//------------------------------//
// In Which The Lightning Dances, And Raindrops Fall 
// Story: Like the Rain 
// by Dusty Tome 
//------------------------------//


Like The Rain


Written by Dusty Tome


Preread by FanOfMostEverything


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A small grey pegasus landed softly, the boards of the roof underneath her petite hooves creaking slightly, as she stifled the tears in her eyes before brushing them away. She didn't know why she thought today would be any different, be any easier than the last. It was the same thing, day in and day out, the constant fighting and screaming. And everyday, she would fly away from the pain, and cry herself to sleep on a roof, as far away from the noise as she could run. It never changed, and it probably never would.

But today, she thought, It will be different, it will change. Her heart began to pound a deep, furious beat, drowning out every sound around her but the soft echo of the distant thunder. Swift picked herself up, her determination matching the bright flashes of the lightning in the distance, and as she steeled herself to change her fate, the distant storm mirrored her fury. Every day since her eighth birthday had been a hell, rough and unbearable. Her father thought she was pathetic, never able to gain a cutie mark, a sad little waste of a pegasus. Her mother cared, but couldn't help her own daughter for fear of her husband and his demons. 

She looked at her flank, and a flat, steel grey haunch stared back. It bothered her everyday, watching as her friends grew older, gaining cutie marks, looking forward to great futures and story-book romances, her own future clouded, miserable and foggy. Not anymore, not after all she had seen, the stories of great writers and adventurers, romantic loves, and many of them made without a mark. Swift didn't have to feel uncertain or ashamed anymore. All she had to do was greet the future as a friend, and she would find her own story.

Swift nodded a silent agreement to herself, and beat her wings downward, her pegasus magic sweeping the underside of her feathers, giving her enough lift to fly upwards at a determined pace. When she had gained enough air beneath her hooves, she turned to face the storm, to face her home. Everything she learned at flight school, and everything she knew as a pegasus, came rushing back to her. Rule one, never, under any circumstances, should a pegasus close their eyes while in flight. Rule two, avoid flying in storms and overcast conditions whenever possible. Tonight, nothing would be the same, and nothing would stand between her and the storm of her life.

And for the first time in her life, Swift Wing wasn't afraid.

She took off breathing hard, speeding through the rain, as all around her, the storm seemed to bend to her will. The lightning stopped flashing, choosing instead to dance across the clouds in an elegant show, peals of thunder accompanying the deadly dance in a dramatic symphony conducted by the winds themselves. Her own tears, this time of joy and pride, joined the jubilant rain as it blanketed the streets and yards, washing away her fears and doubts. Through the darkness and chaos of the storm she found peace, heard the music, and watched the dance. As she closed her eyes, the flashes of lightning became but a dull, beautiful light, guiding her home, the wind itself pushing her along her path. And, unbeknownst to the mare, one of the flashes of lights came from her, from the solace in the storm. 

She flew fast, the maelstrom around her whipping around her, as the lightning showed her the way, as the wind made set her course, guiding her swiftly onward. She began to laugh, a loud, resonating sound, flying upward into the storm. Her joy bubbled over as the storm raged around her, powered by the emotions coursing through the young mare, before she came to a sudden stop, flaring her wings wide and banking towards her home.

For the second time that night, the small mare landed silently and brushed away tears, only this time was different. This time, things would change, she could feel it as she walked up the bare cobblestone drive. She could feel it as she placed her hoof on the doorknob. She felt it in the rain and wind that buffeted the small family home. She felt it in the memories of her father, and in the crying of her mother. This time, she would control the storm. 

It still burned in her heart, even as she stood clutching the doorknob, the memory of her father's drunken rage held her rooted to the floor, and for all her determination, she couldn't forget it. He would come home from the rainbow factory, and glance at her, disgust apparent in his cobalt eyes, and go into his study. an hour or two would pass before the door would slam open, unleashing his fury upon his failure of a daughter. He would tell her how she was nothing, how she would never be worth anything, he'd throw the bottle at her in disgust, then hit her for crying. That's when she would fly away, coming to rest on the roof of the flight school, crying the whole time, berating herself for being a failure, for making the stallion that her mother had loved into the monster that threatened her life. She knew know that it wasn't her fault, but as she stared at the hoof still gripping the doorknob, she saw the scars of grief, guilt, and shame. The scars proved her struggle, proved her worth, and know, as she drew her courage from the fury of the storm without, she would show them how strong she was. That she was worth it. As Swift opened the door, the storms met and raged against one another. Had anypony been passing down that lonely street that night, they would have beheld a sight as the storm clouds themselves held their breath above the house.

Swift Wing opened the door once more, emerging newly reborn, sporting cuts from glasses and gashes from the bottles, yet she stood resolutely as the storm began to once again weep happy tears along with the mare. She took off as her mother walked to the door, flying upward to meet the thunder and dance with the lightning once more, as her father picked up the glass around him. She spared a glance back, only then noticing her flank, bearing a bank of clouds as steel grey as her coat, with a single white lily. She let out an exuberant cry, letting her mirth join in with that of the tempest surrounding her. 

And for once, Swift Wing had found her peace.

The small grey pegasus landed softly, the boards of the roof underneath her petite hooves creaking slightly, as she stifled the tears in her eyes before brushing them away with a smile. She didn't know why she never thought today would be any different, be any easier than the last. It was the same thing, day in and day out, the constant fighting and screaming. And everyday, she would fly away from the pain, and cry herself to sleep on a roof, as far away from the noise as she could run. But today it changed, and nothing would ever be the same.