"Jeez, you'd think it'd take a pony less than a week to walk to the nearest city..." Shine mumbled to herself as she finally came upon the sign that read, "Welcome to Fillydelphia!" As she continued, the scenery started with small, quiet houses, where the ponies were elderly- but nice. They'd wave to her, a big, wrinkly smile on their faces, and she would wave right back. As she kept walking on, the houses got bigger, the ponies younger, and less and less nice... At one point, she whispered to herself, "I wish everypony were old..." The housing became taller, more dense, and the crowds on the sidewalks got so crowded that she could barely see the ground beneath her. Unable to see anything below her, she turned her gaze upwards to the towering skyscrapers which were all lined with glass windows and sleek designs. Ponies passed one another with little to no regards to anyone around them. The combination of hooves trotting, taxi-stallions running, and ponies everywhere talking and yelling above each other was buzzing around in Shine's head like a nest of bees. After a little while of being squished between ponies, she spotted herself a small clearing at the edge of an alley. She finally made her way through and she, now able to breathe, could smell the smoggy air around her. She started to cough, trying to fan away the worst of it. Making the mistake of stepping an inch out of the alley, somepony stumbled right over her, spilling a scalding drink all over her. She screamed, jerking back to try and get it off. The pony rushed over frantically down the alley towards her. She pulled out her sword, thinking they were going to hurt her, when-
"Hey! Whoa, calm down! I just wanna help!" She blinked the stinging drink out of her eyes to make out the fuzzy figure of a young stallion pegasus in a tan-ish jacket. He slowly approached her, even with her sword drawn. Shine could make out his light blue coat and golden mane. "It's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you... I promise." She wiped one eye with her hoof, giving her a more clear view of the culprit. He was smiling, still moving closer and closer- but it wasn't a creepy 'I'm gonna get you,' smile, he seemed.. sincere. He finally got close enough to her to slowly push her sword down before she finally just dropped it due to a combination of his persistence and her eye stinging so much. Feeling bad, the stallion took off his coat. "Here, use this," he offered. When Shine refused to take his generous offer, he started to clean her up anyways.
When he finished, Shine thanked him silently, before running out into the crowd of ponies again, disappearing completely. After several hours of searching on hoof, Rainbow Shine found a relatively cheap motel to stay at for a few nights. "Celestia, I forgot to go out and get food! Ugh, great..." Shine threw her items into the closet behind the motel-offered items, fairly well hidden. "I think I saw a twenty-four hour store on the other block... Maybe they have some stuff I can use. There aren't exactly berry bushes to forage through here," Shine chuckled to herself as she walked down the darkened street, a small bag of bits tucked away in her mane. At the store, she grabbed the essentials: clean drinking water, things to cook and canned things to last her for later. She checked out, thanking the teenage clerk at the front before heading out. It didn't feel like she had been inside for that long but the sky seemed to prove otherwise. It was nearly pitch black now. "Jeez, it's even darker than before... I didn't think that were even possible." But being as tired as she was, Rainbow just shrugged it off and started towards what she was to call 'home' until she found a better one. Barely able to see her hoof in front of her own face, she tried to remember the simple route back to the motel, when she heard something moving towards her from behind. "W-who's there!?" She dropped her groceries in a panic and quickly turned around and reached for her sword, only to remember that she had left it at the motel. She cursed under her breath but stood her ground, hoping that her perpetrator couldn't see the fear in her eyes. A dim, bluish glow caught her attention just to the right of her, causing her to jump back.
"Well, what do we have here... A filly? All by her lonesome? At night in the big city? Oh, how.. brave of you. It'd be such a shame is something... happened." The unicorn's voice was as scratchy as petting a lizard backwards, obviously the magic dealer in town. His horn lit up just barely brighter than before, lifting her up, and even though he was on his own, she didn’t have her sword with her. Shine didn't know what else to do, so she screamed and hollered as loud as she could, calling out for help. From far up above the gray clouds, a familiar pegasus' ears twitched before he poked his head through the cloud he was sitting atop of. Even in Luna’s moonlight, he was able to see the faint blue glow, and the child trapped inside of it. The pegasus dove straight downwards, wings up against the length of his body, as he let gravity do the work. He blinked for what seemed to be a second, and the next thing he knew, he hit the dark colored unicorn head-on. Standing up, he was dizzy as Tartarus, but the other stallion lay on the ground, unconscious. The filly from before lay on the ground, covered in tomato sauce and oats, trying to grab the more important of her items from the store out of what hadn’t been damaged.
"C'mon, there isn't time for that!" The pegasus grabbed her by the mane, pulling her up onto his back without giving her any time to protest. The shadowed figure on the ground began to move again, and the stallion took to the skies. He stopped on top of a building up above the clouds, and set the pink pony down. Still in shock and terrified, she backed away from him. He caught his breath and looked over the side of the structure to make sure the dealer down below didn't see them come up there. "Hey, kid." He smirked at the filly, as she could faintly see his complexion in the moonlight.
"It... It's you again? From the alleyway?" She cautiously took a step forward to see him better. He nodded towards her, finally able to stand tall. He looked down and got on one knee to be at her eye level.
"You're welcome, kid, that was probably the worst situation you could've been in." Shine lowered her head, feeling bad that he had to go out of his way to save her from the trouble she got in like he did. "Hey, don't you worry. You're safe with me. Now, where are your folks?" The stallion smiled at her, waiting for an answer, and when there was none, his heart sank a bit. "You... you're here on your own, aren't you?" Rainbow Shine didn't say a word- she couldn't. All that formed was a lump in her throat and a tear in her eye. She was still pretty shaken up with it being her first day on her own, and not even a brave face could get her out of some of these things. That single tear dripped from her face, and reflecting the moonlight, caught the attention of the stallion. He slowly approached the filly, speaking calmly. "Hey, kid... I know that when we first met, it wasn't exactly.. formal. And thought I don't know you, after having a sword pointed at me, and then being in the hooves of-" A loud yell echoed from down below, "That guy, I can tell you're pretty scared. So I'd like you to come and stay with me in my apartment. It's warm, clean, and I'll provide you food and water that's much better than what you had in your bags earlier. Whaddya say?" He smiled gently down at her, a familiar warmth filling her chest.
