We didn’t say much as the deluge continued, but I don’t think there was much we could say at all. Amethyst had completely stunned me, however now I’m not sure how I didn’t see it coming. I suppose hindsight is always twenty-twenty. Regardless, as the rain continued on, I noticed I wasn’t as cold anymore. Obviously this wasn’t the only thing that had come about by Amethyst’s actions, but it was the only thing that confused me.
Naturally I was going to have feelings of elation, my adrenaline was coming off of its incredible high, but the warmth… I couldn’t explain it. It was as though my body was hopeful for my future as much as my mind was. She had, in one simple action, said everything I had needed to hear. I was so close to giving up, to letting my life sink away to mediocrity, and she just stopped it in that brief intimate moment. To this day, I look back on that kiss with that same sense of wondrous confusion, as though everything that happened was a dream too wild for my mind to conjure up.
A few hours later, and the rain finally began to wane. By the time we could venture out of the protection of the awning, the day had grown late and we were both rather miserable. The warmth I felt was nice, but it did little to keep the soaked cloak off of my back. Amethyst’s was equally drenched, but it didn’t seem to bother her as much as mine did me. For some reason, she seemed almost disappointed as the last few drops fell from the sky.
“We should probably get back,” I said as I strode out into the road.
“What’s the rush?” Amethyst asked as she slowly stepped from the awning’s shade. “The rain’s gone, let’s just… you know… walk for a bit?”
I was about to retort with a list of reasons why I wanted to be back indoors, but her plea made each one feel like a cheap excuse.There’s no rush… Just walk. “Alright,” I said a moment later with a shrug. “I guess it will take a while to get back to the university anyway.”
Amethyst nodded eagerly as we started down the street. It was funny how I felt as we walked back. I could, for some unexplainable reason, feel her standing by my side. My mind was almost completely focused on her presence, and stranger still, I liked it. I liked the sense that there was somepony beside me in the mess around us.
Every step splashed as we walked the puddles that littered the cobblestone path. The buildings around us seemed almost as if they were crying as the last of the rain trickled down their sloping roofs. It wasn’t as cold as it was before, but the air was still crisp and filled with strong smell of the rain. My cloak was still dripping, and I found myself struggling to keep Amethyst’s slower pace as we meandered back through the city.
“Is something wrong?” Amethyst asked as I shivered slightly.
“I’m just cold, that’s all.”
“Well… I… I mean if you want to go back…”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” I didn’t want to make her feel like she was the source of my problems, even though she was in a roundabout way.
She was silent for a moment as we trotted down the road. Initially I thought I had upset her, and regret took center stage in my mind, but it was soon dispelled when she spoke once more.
“I love the rain.” She said almost wondrously as we rounded a corner.
“Really?” I asked as I glanced toward the sky. “It’s dreary, cold, and uncomfortable.”
“Well, yeah… but it’s nice in a way. It makes everything feel clean… like everything’s new again. And I love the sound of it. I don’t know why, but it always makes me feel… calm.”
As we strode back through the city, I began to realize what she meant. No pony was out of their homes, and I’m sure the ones inside were cozily sipping on their tea. The clouds that hung just above the roofs were dark, but they still lit the world in a soft shade of white. Everything was pale and muted along the road, but as I watched the world wait out the storm, I noticed a glimmer in the corner of my eye. The sun had finally peeked through the clouds just on the horizon and casted a fleeting ray of orange through the road.
Amethyst and I walked a bit further, the two of us beginning to relax as we meandered back to the library. I remember feeling at peace as we strode together, just like I had felt the day when Amethyst and I had simply enjoyed our solitary company together in the lab. It felt nice, like every hint of pain and anguish had been muted by a warmth that came from her presence. I couldn't, to this day, describe that feeling without grossly underrepresenting its subtle power, but it made everything fall into a new perspective, one where the world around me seemed a bit less hateful and a bit more kind.
A few minutes later and the sun breached the clouds once more. This time instead of lighting only a small sliver of the street, the entire road seemed to catch fire in its warmth. I felt the rays land on my back, gently caressing my skin with the heat that it had craved. A chill ran down my back, welcoming the relief of the sun.
“It feels nice, doesn't it?” Amethyst said quietly.
I could only hum in agreement as I tried to shift my surprisingly chilly cloak off.
“Oh, here…” Amethyst said as she lifted it from my back.
I felt a twinge in my heart as she removed and folded it with ease in the air. Her magic, it had always been one of my stumbling blocks, but she never seemed to realize the impact it had on me. I suppose I had hidden it well enough. I figured that hiding my feelings of isolation and despair would only make things worse for our relationship, one that may, one day, grow into something much more profound. However, in spite of that thought, I felt like she needed to know. It was something that had a profound hold on my mind and I wanted nothing more than to let her know the truth.
“A-Amethyst?” I asked, trying as best I could to deceive myself as I began to open such a personal subject.
“Mhm?”
