Out of the cold

by Flash Magnus

Chapter 2: Safe from the storm

The house of Raindrops and Cloudkicker was not very far from the center, but being a cloud, it was quite high, and high meant cold…

While Raindrops flew she could feel the filly squeezing more and more against her as she shivered… she could feel her temperature and it was definitely too low to be normal…
"Hey little girl, I know it's cold but hold on… ok? soon we will arrive…"
The filly nodded and did her best not to let go…

As promised they arrived a few minutes later…
Summer Breeze was now shaking violently…

Raindrops saw the filly's state and decided to hug her to warm her up a bit...
"We arrived baby, now let's go in we warm up a bit okay?"

The filly nodded as she was lifted by Raindrops into a warm embrace...
As they walked through the door, Raindrops called her partner...
"Honey, I'm home, we'll have a guest tonight!"

A purple Pegasus with a blond mane came out from behind a door...

---

While it was snowing outside and the cold began to be felt, Cloudkicker was in the kitchen baking a delicious muffin pan...
After all, they were her mare's favorite dessert... she remembered well their first date right in a muffin shop…

After getting lost in her thoughts, a familiar noise and voice brought her back to consciousness...
"Honey, I'm home, we'll have a guest tonight!".

Raindrops was back, and there was someone with her... since she didn't know who the guest was, she adjusted her mane for a moment and got rid of her kitchen apron…

After a few seconds, she opened the door and went to meet the two ponies in the corridor...
When he came out of the kitchen, he saw a rather strange scene:
Their host was a filly that looked like a photocopy of Raindrops, Except that her mane was two-tone and she didn't have a cutie-mark…

At the sight of her, the filly huddled behind Raindrops as she continued to shiver from the cold…

Sure, she had trusted Raindrops, but she was still afraid of other ponies...
Cloudkicker noticed that the filly looked uncomfortable and decided to break the ice…
"Hi little filly, I'm Cloudkicker, what's your name?"
The yellow filly backed away slightly, but then she braced herself and answered the mare...
"M-my name is Summer Breeze..."
As she spoke she felt the comfortable touch of Raindrops's wing against her back and decided to be less suspicious...

---

Raindrops noticed that the filly was feeling uncomfortable and placed a wing on her back to comfort her… that filly must have been through terrible things…
"Hey, little girl, why don't you go and warm up by the fireplace while kicky and I make dinner?"

The filly looked at her with a faint smile as she nodded...
After Summer sat down by the fireplace Raindrops and Cloudkicker moved into the kitchen...
Cloudkicker spoke first…

"So Honey, why did you bring that filly here?"
Raindrops saddened at the thought and started talking...
"I was walking home when I heard somepony crying... I started looking for the source and I came to this dark and cold alley... in there, at the end of the alley, in a big cardboard box, there was this terrified filly"

Cloudkicker was listening and had a confused expression...
"Honey, I know she might be scared and a little cold, but why didn't you take her to her parents?"

Raindrops's gaze darkened even more...
"When I arrived she was terrified of me, she started begging me not to hurt her as she closed herself up...
Who knows what happened to make her react like this... poor filly...
After that I explained that I wouldn't hurt her, she started to open up and she told me she was alone and she didn't have a place to spend the night, so I told her she could stay with us… okay for you right? I'm not sure she'd be safe with the storm out there…"

The purple mare made a confused grimace…
"What do you mean when you said that she was alone? don't tell me that..."
Raindrops looked at her and Cloudkicker quickly realized that her suspicions weren't groundless…

"She's an orphan... if that's what you wanted to ask"
Cloudkicker couldn't believe what she had just heard, and while she was sad about the situation of the filly, she was also proud of what her mare had done... not everyone was welcome to welcome someone in distress…

"Honey... I don't know what to say... what you did is wonderful... Besides, that little filly would not have survived the storm of tonight if she stayed out there..."

Cloudkicker hugged Raindrops and turned to the muffin pan...
"I'm going to offer our little guest a snack"
With some muffins on a saucer, she walked over to the filly curled up in front of the fireplace...

