Ocean Blues

by TalkingToMyself

Chapter 17

The sky was busy this morning since Cloudsdale was passing by to drop off all the weather supplies Ponyville would need for the next few weeks. It was summer, so the schedule was mostly clear (literally), but a few summer rains had to be settled in.

Blue worked with a group of other pegasus ponies to move the clouds out of the way until they were needed. These weren’t the usually white clouds that formed naturally or got blown over from the Everfree Forest, these were heavy, industrial rain clouds. It was hard work to get them moving, but Blue didn’t complain like some of her co-workers. She didn’t mind a bit of physical exercise every now and then.

Although there was some groaning, everypony was in a good mood. Like any ponies, the weather patrol of Ponyville enjoyed their work a lot and took pride in a job well done, so everything was settled by the time noon rolled around. The mare in charge was going over some lists while everypony had their lunch break. As usual, Blue didn’t talk that much, but she laughed with the others when somepony told a funny story. She’d been hanging out with them for a few weeks now, but she still didn’t feel comfortable enough to share her own stories. Not that the others minded much, they seemed okay with Blue being quiet at work and they didn’t exclude her for being new or anything.

They were about to get back to work, when the captain called her over

“Hey Newbie! Got a special job for you!”

Blue rolled her eyes and the others chuckled, but it didn’t bother Blue as much anymore. She was still new after all, so of course she’d get the newbie-jobs. And she knew by now that the captain didn’t mean anything when she called her like that. Nicknames were a big deal in the weather patrol, so much that Blue didn’t even know her real name, since everypony called her nothing but ‘captain’ even off work.

When she flew over, she saw a few of the rain clouds had been separated from the lot by the captain and as she expected, they were to be her job

“Okay Newbie, there’s a rain shower scheduled in one of the farms today. I need all hooves on deck here, so you’ll be on your own for this one. You think you can handle that?”

Blue glanced over the clouds again, then nodded. They weren’t too many and these ones were already prepared as well, she’d just had to spread them out and give them a good kick to make them rain.

“Sure. Where you need these?”

The captain grinned when Blue jumped right at the challenge, as she had expected. She pointed towards the western part of Ponyville

“There’s a big apple orchard that ordered those clouds, called Sweet Apple Acres. You can’t miss it. There should be a mare waiting for you called…”

“Applejack. I know Sweet Apple Acres. I’ll deliver these clouds and then I’ll be right back to help.”

The captain grinned even more at that, even though Blue didn’t get the joke, but she just waved her off

“Nah, don’t worry about that. You got your work cut out for you with that for today. We’ll deal with the rest ourselves.”

Blue glanced over the couple of clouds again. They weren’t really that many, so she didn’t want to come up as lazy, but if her patrol captain basically told her to take the rest of the day off…

“Well, if you say so Cap. I guess I’ll be off then.”

“Great! Say hi to Applejack for me!”

“Will do.”

Blue corralled the rain clouds together and waved to the others as they called their goodbyes. With her new task in sight, she picked up her pace and headed towards the orchard.

---

The flight didn’t take too long, and Blue flew towards the big red farmhouse that stood in the middle of the big orchard of apple trees. She had been at Sweet Apple Acres in the human world, but this one seemed even bigger. Maybe that was because she was a little pony now, though.

She didn’t have to search long and as soon as she was in sight, a familiar voice called out to her

“Hey there, partner! Over here!”

Blue waved her hoof and dived down towards the earth pony Applejack. She had met the mare before at Princess Twilight’s place, but they hadn’t really talked that much. Like the human girl, Applejack in Equestria was very down to earth and a bit stubborn, maybe the pony was just a bit more ‘grown-up’ than her human counterpart.

Blue landed in front of her, and they bumped hooves, a typical greeting between casual friends. Blue knew that hugs and all this was a big deal with good friends, but Blue didn’t think she reached that level of intimacy with this Applejack yet.

Since they both weren’t the ponies for small talk, Blue just pointed at her clouds

“Okay, where do you need those?”

“Well, you see Sugarcube, we kinda need a good shower for all of our trees. But we’re already harvesting the first batch from the eastern parts, so maybe I was thinking you could leave that part until we’re finished, maybe?”