Rown.... She thought to herself. She looked at him, noticing a big bruise on his head that grew darker and darker before her eyes. She winced. She'd put him through so much today, the least she could do was play along and make him happy. So, she agreed. "Alright.. but I wanna get my stuff from the motel! I have my sword there, and a lot of other stuff." The stallion smiled and lowered his wing down like a ramp for her, but she hopped onto his back, feeling the squish of the produce that was still stuck to her coat. After getting as comfortable as she was going to get, Shine directed him into the general area of the motel. They quickly located it, and proceeded to find her room. The smell of old trash and mold hit the stallion like a brick as he looked around the undermined room. He attempted to neglect the surroundings, and watched Rainbow Shine struggle to get the obviously heavy bag onto her back. Once on and ready for movement, it seemed like a breeze to her. They began to exit the carriage lot out front, when Shine remembered something. "Oh! Wait, hang on, I'll be right back, I need to go get something!" She smiled somewhat sheepishly as she slid the bags off of her and ran for the main office building. She rounded the corner and crept between the building and the bushes, coming up to a window. She peered through as a pony walked in, so she only kept her eyes at level with the sill. She watched as they turned towards a life-sized picture of Celestia, pushed it away like a door, and revealed a massive wall safe. Unable to truly believe what she was seeing, she rubbed her eyes a bit to ensure they were working correctly. Yep, that safe was a walk-in. She shook her head and kept to the task at hoof, and she watched the pony turn the dial. 17... 25... 9... Got it. The pony left, closing the safe, all was normal- so they thought. Shine had to act quickly. She ripped the leaves off the bushes behind her, licking each one and sticking them onto the glass until a thick layer was covering it. She picked up a rock and hit it against the padded window until she heard a crack. She pushed it over, letting it hit the floor. It did cause a sound, and luckily, she'd disabled the alarm earlier just in case, so it bought her a bit more time. She knew this wasn't right, but she only has so much money, and she didn't even get to stay for a few minutes before leaving, so she wanted her money back. I would've just explained the situation... but after what happened outside that store, I'd rather not take my chances. Shine hurriedly went to the safe and with a tight grip, turned the dial to open it. She saw the small sack she gave the man at the front desk earlier, and grabbed just that. She was about to turn to leave when something caught her eye. A jewel. It shined brightly in her face, the same way that the prism did that Rown gave her. Seeing it and remembering him melted her heart. Suddenly, the sound of hooves echoed down the hall. She jumped for the window, stopping just before her exit, to go back and get the jem, making her leave just before the pony entered the room. She ducked down against the wall, sitting atop her tail to hide the bright colors. She stayed motionless, not breathing, until she heard the pony run off. Stowing the small bag and jem in her mane, she trotted out to go meet her newly found partner.
"Hey, kid. What took ya so long?" He asked her.
"Nothin' just wanted to thank the clerk for letting me stay, even if I didn't get to really stay the night." She smiled a half smile before letting out a big yawn.
The stallion chuckled, "I think it's about time to take you somewhere to get some rest. You've probably had a longer day than I know of." He began to pick up her bags for her and she stopped him.
"You don't need to do that, sir, it's my stuff, I should carry it." Shine insisted. The stallion just stood there and smiled at her.
“Sorry, kid, you look absolutely exhausted, and granted I appreciate the offer, and the fact that you have better morals than I did as a kid, I can’t let you haul around this massive bag. It could seriously injure you.” He looked at her, almost worried for her. How long has she been on her own? Has something already injured her? Was there something of massive value to her in the bag? He didn’t take any chances and ask questions, so her led her to his apartment closer to the middle of the city. By the time they got to the door, it was about one in the morning.
Shine let out a long yawn, barely able to keep her stance, “Is this it?” She asked, bags clearly forming under her eyes.
The pegasus nodded, opening the door. It was much bigger than Rainbow Shine had expected, and smelled of vanilla cookies. She walked in behind the stallion, who put her bags on the floor just inside, and looked around in awe. “This… this is where you live?” She looked at him as he walked over to the kitchen.
“Yea, it’s pretty nice, huh?” He smiled, “Now, I know you must be hungry and tired, but I must ask, what’s your name?”
It was then that it hit her that she’d never introduced herself to him and vis-versa. She bowed her head slightly, avoiding losing her balance, “My name is Rainbow Shine, I’m twelve years old, and I specialize in… well.. I don’t know yet..” She trailed off. The stallion did the same, a bit tired himself.
“My name is Cerulean Skies, I’m nineteen as of yesterday, and I specialize in inventing things. It’s why I’m here in Filly, and it’s why I have such a nice apartment. Just be careful, some of my items have had the tendency of.. lighting themselves on fire.” He looked a bit embarrassed at the fact, but shook it off quickly. He gave her a smile nonetheless, "What would you like to eat?" Shine sat down on the floor in front of the couch, not wanting to get it messy as she hadn't taken a shower in quite a while. He rolled his eyes and walked over to her, picked her up and placed her on the couch. "Rainbow Shine, you need to eat something. I can see your ribs through your skin, and it seems like you're starving."
Shine was almost too modest for her own good, "I don't want to inconvenience you any further... but a hay sandwich sounds really good right about now... I saw one on a big sign out in the city and I wanted one, but didn't know where to get it."
Cerulean smiled, "I'll take you there some other time, I know where that place is. But I have been known to cook pretty good meals from time to time, so I'll get that out real quick for you." He left to go into the kitchen for a short while, coming back with three dishes on his outspread wings. One the sandwich, one a small plate of freshly cut apple slices, and a bowl of hot soup. He set them down on the table in front of her, watching her tired eyes grow wide.
"Wh-what's all this? You didn't need to-" she was cut off.
