open Ponyville Weather Team

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

"Wow, Dappleshire sounds poor," Rainbow Dash casually said before realizing how that would have been taken by Sandy Fire. "Hold on, I didn't mean it like that. I mean like, I always thought of this place as simple compared to Cloudsdale, you know..." Rainbow Dash laughed nervously while gesturing with her hoof in the air.

"Also, this hardly seems like an egregious waste of resources," Rainbow Dash said, pointing at the line of ponies waiting to order stretching out the door.

"Oooh!" Pinkie Pie said, suddenly barging in on the pair's conversation. "If you think this place is egregious you should have seen Rarity's original plan for the carousel boutique. She wanted to have dresses spinning around the whole boutique like a carousel but Mayor Mare said no. That and we need to throw Sandy Fire a welcome to Ponyville party and schedule her some friendship lessons with Twilight and you'll fit right in. Anyways, what can I get for you?"

"Oh I'll have a rainbow spectrum cupcake," Rainbow Dash said. Pinkie Pie turned to Sandy Fire to take her order.

Edited June 14, 2022 by Skylight Scintillate

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

Sandy looked a bit hurt by Rainbow's comments on Dappleshore's relative wealth, but didn't comment on it.

She also looked nervous at Pinkie's plans for her, "No, no, you don't have to do all that for my sake." In regards to what she wanted, the confusion on her face as she looked over the menu made it clear that she was not used to this sort of environment, nor the sort of selection that Sugarcube Corner had, "I'll, um, just have whatever you recommend. Just, keep it simple, please? I don't know if I could handle anything too fancy."

With each passing moment, and the more she learned about Ponyville, the more she felt like a fish out of water, like she didn't fit in here. Living in Dappleshore had not prepared her for life outside the town.

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

“Okey dokey lokey!” Pinkie Pie said as she bounced off with the two orders. 

Rainbow Dash didn’t usually consider herself good with feelings, but she noticed that something was off with Sandy Fire. “Are you ok? No offense, but you look like a fish out of water. Really, I want to help you adjust,” Rainbow Dash asked.

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

Sandy sighed, putting her head in her hooves, "Is it that obvious?" She took a deep breath before continuing, "It's just... I've lived my whole life in Dappleshore just like how they taught me to, and I grew up thinking that that was how the world worked, how it was supposed to work. And then I get kicked out because I didn't fit in, and I accepted it because I thought that was how things were supposed to be! So then I come here, nothing to my name but what I could fit in a sack, squatting in an abandoned shack at the edge of town just hoping that I could find a place to fit in, only to discover that the real world is nothing like I learned in Dappleshore, so I'm even more an outcast here than I was at home! And then all these cultures and customs so foreign to me on top of that, that clash violently with what I was taught was right, I... I don't know what I'm supposed to think anymore, what even is normal?"

That was probably far more information than Rainbow was expecting to receive, and Sandly looked ashamed for letting her emotions run free like that, "I'm sorry, I- I was taught that it's improper to express your feelings like that in public, I don't know if that is still the case here."

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

"Wow, that's deep," Pinkie Pie remarked, popping out of nowhere and handing the two ponies their orders. She gave Rainbow Dash a rainbow frosting cupcake and a blueberry muffin and Sandy Fire a plain muffin. "Well these are your orders. Have fun," Pinkie Pie said before abruptly turning around and singing "You're going to fit right in," as she hopped off.

"Ok? Could you describe the differences between Dappleshire and here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

"EEP!" Sandy jumped in her seat when Pinkie appeared, had she known she had more than one pony listening she'd have quieted down sooner.

Sandy was relieved that the food she received was at least something she recognized, it would also serve as a good example for Rainbow's next question, "Well... you could say that here and Dappleshore are as similar as these two muffins." She pushed hers closer to Rainbow's so the differences could be easily shown, "Sure, they're both muffins, they're both on the same table, they both meet the legal requirements for health and safety set forth by the government, but otherwise are hardly comparable."

She pulled her muffin closer, "Dappleshore is like this muffin: Simple, Efficient. It makes no attempt to be something it's not, or anything more than it needs to be. In fact it pushes out anything that would stand out. Anything extra they do without. Everything that is in this muffin is there only because it must be."

