Of Secrets And Storms
Peachy Pie groaned and pressed her back in the couch’s cushions, her hooves idly flipping back and forth through the pages of some book she picked up from the library. Her eyes glided over the words, though her mind paid them no attention. She twisted and turned on the pillows, her gaze occasionally flicking to a clock on a nearby wall, the filly willing the minutes to tick by even faster.
She was so excited she could have been a good successor to Pinkie Pie if she was older. The thought of the upcoming sleepover only made it harder to keep her focus.
Tonight was the night. She was finally going to admit her feelings. She was slightly scared at the prospect, but her excitement completely eclipsed any anxiety she might've had.
She bounced and shuffled on the fabric, fruitlessly trying to keep still, eventually giving up on the book. Her patience faded and she was left staring at the door in boredom and hope, the book abandoned on the end table.
Her ear flicked as she heard a knock. She waited in anticipation before three more in quick succession followed it. She galloped swiftly over to the door, the odd pattern meaning only one thing.
Opening the door, left waiting outside was a filly with a white mane and tail, and a lemony yellow coat. When she saw Peachy, she grinned maniacally, her excitement apparent in her eyes. Peachy returned the expression readily.
Resting at Sunny’s sides were matching saddlebags with her cutie mark; a brightly colored sun, emblazoned on them. Atop her back, she also carried a cream-coloured sleeping bag. Comically, the bag was much bigger than she needed, having borrowed it from her mother.
“Sunny! Come on in,” Peachy chirped, ushering her inside. Immediately, Sunny ran in and swiftly set down her bags. Peachy sneaked up behind her and surprised her with a hug.
Sunny squeaked from the attack and tried futilely to escape from the filly’s grasp. They both giggled.
“Hey, Peachy, guess what?” Sunny said after she stopped struggling, a devious smile on her face. Suddenly, before Peachy could react, she was greeted by the view of a hoof hanging closely in front of her muzzle.
“Boop.”
As Peachy's eyes crossed to look at the spot of impact, Sunny broke free with a laugh, and ran away. Peachy blushed, and quickly followed after her. As she chased Sunny, she hit the end table and knocked the book from earlier on the floor. She turned between Sunny’s quickly disappearing white tail and the book. Biting her lip, she swiftly placed it back and continued after her friend.
The two earth ponies kept up their game of tag, giggling all the while, carefully avoiding the antiques and breakables. “Can’t catch me!” Sunny shouted as she ran from Peachy, who struggled to keep up.
“Y-Yes, I can! Just… give me some time to catch my breath,” she yelled back as she slowed down and gasped for air, her orange mane ruffled and drenched in sweat. Sunny giggled at the sight and walked back to her.
“I can’t believe I’m faster than you! I mean, you work on a farm,” she teased, eyeing the triplet of fruits on her friend’s flank.
“S-Shut up! I only started last month, and I haven’t gotten used to it yet,” Peachy argued indignantly, her hooves crossed over her chest. “Plus, you had a head start.”
Sunny rolled her eyes before helping her friend to her hooves. “So, what first?”
Peachy grinned and walked towards the dining room. As Sunny followed, she glanced around the hall, looking at the decor. She saw a few vases that reminded her of her friend’s family, which meant that almost all of them were orange. Above those she spotted an inspirational poster that made her smirk.
Even without wings, you can still reach for the skies!
Continuing past the kitchen and into another hallway, her hooves slipped on the polished floor and she bumped into a hoofmade desk, probably made by Peachy’s father.
She looked at the well-made wooden desk closely, her gaze trailing up from the bottom. As she reached the top of it, she froze.
Sitting on the desk was a framed picture with six ponies in it. It had an inscription on the bottom that said Shady’s first photo! In the middle, her and Peachy sat cuddling together with enormous grins on their faces. Sunny’s parents stood behind them to the left, her father setting a grey hoof on her mother’s shoulder. The creamy mare smiled brightly for the camera, a slight bulge visible in her belly.
Peachy’s sisters stood to the right awkwardly, each faking a toothy grin. Contrary to Peachy herself, they clearly didn’t like the attention.
While she took all this in, her green eyes focused clearly and intensively on her father in the photo. As she stared, flashes of thunder and rain filled her mind, followed by screaming.
The screaming came coupled with muffled voices that she could just barely make out. She closed her eyes, trying to get the images of the storm out of her head.
”Su… ve now… I can’t lo... “
She could hear a door slam closed, and then the pounding of glass, far louder than anything she had heard so far. It almost felt like it was coming from her own hooves.
