As the sun rose over Ponyville the following morning, the light filtered in through the gap over the curtains, illuminating the hotel room. As the sunlight hit Nimbus’s face, he groaned and covered his eyes. Sitting up and stretching his wings as wide as they would go, he rubbed his sleep heavy eyes before opening them. His sky blue irises contracted, and he shielded his face with a hoof. The south-facing windows let lots of sunlight in.
Pulling himself out of bed, he made his sleepy way to the bathroom. After a steamy shower to wake himself up and help tame his bed mane, he combed the teal hairs until they were as under control as they got. He brushed his teeth, then returned to the main room.
Picking up his saddlebags and laying them on the bed, began to sort through the contents. He removed anything he wouldn’t need while he was out, he put those items into the bedside table’s drawer. The bags weren’t too heavy, but Nimbus didn’t want to carry anything he wasn’t sure to need. Everything he hadn’t put aside, like his coin purse and identification, went back into the bags.
Nimbus picked up a folded square of heavy paper he’d left out, and spread it out on the bed. In the morning sunlight, the peaks of the folds cast the crevasses in shadow. Flattening it out as best he could, Nimbus looked over the map of Ponyville he’d gotten during a brief visit he’d made a month ago. Making sure he remembered where everything was, he traced his hoof over the rough surface. Refolding the map and returning it to his saddlebags, he closed them and secured them over his back.
After double checking to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, he left the room, locking the door behind him and putting the golden key into his bags. Down the hallway and out the front door he went, with a quick wave to the stallion who’d replaced Moon Blossom sometime since yesterday evening. Nimbus stopped outside the door, and raised his head high to take a deep breath of the fresh morning air. A gentle breeze carried the scent of apple blossoms, sweet and clean. Also on that breeze was the smell of the well-worn dirt roads. It was a nice morning, so Nimbus decided to walk..
The early morning hoof traffic in Ponyville wasn’t too bad, but he still had to sidestep a few carts as he crossed through the square to the bakery he’d seen last night. It was just as impressive up close in the bright morning light as it had from above. The walls were the same timber-framing as the rest of the town, with simple but pretty decorative inlays. From the roof on up, however, it changed dramatically. The massive brown shingles were made to look like giant cookies, layer upon layer up to the peak, and with the edges of the roof all frosted. The high chimney on the taller side of the building looked like purple rock candy had grown out of the roof, thrust up into the sky like a stalagmite with several peaks. In the center of the building rose a turret as tall again as the building below it, shaped like a pair of giant stacked cupcakes with pink frosting. It looked delicious for wood and plaster. A wooden sign hanging above and beside the door read ‘Sugarcube Corner’.
Trotting up the steps, he pushed open the half-door and stepped inside, letting it swing gently closed behind him. There was a small line of ponies patiently waiting for their breakfasts, which Nimbus hoped meant the baked goods were as good as the exterior. The bakers were certainly fast, because before much time had passed he’d reached the glass counter. It was attended by a short, plump mare, whose eyes twinkled happily as she greeted him.
“Good morning dearie!” she said, smiling. “How are you doing today?”
“I’m doing good.” he said, returning her smile as he examined the contents of the case. “I’d love one of these blueberry muffins, please.”
“Of course.” Pulling a paper bag from a stack beside the register, she opened it, then the case. Removing one of the delicious looking muffins, she put it in the bag and folded over the top. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you here before. Are you new in town?”
“Yep.” he said, pulling out his coin purse to pay her. “Just got here last night.”
“Well it’s nice to have you here! I’m Mrs. Cake. My husband and I run Sugarcube Corner.” She glanced down at his hoof, holding the coin purse. “Oh, sorry dear. That’ll be four bits, please.”
He counted out the four gold coins, and laid them on the counter with the solid clack of metal against glass. Mrs. Cake scooped them up and, keying open the register, dropped them in. Then she handed him the paper bag with a motherly smile.
“Feel free to use one of our tables, dear, and have a wonderful day!”
“You too!”
