Blossoming Breezies

by Matsu

Chapter 2 - Threads of Talent

Chapter 2

Threads of Talent

"Where the curious go, a trail will follow..."

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The land of Breezie Hollow was hustling and bustling with many of the Spring Breezies performing their duties while little Blossom was asleep in her new home in Lotus Meadows. The mare was deep in her slumber when a sudden, loud tapping was heard coming from her bedroom door.

"Yawn...huh?...Who is it?..."

A familiar voice rang with a high cadence and pitch, nearly piercing Blossom’s little ears.

“Good MORRRNNNINGGGG DARLING!~"

Petunia squealed as she burst open the door, dragging a half-asleep Tulip Tips alongside her.

"WAAAH-" Petunia's sudden entrance was so...sudden, that little Blossom ended up falling out of bed. "...Ouch..."

"Now this should get that sleepy head rolling out of bed...remember honey, you need to be up bright and early if your going to be the best Spring Breezie that you can be!~”

"If you say so..."

She eventually got up while dusting herself off.

"That goes for you as well, Tulip..." Petunia bonked Tulip in the head in order to wake her up. "Now...I want you to take Blossom to her first Spring Breezie task, right past here in Lily Pond!”

Tulip saluted Petunia while replying to her command, still a bit drowsy.

“Y-Yes madam! Right away!”

"Ugh, what's with that lack of energy? It even sounds like you didn't sleep last night..."

Petunia turns and zips away flying towards the Daisies as Tulip lets out an audible sigh, going over to the door once more and speaking in a deflated voice.

"...I didn't..." She rubbed her eyes, trying her best to stay awake. "Come on Blossom...we got much to do today and-"

“READY!”

Blossom suddenly appeared in front of Tulip, jumpscaring her yellow coat right off of her.

"W-WHAT THE-" Tulip almost fell back, Blossom had already made her bed, cleaned her house, fixed the door, and was now fully prepared for what the day had to offer...how could a single Breezie be THIS hyperactive? Her pale face slowly regained its color...well, at least Blossom managed to scare away whatever was left of Tulip's sleepiness. “W-Well that was easier than I thought! S-Shall we head down the road and make it to your first talent-seeking location?”

"Yep!" Blossom nodded, she looked really excited. "I wonder what my talent's going to be..."

"First on the list is Water! follow me, I'll introduce you to someone who's always willing to help others."

"Alrighty!"

Tulip fluttered her wings, flying just a little bit above the ground so that Blossom could follow her easily.

"Say...you don't look so good, Tips. Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh, d-don't about me, I'm fine, I just...didn't get enough sleep yesterday..."

"I thought you were going back to your house after you showed me mine."

"Well, I was planning on doing that, yes...but Petunia asked me to help with an infestation that was happening at our snapdragon garden...and then she asked me to take care of the daffodils...and then...she asked me to help you with the talent-seeking..."

"Oh, s-sorry about that, you can rest if you want, I'm not in a rush or anything, the last thing I wanna do is abuse your kindness..."

"There's no need to worry about that Blossom…to be quite honest, if Petunia didn't choose me to help you, I would've probably volunteered anyway."

"Aww, thanks Tulip!"

As they traveled past Lotus Meadows, they could see towering cattails and Breezies flying all over the place, each adorned with a similar wing pattern. The Water Breezies flew above them, performing various tasks like collecting water droplets from the grass blades and decorating them on spider webs' threads, teaching newborn fishies how to swim, making little ripples in the stream, and many other things. As they finally made their way to the pond, they were greeted by the sight of even more cattails and various other flowers lining the edge of a gigantic pond: Cardinal flowers, Blue Irises, Water Hyacinths with floating petals, and lily pads, all adorned with flowers on top of them. Curiously, Blossom pointed to the lily pads.

“Hey, what kind of plants are those?”

“Oh, those are Lotu-”

“Water Lilies!”