The ambient sounds of the rain and thunder tried to reach her ears, the pounding on the glass becoming more frantic.
”Luc… Come on, we have to save him!… Hurry Up!”
The voices grew louder and louder, thunder and lightning warring with the sky. She could see pegasi around the heavy clouds as they poured their contents out of the sky.
The glass blocking the outside sounds shattered, and they became more clear. Everypony was shouting in fear and worry, and her eyes briefly caught wind of an earth pony struggling through the storm.
A painful sensation filled her hooves, feeling an odd warm liquid spilling down them. Before she could check to see what it was a loud bolt of lightning hit the ground, followed by a shrill scream.
”LUCKY! NOOOO!”
And then all was silent.
The wind buffeted her senses, yet felt weak despite its power. Heavy sheets of rain poured from the heavens and soaked her face.
But still, silence.
Her legs wobbled with the wind. Her vision clouded as she felt the rain on her face dripping into her eyes. She could still see bits and pieces of the fateful evening in her mind’s eye, the images rattling her the most.
“Sunny! Snap out of it!” cried a voice. The immersion broke, and she looked around to see Peachy standing next to her, holding her tightly.
“What happened?” she asked shakily, her eyes frantically darting around the hall, her head following slightly behind in fast, scared motions. Peachy stroked her back comfortingly, trying to ease her back to reality.
“I-It’s… You were looking at that picture, and shaking like crazy. Are you okay?”
Sunny looked back at the picture and realized the rain she felt was her tears. Looking down, she saw her hooves were spotless with no traces of any liquids at all. She attempted to calm her breathing and turned to her friend after wiping her eyes.
“I… yeah, I’m okay now,” she sniffled and stepped away before trying to put on a brave face. “Come on, let’s not put this sleepover to waste. We have the whole place to ourselves!” Sunny walked slowly to the kitchen, trying to keep steady and stumbling a few times. Peachy followed behind nervously, recalling something Carrot Top told her earlier this morning.
”There’ll be a big downpour happening tonight, so make sure you stay safe. You got that, Peaches?”
”I’ve got it, sis!”
”Good, and please… Look after Sunny, will ya?”
”Why?”
”Just, promise me you’ll keep an eye out for her?”
”Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my- Ow!”
She was confused about what Carrot meant, but after witnessing Sunny’s breakdown, noting where on the photo she was staring at, she understood.
The warmth she felt for her friend grew at the realization, her eyes subtly widening in empathy. It made it all the more impressive to her that Sunny still tried to keep an upbeat tune going.
It almost seemed like she didn't want to...
Peachy shook her head, silently devoting herself to Sunny. Her confession could wait, Sunny's needs came first. She only hoped she could keep her promise.
After all, no one breaks a Pinkie Promise.
“And then, get this, he spotted me and tried to hide the camera. He wasn’t paying attention and accidentally threw it in a puddle of mud!”
Peachy spat out her carrot juice and burst out laughing. Sunny was barely holding back her own laughter.
Droplets of rain fell from the starless sky outside. It was the perfect time for stories.
Peachy snorted some juice into her nostrils, and coughed after it went down the wrong tube. She cleared her throat heavily. “Ha! Sunny, your stories about Shady are a riot,” she managed, still giggling through it all.
Sunny beamed with light and laughter as she winded down from the story. She carefully patted Peachy on the back.
“Thanks,” she said, her voice now having a nazily quality from her plugged up nostrils.
“No problem, I’d do anything for my best friend,” Sunny replied proudly, wrapping an arm around the yellow neck of her friend.
The filly’s green eyes shone with affection as she looked over to Sunny, beaming, a subtle pink tinting her cheeks. She opened her mouth, but was interrupted as a clap of thunder sounded outside.
Sunny’s eyes immediately shrunk to the size of peas as she heard the noise. Her mouth became as dry as the Badlands, and her hooves trembled. Peachy looked at her in concern.
“Sunny! Calm down, it’s okay,” she whispered into her ear. Unlike last time, Peachy’s voice didn’t reach the filly, and she continued to shake and vibrate in fear.
In an act of desperation, a pair of arms went around Sunny’s back and embraced her firmly. The contact shocked her out of her illusions, and she shakily attempted to return the hug.
Sunny still shivered fearfully as the heavy storm outside grew in volume, sounding like the drumbeats of a marching band to her. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe slower.