She took a small bite of it, her eyes going wide as she tasted it, before setting it down, "Err, that's got a lot more sugar in it than I'm used to. In Dappleshore they only add just enough to be palatable, and even that is typically just honey so it's nutritious too, or something."

She shook her head, turning her attention to Rainbow's muffin, "And Ponyville is like your muffin, it does the same job as Dappleshore, but presented much more ostentatiously, in a way that ponies would actually want to be a part of it, celebrating differences and mixing in things that don't fit in, rather than enforcing unity by a sense of duty from birth."

She sighed again, "I'm sorry, it's just... Ponyville almost seems like it's... better than Dappleshore in almost every way, and it makes me sad to think that. I thought the world of my town, of the town elders, so it upsets me to think they might have been wrong, or worse, purposefully deceiving us."

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

"Hold on, hold on," Rainbow Dash said, setting down the cupcake she was eating and squeezing the bridge between her eyes with her hoof. "You're saying you don't fit in here, but you say that ponies don't need to fit in here? And then you complain about how you don't like this place only to say that it's better than Dappleshore? And the ponies that run the town are brainwashing it's citizens? I feel so confused."

Edited June 16, 2022 by Skylight Scintillate

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

Sandy looked horrified, confused, and deeply saddened by Rainbow's reaction, "I- n-no, I... I just..."

She started to tear up, her breathing heavy, "I just- I, don't know I... I didn't..."

Her eyes darted all around, no doubt she had drawn attention to herself, but even if she hadn't she'd still think she had, and that everyone was judging her. Looking down on her. Like they had a month ago.

(If you care about seeing a flashback for her)

Spoiler

"You simply don't fit in here."

"You aren't useful here."

"You don't belong here."

"You don't belong anywhere."

"Nowhere is an arsonist useful."

"You simply don't fit in."

"You aren't useful."

"You don't belong."

 

She had been trying to practice putting out fires in her idle time, and had gotten tired of overwatering the same puddle, so she had decided to start her own fire, one she could put out, to practice. Only, she wasn't capable of putting it out herself, it had caught one of the houses on fire before enough others could come help.

What was worse, she had enjoyed setting the fire, watching it consume, the experience had finally given her her cutie mark, a lit torch in front of a cloud.

The elders threw her out, they had to, Dappleshore was far to small to contain an arsonist after all. She packed up what little she could that had survived the fire, and left.

She got up from the table, her body language conveying that she felt trapped, everything tense as she looked every which way but saw nothing, "I I I I'm sorry- I I didn't mean to, I just- just..."

The front door opened, likely someone either entering or leaving the building, and Sandy saw her exit. In fact it was all she could see as she ran full gallop out the door, likely bumping into some other ponies as she ran, and as soon as she was outside she flew as fast as she could, faster than ever before, like she was being chased.

 

Still though, she was no match for Rainbow Dash, if she chose to fly after her. If Rainbow did she could try and stop her, but if she didn't, or if she went to look for her later, she'd find her at the abandoned shack on the edge of town, where Sandy was living.

(I hope this doesn't step too far, if Rainbow or another would forcibly step in at some point in this sequence let me know and I can step it back.)

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

The other ponies in the bakery didn’t notice anything was off until Sandy ran out the door. There was some murmuring about how suddenly it seemingly happened, but the other ponies quickly went back to their business. 

Rainbow Dash was quite surprised that Sandy Fire decided to run for it, but with the benefit of hindsight, Rainbow Dash realized that she had the tendency to run away from social situations that she didn’t like either.

“Hey get back here!” Rainbow Dash stammered, throwing the required bits on the table and grabbing her blueberry muffin before dashing out the door after Sandy Fire. 

“Hey where are you all going? You can’t just ditch me like this; My shift just ended!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing out the door after Rainbow Dash. 

At first, Rainbow Dash flew quickly after Sandy Fire. She knew that she could easily catch up with anypony if she wanted to. However, after flying for a few blocks, Rainbow Dash wondered if confronting Sandy Fire right after she broke down like that would really be the best idea. She slowed down, enough to keep Sandy Fire in her view until Sandy Fire reached her house.