"I wanted to. You need the nutrition, and I'm fairly certain you'll like it." He looked down at her with a soft smile. "And before you say anything, you're welcome." He booped her nose playfully before excusing himself to the kitchen to make up himself something to eat. He watched her from the breakfast bar to see her reaction, and as she took a bite, her whole face lit up. She instantly began to devour the sandwich and apple slices while waiting for the soup to cool. About ten minutes later, Cerulean came back into the room to check up on her, and she'd finished every last morsel. Her eyelids were heavy as she let out a big yawn. Cerulean smiled and chuckled a bit. "Well, looks like somepony liked their food." Looking over her body, the stallion noticed her coat was far dirtier than it should have been, covered in head to hoof in dirt and grime. He quickly excused himself to the washroom where he set up a warm bath for the filly. Coming back into the living room, he finds the filly trying her hardest not to fall asleep. He smiled and went over to her, "Hey, before you fall fast asleep, why don't you get cleaned up? It seems to me like you haven't had a good bath in quite some time." Shine stood up and stretched a bit in attempts to wake herself up, but was too tired to retaliate. She let him lead her to the washroom where everything was laid out for her. "Since I'm not your family, I figured you probably didn't want me to help you, even with how tired you are, so I laid out everything for you." He stepped back, letting her examine everything, "If you need anything just call for me, alright?"
"Well.. actually, I'd kinda like your help.. I just might fall asleep if I do this on my own. And we both know nothing good can come of that." She yawned again, having to lean up against the wall to stay standing. Cerulean nodded, helping her over to the tub. The moment she put her hoof into the water, the muck dissipated into the tub.
"Wow, kid, your coat is an entirely different color than I'd thought it was! Here, we can make this quick so you can head to bed and get some sleep." Cerulean helped her into the bath the rest of the way, washing her coat and tail before moving on to her mane. He noticed something shining out from behind her ear. Seeing how she was practically asleep, he took it out. A large jem lay in his soap-covered hooves, along with a small bag of bits. He looked at it, wondering if that’s what she forgot back at the motel, but placed it to the side to ask her about later at a more appropriate time. By the time they were finished, all of the water in the bath had become a dark brown or a black with all the dirt that was on her. The pegasus dried her off, and carried her to the guest room as she had already fallen asleep. He tucked her in, turning out the lights as he left her to sleep, looking back while in the doorway and smiling. Cerulean himself took a shower and went to bed, and by the time he fell asleep it was one in the morning.
When Shine woke up, the last thing she could remember was a delicious meal and a warm bath. Noticing she was in a nice, soft bed, she took the chance to stay in bed and be able to sleep in. Cerulean entered not too long afterwards, and finding the filly still asleep, smiled and left for the kitchen. He began to cook up breakfast and the smell of it seeped under the door to Rainbow Shine's room, right into her nose. The delicious sugary smell made her nose twitch, almost forcing her out of bed. Shine walking in of stacks upon stacks of pancakes, that almost took up the whole kitchen. Eyes wide, she looked at Cerulean, barely breaking a sweat as he continued to cook. "What in Equestria are we going to do with all these pancakes!?" Her stomach yelled at her to eat first and ask questions later but she wanted an answer first.
Cerulean saw she was awake, and greeted her, "Well, good morning to you too, kid. And all the pancakes are for the homeless. It's in my family tradition to give back after getting things for their birthday. But don't you worry, I made you some too. Yours though, I set down on the table." he said. He flipped a pancake that was still on the skillet up but it ended up landing on his face. Shine couldn't help but laugh a little before noticing the massive stack of pancakes that waited for her. There were strawberries on top and surrounding the sides, a thick syrup on the top that slowly oozed its way down the warm tower.
"Whoa... this is for me?" Shine walked around it in a circle, taking it all in. The whipped cream on top finished the deal for her and she sat down at the table in a chair. The meal cast a shadow over her, although the shortness in the chair didn't help her cause. She stood up on the chair, trying to get a decent angle for eating.Cerulean saw her attempts, and went over to help her.
"Here, why don't we start you off with just a part of the stack." He picked up about a fourth of the stack with the spatula, putting it on another plate so she could eat correctly. Shine smiled and picked up her fork to try to begin eating. After about five minutes of struggling, she gave up and ate them with her face, instead. She started to wonder why his cutie mark wasn't for cooking things. She finished quickly and excused herself to the bathroom. Once entering, she found the jewel from the previous night along with her small bag of money. She quickly grabbed it and snuck it back to her room to put it with her other items. Entering the kitchen again, Shine looked around for Cerulean in the inevitable mountains of pancakes, and upon finding him, was shocked at the scene. He was passed out on the floor, tired out from making so many pancakes and waking himself up so early. Noticing a small note to his side, she picked it up. The note read:
1) Wake up @ 6
2) Make pancakes
3) Deliver to 349 Hooftrot Street
4) Read the children a story
Shine thought for a moment and looked at the sleeping stallion. She began to pick him up and carried him to his bedroom, trying to evenly pull the blankets over him, even when the bed itself was taller than she was. After about half an hour of preparation, Shine took all the pancakes down to the first floor, where she called for a taxi to pick her up. The small bag of bits in her mane, she paid the buff stallion and arrived at the address. An orphanage and homeless shelter. The two buildings joined into one to keep those inside fed evenly. Bringing the hot breakfasts to the door, the Mares in charge, one a white earth pony with her mane towering above her head in a yellow bush, led her to the cafeteria room, and helped set up. It felt amazing to her, seeing the smiles on fillies and colts her age, younger than her, the elderly happy to see food on their plates again after giving it all away to the smaller, more needy foals behind the nurses’ backs. Something lit up inside of her as she continued to serve those in need. The pancakes quickly ran out, and the owners directed her to the children’s section where she read them a couple of short stories before they all thanked her, one by one, and left for their recess. A tear formed in her eye, thinking that even after she’d run away from this same kind of place, she was able to see a bit of good in the world. Not much, but it was strong.
This is the same kind of place I grew up…. Maybe I should just stay homeless, and I won’t turn into those magic dealer characters… Shine thought to herself. Suddenly, a loud slam was heard at the entrance. The owners and nurses ran to go investigate, when Shine had heard a familiar voice.
“What? You mean someone else brought them? And read the kids their story?”
