Blossoming Breezies

by Matsu

Chapter 1 - Make it Blossom

If you head toward the second star on your right and fly straight on till morn- wait a second, I already told you that! Hmm, let's see...how about this: 

In the heart of Breezie Hollow, a momentous event was about to unfold (or rather, it wasn't). At this not very extraordinary moment, representatives from Spring, Summer and Autumn had gathered beneath the leafy canopy of the mythical Breezie Dust Tree, and amidst them stood a familiar face: Petunia, the Garden Breezie...having another one of her mental breakdowns.

"You're telling me that NOBREEZIE found the seed?! HOW?!"

Another Breezie stood in front of her, clad in a meticulously tailored, deep cerulean and silver uniform, with a chest adorned by a resplendent set of medals. A specially crafted flight helmet sat proudly atop her head, concealing her mane, but leaving room for their regal antennae to protrude. That was Sky Striker, Head of the Autumn Breezies.

"My search squad investigated the entirety of Autumn Grove, but there was no sign of the seed" Her tone was deadpan, she kept staring at Petunia with an emotionless expression, which made her VERY uneasy. "And Firestorm there told me that the Summer Breezies hadn't had any luck either."

Her serious demeanor and disciplined attitude were pretty intimidating, and her military-esque posture alone was enough to demand some sort of respect from the Breezies around her (that didn't really affect the likes of Petunia, of course, she had more important stuff to worry about right now). 

"And what about the Winter Breezies? We never know what's going on over there..."

"The Dust Keepers told me the Winter Flag has not been raised, so that means that they did not find anything as of now. Despite their mysterious lives, they have shown to be more than capable of finding the Seed in a short period of time, even though their region is the largest of the four."

Petunia's cheeks flushed with frustration as her flowery dress rustled in agitation. She clasped her tiny hooves together and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure...proceeding to fail miserably. 

"This is a catastrophe, an absolute calamity! How could the seed have disappeared without a trace!?" She looked like she was about to faint, except she remembered neither Tulip nor Dewdrop were around to catch her, so she decided against it this time. "Also stop staring at me like that it's starting to scare me..."

"You're very prone to overreacting, but I think you may be right this time...without the seed we can't continue with the First Moon Festival..." She then raised an eyebrow. "Or...perhaps your Spring Breezies were too sloppy to actually find it, and now you're trying to blame something else for your failure."

"EXCUSE ME?" Petunia took a step back, not believing what she just heard, HER Breezies? Sloppy? Well, actually, maybe that's true...but she had to make sure her reputation wasn't going to be affected by it. "Are you implying that the seed is in Spring Valley and we didn't find it? Nuh-uh honey, maybe YOUR Breezies were too sloppy to-"

"Improbable. At this point you should be aware that we always find the seed within minutes of it showing up, and I don't believe it would just suddenly decide not to appear this time, it's obvious either Spring or Summer did a poor job during The Search."

"Blah blah blah, yeah yeah, of course...well, sorry there Ms. Perfect at Everything She Does-"

"Apology not accepted."

"LETMEFINISH. Ahem...sorry, but you don't have the slightest idea of how hard we looked for that thing, I could even say that, _{this time}, our coordination was nothing short of IMPECCABLE!"

"Doubtful."

"ARGH, you know what? I'M DONE TALKING WITH YOU! HMPH." She turned her attention to Firestorm, Head of Summer. He was just...lying on the floor. "And what do YOU have to say for yourself?! Maybe it's Summer's fault that we didn't find the seed! What were your Breezies doing during the search? Slacking off, I bet!" 

"..." He was looking at the beautiful sunset that was happening, with a big dumb smile on his face. Took a while for him to notice someone was talking to him, but he eventually turned his head to Petunia, his long red mane covering his left eye. "...Huh?...Sorry, I didn't hear anything ya'll just said..."

"I swear i'm going to kill both of y-"

"P-Petunia! Y-You gotta hear this!"

After being interrupted for the third time in the short span of 5 minutes, Petunia was about to let out the loudest scream of her life, but stopped when she noticed the one who had cut her out this time was no other than her personal slav- her good friend Tulip Tips, rushing towards her with a flabbergasted look on her face.

