A mare and her dog

by cammera

Day 4: As rain falls

Applejack walked in a country road, a fresh breeze in her face. Her purse had grown first heavier and then lighter, her saddlebag had returned to a comfortable weight, and her belly was filled in the way only old ladies of all universes can do it.

It was a good day, all in all. Worth whistling a catchy song? Definitely. With something of a dance in the step? Why ask?

Winona appeared from a grass field, carrying something gray in her mouth. After realizing it was a something with blood on it, she averted her gaze from it. Not worth ruining a good day, especially when it fed the dog.

"Just remember to clean yourself, alright?" she chided half-heartedly.

Winona waved her tail at her and jumped back into the tall grass.

She kept walking, trying to remember the name of the song.

-º-

The first drop of water fell on her stetson, and wasn't noticed. The second fell in her back, and was ignored. The third fell in her muzzle, and was discarded. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, however, did raise worries.

She gave a look to the sky. Still overall sunny, but with a few clouds coming from the south.

She whistled to Winona and rummaged in her saddlebag for a light overall and threw it lazily over her back, cursing the seaside weather under her breath. Inland weather, or better yet managed weather, was the best thing a mare could ask for.

Winona appeared a moment later, perfectly clean and innocent and fluffy in all the right places. After shaking off a though of what had marred her fur, she gave her a pat in the head and inclined just so to give her some cover from the incoming rain.

After half an hour, it came-- a calm, slow thing that only announced itself only with the bellow of thunder in the distance, as if saying that yes, it did have the energy to last for quite a while, and no, it gave no hecks whatsoever for that romantic date under the starlight you had organized.

But Applejack kept moving, not wanting to waste either body heat or sunlight, and Winona kept following, not wanting to let down the orange hat horse.

-º-

When the sun reached the horizon behind her, Applejack moved from the relatively clean road and entered the very much humid and cold grass of the road side, searching for a good spot. After ten minutes, she fount a small hill with some old, gnarled trees... and a tent in it, with a cloth extended as a cover over it.

"Hallo," she walked to the diamond dogs sitting around a fire warily "Can I?"

The dogs turned to her startled, but smiled and made space for her and Winona to sit in the heat. They chatted for a few hours, eating from their bags, and went off to sleep.

Author's Note:

Talk about irony. A long, slow, patient rain started the instant I published this.