She peeked around the corner, scared he’d be upset with her, just as the owner of her own orphanage would have been. She tried to hide from him, but with her brightly colored mane, she was easy to spot. Cerulean called her out, “There you are, Rainbow Shine!” He quickly trotted over to her ,”I woke up in my bed somehow and when I went into the kitchen, all the pancakes AND YOU were gone! I had checked to make sure it wasn’t all just some crazy dream from all the cider I had from my birthday party late that night, but sure enough, your stuff was still there. So I ran out the door looking for you. I’m glad to see you’re here and safe, but whatever caused you to do that?”
Shine only saw his reaction as upset, and sized herself down to the floor. “I.. I just wanted to help.. I saw you were tired.. so I took you to bed and did your errands for you… I-If you need me to go get the whip, I will…”
He only looked down at her, confused. “Whip? What whip? All I wanted to know is what happened. I’m not upset with you.” He helped her to her hooves, though she still tried to hide behind her mane. Overhearing what the filly had said, the owners of the orphanage and homeless center pulled him aside.
“You aren’t torturing her, are you!? You KNOW that we’ll have to go by the city’s laws and take her away from you. We didn’t even know you had a daughter!” Cerulean cut the mare off.
“She’s not my daughter. I found her all on her own, Ms. Dove. Nothing more. And I’ve volunteered for this shalter way too many times for you to even begin thinking I’d ever do that to anypony. I’ve been helping around this place since I was her age!” Cerulean was almost enraged, but managed to keep himself calm for the kids who roamed the halls this time of day.
“Then WHAT in the name of Celestia did she mean by getting a whip?!” The mare shot back at Cerulean, almost unable to control her own anger.
Cerulean’s attention was directed toward Rainbow Shine. “Care to enlighten us a little, kid?” he asked her with more curiosity than concern.
Shine’s ears stay back against her head as she shook it violently. She didn’t want anyone else to know about what happened back at her unfortunate hometown. Looking around at the several pairs of eyes staring her down, she felt surrounded with one way out- hide. So, doing what she did best, she ran as fast as she could, disappearing in the orphans’ game of tag.
The nurses did as they were trained and began running after her, but Cerulean stopped them, his wings outstretched, and proceeded himself.It took about ten minutes of asking the kids where the best hiding spots are, and he finally found her on the top of a cubboard. “There you are! Alright, kid. What’s going on? What has you so riled up?” he asked a little more forcefully than he meant to.
Rainbow Shine only shrunk away further, closed her eyes, and shook her head violently again, signaling she didn’t want anypony near her. Cerulean softened his gaze and calmed himself down. “Okay… look, ki- err… Rainbow Shine. I may not know you very well but I can tell you’re a kind pony. What you did this morning after I had worked myself to sleep couldn’t be a better indication.” Rainbow Shine opened her eyes and gave him her attention. “And… I’m sure you’ve learned this yesterday but there aren’t many ponies like you in a city like this. So I’m just a little concerned for you and I’m wondering what it is that has you so spooked like this. Was it about the pony that we both saw last night in the alley?”
Seeing his change in attitude calmed her just enough so she could stammer out the message. She explained everything from Ms. Violet to Rown and Scarlet, and their plan to get her out of there. Cerulean listened intently, his emotions swinging and swaying along with every word she said. At the end of it all, he didn't know what think of it.
"Wow, kid... I'm so sorry, I had no idea..." he approached her and wrapped his wing around her to calm the filly. "I'm glad I brought you here instead of leaving you on your own. And I think I have an idea to help you cope with this." He smiled and wiped a tear away from her face.
As the owners waited at the main foyer, growing more impatient with every passing minute. Cerulean finally approached them, the filly in tow behind him. Dainty Dove marched right up to the stallion, her face red with anger. "And where have you been?"
He calmly smiled at her and replied, "Getting you an answer. She was formerly abused by some mare by the name of Ms. Violet whom owns a small-town orphanage somewhere between Fillydelphia and Manehatten."
The mare's face fell at the mention of Ms. Violet. Turning to Rainbow Shine, she asked, "Was this Violet character always moody and furious with you? And very strict to those who got in her way...?" The color drained from the mare's coat as Shine nodded slowly. "Oh dear... I know who that is, we went to school together. That mare is no good for anypony near her." Dainty Dove crouched down to comfort Rainbow Shine, "Nopony will ever treat you the way she did, honey. Theres something wrong in that mares head, there always has been." She tried to comfort Shine. She only backed away behind Cerulean, uncomfortable knowing she's orphanage owner as well. The mare stood, looking at Cerulean. "Well what are you going to do?" She asked, concerned about the filly.
“For the time being, I’ll let her stay at my place. Even with this place being the best in its business, she’s probably still terrified of going back to one..” Cerulean tried to evade the ‘O’ word. “But, I will see if she wants to see somepony to talk, or I can find another way for her to grow accompanied to this higher-style of living.” They continued to discuss plans, as Shine turned to look back at the playing fillies and colts, younger than she was.
I don’t want to live in a higher lifestyle… I’m no better than anypony else here, why should I be special…? She continued to think to herself, finding herself wandering throughout the room, almost pacing without the repetition. She returned to Equestria when Cerulean called out her name and she thanked the two owners for letting her come in and help. As she left, she took one last look at the fillies, now going into the other room with the joyful nurse.
A while later, Cerulean took her out to eat lunch at a small cafe off the side of a busy street. Shine gazed out the window, lost in her own thought as her head laid on her forearm. The stallion sat across the table from her, concerned about her. A waitress approached them both, asking for their order. Cerulean snapped out of his own world to answer, “Oh, I apologize, I’d like your Haydey Special and a glass of water, please.” The waiter nodded and turned to the filly, and when she wouldn’t answer, Cerulean leaned over and tapped her hoof with his own. “Hey, Shine, waddaya want to eat?”
She looked down at the menu she hadn’t noticed before, “Oh..” her ears fell back, “Um.. I- I don’t know.. I’ll just have a glass of water, I don’t want to trouble you..” She trailed off. The waitress, not really caring much, shrugged and walked back to the kitchen.
