1: Chance Meeting in Manehattan
Rainbow Dash looked down from a solitary cloud at the myriad of activity below her. She had been sent here to Manehattan as part of the management exchange program that had sent her away from her beloved Ponyville team. One of the only good things about the program for her was that the coordinator allowed managers of teams smaller than 45 ponies to bring back one pony of their choice from the team they were placed in control of for the next month. The pony with the most promise was Dewdrop Morning, a cerulean blue, saffron-yellow-maned mare on the rain team. Dash didn’t know where the current manager of her team came from or how many ponies s/he had, and whether one of her team would have a going-away party thrown for them. If the current manager did have to steal a pony from her team, she hoped it wouldn’t be Blossomforth, Thunderlane, Raindrops, Rainshine, or Thunderstrike. They were the four team leaders and her Co-Captain, respectively.
Dash knew that her team needed a few more rain ponies. It took her rain team half an hour to set up a shower that should’ve taken fifteen minutes because ponies had to keep flying back to the town to get more rain clouds. The rain team also needed more leadership. She did try to help them, but she couldn’t be in two places at the same time. Thus, Dewdrop would be the perfect choice. The mare had good leadership skills, and she was an excellent rain pony. When Dash got back to Ponyville, she was 120% sure she would be returning with Dewdrop at her side. I don't know when or how I'm gonna break the news to her, she mused. What I do know, is that she deserves rain team captain.
Dash had only conversed once with Dewdrop before, but what she knew of the mare was good. Commanding attitude, kind personality, good knowledge of right and wrong, and basically everything Dash needed in a good branch leader. Lost in her thoughts, Dash didn’t notice Dewdrop behind her until she spoke:
“Hey Rainbow Dash. We’re done with setting up the showers over Manehattan Park and Pear And Apple Farm. What next?”
“Dewdrop?!” cried Dash, leaping straight up in the air a clear ten feet, then spreading her wings and gliding back to her cloud. “Sorry. You scared me.”
“Uh, oops?” said Dewdrop sheepishly with her signature ‘oops’ smile.
“That’s okay. Um, let’s see. Park, check. Farm, check. Oh! I need you to do some paperwork. (ARGH NO) Sorry, but it has to be done. If you want to advance in the ranks…” Dash trailed off meaningfully. “You need to fill out some forms for the tankers of rain clouds we need for the rainstorm we have in a week. Go find them, they will be on your desk.”
“Okay.”
Dewdrop kicked off the cloud and disappeared in a saffron streak. Dash sighed. Three days down, twenty-eight to go.
It had been twenty-eight days, and Dash was bidding her farewells to the...noticeably improved...Manehattan weather team. And as she had suspected, Dewdrop was weaving amongst her old teammates, exchanging goodbyes and hugs.
“Dewdrop? It’s time to go. We need to get back to Ponyville. I want to get there before it gets dark,” Dash said.
“Okay Rainbow. Just let me say goodbye to Bubblegum,” Dewdrop said. She proceeded to say goodbye, then flew off to meet Dash.
“You ready?” asked Dash.
“You bet!” said Dewdrop.
The two of them turned and, waving to the throng of ponies, flew off to the west toward Ponyville.
“Uh, Rainbow, where are we going?”asked Dewdrop.
“Well, we're going to weather team headquarters. You need a place to stay and some good rest. It’s gonna be at least an hour-and-a-half flight,” Dash said.
“Woah, I’m not sure I can make it all the way.”
“That’s okay. We can rest if you need to. I put in extra time for that.”
“K, let’s go.”
One hour and forty-five minutes later
The two pegasi touched down on the runway of Ponyville Weather Team Headquarters. Pinkie Pie came running out with a banner that said WELCOME BACK RAINBOW DASH and Dash started cracking up. Then Pinkie pulled off the top banner and replaced it with an I’M SORRY one. Then she replaced it with a THEY TOOK THUNDERSTRIKE D: one. Dash’s jaw dropped, and she wailed:
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“Sorry Dashie,” Pinkie responded. Dash allowed herself a few more seconds of self-pity until she got back into team-captain mode.
“Pinkie, go home. You have a party to plan.”
“Ooh! Wait...what is it?” Pinkie asked.