Blue grinned, for multiple reasons. She got now why the captain told her that this was her only job for today, she probably knew that Applejack was very specific about her orchard and her watering plans. Blue could just spread all the clouds out evenly and set them off and be done for it, but she was pretty sure Applejack would appreciate it a lot more if she’d keep her plans in mind.

The second reason why Blue had to grin was Applejack herself. Blue knew from the human girl that she didn’t just call anyone ‘Sugarcube’, so it was kinda nice that Applejack already felt some kind of familiarity with her, so she’d consider her worthy of that little affection. Also, Applejack didn’t beat around the bush with what she wanted or tried to trick her or even take advantage of her, just because she was new around town. Honesty was big with ponies, but for Applejack it was more than just that.

Back in the human world, Blue might have tried to get something out of a deal like this, even if it was just a bag of apples from the farm. Today however, she didn’t even feel the need to think about that

“Sure, no problem.”

Applejack smiled and tipped her hat

“Thank ya kindly. If ya don’t mind, I’ll get back to work then, if you need anything just give me a holler.”

And with that, both of them went to work.

Blue went back into the air and started to spread out her clouds for a good shower. There was something of an art behind how to place the clouds next to each other, so the rain would be just right. Weather pattern seemed to be a good way to describe it, as Blue could almost see the connection between each cloud, like she could see a magnetic field around them and how it reacted when she put them in a certain order. Of course, she didn’t really see it, the captain told her that this was her pegasus instinct that made her get a good feel for weather magic, but even she admitted Blue had an exceptional feeling for it, better than most trained veterans. Especially working with rain clouds just came very easy for Blue.

Not even an hour later, she had all of the orchard covered, except for the part where she saw three earth ponies kicking trees to get apples fall into prepared baskets and barrels. A swift kick to one of the clouds set up a chain reaction, just like she had planned, and the drizzle began, not too hard but more than enough to soak the trees and the ground beneath them.

She flew a quick lap around her work to double-check that everything was right before she headed back to the eastern orchard. Applejack had stopped her work and climbed onto a hill and now watched Blue’s work with critical eyes. Obviously, she was satisfied with what she saw, and she beamed as Blue landed next to her

“Good job, Sugarcube. That was as fast as Rainbow Dash could do it during her best days.”

Blue laughed and took the compliment with a small nod. Rainbow Dash, former captain of the weather patrol and now full-time member of the Wondercolts, was kind of a living legend among the pegasi of Ponyville, so being compared to her was high praise.

Blue glanced around and noticed that barely any trees had apples left, but nearly all the barrels were full now. Applejack followed her look and nodded

“We’re making good progress, but we still need to get all the apples back to the farm. You think you can wait that long? I know Rainbow Dash always used that time for a nap.”

At this, Blue looked back at Applejack and her siblings in the distance. They didn’t seem exhausted at all, but there was still a good number of barrels and baskets left. Applejack basically had just told her it was okay to slack off, but somehow that didn’t really sit well with her. So instead, she just asked

“Need any help with that?”

Applejack looked at her, more than a little sceptical

“Are you sure? I mean, no offense, but those are some big barrels for a small pony like you.”

While it was true that Blue wasn’t as tall even in a world of little ponies, she still didn’t really get behind that reasoning

“They’re not that big. I’m sure I can carry them.”

“Well, maybe, but the thing is, Sugarcube… they’re still heavy. So, you probably can’t fly with them.”

Applejack looked down at the ground like she had just said something embarrassing, but Blue surprised her when she just laughed

“Lucky me, I still got four of these to help me.”

She waved a hoof in front of Applejack’s face, who now looked even more confused

“You mean, you wanna walk? I mean, of course you can, but are you sure?”

Blue rolled her eyes and walked over to the nearest barrel. She had no trouble lifting the barrel, but it took her some effort to get it placed on her back. After a moment of hesitation, Applejack stepped in

“Let me help you with that, Sugarcube.”

---

Loaded with a basket on each side and a barrel on their backs, Applejack and Blue made their way back to the farmhouse. Blue didn’t know if Applejack slowed down because of her, but she could keep the pace. The only difference was that Applejack could easily balance stuff on her back, since she’d been carrying things like that all her life. Blue had to use her wings every now and then to keep the barrel from falling over.

She noticed that Applejack threw a weird look at her whenever that happened. Just like she had looked surprised when Blue lifted that barrel, she now also almost couldn’t believe when Blue just dumped her first load by the farmhouse and just turned around to get another one.

