“Um… Rain?”
Rainstream blinked, then glanced around. List had the most curious expression on his face. He sat sideways on his seat with one eyebrow raised, his snout was scrunched up, and his head was tilted back as though he were trying to lean away from her—which he was.
“What?”
“You were just staring at the ceiling and making a really weird face.”
Rainstream looked down at herself. Her wings were extended, and stiff, and she was lying on her back against the back of the couch. “Oh.” She felt herself blush as she sat up and worked her wings back into their folded position. “Sorry about that.” She brushed her hooves over her wings to smooth them out, took a quick sip of her cocoa, and straightened her posture.
“Where did I leave off?”
“You followed Stormfeather into his room.”
Rainstream’s cheeks pushed up into her eyes. “Oh, right… That.” The last word lost its enthusiasm, and Rainstream nearly lost her smile. But she held on, and hoped List hadn’t noticed.
“Yeah, I spent the night and—”
“You slept with him?”
Yes. Rainstream’s cheeks grew hot, and a pain grew in her chest. She forced a smile, and swallowed the lump forming in her throat.
“N— No… He didn’t want me.” Rainstream turned her face away so he wouldn’t see the tear escaping her eye. She stood up and stepped toward the window, gazing out at the rain.
Thunder crashed outside, causing a yelp from behind her. Rainstream’s whole body shook, and fresh tears poured down her face.
~ ~ ~
On most days, a rainstorm would have meant a good day for Rainstream, and a bad day for everypony else. Most days, she would be found happily frollicking in the meadow beneath the darkest clouds, or rolling with the thunder through the swirling torrent. Most days, she made rain because it was fun. She had made friends with the rain a long time ago, and it shared her happiest memories. The rain had always comforted her, made her feel at home, and never failed to lift her spirits.
And she desperately needed that right now.
Her hooves made what would have been loud splashes through the pooling rainwater. Rainstream watched the ripples spread out until they were too thin to be seen among the thousands of tiny impacts made by the rain. So strong at first, and yet, gone so quickly. She stopped in place, staring at the broken surface of the water between her front hooves.
Broken.
Life was so fragile. So precious. So sweet. And so short. Ponies could break so easily, so suddenly, without warning. And in more ways than one. Thick, heavy drops of water poured down over her mane, dripping through onto her face. Rainstream sniffed, breathing in the sharp scent of wet grass. One of the most comforting things about rain was that it could hide any number of tears. No matter how hard you cried, nopony would know. Rainstream could taste the salt as one of the drops on her cheek found its way to her lip and seeped inside.
Thunder crashed overhead, speaking what Rainstream’s chest could not summon the strength to say. Love was stupid. Rainstream stomped hard, splashing mud on her face, and took off at a run. It only took her a few strides to reach a full gallop, sending up nearly as much water as was coming down to meet it. She clenched her eyes shut, and told herself it was because of the rain. She didn’t need to see anyway. She knew where she was going.
The meadow ended and became trees. Her coat became crusted with mud as she ran on. Stupid. She should never have opened up to him. She knew she’d just get hurt again. She always got hurt. Even when she wasn’t really hurt.
The trees ended and Rainstream found herself running through thick, tall grass. It fell beneath her hooves and parted as she nosed her way through it, feeling the ground carefully with her hooves. The grass broke and her softened hoof falls became sharp clicks on the stone beneath them as she ran up onto an outcropping. Rainstream leapt into the air as she crested the rock, letting the cool wet air catch her. Gliding aloft, Rainstream opened her eyes and scanned the hills below.
Just beyond the foothills lay the sleepless city of Las Pegasus, streetlights stealing the night from the stars, and casting a shadow on the shoreline below. Rainstream ignored them. Her eyes snapped to the hills, scanning for one small light in the darkness.
There.
Having found her target, Rainstream angled down toward it. The rain bounced sharply off of her wings, tickling her feathers with its thousands of impacts. The cool night air collected beneath her, telling of currents in the storm, guiding her wingtips and directing her toward one lonely patch of grass in the forest.
Rainstream gave one strong beat of her wings to slow her descent, then landed hard in a small meadow, sending up mud and grass into her face. She took a minute to catch her breath, staring down at the water around her fetlocks.
Here.
Rainstream strode forward, staring straight down the whole time. She knew where it was. She’d never forgotten. The puddles became shallow, then fell away, marking her destination. She came to a stop and looked up. There it was, just like she’d remembered it. Her little cabin in the woods.