“What’s wrong, kid? I know you’re upset, but you gotta eat something. C’mon, we have some time before she gets back here.” He smiled at her, trying to lift her spirits. Shine just sat and stared at the paper in front of her. “Here, why don’t you get what looks tasty?” He pointed out the pictures next to some of their most liked dishes.
She looked over from the array of words she could barely understand and pointed to a big bowl of soup with hay straws in it and a personal loaf of bread on the side. Cerulean smiled as she did, knowing she was still capable of eating, but getting her to speak in a full conversation would be the real trick. The waitress returned with his meal and both their drinks. “Hey, would you mind getting her the Straw Soup? She decided while you were getting my food.” The waitress wrote it down on her notepad and trotted to the back, yelling out the order to the chef.
“Thank you, Cerulean.” Shine spoke clearly. It caught him off guard, surprising him. He didn’t want to ruin his chances of a conversation, so he simply smiled and nodded, letting her continue. “I’m glad we met.. I don’t know if I’d even be here right now if we didn’t. And.. I understand that if after what happened today, you don't want to deal with me. I can pack fairly quickly." She looked down at where her food now sat, steaming hot. She sighed, blowing the steam away from her, moving the scent to Cerulean.
“Woah, kid, calm down, I ain’t gonna leave you just ‘cause your backstory is different from mine. I wanna help you.” He smiled, inhaling the smoky scent from her dish, starting to salivate. He took a bite of his own, waiting for her reaction. She just sat, eyes wide as she processed the words that were just said to her.
“You really wanna help me…?” Shine's eyes lit up as she looked at the stallion. He nodded to her and she smiled. Feeling her stomach start to rumble, she began to eat her soup, downing it within a few minutes. Cerulean finished and paid, walking Shine back to the apartment.
*******
Shine was soon signed up to go to a therapy session once a week, to help her understand what was really happening at her old residence. Cerulean invested in a thick journal for the filly, giving her something that she can write out anything in.
Day 1
Um... hello? I've never written in a diary before... so, ill just start from the top. My name, is Rainbow Shine. I'm twelve years old, and still have no cutie mark. I'm.. staying in a city called Fillydelphia with a wonderful stallion named Cerulean Skies. He's really nice and has done a lot for me in the little time I've been here and I'm very happy to have a home now.
Day 2
Cerulean surprised me today with a few gifts. One was a pretty dress he thought I'd like, but I dunno when I'll wear it. It's really pretty though. He got me new toys so I don't have to play with rocks and stuff, so that should be fun. I have to go now, dinner is ready.
Day 3
Hello again. Cerulean says I should get one more journal in because today's a big day. He's gonna show me around the city! He says he's gonna take me to a lot of his favorite places, and that I get to wear my dress today, so I'm really excited!
Day 5
I'm sorry I didn't write yesterday, I was really tired. The city was a really big place, and there were more people that's when I came here in the first place. I keep thinking about the orphanage, I wanna go back.. is that weird?
Day 16
I forgot where I put my journal so I haven't written in a long time. I've been practicing with my sword lately, but Cerulean drew the line at ripping the couch, so I have to practice on the balcony now. But it's nice. High, so nopony else can see me, and I can breathe fresh air.. But it isn't as clean as the air from the forest.. I miss it. I miss Rown, and Scarlet, and learning from their soft voices.. I almost want to go back, just to see them again. Is this what homesickness feels like?
Day 19
I can't stop thinking about my friends... I accidentally called Cerulean Rown, and I see Scarlet's face in the mare down below the balcony, even though she's a Pegasus. I want to go back.. But what if they left? What if Violet gets me again? Cerulean can't come with me, he's too busy.. maybe I should just visit the orphanage again.
Day 23
I've decided to take the day off from practice, and I'm about to head down to see the kids. I'll try to write more often, but I can't make any promises, I lose stuff kinda easily.
Day 38
Hey, I still have this thing! I told you I couldn't make any promises. Cerulean has patented three more of his inventions, whatever that means, and he's really happy! I love seeing him this way, it's so much fun when he plays games with me! We're going to go out to dinner tonight, to that restaurant I had that really good soup at!
Day 41
It's only been a few days since Cerulean patented his inventions, and he's already thinking of making a whole company because of his sudden success... I think it's too big a step, honestly.. But he's been showing me how to use tools correctly with my mouth.. I guess that's a good thing, right?
Day 43
There's a lot of ponies at the apartment... It's kinda scaring me, the way Cerulean sounds talking to them. It's like he's going crazy.. maybe this city is finally getting to him... I don't want him to be rude and pushy like everypony else here...
Day 45
Cerulean is really mad.. He keeps yelling like somepony is there, but he's alone save for me... He keeps saying "They left me, they left me for dead." I don't know what that means.. I'm scared.. Will he die..?
Day 48
I don't want to live in this "high class" anymore.. I want to live with Rown and Scarlet, in the clean air of the forest and Alanii's cooking in the morning.. But I can't... they've probably all left like I did. And I need to leave again.. I'll make up a plan to go on to the next town... maybe Baltimare will be better... It's a smaller place, anyway, right?
Day 51
Everything is almost ready. Now I just need to get supplies to survive.. some of those Zazzlepluckers would be really helpful.. I'll see if I can find any before I go.
Day 53
Just a few more days until I go. Cerulean's company is hitting it off quite well. It's called "Improvised Inventors" and they have some really useful stuff made. Heh.. who knows? Maybe I'll find something I'll need from them in the future... I feel bad about leaving him, though... But I don't want this lifestyle anymore...
Day 54
I found one! I found a Zazzleplucker bush! And they're still in bloom. I think they're a year-round berry except for winter, from what I remember. Just... three days. Three days then I'll leave. One day for the orphans, one day for more practice, and one day for Cerulean.. Then it's a bittersweet goodbye..