"Tulip? Ugh, sweetheart, this room is exclusive for important people, you're not supposed to barge in like that...also I'm pretty sure I told you to prepare the red carpet for my marvelous entrance, don't tell me you forgot already..."

"H-Hum, actually, I-I have to tell you something..."

"Oh I hope it's VERY important, because we were having a VERY important reunion...about VERY important things, I don't know if you noticed my dear, but we're having the greatest, most terrible crisis that Breezie Hollow has ever-"

Tulip quickly whispered something in Petunia's ear.

"...Honey...YOU WHAT?!"

For a moment, it was like Petunia forgot she was a Garden Breezie, because she zipped out of that room so fast that she started to look like a Gust Breezie, maybe even one of Autumn's Wind Breezies. Tulip tried to keep up the pace, but her boss was already shifting into maximum overdrive, quickly arriving at The Hub, the part of the Breezie Dust Tree where the most important events were hosted, events that required all- well, MOST of the Seasons to come together. And at the center of The Hub, a magnificent fountain took center stage, brimming with an abundance of Breezie Dust – the wellspring from which every Breezie draws their magical prowess. All the Breezies from Spring, Autumn and Summer were gathered there, either talking with their friends or exchanging resentful gazes with the Breezies from regions different from their own, but the mood of the room suddenly changed when the Head of Spring arrived, approaching the Dust Fountain at mach speed. 

"GERONIMO!"

Petunia dived head first into the Breezie Dust, sending a lot of it flying around the room, and before anybreezie could process what just happened, she emerged, holding a shiny golden seed on her hooves.

"HA...HAHA..." she could barely express her excitement with how exhausted she was, Garden Breezies never fly that fast. "IN. YOUR. FACES! WE FOUND IT! SPRING IS THE WINNER!" 

She fluttered out of the fountain and landed next to the Breezies of Spring, who were all celebrating so hard they didn't even notice that Petunia's magic was overflowing, unconsciously creating lots of beautiful flowers everywhere she stepped. Sky Striker arrived to the scene, carrying both Firestorm (who was fast asleep) and Tulip (who passed out in the middle of her flight...I told you Garden Breezies weren't used to this fast-flying stuff).

"Heeeey there, Ms. Perfect! Came to see the A-MA-ZING Festival for the new SPRING BREEZIE?!"

"What in the Robin's name happened here?"

"Oooh, y'know, nothing much...except for the fact that I FOUND THE SEED! HAHA! AND ALL BY MYSELF!" Fortunately, Tulip wasn't awake to hear this. "Who would've guessed the Seed was inside the Dust Fountain all along...ME OF COURSE!"

It was almost unnatural to see a Breezie as dainty as Petunia acting so ravenously, but if there's anything she hated more than getting dirty...was losing. She was also covered with 20 times more Breezie Dust than the average daily recommendation, so that's probably one of the reasons also.

"Inside the Fountain?" Sky seemed doubtful. "If it was inside a literal pool of Breezie Dust, why exactly didn't it blossom?"

"WELL THAT'S-" She froze for a moment, coming back to her senses as the excessive Breezie Dust quickly dissipated as if it was also trying to escape Sky's gaze. The cheers from the Spring Breezies also died out after a short while. "Uh...well...you see...er...ask Tulip, she's the one who found it."

Sky tried her best to maintain her professional mannerism but couldn't help but to roll her eyes a bit, she then shook Tulip Tips, trying to wake her up, but her eyes still remained closed.

"Here, let me help you...ahem, TULIP WAKE UP IT'S TIME TO WORK."

"EEEEP! I-I SWEAR I WASN'T TAKING A BREAK, I WAS JUST RESTING MY EYES SO I COULD-" She looked around in panic, until she noticed the situation she was in. "...Huh? Where am I?...Ugh, my head hurts..."

"The Seed. In the fountain. Why didn't it blossom?"

"H-Huh?! W-What?!" She only just noticed she was being held by the Head of Autumn. Struggling as hard as she could, she eventually managed to break free from Sky's powerful grasp (she was actually barely holding her). "W-Why would I know?! I-I just saw a different, rainbow-colored spark coming from the Fountain, t-that's all! M-Maybe it's, like, defective or something?..."

