In the Rain

by Firebawl

Forging Friendship

The morning breeze floated about as I walked through the forest. Small, colorful flowers covered the ground, giving the old woods a sense of life. The trail twisted and turned in front of me. When I approached a large boulder, I veered to the left off the trail. After scuffling through the underbrush for a moment, I heard the familiar sound of rushing water. In front of me, a small waterfall fed the creek that I would collect rocks in. Behind the waterfall was a small cavern. I crawled inside, met by a fire pit, a small table and chair, and a sleeping bag. This was my secret home in the woods. I went to check the nets I'd set up in the creek, and harvested a few small trout from it. Next, I placed them on a small cutting board made of a slab of slate. Using my flint knife that I had fashioned myself, I cleaned the fish and placed them over the fire. While the fish cooked, I pulled out my small laptop from by backpack. I turned on my internet hotspot and pulled up Youtube. I searched for any new MLP episodes as the smell of grilling fish wafted through my nose. I found a new one and played it. I hummed the theme song as I took the fish off the fire and sat down to eat. To supplement the fish, I brought an apple and a bottle of lemonade in my pack. I enjoyed my lunch and watched the episode. My internet started to go all crazy, and then it crashed. The hotspot module was new. I checked it, and it seemed fine. I decided to turn off my laptop and watch the episode later. Suddenly, I saw a small flash of light and heard some thunder. A storm must have broken my internet. I took a sip of the lemonade and listened to the calming rain. The fire provided light and warmth as I slid into my sleeping bag. I fell asleep quickly while the downpour rocked me to sleep.

I awoke to the scuffling of feet. As I got up, I heard a small whimper. The fire had died, and I could only make out a silhouette. The creature was four legged with a canine structure. Maybe a dog, or wolf. It probably sneaked in to the smell of my food. I was as silent as possible as I crept towards it, my knife grasped in my hand. The animal was cowering under the table, shivering. As I got closer, I noticed that it wasn't a dog. It had no paws and its head structure was all off, more human than a canine. It turned its head towards the entrance as thunder shook the sky. As it squeaked with fright, I saw something that didn't make sense. Wings erupted from it in a jolt of fear. This took me by surprise, and I jumped backwards a bit. It saw me. For several moments our eyes locked in a gaze at each other. Its eyes where bright yellow, and one drooped to the side a little. Both of us where frozen. After a second, it noticed the knife in my hand and squealed, hiding its head beneath its hooves.

"P-please don't hurt me..." I was taken aback by its... no... her speech. I simply stood there and studied her, my
knife still posed to attack her. Her body shape was like that of a small horse. The entire form seemed familiar, though my
brain had locked up due to shock. I knew this creature... I'd seen it before... but I couldn't grasp the memory. For a few
minutes, I stood motionless. Then, all of a sudden, my memory popped into place. Derpy. The next thing I heard was the dull
thump of my head hitting the earthen floor.

"Mister... are you okay? Hello?" Derpy said.

"Wuh... Wha... Ahh! I know you!" I yelled

"You sure mister? At least, I think you're a mister..." Derpy replied. "I don't remember you... In fact, I've never seen anypony like you in my life! You aren't even a pony. Kinda like one of those monkeys at Fluttershy's cottage."

"I know that name too... you're Derpy, aren't you." My mind was clearing up.

"Uh... Yeah, that's my name. My real name's Ditzy Doo, but everypony else calls me Derpy..." She trailed of and looked at the ground, a certain sadness in her tone.

"Why doesn't that sound so happy?"

"Oh, It's nothing. I'm not treated very well, but you don't care. Nopony does," Derpy sadly explained. "Well, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are nice to me, and that Doctor Whooves, but everypony else thinks I'm a klutz."

"Well, that's not very nice of them. You're a... mailmare, right?

"Yeah, I am. By the way, how do you know so much about me?"

"Oh, about that. It's a long story that I don't think you or any "pony" else would understand."

"Umm, okay... whats this stuff on that plate?"

"Oh, just some fish. That was my lunch."

"A little fishy? But... why would you eat a fish? They don't do anything!"

"What? Oh... of course, you ponies are vegetarian. Now how can I put this lightly..." I thought. "I am a species called a human. Our race can, and does, eat meat. In fact, it was one of our key elements in survival. We can eat meat and plants."

"Ah! Don't eat me!"

"Don't worry. I don't think any human will try to eat you. I'd never eat another sentient being, like you, even if my life depended on it."

"Umm, ok, as long as you don't hurt me."

"I think I'll finish my lunch, I fact. You hungry?

"I guess, as long as it's not meat..."

"Here, I have an apple." I handed Derpy the apple, and she voraciously wolfed it down. "How long has it been since you ate?"

"I'm not sure... it's been a while since I got lost, and all I've eaten is a bit of grass and a little bar of chocolate I found in that box over there."

"I don't have any more food, but I could go and get something from a dollar store," I pulled out a couple of dollars that I borrowed from my mother. "You wait here, and don't do anything. If you get thirsty, that creek outside is clean."

"Ok, thanks mister. By the way, whats your name?"

"My real name's Noah, but I like Nova. That's what my friends call me."

"Oh, and one last thing. How old are you? You're awfully tall for a monkey."

"I'm 16 years old."

"Ok, bye Nova!"

I left the cavern and headed towards the dollar store.

Author's Note:

This is my first fanfiction that I've actually shared. If anyone notices a mistake, please comment. I'll fix it when I get the chance!