“I… uhhh…” Well, saying I don’t like your magic is insulting. How on earth are you going to phrase this?
She stopped and looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. “Are you alright?”
“I… well…” I took a deep breath and composed myself. “I want to say something, but I really don’t know how to say it without…” Just shut up, you’re not doing yourself any favors.
“Without what?”
“Without insulting you.”
“I’m not easily insulted,” she said with a smile.
“Well… I uhh… alright, before I ask the question, I’ve got to ask another one first. Why did you kiss me?”
Immediately her cheeks grew bright red. “I-It was a spur of the moment thing. I… well…”
Now you’ve really done it. See, you should have just kept your mouth closed. Now you’ve upset her.
“I just really can’t explain why I did it then, but I know why I wanted to.” She looked to the brightening sky for a moment, as though the parting clouds could give her the words to say. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. You’re not like the other stallions, at least, not the other unicorn stallions. I never would have thought I would have been attracted to an earth pony…”
To be completely honest, her implication hurt a lot. I froze, and I think the shock on my face prompted her apology.
“N-No… I didn’t mean it like that. I just… well… you see…” As she stumbled over herself, grasping to undo the pain that she had inflicted on me, I realized something about her. She was caught in it too, that strange realization that a horn on one’s head shouldn’t define who they were. She had been raised on the other side of the wall, where luxury, wealth, and magic were the distinguishing factor between their race and the earth ponies who served them. It was disgusting on multiple accounts, but that was the way the world worked. However, she and I, and maybe more, were beginning to realize that we weren’t all that different, that the two could work together to achieve greatness.
I remember the rest of that interaction as an awkward walk back to the library, but that implication has stayed with me to this day. I wasn’t alone, Amethyst had shown that, despite our differences, we could continue through this world together. And, looking back on everything I had accomplished until then, that’s all I was ever searching for.
Sort out calculus today, chaos theory from the rain can wait until tomorrow.
Math, science, and shipping? Not much could be better than this!
Old song from the 1960s "Down In The Boondocks"
7418504 Fiiiine
7419025 I can think of one thing: An awesome audience to read it.
Oh... Starswirl, you fool... Don't grow complacent just from the fact that somepony understands... Think of why she understands. Can't you see the warning signs? She's hesitant to end the walk because she doesn't want this isolated moment to end. There was no pony to judge in the storm. There were no expectations. You aleady know what others expectations can do. Amethyst is just as much at risk as you are when your walk ends... This is exactly what you set yourself up for first with the major application and then with Evenstar. Don't delude yourself into thinking there won't be problems because of some grand epiphany on your part. Ready yourself for the future so you and your friends can face it together.
7420867 damn dude. Sage af.farm3.staticflickr.com/2422/3777084698_a7ef4bf328_z.jpg
Just got done reading up to this point. Congrats on a great fic. It reminds me of "The Monster Below" in that it is a story of the struggle toward greatness, complete with failures along the way.
I'm glad it didn't turn out to be Harry Potter ponified. Magic school stories can be fun but I think we've read enough of them. The struggle for science is a lot more fun. I encourage you to continue working on this story. I'm sorry I had passed it up 'till now. You get an up-vote from me and added to my favorites.
I like how he describes what he knew to be the right move, and that he remembers making the wrong move. That is indeed how we think back about our lives. One thing we often don't understand at the time is that the times and situations we take for granted may be things we think back to with nostalgia, knowing we cant live those times again. When I was young, computers were primitive and we had a lot of fun dealing with the challenges of just saving a 32K program to an audio tape. Or when I think back to when I lived in a certain place, or worked on a certain project, or had certain friends. Starswirl needs to understand that he is experiencing the high point in his life regardless of the ups and downs.
My only problem with the story is that, you know. There's a mud pony trying to make waves in science. You might want to take that bit out. At least he's not a zebra, thank Celestia!
My suggestion for the future of this story: Starswirl gains the use of magic by strapping some sort of magic-using Everfree critter to his head and hiding it under a hat covered in loud bells to mask its cries. It all makes sense, don't you see? His brain waves go in one end (that's squashed against his forehead) and out the other (the critter's own brain) and he's got magic all over the place!
7420317 Agreed!
Chapter XLVIII
Warmth
Or:
In which Rainythyst the Racist insults Delugeswirl the Sopping Wet.
Ah, small chapters...short, but simple and sweet.
7437763 I'm glad you're enjoying them! I figured it would benefit the story more to go scene by scene as chapters rather than stitching 5 of them together like I initially planned. It's easier to digest in one sitting and it's easier for me to write.
Holy shit. Happiness. Honest to God happiness. Starting on a happy note end ending on another. That's unnervingly new.
Also, I really loved your description of rain. I´ve always enjoyed rain, but I couldn´t give any logical explanation why. I think you´ve summed up all my thoughts on it.
In general, the atmosphere of this entire chapter does capture the aftermath of a storm perfectly, both literally and metaphorically.
Well done!