Shine closed her journal and set it aside, flopping back onto her bed. “Oh, Celestia, why do these places have to make ponies crazy? Cerulean was, and really, still is, an amazing pony.. But everything is just ‘money! money! money!’” She said in a mocking tone. She sighed, turning to the side of her when she heard a yell and a crash. Startled, she crept out of her hiding place and peeked out the door of her room to look over at a huge pile of glass hard cider bottles, as tall as she was. On the other half of the room was a pile of glass, pathetic in comparison. Panning the rest of the room, the filly became concerned when Cerulean was nowhere to be found. The sound came out of nowhere, piercing her ears before she could see the figure of Cerulean himself broke through the alcoholic prison. Bottles flew in every direction, some cracking, some just rolling, all while the Pegasus screamed bloody murder. He looked around frantically, running to his inventions to throw himself over them as if protecting them. He looked over at Shine, red in his eyes.
"YOU! You were gonna steal them, weren't you!?" He have her a menacing look.
Shine stepped back. "Steal what..? Y-your inventions? No, Cerulean, you know I'd never-"
"BLASPHEMY! YOU WERE GONNA TAKE THEM AND MAKE THE MONEY FOR ONLY YOURSELF!" He jumped up and lunged at her, Shine barely able to make it out of the way in time. He charged again, opening his wings this time. Rainbow Shine ran to her room in hopes of safety, but he stuck a hoof in the doorway, preventing her from closing it. She backed up, looking for some way to protect herself, because by the look on his face, he didn’t want to talk things out. She hated doing this to a friend- but it was her only choice. She pulled her sword out from her saddlebag next to her and pointed it at him. It was like when they first met- and they might just leave each other the same way. Shine saw what was in his eyes, and it wasn’t rage. She knew that the amount he drank would do harm to even the most tolerant of ponies. Seeing the way ponies reacted while drunk would show plain what was really on their mind; Rown told her that. And what she saw out of Cerulean was.. disappointing, actually. She thought he was better than this. Maybe he’d always been this way, and it was getting harder to hide… But nonetheless, she didn’t want to have him at sword’s point for much longer, she was tired, herself, and was weak. So, she tried conversating, putting the weapon down at her hooves for a quick access if needed.
“Cerulean, stop… please, listen to me, listen to my voice.” She started, “It’s me.. Rainbow Shine.” She had no idea how to talk to a dunk. Much less talk somepony out of a drunken state. He listened, his breathing calming down. “Cerulean, c’mon, I didn’t want to harm you, or your inventions.. You know I wouldn't do that, and by Celestia, I’d never think of it.” She stated. He started to realize that, coming out of his haze, either from the effects wearing off, or she was actually getting through to him this quickly. Either way, in minutes he realized she had her weapon close, and she was obviously shaken up. He turned his head, taking notice to the smashed bottles and piles of empties. He started to shake, as if he were scared of himself. He looked back from Rainbow Shine to the bottles, and vis-versa. His eyes widened, his pupils now tiny in comparison.
“I..I’m so sorry…” He whispered, just before his whole body turned to mush and he collapsed to the floor with a thud. Shine almost began to panic, until she saw him breathing. He was just asleep. At the knowledge of this, she was about ready to fall to the floor too, but as tired and worn out as she was, she probably wouldn’t have been able to get up.
Getting Cerulean up at least onto her bed for a bit, she tucked her sword away, not wanting to step on it the wrong way anytime soon. Why everypony seemed to fall asleep before her- especially with a mess around- was beyond her. But she was more than willing to clean it up. Almost happy to, as long as she got thanks in return. Shine took care of the broken bottles first, insuring that the rest would be safe to clean. Next was throwing away all the bottles, even the ones with cider still in them, just in case somepony had any ideas. After the living room was cleaned up from anything that had happened, Shine returned to her bedroom to find Cerulean dead asleep, not having moved an inch from where she left him. She struggled to carry him on her feeble back, but managed to get him to his own bed. “I hope this just seems like a dream to you, Cerulean…” She said quietly as she left the room. Hooves dragged on the floor, pulled to the ground by a giant magnet, almost, as Shine made her way back to her room. She crawled into bed, and wrote one more entry in her journal explaining what happened- and scratched it out. “I don’t want to remember that.. I swear, I’ll never drink, not if that’s what I’ll turn into.” She said to herself, closing the book and turning over under the sheets, quickly falling asleep.
Cerulean woke up that morning with a headache like none other. He took a few minutes to be able to stand correctly, and walked his way slowly to the door and into the kitchen to get something to eat. He was starving, like he hadn't eaten in days. Almost through the living room, Cerulean spots a shimmer coming out of the corner of his eye by the window. He couldn't tell what it was from the other half of the room, so he went to investigate. Broken glass. Brown broken glass. Brown broken glass that had part of the hard cider logo on it. It wasn't just a dream.
"Oh sweet Celestia... it actually happened... and she cleaned up everything as best she could, the poor thing.." He said to himself, picking up the shard. It cut his skin a bit, slowly seeping blood into his blue coat. He dropped the glass and went to tend to his wound. After thinking for a bit, he went to check on the filly, as she hasn't come out if her room yet. Looking inside, she was still fast asleep, the light from the open window almost upon her. Cerulean closed the shutters and then the curtains, insuring she get as much rest as she needed. He looked at her bag on the floor next to him, and saw it was torn and stained in several places. He wanted to do something for her, and figured it'd be nice to get that fixed, but he didn't want to go looking through her stuff. Well... it isn't like I'm trying to find something in it.. I'll just wash the bag and fix it up before she wakes. He took the bag, and to his surprise, was heavier than he'd thought it was. He left the sword there, he knew it was her favorite thing. Taking the bag to the living room, he dumped everything carefully onto the floor in case of any valuables. He dared not venture through the belongings of a girl, and instead turned to take the bag to the washing room. He dialed the bag in warm water for a bit before getting the stains out. A fairly simple task, they were just from berries and plants. It could've been worse. The next party was a bit more challenging, as he barely knew how to sew, much less had the materials for it. He took the bag downstairs to a lady before his apartment who could fix everything from dresses to shoes. She fixed it with stronger stitching, making it more for adventuring than it originally was.
Cerulean came home shortly after thanking the mare for fixing up the bag and showing him how. He put the bag on the living room floor and began to put things back in the bag in an orderly fashion. He noticed a few things, but didn't want to bring them up yet. He crept into Shine's bedroom, and placed the bag back where it was in the first place. Noticing how much dirt he was covered in, Cerulean stepped out to take a shower.