"Excuse me?!" Petunia grabbed Tulip and began shaking her. "What do you mean 'defective' girl?! That's not even a real thing! Never in our lives have we seen a seed being 'defective'!"

"Neither have we seen a Seed appearing in The Hub, let alone inside of the Fountain."

"Well...um...I guess that's true..."

"Also, since you didn't really find it in Spring Valley, it may not even be a Spring Breezie."

"Huh?! But that's...actually t-that makes sense too...oh sweet Robin..."

Noticing that Petunia was probably going to faint once again, Tulip tried her best to calm everyone down.

"Well, we shouldn't be speculating like this, r-right? We should just c-carry on with the festival, y'know? T-Then we'll know the truth! B-But I have a good feeling about this! I'm sure this Seed is no defective, right Petunia?!"

She looked at her boss with a clumsy but determined smile, Petunia had a terrified expression on her face and was sweating like crazy.

"Yes."

Tulip then looked at the sparkling Seed. For a moment, she began wondering...huh, if that Seed really belonged to Spring, that was going to be her first time seeing a Spring Breezie be born. Perhaps, if she wasn't the youngest anymore, Petunia would even consider increasing her lunch break to 10 minutes instead of 5! She couldn't help but smile.

"This isn't a moment to be fighting or asking those silly questions, this is a moment to celebrate life! And i'm sure that, no matter what type of Breezie comes out of that seed, they'll see that Breezie Hollow is a wonderf-"

"Everybreezie! The first moon's already coming out!" 

One of the Summer Breezies shouted. Oh my, everybreezie was just so concentrated on the discussion that they even forgot that they barely had any time left before the festival started, and now, they finally had The Seed on hoof. Petunia took a very deep breath, and then approached Tulip, who was kinda sad that she didn't get to finish her speech.

"Tulip, dear...are you feeling alright?..."

"Huh?" Maybe her previous attitude was already starting to pay off, maybe her words actually managed to reach Petunia's heart. "Uh, yeah! I'm fine...t-thank you for askin-"

"Good, then go grab the red carpet, the festival's about to start! I swear, sometimes you're just SO distracted..."

"...Oh...sighs..."

Nope, she was already back to her usual self.

"Attention, Breezies of Breezie Hollow...the First Moon Festival is about to begin."

A Breezie wearing a fancy gold and brown robe was floating on top of the Dust Fountain, he had the characteristics of a Summer Breezie, but his wings were very different, they weren't as detailed, but shined as bright as the Breezie Dust beneath. As the moon started to rise, he pulled out a scroll and began to read it.

"By the blessings of the Blue Robin, we were given the power of nature...and by her generosity, we were given the gift of life..." Every Breezie remained silent, lowering their heads in respect. "And today, we celebrate the life that has been given to us...step forth, bearer of The Seed!"

...

"...Ahem...step forth, bearer of The Seed!"

...

"I said STEP FOR-"

BAM! 

Suddenly, party cannons erupted from everywhere, shooting out bursts of confetti as a catchy little song started playing. A red carpet extended through the room, and none other then Petunia started approaching the Dust Fountain, carrying The Seed on her hooves. The Breezies of Spring started cheering, while the rest of the room was just staring in disbelief. 

"Thank you! Thank you all very much! Oh, you're all so sweet! Mwah!" After her bombastic entrance, she positioned herself right in front of the Fountain. "Tulip, dear, you can stop playing now."

The music came to a stop, and only the heavy breathing of a Breezie could be heard in the distance. The Dust Keeper Breezie was as confused as everyone else, but quickly regained his composure.

"Ehrm...t-tonight we celebrate the birth of a new Breezie! Bearer, lay down The Seed!"

"Oh please work, please please please..."

Petunia proceeded to gently position The Seed on the ground. The Dust Keeper approached, dipping his hoof inside the Breezie Dust of the Fountain.

"May the Blue Robin's blessing be with you..."

He sprinkled the dust on top of The Seed as Petunia took a step back, sweating and trembling. 

At first, nothing happened. Everyone stayed silent. Petunia was already on the verge of panicking, but before anybreezie could say anything, a burst of light came out of The Seed, blinding everyone inside the room. The Dust Keeper could not believe what he was seeing, it was like a giant rainbow was forming around it.

"What...what is this?..."

