The New Weather Pony

Stratosphere rolled over in his bed, the now familiar sound of his alarm clock buzzing closely to his ear. He pulled the duvet that pinned him down in his bed, rolling over and sitting up on the edge of the mattress, giving his eyes a rub before glancing over at his alarm clock. He slowly reached over and pressed a hoof on the top of it, the buzzing subsiding. He rubbed his hooves against his eyes once more, hoping to get rid of the tiredness that came with getting up in the morning. The sky blue stallion stood up and slowly trotted towards the bedroom door, his hoofsteps banging heavily against the wooden floor. Once he passed through the doorframe he entered into the kitchen, going over to the cupboard and taking out a bowl and a small box of oats. He then carried them over to the small table and sat down, pouring the oats into the bowl. The stallion slowly began eating his breakfast, chewing the oats in his mouth. Once he was satisfied that he was full, he brought the bowl and box back over to the cupboard, placing the bowl in the sink and the box back in the cupboard. He then headed back to his bedroom to grab his satchel bag, before heading towards the front door.

Stratosphere stepped outside into the cool morning breeze that was swarming through the town. He looked from left to right, not a single pony in sight to disturb the peace of the early morning. He began to trot in the direction of the town hall, humming a little tune to himself as he trotted. It only took him a few minutes to reach his destination, which was the largest building at the centre of the town. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, shielding himself from the morning chill outside. He trotted through the building towards the meeting room, stopping to speak to his friend Silk. The mare looked up and saw him approaching her desk, smiling as he advanced towards her. He leaned against her desk and smiled at her in a friendly manner. She returned the smile to the sky blue pegasus, studying the stallion’s physique.“Good morning Silk.” the stallion said politely, nodding his head at the mare behind the desk. She grinned back at him, her eyes darting up to meet his.”Good morning yourself.” she responded, hoping the stallion hadn’t noticed her staring at him a few moments ago.“Am I the last one in?” he asked, looking around the empty building.The caramel mare shook her head.”No, the only ponies to have arrived are Rainbow Dash, Blossomforth and Raindrops.” she said. “Cool, thanks for telling me.” he said, rushing off in the direction of the meeting room.“Anytime Strats!” she called out to him as he proceeded down the corridor, standing up from her chair. Once the stallion was out of sight, she sat back down again and returned to her work.Stratosphere reached the door to the meeting room and opened it slowly, poking his head inside the room. Sitting down at the table were two mares that he recognised from his welcoming party. One had a light cyan mane and a light gold coat, the other had a pinkish grey coat and a cerise mane with emerald stripes. They were both talking to one another about something that Stratosphere couldn’t make out from where he was standing. Rainbow Dash was standing at the top of the table as usual. She was reading through pieces of paper, pushing them around on the table, making them into a complete mess. Stratosphere stepped inside the room, closing the wooden door behind him quietly. Neither of the two ponies in deep conversation noticed him entering the room. He trotted over to the table and sat down at one of the empty chairs next to the two talking mares. They broke from their conversation once they noticed the stallion sitting down beside them. The grey mare whispered something into the golden mare’s ear, causing both of them to burst into a fit of giggles. Rainbow Dash looked up at the sound of laughing. Once she saw who it was, she glared then returned to her sheets of paper. Stratosphere rubbed the back of neck with his hoof, feeling very uncomfortable in his current situation. The grey mare turned to face him.“Hey there.” she said, extending a hoof out to the stallion. He took it politely and shook it.”I’m Blossomforth and this here is Raindrops.” she said, gesturing to the mare beside her. She waved at the stallion, a large smile plastered on her muzzle.”Your the new pony in town, right?” Blossomforth asked him.Stratosphere gulped softly.”Yeah, I just moved here from Cloudsdale.” he said meekly, unsure of what to do in this situation.Blossomforth smiled at him seductively.”Well if you ever need somepony to give you a private tour of the town, feel free to ask me and Raindrops here.” she said, gesturing to the golden mare once more. Stratosphere’s cheek immediately turned a dark shade of red. He raised his hoof to his face to try and hide the fact that he was blushing.”Well I’m very flattered but-”“But he’s taken.” Rainbow Dash said, butting into the conversation. She had trotted over to the two mares while the three of them had been talking. She was now standing between the two mares seats, glaring at both of them darkly.”I would also suggest that you keep your personal lives personal and not bring this stuff up at work.” the rainbow maned mare growled. The two mares nodded at one another, Blossomforth turning back to face Raindrops, returning to their earlier conversation. Stratosphere mouthed a silent thank you to Rainbow Dash, who simply shrugged in response. The door to the meeting room opened with Thunderlane, Flitter and Cloudchaser pouring into the room. They all had a sweaty look on their faces. Rainbow Dash glared at the trio.Thunderlane trotted over to her and smiled.”Sorry we’re late Dash. We had a bit of a late night yesterday and forgot to set the alarm.” Thunderlane said, looking extremely flushed. He glanced over at the two mares, a large grin on the stallion’s muzzle. The two mares shared the exact same expression. Rainbow Dash’s expression didn’t falter. The three ponies sat down at the table without another word. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat.”Right, now that we’re all here and ready to begin.” she shouted, glaring once more at the trio that had arrived late.”I sent off the report to Cloudsdale yesterday. They sent back a letter this morning saying that they will be taking care of the issues and once they are resolved they will be sending us out another cloud sample.” she said. The ponies around the room glanced at one another, recalling yesterday’s events with the experimental cloud.”Since I was expecting the sample to be back today and I have there’s nothing else on the schedule, you all get the rest of the day off.” Everypony looked at one another with joy. Rainbow Dash grinned at their reactions to the news of having the rest of the day off.“What I might suggest is that you all meet up for lunch to get better acquainted with our newest member.” she said gesturing towards Stratosphere with her hoof. The ponies all nodded at this suggestion. Rainbow Dash looked over at Stratosphere.”And invite Silk also. That mare really needs to get out of the office once in awhile.” the cyan pegasus grinned. Stratosphere blushed at the mare’s request.Thunderlane nudged Stratosphere playfully.”I’ll make sure she gets the message.” he grinned. Rainbow Dash nodded at the stallion before gathering up the sheets and heading for the door. Thunderlane looked at Stratosphere.”Looks like you have a lunch date with the team and a mare that you fancy.” Thunderlane chuckled, causing Stratosphere to blush profoundly.“I do not have a crush on Silk!” Stratosphere cried out, his cheeks glowing a bright shade of red.Thunderlane raised his hoof and pressed it against the stallion’s mouth, silencing the sky blue pegasus.“Talk to the hoof, cause the ears ain’t listening.” he said, chuckling at his own comment. Stratosphere glared at him.”I’ll see you and Silk at Sugarcube Corner for lunch later than?” he asked. Stratosphere resisted the urge to nod but did so.”Good, I’ll see you then.” he said with a sly wink leaving the stallion.