She reached up with her hoof and brushed it along the doorframe. The paint was new, the walls had been re-stained and smoothed off, and there was a shiny black door handle on what looked like a brand new oak door. Rainstream’s lip curled, in a half smile. She turned and walked around to the side.
She jumped up and hovered just outside the window, placing her hooves gently on the clear glass. Inside were three pegasi. Two adults and a filly, sitting around the fireplace. The father was reading a storybook to his daughter, while the mother stroked the filly’s mane. Rainstream’s chest tightened, and she let out a stuttered breath, cheeks still smiling.
Lightning flashed somewhere behind her, lighting up the whole outside of the cabin. When the light left, so did the light inside. Rainstream’s smile vanished, along with the filly, her parents, the fire place, and everything else inside the cabin. Rainstream sobbed through a cracked window pane at what should have been her most cherished memory.
Her hoof trailed the glass as she lowered herself to the ground. Thunder rolled through, drowning Rainstream’s quiet sobs as she trudged through the mud toward the door. She gave it a nudge. It didn’t move. She put her head down and pressed her way inside, the door grinding against the rough floorboards.
It was quieter in here, sheltered from the wind. The water from Rainstream’s mane fell like raindrops on the dry floorboards. They creaked slightly beneath her hooves as she slowly walked over to the wall opposite the window and knelt down. She curled onto her side and cried into her hooves, staring out at the storm through the broken glass.
Lightning flashed again, and brought with it light. Rainstream blinked. There was no water in her mane, there were lights on inside, the window was undamaged, and the house was warm. She looked around. She was standing in her living room, near one of the floor vents, and there was a young gray stallion with a red mane sitting on her couch, draped in a thick warm blanket, and staring incredulously at her.
“Rain,” he said, voice cracking. “Are you alright?”
Rainstream’s mouth worked rapidly, but produced no sound. Her throat and chest tightened to the point that she had to do something or she was going to suffocate. She threw herself at List, pulling him into a tight hug, wetting his shoulder with her tears.
She heard him gasp, but he relaxed after a moment and rubbed her back. His fur felt really warm.
“Promise me,” She sobbed into his shoulder.
“Huh?” he responded, still embracing her.
“Promise me you’ll never leave me.”
“W-what?!” List pushed her back out of the hug to hold her at a hooves length causing the blanket to slide off his back onto the couch. Rainstream let him. He looked almost terrified, but excited and confused at the same time. His cheeks were flushed bright crimson, his mouth hung open but threatened to snap shut at any moment, and his eyes visibly shook, eyelids held firmly open with all the force the muscles that controlled them could produce.
Rainstream went on. “I really care about you, and I know I travel a lot, but I would never ever leave you behind, and I need you to promise me the same thing because I don’t ever want to lose you.” Her whole body shook as she forced the words out, and her heart felt like it might beat right out of her chest, but her watery eyes held him fixed in her gaze.
“I…” he croaked.
“Promise me!” she pleaded, stomping her hoof and causing several tears to fall.
List squinted hard, and filled up with tears of his own. His lips trembled, and the color left his face. Rainstream’s heartbeat slowed, and her tears dried up instantly. He was no longer staring at her. He was no longer staring at anything. It was as though he were looking right through her, trapped somewhere behind his own eyes. His whole body shook, and tears steadily flowed from his eyes like a faucet.
Rainstream felt very cold. She knew exactly what was happening, and seeing it from the outside was nearly as terrifying because she understood. She rushed forward and pulled him back into a tight hug. He shook more violently, and his head hung limply on her shoulder.
“List.” She said, trying to hide the worry in her voice. “List, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe.”
She could hear him sobbing.
“List, I really care about you, and I would never abandon you. I’m not going anywhere, just relax. You’re safe.”
His shaking slowly went away, but when it was gone, he was still crying into her shoulder. She gave him a squeeze, and rubbed his back slowly.
“Sorry,” He finally said. It was more of a sob, but hearing it brought a small flicker of warmth to Rainstream’s heart, and she hugged him tighter, smiling at last.
“It’s alright,” she laughed. “Just promise me you’ll never run away without telling me.”
He shivered for a moment, then responded. “I promise.”
Rainstream could hear the smile in his voice. She let go of him, and the two smiled at each other for a moment. Then List yawned. Rainstream laughed.
“Yeah, me too. I think that’s enough for one night anyway.” She crawled up onto the couch next to him, picked up the blanket with her teeth and threw it over him.
“Don’t you need it?” List asked, frowning at her. Oh, bless his heart.
