight to ponder was a pink pony standing in the middle of Ponyville with a mask and snorkel on her face as she looked straight up into the sky at the falling rain and the grey clouds.

Coming closer to the pink mare, Twilight spoke, "Uh….Pinkie Pie? What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for the rain to stop!" she cheerfully stated as she took the snorkel out only to put it back in her mouth. The rain continued to hit her mane, but it stayed as poofy and big as it usually would be.

"Uh huh….and why do you have a snorkel?" Twilight asked, tilting her head.

"Well, duh, Twilight! So I don't drown! Honestly, for a bookworm of a pony, you sure are silly!" Pinkie happily explained as she took the snorkel out of her mouth again and raised the mask up off her eyes to rest on her forehead.

The unicorn was still confused, "So you are staring up at the clouds until it stops raining?"

Pinkie bounced, "Yup! And then when the rain stops, the sun comes out to play! And with Mr. Sun comes Mr. Blue Sky!"

The purple pony was still puzzled with Pinkie Pie, "You do know the rain can last quite a bit of time, right?"

"That's just it!" Pinkie shouted, "My tail says it's going to end soon! And I want to be right here when it stops!"

"May I ask why?"

"Sure you can! It's because while I love the rain, I love the sun! And when the rain stops and the clouds disappear, it's such a magical sight!"

Twilight's interest was sparked, "Magical?"

"Yeah! It was really magical the first time I saw it happen! It was a super small little filly. I had just arrived in Ponyville and it was raining like today. I was really sad seeing I had just arrived and no pony knew me then. But then, when I looked up to the clouds and rain, it stopped! And when it stopped, the clouds cleared up and I saw the bright blue sky and the sun," the pink pony paused to catch her breath, then continued at the same fast speed as she had before, "and the most BEAUTIFUL rainbow ever! It was so magical and fun! It was then I knew that everything would be okay! And look at me now!"

As Pinkie finished speaking, taking her time to breath, Twilight thought about what she said as the rain fell on to her umbrella. "Maybe you have a point there, Pinkie. You really brought up something that I have been looking for."

"Glad I could help! By the way, what did I help with?" Pinkie smiled and tilted her head, edging on for an answer. However, she interrupted herself, "Wait, I think it's going to happen soon!"

Just as Pinkie spoke, the falling rain seemed to not only ease up, but began to stop. The puddles on the ground stopped gathering drops of water and the sound and pitter-patter of rain ceased. With this, Twilight quickly closed her umbrella and looked up to the sky with Pinkie Pie. As the pink party pony predicted, the clouds began to leave the Ponyville vicinity by what seemed to be wind. Hiding behind those clouds was a boldly colored blue sky, emerging from the clouds. Along with the sky, the sun pierced it's light through the gloomy clouds. Finally, after a few minutes of this dance in the atmosphere, the clouds had vanished from sight and it was just as Pinkie described, even with a brilliant rainbow stretching across the sky.

"And it's done! Woo-hoo! Hello there, Mr. Blue Sky! Please tell us why you had to hide away for so long!" the pink mare cheered, hopping up and down.

"Astounding," Twilight remarked.

"Told ya! Now, if you'd excuse me, I should be baby-sitting the Cake twins! Those little rascals think we're playing hide and seek, but don't tell that I was here!" Pinkie Pie said as she quickly bounced off, leaving Twilight staring up at the blue sky.

Twilight turned her head slightly to see her friend leave and then back to the sky above her. After a few more minutes of looking at the now cloudless sky, the unicorn gathered her belongs and trotted back to the library.

Once inside the library, she was quick to put her things away except for her notes. Levitating them with her magic, she made her way over to her desk, where she set them down. Taking out a quill and some fresh parchment, she began to write a letter.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today was a very interesting day for me to learn about friendship. I learned not only about the said subject, but also about something that I normally found trivial and quite uninteresting. While visiting my friends, I learned different things about friendship.

In one instance, I learned that friendship sometimes means putting others before yourself. I discovered this as I was watching my assistant Spike be a gentlecolt to my friend Rarity, holding the umbrella for her in the rain while he was being soaked by the falling rain. He just of easily could of used the umbrella for his own use, but instead put the needs of others before himself.

Another occurrence today happened at Sweet Apple Acres where I saw Fluttershy and Big Macintosh. The former visited the latter while he was working in the rain out in the grove of trees. Worried about him, she offered him a coat for him to wear to help fight off any sickness that he might get while working. While it was a small gesture, I imagine it had a large impact on their friendship, which I see becoming stronger all the time.

The third example I witnessed was in the barn of Sweet Apple Acres where my friends Applejack and Rainbow Dash were sitting amongst the hay, finding shelter from the storm. It was here that Applejack admitted to Rainbow that she had astraphobia, or the fear of thunder and lightning. While Rainbow found it humorous, she did comfort her friend by stating she used to have the fear as well. I found this to be a very excellent example of friends confiding in one another and sharing their problems in order to strengthen the bond between them.

Finally, this last example goes hoof-in-hoof with the other subject I learned about today. On my way home, I came across my friend Pinkie Pie, who was looking up at the sky, waiting for the rain to stop. While I did not understand what she was doing exactly, she explained that she watched the sky for it to stop raining to relive a moment of her youth. Upon describing it, I stayed with her and watched both the rain stop and the clouds leave to bring out, what she called, 'Mr. Blue Sky'. While it was simple weather patterns happening, it fascinated me to no end as I watched nature unfold before my eyes. It is one thing to read about something happening as a natural occurrence, but it something entirely different to watch it happen in front of you. And it took a friend to help me see something I might of missed out.

Perhaps it was the weather that brought forth all that I saw today. Or maybe I was at the right place and the right time for each one. Whatever the cause, I learned a lot today, and this is why I'm writing you, Princess.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

P.S. Please don't tell my friends I was eavesdropping