"Hey Summer, since we're going to take a while to prepare dinner, would you like a chocolate muffin for a snack?"
The filly whirled towards the purple mare... she was about to say something but her stomach answered for her... she hadn't eaten for a day and a half now and her belly gave a loud growl…

Cloudkicker giggled slightly and Summer's cheeks turned red...
"I think your stomach has already decided..."

Cloudkicker chuckled and set the plate next to the filly and crouched next to her...
While the filly ate Raindrops she walked over and stood next to Cloudkicker...
"So, How long have you lived out there?"
The purple mare asked in a gentle voice…

Summer looked up at her and decided to tell the two mares a little about her life...
"For about two years... I had been in an orphanage before, but the matron was cruel and we were punished for anything... after he threatened to leave us fasting for a month, I decided to run away... after two years of wandering around Equestria I decided to stop in Ponyville..."
The filly stopped to take another bite from her muffins

"I thought I would find some abandoned house where shelter as in other cities... but when it started to get cold, I realized it was wrong... if Raindrops hadn't found me, probably tomorrow I would not be around anymore..."
the yellow filly lowered her head and placed it on her hooves while the two mares exchanged a knowing look…

Without saying anything, they both gathered the sad little filly in a hug...
Summer didn't feel anything like that from t a long time ago... as she basked in the warmth of the embrace, bitter tears began to flow from her eyes and she soon began to cry...
No one had ever stopped to see how she was or if she needed help, yet these two mares had it done…

"Thanks for letting me spend the night here..."
Raindrops smiled and slightly ruffled the filly's mane...
"Don't worry honey, but don't think it's just for tonight..." Summer's eyes widened in shock.
"What? Won't you send me away tomorrow?" She asked with a glimmer of hope in her voice...
Summer Breeze didn't want to hope... all her time on the streets had taught her that hope could really be a bad thing... but, at that moment, she decided to open her little broken heart and start hoping again...
Maybe after a long time, she had found someone to take care of her...
"No honey, we won't send you away tomorrow, you can stay with us for as long as you want..."Cloudkicker said ruffling her mane to the little girl...
Summer froze... she couldn't believe her ears...
"I-I don't know what to say... thank you... thank you very much... everyone I've met has always chased me away... I don't like it being alone..."
The filly burst into tears and hugged the two mares…

After a few minutes, the three mares broke the embrace and while Cloudkicker headed for the kitchen, Raindrops decided to cuddle the little girl a little more...
"Hush now little one... You are not alone… we are here for you now..."

As she hugged her, she felt that the filly was still cold despite having spent the last few minutes hugging her in front of the fireplace...
She had to solve the situation or Summer would get sick...
As she watched her mare cook, she came to an idea…
"I noticed you're still cold… how about taking a nice hot bath while Kicky prepares dinner?"

As soon as Summer heard those words she lit up... it had been a very long time since she last took a hot bath...
While she was still in Raindrops' embrace, the filly nodded happily…

"I don't even remember the last time I took a hot bath... thank you very much..."
Raindrops smiled at the filly's comment and put a hoof on her shoulder as they headed for the bathroom...
"don't worry little one... now let's get warm"

Summer smiled, for the first time after years, she felt accepted and liked...

While the filly sat waiting, Raindrops filled the tub and stirred the water to distribute the heat evenly…
Summer Breeze was a bit confused… couldn't understand how clouds could hold water…
"Summer, the water is ready… do you need a hoof for something?"
Raindrops’ voice made the filly relax and she nodded slightly...
During her time on the street, Summer had received many blows, and the most recent had torn a muscle in her shoulder…

"Er... Raindrops, could you help me with my mane later? I would like to do it myself but my shoulder hurts…"
Raindrops nodded and a bit of curiosity and a lot of concern prompted her to ask a question…
"Summer? Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

Summer felt a knot in her stomach... it was the first time she had confessed an injury, she had never trusted anypony for these things, but Raindrops and Cloudkicker looked like two gentle mares, so she decided she could trust...
"Promise that don't you get angry if I tell you?"
The yellow mare nodded and promised
"I promise I will not get angry, whatever you did..."
Summer nodded and sat on the mat in front of the bathtub looking at the ground…