"I-I don't remember them glowing like that!" Tulip was starting to get really excited. "Maybe...all that Breezie Dust made it super special!"

In a breathtaking display of enchantment...the transformation began. A delicate tendril emerged, reaching out to the world. The room seemed to hold its breath as leaves unfurled, their vibrant green hues unfading. Petals started forming, with colors so vivid they were almost otherworldly. The newborn flower kept expanding, until it reached an almost completed state. Now, all that was left...was for the flower to bloom.

Every single Breezie was completely focused on that incredible performance of nature's amazing magic, mesmerized by its beauty. For a moment, the Breezies inside that room completely forgot about their rivalry, they couldn't care less about the type of Breezie who was gonna come out of that flower, not after witnessing such an amazing sight. Now, all that was left...was for the flower to bloom.

Tulip's eyes were glowing with anticipation, Petunia's mouth was wide open, Sky Striker's expressionless face turned to a look of awe, even Firestorm was paying close attention to all the colors that were floating around The Hub. Now, all that was left...was for the flower to bloom.

The minutes passed.

...

But the flower didn't bloom.

Slowly, the excitement turned into confusion. 

"...What the...?" Petunia came closer to the flower. The glow was gone. The flower was completely still. Its petals were still closed shut. Tulip approached, floating right besides her. "B-B-But all that glow! All those pretty, colorful lights! Ugh, is that the 'good feeling' you were having Tulip?!"

"H-Hey! D-Don't say it like it's my fault!..._please..."

The entire room fell silent, the other Breezies were still trying to process everything that just happened, they probably just experienced the greatest roller coaster of emotions of their lives. 

But the ride was still far from over.

Someone decided to break that awful silence.

"Uh...hello?"

"...Wha?" Petunia's eyes widened, she heard a faint voice coming from up above, but there was no Breezie there. "Tulip Tips...honey...am I hallucinating?"

"I-I don't think so."

Another short moment of silence, eventually broken again.

"Hellooo? Can anyone hear me?" Petunia wasn't hearing things, a voice was coming from inside the flower's tightly closed petals. "Um, it's kinda dark in here, also a little bit cramped, is there, like, a door in here or something?"

"P-Petunia, is this normal?"

"I have absolutely no idea" After staring at the flower's stem for the next ten seconds or so, Petunia eventually snapped out of her catatonic state, flying to the top where she could touch the petals. She tried using her special talent to bloom the flower open, but for some reason, the awfully colorful petals didn't budge. "Huh? What's wrong with this flower? Ugh, whatever, I guess I'll have to open it...by force!"

She stood still for a moment.

"...What are you all waiting for? HELP THEM GET OUT! Don't expect me to do all the work..."

Following the words of their leader, the Breezies of Spring all flew towards the closed flower, pulling the petals in whatever way they could, they shook it, kicked it, some of them even tried to bite it. The one stuck inside didn't seem to like it very much.

"H-Hey! Careful out there! All that shaking is making me dizzy..." 

Eventually, they managed to rip out one of the petals with such force that the Breezie that was stuck inside was launched away from their prison, falling next to the Breezies of Autumn and Summer. A loud, collective gasp could be heard.

"Finally...took you guys long enough..." Petunia started looking for the new Breezie, actually managing to catch a glimpse of them after looking around for long enough "Oh! There you- WHAAAAT?!"

"Ouch...oh, I'm free!" The new Breezie stood up, her pale white mane was almost as eye-catching as her bright pink coat. "Whoa, this place is HUGE!"

While she was occupied curiously scanning her surroundings, the Breezies all started approaching her with shocked looks on their faces.

"Oh, hello there! Do y'all live in here?...What are you looking at?"

She was confused as to why everybreezie was staring directly at her back, was something stuck there? After a quick check, she was 100% sure there was absolutely nothing there. Nothing at all. Not even a pair of wings. Both Tulip and Petunia were staggered, trying to understand what the fey was going on.

"P-Petunia, is this normal?"

"Of course not!" Petunia quickly dashed to the new girl, inspecting her from head to hoof. "Darling, where are your wings?! Oh sweet Robin, don't tell me those brutes pulled you out too hard..."

"Um, last time I checked, which was around 20 seconds ago, I didn't really have anything on my back either."

