Huh. If ponies can change teams that easily then maybe you don't have to do ice-breaking at all; maybe you could transfer over to the plants team. You're not sure what's got into you today, but you're feeling a little flirty and you're better off talking to ponies on your own terms- taking the reins, so to speak, even if the metaphor makes you blush a little. Plus the plants team is likely to have a few more big strapping farmers in it and, Celestia help you, you've got a weakness for a pony who works with their hooves. Your mind made up, you shout out to Pinkie.
"Pinkie! I'll trade onto the plants team for this fella!" you shout across the ice, and Pinkie nods at you enthusiastically. You can't possibly tell at this distance, but you think she just gave you a salacious wink. That mare needs to dial it back a bit, you reckon.
You flap lazily through the centre of town, noticing with quiet glee that Medley's been stuck with the Junior Weather Patrol this year and you don't have to do anything about the barrage of snowballs she's bearing up against. As you pass the town hall, a voice calls out to you with a distinctly Canterlotian accent.
"I say! I say, excuse me there, miss!" You double-take to make sure the stallion's calling to you, and he is. He's a handsome fellow- big for a unicorn, with neat blue hair and a well-trimmed moustache- but you can't fail to notice the long-legged, skinny unicorn mare he's standing with.
"I'm terribly sorry to bother you on such a busy day," he says, tilting his head in apology the moment you set down. "I'm afraid my daughter and I appear to have been quite forgotten! Fleur promised her mother that she'd help with Ponyville's Wrap Up this year-"
"Promised? Please, I've been guilt-tripped into this since the Summer Sun celebration," Fleur mumbles under her breath. She's his daughter? She's full-grown; he must be a little older than he looks.
"None the less, we have made a commitment and I for one am quite looking forward to getting stuck in! I was hoping, my dear, you might be able to guide us to Ms Berry Punch, Fleur's mother. She informed me she'd be in the Old Bluff field but I'm afraid my knowledge of the local geography is somewhat lacking."
"No problem- I was headed out there myself," you explain. "I'm Raindrops, by the way."
"Charmed! My name is Fancy Pants, and this young mare is Fleur De Lis. So what do you do, Raindrops?"
"I'm a weatherpony," you explain as you all set off towards your destination. "I thought I'd help out with the plants this year though- Ponyville does everything by hoof and it's good to try a few new things out."
"My thoughts exactly," Fancy Pants agrees. "It's been some time since I did any real physical labour and It's good to get a look at agricultural businesses first-hoof before deciding where to make your investments. This trip's half business and half pleasure, I'll admit, but if I meet many more ponies like you the balance is going to fall firmly in favour of the latter."
You blush a little at that. Thankfully, Fleur saves you the trouble of having to come up with a coherent response.
"You're a weatherpony? That sounds really satisfying. Do you have any trouble co-ordinating the big systems with neighbouring areas?"
"Huh?" The question takes you a little by suprise. "Er, yeah. Actually, quite a lot. It's above my pay grade, but we get communication breakdowns a lot with the Griffon Empire and Prance. How did you-"
"Language is my passion!" she grins at you enthusiastically, the veneer of snobbery discarded. "I really think there needs to be a bigger push to teach foreign languages, or at least have diplomatic translators in the engineering corps who can help smooth these things over. When I get my physics and engineering degree-"
"You haven't changed your major yet, Fleur," Fancy Pants said with a tired voice.
"I know I haven't!" she snapped. "You shouldn't know that, though. It's my degree and I can do what I want with it."
"Don't act like I snoop, Fleur, you know the Dean is an old friend. I just worry about your career, is all. There are some excellent translation jobs available in Canterlot that I can help you get an interview for if you stick with your Equestrian Language studies."
"I thought I was supposed to put the work in myself," Fleur muttered, but you could tell her heart wasn't in it- she was building back up the facade of the bored socialite again. It was a shame- she came alive when she was enthusiastic.
Before the argument could continue- although if it was an argument, it involved less screaming than you were used to- you'd arrived at the Old Bluff field. Snow ploughing was already under way, and Applejack turned away from a conversation she'd been having about seeds to greet you all.
"Fancy Pants! Berry told me you'd be joinin' us but Ah barely believed it. This must be Fleur?"
"It is indeed! We're ready to get stuck in wherever you need us."
"Ah've got a plough set aside for you, Fancy Pants. Fleur, you ain't got the weight you'd need to move one, no offence to you, so Ah figured you'd prefer to be on the planting side of things."
"What about me?" you asked, stepping out so Applejack could see you properly.
"Oh, hey there Raindrops! Ah guess Ah could use you on ploughing or planting, you're strong enough for the one and Ah can always use more of the other. Or if you fancy something different you could give Noteworthy and Big Macintosh a hand with setting up the water trucks, they've got some tomfoolin' idea about makin' em run better."
You can spend time with pretty much any pony you like, you suppose. So what do you feel like doing?
Please put requests for Raindrops' actions in the comments below!
To go back a step, Click here for Chapter 27.