//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: My Little Season Fairy: Weather is Magic 
// by Nyperold 
//------------------------------//

Twilight located Rainbow Dash, who told her where to find the cloud scientist's lab she'd taken the fairies to. Going there, she entered the lab quietly enough so as not to disturb the goings-on within, while loudly enough to announce her presence so she wouldn't startle anyone by seeming to just suddenly be there.
"Ah, Your Highness," said Nimbus. "To what do I owe your visit?"
"Eheh, Dr. Nimbus, I presume?" asked Twilight.  The doctor nodded. "Just 'Twilight' or 'Twilight Sparkle' is fine." I suppose I should be grateful I don't yet exude grandeur like Celestia or Luna. "I heard we have a couple of fairies trying to help out up here, and I wanted to meet them and see how things were going." Having noticed the fairies, she trotted over to them. "You must be Salt and Turmeric."
Turmeric bowed a bit. "Yes, your... I mean, Twilight. I'm Turmeric, and this is Salt. Sadly, it's not going well. I've played my tune in a lot of different ways, and nothing seems to make a cloud suitable for our purposes."
"Ohhh," said Dr. Nimbus, mournfully. "I'm going to be hearing that tune in my head for days..."
"A tune? What tune?"
"Please no, it's a lovely tune, but I've just heard it too many times today."
"Can you play a different tune from... whatever it was, then?"
"A different tune...?" said Salt. "Hang on, I've got something!"
He began to play the main melody that he had heard Saga play so many times when he was in the human world. Turmeric smiled, recognizing it. Twilight and Dr. Nimbus were so moved, they almost forgot to watch the cloud form. It achieved maximum size just as he finished.
"Oh... my..." said the pegasus. "Oh! Yes!" She went around, making printouts of the views. Twilight looked through out of curiosity. She'd never done so before, only having seen still printouts in science texts.
"Why... these are perfect! If anything, they might even be stronger than the clouds that were there before!"
Salt was pleasantly surprised. "Really? Saga's mom's song did that?"
"If that's who composed that wonderful piece, then yes!"
"Great!" said Twilight. "Should we go to the site, then?"
"I don't see why not," said the scientist. "We'll just have to round up an engineer or two. Twilight, if you wish, this would be a good time to go find Rainbow Dash. She'll want to know about it, I'm sure."
"Yes, she will," said Twilight. "I'll go do that right now. See you two later!"

*~*~*

Ginger sighed. This was the tenth variation on her usual tune she'd tried yet, and nothing seemed to be working.
"Whah donchy'all have a break, at least?" called Applejack. "Got some cider for ya!"
"Thank you, I believe I will," said Ginger, putting her violin away and flying down. She accepted the thimble with cider in it and sipped at it. Applejack when back into the house, and about a minute later, reemerged with a fiddle and bow.
"Oh!" said Ginger. "You play, as well?"
"Ah guess Ah play a little," Applejack replied, modestly. "Nothin' real fancy, but Ah figure it's raht enjoyable."
She tucked the fiddle under her chin and set bow to string. With that, and a bit of tuning, she began to play a good old-fashioned country-style tune, of the sort played at a barn dance. Ginger smiled and moved in time with the music as she continued to drink. When both she and Applejack had finished, Ginger had a thought.
"Do you mind if I join in?" she asked.
"Whah, not at all!"
Ginger pulled out her violin and set it to her chin, and Applejack started over, this time with Ginger playing the same tune. The music reached the clouds, and they began to unleash their rain upon the orchards and fields.
"YEEEEEE-HAW!" yelled the earth pony, missing neither note nor beat.
When the song was over and all the clouds rained out, the two beamed.
"Well don't that jus' beat all. One-a them old folksy tunes made it rain! Reckon it wouldn't happen without a magical instrument, but still... Y'all done us a good turn, Miss Ginger. Thankee muchly."
"It was my pleasure, Applejack. I had fun, even if it hadn't done that."
"Well, no surprise there. Now that that's that, maybe we should go see how the others are doin'!"