There, Rainbow Dash started pacing back and forth outside Sandy’s house nervously. She wasn’t sure what to do. Talking to her this soon seemed wrong, but she had already arrived at Sandy’s house and leaving seemed wrong too. In addition, she couldn’t continue pacing back and forth outside of her house without it appearing creepy. 

That was when Pinkie Pie arrived, casually hopping up to Rainbow Dash as her usual cheerful bubbly self. “Hey Sandy Fire, I know you’re being real sad about Ponyville and Dappleshore right now but if you don’t explain why we can’t help you!” Pinkie Pie shouted in a cheerful voice somehow.

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

Pinkie and Dash would recognize Sandy's house as an old shack on the edge of the Whitetail Woods that had sat abandoned for several years at that point, it was a wonder it hadn't been torn down by now, though it looked like it was about to fall down by itself if the forest didn't reclaim it first. It was sad to imagine a pony actually living there, as it was more of a storage shed than a proper house. It did look like Sandy had patched the holes in the roof with bits of cloud at least, so it wasn't like she was getting rained on, but there was no way that it was warm in there, especially at night. Given how well they could hear her shaky sobs, there was no doubt several holes in the walls to let in a draft.

If they approached the house, they'd be able to hear her quietly talking to herself as she moved about the small space, "I let you down, I'm sorry auntie, I- ...no, it's just as good as you said it'd be, better even, I'm not good enough. I should go somewhere else, somewhere I deserve to be. Maybe there I'll be smart enough to appreciate it, and not make everyone mad at me."

If they knocked, or spoke up again closer to the house, she would stop, then softly say, "I'll go quietly, you don't need to chase me out of town." Something about the way she said it sounded like she had said it before.

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

Pinkie Pie casually hoped up to the door and knocked on it. "Don't be such a silly goose, Sandy Fire, we aren't here to chase you out of town; We just want to talk. Plus, I can't throw a farewell party before I throw a welcome party now can I? Now are you coming out or am I going in?" Pinkie Pie said in her cheerful voice. 

"Wow, this shack is depressing," Rainbow Dash said, as she landed next to Pinkie Pie and glanced around at it. Out of all the things she thought she would have to do as weather team manager, this wasn't one of them. She was never good at talking about feelings and such, but she hoped that with Pinkie Pie by her, it would be easier.

Edited June 21, 2022 by Skylight Scintillate

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

It was quiet in the shack after Pinkie spoke, then a timid voice responded, "Y-you're not?"

It was quiet a moment longer, then the voice was more resigned, "Maybe you should be."

Nonetheless, Sandy opened the door, despite very little time having passed she looked much worse for wear, a few streaks of her fiery mane had returned to it's natural brown, and it was obvious she had been crying.

If they peaked inside they'd see that Sandy did not appear to own much stuff, and most of what she did own was gathered in a small bundle in the middle of the floor. The shack was clean at least. One notable possession was a framed picture of what looked like Spitfire holding a small yellow foal with a brown mane.

Sandy would shut the door behind her as she came outside, she sat down on the doorstep looking down, not daring to meet their gaze. "I... I'm sorry for running off like that, I don't- ...no, I do know what came over me, but it doesn't excuse me running away, especially after all you've done for me."

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

Rainbow Dash peaked inside when the door opened, and now she was really surprised. It seemed like Sandy Fire barely had anything in her home. But then again, she did live in a shack at the edge of the woods. Rainbow Dash wasn't really sure what to say, so she simply said, "Ok then, go on?" 

"Yeah come on, why the long face?" Pinkie Pie chirped, bouncing up and down.

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

Sandy looked down, a bit withdrawn, not meeting either of their gazes, "It's... it's nothing. I'm sorry to have worried you, I'm fine."

If they prodded further, showing genuine concern, or simply waited long enough Sandy would sigh, "I had to leave Dappleshore because I wasn't useful, because an arsonist is never useful. They said that wherever I went ponies wouldn't trust me, because arsonists aren't trustworthy. I tried to prove them wrong, by coming here, but they were right. Everything is so different here! How could I ever hope to fit in? How could I ever be useful?"

She started to cry, "Useless, a burden, bringing others down around me. I tried to help with Winter Wrap Up and suggested taboo things, I tried to help Sprinkle Medley and it just got her in trouble, I tried to defend you and it just made you uncomfortable. That old pony wouldn't have gotten hit by the papers and Sprinkle wouldn't have gotten found out if I hadn't mentioned the bonfire. It's all my fault, I'm a burden bringing others down."

