It Bugs Me

by EverChangeling

1 - Introductions

The sound of thunder was booming through the homes of Ponyville. Rain was pouring down heavily with regular crackles from the storm. Everypony was indoors to avoid the mess outside. Ponyville had not seen this sort of weather for weeks and almost everypony wished it would go away. But the cheeky farm-pony, Cherry Blossom, was ecstatic! Her crops were finally going to receive the water they desperately needed; it was about time those pesky pegasi scheduled a shower-storm!

She was enjoying a cup of hot tea inside the comfort of her lovely abode in the outskirts of Ponyville, looking out at the fountain her plants were being soaked under. It was very difficult to see far, due to the intense downpour blocking much of the view, but regardless, Blossom loved it! She had been busting her flank this season tending to her crops and finally they were being hydrated well!

As she was relaxing in the prospect of her harvest in a few weeks, Cherry saw what looked like a pony out towards the edge of the forest. Why would somepony be out there in this weather?! Without a moment's hesitation, she opened the side door and began galloping towards the figure.

Rain was soaking her pastel yellow coat and dampening her ruby-red mane and tail on her way to the forest clearing. There was a pony out there!

"Hey! Hey! Are you okay?!" Cherry shouted across the field.

As she approached the forest border, the pony, appearing to be a royal blue stallion, was laying on the ground, eyes closed, seemingly struggling to breathe.

Cherry grabbed him by his shoulders, shook him repeatedly, and exclaimed words of panic. It did not seem to be doing anything. Eventually, she placed the stallion onto her back, and uncertain of where to take him, Blossom headed back towards her home in the pouring rain. It was not too difficult for her, considering she was a farmer and Earth pony, causing her to have major back strength.

Once Cherry arrived home, she dried him off, wrapped him up in a few warm blankets, and laid him down in her bed. He seemed to be breathing more deeply, versus the short, quick breathes from outside. His body seemed to be calming down, adjusting to the temperature. The storm outside was beginning to lighten up, rain falling much more delicately, but the sky was still quite gray. After about thirty minutes, his eyes slowly woke up. Once his fire orange eyes were open, he focused on the mare sitting on the floor. Her mane was damp, her coat frizzled, and her fog-colored eyes beaming with relief, coupled with an excited expression.

"You woke up! You were caught outside in the storm, I saw you, I went to go see if you were okay, you seemed to be struggling, and I figured the best thing to do was to bring you inside." Cherry choked out.

"Th.. thank you." The stallion said calmly with a smile, moving himself into a sitting position, with his back against the bed frame.

"What's your name?" Cherry asked.

"Coastal Swirl," the stallion responded. "And yours, madame?"

Cherry was a bit pleasantly surprised to hear that and blushed. "Cherry Blossom."

"Thank you for saving me - I wouldn't have made it without you."

Cherry blushed again, "It was nothing." She waved it off.

"No, that took a lot of courage. Thank you."

"N-no problem! It's all in a day's work, heh." Cherry replied.

Swirl smiled and said "your eyes are so pretty. They look like the color of clouds, protecting against the beaming sun."

"Well th-thank you," she stuttered. "Your eyes look like a burning flame."

"Heh, thank you, I am a very passionate pony."

“So how did you end up out there? I have never seen you around town,” Cherry questioned.

“Oh, I was kind of just getting away from everything… my life at home has been overwhelming, and I needed to escape it… I am very thankful you found me though.”

“Oh, heh, I am very sorry to hear that. And no prob-lem!” Cherry emitted.

“So this is your place? It’s nice.”

“Yeah heh, thank you.”

“Who do you live with?” Coast wondered.

“Oh, I live alone.”

“You seem to be quite young of a pony to live by yourself.” Cherry blushed. “Are you doing alright on your own?”

“Yes, I can handle things pretty well on my own. Although it would be nice to share it with somepony…” Cherry admitted.

“I would not mind that one bit myself, heh.” Coast responded.

“Are you sure your family would be okay with it..?”

“Oh, yeah, they don’t care about me. I will be much better off here with you.” Coast smiled and Cherry reddened, appropriately to her name.

“Are you feeling better?” Cherry asked.

“Oh, yes, much better, thank you so much!” Coast exclaimed.

“Of course.” Cherry smiled.

“So if I am going to be staying here, where would you like me to sleep?” Coast questioned.

“Oh! You can sleep in my bed. I can sleep on the couch.” Cherry responded.

“No, no,” Coast protested. “A mare like you should not have to give up her own bed for a stallion.” Coast insisted.

“Oh, heh, well, if you insist.” Cherry emanated.

“So what do you do with your time?” Coast asked.

“I’m a farmer! I farm cherries mainly, but also blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries too. What about you, Coast?”

“That’s quite interesting! I bet your berries are incredibly sweet and savory. I am a sociologist, inspecting and learning about ponies and their cultures, that sort of thing.”

“Oh, that’s pretty cool! Where have you traveled to?” Cherry wondered.

“Oh, um, Canterlot, Ponyville, the Crystal Empire, Manehatten, and a few other places.”

“Wow, I bet it is really exciting to go everywhere and study all these different places!” Cherry exclaimed.

“Yeah! But it is also a bit nice to settle down every once and a while and just enjoy the scenario there, heh.”

“Oh, yeah, that is true too, heh.” Cherry agreed.

“How long have you lived here?” Coast questioned.

“I have lived in this house for almost two years, but I have lived in Manehatten most of my life.”

“Why did you move here?”

“To farm, of course! My parents are more urban-folk and I never really felt the same way. Once I discovered my love for farming, I did everything I could to get out here to pursue my dream.” Cherry shared.

“I am glad you were able to do that and made it here!” Coast smiled.

“Yeah! I love it here.”

“And I think I will too.” Coast spoke in agreement, Cherry smiled.

---

Author's Note:

Let me know your thoughts so far and if you find any writing errors (or have any tips)! I have a story planned out and it will probably take a good amount of chapters to complete, so strap in if you're up for it!

Thanks,
EverChangeling