Nimbus walked over to one of the many round wooden tables that lined the bakery’s walls. Choosing one that was free, he took a seat. Opening the paper bag, he pulled out his muffin. Enjoying the wonderful smell of fresh pastry, he licked his lips in anticipation and got ready to take his first bite. Then, a form slowly rose up in the chair next to him, a toothy grin spread across its face, eyes wide with barely contained glee..
“HELLO!” it shrieked, arms flung out to either side.
“Gah!” Nimbus yelped, twitching away. He fumbled the muffin for a moment, very nearly lost it, then caught hold of it again.
“My name’s Pinkie Pie!” the pink pony yelled excitedly, her curly pink mane bouncing as she stuck out a hoof to shake. “What’s yours?!”
“N-Nimbus.” He took her hoof, still wide-eyed in shock. Pinkie shook his hoof vigorously, with grip much stronger than he’d expected.
“Hi Nimbus! It’s so nice to meet you! I just love meeting new ponies! I heard you tell Mrs. Cake you were new in Ponyville, and I just had to meet you!”
“Oh. I-”
“And since you’re new in town, I wanted to say ‘Welcome to Ponyville!’ and ask ‘What kind of cake do you like?’ Soooooooooo... what kind of cake do you like?!”
Pinkie Pie pulled a pad of paper and a giant pencil out of the depths of her poofy mane, and stared at him with wide eyes.
“I-I like carrot cake.” Nimbus stammered. “With cream cheese frosting. Why?”
She giggled, then started rapidly writing on the pad.
“Oh, just a cake survey I’ve been taking recently.”
“How do you make sure you don’t get someone twice?”
Pinkie laughed uproariously as if the mere suggestion of such a thing were beyond thought. Wiping away tears of mirth, she flipped over to another and continued to jot things down in large, loopy and thoroughly incomprehensible hoofwriting.
“Thank you so much, Nimbus! I’ll see you around!~”
And with that, she dashed out the bakery door, leaving it swinging violently in her wake. Nimbus stared after her for a moment, then blinking a few times, turned back to his muffin.
The first bite was glorious. The blueberries were still intact, and their sweet juices filled his mouth as he bit into them. The muffin itself was just sweet enough to support the berries. Licking his lips, Nimbus made a note to return here later to get a larger sample of the bakery’s goods. But this was enough for his breakfast. He’d never eaten much in the morning.
Putting the paper bag into a trash can, he waved goodbye to Mrs. Cake and stepped out the door. Hopping down the steps and into the road, he ran a few lengths before kicking off from the ground. Spreading his wings and pulling himself up into the air, he skimmed over the rooftops. He wasn’t quite so alone in his flight this time. Other pegasi were around him. Some waved as they passed, others were too intent on where they were going to pay him much heed.
Nimbus enjoyed feeling the currents of air around him, gently nudging him in one direction or another. He flew by the highly decorated building he’d seen before, and this time he remembered it from his map - Carousel Boutique. He examined it as he passed, then turned his attention to the houses that lay past some parkland and over the river. He could feel the change in the air as he flew over the cold water. Once on the other side, he glided down and landed in the road.
After taking a moment to get his bearings, he walked down the street towards the third house on the left. It had the same look as the rest of Ponyville, a two story building, whose second story was slightly larger than the first. The only major difference, and the thing that had drawn him to pick it over other options, was the shingled roof. On the front porch, Nimbus extracted a key from his saddlebags. Inserting it into1 the lock, he turned it. The lock made a satisfyingly loud click. Rotating the key back and pulling it out, he put it away. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
It was dark inside the house, with the curtains drawn and the lights out. Nimbus went through the house, flicking on the enchanted crystal lights while he looked at a room, then turning them off again when he left. The place had been well cleaned; no dust lay on any of the surfaces.
Returning to the living room, he considered. The floors were solid, and with few squeaky spots. Everything from the previous occupant had been cleared out, so all that was left to do was wait for his belongings to arrive. He looked towards the kitchen, which connected to the living room by a large, square doorway. Thankfully, there would be enough room for everything. And the movers would help him get stuff in. Making a mental note to tip them well, he left the house and locked up behind him.