“Welcome to Ponyville, Dewdrop.”
“Okie-dokie-lokie! See you at Sugarcube Corner!”
“Bye.”
Okay. Time to show Dewdrop to her bunk. Blossomforth will show her around tomorrow and I’ll introduce her to everypony. Now I have to figure out who will be Co-Captain. Blossomforth maybe? Or...hmmm…. Blueberry Cloud? Hawthorne? I dunno…. *Dash! Cloudsdale to Rainbow Dash! You in there?*
Dewdrop’s voice jerked Dash back from thought-land.
“Yeah Dewdrop. Sorry. Just… thinking.”
“That’s okay.”
“Anyway, let’s get you bedded down. You're probably tired.”
“You think?”
“Exactly.”
Dash led Dewdrop through the winding maze of hallways that formed Ponyville Weather Team’s HQ. She was wondering who the featherbrained pony who took her friend, advisor, and right hoof Thunderstrike away. The easiest way would be to go to her office and check the records… at ten o'clock at night… but- ugh. No. Just, no. In the morning, maybe, but not now.
“Here we are. Team barracks. Get bedded down, your bunk is the bottom one in the third row from the front, seventh bunk. Showers to the left, mess hall to the right. Got it?” Dash said, stopping in front of the barracks door.
“Yep, I think.”
“Okay, I’ll be back in the morning. The pony bunking above you is Blossomforth. She’ll show you around. Be prepared for about an hour of being introduced to other ponies though. I’ll do that.”
“G’night Dash.”
“See you, Dewdrop.”
Dewdrop turned and walked through the open barracks door. Dash closed the door softly and headed for her personal quarters. She was too tired to even consider going back home to her cloud house, a thirty-minute flight at the least. Besides, she had the team greeting and introductions to deal with the next morning. Exhausted from the flight, Dash tumbled into bed. She was asleep in under twenty minutes.
“Get up, get up, sleepyheads!
Get out of your cozy beds!
It's the dawn of a brand new day!
Sound off! *crash crash*
Sound off! *crash crash*
Sound off! One two three four! One two! Three four!
One! Two! Three! Four!”
“Ugh, Sunny. Do you always have to do that?” groaned Dash as she was jolted out of bed by reveille and Sunny Days’ follow-wake-up call. It was pretty obvious, as Sunny was Pinkie Pie’s second pegasus cousin. The first was Surprise, the Wonderbolt. Surprise and Sunny had the same exact routine in the mornings. Reveille, then the follow-wake-up call, which were exactly the same too. Deja vu….They were sisters though. Anyway, Dewdrop and Blossomforth would just be waking up, so Dash would give them some time before calling the entire team together for greetings and introductions.
I’m gonna send a letter to Spitfire. She thought I was going home last night, she thought. Okay, quill, check. Parchment, check. Ink, check.
Spits,
I was gonna go home yesterday when I got back from Manehattan but I got a new team member. :D I had to get her settled in the barracks. By the way, her name is Dewdrop. I don't know who the team manager was who took over my team, but that stallion or mare was a total featherbrain, now I don't have a co-captain, because Thunderstrike’s gone. I'm probably gonna be home in the afternoon today, I have to get my team up and running. And yes, I work on Saturdays. Oh wait, you already know that. Sorry. My brain is kinda confuzzled today, I got back at 10 pm. By the way, thats a word I invented. Our next show is in five days, on Wednesday. Hope you started planning! Good luck on that, we need to do something extra-special for the third month anniversary. Happy planning! I’ll help you when I get home.
❤Dashie
Dash rolled up the parchment after blowing on the ink to dry it as Princess Twilight had taught her, found wax and a seal in a drawer of her desk, sealed it, then went to mail it.
“Is Derpy about? I have a letter to mail,” she asked the mare at the post office.
“Hold on, I just saw her.”
“Sure.” Dash leaned against the counter, tapping a hoof on the Formica. Presently, a gray mare with derped eyes came up to her.
“Hi Rainbow Dash! What can I do for you?” Derpy asked.
“Hey Derps. I need you to get this letter to… my house. And yes I'm mailing a letter to myself, it’s for Spitfire.”
“Ok! See you later, Rainbow Dash!”
