//------------------------------//
// 2: Back to Ponyville 
// Story: Drops of Rain 
// by Ferntail12 
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	It had been twenty-eight days, and Dash was bidding her farewells to the...noticeably improved...Manehattan weather team. And as she had suspected, Dewdrop was weaving amongst her old teammates, exchanging goodbyes and hugs. 
“Dewdrop? It’s time to go. We need to get back to Ponyville. I want to get there before it gets dark,” Dash said. 
“Okay Rainbow. Just let me say goodbye to Bubblegum,” Dewdrop said. She proceeded to say goodbye, then flew off to meet Dash.
“You ready?” asked Dash.
“You bet!” said Dewdrop.

The two of them turned and, waving to the throng of ponies, flew off to the west toward Ponyville. 
“Uh, Rainbow, where are we going?”asked Dewdrop.
“Well, we're going to weather team headquarters. You need a place to stay and some good rest. It’s gonna be at least an hour-and-a-half flight,” Dash said. 
“Woah, I’m not sure I can make it all the way.”
“That’s okay. We can rest if you need to. I put in extra time for that.”
“K, let’s go.”



One hour and forty-five minutes later

The two pegasi touched down on the runway of Ponyville Weather Team Headquarters. Pinkie Pie came running out with a banner that said WELCOME BACK RAINBOW DASH and Dash started cracking up. Then Pinkie pulled off the top banner and replaced it with an I’M SORRY one. Then she replaced it with a THEY TOOK THUNDERSTRIKE D: one. Dash’s jaw dropped, and she wailed:
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“Sorry Dashie,” Pinkie responded. Dash allowed herself a few more seconds of self-pity until she got back into team-captain mode. 
“Pinkie, go home. You have a party to plan.”
“Ooh! Wait...what is it?” Pinkie asked.
“Welcome to Ponyville, Dewdrop.”
“Okie-dokie-lokie! See you at Sugarcube Corner!”
“Bye.”
Okay. Time to show Dewdrop to her bunk. Blossomforth will show her around tomorrow and I’ll introduce her to everypony. Now I have to figure out who will be Co-Captain. Blossomforth maybe? Or...hmmm…. Blueberry Cloud? Hawthorne? I dunno…. *Dash! Cloudsdale to Rainbow Dash! You in there?* 

Dewdrop’s voice jerked Dash back from thought-land. 
“Yeah Dewdrop. Sorry. Just… thinking.”
“That’s okay.”
“Anyway, let’s get you bedded down. You're probably tired.”
“You think?”
“Exactly.”

Dash led Dewdrop through the winding maze of hallways that formed Ponyville Weather Team’s HQ. She was wondering who the featherbrained pony who took her friend, advisor, and right hoof Thunderstrike away. The easiest way would be to go to her office and check the records… at ten o'clock at night… but- ugh. No. Just, no. In the morning, maybe, but not now. 
“Here we are. Team barracks. Get bedded down, your bunk is the bottom one in the third row from the front, seventh bunk. Showers to the left, mess hall to the right. Got it?” Dash said, stopping in front of the barracks door.
“Yep, I think.”
“Okay, I’ll be back in the morning. The pony bunking above you is Blossomforth. She’ll show you around. Be prepared for about an hour of being introduced to other ponies though. I’ll do that.”
“G’night Dash.”
“See you, Dewdrop.”

Dewdrop turned and walked through the open barracks door. Dash closed the door softly and headed for her personal quarters. She was too tired to even consider going back home to her cloud house, a thirty-minute flight at the least. Besides, she had the team greeting and introductions to deal with the next morning. Exhausted from the flight, Dash tumbled into bed. She was asleep in under twenty minutes.