Another voice emerged, interrupting Tulip. It didn't come from a Garden Breezie however, but from a Water Breezie. It was a soothing voice that was very familiar to Blossom, as it was one of the voices she heard when she was trying to get out of the flower from the day prior. She let out a little giggle.

“Tehee, those are Water Lilies you silly. They have Lily pads beneath them, and this pond is called Lily Pond for a reason.”

Tulip, feeling a bit embarrassed, corrected herself.

“Y-Yes, my bad Dewdrop, I’m not used to the layout of this pond. Petunia usually puts me to work in Daisy Orchard, mostly helping the other Garden Breezies...”

Dewdrop stands there blinking for a moment, finally noticing the new girl after a few seconds. She went up to her, tapping her on the muzzle.

“Why hello there.”

"Um...hi?" Blossom, both confused and intrigued, replied to the curious Water Breezie “Dewdrop, right?”

“Ah yes, that is my name, remind me of yours?”

“Her name is Blossom, She's the new Spring Breezie on our team." Tulip piped in, feeling the awkwardness of the moment "I was wondering if we can have her look around and see if she wants to work on some water Breezie stuff for today?”

Dewdrop's eyes widened as she smiled, grabbing both of Blossom’s front hooves.

"Oh, of course! Here, let me show you around!"

With little time to react, she proceeded to zoom up and over the pond, practically dangling her off of an edge. With all her excitement, she had forgotten about Blossom's lack of wings.

"W-WHOA! H-HOLD ON A MINUTE!"

"There we go...it's much better to show you everything from up here! Why are you walking around anyway? Flying's sooo much easier..."

"That's because I don't have win-"

Dewdrop, not paying attention, proceeded to let go of Blossom's hooves, accidentally dropping her. Tulip panicked, flying as fast as she could in order to catch her, barely succeeding in doing so. She then brought her down, laying her on top of one of the lily pads. The poor yellow Breezie was breathing heavily due to the impact and weight put onto her, but she still had some energy to yell.

“Dewdrop! You know better than to just yank Breezies like that, please watch what you're doing! Y-You could have seriously hurt our new friend!”

The blue Breezie, seeing what had happened, folded her ears back saddened.

“Oh...I'm truly sorry for that Blossom...”

While everyone around her was getting worried and anxious, Blossom, on the other hand, was just laughing, cheerfully cutting through the tension.

“Haha! It's ok, you don't have to yell at her like that, Tips! I’m sure it was an accident. Although I do, however, very much appreciate the catch..." Tulip was dumbfounded by how positive Blossom could be sometimes, even in situations like that. "Now...Dewdrop, what’s going to be my first task?”

Dewdrop, relieved by Blossom's forgiving nature, couldn't help but smile. She fluttered down to join Blossom and Tulip on the lily pad, her wings creating ripples in the clear water beneath.

"Oh my, there's just so many things that I could show you...what about helping the little tadpoles swim? No, wait, what about...decorating spider webs? Oh oh, I got it!" Her voice bubbled with enthusiasm...well, with as much enthusiasm as she could express with her relaxed voice. "The first thing I'll show you, dear Blossom, is one of the most important duties of a Water Breezie: watering the flowers!"

"The flowers? But...isn't taking care of flowers a Garden Breezie's job?"

"Um, actually..." Tulip responded, this was her area of expertise after all. "Even though the Garden Breezies plant them and help them grow strong and beautiful, they still need water and sunlight in order to survive...so, basically, everybreezie helps everybreezie, we need each other's talents in order to bring springtime to the Ponylands!"

"Oh wow...did anybreezie ever tell you you're really good with words, Tips?"

"H-Huh? Me?" Blossom's compliment made Tulip blush a shade of pale yellow. She fiddled with her wings, feeling a bit bashful. "Haha, well, not really, Blossom. I guess I just got used to explaining things when I work with the other Garden Breezies. But thank you!"

