//------------------------------// // Taking a Walk // Story: A Life-Changing Blessing // by MIKEANTHONY321 //------------------------------// It was a rather cold and stormy night in the town of Ponyville. Wind raged, rain poured, and spirits dropped. Shops were closed, and everypony stayed in their warm, comfortable houses to live out the unforgiving elements. That is, except for one particular earthpony. Brave Spirit ran through the pounding precipitation, splashing through puddles on his way by. He clutched a couple of folders in his hooves that read, “Adoption Agency Application Forms”. He ran through the deserted streets of the town, longing to reach his house before the cold and rain got the better of him. By the time he got there, he was soaking wet and shivering. Using the key to unlock the door, Spirit entered his home, and set the application folders on the kitchen counter. He headed down the hall to the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and dried himself off. Trudging back down the hall, he sat down on his couch, and sighed. A single tear rolled down his cheek. The one distinct feature about his application folder for the Adoption Agency was the big red stamp on the front that read, “Rejected”. He buried his face in his hooves, and sobbed quietly. “What’s wrong with me……?” His wife, who was a pegasus, had died over a year ago in a horrible flying accident. His parents had both died of a stroke many years before that. He had no brothers or sisters, and has lived alone ever since the tragedy. A couple years before her death, Spirit and his wife had been considering having a foal. They both have always wanted to settle down and start a family. However, with one trip to the doctor, his wife was diagnosed with infertility. Brave Spirit just wanted a foal to take care of in his life, so the void in his heart could be filled. But the Adoption Agency had rejected his application, and now, he had no one. He got up off of his couch, and trudged down the hall to his bedroom. Maybe if he got a good night’s rest, everything will seem better in the morning. …………………………………… Well, he was certainly wrong about that one. Or at least…partially. He couldn’t sleep at all. For the last hour and a half, he had been tossing and turning, thinking about the rejection of his application. Finally, he decided to get out of bed, and take a walk. He grabbed an umbrella and a raincoat from the living-closet, and headed back out into the pouring rain to clear his head. ……………………………………… Spirit slowly walked through the usually busy streets of Ponyville. However, almost no one was anywhere to be seen. Every once and a while, one or two ponies could be seen rushing by to get home through the weather. Other than that, there was no one around. It was going to be a dreary weekend for him. The pegasi had scheduled this storm to last for a couple of days, and he had absolutely no plans whatsoever. Of course, he’d have to be back to work at the rock farm on Monday. That job seems to make his life “sunshine and happiness” most of the time. Spirit changed direction at a forked path, and began walking through the park. The only sounds that could be heard were the pattering of the rain, and the squashing sound of his hooves on the muddy ground. He sat down at one of the many round, covered picnic tables that were scattered throughout the park property. He rested his head on the surface of the table, and sighed. … For the few minutes that he sat at that bench, he started to become accustomed to the sound of the rain. After a couple more minutes however, a second noise could be heard. His ears perked up, and he lifted his head. He listened carefully, for the noise was very faint. It sounded almost like…crying. Spirit stood back up, grabbed his umbrella, and walked in the direction of the noise. As he walked, the noise got louder and louder. He looked around, trying to find where the noise was emanating from. When he turned, he saw a basket sitting under the large umbrella of one of the other park benches. With his curiosity peaked, he began to approach it. Once he had reached the basket, he found that it was covered with a blanket. He was confused as to why there was crying coming from a regular woven picnic basket that was deserted in the rain. He carefully removed the blanket that covered it, and gasped at what he saw. In the basket, he found a very small filly that was wrapped in more blankets. She looked up at him, and immediately stopped crying. She kind of stared, trying to figure out who this strange colt was. Spirit stared back at her exactly the same way. Her coat was a kind of turquoise, or cyan. The part that caught his eye was the rainbow-colored mane that she possessed. What kind of pony has six colors in her mane? Spirit looked down, and noticed a small note attached to the side of the basket. He peeled it off, and mumbled its words aloud. “My name is Rainbow Dash. Please give me a good home!” He read. He checked it front and back to make sure he read everything, but there was nothing else. That’s all it was. “H…have I been blessed or something? This is too good to be true!” Spirit looked back down at ‘Rainbow Dash’. Judging by her size and composure, he guessed that she had to be maybe a week old at the most. He looked back and forth to make sure no one was looking. Then, he took Rainbow Dash’s basket back to his house. ……………………………………… Once again, Spirit unlocked the front door, and entered his house. He took off his raincoat, and set it on the coat-hanger next to the door along with the umbrella. He took the basket containing Rainbow Dash over to the couch, and sat down. He carefully lifted her out of the basket, and unwrapped the blankets that were around her. As he did so, he noticed a tiny pair of wings that were folded at her sides. As the blanket came off, her wings unfurled to get some air. She wasn’t wearing anything. “Aw, you are just too precious! I can’t believe I will actually need to buy diapers from the market tomorrow! I thought that was something that I’d never have to do…” Rainbow Dash giggled. This made Brave Spirit grin from ear-to-ear. He looked up at the clock, which read 10:23. “Man, it’s getting late. I guess it’s time for us to be getting to bed, huh?” He set Rainbow Dash on the couch. Then, he took the blanket that was covering the basket, and he put it around her. Very soon after doing this, Rainbow Dash fell asleep. Smiling, Spirit walked down the hall to his bedroom to get some sleep. He hadn’t felt this happy since his wife was still alive. To be Continued…