That evening, Apple Bloom and Skyward were walking back into Ponyville. They were both extremely satisfied with what Zecora had taught them, but Apple Bloom noticed that Skyward was starting to frown a bit.
“Anything wrong?” she asked.
“No, no. That was great,” Skyward insisted. “I loved learning about ordinary weather.”
“But?”
Skyward sighed. “But knowing how it works just isn’t the same as getting involved.”
“Well, what if you could pass on what you learned to other ponies?” suggested Apple Bloom.
“Nopony wants to learn about weather that happens on its own,” said Skyward. “I’ve heard no schools teach it because all the weather in Equestria is controlled by pegasi.”
“My teacher never told us about it, so I guess you’re right there,” Apple Bloom said after a moment’s thought.
“Still, I want to thank you for trying to help me get my hoof in the door,” smiled Skyward. “But it’s no use. I was born an earth pony, so…”
“Don’t go givin’ up!” snapped Apple Bloom.
“But…”
“I know a unicorn who got involved with weather before,” Apple Bloom was recalling Rarity's brief gig in the weather industry. “So I know that not only pegasi can control the weather.”
“How did she do?” asked Skyward.
“That’s not the point,” Apple Bloom waved the question away.
“Can I ask you something?” Skyward asked.
“Sure.”
“I wasn’t assigned a roommate,” said Skyward. “There’s an odd number of us from Barrow in Harness, so I got my own room at the inn. I could ask my chaperone to let you stay with me tonight-- um, if you want, that is.”
“I’d love to,” Apple Bloom smiled. “I’ll probably be the first pony to stay in a hotel in her own home.”
Skyward chuckled. “You’ll probably get a big 1st as a cutie mark for being the first pony to do a bunch of weird stuff.”
Apple Bloom grinned before Skyward looked up at the pegasi again. She spotted Rainbow Dash towing a grey cloud towards Town Hall.
“Rainbow Dash! Couldja come here a minute?!” called Apple Bloom.
“That’s the coolest name I’ve ever heard,” said Skyward.
Rainbow Dash heard this as she approached and needless to say, it gave her a big head.
“Well you need a cool name if you wanna be a weather captain or a pending Wonderbolt,” she said smugly.
“Oh! You’re the weather captain of Ponyville!” burst out Skyward, vigorously shaking Rainbow Dash’s hoof.
“OK, OK,” said Apple Bloom. This wasn’t the reason she’d summoned Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, couldja do me a favour and tell Granny Smith that I ain’t gonna be home tonight? I’m gonna be spending the night with Skyward here.”
“Sure thing,” replied Rainbow Dash. “I got some time before tonight’s rain’s due.”
And she took off towards Sweet Apple Acres, causing a trickle of dandelion seeds to blow around the two fillies.
On the way to the inn, Apple Bloom and Skyward thought they could hear crumpling paper. They approached a row of houses and spotted Roseluck carrying a roll of newspapers to a garbage bin.
“Evenin’ Roseluck!” called Apple Bloom.
“Oh! Hi, Apple Bloom,” replied Roseluck. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Skyward. She’s visiting from Barrow in Harness,” said Apple Bloom as Roseluck and Skyward shook hooves. “Been paintin’?”
Roseluck quickly looked at her crumpled up newspapers, which weren’t entirely black and white.
“Uh, yeah,” she said. “Thought I’d give my fen--”
“Where’s your garden gnomes?” asked Apple Bloom. “They’re not in your garden.”
“Oh, I just…”
“You gave your garden gnomes a new coat of paint?!” said Apple Bloom excitedly. “Great! They’ll look fantastic!”
“Aw, that secret’s out,” groaned Roseluck.
“Why were ya keepin’ it secret?” Apple Bloom asked.
“I was planning to decorate my flower display tomorrow with my gnomes,” Roseluck answered. “They were my secret weapon.”
“Don’t leave them outside to dry. Bring them in. It’s gonna rain tonight,” warned Skyward.
“But they’re dry. And I didn’t use water base paint,” said Roseluck.
“Rain can still spoil the colour of your gnomes,” Skyward insisted. “That’s why the paintwork fades when they’re left out all the time.”
“Well, thank you for the suggestion,” said Roseluck. “You know, I wanted to keep this a secret…”
“We won’t say a thing to anypony,” promised Apple Bloom.
“Thanks girls,” Roseluck smiled before turning to her backyard.
Apple Bloom and Skyward spent the rest of the evening in Skyward’s room at the inn after getting the Barrow in Harness chaperone’s approval. They discussed possibilities for jobs Skyward could get in the weather industry, but neither one came up with a solution. The last thing that was discussed before lights out was Apple Bloom making Skyward promise to never abandon her goal. They both slept well that night despite the noise of the rain, but they were woken earlier than intended by voices coming from outside. They both went to the window and opened the blinds. Mayor Mare was shouting at Cloud Chaser, and it was soon clear why.