Dewdrop, who had been quietly enjoying the exchange, chimed in with her own words of encouragement.

"Blossom's right! The Garden Breezies always tell me how much they look up to you, Tulip..."

"R-Really? I-I don't know...if anything, they should look up to Petunia, she's the most talented Breezie around..."

"From what I've seen so far, she seems a bit rude..."

"Oh, t-that's just how Petunia is! She might come off a bit strong, but deep down, I know she genuinely cares about Spring Valley and everybreezie here..." Tulip defended her mentor, much to Blossom's surprise, especially considering how Petunia has been treating her. "She has a tough exterior, but she taught me so much about being a Breezie. I owe a lot of what I know to her..."

"Well, if you say so!" Blossom suddenly remembered why they were there in the first place. "Oh, yeah, watering the flowers! Sorry, got a bit distracted, hehe..."

"It's okay, friend. I get distracted all the time!"

Right after Dewdrop said that, her attention shifted to a group of fireflies dancing above the water's surface.

"So, um...y'know?"

"...What?...Oh, yeah, watering the flowers!" She fluttered towards a big rock next to the lakeshore, where many Water Breezies were taking a nap, while Blossom rushed after her before Tulip could even offer her a ride. "Okay everybreezie, wakey wakey! Our new friend here is talent-seeking, and we gotta help her in every way we can! Are you ready to show her the amazing talent of the Water Breezies?..."

The Water Breezies remained in their peaceful slumber, not even stirring at Dewdrop's 'energetic' appeal.

"I think you gotta say it louder!"

"Oh, okay!"

Dewdrop cleared her throat. She inhaled deeply and prepared to project her voice and then, with all the Breezie strength she could muster, released her voice!

"Wake up everybreezie!" And it sounded the exact same as before. "Aw, it didn't work..."

"Um, y-yeah, looks like they're, um, REALLY dedicated to their beauty rest...we might have to find another way to learn this flower watering stuff."

"Well, you see, watering flowers requires tons of teamwork and coordination, so we need the whole gang!...We just gotta find a way to wake them up..."

"Hm, I dunno...they look pretty cozy, it might be pretty hard to-"

"WAKE UP YOU LAZYBONES!" Blossom was suddenly interrupted by loud shouting coming from another Breezie, which was kinda what she was expecting when she asked Dewdrop to speak up. "SPRINGTIME IS IN 3 DAYS, WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR SLACKING!"

The sudden outburst jolted the sleepy Water Breezies to full attention. They fluttered into the air, gathering around the Breezie that had just arrived, who appeared to be the one responsible for the wake-up call. Her coat was pale blue and her mane was a blend of various shades of blue and silver.

"Woah, who's that?"

"That's Meadows Mist!" Tulip Tips finally managed to reach the other two, Blossom sure was fast for a Breezie without wings. "Petunia recently put her in charge of the Water Breezies, so she keeps everybreezie in check...she's, um, a bit scary, but she's very focused and determined...huh, kinda like Petunia...y'know, I'm starting to see a pattern with the leadership around here..."

"Dewdrop! Come on, we gotta go through our daily training routine!" Meadows Mist waved her hoof. "We gotta make sure we're ready for Springtime, remember what happened last Spring?"

"Oh, not really, no. But if you're mentioning it, it was probably something really bad!"

"...Ugh, c'mon, join the others, we're going to clean the lakes today..."

"Speaking of training...I was actually about to show Blossom here how to water the flowers, she's talent-seeking, you see!"

"Blossom?" Meadows Mist approached the trio, her annoyed look quickly turning into a friendly smile. "Oh, the new girl! I was actually wondering what her name was. I thought Dust Keeper Oakthorn forgot to name the poor thing...so, you're here to discover if water-talent is your calling, huh?"

"Yep! Plus, Petunia thinks that finding my talent might help with, y'know, the 'wingless problem'."