"Oh, that's a relief...wait, no it's not! You're wingless! How?!"

"I'm...not sure? Am I supposed to have those?"

"Of course you are! Everybreezie has wings!"

"Oh, does that mean I'm not gonna be able to fly around? Aw man..."

"That is not the only problem, child. Our wings are not just for flying..." The Dust Keeper spoke up once again. "They're a symbol of our connection to nature, a gift from the Blue Robin herself! If you don't have wings...that means you don't have any magic. And if you don't have magic..."

"T-That means you're not connected to any region..."

Tulip tiny wings started fluttering with agitation. The other Breezies gathered around, whispering among themselves, their astonishment evident. But the new girl didn't seem sad about the information at all.

"Cool!" The new Breezie smiled. "That means I can be anything I want!"

"Um, n-no, that's not what I meant-"

"Dibs for Spring!"

"P-PETUNIA!"

"What?"

"Actually..."  The Keeper thought for a moment. "In her current state, I doubt she would be able to resist the scorching heat of Summer, nor the freezing cold of Winter."

"And without wings, Autumn Grove will be too dangerous for her," Sky Striker added. "Perhaps it is best the new Breezie stays at Spring Valley for her own safety, since nothing happens in that place at all."

"What did you just say about Spring Valley?-"

"AHEM- In that case..." The Keeper approached the wingless Breezie, placing his hoof on her head. "By the powers bestowed upon me...I, Dust Keeper Oakthorn, declare you to be an honorary Spring Breezie!"

The inhabitants of Spring Valley all celebrated, cheering in unison as they formed a circle around their new member, while the Breezies of Summer and Autumn had already begun to leave back to their respective regions. Petunia almost jumped in, but refrained from doing so as to not look unprofessional. She cleared her throat.

"Alright alright, saddle down, that's enough everybreezie..." She said...professionally. "We have much to prepare back in Spring Valley, so make haste! You all have A LOT of work to do!"

With their festivity cut short, they also began heading back home, until only Petunia, Tulip, and the new girl remained. 

"And so do you, little miss."

Petunia stared at the new girl with a malicious smile.

"Me?"

"But of course!"

"But I was born like, five minutes ago! I still have so many questions to ask..."

"You see, the Spring Breezies have a MARVELOUS reputation to uphold, and now that you're one of us, you don't have time for silly questions...you will work hard to make sure Spring is always number 1...For the rest of your life!"

"Um, not gonna lie, that doesn't sound very good."

"Oh don't be silly darling, that's what everybreezie does...but before that, we must find out what yours special talent is!"

"My special talent?"

"We all have one, take me as an example...as a Garden Breezie, I can create the most exquisite sights in all of Breezie Hollow by helping the flowers of spring mature, my magic makes the ground fertile, helps seeds blossom, highlights the colors of the petals...and Tulip Tips here, she...like, does some stuff too, I guess. And who knows? Maybe your wings will even pop out when we find your special talent! Oh I can't wait to see the look on Sky Striker's face when we show her that we gave wings to a wingless Breezie!"

Without further warning, Petunia zipped out of The Hub, heading towards Spring Valley and leaving Tulip and the new girl behind. It didn't take long for her to come back though.

"Oh, yeah, no wings, completely forgot...Tulip, carry her."

"H-Huh?!"

"Whoa, I can see the whole place from up here! Everything's so pretty!" 

Petunia and Tulip Tips were flying slowly, while the latter was carrying the wingless Breezie, looking exhausted already.

"I know, right? Wait until you see it during the day, you'll be absolutely stunned! Also, can you go a little faster, Tulip? We don't exactly have time to spare, y'know..."

"I-I'm...t-trying..."

The new girl kept looking around, which didn't exactly make it easier for the one who was carrying her.

"Oh yeah, Petunia, I was wondering..."

"What did I tell you about silly questions, darling?"

"Sorry, but I can't stop thinking about something...back there at that tree place, you told me my wings were gonna...'pop out'?"