“P-Peachy, I’m scared,” she said quietly while looking at Peachy Pie with frightened eyes.
Peachy relaxed her grip and nuzzled into her cheek. “It’s okay, I’m here for you,” she assured her strongly.
Sunny nodded, breathing steadily in and out. She looked away nervously. “C-Can I sleep with you?” she asked, terrified of being alone through the crackling storm.
“Of course, I’d do anything for my best friend,” Peachy said softly, repeating Sunny’s words from earlier. Sunny gave a small grin in thanks.
A sudden crash of thunder made her jump and quickly tighten her hold, her anxiety rising once more. She whimpered fearfully as she buried her face into Peachy’s chest.
Peachy stroked her back, trying to comfort her. She whispered more assurances into her ears as she held her tightly.
As the sudden noise dissipated, the white-maned filly began to relax both her body and her tough grasp. She yawned now that the brief adrenaline rush from the thunder had faded.
“Come on, let’s head to bed,” Peachy said with a warm smile, having loosened her grip. Sunny tried to match her expression, but it came off as more of a grimace and a smile combined.
Her friend guided her to the bed, careful to not go too fast. She clung tightly to Peachy as some quieter rumbling emitted from the clouds.
Peachy jumped up onto her bed and quickly gave a hoof to Sunny to pull her up. The frightened filly grabbed it carefully; eager to get on the bed, but still mindful of the downpour.
The orange-maned filly pulled her up on the bed and drew her in for a warm hug. Still holding her tightly, she crawled over to the pillows.
As her head hit the soft mound of fluff, Sunny hummed happily, still cuddled up with Peachy.
Peachy tugged the blanket over them and warmly put a hoof around her back, nuzzling into her neck softly.
“Peachy, c-can you sing me a song?” Sunny asked, embarrased. Her shaking had ceased slightly, but the occasional twitch still racked her body. Peachy blushed, and nodded her head against Sunny’s fur, making sure she could feel the motion before clearing her throat quietly. A smile crossed her face and she softly began to sing.
“Stars don’t shine.
They don’t even twinkle.
When your sight is wrinkled.
With clouds in your skies.”
Peachy gestured to the window and snuggled up closer, while Sunny looked out at the cloudy, starless skies. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
“And I don’t mind.
The rain when it’s pouring.
But all of that storming.
Is making me blind.”
Peachy put her hoof to Sunny’s, both of them still watching out the window in tranquility. The clouds outside seemed to part, Luna’s moon and stars shining through. Getting more confident, she began to raise her volume slightly.
“Carry me out of this darkness.
Let me be back in my garden.
We’ll be free, free from the harvest.
And I’ll be by your side.
As the thunder rolls by.”
As the song reached its end, Sunny closed her eyes, calmed by the soothing singing of her friend. The storm all but faded from her mind, her concerns and fears lost to the song.
“My mom used to sing that to me when I was younger. It always calmed me when I was scared,” Peachy explained, rubbing her friends hoof.
“I love it when you sing,” Sunny whispered, smiling. “You should do it more.” Peachy looked at her drowsy friend, and her face heated up, both grateful and embarrassed by her praise at the same time.
She giggled quietly, silently glad Sunny couldn’t see her beet red face. “I’m not that great, I only sing for those really close to me.” Her blush grew at the confession.
Sunny beamed, though she could only see darkness with her eyes closed. “Like me?” she gently inquired, nuzzling her. “You really like me that much?”
Peachy looked away, mouth flapping as something danced on the tip of her tongue. “Y-yes, really.” Her stutter went unnoticed by Sunny as she snuggled closer, trying to get as much warmth from her as she could.
The storm quietly raged on behind the windows, the rain falling down and drenching the grass. Yet neither of them had noticed, as they got wrapped up in each other’s words and arms.
Peachy opened her mouth again, ready to say something, but stopped. She noticed that the only sound coming from Sunny’s mouth was soft breathing, signaling that she had already departed for dreamland.
She smiled sadly with a sigh, disappointed that she was once again stopped from telling Sunny her secret.
She leaned in close and placed a chaste kiss on Sunny’s lips, her friend unknowingly enjoying it.
“I… I l-love you, Sunny, I really wanted to tell you tonight, but,” she shook her head, “some things are more important.”
She snuggled up closer and breathed another deep sigh, giving a sweet nuzzle to her crush.
“I promise I’ll tell you someday,” she stated sadly as she cuddled under the blankets with Sunny, letting her eyes finally droop closed.
“Someday soon.”