Taking off again, he flew north upriver. A few streets beyond Town Hall, he arrived at the Ponyville Weather Office. It was a very small building, little more than a formality in such a small town. Nimbus had arranged to meet with Ponyville’s Weather Coordinator before noon that day, and he didn’t want to waste any time. He was looking forward to starting his job. He was an active pony, and without something to occupy him it wouldn’t be long before he’d be restless and bored.
The office shared a long building with several stores, each with a large window in the front. It’s sign wasn’t nearly as large as the rest, but it stood out because of the large sign stuck into the ground in front of it. Landing and walking up to the sign, Nimbus saw that on it was posted a list of the week’s weather. It was supposed to be sunny that day, and a rain shower was scheduled for the next day. According to the sign, all this could also be found in the town paper. Stepping past the sign and up onto the long porch that ran along the entire building, Nimbus went in.
Whoever had set the place up had apparently thought one room would be enough. And they had been mistaken. There was a staggering number of filing cabinets for such a small space, taking up almost every square foot of the wallspace. Every available surface was covered in paper. Stacks sat on top of every cabinet, folders were heaped onto chairs. In the small bit of floor in the middle, a pair of desks sat facing the front of the building, one further back than the other.
Both desks were occupied. Much to Nimbus’ surprise, at the nearer one sat a unicorn mare. She was busily sorting through piles of papers, both in and out of folders. Yet more paper hovered all about her, held in the air by the golden aura of her horn. She saw him enter, and waved with a cheerful smile.
“Hey there!” she said, still floating paper around herself. “What can we do for you? Need a dry spot from tomorrow’s shower? We’ve gotten a few requests already.”
“No, I-” he started.
“And believe me,” she interrupted, plowing on without noticing, “we try our best to accommodate. But sometimes there’s only so much we can do, you know? Wind is a part of storms, so even if we leave a hole in the clouds, we can’t guarantee it’s going to stay open all day. If somepony gets wet, well, I mean, heh, what were we supposed to do? I remember one time, this prissy mare came barging in here, her clothes were so wet that-”
“Whoa there, Silver Pen.” said the other pony in the office, looking up from his desk where he’d been examining a chart of Ponyville. “Let the stallion talk, would ya? I’m sure he’ll get a chance to hear all of your stories!”
Getting out of his chair, the stallion came over to Nimbus.
“You must be Nimbus!” he said, extending a hoof. Nimbus shook it. “I’m Thunderlane. Great to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you too. How did you know?”
“I’ve got your name down for today.”
Thunderlane pointed back over his shoulder at a large calendar that took up the only part of the walls not covered in drawers. A large red star had been drawn on that day, with the words “New Guy - Nimbus” written below it in the same red ink. The writing was too neat to have been done by hoof or mouth, so Nimbus guessed it must have been Silver who’d written it. There were lots of other notes written on the calendar, and a good number of sticky notes had been placed here and there. Some of those had been appended with even more notes.
“Also,” Thunderlane continued, chuckling, “you look as lost as I did when I moved here. Speaking of, how was the train?”
“It was fine.” Nimbus said. “A bit crowded, but otherwise it was good.”
“Yeah, the trains can get pretty packed ‘round here, with Canterlot and Cloudsdale so close.”
“I suppose so.”
Thunderlane nodded, then gestured for Nimbus to follow.
“C’mon, let’s get you set up!”
Thunderlane walked back to his desk. Nimbus pulled over the only empty chair he could find and sat across from him.
“Sorry you had to see this place so messy.” Thunderlane said, pulling a folder out of his desk. It was one of the few places in the room not covered in mountains of paper. “Silver’s been wanting to reorganize the weather reports for months now. I finally said yes, and, well… you can see for yourself.”