“What’s all that goo on the ground?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Well, unless the weather team made some wind before they made it rain,” said a very amused Skyward, “that must be wet dandelion seeds.”
Apple Bloom looked around. It looked like there’d been an explosion at a porridge factory. The grass and some of the kiosks were nearly completely covered in white goo. Needless to say, the Festival of Flora could not go on while this mess was lying around. Who would want to admire a bunch of flowers while squelching through a ton of paste?
“I can understand why they made it rain the night before a big flower show,” said Skyward later than morning after Cloud Chaser had told Rainbow Dash about the complaints and Twilight had done everyone the favour of magicing the mess away, “but why did they make it windy the day before?”
“I think I heard Derpy mention something about pollination,” said Apple Bloom.
“Pollination?! What’s the point? Flower show contestants always prepare their plants months in advance,” said Skyward. “And even if it would make a difference, all those mini gardens are gonna get is a buncha dandelions.”
They didn’t have much time to try and figure this out because one of the foals from Skyward’s class told everyone that he found out that they were supposed to write an essay about the different types of plants that they saw at the Festival of Flora. Several foals were hastily grabbing paper and pencils so they would remember what they saw. Some foals outright refused to do any of the essay, feeling cheated because none of their teachers had mentioned this assignment before.
When the festival was declared open and the punters were pouring in, Apple Bloom and Skyward discovered that Roseluck wasn’t the only one who’d had the idea of decorating her flower display with garden gnomes. Although it looked like Cherry Fizzy could have taken a tip from Skyward. His gnomes didn’t exactly stand out amongst his flowers.
“If you don’t mind me askin’,” said Apple Bloom, “how long have your gnomes been out in your garden?”
Cherry Fizzy shrugged. “I don’t think they’ve ever been indoors. Why? Can’t you tell I repainted them yesterday?”
“Well…” Apple Bloom glanced around. “Look over there.”
Cherry Fizzy looked and his eyes popped. Roseluck’s flower display was easily visible across the fair. The garden gnomes standing around her flowers looked immaculate, especially in comparison to Cherry Fizzy’s.
“Wow, she sure did something right,” said Cherry Fizzy. “I don’t know how she does it. She always does one better than the rest of us.”
Apple Bloom and Skyward decided not to tell him that he and Rose had come close to being even.
Down the line, they did find a display that could pose a sufficient competition to Roseluck. Junebug’s flower display was quite tidy and vibrant. But Junebug herself was neither.
“What happened to ya?!” cried Apple Bloom.
“Oh, I just had a bitta trouble with the soil,” Junebug replied. “My garden got really wet last night. Took me a while to get everything neatly set up.”
“Well, usually, the contestants repot their plants in the morning before the show,” said Apple Bloom.
“I did,” groaned Junebug. “But there was so much water all over my flowers that it dripped onto my fresh soil and turned it into mud. Not sure if it was worth the effort this morning to be frank.”
“Looks like it was, to me,” said Skyward, peering around at Junebug’s flowers. “But you really should get cleaned up. We’ll watch over your display.”
Junebug thanked Skyward and Apple Bloom for their compliments and help, but as she went to find Rainbow Dash to give her a shower and a Rainblowdry, Skyward voiced some criticisms about Junebug’s display.
“It looks like everyone else’s display, really,” she said. “All the flowers here look colourful, but beaten up. How hard did the Ponyville weather team make the rain last night? All the flowers would need the night before the fair is a sprinkling.”
At that moment, they heard a high pitched squeal. They looked and saw Big McIntosh standing frozen underneath a string of bunting. Turned out a bit of rain water had dripped down and landed on his back.
Skyward looked at the decorations realizing they were soaking. “Maybe Junebug could just get washed off standing under there,” she joked.
The two fillies got a bit nervous when they saw the judges starting to walk around and inspect the displays, but Junebug returned five minutes before they got to hers. Apple Bloom and Skyward picked up where they left off walking around and admiring the flowers, but they soon found at least three other contestants who’d had trouble with their drenched gardens as well. Eventually, the winner was announced. It came as no surprise to Apple Bloom and Skyward that Roseluck’s spotless garden gnomes had gotten her first prize. No one ever gave speeches at the Festival of Flora, but Apple Bloom was sure that if they did, Roseluck would surely mention Skyward’s suggestion.
“What’s going on now?” asked Skyward, watching Rainbow Dash, Flitter and Cloud Chaser loitering around the winding down festival.
“I guess the weather team’s waiting until everypony’s cleaned up their displays,” replied Apple Bloom. “Then they’ll make it windy to get rid of all the petals and leaves on the ground.”
“Oh, they’re not just gonna bring a wind in, are they?” Skyward scoffed. “Look how wet and heavy they all are.”
Apple Bloom had to agree that all the leaves and petals that had dropped onto the ground were more or less part of the lawns and walkways.