Blue tried to act like she didn’t notice, but at some point, it was just too much. She could feel herself getting angry again, but instead of going for a rant, she just turned her head and looked at Applejack

“You know, if there’s something on your mind, just spill it. I’m not gonna punch you or stuff.” At least, I don’t want to.

Applejack tilted her head to her side, which Blue had learned was the pony way to shrug

“If I’m completely honest, I don’t even know where to start. Well, I do actually, but I don’t know if I should. I know the lot of you can be a tad sensitive about that.”

Blue frowned, something about Applejack said ‘the lot of you’ rubbed her the wrong way

“What do you mean?”
Applejack slowed down and hesitated, but then she just took a deep breath and got out with everything

“I mean, I know pegasus ponies can walk just fine, it’s just usually, they don’t. It’s always a pain to get them carry anything when it means they can’t fly. But you just did it.”

Blue grinned and shook her head

“I never even thought about it. You needed help and I can carry some apples, so why make a big fuss out of it?”

Applejack shrugged and laughed in clear relief that Blue didn’t feel offended

“I have no idea myself, but most the pegasus ponies I know act weird when they can’t fly.”

Blue grinned and glanced around. The two other Apple siblings were out of hearing reach, but she still leaned in and whispered

“Half the pony stuff is still weird to me, no matter what.”

Applejack blinked confused, but then they both laughed together

“Ya know, for a while, I completely forgot that you’re from that other world with the weird humans and all.”

Blue just grinned along and nodded

“I’ve been grounded for 16 years. Don’t get me wrong, flying is ‘totally awesome’ as Rainbow Dash would say, but I don’t need it 24/7. Plus, my sister is an earth pony too, so when I’m with her, I don’t fly anyway.”

Applejack nodded along but didn’t go any further into it as they had now reached Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom. The last crates of apples were now loaded into two carts which both Big Mac and Applejack pulled one each back to the farm, while Apple Bloom and Blue shared the last few baskets between them.

Blue walked next to the filly who, like her sister before, watched her closely, but mostly out of curiosity. When they got closer to the farmhouse, the path got muddy since Blue’s rainclouds still drizzled down, but none of them cared the least about getting a little wet. Apple Bloom grinned when Blue just stepped right through a big puddle of mud with no concern at all

“You don’t seem to mind getting a lil’ sweaty and dirty.”

Since Blue couldn’t find even a trace of malice from the filly, she just shrugged her wings

“It’ll wash off. And a bit of physical work never hurt anypony.”

Blue smiled, proud that she had remembered the right pony-word for once, and Apple Bloom went with it

“That’s what I say! Not that it ever worked on Scootaloo, that old lazy feathers.”

They chuckled and kept following behind the carts, when Blue noticed that Apple Bloom suddenly seemed very interested in her backside, for some reason. She didn’t really know what to think about that, when the filly spoke up again

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Um, sure. What’s up?”

Apple Bloom threw another glance down Blue’s flank and suddenly, she understood what Apple Bloom was looking at

“So Scoots told me you never flew before you got to Ponyville, so I was wondering, how did you get a weather cutie mark if you never did that before?”

Blue’s smile dimmed down a bit, but she just shrugged again. She hadn’t really come up with any better explanation, so she just stuck with what she told other ponies before
“I dunno. It was just there one day.”

“Huh. Is that so?”
Blue rolled her eyes and couldn’t hold back an annoyed snort
“I know you think you’re an expert on cutie signs, but there’s really not much to it.”

“Cutie Marks.”

“Huh?”
Blue turned to the filly who was still watching her attentively
“They’re called ‘cutie marks’, not ‘cutie signs’.”

“Whatever.”

Blue tried to ignore Apple Bloom, but like with Applejack before, something in the way she looked at her got under her skin
“What you’re staring at?”

“I was just wondering. Everypony in Equestria calls them ‘cutie marks’, so wherever you come from must be really far away.”

Blue sighed and just shrugged noncommittal
“I guess.”

Apple Bloom stayed silent for a few more minutes, but after a while she started asking again
“Where you’re from, what was it like there?”

“Different.”
Blue tried to keep it with that simple response, but something urged her to add something more
“Harder.”

Again, Apple Bloom fell silent for a couple minutes, only to break it soon after
“I guess that kinda makes sense then.”

