Rainbow After The Storm
by milesprower06
Chapter 6
Employment and Resentment
PONYVILLE
THREE YEARS AGO
Rainbow pranced nervously in front of one of the many houses in Ponyville. She couldn't help but be nervous. She was pretty much applying for her first job.
She had been staying with Fluttershy for a week now, helping out however she could. And then just yesterday, there was an ad in the Daily Equestrian for an entry level weather pony. That was why Rainbow was standing outside the house of Cloud Chaser, the director of Ponyville's Weather Patrol, at 5 in the morning. Her prancing was brought to an end, and her nervousness skyrocketing, as the front door of the house opened, and a brown Pegasus walked out with a cup of coffee. With a yawn, he looked down to get the morning paper, and then noticed Rainbow Dash standing in front of him.
“Who...huh? Can I help you?” he asked, still shaking off last night's sleep.
“Uhhh, yes sir! I'm here for the job opening in yesterday's paper” Rainbow replied.
The Pegasus looked surprised. “Somepony actually saw that ad? Heh, and here I thought nopony read the Daily Equestrian anymore. Too picky about what they print. Anyways, nice to meet ya. Name's Cloud Chaser. I'm the Director of the Weather Patrol here in Ponyville. To be honest, I'd normally have reservations about hiring a Flight School dropout, but Fluttershy put in a good word for ya, so I'll give you a chance. I'll be right back.”
With that, Cloud Chaser went back inside for a few moments. Rainbow was surprised, and again flattered at Fluttershy's compassion and willingness to go out of her way for a friend. Rainbow's determination grew. She wouldn't make a liar out of Fluttershy. Not by a long shot. She could do this job. Fluttershy knew it, and she knew it.
A few minutes later, Cloud Chaser came back out with saddlebags on. “Alright, come with me, kid.” he said, taking off and flying casually above Ponyville, Rainbow flying at his side.
“Alright, so you read a wanted ad in a paper and had a friend put in a good word. But do you actually know what this job requires?” Cloud Chaser asked. Rainbow knew he wasn't deliberately insulting or doubting Fluttershy's word, and that he was just conducting a job interview.
“Yeah. We had a job fair back in flight camp. I'm assigned a specific area, and then I get the weekly forecast delivered up from the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. I follow those instructions to the letter. I know rainclouds and thunderclouds have to be handled with a bit more care; we can't have them leaking or accidentally going off.”
“Well, at least now I know you didn't just read an ad in a paper and come running. You paid attention during your job fair, and you know what this job involves. Good, but some days you'll be pulling long hours, and you may have to cover other Pegasi that call off sick. You up for that?”
“Absolutely! More bits just lead to better things. And I bet I could get the weather forecasts done in record time!”
'Certainly not modest' Cloud Chaser thought to himself. “Well, you've certainly got enthusiasm. So are you gonna send some of the money home or something?” he asked. Rainbow gave him a brief quizzical look.
“Heck no, why would I do that?”
“Oh. Well, it just seemed to me you're still a tad too young to be out on your own.”
“Well, that may be, but that doesn't mean my parents are getting one measly cent of my pay. Not after I ran away.”
Rainbow's eyes went wide for a moment, as she realized what she had just said.
“Uh, that's not gonna be a problem, is it?”
“Not as long as you do a good job. That's your business.”
Relief washed over Rainbow.
“Well, here we are. This will be the area you're responsible for.”
Rainbow looked down, and saw they were over Sweet Apple Acres.
“Oh, the apple farm! Cool!”
“Now there's something special about this area. Once a year, you're to let the weather from the Everfree Forest drift over the farm. The owners will let you know when to do that. It has something to do with the apple jam they make once a year. But other than that, just follow the forecasts. I assume until you get a place of your own, you'll be staying with Fluttershy, yes?”
“Yep, probably.”
“Alright. So that's that. You start bright and early tomorrow morning. I'll have the mailmare deliver the forecast to Fluttershy's cottage today.”
Rainbow shook the director's hoof.