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

"Hold on hold on hold on," Rainbow Dash said, squeezing the bridge of her nose with her hoof, "You set things on fire? Why? I thought you wanted to be a firefighter?" Rainbow Dash whispered. "And you are useful! You helped with winter wrap up and the daily weather."

"And you know about the elements of harmony. We are all as different as... as...Actually, I don't know, these sayings were always Applejack's thing anyways. So you don't need to try to fit into Ponyville to be accepted. In fact, I already accepted you three weeks ago!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Hold on, stop the presses! What does taboo mean?" Pinkie Pie demanded, somehow now wearing a journalist's cap and a notepad in hoof.

"And actually, I was fine with you defending me, for your information," Rainbow Dash added.

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

4 hours ago, Rainbow Dash said:

"Hold on hold on hold on," Rainbow Dash said, squeezing the bridge of her nose with her hoof, "You set things on fire? Why? I thought you wanted to be a firefighter?" Rainbow Dash whispered.

Sandy recoiled as if struck by Rainbow's words, they mirrored her own mother's words the last time she had seen her before she left. Though her mother had said them with more disappointment and contempt than Rainbow did. It brought a new wave of tears to her eyes as she held up her hooves defensively, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me..."

She slowly lowered her hooves as they continued, risking a peak at them as they didn't seem to pose an immediate threat. The tears were still flowing though she tried to wipe some away as she regained a small amount of her composure, "I... I do still want to be a fire fighter. I... I only lit the fires so I could practice putting them out. I... I don't know why, but something in the fire... watching it I felt something, something different. Lighting fires and putting them out, I felt powerful."

She visibly squashed down what she was feeling, retreating back into herself, like she was ashamed of who she was, "Ponies could have gotten hurt, they were right to send me away. I thought it was put out, but if I can't keep my own house from catching fire..."

She shook her head, looking away, "I appreciate your kind words, as undeserved as they are." 

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

Rainbow Dash scratched her head as Sandy Fire tried to explain her reasoning. "I still don't get it," she mumbled. 

"Oh I get it! Sandy's community made her feel powerless so she decided to do things that made her feel powerful! If we help her feel powerful and included she won't feel like she needs to start a fire!" Pinkie Pie chirped, which got a 'that sounds messed up' look from Rainbow Dash. "Or maybe she should look at a book about controlling fire with magic. Twilight has one of those books in her library, I can go get it!" Pinkie Pie added.

"Well?" Rainbow Dash asked as she turned back to Sandy Fire.

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

At first Sandy looked shocked by Pinkie's reasoning, "No, wait! I..." but then she paused as she saw that Pinkie was not judging her, she didn't say what she did out of malice. Sandy looked a bit more introspective, "Well, that might be true. I don't see how a book on magic would help though, seeing as I'm a pegasus, but you might be right. I think, even before I wanted to be a firefighter, I wanted to be useful, and I just latched on to firefighting from a young age. I guess I just want to be useful here, important. Still..."

She sighed, looking at her mark, "I can't deny how fire makes me feel. The lighting it, the watching it, the extinguishing it, I feel so complete. I just... I don't know how that could be made useful."

She was much calmer now than she had been, it seemed they were moving on the right track and really getting through to her now. 

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

Pinkie Pie blew a raspberry. “Since when has being the wrong pony species prevent any pony from doing their cutie mark? Eh, Fluttershy communicates with animals and she’s a Pegasus even though it is supposedly an earth pony thing. I’ll get the book right away,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed before dashing off.

Rainbow Dash plundered for a moment before her mind lit up. “Hey Sunshower! Come over here!” She shouted, waving to a small cloud in the sky.

”Hmm?” Sunshower Raindrops mumbled as she looked down from a small cloud in the sky, relived that there was something to save her from her boredom. She flew down to meet Sandy Fire. 

“Hey Sandy Fire! You wanted to be a firefighter, right? I know how I can help, but are you up to it? It will be challenging,” Sunshower explained, giving Sandy Fire a friendly smile.