Shine woke up slowly, dragging herself out of bed. She went straight for the kitchen, telling her stomach to shut up along the way. She heard Cerulean's shower, and smiled knowing he was feeling better. Soon enough she got enough together to have herself a small feast. "Okay. I know I'm going to go and visit the orphans today, tomorrow is packing, and the next is purely Cerulean." She reminded herself. She cleaned the plates she used and out then away along with other dishes out and about.
Cerulean stepped around the corner, "Oh! Good morning, Rainbow Shine." He tried to hide his nervousness, "And uh, how did you sleep?"
"I slept great, actually, thanks! How about you?"she smiled brightly. Her signature smile. The "everything is okay" smile that always secured ponies' doubts. The orphans lived get for it, Rown and Scarlet adored her for it, so it obviously worked, right?
Cerulean let out a long deserved sigh of relief, letting go a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He nodded, desperate to bring up what happened last night, but was too afraid to. He shook it off his mind for now, to wait for a better time to approach her about it. “So, uh.. w-whatcha up to, Shine? Cooking breakfast?”
Shine nodded, “Just finished, actually. I’m going over to see the little kids again, I wrote a story for them! I wanted to read it to them.” She smiled, excited to the point, her fore hoof was off the ground as she spoke. She trotted towards the door, still looking at Cerulean, “Did you wanna come with? I know you love the kids!”
Cerulean smiled halfheartedly, and raised his hoof. “No, but thank you, I have a few things to do around the place today. Just, uh, needing to get things in order around here.” He scratched the back of his head as Shine shrugged and walked out as if nothing had even happened last night. “Well… Maybe she’s just doing the same as me..” He left the living room and went into his own to contemplate what he was going to say to her.
Shine practically melted once she shut the door. “Celestia above, that was awkward… Wonder if he just thinks that last night was just a dream. Or that could be a stretch… yea, he probably knows.” She flattened her expression, almost annoyed. “No matter! I can just.. talk with him, right? That shouldn't be too hard.” She started down the stairs as a unicorn pony gave her a strange look as she passed, apparently having heard her conversation with herself. Right.. okay, no more out loud conversations with myself.
“Good morning, Rainbow Shine! It’s good to see you here. Have you come to see the children again?” Dainty Dove trotted up to the filly. "You know they haven't seen you in a while, they've missed you."
Shine was a bit flustered at the fact, "Of course I have, Ms. Dove! And, I have a special story for them today. May I?" Shine turned towards the door to the orphanage half of the building. The mare nodded, letting her venture into the sea of children, who took an immediate notice to her presence.
"Rainbow Shine's here!" One yelled.
"Are you gonna read us another story!"
"No! Come play pirates with us!"
"No, you said we'd keep playing house with my dolly!"
They quickly surrounded her, and though it was somewhat overwhelming, she loved the attention. Was this what it was like having friends? Well, if it was, she wouldn't know it for long. "Calm down, Calm down, I know you're all very excited. I came here with a very special story for you all. But first and foremost, where do we go for story time?" She asked, knowing they all knew the answer. Shine decided to keep the kids on the far side of the building to keep from irritating some of the elders next door.
"The book fort!" they all cheered. The foals rushed over to where the reading corner was, lined with books, thus given the name "Book Fort" by Rainbow Shine. She decided to mess with them, walking as slowly as she possibly could.
"C'mon, Miss Shine!" a few fillies called out.
"I'm coming as fast as I can!" She replied, still walking in slow-motion. The fillies and colts ran behind her and pushed her with all their might to hurry things up, their excitement for the new story overflowing at this point. Finally, they succeeded, and Shine was up at the book fort, right where the storyteller should be. The kids all sat down and gave her longing eyes, almost making her a bit nervous.
Shine started with a deep breath. “Well, the story goes like this..
Once there was a little filly. Her parents knew she could do great things. The filly was smart, and very pretty, and knew herself that she could do anything. But when she was growing up, everypony else made fun of her, and said she never belonged. The little filly never had any friends. Until one day, while taking a lonely walk, she found a scale. It shined a bright purple, and felt warm. The scale alone was almost as big as her face! She knew it wasn't hers, so she went to find the owner. Soon, she came upon a big, scary, DRAGON! But it didn't look that scary. The dragon was crying. It lost it’s favorite scale in the woods. The filly went up to the dragon and gave him back his scale. Soon, they became really close friends! The dragon would teach the filly about all types of dragons, and the filly would teach the dragons about all types of ponies. But one day, when the filly became a mare, she had to leave the dragon. She went to the forest where he lived, and said goodbye. The dragon was sad that he had to lose his only friend, but the mare started a family with a big, strong and handsome stallion. The dragon waved to her as she left with the stallion, knowing that they’d be friends forever. No matter where they were.”
The foals all looked at her for a moment, not a word spoken, not a body moved. Until one little colt jumped up from the crowd.
“That was the bestest story I ever heard!” The rest of the children chimed in with cheers and hoof-stomping, some of the fillies and colts pretending to be the mare, stallion, and dragon that Shine had told them about. Dainty Dove soon came into the room, obviously having heard the story.
“Alright, now run along and go outside for now, it’s going to rain later so play outside while you can.” She prompted them to the doorway. After they’d all gone outside, still playing pretend, the white mare turned to Rainbow Shine. “That was a lovely story, Miss Shine. I could see that the children really enjoyed that one the most of all.” She gave her a warm smile, continuing, “I bet the next one will be even better!” She trotted away, almost as happy as the foals were after hearing their final story. Shine felt amazing- and heartbroken. There wasn't going to be another story. She was leaving in two days for Baltimare, probably never to return. Shine stayed just a bit longer to watch them play outside before her heart couldn't take anymore. She took a deep breath and left, barely holding back tears when the door closed behind her. She ran as fast as she could, away from the orphanage. Towards the place where the Zazzleplucker bushes were.