“Thanks for this opportunity, Cloud Chaser, sir. I won't let ya down!”
“I hope not. You've got the motivation. Now you just have to get the skills. Good luck!”
The two ponies parted, and after Cloud Chaser was far enough away, Rainbow did her own loop-de-loop.
“Wahoo!!!” she cheered, elation quickly taking over. She raced back to Fluttershy's to give her the good news.
“I got the job!” she nearly screamed joyously into her friend's face upon being greeted at the door.
“That's wonderful, Rainbow! I knew you would. I know you'll be one of the best weather Pegasi Ponyville's ever had.”
“You'd better believe it! Oh, and he's going to have the mailmare deliver the weather forecast for me here. Hope that's okay.”
“Sure, no problem. I hope she gets it here. My mailpony puts my letters in the wrong mailbox all the time.”
For the last day of being unemployed, Rainbow once again helped Fluttershy with whatever chores she could. She was mowing the back yard when a gray Pegasus about her age came fluttering down from the sky, carrying a mail bag.
“Are you Rainbow Dash?” she asked, touching down on the grass as Rainbow brought the mower to a halt in front of her. She immediately noticed the odd lisp in the pony's voice, as well as her lazy eyes. Regardless of this, she greeted the cyan Pegasus with a smile.
“Uh, yeah. That's me.”
“Hiya. I'm Ponyville's mailmare. I was told you're the new weather pony for the southeast corner of town. Here's your forecast for next week.” the Pegasus said, digging into her saddlebag and handing Rainbow an envelope.
“Thanks. Oh, I didn't get your name.”
“Derpy. Nice t'meetcha!”
Upon Derpy's departure, Rainbow opened the envelope, and unfolded the paper, her eyes scrolling left and right as she read it.
“Clear skies tomorrow...sounds easy enough. I'll clear those clouds in ten seconds flat!”
The next morning, Rainbow left dark and early, trying her best to stay silent in getting ready, as to not disturb Fluttershy or her animals. When she got outside, the Ponyville outskirts were nearly lifeless. As she flew the short distance to Sweet Apple Acres, she was concerned about not being able to spot all the clouds in the early morning darkness. But by the time she got to the farm, her eyes had adjusted, and she saw that quite a few clouds had drifted over the farm from the Everfree Forest.
Giving her wings a quick stretch, she immediately got to work. Gaining altitude, she came down in a long swoop, her arcing path catching several clouds, and they dissipated as she passed through them.
'Best. Job. Ever!' she said, climbing up for another swoop.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER
Cloud Chaser made his way through town, glancing at various ponies opening up shops for the day. The sun was now fully above the horizon, and the weather director was making his rounds, making sure the skies were as they should be.
“Oh, and I have to check on the new kid today, see how she's doing with her skies.”
Coming to the east side of the market, he noticed an out-of-place cloud, floating about 50 feet above the ground. Squinting at it, he noticed somepony on top, sleeping.
The rainbow tail dangling off the end gave it away.
“So much for her big talk...” he grumbled, assuming she hadn't even started with the forecast yet.
He was about to fly up and give her a stern reprimand, but then he heard an approaching voice calling him.
“Scuse me, pardon me. Mr. Cloud Chaser sir!”
He turned to see Applejack, the co-owner of Sweet Apple Acres, galloping up to him.
“Hey Applejack. Sorry about the skies. I put somepony new on it today. I'll get somepony over to get them clear right away.”
“What are you talkin' about? They're already clear! How'd they do it?”
“Come again?” Cloud Chaser asked, requiring a double take.
“They've never been cleared before sunrise! But sure enough, 'ah got up and there wasn't a single cloud over the orchards!”
Cloud Chaser was amazed. Not only did Rainbow Dash talk big, but she delivered, as well.
“So ya got somepony new over my farm? Who'd ya get?”
Cloud Chaser simply pointed up, at the floating cloud. Applejack too, noticed the dangling multicolored tail.
“Well, what d'ya know, she got a job!”
“You know her?”