"Oh yeah, that...very well then, we're about to start our training. We can do some watering today so you can see how it's done, so stay close...well, as close as you can. And watch for falling water droplets."

"Roger that!"

She once again flew close to the rest of the Water Breezies, who were all already in a line.

"Okay...Sea Skipper!"

"Here."

"...Ocean Wave!"

"H-Here..."

"...Rainmaker!"

"Yawn, here..."

"...Dewdrop!"

"Here!"

"...Millpond!"

...

"...MILLPOND!"

No response at all.

"UGH, LATE AGAIN?! I SWEAR I'M GONNA KILL THAT MOSS HEAD!"

"Heeeere!..."

Meadows Mist's stern gaze fell upon Millpond, who was hastily trying to catch up with the others. She sighed, a mixture of frustration and exasperation was evident in her voice.

"Millpond, this is the third time this week! You need to be more punctual...spring is approaching, and we can't afford any delays!"

"S-Sorry, Misty..." Millpond, clearly flustered, stammered out an apology. "I, uh, overslept... won't happen again, I promise!"

"Tch, yeah sure, just catch up quickly. We have a lot to cover, especially for our new friend here, we're doing something different than what was scheduled."

"Ooooh, hey there! You're the new girl right? I'm Millpond, but a pretty Breezie like you can call me Mill!"

"Hey there! I'm Bloss- Wait, what was that?"

Millpond kept grinning as he flirtatiously complimented Blossom, but before he could continue, Mist bonked him right in the head with her hoof.

"YOUCH! HEY, WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"ARE YOU DEAF OR SOMETHING?!" Meadows Mist was unyielding in her authority. "GET INTO POSITION BEFORE I THROW YOU INSIDE A POND!"

"Alright, alright!...Sheesh..."

Mill grumbled, rubbing his head where Mist had given him a stern reminder. He then finally joined the other Water Breezies in their formation up above. Blossom was still somewhat bewildered by the sudden exchange.

"Ugh, I'm really sorry for that..." Meadows Mist was visibly embarrassed by Mill's attitude. "He's an idiot, just ignore him."

Blossom tried to suppress a giggle. Millpond's flirtatious antics had caused quite a distraction, but Blossom couldn't help but find the whole thing amusing. She whispered to Tulip.

“He’s quite the charmer, isn’t he?”

"Yeah, and from what Petunia tells me, he always tries that when there's a new Breezie...I-I wasn't an exception. Better get used to it, he's gonna try again..."

"Heh, I wish him the best of luck then!"

The Water Breezies were already lined up in formation, ready for their training to continue. A loud whistle could be heard from up above, It was Meadows Mist, signaling that it was time to refocus on the task at hand.

"Alright everybreezie, today we're doing something different, Blossom there is talent-seeking, and Dewdrop suggested we should water the flowers today...we were gonna do it tomorrow, but we can switch things up since it's a special occasion..." Meadows Mist quickly fluttered towards the center of Lily Pond "We'll start from here, and then we'll move south, when we reach the mushroom patches, we'll head east. The rest of the gardens don't need watering, not now at least, so we're gonna skip them today. Were my orders clear?"

They all let out a synchronized 'Yes ma'am!' before zipping towards their leader, forming a circle around her.

"Oh they're starting already!" Blossom squinted, she couldn't quite see the training session now that they were distant. "Aw man, I can't see anything from here...how am I supposed to help with the task?"

"Task? N-No Blossom, I think you misunderstood, what they're doing now is part of a very specific training routine...since you're still new, you won't be doing that right away, they're just doing it to show you an example" Tulip responded. "If you end up becoming a Water Breezie, you'll start participating in those trainings once you get the basics, but as of now, you just gotta observe...after they're finished, they will probably give you a smaller version of this task as your actual talent-seeking task"

"Oh! Alright then, so...just observe?"

"Yep, just observe...if you can't see them very well from here, you can always...always...Blossom?..."