“It’ll be so much better when I’m done!” Silver said from behind a white tower. She peaked her head around to look at them, and violently pointed at the cabinets, hoof trembling with suppressed emotion as if they had killed someone dear to her. “It was a complete and utter disaster in there! I’m going to make it all better, you’ll see! You’ll all see!”
She ducked back behind the paper, and Thunderlane chuckled again. He opened the folder, and Nimbus saw the letter and resume he’d sent a couple months ago, as well as the more recent one acknowledging the date for the meeting.
“Now, you’ve basically already got the job.” said Thunderlane, picking the resume out of the folder and laying it on top. “But I do need to... you know, see you can do this stuff.”
Thunderlane ran his hoof through his grey and blue, mohawk-like mane, looking embarrassed.
“I’m sure you can, what with the testimonies I got from your references. But it’s the rules, you know? Gotta see for myself.”
“Of course.” said Nimbus, spreading his wings slightly. “I get it. No problem.”
“Okay.” Thunderlane stood, and walked towards the door. “C’mon. There’s a good spot outside town, we’ll do it there.”
Thunderlane took him a short ways east out of town. There was a scattering of trees spread over the gently rolling green hills. At first, Nimbus thought that they were covered in pink flowers. But when they got closer, he saw that they were in fact leaves. Fluttering in a gentle breeze, their lighter undersides flashed in the sunlight. It was a beautiful place, and a good spot for a practical demonstration of weather-making.
“Okay, go ahead and make a cloud.” said Thunderlane, as they hovered over the treetops. He ran his hoof through his mane, still embarrassed. “I know that’s kind of an absurd thing to ask, but I gotta…”
“I know.” said Nimbus, before beating his wings hard to gain speed. Soaring up through the sky, Nimbus gathered moisture. Compacting it all together, he began forming a cloud. Once it was large enough to stand on, he brought it to Thunderlane.
“You’re quick.” he said, smiling. “Okay, just a few more things.”
Thunderlane had him make the cloud rain, increasing the intensity until it was a full-blown stormcloud. Unicorns always seem to forget that the other two types of ponies have their own kinds of magic. Nimbus could feel the energy in his wings and hooves as he convinced the cloud to give up its precious water. When he coerced a burst of lightning from it, Nimbus felt a thrill run through his whole body as the powerful electrical current made the air hum and throb around him. Let the unicorns keep their spells. Let the earth ponies call forth life from the earth, and do feats of incredible strength. They would never feel like this, never feel the sky the way pegasi did. They would never feel so free.
Nimbus stopped the downpour, and burst the now calm cloud with a swift jab from his hindleg. He could feel the spray of water as a fine mist, which cooled him in the bright sunlight. He did a tight spiral up through the air, letting the water fly off him. A shimmering rainbow appeared, before swiftly fading away under the sun’s warm rays.
“Great! I’m certainly convinced.” said Thunderlane, flying up to him and bumping his hoof. “Let’s head back.”
Thunderlane began to fly towards town, waving Nimbus on behind him. Nimbus caught up, and as they flew back to the Weather Office Thunderlane outlined his responsibilities.
“You’re mostly going to be keeping the skies clear over the Ponyville area. If anything weird comes out of Everfree, you should take care of that too. If you can’t handle it alone, don’t be a hero, okay? Get some of the other weather ponies to help!”
“Okay.” Nimbus said, nodding.
“You’ll be able to meet all of them tomorrow. We’re making a spring rainstorm for Sweet Apple Acres - that’s the big farm south of town. That’ll be your first big job!”
“Alright.” Nimbus looked to their left. A narrow stretch of the Everfree Forest separated them from the orchards, hiding them from view.
“Other than that, just make sure you check in at the Weather Center every other day. Silver will be there from six till noon unless there’s something big in the works.”
“How… how often will you be in? Don’t you have the Wonderbolts?”
“Oh, I’ll be around plenty. The Wonderbolts keep me busy, but I’ll be here. Gotta take care of the weather. My brother, too!”
“Okay. Good.”