“Well, no, not really. I found her sleeping in my barn after last week's thunderstorm. She'd run away from home or something.”
Cloud Chaser went to see Rainbow's work for himself, and sure enough, Sweet Apple Acres' skies were crystal clear. He was very impressed, to say the least.
“She earned her pay today, that's for sure.”
ONE MONTH LATER...
Getting up and tending to her animals as usual, Fluttershy was in the middle of feeding her birds when one of her new bunnies, whom she had named Angel, came and poked her leg, and pointed to the back yard.
“Hmm? You want me to see something in the back yard?”
Fluttershy walked around the front of the cottage to the back yard, and was shocked to see a particular addition.
Next to the shed in back, was a pile of cloud, nearly as tall as the shed itself.
“Oh my goodness, what on earth...?”
“Hey Fluttershy!” Rainbow said, coming down from the skies with another armful of clouds.
“Rainbow, what is this? Why are you piling clouds in my back yard?”
“Oh, sorry about that. This,” she began, showing her current haul to Fluttershy. “This isn't just any regular type of cloud. This is Premium Building Cloud. Straight from Cloudsdale!”
“Oh, that's...nice, I suppose, but what's it doing in my back yard?” she asked again.
“I've been setting a little aside each payday. I've almost got enough up to build my own house in the sky above Ponyville. I can finally get out of your hair. I know I've been a bother. I just didn't have anywhere else to put it yet. I need enough before I begin building, so I just put it as out of the way as I could.”
“Oh, alright. I was just wondering what it was doing here. And you're...building a place of your own?”
“Yep. So much cheaper than the places available in Ponyville right now. I just need a little more to get the primary living space built. I can add on more whenever I like. That's the advantage of building in the sky.”
“Well, best of luck with that, Rainbow. And you're not a bother, not at all. It's been great having you here. Company is nice.”
“I just always felt like I was in the way. But thanks for having me.”
“How long do you think it'll take to get your cloud house just the way you want it?”
“Oh, I don't know. To get everything right, probably a couple of years.”
TWO YEARS LATER
Rainbow awoke in her cumulus bed to the ring of her doorbell. Yawning, she flew out of her room, and went to the front door. Opening it, she was greeted with the familiar face of Ponyville's mailmare.
“G'morning, Derpy. I'm guessing you've got next week's forecast for me.”
“No, not today. Mr. Cloud Chaser said he wanted to meet with you as soon as you wake up. He said to meet him in his office down in town.”
This came as a bit of a surprise to Rainbow. For the past two years, she had slowly been building this house of hers, and she finally got it just the way she wanted it a few weeks ago, even adding a rainbow fountain. The day-in-day-out of being the Acres' weather pony was very comfortably routine.
“Alright, I'll be right there.”
Derpy left, and Rainbow got herself ready in a hurry. She didn't want to keep her boss waiting any longer than she needed to. Getting herself presentable, she flew out the front door and zoomed down to Ponyville. Cloud Chaser's house was over by the town pavilion, and he doubled it as the Ponyville Weather Office, encouraging any citizen of Ponyville to come to him with any weather-related concerns they might have.
Rainbow descended to his front door, and gently knocked. Within seconds, he opened the front door.
“Rainbow, thanks for coming on such short notice.”
“No problem, boss. What can I...uh, are you going somewhere?” Rainbow asked, noticing a stack of suitcases and travel bags piled beside the front door inside the house.
“You could say that. I've been promoted to a supervisor position up at the Weather Factory.”
“Whoa, that's awesome. So, who's replacing you?”
“You are.”
Rainbow was dumbstruck.
“Say what???”
“Yep, you heard me, kid. Congrats.” Cloud Chaser said with a smile.
“But...but I've only been here for a couple years! There are ponies all over the weather team that have more experience.”
“Yes, but in that two years, you've performed your section flawlessly, and covered for nearly every other section of Ponyville at least once. I've discussed this with the rest of the team, Dash. It's unanimous. Everyone thinks you've got what it takes.”
Rainbow was speechless.