”I’m back!” Pinkie Pie announced, returning much faster than was seemingly possible and jump scaring Rainbow Dash and Sunshower Raindrops. The book she went to get was dangling from her mane. “Well? What do you want to do? What will it be?”

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

Sandy looked conflicted, "Would it not be possible to try both? No sense in limiting myself at this stage, right? I could hold on to the book, go with Rainbow now, and read the book later. Or is this some special book that can't be held on to for too long?"

Still though, she had a determined expression when she looked towards Sunshower, "I'll surely do my best, and we'll see if I'm up to it or not."

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie remarked, "You can hold onto it for three weeks unless if you set it on fire. Burning books is a very efficient way to make Twilight hate you and you do not want to get in Twilight's bad side or she will get her friends to blast you with rainbow lasers..." Pinkie Pie rambled.

"I think she gets the point, Pinkie Pie," Sunshower Raindrops interrupted. "Just leave the book inside, we got some weather practice to do."

Sunshower Raindrops turned to Sandy Fire. "You ready? Let's go," Sunshower said as she flew into the air towards the Everfree Forest.

"We'll do this over the Everfree Forest so we don't bother anypony and because this is the only place that has clouds. As you might have known, I'm from Mareami where we need to routinely create small rainclouds that dump a lot of water. Try creating one of those clouds," Sunshower Raindrops suggested, watching Rainbow Dash and Sandy Fire.

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

Sandy would carefully put the book inside on a sideways milk crate that serves as an end table next to the sleeping bag that served as her bed before coming back out, "I'm ready, let's do this."

When they got to the area that Sunshower had chosen and Sandy was given her task she nodded, looking around for what could be used. "Right, a very efficient cloud. We get those by pushing a bunch of clouds together to make them denser, on it."

She would dart about the sky gathering up what water filled clouds she could find and start mashing them together in the middle in an attempt to make the kind of cloud that Sunshower had described, "Like that? I don't have much experience making clouds, in Dappleshore we had them in abundance, but this seems like what you were asking for."

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle 

"Hmm, you need to be about 20% faster. The cloud needs to be created in 10 seconds flat," Rainbow Dash said, glancing at a stopwatch in her hoof.

"Yeah, and the cloud needs to be about 20% denser too, or the precipitation it will release won't be sufficient to extinguish the fire," Sunshower Raindrops said, poking her hoof into the cloud that Sandy Fire created. "You see, this is how much rain it releases when bucked," Sunshower Raindrops said as she bucked the cloud. The cloud produced an impressive amount of rain when bucked, but it wasn't quite enough for firefighting. "Now this is an impressive amount of rain, but it's not quite enough," Sunshower Raindrops said. "How do you use your pegasus magic when you create this cloud?" Sunshower Raindrops asked.

[Illiad Easle 3,130]

@Skylight Scintillate

Sandy looked a little disappointed that her efforts weren't up to their expectations, but she remained determined.

When asked how she used her pegasus magic Sandy looked confused, "My pegasus magic? I'm not sure, I just kind of did it you know? I didn't know there was more to it than that."

[Rainbow Dash]

@Illiad Easle

"Well actually, you don't need to do it in 10 seconds flat," Sunshower Raindrops said before leaning in and whispering "And if you do, Rainbow Dash would somehow find a way to do it even faster than you anyways."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at this and Sonshower Raindrops backed up to address both of them together.

"However, even if you can't do it in 10 seconds flat, you should still try to do it about 20% faster," Sunshower said, pointing to the stopwatch. 

"Hmm, you aren't sure how you use your pegasus magic? Let's see, when you gather the clouds together, do you use it to draw in humidity from the surrounding air to further saturate the clouds while ensuring that you aren't drawing any humidity from the air around the fire? And when you clump all the clouds together, do you use your magic to counter the centrifugal force while maintaining optimal temperature?" Sunshower Raindrops asked. "Here, why don't we have Rainbow Dash demonstrate?"

Rainbow Dash shot off, quickly gathering clouds together into one clump before spinning around it very rapidly. The cloud quickly squeezed together, forming a very small yet dark raincloud. Surprisingly, the raincloud itself wasn't spinning despite Rainbow Dash flying around it. 

"What did I tell you? Ten seconds flat!" Rainbow Dash announced.