“What they ought to do is move all the clouds and let the sun dry the petals and leaves out,” Skyward went on. “Then they can bring the wind in. That stuff will be outta here before you could say…”
Apple Bloom jolted. “Write a memo to the weather team!”
“Huh?”
“I mean, why not? You haven’t been wrong yet,” insisted Apple Bloom. “Here.”
Apple Bloom hadn’t written anything on the paper she’d brought, so she gave it to Skyward and encouraged her to write down her suggestion to the weather team.
“Couldn’t I just talk to Rainbow Dash or something?” Skyward asked nervously.
“You look like you’d get tongue tied,” Apple Bloom watched Skyward sweat a bit. “This’ll be your first time doing something weather related, isn’t it?”
Skyward nodded and began writing her suggestion for a more efficient disposal of the stray petals.
As soon as Skyward finished, Apple Bloom’s suspicions of her itchy hooves were proven.
“S-so, how about you, uh…” she stammered, holding her note out to Apple Bloom. “Do you think you could give this to the weather team?”
Apple Bloom smirked, but before she could take the paper from Skyward…
“I’ll take it.”
Flitter swooped down like a hawk and snatched the note out of Skyward’s hoof. It happened so fast, neither filly saw where Flitter had come from or gone to.
Skyward looked like she’d drank a pitcher of garlic. “I’m… th-this was a terrible idea. Weather’s just m-my hobby. I’m not meant for weather work. I’m j-just an earth pony.”
Soon enough, Skyward’s twitchiness was intensified by Rainbow Dash’s comments on her amateur memo.
“Holy, Skyward! Where’ve ya been all my life? We’ve been trying to figure how to do this in one go every time there’s a Festival of Flora.”
Skyward was speechless.
“Thanks for the suggestion, kid,” Rainbow Dash finished before taking off to help Flitter and Cloud Chaser, who were already clearing the sky.
As the displays and kiosks were gradually dismantled and taken away, Ponyville grew warmer and warmer. Evenings weren’t usually this warm, but word soon spread that the weather team was trying out a suggestion from a visiting school pony. It even reached a group of foals who, as Apple Bloom soon remembered, she hadn’t seen all day.
“There you are!” cried Scootaloo as she, Sweetie Belle and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran up to Apple Bloom and Skyward. “Where’ve you been? We had to do the initiation ceremony without you yesterday. And Skyward here still hasn’t had hers yet.”
“Check us out, Sky,” said Castaway, sporting her maroon cape with its blue logo and gold lining.
Skyward barely registered them. She had been watching a nearby pimpernel petal drying on the ground since she had been complimented by Rainbow Dash.
After Apple Bloom told Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle about their quest to find a productive way to implement Skyward’s interest in weather, the wind picked up. Castaway, Flotsam and Washout grinned as their capes flapped in the breeze. All Skyward and Apple Bloom could see was the bone dry leaves and petals being whisked away straight out of Ponyville. All Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Babs Seed could see was a nose-up paper airplane with indistinguishable writing on it appearing out of thin air.
“You got your cutie mark!” Babs yelped, pointing at Skyward’s flank.
Skyward looked back and whooped. “I’m gonna be a weather consultant! That’s it! That’s how I’ll contribute to the Barrow in Harness weather team!”
She took off, full of confidence, to ask Rainbow Dash for a letter of recommendation.
Apple Bloom glowed as she watched Skyward disappear, but Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were moaning.
“She could’ve been our first graduate,” groused Scootaloo.
“We could have had a successful Cutie Mark Crusader,” Sweetie Belle complained.
“Girls,” said Apple Bloom firmly, “we don’t have to get our numbers up. We may be only a few fillies with no cutie marks, but the important thing here is our mission. Do y’all remember what that is?”
In Scootaloo’s and Sweetie Belle’s hesitation, Babs Seed spoke up. “Helping foals find their special talents.”
“Yeah. So that’s what I’ve been doing,” said Apple Bloom, undaunted by her best friends’ indignation. “Skyward knew what she wanted to do, so I helped her.”
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked down at their hooves.
“It’s alright, gals,” Apple Bloom insisted. “I was just as excited about more members as you were.”
Scootaloo looked up. “Sorry we forgot our mission, Apple Bloom.”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “But please don’t let Diamond Tiara hear about this. If she finds out that a foal got her cutie mark before joining us, we’ll never hear the end of it.”
Apple Bloom couldn’t refuse, but she couldn’t help but think the story would spread like dandelion seeds.
“We never thought she could possibly become a weather pony,” Flotsam piped up. “You’re a lot smarter than us, Apple Bloom.”
“No wonder you’re the leader of the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” said Washout. “You really know your stuff. We three ain’t got a clue what our special talents could be.”
“Well then, welcome to the club,” smiled Apple Bloom. “Sorry I wasn’t there for your initiation.”
“No you ain’t,” Babs Seed smirked. “Sweetie Belle shmucked up the speech again.”