*~*~*

Pepper and Lyra went from place to place, Pepper cleaning up small debris and Lyra asking her all sorts of questions about humans. Although Pepper didn't mind too much, it was a bit distracting -- not that she would ever say so -- and there were times when she simply did not know the answer. That was fine with Lyra, though; she was simply ecstatic to gain what information she could.
"So you say humans can't see or hear you?"
"Mostly not. They usually can only see and hear us if they're going to be helping an apprentice season fairy find her twinkle and become full-fledged. Once that happens, they lose that ability, but while the ability lasts, they can see any season fairy as easily as they can see each other."
"Ohhhh... so what's a 'twinkle'?"
Pepper giggled. "It's something we need to find to make our flowers grow. When I was looking for mine, my friends and I disagreed about whether it was twinkle-twinkle, puffy-fluffy, or comfy-warm. In the end, I guess it was all those things. We're not really supposed to tell apprentice season fairies, since finding it on their own is part of what makes a season fairy become full-fledged, but since there aren't any around here, and weather is made by a completely different process, I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell. As it turns out, it's--"
"Lyra~!" a pleasant voice called. "Would you be a dear and help me make more loads?"
"Oh! Sure thing, Diamond Mint!" Lyra sheepishly turned back to Pepper. "Guess I'd better go work. It was fun talking with you!"
"Well, um, same here!"
"I guess I'll let you get back to what you were doing. See you around!" With that, Lyra trotted off.
"Bye!" Pepper said, and indeed, went back to moving debris into cans.

*~*~*

Applejack and Ginger found a very frustrated Sugar at Fluttershy's cottage.
"Heya, Fluttershah! So, how're ya doin', sugarcube?"
Applejack suddenly had a fairy in her face. "I am not a cube! I'm Sugar! Hmph!"
"Beggin' yer pardon, uh, Sugar. No offense intended."
"Oh, Applejack, it's been really difficult for her," said Fluttershy. "It reminds me of me when I was learning to fly..."
"Why won't this work?! Grr!" Sugar fumed. "All this time, and what do I have to show for it? This!" She gestured to a cold pack with a small wet spot in the middle. Her face turned sad. "It's my apprenticeship all over again..."
Ginger came up and hugged her, and was hugged in return.
"There, there, Sugar. I didn't find it easy, either. I only managed it when I played a tune Applejack knew. Maybe you just need to play something else."
"I guess... but I just don't feel up to it."
Ginger guided her to the ground, where they sat together, hugging. Suddenly Ginger had an idea.
"I know what'll cheer you up."
"What," asked Sugar, dully.
"This!" said Ginger, and began tickling her mercilessly.
"B...bahahahahahahahahahahaha!" laughed Sugar, and began to kick and wiggle. "Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Fluttershy and Applejack couldn't help but smile at the scene. After about a minute, Ginger stopped and lay on her back, allowing Sugar to give her the same treatment. Sugar happily did so, making Ginger helpless with laughter. Soon enough, Sugar stopped.
"Now," panted Ginger, "what say you... try a different tune?"
"Yeah!" said Sugar, now energized. "But... what?"
"Whatever comes ta mind, Ah reckon," offered Applejack.

Sugar played a tune she had never heard before. It was as though it was fed to her by an outside force. None present really knew it, though the reader would know it as the theme song to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. When it ended, a nice snowball fell right in the middle of the pack.
"Oh!" said Fluttershy, approaching the pack. "That will do nicely!" She bundled it up and took it to the patient. "There you go, Mr. Badger, a nice cold pack for your injury."
Sugar hovered there with her mouth open. She took a deep breath before... "YAHOOOOOO! I did it I did it I did it!" She giggled and went around to everyone present, giving each a kiss, even the badger. She stopped back at Ginger and hugged her. Ginger smiled and hugged her in return.
"Your mother would be so proud of you," she said to Sugar. "I wonder how Turmeric and the others are doing..."