"Oh, that...you see darling, when a Breezie is born, they come out with those bland, boring and completely unfashionable wings...it's only after they find their special talent that their wings finally transform, revealing their true, beautiful shape! Oh my, and the colors...absolutely breathtaking!" Petunia couldn't hide her excitement when talking about pretty things. "Of course, not everybreezie can have wings as pretty as us Spring Breezies, and definitely not as pretty as mine, but...eh, I suppose the Summer Breezies have some okay wings...not so sure about the Autumn Breezies though...yuck..."

"So you think that my wings will appear if I manage to find my talent?"

"That's what I'm hoping for, yes." 

Petunia then stopped mid flight after noticing some sleeping Water Breezies next to a lake.

"Wait a second...what is THAT?! We only have 3 days before springtime, this is no time to be slacking! Ugh, Tulip, show the new girl around, I have to teach those airheads a lesson about RESPONSIBILITY!"

Petunia left in order to perform her 'leader duties', so Tulip took the opportunity to perform a panic landing, finally being able to catch her breath.

"Huff...huff...I think...I'm gonna...pass out..."

The wingless Breezie quickly held Tulip before she could faint, helping her lay down for a bit.

"There you go..." 

"Oh...um...thanks!..."

"Tulip Tips, right? Thanks for the ride, I hope I can repay you one of these days," She smiled warmly towards her. "You're gonna have to choose something other than air travel, though! I don't really have the wings for that, hehe."

Tulip let out a little giggle. She then looked around trying to identify where she had landed. She knew exactly where she was when she gazed upon many colorful flowers, each one different from the other.

"Oh it's this place!" 

"Whoa, what is this garden? It's very different from the ones I saw when we were flying around."

"That's because this is actually a VERY special garden! We call it the 'Blossom Haven'...see the weird flowers? Don't they remind you of anything?

"Well...they remind me of..." After thinking for a short while, the realization made her eyes widen. "They remind of the flower I came from!"

"Yep! Every single one of those flowers represent a Spring Breezie that was born during the First Moon Festival! We always replant them here so we can forever remember the day we were born...see that orange tulip over there? That one's mine!"

"Oooh, is that where you got your name from?"

"Probably, but we don't really choose our own names, it's the Dust Keeper's job to name the newborn Breezies..." After saying this, Tulip remembered an important detail. "Wait a second...Keeper Oakthorn didn't name you at all!"

"Oh yeah, that's true...I don't really wanna be called 'New Girl' for the rest of my life...oh, I have an idea!" She pointed her hoof to Tulip. "You're gonna choose my name!"

"W-What?! Me?! But I'm not a Dust Keeper!"

"Well, as you said, I can't really name myself, and it's not like anyone is going to care about where the name came from, y'know?"

"Hmm, we only really see the Dust Keepers once a year, and I guess it would be pretty sad to stay nameless for all that time...alright then, I-I'll give you a name!"

"Thanks! Now, make sure to think of something nice!"

"Uh, maybe I could name you after your flower?"

"Well, if you can figure out what that thing was..."

"H-How about something related to the color pink! Since you're, um, pink?"

"Well, if we're going for literal, you might as well call me Walks, since I'll be doing that a lot for the next few days...why don't you try to think outside the box and come up with something new? Completely unheard of...like a wingless Breezie, haha!"

"Something new?..." Tulip once again gazed upon the many different flowers in front of them, they were all so different in both shape and color, but they all had something in common, something they had to do before they could show their beautiful petals to the world outside. "...Blossom..."

"Blossom?"

"Y-Yeah...every single one of those flowers were seeds before turning into what they are now...and before they blossomed, no one knew what any of them was gonna look like!" She finally stood up. "Your flower might've not fully blossomed, but that just means that you have endless possibilities in front of you! Like a seed before it becomes a flower..."

"...Wow..."

"S-Sorry, I think I went TOO outside the box...I'm not really good at this kind of stuff..."

"I think it's perfect..."

"You...you do?"

"Yeah...thanks Tulip..."

Blossom gave Tulip a big hug, which caught her off guard, but not in a bad way, mind you. It's just that...Tulip wasn't really used to love and care.

"N-No problem..."

It feels nice to be appreciated sometimes.

"...Oh! Let me show you some other places! Lotus Meadows is right over there, it's where the Water Breezies spend most of their time! A-And then we can go to Daisy Orchard, it's everybreezie's favorite gathering spot, you're gonna love it!"

"Lead the way, my friend!"