Dash handed the letter to Derpy, who put it in her mailmare bag along with about thirty other scrolls and flew off. She glanced at her watch and, seeing that it was seven-thirty, headed back to HQ to do her greetings and introductions. Trotting through the halls, she found Crescent Sun and ordered him to gather the team with the exception of Blossomforth and Dewdrop on the training strip. She had told Blossomforth to end Dewdrop’s tour in the mess hall so they could get some grub. Ugh, I need some of that too, Dash thought, heading toward the green-doored mess hall. Pushing open the door, she saw Dewdrop and Blossomforth seated at the far corner table, talking animately. She clopped her hooves, saying,
“C’mon, girls! They're waiting on you outside.”
The two got up and followed Dash out to the practice strip. Blossomforth glided down to join her teammates on the cloud, while Dewdrop joined Dash on the balcony.
¨Look alive, ponies! Officer on deck!¨ Dash shouted. The milling group of pegasi immediately snapped into an arrow-straight line with their hooves instinctively at brow height.
“Sound off, team!”
“Blossomforth here!”
“Raindrops present!”
“Thunderlane present and accounted for!”
“Rainshine reporting in!”
“Blueberry Cloud present!”
“Hawthorne here!”
“Cloud Kicker present and accounted for, ma’am!”
“Cloudchaser here!”
Each pony called out their name in turn, except one. Dash rolled her eyes. Three, two, one… SURPRISE!~~~ Sunny Days leaped out from behind Dash and shrieked into her ear. Dash didn't even flinch, though Dewdrop leaped into the air with shock.
“You know, Sunny, what would surprise me would be that you didn’t do that. Just get into line.”
“Okie-dokie-lokie!” Sunny replied, leaping off the balcony and spiraling down to join the line.
“Alright everypony. Do you know why I called you here?” asked Dash, prompting an outbreak of murmuring and shrugged shoulders. ¨As you all know, I´ve been gone for the last month to Manehattan. I brought somepony back with me. Who knows, she might arise to Thunderstrike’s level someday. Everypony, I want you to meet Dewdrop Morning.”
Dash moved aside to bring Dewdrop to the center of attention.
“Hi everypony. I just want to say that what I’ve seen here so far greatly exceeds my standards. You all seem like very nice ponies, and I know I will have a good time here,” Dewdrop said. Dash tapped her shoulder and whispered:
“Let’s go down. I have to introduce you to everypony.”
The two leapt off the balcony and glided down to stand in front of the line of ponies.
“Dewdrop, this is Raindrops. Raindrops, Dewdrop,” Dash said. “Dewdrop, Thunderlane. Thunderlane, Dewdrop. Dewdrop, Blueberry Cloud. Blueberry Cloud, Dewdrop.”
The two went down the line, introducing and talking. Finally, they reached the end where shy Lula was waiting. Dewdrop stood next to Lula, and Dash soared back to her balcony.
“Alright everypony. Let’s give Dewdrop a show! 9/10 cloud clearing, on my mark! Three… two… one… MARK!” Dash yelled. The twenty-four ponies, including Dash, kicked off the cloud and formed their Dissipator V of V with Dash on point. As they did in daily drills, Thunderlane and his wing team peeled off to the first sector, Raindrops and her wing team peeled to the second sector, Rainshine and her wing team peeled to the third sector, Blossomforth and her wing team peeled to the fourth sector, and Dash and her wing team headed for the fifth. The sky was clear in ten seconds flat.
“Okay, team! Cloud pushers, gather cumulus clouds. Thunderhead team, you”re gonna charge them up and fire them. Rain team, rain. On my mark! Three… two… one… MARK!”
Off they went again. Dash put her team through a normal day’s training, driving them with all the efficiency and command of a drill sergeant. She had guaranteed Dewdrop a show, and she was getting one hay of a show.
A few hours later, the weather team finally finished their routine, landing softly on the clouds.
“Well, Dewdrop? What do you think?....Dewdrop?” asked Dash. Dewdrop´s jaw had hit the runway. “...Awesome. I don't think I can do that.”
“Oh, you will. Practice makes permanent!" Dash trotted away and called to her team, ¨Okay guys, you’re done for the day. Clean up around here and go home. Hell week starting tomorrow. Be ready. Dismissed!”