“Nah,” she said, flaring her wings. “Pegasus feathers are warmer than any blanket. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve got the heat on.” She curled up on the couch next to him and smiled at him.
He blushed visibly. “U-um, R-r-rain?” He stuttered.
“Hmm? What is it?” She asked, suppressing a giggle.
“I— I’ve never—”
“Hmm?”
He swallowed. “I’ve never felt your wings before. I— Could I— Could I sleep under them?”
Oh. List’s face got even redder than before, and Rainstream felt her own face grow hot. She giggled. “Not tonight.” She smiled and reached out a hoof to boop him in the nose. His face when she did that was very silly.
She curled up and put her head down, staring out the window at the falling rain. She could hear List settling down as well.
“Rain?”
“Hmm?”
“I think I like the rain. The sound it makes is very calming.”
Rainstream’s entire body filled with warmth. “Me too,” she replied softly. The two of them lay there and listened to the gentle patter of rain on the roof until they fell asleep.
The first thing that Rainstream noticed when she awoke was that it had stopped raining. The second thing she noticed was that she was not alone. Somepony was snuggled up next to her.
Rainstream’s eyes snapped open. Somepony was in her bed. With her. She looked down. His hoof was draped over her chest lovingly. She could feel his head pressed into her shoulder, and his hind legs wrapped protectively around her own. Rainstream glanced across the room. It was dark, but she could make out the faint blue of the sky through the window to her left.
Wait, the window should be to the right of the bed. Rainstream blinked. Actually, the window should have been directly to the right of the bed. Why was the bed in the center of the room? Why was the sky light outside? Her window faced west. She shouldn’t be able to see the sun come up.
Rainstream was not in her own bed.
She looked slowly down at the stallion wrapped around her. Rainstream barely contained the shriek that fought to escape her lips as she realized it was Stormfeather who was wrapped so lovingly around her. His face was relaxed and peaceful.
Cold shivers shot up and down her whole body as Rainstream recalled the events of the previous night. It hadn't been a dream! She’d gone to see him, then chickened out, then left him—she spun her head around to where she’d left her raincloud the previous night. It lay on the floor, light and fluffy, its rain spent. The rest of her gift outside must also be gone by now. Why had she come inside? This was a mistake.
But of course the rain had made her feel strong. She’d wanted to come inside. Wanted him to hold her, wanted him to…
Rainstream glanced back over at him, barely breathing in or out. Blood pounded in her head as all the embarrassment she had not felt last night threatened to collapse on her all at once. She had to leave. Very carefully, Rainstream removed his hooves from her, and slid gently off the bed onto the soft floor. She pressed her hooves against the doorknob, and, more carefully than she had crafted his gift last night, cracked open Stormfeather’s door, and slipped out into the night.
~ ~ ~
Rainstream gave a quick glance back at List, sleeping peacefully on her couch, before she gently nudged the door closed with a click, cloaking herself in the dim light outside. Somewhere in the trees nearby, a bird tweeted happily as it woke. Rainstream closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose, inviting in the sweet scent of dew on wild grass. A light breeze tickled her fur, but when she listened, it whispered of calm air far above her.
Rainstream smiled. It was a beautiful morning, just like it had been for nearly every other day this summer. She stretched out her wings, groaning as the joints popped and loosened. She gave two quick flaps to shake them out, and she was ready. Looking up, she could see Luna had already lowered the moon. She had time, but she shouldn’t dawdle.
Rainstream leapt up powerfully and transitioned smoothly into propelling herself upward with wingpower. She flapped faster and faster, elation building in her chest as she headed for the moist upper air where she could put her hooves to work once again. It was time to build the framework for her latest masterpiece before Celestia’s sun gave it the life only the light of a summer dawn could. It was Rainstream’s favorite part of the day.
~ ~ ~
Wind whistled in Rainstream’s ears as her wings pumped faster than they had in her last race with Fleetfoot. She needed to get out ahead before the weather patrol got to the sky. She’d helped them with rain in the past, and they usually didn’t mind her intervening as long as she told them about it first, but there was no time this morning. Whatever their forecast had been before, Rainstream had just changed it. Mostly cloudy, with a heavy chance of thunderstorm.
She rocketed out past the still forming pockets of moist air, dragging a long trail of cloud behind her. Tears spilled out the sides of her eyes as she held them open, snout twitching into a snarl here and there. Her hooves were all fully extended, forward and back. She could hear the high pitched whistle she made as she flew on, arcing all the way around the rain field she’d spent the last two years learning about. She was going to need all of it for this.