Their hooves clattered as they landed on the walkway outside the office. Back inside, Nimbus retrieved his bags as Thunderlane had a couple quick words with Silver Pen.
“I gotta take care of a couple more things here, then I’m off to Wonderbolts HQ for the rest of the day. Need anything else while I’m here?”
“No, I’m good. Thank you.”
“You are very welcome.” Thunderlane said, shaking his hoof.
Nimbus spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Ponyville. He wanted to know as much about the place as possible. Knowing where everything was would cut down on travel time. It would’ve been a lie, though, to say he didn’t enjoy it thoroughly. There was little he enjoyed more than learning about a place. Finding all the secrets, the hidden little nooks and crannies of a place - he thrived on it.
Among his discoveries was a wonderful little restaurant. Though their selection of hayburgers, sandwiches, and salads was small, he’d found it to be a pleasant spot for a meal. They also served some of the best potato fries he’d ever had. Thick, with a crispy shell surrounding a soft center. With a little ketchup they were absolutely perfect.
After spending another hour wandering about Ponyville, Nimbus decided to return to Sugarcube Corner. After his breakfast there, he wanted to see what else they had on offer. As he approached the bakery from above, he was confused to see how not busy the place looked. He’d expected to have a bit of a wait, but he didn’t see anyone coming or going. Both halves of the door were closed, and no light was visible through the windows. Landing, he walked the last few feet to the entrance.
The sign in the window said the bakery was open, in bright pink letters surrounded by confetti and balloons. Upon pushing the door with a hoof, he found that it wasn’t locked. Confused and a bit concerned, Nimbus cautiously opened the door the rest of the way. The lights were all off, except for one somewhere in the kitchen. Stepping in, Nimbus raised his wings as he looked around. What was going on here? Why were the lights all out, and where were the proprietors? He backed towards the door, his wing muscles tensed and head lowered. He didn’t like this at all.
“SURPRISE!!!”
The lights all came on at once. Nimbus yelped, darting up into the air. Ponies had appeared all over the bakery, popping up from behind tables and counters. Pinkie Pie had appeared, seemingly from nowhere at all, bouncing up and down in the middle of the room.
“Were you surprised?!” she asked, grinning ear to ear, looking up at him as he perched in the rafters. “You were you were you were!”
Hopping down, Nimbus chuckled embarrassedly. “Y-you sure did! What’s all this for?”
“You, silly! It’s your ‘Welcome to Ponyville Nimbus We Hope You Like it Here!!!’ Party!”
“Oh! Okay! Well I-”
“I’m so glad you made it! We’ve got all sorts of fun games to play! And there’s snacks, and cake, and ice cream, and punch, and-”
She went on and on describing all the stuff she’d set up. Eventually, as she started reaching strangely specific stuff like having moved a chair precisely one-tenth of an inch triangleways, he figured she’d forgotten he was there and stepped away. He tried his best to enjoy himself. He wasn’t a shy pony, but he didn’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention either. There were also a lot of questions asked, ones he tried his best not to answer directly.
“Where are you from?” asked a cream-coated mare.
“Oh, uh… a little town on the west end of the Canterlot Mountains.” Nimbus answered. “Not much there, really.”
“Got any family there?” asked a stallion with a telescope cutie mark.
“Some.”
“I hear you’re joining us weather ponies!” said a pegasus stallion with a wavy green mane. “What did you do before?”
“I… did some delivery work.”
“Ooo. There’s a large branch of the Equestria Postal Service here, you know. I heard-”
Those sorts of exchanges happened a good number of times. After being asked about his home and family for a tenth time, Nimbus excused himself and left the main body of the party. Things were starting to get a bit too close to home for him, and he was getting hungry. Loading up a plate with food from one of the tables, he sat himself down in one of the booths. Luckily few ponies actually knew he was the guest of honor, so he was allowed a small reprieve.
He was munching on a fruit salad and some cheese when someone sat down across from him. Looking up, he saw it was Thunderlane who had joined him. He looked tired, his coat stuck up here and there, and some loose ends had popped out of his mane.
