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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Rainfall in Providence
Her Majesty strode to the veranda overlooking her garden plaza and courtyard. A fountain stood in the middle of the plaza, gently running bubbly white water over its mottled stone. Dark clouds blotted runs of sunlight from view. A steady assault of rain and bluster thundered, pounded, roared. She turned her back on the bushes and grasses driven and lashed by the weather.
She sighed. Something was missing, she knew. She had all she wanted: food, drink, and entertainment of every flavor; loving subjects, servants, and friends; everything that she could wish for…
In the midst of the sounds of wind and water from outside, she heard something peculiar. She heard laughter, a faint giggle borne from far away.
“Could it be?” she whispered.
“M’Lady,” came a small voice from behind her. “Atmos requests your presence.” Her Majesty turned to look at the mousy servant behind her. Sighing a second time, she rolled her eyes and nodded.
“Let him in, and he better have a good reason for scheduling a storm on our anniversary.” The servant only nodded and turned to open the door. Behind it, a tall stallion with a coat hued gold, blue, and pink-violet stood smiling.
“Darling—” he stated, stepping forward.
“Don’t start that with me. I want to know what that—” She gestured to the clime beyond her open window. “—is doing here, now of all times.” The stallion made as if to step closer, but instead he only smiled in the most pained expression.
“The North Wind has been dry for three months already. A sole gift of rejuvenating water has come today; without it, half the Earth Ponies’ crop would surely wither. Thousands would die when winter settles. I couldn’t allow that possibility, even for you, My Love.” She saw almost juvenile sincerity in his features. The Queen hazarded a flirty smirk.
“Okay, then,” she said. “I’ll forgive you.” She stretched out her wings and stepped toward him. “I’ll forgive you if you first catch me.” She feinted a jump over him, but instead turned sharply and galloped out the window, into the rain, into the wind, into the storm. Smiling broadly, bracing himself, he bounded out to join her. The two weaved about, dodging trees and plants and shying from the occasional thunder. With a wet smack and a sonorous thud the two were left sprawled in the mud.
“Oh no! Oh Dear!” the mare cried mockingly. “What are we going to do with you?” She pounced on her lover, and they rolled about, slinging muck and water every which way.
Stopping to take a breath, lying with her under the rainfall, he asked, “Am I forgiven now?”
“Oh, not yet,” she answered, sporting that coy smile that strummed his heart.
“No fair, I’ve caught you—“
“I said first you had to catch me. There’s one more thing…”
“Celestia, a name for the gods,” the Queen whispered. She lay in a cot, exhausted, midwife by her side. A white foal lay beside her, shivering in a shaky slumber.
“We must put her to walking as soon as possible, Ma’am,” said the midwife firmly.
“Just a moment longer. I just— I just want to look at her once more.” The Queen looked up. “A horn. She has a horn. What does this mean?” The midwife shook her head slightly, but the new mother had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly to herself.
“I am sorry, Mother, Father.”
“Sister!” Luna watched helplessly as her elder sibling glared down at their parents, full power of the Sun behind her, flowing through her, glowing in her eyes. She saw the mark seared into her sister’s flank.
“I dreamt one day of a beautiful daughter,” started the Queen, maintaining the regal air about her, even with her and her King sprawled bleeding together on the floor of Cloud Temple. “Remember, whatever happens to you, that you’ve never once disappointed me.”
Celestia bowed her head, her expression unchanged.
Luna shut her eyes against the fire, the bright, the fear, the burning. The clouds beneath their feet parted, and they fell; far, far down they fell. Latching onto her sister, Luna shut her eyes to the pain, the mark in her flesh forbidding her reentrance into Providence. The princesses fell—exiles, murderers, enemies to the gods—to the Lands Below, the Chaos.
Two dreams fell from heaven.
She sighed. Something was missing, she knew. She had all she wanted: food, drink, and entertainment of every flavor; loving subjects, servants, and friends; everything that she could wish for…
In the midst of the sounds of wind and water from outside, she heard something peculiar. She heard laughter, a faint giggle borne from far away.
“Could it be?” she whispered.
“M’Lady,” came a small voice from behind her. “Atmos requests your presence.” Her Majesty turned to look at the mousy servant behind her. Sighing a second time, she rolled her eyes and nodded.
“Let him in, and he better have a good reason for scheduling a storm on our anniversary.” The servant only nodded and turned to open the door. Behind it, a tall stallion with a coat hued gold, blue, and pink-violet stood smiling.
“Darling—” he stated, stepping forward.
“Don’t start that with me. I want to know what that—” She gestured to the clime beyond her open window. “—is doing here, now of all times.” The stallion made as if to step closer, but instead he only smiled in the most pained expression.
“The North Wind has been dry for three months already. A sole gift of rejuvenating water has come today; without it, half the Earth Ponies’ crop would surely wither. Thousands would die when winter settles. I couldn’t allow that possibility, even for you, My Love.” She saw almost juvenile sincerity in his features. The Queen hazarded a flirty smirk.
“Okay, then,” she said. “I’ll forgive you.” She stretched out her wings and stepped toward him. “I’ll forgive you if you first catch me.” She feinted a jump over him, but instead turned sharply and galloped out the window, into the rain, into the wind, into the storm. Smiling broadly, bracing himself, he bounded out to join her. The two weaved about, dodging trees and plants and shying from the occasional thunder. With a wet smack and a sonorous thud the two were left sprawled in the mud.
“Oh no! Oh Dear!” the mare cried mockingly. “What are we going to do with you?” She pounced on her lover, and they rolled about, slinging muck and water every which way.
Stopping to take a breath, lying with her under the rainfall, he asked, “Am I forgiven now?”
“Oh, not yet,” she answered, sporting that coy smile that strummed his heart.
“No fair, I’ve caught you—“
“I said first you had to catch me. There’s one more thing…”
“Celestia, a name for the gods,” the Queen whispered. She lay in a cot, exhausted, midwife by her side. A white foal lay beside her, shivering in a shaky slumber.
“We must put her to walking as soon as possible, Ma’am,” said the midwife firmly.
“Just a moment longer. I just— I just want to look at her once more.” The Queen looked up. “A horn. She has a horn. What does this mean?” The midwife shook her head slightly, but the new mother had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly to herself.
“I am sorry, Mother, Father.”
“Sister!” Luna watched helplessly as her elder sibling glared down at their parents, full power of the Sun behind her, flowing through her, glowing in her eyes. She saw the mark seared into her sister’s flank.
“I dreamt one day of a beautiful daughter,” started the Queen, maintaining the regal air about her, even with her and her King sprawled bleeding together on the floor of Cloud Temple. “Remember, whatever happens to you, that you’ve never once disappointed me.”
Celestia bowed her head, her expression unchanged.
Luna shut her eyes against the fire, the bright, the fear, the burning. The clouds beneath their feet parted, and they fell; far, far down they fell. Latching onto her sister, Luna shut her eyes to the pain, the mark in her flesh forbidding her reentrance into Providence. The princesses fell—exiles, murderers, enemies to the gods—to the Lands Below, the Chaos.
Two dreams fell from heaven.