Blue, who had been looking at her hooves for a while now, turned her head to Apple Bloom
“What do you mean?”

Apple Bloom, like Applejack, was used to being honest with other ponies. Unlike her sister though, Apple Bloom sometimes took that honesty a bit too blunt

“Well, you’re kinda grumpy as soon as I mentioned it. I saw you smiling earlier, but now you look like you’re mad.”

Blue felt mad too, angry mad. As much as she tried, thinking about the stuff that happened and why she had to leave still got her angry. So angry that she felt like lashing out at Apple Bloom for pointing it out. A few weeks prior, she might have, but today she was at least able to keep it down. Even though she still gritted her teeth and her wings gave an angry flap without her noticing.

While she was trying to fight back her anger, she almost missed what Apple Bloom said next

“I’m glad you’re here in Ponyville now!”

Blue’s head snapped back to the filly who now had a beaming smile
“You are? And why?”

“Because you don’t have to be grumpy anymore. You can fly now, you got fun things to do, and you can joke with others.”

Blue thought about how to reply, but she never got the chance since by now they had reached the farmhouse and Apple Bloom hurried over to help the others store the harvest in a cellar. Blue just stood there and watched for a couple minutes as they worked together, with some playful teasing mixed in like most siblings would do.

With a start, Blue remembered that she had some work left as well and spread her wings to get back into the air. She focused on her task and soon had her clouds rain down on the rest of the orchard, but somehow what Apple Bloom had told her wouldn’t leave her mind.

I don’t have to be grumpy anymore. I’ve never been anything else really. If I just gave up on that, would I really be myself?

Today had been a good day, so far. Her work, even as a trainee, was rewarding, she got along with her co-workers and with the Apples. But she still wasn’t feeling like she belonged with them, not really. Applejack pointed out she behaved different than other pegasus ponies. Apple Bloom noticed that she still had that lingering anger inside her. Were they all just expecting her to let go of all of that and be someone completely different? Blue wasn’t sure she would like that.

She knew she wasn’t perfect, like Princess Twilight or Starlight Glimmer or anypony she met, really. She had many flaws ponies could see easily, as shown by the Apple sisters. And her flaws weren’t just tiny things she could get rid of either. Blue knew she had gotten into many unnecessary fights back in the human world, but she was kind of proud of it. In some way, it defined her as the mare she was today.

“Thanks a lot, Ocean Shore.”

Blue was pulled out of her thoughts by a voice from the ground and flew down towards Applejack. Like her, the mare didn’t seem to mind the rain much and she was smiling, so Blue didn’t even get angry that she called her by her full name.

“Say, I know it’s a bit early, but how would you like some dinner? The whole family’s coming together, you could join right in.”

Blue almost considered, for a moment, but she still didn’t feel ready for that. She felt a lot less annoyed about it than she would have earlier this week, she realized

“Um, thanks but no thanks. I promised my sister we’d have dinner together tonight.”

Applejack’s smile faded for a second as if she could sense the little white lie, but then it was back full force since she didn’t seem to mind

“Alright then, but you’re welcome to come back on that offer, you hear?”

Blue smiled and nodded, knowing full well that she probably wouldn’t, not anytime soon

“Sure, thanks. Hey, um… if you need some help with farm work again, I’m in if you need me.”

Applejack just grinned back, with nearly the same smile as Blue

“I’ll keep that in mind, Ocean Shore.”

Applejack turned around to head inside the farmhouse, but Blue’s voice stopped her
“Blue.”

“Beg yer pardon?”

Applejack looked at her, clearly confused, but Blue didn’t meet her gaze, she only shrugged her wings
“My friends always called me ‘Blue’, you know, back…”

Blue didn’t know how to finish that sentence. ‘Back home’ didn’t seem right anymore.

Applejack either didn’t get the implication, or she didn’t mind, because she was back to smiles in an instant
“I understand. Well Blue, don’t be a stranger, you hear me? And say hi to your sister for me!”

“Sure. Um, see you around!”

“Take care.”

With nothing else to say, Blue took off again and flew back towards town. She was dry again by the time she reached their home, two hours before her sister’s shift would end.

She thought about going out and doing something else, but ended up just lying on the couch and thinking about what a weird day this had been.

Comments

[Szalhi]

I feel compelled to comment something.

[TalkingToMyself]

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[KaiserWilhelm99]

best fanfiction on the whole site.