On Weather Management · 8:24pm Jun 20th, 2014
So recently I received this question via PM:
I've looked through comments in the relevant chapters and was just wondering why the cloud delivery from Cloudsdale was handled in what appears to be a sloppy manner from the depot? There doesn't appear to have been a manifest for someone in authority to verify and sign for in order to receive delivery from (I'm unclear on how the containers were transported to Manehatten as well). I was also unclear if there was also a mixed container with both rain and thunderheads.
Also, if lightning is a hazard as strong as this story illustrates in its relevant chapters, why is there no labeling on cloud containers to indicate which is which? If they could potentially have a mixed delivery, then pegasi with and without lightning certs could both potentially be handling shipments.
While I have since answered this question I figured I'd share my response with the rest of the Fire & Rain readers who may have been curious about this as well.
Often times, from my observations and experience, it takes a series of failures to instigate large scale changes in an industry. These failures are often minor on their own though over time and in combination add up to far greater levels.
Container clouds, which are made of up condensed cumulus clouds can be shipped via specialized cargo trains or (more commonly) utilize the trade winds that Rainbow mentions occasionally in the story. The method of shipping them via ground based train is only used for rain clouds or common clouds as Thunderheads are more sensitive to kicks that might trigger the reaction. In air shipments teams of pegasi haul the container clouds up to the tradewinds, then a smaller team is able to shepherd the containers to wherever it is they're going. They do have a full inventory of what is in each container, and each container is marked with a color coded flag to denote its contents (yellow being lightning, blue rain, etc.).
The problem with this system is that the flags are planted on the top four corners of the container, and they're often comparatively small pennant sized flags. This small size is to reduce unnecessary drag for the tradewinds, and also because it is easier to keep small flags attached to the containers. That said it is also not uncommon to lose flags during the shipping process. The strong winds high above Equestria tend to dislodge one or two per flight, though more can be lost based on a variety of other factors.
It should also be noted that containers never contain mixed cloud types. Thunderheads are always separate from rain clouds which are separate from standard clouds, and so on.
Upon arriving to their destination, the lead pony in charge of deliveries will hand over his or her inventory to the pony in charge of local shipping and receiving. It's that pony's job to ensure the orders are correct, sign for the shipments, and begin the process of unloading and sorting. While this process normally goes without a hitch, problems occur when ponies adopt a lackadaisical attitude to their work based off a history of monotony. In the case of Fire & Rain, that could be as simple as the manager chatting with the delivery crew, signing the paperwork, and not paying attention. While lightning certified ponies are always on hand in these situations, they do still succumb to (for lack of a better word) human error.
These sorts of errors lead to events like the climax of Fire & Rain where the rain ponies see tanker clouds with rain flags, though some have been lost in shipping, and in a rush to set up a storm on schedule fail to think about mislabeled clouds. They would also assume that the lightning wranglers on hand would be taking possession of the appropriate clouds and keeping them safe. It's here where the small size and inexperience of the Manehattan team really bites them in the ass.
Now that's some nice clarification to have! Love it!
Damn.
You really thought this out.
~Skeeter The Lurker
The clarification that I never asked for, yet am thoroughly glad to read. Why thank you
Intriguing detail. Things like this really make me appreciate the story.
The 24th Pegasus is rubbing off on you isn't he?
2222730
Well not like that
2222845 Oh my... Rainbow I feel your pain...
So why was Rainbow fired then? She wasnt there when the shipment arrived and it wasnt her job to make sure the shipment was correct. So shouldnt the pony who recieved the faulty shipment and signed the papers be fired instead? It was his fault after all.
2223291
I can't spoil my plots for Feathers of Blue and Gold now, can I?
2223296 Oh so you have a plan for this^^ nice^^ Okay, I wont ask further^^
I always assumed that the entire situation was due to plot requirements. But I guess massive systematic incompetence works as another explanation.
I will be curious to see the in story reasons when they come to light.
It's things like this that made me love Fire and Rain so much. The main thing that turns me off of Romance stories (no pun intended) other than not liking the ship is they ignore the world the romance in taking part in, and just sorta go "these two meet by some crazy random happenstance. Then they do the romance-y things."
2224093
Having a story where a key event occurs "just for the plot" is all well and good, but I personally want my world to feel like it's a funtional place. So to that end I try to plan out why these things happen and to set up systems that function in a generally predictable and logical manner.