Tulip Tips looked around; she could've sworn Blossom was staying right beside her...perhaps she moved to a place that had a better field of view? She looked towards the Water Breezies, who were already starting to sprinkle their dust. She then noticed something unusual, a pink dot swimming towards the middle of the pond.

"...B-BLOSSOM?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER THERE?!"

"Huh? Well, you said I had to observe, and Meadows Mist over there told me to stay as close as I could!"

"BUT NOT INSIDE THE POND, THEY'RE GONNA-"

Blossom suddenly vanished as a gigantic pillar of water rose from the pond, snatching her in the process.

"...Oh sweet Robin..."

"Excellent! Remember to get as much water as you possibly can, so we can do it in just one go!"

Meadows Mist guided the Water Breezies as they began circling around the growing pillar, which started to form a great water sphere above everybreezie. Tulip tried dashing towards them, but a big water droplet fell right on top of her, sending her crashing inside the pond.

"Oh no...my wings! E-EVERYBREEZIE, WAIT! BLOSSOM'S IN THERE!"

No matter how much she tried, not even a Water Breezie could fly with wet wings, she watched as the group slowly went away, carrying not only the great ball of water, but also Blossom inside of it.

"...Petunia's gonna kill me..."

[...]

"Don't go too fast now everybreezie..." Dewdrop asked. "Or else Blossom won't be able to keep up with us from down there."

"Focus, Dew!" Mist was staying up front, leading the team, while the rest of the Water Breezies were responsible for taking small amounts of water from the ball and releasing them in the form of rain. "Hm...is she even following us? I don't see anyone...anyway, keep up that flow, it's perfect! Remember, we want calm and gentle rain, not a flying waterfall!"

"Um...a little help here?..." Suddenly, the watering team heard a voice coming from their water source. After closer inspection, they could all see a little head peeking out of the giant sphere. "It's hard to swim when the water's moving..."

"BLOSSOM?! WHAT THE- WHAT IN THE ROBIN'S NAME ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?!"

"So, remember when you asked me to stay as close as I could?..."

"NOT INSIDE THE POND- Okay, okay, gotta stay calm...breath in...breath out..." Meadows Mist's frustration was evident, but she tried to regain her composure and not let panic take over. "Don't move a muscle now, you hear me?! It is very easy to brush off Breezie Dust when it's on water, ONE wrong move and this thing's going down!"

"O-Okay!"

Blossom, still somewhat in shock, nodded vigorously. She understood the gravity of the situation, and remained perfectly still within the water sphere, careful not to make any sudden movements that could jeopardize the delicate balance. Meadows Mist and the other Water Breezies focused on maintaining the water sphere's stability, but Dewdrop had an idea.

"Wait! What if Blossom helps us?"

"What?!" Meadows Mist looked skeptical at Dewdrop's suggestion. "Dewdrop, this is advanced training, a talent-seeking Breezie is not fit for something like this yet, especially a wingless one!"

"But...if she just, y'know, do it REALLY carefully...she might be able to grab a droplet from the inside of the sphere!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"C'mon, what's the worst that could happen?"

Meadows Mist hesitated for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of Dewdrop's suggestion. She finally sighed, realizing that they had little to lose at this point.

"...Ugh, alright. Worst case scenario she won't be able to hold the droplet and it will break up on her hooves..." Mist approached Blossom's peeking head "Okay, here's what you gotta do, slowly, and I repeat, SLOWLY stick your hooves out of the water source as if you were holding something."

"Alrighty!"

With great care, Blossom extended her hooves out of the water source. While making sure her movements were steady and gentle, she successfully managed to scoop up a small amount of water, holding it in her tiny hooves. The droplet trembled slightly, but she kept her composure, focusing on Meadows Mist's guidance.

"That's it, Blossom, nice and easy!...Now you just gotta release-"

The water droplet suddenly began to vibrate. Blossom struggled to maintain control as the once-stable droplet grew increasingly wobbly in her hooves.