Once there, she was already crying, still rendering the fact that was the last time she’ll ever see those innocent ponies. Nopony else knew she was leaving other than her. Shine sat there for a while, occasionally pacing back and forth, trying to calm herself down. "It's alright, Shine, you left them on good terms. Ms. Dove is a young mare who is more than capable of making sure they're okay. She knows I worry for them.. They're in good hooves." Her mind was still racing, but she knew that they'd have the life lessons they'll need for later on in their childhood memories, so they'll have something positive to go off of in their respected futures.
Shine calmed herself down to where she knew she'd be able to get home without Cerulean noticing anything suspicious. Shine got home in record time. She shut the door behind her carefully, hoping that Cerulean was busy so she could settle down a bit. To her surprise, he wasn't even home. She checked all the rooms, and even called him by name. After deciding his absence was inevitable, she went to her proclaimed room and sat on the bed. She grabbed her journal and began scribbling.
Day 57
I went to say goodbye to the foals at the orphanage today.. it was pretty hard and I tried not to cry, but I did. Only after I left though, I didn't want them all sad and asking questions. I hope they remember that story when they’re older and learn more things. I still have a lot to learn, too… I think that might be one reason I’m leaving. I want to know everything there is to know about the world. Can’t do that in a bustling city my whole life, can I?
She smiled lightly, and closed her lined-paper book. Stuffing the quill in the spirals on the side, Shine laid in her bed a while longer, until she could feel her stomach starting to eat itself.
“Right… Zazzlepluckers don’t actually feed you. Whelp, kitchen, here I come.” She muttered to herself. She hopped down off of her bed and trotted into the living room to find none other than the blue pegasus there almost waiting for her.
“Oh! Rainbow Shine, you’re here? I thought you hadn't come home yet.” He said, jumping to his hooves from his position on the couch. She walked over to him and tilted her head down just enough to cover most of her face with her mane.
“I’ve uh, a-actually been home for a while now, I didn’t see you anywhere so I went to my room.” she said, a bit sheepish. He looked like he wanted to talk to her about something, but she could never really take confrontation well, even if it was with Rown and Scarlet. His eyes darted from side to side, making him more than obviously nervous about something, and Shine wasn’t sure she wanted to find out what.
“Look, kid… I’m gonna be straight with you, I saw an empty bottle of cider on the floor this morning. I know what happened last night, and I wanted to apologize for it. I never meant to lunge at you like that..” He said, his hooves shifting his weight back and fourth.
Shine mumbled under her breath, “Or accuse me of stealing your inventions…” He overheard, and cringed a bit.
“Yeah.. that too…” He sat down on the couch and hoped she would join him. “I don’t know what got over me that night, I really don’t. I just hope you can forgive me for it. I’ve been really stressed out lately, and my inventions and you are all I’ve got, Rainbow Shine..” Her heart sank into her stomach and she sat down with him on the couch.
I’m one of the few good things in his life.. but I have to leave, I have to… this city isn’t my place in life, I feel it. Shine thought to herself. She was too tired to do much right now for him, the kids always wore her out with even storytelling, and the breakdown that followed suit didn’t help much in keeping her energy levels high.
Her stomach growled at the both of them, begging to be fed. Cerulean smiled a bit and stood up. “I know what can make up for what happened. Why don’t we go to that restaurant you love so much?” Shine smiled and nodded before hopping out of the couch.
They walked for a while, and by the time they got to the restaurant, it was near dark. They went inside, and were seated quickly at their usual booth. It’d felt like forever ago that Shine had first been there, but it’d really only been three months since she first left the orphanage. She took in a deep breath, catching a smell of something- or someone- familiar. The waitress came up, the one who served them the first time they’d even come to the place together, she and Cerulean.
The waitress smiled a bit and asked, “What’ll it be to drink, guys?”
Cerulean guesterd to Rainbow Shine and she nodded, “I’ll have a sparkling apple juice, please, non-cider.” Cerulean ordered the same, and began to look at the menu.
“So, kid, why do you like swords so much, anyways? I've known you all this time, but that still remains a mystery to me.” He leaned to the side of the menu he held to smile at her. She was looking at her own menu on the table, thinking if she should get several things, the only things she’d eaten all day were breakfast and a berry.
She shrugged, “I dunno, they’re just so historical, and they can tell stories all in themselves. Where they've been, what they've seen and been through, who their owners were and what they were like… and each one is unique. And they’re pretty good to defend yourself with,. even though everypony just uses spears and bows and arrows. And the thought of fighting up close,” she punched the air with her hooves, looking ready to beat somepony into the ground, “Just seems like the coolest thing in the world!”
Cerulean chuckled and he looked back into his menu, “You've got spirit, kid. A lot more than most the ponies in any big place like this. Everypony should look up to you, ya know… with what all you've been through, I wouldn't be able to make it like you did. I would've given up.” He hid his face, almost crying.
Shine felt good about that. That she was special, that she had an optimism that no one else did, because that’s what Rown and Scarlet taught her. To take on each day as it in it’s own, and anything that happened prior won’t have to change what decisions you make in the present. Her thoughts were interrupted as the waitress came back with their drinks.
“Here ya go! Two non-cider, sparkling apple juices!” the mare smiled. She didn't seem to smile unless Rainbow and Cerulean were there. Speaking of which, he still had his menu over his face, and Shine could start to hear sniffling. She boosted herself up using the table a bit to see what has going on, but before she saw him, he set the menu down and called out his order.
“Oh, well uh, I’ll have the usual soup, and two daisy-and-oat sandwiches, please?” Shine looked up to the mare and smiled.
She smiled back, “Hungry today, huh, kiddo?” Shine nodded. “Well, then I’ll be sure to hurry with that, then.” And with that, the waitress trotted off towards the kitchen. Shine turned back towards Cerulean who was now just staring blankly outside the window. Shine sat in silence until he broke it for the both of them.
“When I was your age… I wanted to learn how to operate a hot air balloon. I wanted to soar higher than my own wings could take me. I didn’t trust them when I was younger. I couldn’t fly straight and I always gave up so easily. So I never learned. Eventually I learned to never give up on anything, and so I sought out a way to make air balloons better, and that's when I got my cutie mark. When I invented that thing. And now it's on every air balloon ever made." Cerulean smiled to himself and looked down to the table.