“Wow...I mean...uh...wow. This is all so sudden. What do I do? The Summer Sun Celebration is coming up in a few days!”
“Yes, I know. Don't panic. All you need to do for that is make sure the entire sky above Ponyville is clear, and you've proven time and again you can do that in almost no time at all. Princess Celestia is sending down some kind of overseer for the preparations. Put on a good show, and let 'em see why we're the #1 weather team in Equestria.”
Dash was still beside herself. Cloud Chaser smiled.
“Don't worry, Rainbow. You've been one of my best weather ponies, and you've got the entire Ponyville weather team behind you. You're gonna do great, trust me.”
“I'm...I'm not sure if I trust myself, boss.”
“Nonsense. You'll do great, I know it. You start tomorrow. I'm giving you today off. Take some time to relax. You've earned it, for sure.”
Rainbow shook Cloud Chaser's hoof, and bid him farewell, and then let him get back to packing. He said he'd forward her all the necessary paperwork to her house in the coming days. Rainbow returned to her house to take it all in.
When she finally let out a “Whoohoo!!!”, nearly the entire market block heard her.
CLOUDSDALE WEATHER FACTORY
THE NEXT DAY
'I'm sorry. Whenever I look at you, I see my daughter. I can't deal with that every day anymore. I'm sorry.'
Stormcloud repeated his wife's last words to him in his head over and over. As he had nearly everyday for the past year, ever since she had left him.
His efforts to find Rainbow in the weeks after she ran away proved fruitless. Equestria was too large to cover ground effectively. His last endeavor was sending out 'MISSING' pamphlets along with every forecast the Factory sent out, but even that returned nothing.
He had tried everything he knew how to do, and after a year, Firefly couldn't take it anymore. She had never said it directly to him, but Stormcloud had always been afraid that she blamed him for Rainbow running away. They hadn't spoken to each other since.
Regardless of his situation, he still had a job to do. The Weather Factory never stopped, so the floor supervisors never stopped either. He turned his grief into focus towards his work. He didn't like to think of himself as a workaholic, but it was the only way he knew how to deal with the pain, and accepting the fact that somewhere, he had gone wrong, and lost his only daughter. This new motivation quickly gained him notice, and now, here he was, recently promoted to Head Supervisor of the entire Cloudsdale Weather Factory. He was proud of himself, yes, but he also couldn't deny the fact that this promotion came from a renewed focus in his work, which directly came from trying to put his broken family behind him.
His new position came with new responsibilities. The first of these was filling his now vacant Floor Supervisor position. Normally, someone lower in the Factory employee chain would be moved up. But the few ponies that were eligible refused the position, knowing the additional stress that came with a manager position.
So he looked out across the entire Equestrian Weather Patrol, and found something that caught his eye: Ponyville.
The small town in one of Equestria's central valleys had one of the most flawless Weather Accuracy records in the books. So he decided to reward that kind of workmanship. He offered his previous position to the town's Weather Director, Cloud Chaser, and he had immediately accepted. He was on his way now, and Stormcloud knew that if he took his punctuality as seriously as he did his weather, that he'd be right on time for their first meeting in three minutes.
And indeed he was. Early, in fact. Stormcloud's new secretary informed him of Cloud Chaser's arrival, and showed him into the impressive office overlooking the various areas of the Weather Factory.
“Hello, sir. Pleasure to be here.” Cloud Chaser greeted, shaking the Factory Manager's hoof.
“The pleasure's mine. I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll do with my previous position, given your record with Ponyville. Make no mistake, that's why you're here.”
“And I'm proud of it, sir. Nowhere else I'd rather call home. You can rest assured that Ponyville will continue with it's track record. I made sure to replace myself with somepony that I knew could get the job done.”
Stormcloud was impressed with the way Cloud Chaser conversed in this meeting. Serious, focused, yet somehow, casual.
“Glad to hear that. Who'd you promote?”
“A young Pegasus that came to me looking for work two years ago when she ran away from home. She's definitely got a knack for it. Name's Rainbow Dash.”