"M-Miss Mist, is this supposed to happen?..."

Mist's eyes widened, realizing the perilous situation.

"I-I've never seen this happen before, but I think it's safe to assume that...no, that's not supposed to happen-"

Instead of breaking up on her hooves, the droplet exploded like a firework, sending both Blossom and Meadows Mist flying away. This, of course, created a giant ripple on the surface of the water sphere, causing it to tremble and shudder. Its structure began to waver as the ripple brushed off the Breezie Dust that was gently floating on top of the liquid. In less than a second, the entire sphere broke up, and it was now crashing down towards the garden below.

"BLOSSOM, NO!"

Meadows Mist regained her aerial control and dashed in the direction of the 'flying waterfall'. At this point, trying to reshape it was impossible, since the concentrated sphere of water had already broken into a giant curtain. She still had time, however, to save Blossom from falling straight into the ground, so she quickly threw a hoofful of Breezie Dust towards some of the descending water in order to create a water slide bellow her, ensuring a gentle landing. Blossom gracefully glided down the watery slope, landing safely on the ground below. Mist landed beside her, her voice a mixture of relief and frustration.

"Are you okay? Ugh, what was I thinking?! I shouldn't have let a talent-seeking Breezie try something like that!"

Blossom, soaked and shivering, looked up at Meadows Mist, her eyes wide with regret.

"I-I'm so sorry for this! I didn't mean to cause all this trouble, I-I just wanted to help!"

"It's...it's okay, Blossom...I should've-"

"Oh Sweet Robin, I'm so sorry!" Dewdrop quickly approached the two, the other Water Breezies arrived shortly after. "I really really thought that would help Blossom discover her talent, I didn't mean to-"

Considering Meadows Mist's stern attitude during their training sessions, everyone was waiting for the scold of their lives, but instead, Mist just helped Blossom stand up, and started flying towards the flooded garden.

"No one could've expected something like this to happen, Dew...let's just focus on cleaning up this mess for now, okay?" Mist reassured her, before turning to Blossom again. "And...I'm sorry to say this Blossom, but...I don't think water's you calling..."

"I understand, Miss Mist...and I'm really sorry for everything..."

Mist and the rest of the Water Breezies left, while Blossom sat there, speechless. For the first time ever since she was born, her face showed sadness.

"...Man...I messed up pretty bad..."

"B-Blossom! Are you alright?!" Tulip Tips finally managed to catch up, her wings were still not in flying condition, so she had to traverse all that land by hoof. "Oh thank Robin you're safe! W-What happened here?..."

"It's...I-I just wanted to help the Water Breezies but...everything went wrong..." She looked at Petunia with a downhearted expression. "Meadows Mist told me that I'm not fit for being a Water Breezie...and I completely agree..."

Noticing how upset she looked, Tulip smiled towards her and tried to rekindle Blossom's optimism.

"Don't worry Blossom, t-there are still lots of different talents for you to check! Just because you failed this one, doesn't mean your journey's over!"

Blossom's eyes brightened as she looked at her friend.

"Yeah...you're right, Tips! I still have so much to learn...and my talent is still somewhere to be found!" She then surprised Tulip with a big hug. "Thanks Tulip!"

"My, it doesn't take much to cheer you up, huh? Hehe..." She returned the hug. "...Though I gotta admit, y-you did quite a number here...oh my..."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that..."

"WHAT IN TARNATION HAPPENED IN HERE?!"

A familiar scream was heard. That aggressiveness...that high pitch...it could only mean one thing...they both squealed in sync:

"Oh no...Petunia's here!"

The leader of the Spring Breezies descended gracefully, landing next to Blossom and Tulip. A chill went down their spines, as her piercing gaze almost tore through their very essences.

"Blossom, darling, my dear, honey, sweetheart...would you kindly explain to me why was one of my beautiful gardens turned into a discount water park?..."