Rainstream angled herself, and shot magic through her wings with the force of a sonic boom. Clouds began to pile up behind her and against her back, forming a small cloud at first but rapidly gaining size. As she came back around toward the east side of the field, near the school, Rainstream could see the orange light of the sun creeping over the distant horizon. She was running out of time. Her wings felt none of their usual exhaustion as she sped on, this time encompassing the whole of the school grounds in her sweep. This would be her biggest storm yet.
~ ~ ~
Rainstream paused as she was just about to slide the last puff of cloud into place. The horizon was glowing brighter now, which meant the sun was just about to come up. She looked down at the cabin, nestled snuggly between a few sheltering trees. She thought about List, resting soundly beneath her blanket, belly full of warm cocoa. He really had managed to fall asleep to the rain. She smiled. Maybe she’d give him a bit of rain to wake up to as well.
She surveyed the cloud she’d nearly finished crafting, checking to see that it was the proper thickness, so that the light would scatter properly and produce the right colors. She stuffed the last tuft of cloud into place and curled up into a short twirl, then dove for speed and pulled up toward the cabin.
She’d revealed a lot more of herself than she’d first expected last night, and she hadn’t even made it to the Best Young Fliers competition. A pang of guilt shot through Rainstream’s heart as she thought about the lie she’d told List. It wasn’t fully a lie, but it was the wrong truth. She lazily scooped up some cloud from the moisture in the air, feeling it tug at the other water droplets in the area as she sent tendrils of pegasus magic through it.
She should have just told him the truth from the start. List was a good friend, and he would never hurt her; there really wasn’t any need to keep lying to him. Rainstream let out a long sigh, then winced as her heart twinged with new pain. But there was a reason she was avoiding the truth. Rainstream looked to the north, over Applewood ridge. She didn’t really want to remember.
~ ~ ~
Thunder shook the air as lighting filled the darkness created by the massive cloud blocking the morning light from reaching the school. With a swift and powerful kick, channeled with all the remaining energy she had left, Rainstream started a cascade that rippled around the entire storm cell. With a rumbling groan, water began to seep from everywhere at once, quickly gaining speed and drowning the school in a torrent within moments.
Rainstream’s chest heaved, pumping large amounts of air for her burning lungs. Her task complete, Rainstream finally noticed her exhaustion, and began to slip through the now cold and wet air. She made no effort to stop it. She didn’t have the strength anyway. She just watched the stormcloud overhead slide away from her.
She had done too much. Too quickly. She was so stupid.
Memories of last night’s activities washed over her again. It was all just one big mistake. Fresh tears streamed upward from her face. Her throat tightened up. The rain had betrayed her. Perhaps now it would make last night go away. She had let her walls fall too far. Let him get too close. She should never have followed him inside.
“Rainstream!”
Her ear twitched. Of course. She could hear his voice calling to her through the rain. He was coming for her again, just like he had before. She didn’t care. Let him come. She couldn’t run forever.
As Rainstream fell, she listened to the rain, how it whispered of Stormfeather drawing closer and closer to her. The thought struck her that she was holding her breath, waiting, anxious. She wanted him to catch her, just like she’d wanted to be with him last night. She gasped, the sudden realization adding just enough strength to her wings for them to flare open. It didn’t stop her in the air, but it controlled her fall, slowing and angling it toward a cloud she knew would still be there. The one she always left up, and repaired whenever it fell apart.
Stormfeather slid into view above her, his wings pumping furiously to catch up with her. His expression seemed frantic, which made Rainstream chuckle slightly. Couldn’t he hear the rain? She was going to be fine.
~ ~ ~
Rainstream touched down lightly on the soft ground outside her cabin, the rain pattering softly on her back. She glanced up at the sun piercing the horizon in the east, catching her clouds just the way it was meant to, and lighting up her beautiful sunrise. Good morning, Applewood.
She nudged the door, and it swung inward easily. List was still sleeping peacefully beneath the blanket she’d given him. She trotted past him with a smile and headed toward the kitchen. She found some oatmeal in the lower cabinet and pulled it out. Her mouth filled with drool as she rummaged for a pot to cook it in. As Rainstream started moving pots around, List stirred.
“Mmm, huh? Rainstream?” He sat up, rubbing his eyes. The blanket fell on the floor beside him.
“Oh, hi. Good morning,” Rainstream replied, briefly looking up.
“Are you making breakfast?” List asked.