"This morning I was hungry... I hadn't eaten for about a day... while I was wandering through the alleys I saw this stallion with a sack full of Zap Apple and since they were the only edible things I asked him if he could give me one..."
The filly shivered at the memory of that morning…

"But he has reacted badly... he told me to disappear and not be seen again, but I was really hungry, so I tried to steal one... he caught me and kicked me... I landed on a wall and from that moment my shoulder hurts... Then you know how the rest went…"
Raindrops walked over and gently placed a wing on her back…

"Don't worry, you're safe now… nobody's gonna hurt you while you're with us… ok?"
The filly smiled and nodded... after a few seconds, she took the initiative and slowly entered the tub... the sensation she felt was indescribable... her muscles began to melt from the heat of the water... she had never felt so good, so he decided to relax a bit before starting to lather...

As Summer relaxed in the hot water, Raindrops began to take a closer look at the filly... with everything that had happened she hadn't paid much attention to it, but the filly looked like her photocopy…

Her coat was the same shade of yellow and her mane and tail were cyan... even though she was almost like her, the mane was of two different shades of cyan...
Sometimes fate plays strange tricks...
While she was lost in thought, she heard an intrusion, and a voice called her back to reality…

"Raindrops, could you help me? I can't lather my wings and head..."
Summer was ashamed of having to ask for help for such things, but the situation didn't allow for alternatives...
Raindrops smiled at the filly and started to help her...
Noticing that Summer was a little ashamed, he decided to reassure her…

"don't worry... there's no problem getting help when you're injured..."
The filly sighed and let those skilled and kind hooves soap herself...
"You know, it's just that I feel so useless... I don't have a cutie-mark and I don't have a family... all I'm doing is just being a burden to others..."

Raindrops felt a warmth coming from within... Her instincts told her to jump into the tub and hug the filly to comfort her but limited to massages and kind words...
"I don't want to hear from you anymore that you are useless... even if you don't have a cutie-mark it doesn't mean not knowing how to do anything and being useless to society... it just means that you have yet to discover your special talent, and you have all the waist in front..."
Raindrops had finished lathering her and helped her rinse off...
When Summer got out of the tub, Raindrops wrapped her in a warm towel... the heat emanating from that object was fantastic…

"Hey, Raindrops... thank you... nopony has ever made me feel so important... sooner or later I will be able to repay you and Cloudkicker for what you are doing for me..."
Raindrops walked over to the filly and gently ruffled her mane...
"Don't worry baby, it's nothing... Besides what we are doing falls into the things for which no payment is necessary..."

Raindrops quickly hugged the filly and motioned her to follow her towards the stairs...
"come on, now let's go... I'm sure Kicky will have prepared a great dinner..."
the filly smiled and together they reached the lower floor...

---

While Raindrops and Summer Breeze were still upstairs, Cloud kicker was wandering around the kitchen trying to figure out what to prepare for dinner...

she wanted to give the little filly something warm and good that would make her feel better... even if she didn't want to admit it, she knew the filly's situation very well... just her, about eighteen years ago, she was in the same situation... orphaned and homeless, until a kind couple of unicorns welcomed her into their home and treated her as if she was their daughter forever... that day, those two ponies had saved her life... and now she had the opportunity to do the same with Summer…

After a few minutes, Cloudkicker understood what she had to cook: daffodils soup... it was a simple dish, but it was the first thing her mother had prepared for her after welcoming her...
as soon as she remembered the taste, he began to cook it, hoping it would be as good as that of his mother…

the minutes passed and just Cloudkicker turned off the stove, two sets of footsteps made their way from upstairs...
when her partner and the filly appeared she called them…
"Girls, dinner is ready!"