Blossom gulped, trying to find the right words as she faced Petunia's stern expression.

"Erm, w-well, you see, Petunia…I was just trying to watch the Water Breezies' training session, and we thought maybe I could assist in watering the flowers like they do. But, um, but then, things got a little out of hoof, and I-”

“It’s my fault, Petunia...” Tulip cut blossom short, “I-I didn’t explain everything properly, a-and Blossom ended up getting confused about the task and accidentally joined the Water Breezies advanced training routine...”

"Huh? N-No, it wasn't-"

“Ugh, I swear, you can be such a disappointment sometimes Tulip...”

Tulip, aware of Petunia's disdain for her, tried to maintain her composure.

"Actually, it was me..." Dewdrop's voice chimed in, and the three Breezies turned to see her stepping forward. Blossom thought she had already left with the other Water Breezies, but apparently she was still nearby, "I was the one who gave the idea that caused all of this..."

"What?! I expected little from Petunia, but you, Dew?! Ugh, and I thought we had the same mindset..."

"I-I'm truly sorry…I-I'll make sure to be more responsible in the future..."

“Yeah, you BETTER! Now go clean up this mess already, both of you! We need all these flowers ready before the next Garden Breezie training…” Petunia huffed, “And as for you, little walking disaster…stay out of trouble! Cause any more damage and I’ll have to halt your talent-seeking for an undetermined period of time…got it?...”

Petunia quickly took off before any of the three could even say anything.

“...Sigh…I’m terribly sorry Blossom, but you heard her…" Tulip began fluttering towards the garden, "We’ll get back to your talent-seeking when I’m done…”

As Tulip left, Dewdrop approached Blossom.

"I feel terrible that this happened during your first day of talent-seeking, friend..."

"Don't worry about it, Dew. Honestly, I'm glad you believed I could've done that task, even if I failed in the end..."

Dewdrop's eyes glistened with appreciation and a hint of sadness. She had a big heart and often trusted in the potential of others, but today's events had reminded her that sometimes things don't go as planned.

"Thanks, Blossom..." Dewdrop responded with a sincere smile, "And don't worry, we'll make it up to you. Maybe I can find some other way to help you discover your talent. For now, I should go help the others-"

"W-Wait!"

"Huh?"

"Can you...say 'thank you' to Meadows Mist for me? Y'know, for saving my life and all..."

"Oh, sure thing!"

As Tulip, Dewdrop, and the other Water Breezies began the daunting task of cleaning up the flooded garden, Blossom watched her friends go, feeling a mixture of guilt and frustration. Tulip was used to being the one to lift everyone's spirits, but today had been particularly challenging. The weight of Petunia's constant criticism had taken a toll on her. The same could be said for poor Dewdrop, whose kindness ended up causing her so much trouble. Blossom wanted to help, but she also knew that Petunia's threat was a serious one. She didn't want to jeopardize her own journey to discover her talent, and certainly didn't want to cause more headaches for her friends. She decided to take a walk to clear her head. She trotted through the garden, observing the other Breezies as they continued with their tasks. Her optimism had taken a bit of a hit, but she was determined not to let this setback discourage her.

"Hey there!" Blossom suddenly heard a voice coming from behind her. "Are ye lost, lassie?"

"Oh, hey there- WAAAAAH!"

Blossom slowly turned on her heel, her heart quickening as she came face to face with an enormous, majestic creature with powerful wings and sharp talons - a hawk, a formidable predator that struck fear into the heart of every Breezie. The abrupt jolt of surprise sent Blossom tumbling backward as she landed unceremoniously on her petite, delicate posterior. Despite her naivety, instinct swiftly took over as the beast slowly approached her, and it was only sending one signal to her brain: danger.

━━━━━━━━❰･ ✿ ･❱━━━━━━━━

Author's Note:

Can you see them?...Look, up there!