Stratosphere departed his house for the second time today. The temperature had increased tremendously since he first set hoof outside this morning. He began his journey from his house to Sugarcube Corner. Stratosphere trotted slowly towards the bakery, giving himself a few extra minutes to think up a plan of how to play this. Nervousness swept through his body, causing the stallion to slow down even more. Eventually the stallion came to a complete stop debating on wether or not to go to the lunch. He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerve, thinking about the positives. Silk would be there and it would give him a better chance to get to know her. Plus he could get back at Thunderlane for inviting her and making him look like a fool. Stratosphere started trotting again, his rhythm a lot quicker and more confident. He eventually came to the bakery and went inside to look for his team and friends. After he had entered Sugarcube Corner he scoured the vicinity for them, eventually spotting them sitting in a large booth near the rear of the building. He trotted over to them and sat down beside Silk. She smiled at him as he sat himself down next to her.“Hey.” she said to him.”Thanks for telling Thunderlane to invite me. I’m usually so busy in the office that I never get to enjoy a nice meal out with friends.” she said, beaming at the stallion sitting next to her. Stratosphere returned the smile, a light blush appearing on his face.“Well I just thought you might like to join us for a meal.” he responded, rubbing the back of his neck with a hood nervously. He picked up the menu and scanned through it looking for something to please his palate. Silk pressed her hoof down on his menu.”Oh you have to try the Zap Apple Jam cupcake, sweet Celestia it’s amazing.” Silk said. Stratosphere read the pastry’s description, and found it satisfying.“Alright.” he smirked. He waved his hoof to catch the attention of the waitress. She trotted over to him and smiled.”I’ll have the Zap Apple Jam cupcake please miss.” Stratosphere said. She smiled and nodded at him trotting away in the opposite direction. He turned back to face Silk.”I never took you for a colourful cupcake mare.” Stratosphere said raising an eyebrow at the mare.Silk smiled back at him.”It’s kind of a guilty pleasure for me.” she responded to the stallion. Stratosphere’s cheeks filled with a bright shade of red. The waitress returned a minute later. She placed the cupcake in front of the stallion. He eyes the cupcake sitting in front of him, his mouth beginning to water at the sight of the delicious looking treat before him. He picked it up with a hoof and went to take a bite but hesitated. He glanced over at Silk who was staring at him intently, or rather at the cupcake. He placed it back down on the plate and split the cupcake in half, handing one half to the mare sitting beside him. “Here.” he said offering her the piece. She accepted it and began to nibble on it. Stratosphere did the same, slowly biting into the cupcake. As soon as it hit his tongue all he could taste was flavour. The sweetness of the cupcake was too much for him. He let out a pleasured moan. All the other ponies stared at him funnily. He looked back at them all embarrassed.”Sorry, it’s a really good cupcake.” he said apologetically. The others burst out laughing. Silk smiled softly at him. She kissed him on the cheek.“Well I’m glad you enjoyed my suggestion.” she said playfully. She brushed his hoof with hers.”I gotta get back to work but it was great to have lunch with you.” she said stepping out past Stratosphere. She weaved through the tables and exited the bakery. Stratosphere watched her as she left, his eyes trailing after her flank. Thunderlane scooched over in the booth until he was next to Stratosphere.“Look’s like somepony is whipped.” he grinned. Stratosphere turned and faced at the grey stallion. He picked up the remaining cupcake and shoved it in the stallion’s muzzled. Thunderlane recoiled in response but was unable to prevent his muzzle being covered in rainbow coloured cupcake. Stratosphere got up and left Sugarcube Corner, leaving the other ponies laughing at Thunderlane, who was wiping the cupcake off his muzzle.