As they headed to the table, Cloudkicker made a point of filling the filly's plates more... it
seemed he hadn't eaten that muffin in a long time before as an appetizer…

soon the two mares and the filly were seated to enjoy the delicious hot soup...
Summer was a little unsure of the contents of the bowl, but it gave off an inviting smell…
"Um… Cloudkicker, what did you cook?"
Cloudkicker smiled at the curious filly…

"it's daffodils soup, little one... My mother always made it for me when I was sad or down for something..."
the filly smiled and tasted the steaming dish…

the taste was delicious... it was by far one of the best things he had ever tasted...
"Wow... this soup is awesome... it's by far one of the best things I've ever eaten... Thanks for making it for me..."

Cloudkicker smiled and walked over to the filly and ruffled her slightly the mane...
"I'm glad you like it... after all, it was also my favorite dish when I was a little filly..."

the two mares and the filly continued their dinner until bedtime…
Summer Breeze yawned...
"Looks like somepony needs a good night of sleep..."

Summer could barely keep her eyes open but still managed to nod...
Raindrops and Cloudkicker's house was not small, but it didn't have a guest room…

"Unfortunately we haven't a guest room, but we have a second bed in our room... Would you like to stay with us?"
The yellow filly did not understand much but managed to mutter a consent...
"Mkay..."

---

While she waited for the hosts to fix the bed, Summer moved to the fireplace as the comfortable embrace of sleep dragged her into the darkness...

---

Raindrops and Cloudkicker moved into their room to make a bed for the little filly... after a long time on the streets, the only thing she needed was love, a healthy meal, and a warm place to call home... in this situation, the two mares had decided to help the filly, providing her with everything she needed…

Cloudkicker had taken the situation very seriously... after all, she had been through it too... now she was about to confess her secret to the mare she trusted more...
"Um... Rainy, there's something I should tell you..."
the yellow mare looked at her curiously...
"Tell me, I see something is bothering you..."

Cloudkicker sat down on the floor and told her the whole story...
"Well, I lied about my origins... Stardust and Radiance are not my real parents... you see, when I was 6, I was in the same condition as Summer... I was living on the streets of Canterlot desperately hoping to find something to eat or a place to sleep... until when two fantastic unicorns found me... I was in very bad condition... if they hadn't found me I probably wouldn't be here today..."

Cloudkicker stopped for a moment and sighed...
"They gave me everything I needed... they gave me a home to return to and a family to love... when you brought that little filly home my heart broke... well here I want to help her... I want to be there for her like my foster parents did for me... would you be her mom with me?"

Raindrops hugged her mare with tears in her eyes... she had no idea what she was going through... she even met her parents, but this never came out...
"I didn't know you went through something like this... but me, a mother? What if I'm not good? What if they kick me out of work and we all end up on the street? Alone I will never make it..."
Cloudkicker smiled and walked over to her partner... with a quick kiss on the lips he dissolved all her worries…

"But you will not be alone... we will be together, and together nothing can stop us..."
Raindrops smiled and took security…

"So yes, let's do it... that filly deserves to have two parents who love her, and if her parents were stupid enough to abandon her, then worse for them... we have a fantastic filly who will be like our daughter, whatever happens..."

She was very sorry for what she had discovered and also for the fact that she had never told her, but now a more important question had arisen... both had decided to be there for the filly, not only as guests but also as a family…

Raindrops hugged Cloudkicker and finished fixing the bed for the filly...
"Come on now, let's go... we have a filly to take care of..."
The two mares hugged each other briefly and then headed for the hall where a spectacle of tenderness…

The filly, overwhelmed by all the events of the day, had fallen asleep in front of the fireplace, with what looked like a serene smile on her face...
"Oh, Celestia... she fell asleep..."
Cloudkicker smiled, walked over to the filly, and took her by the scruff to place her on her back…

even after moving the filly continued to sleep as if nothing in the world could disturb her...
Raindrops looked at the scene and smiled too... this would probably have been one of the best night’s sleep for their baby guest... couldn't wait to make it permanent…

Cloudkicker and Raindrops took the filly upstairs and gently laid her in the newly made bed...
"Goodnight my little filly... I hope you have some good dreams..."
Cloudkicker leaned over the sleeping filly and she kissed her on the forehead, then went to bed with her mare…

for the first time in years, Summer fell asleep peacefully and with a full belly...