“I was making oatmeal. Do you want some?”
List nodded. Rainstream poured more oats into the pot and left it to bowl on the stove, then reached up to get another bowl from the cabinet.
“Rainstream?’
“Huh?” She stopped trying to grab the bowl and turned to look at him. The sleep was gone from his eyes, but Rainstream couldn’t tell if it was worry or confusion in his eyes. She tensed, mind searching for something she might have done that would worry him.
“You never finished your story.”
Rainstream relaxed. Oh, is that all?
“What happened with Stormfeather?”
Oh. Rainstream turned away and focused on grabbing the bowl in front of her. What could she tell him? She looked outside. It was raining just outside the cabin. Rainstream bit her lip.
~ ~ ~
“Rainstream, what’s wrong?”
Rainstream turned away from him, staring at the sopping wet cloud beneath her hooves. She said nothing, letting her tears roll down her face and mix with the rain as they fell. What was wrong with her? She wanted to be with him, and then she didn’t. Then she wanted him to follow her, and then she didn’t. And now she wanted him to be here, and yet…
“You know, I almost couldn’t find you,” Stormfeather called out over the roar of the downpour. Rainstream could tell he had taken a step closer. “It’s funny,” he laughed. “You have a real knack for blending in, even with that beautiful orange coat of yours.” His wing descended across her back, enveloping her back and shoulders with warm, dry feathers.
“You probably never noticed, but I always envied you for that.”
Rainstream’s breath caught in her throat, and she looked up at Stormfeather, unsure how to respond. His face was gentle, pleading even. The dark fur on his face was a perfect match to the cloud wall in the background behind him. She focused on his eyes, highlighted by the white in them. He gave a brief smile, and looked off toward the school.
“I still remember that first week. You just showed up out of nowhere. Nopony knew where you’d come from, or how you’d gotten here on your own. Most fillies have their parents fly them—my parents flew me up here. But not you. You were like some prodigy, and I knew I would have to pay close attention if I was going to learn anything from you.”
Rainstream’s heart skipped a beat. He’d been watching her even then.
“It’s funny though, it only took two days for everypony else to forget you. Like you’d cast some sort of spell on them. You were always in the back, staring off into space, not a care in the world. No, everyone wanted to see me, the colt who figured out the use of his wings faster than anypony else. Ha! If they’d only paid attention, they would have realized I learned it from you.”
What? Rainstream’s mouth fell open.
“Yeah, remember when Ms. Meadowbloom gave the class on thermals and how to float on them? They all said they saw me do it. What they didn’t know was that I had been watching you. This insane orange filly who nopony knew, who somehow already knew everything we were about to be taught, who floated just by leaning out over the cloud and riding the wind that blew through her beautiful blue mane. All I did was copy her, and I didn’t even leave the cloud. But I’m the one who gets noticed.”
He ran a hoof gently through her mane. She shivered at the contact, but never took her eyes off of his. The rain grew hot on her coat. Stormfeather smiled and flicked his eyes to her mane.
“I thought it was pretty cool when you dyed it. Red is a very warm color. Like the sunrise.”
A very warm shiver ran up Rainstream’s spine.
“Mmmm,” she murmured, searching for her voice. “S-sunrise.” She looked east, past his shoulder. He followed her gaze, and nodded at the clouds blocking the sunrise.
“It’s really impressive, you know. I knew you were in advanced lessons, but this?” He shook his head. “I just can’t understand why anypony pays any attention to me, when you can do all of this.” He raised his hooves and gestured to the storm as a whole. “Magnificent.”
“My coat even matches the clouds, but everyone always knows where I am, and expects to see me do something like… this.” Stormfeather hung his head, still holding his hooves up. “I can’t do anything like this. I’m just starting weather basics right now, and if I don’t pass…” Raindrops poured down his face.
Rainstream let out a quiet gasp that barely concealed a sob.
“You know my dad works at the Cloudsdale weather factory?” he said. The pain in his voice cried louder than the rain. “Yeah, he’s right over there. Hi, dad.” Stormfeather waved a hoof roughly at the wall of clouds toward the southeast. He held a mock smile for a few seconds, then let his hoof fall and glowered at the cloud beneath them.
“Probably thinks I built this storm, for all the so called pride he has for me. Mom’s even worse. She’s constantly asking me how my classes are going, and wondering why I’m not top of the class.” Stormfeather rolled his eyes, then looked directly at Rainstream with such pain in his eyes that it took her straight back to the day she left home.