*~*~*

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Dr. Nimbus stood at the edge of the hole in the clouds as Turmeric and Salt hovered nearby.
"Twilight tells me you guys have got this down," said Rainbow. "So let's see what you can do!"
Salt and Turmeric nodded to each other and went down to the bottom of the foundation cloud, cellos and bows in hands. They began to play Saga's mother's song as they spiralled outward and upward, cloud forming wherever they had been. By the time the song was done, the cloud was completely filled in.
"Whoa," said Rainbow Dash. "It's... perfect. You can't even tell wasn't made by our own construction pegasi!"
Nimbus scanned the ground with her naked eyes. "I have no doubt that you'd be able to tell the difference with equipment, but I am completely confident that this cloud is safe to walk and even build upon."
"Really?" asked Twilight.
"I would stake my reputation on it."
"Doc knows her stuff, Twilight. I didn't seek her out for nothing!"
"Okay, okay, if you trust her, then so do I. Though I suppose the proof will be when they actually start rebuilding."

*~*~*

A few days passed. The fairies continued to help out where they could, making wind, snow, rain, and clouds as needed. They met with Lyra and told them more about humans, and went to the school to talk to the foals about themselves and their lives. They had their meals and took their sleep at various houses, as well.

Finally, the day came when the weather factories were all ready for operation again, and all damage done was repaired. As such, the stage in Ponyville was set up, and ponies from both Ponyville and Cloudsdale were called to attend. As such, there was a massive crowd in front of it, such that nopony felt the need to replicate themselves to fill it out. On the stage stood the two pony sisters, and a lectern on which the five fairies stood.
Celestia approached the lectern. "Residents of Ponyville and Cloudsdale. A few days ago, there was an industrial accident in the weather factory, completely destroying it. But thanks to the help of these five, we have recovered our losses. And so, I bestow upon each the title of 'Friend of Equestria'."
There was a glow in front of each fairy, and within each glow was a button of the sort you pin on, sized to be normal for a fairy. On the front, each said 'Friend of Equestria'. The fairies picked theirs up curiously. Then, Sugar lifted hers above her head and gave a brief laugh. The other fairies looked at her and did the same, and the crowd cheered. Then the fairies pinned them to their clothing.
"And now, my little fairies," said Celestia, as the crowd quieted down. "I believe I can send you back home whenever you choose."
"...We... should really get going," said Pepper, sadly. "But we will miss you all!"
"I'll think about you every day!" said Salt.
"I'll never forget you!" said Sugar.
Twilight stepped forward. "And we will never forget what you've done for us. Title or no, you truly are friends."
Twilight suddenly found her face being hugged by Sugar. Salt and Pepper joined her, and Ginger and Turmeric hugged her neck. Then they broke away, and flew back up to the stage.
Sugar took a deep breath, then exhaled. "We're ready."
"Very well." Celestia's horn glowed, and from it issued magic swirling into a portal. The fairies flew in front of it, waved one last time, and flew through before it disappeared.
"I wonder if we'll ever see them again," said Twilight.
"Who knows," said Celestia. "Let us hope that if they do show up again, it is under more pleasant circumstances."

*~*~*

Back in the fairy world, the fairies returned to find the elder on the floor, panting hard. They all rushed over to help him up.
"Elder! Are you all right?" asked Ginger.
"Eheh, mostly fine," he replied. "I may be rather powerful, but taking care of all forms of an entire city's weather is exhausting! You see why each type of weather is usually the provence of only one fairy per region."
They helped him over to a chair.
"Now then, young'uns," he continued. "Why don't you tell me all about what happened these past few days?"
"Well," said Pepper, "we found ourselves in Equestria, where talking ponies seem to be the dominant species, in the middle of some clouds. This light blue winged pony with a rainbow mane came up to us and..." It was then that she noticed that he had fallen asleep. "Elder?"
Turmeric laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Let's let him sleep. We can tell him all about it some other time."