“Hey Nimbus.” he said, digging into a large stack of food.
“Hi.” said Nimbus, taking a chunk out of a large piece of cantaloupe. “How’re you?
“I’m good. It’s been a bit of a long day, though. Just got back from Cloudsdale. Wonderbolts training, then some stuff at the weather factory.”
“Yeah.” Nimbus was quiet for a couple minutes, then he continued. “You said you have a brother?”
“Yep! Rumble’s half my age, but he’s growing up so fast.”
“They do, don’t they?”
“Yep. You have siblings?”
“Yes.” Nimbus nudged a grape around his plate. “A sister.”
They talked for a while about siblings. To be more accurate, Thunderlane told all sorts of funny stories about Rumble, and Nimbus listened. Nimbus smiled as Thunderlane told a tale of a particularly spectacular weekend of camping. Eventually, the conversation turned to other stuff, like the Wonderbolts and Nimbus’ new house.
After a while, Nimbus started to wonder about the promised cake. He looked around, hoping to see where it might be. As if she knew his thoughts before he gave voice to them, Pinkie materialized beside him with her usual grin.
“Cake time!” she cried, dragging Nimbus across the room to a table laden with food, a large bowl of punch, and a beautifully made cake.
“What kind is it?” Nimbus asked, as Pinkie swiftly cut him a piece and put it on a plate.
“It’s carrot cake!” She handed him the plate with great care. “With cream cheese frosting! Just like you said earlier!”
“Oh! Is that what that was about?”
“Yes indeedy!”
“Did someone call me?” said a lanky orange stallion, emerging from the crowd.
“Not exactly.” Pinkie giggled. “Nimbus was just asking about the cake!”
“Heh. I see!” He stuck out a hoof for Nimbus to shake. “That’d be my name, too. Carrot Cake. You met my wife earlier!”
“Nice to meet you.” said Nimbus, taking his hoof. “It kinda seems like a bit of a hazard, having a name like Carrot Cake in the baking business.”
“It can be, yes.” Carrot chuckled. “Enjoy your cake!”
It was excellent, of course. Moist and sweet, pleasant texture, all complimented by the smooth frosting. From there, the evening started to wind down. There had been some party games, but Nimbus didn’t really feel like participating. Watching was enough for him after a long day wandering around Ponyville. When ponies started to leave, he waved goodbye to the ones he’d talked to. As the last few stragglers left, he started gathering the party’s leavings.
“What do you think you’re doing?” demanded Pinkie, swiping the precarious stack of paper plates out of his grasp. “You’re the guest of honor! No cleaning for you!”
He tried to protest, but she pushed him over to the door.
“Get going mister! We’ll be fine, promise!”
After one last attempt was met with a firm push out the door, he sighed and shook his head. She was one strange pony. He trotted a short difference away from the bakery. As he made to take off, he heard the door open behind him. Looking back, he saw Pinkie emerging with an enormous trash bag. She waved vigorously, then continued on to the large garbage bin that sat next to the bakery. She dropped it in the bin, then skipped merrily back inside, singing some meaningless tune. The door slammed shut behind her, and all was quiet again.
Shaking his head, Nimbus took off. The party had gone later than he’d realized. The moon had already risen above the horizon, and the air was chilly. Flying directly to the hotel, he waved to Moon Blossom as he walked past the front desk to his room. Locking the door behind him, he sat and leaned against it. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. The party had thrown him for a loop, and there had been some close calls. Hopefully he’d done a good enough job answering questions to avoid suspicion.
After a minute, he forced himself to stand again. Dropping his bags beside the bed, he took a long shower. The warm water was a comfort after the long day he’d had. Returning to the bedroom, he stretched out his wings, his back, his neck, and his legs. It wouldn't do to wake up sore and cramped in the morning. Once he felt dry enough, he clambered into bed and turned off the lamp. Reaching into the drawer, he gently got the stuffed fox out and held it against his chest. Some time later, he fell asleep.