“You’re lucky,” He said, looking down at her hooves. “You don’t have any parents, always pushing you to do better, and even when you’ve given your best it’s not enough. You know I’m failing—”
“Stop it!” Rainstream shrieked. Stormfeather stopped mid phrase and gaped at her. Rainstream just stared at him and… cried. His eyes widened, and he rushed forward to pull her toward him in a tight hug. She threw her head into his shoulder and cried. No amount of rain could hide these tears. She shook against him, and turned her head south. He had no idea how lucky he was to have parents who believed in him. Parents who cared enough to be bothered by his grades. Parents who didn’t fight. Parents who remembered his birthday.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was soft, but not completely stable. He rubbed her back, and she could feel the stiffness of his hooves.
“When I watch you fly, it’s like… a free soul, doing what she loves, because she loves doing it. You look so happy, so full of joy. You’re flying because you want to, and not because somepony makes you. You look so beautiful I just… I had to meet you, so when I saw you flying on Thursday… I thought I’d say hi.”
He pulled back, and when he looked into her eyes, he was smiling. “And then you said yes.” He leaned in to nuzzle her nose, but she pulled away, twisting out of his embrace and trotting a few paces away. He didn’t try to stop her, but she could feel his hoof lingering stretched out toward her.
“I— After last night, I thought—”
Rainstream tossed her head “Don’t.” She looked back at him with the most pleading eyes she could, real tears gathering in them. “Please.”
Rainstream closed her eyes and listened to the rain to clear her mind. Then she took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, letting the rain pull all of the tightness out of her chest. When she was fully relaxed again, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Last night was a mistake. I’m sorry.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but she knew he heard her. Then she turned and trotted to the end of the cloud, facing due south. She heard him scuffling after her.
“Wait. Can I just ask you to fly with me in the Best Young Fliers Competition then?”
“Why?” She turned to face him again, standing sideways with her wings poised, ready to take off at any moment. She was questioning his motives, and at the same time hoping he would say… something. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to hear, but her heart wished for it all the same.
“Because my parents expect me to fly in it,” he said, and Rainstream could see the tightness in his throat as he wished with all of his heart that she wasn’t about to fly away. “And I don’t want to disappoint them, and I know I won’t be able to unless I can learn to fly like you do. I need you to teach me that joy you find when you fly, because I’ve never seen anypony look so free, so at peace with themselves. You look so beautiful when you fly, and I know if you fly with me, we’ll win for sure, and then maybe my Mom would think I’m worth something.” His voice nearly broke at the end, along with Rainstream’s heart.
She swallowed, fighting back tears, fighting back the shivers, and fighting back the vice that threatened to bind her limbs in place. Slowly, she shook her head, then she continued more rapidly, and took a step toward the edge of the cloud.
“I… I can’t. I’m sorry. Not now.”
He stepped toward her and reached out a hoof. “Well then, please. At least consider it.” Now it was he who wore the pleading look. As though she now held his entire fate in her hooves, and could destroy him if she so chose. But to accept....
She shook her head harder. “I—not now. I—I’m sorry. I need to think.”
Before he could respond, she leapt sideways off the cloud and dove with the rain. After a few hundred feet, she tilted her ears back. He hadn’t followed her. She opened her wings and pulled up, flapping hard to gain back altitude and flew back toward the school. Rain. Rain was what she needed. Lots of rain.
~ ~ ~
“Rainstream?”
Rainstream spun around, nearly dropping the bowl in her hooves. List stared perplexedly up at her, standing at the edge of the kitchen tile.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
She nodded in time with her wingbeats as she lowered herself to the ground. She touched down with three faint clicks on the tile, then hugged the bowl to her chest.
“What happened with Stormfeather, when you followed him into his room? You said he didn’t want you, but what happened?”
Steeling herself, Rainstream forced a smile and looked up confidently at List, hoping he would buy it. “Like I said, nothing really happened. He asked me if I could watch him perform at the Best Young Fliers Competition, so I said I’d think about it. But then the idiot broke his wing trying to show off for some mare he liked.” She rolled her eyes. “He never got to fly.”
She left off ‘ever again’, and hoped he hadn’t seen how close she was to tears.
She spun around and poured oats into the two bowls in front of her as she swallowed the lump quickly forming in her throat. List was silent behind her.
“I’m sorry.”
Rainstream sucked in a gasp, and tried to blink back the tears. His hoofsteps retreated back to the couch, and Rainstream let out a ragged breath.
She should have made more rain.