The River and the Rain

by AzhureMist

Chapter 4: Freedom

"Here, take this map of Canterlot."

"Why don't you take some of those books out of there and make some room for extra sandwiches?"

"Are you sure you don't want to take your favorite pillow?"

Rain Song's parents rummaged around in her saddlebags, trying to pack them with more things than could possibly be carried. Her father raised an eyebrow when he levitated a plush sea otter that had been stuffed between two books.

"Oh... that's just Philippe. I always take him with me when I travel," Song explained, but Rain Cloud continued to give her a disapproving look, setting it on the ground. But when he handed her a pillow, she surrepetitiously snuck the soft toy inside the pillow case before shoving them both into her bursting saddlebag.

"I guess that's as good as it's going to get," Rain Sparkle sighed as she buckled the other saddlebag over the last bottle of water. "I just don't want to see you leave."

All three ponies trotted down the stairs, prompting Sparkle to smile a little.

"I remember when we had these stairs put in. Your father and I were convinced we were going to have unicorn and pegasi foals, who could just fly or levitate themselves up to the second floor, so we didn't need a staircase."

Rain Cloud chuckled. "Lo and behold, our first filly was an earth pony! So we had to have the stairs put in, and I'll tell you something, we did _not_ appreciate having all that noise when we were trying to get a newborn filly to sleep."

Song smiled, but couldn't get over the feeling that she was more of an inconvenience than anything.

They paused by the door.

"It's time to go, if you don't want to miss your train," said Rain Sparkle.

"Give Ink Spot our regards," Cloud added.

"And don't forget to write!"

"I won't. I'll miss all of you!" Song said. Her parents nuzzled her, and, encumbered with the heaviest saddlebags she'd ever carried, she shuffled out the door and down the road.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" her mother asked after a minute. "She's just so..."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she was back here within a week. But we have to give her a chance to make it on her own," Cloud turned away from the door, "unlikely as she is to succeed."

Her parents' foreboding was completely lost on Song as she trotted through the early morning sunshine. Her saddlebags felt lighter with every step she took toward a new life in Canterlot. The softest green touched the trees' branches, and birds of all kinds contributed to an intricate, high-pitched toccata overhead. Celestia's golden sun shone joyfully just above the horizon, brightening the east, while deep blue clouds lay softly in the sky to the west. The houses she passed, and then the stores, were still and silent, glowing as if brand new in the sunlight that nopony saw but her.

All too soon she reached Fillydelphia's train station, already bustling with the first ponies she'd seen since she'd left her parents' house. She took one more breath of fresh air, then presented her ticket at the booth.

"Canterlot, eh? That's a long haul for a little pony like you!"

Song simply nodded, flushed with adventure. She hopped onto the train, and then paused as she felt a twinge in one of her legs. Was something wrong? But there were ponies behind her, just as eager to start on their own journeys, so she ignored it and found a seat by a window. The trip from Fillydelphia to Canterlot would take a half day, and she wanted to see as much of it as possible.

By the time the train left the thick woods and rolled into sight of Canterlot, the twinge in one of Song's legs had turned to swelling and an ache in all four of them. Sitting still for hours on the train might have caused some of the problem, but Song had had bad knees for long enough to know that the ever encroaching rain clouds were the real culprit. She waited for the other ponies to clear out of the aisle, shifting her legs as much as she could in the meantime and wincing at the sounds they made. When she finally emerged from the train, the sky was half full of deep blue and gray clouds, and the air felt thick and damp.

The beige pony emerged from the crowd with her heavy saddlebags. It was good to stretch her legs, although what she really wanted to do was curl up with a blanket, some hot chocolate, and a new book. Well, she reasoned, there should be plenty of new books coming out of Canterlot every year. Probably more than she could read, in fact. The thought made her smile, and the brief trip to her new apartment went quickly.

There wasn't much to say about the tiny room, where all of her belongings were unpacked and settled in quickly (most of them on the bookshelf). It was an empty canvas- just the way she liked it. She placed Philippe on the bed, on top of her old pillow, then hung up her saddlebags on the back of the door and set out again.

Now unencumbered, Rain Song made quicker progress toward her uncle's firm. There waited an internship that would pay her living expenses while she attended Canterlot Law School, and it was strongly hinted that once she graduated, her position there would be secure. Her path to becoming a tax lawpony, successful in every sense of the word, was clear.

Rain Song cocked her head to the side. Not that she _had_ to go into tax law. Her family would understand if she wanted to deviate from the trail her uncle had blazed. She could become a real estate, corporate, or divorce lawpony with only a modicum of extra difficulty.

A sudden breeze tossed her deep orange mane from her shoulders. Now she could smell the rain- it was only a matter of minutes. She could also feel its approach in her knees, which were slowly refusing to let her progress with any semblance of speed. For the first time all day, Song snorted in frustration. Why did she have to have this impediment? Everypony else could walk just fine! They never even had to think about it!

She watched helplessly as pony after pony passed her by and pegasi zoomed overhead. Angry tears began to form in her eyes as her knees ached relentlessly. She knew she had a choice to make- go back to her apartment and curl up until the rain came and went, or stick it out and make it to the office, where she should have a chance to rest for a while.

Song sighed. She knew there was no real choice, so she took a deep breath and continued to the office.

To distract herself from the pain, she looked around at the ivory walls and golden spires of Canterlot. Their fantastic shapes and rich materials were worlds apart from the stately, but bland buildings in Fillydelphia. While the trees grew more wildly out there, here the pink and white cherry trees that lined the streets were held in by little iron cages. It was still too early for many to have flowers yet, but Song passed one that was completely budded out with soft white blooms. The sun peeked out from the clouds for what was probably the last time that day, and Song paused to admire the flowering tree. She closed her eyes and leaned in to smell its fragrance.

Just then, a breeze shook the branches, sending a shower of petals down on her. Song's leaf-green eyes slowly opened amid the dancing white flowers. Through the opening buds, she saw the form of a pegasus outlined against the sun. He was hovering in place, and purposely fanning the air with his wings to shake the petals loose. As Song watched, he glided back down to the sidewalk.

"You looked like you could use a dramatic rain of petals," the pegasus explained.

Rain Song opened her mouth to speak for the first time since she'd left home. "Thank you," she said. Then she collapsed.