//------------------------------// // Act I: Ploomette (Part 1) // Story: 16 // by AlwaysDressesInStyle //------------------------------// Cloudsdale: fourteen years, eight months, and twelve days ago I focused on the teal, mint, and pink tail in front of me as I chased my older sister through the sky. I zipped after my sister as best I could, but couldn’t catch her. Every time I got close, she pulled away, using her larger wings to her advantage. She landed and I dive-bombed her, knocking her to the clouds, while I cartwheeled over her and tumbled end over end; eventually landing upside-down with my legs splayed. Maybe I could’ve thought that one through a little better. Fluffy white clouds and Star Catcher’s legs filled my vision. “Are you okay?” “Never better.” “Are you going to get up?” “Eventually.” Starry fussed over me like our mother does. I rolled my eyes as I rolled onto my belly and then stood up. I hit clouds, not concrete. I’m not even bruised. I’m a little dizzy, but I’m not hurt. “I think that’s enough flight practice for one day. You’re really improving out there!” “Thanks!” I beamed at the praise. I’d been practicing, and it was nice to hear my efforts were paying off. I flopped back into the soft clouds and stretched out. My sister curled up next to me as we napped in the summer sun. Cloudsdale: twelve years, six months, and eighteen days ago Why do I have to be here for this? Mom glared at me as I fidgeted in my seat. I was front row center, so I just stared at the podium and tried to keep still. Eventually my sister trotted out. “Salutations, everypony, and thank you for joining us tonight for the premiere of the new Catch-A-Wish Foundation. Please allow me to introduce my partner in this charity, Skywishes.” We all stamped our hooves appreciatively. I like Skywishes. She’s got a fun sense of humor that Starry’s missing. “Hi everypony.” Skywishes waved, then immediately hoofed the mic back to Star Catcher. “I’d also like to introduce tonight’s guests of honor: Cloud Walker, Emerald Spark, and Thunderstorm.” The crowd once again stomped as two fillies and a colt trotted out onto the stage. I gasped at the first. The poor orange filly was missing a wing. I clenched my wings to my side. I can’t imagine what it would be like to never be able to fly. Starry passed the mic to the first filly. “I’m Cloud Walker, but you can call me Cloudy. I want to fly with the Wonderbolts.” Starry took the mic back from her. “With your donations, we can help Cloudy get a prosthetic wing. Our goal is to have her flying by the Wonderbolts’ show here in Cloudsdale next summer.” Starry passed the mic to a bright green unicorn filly. She gave a little wave, much as Skywishes had done. Then she hid behind my sister who took the mic back. “Emerald’s a little shy.” She whispered to the filly, and she nodded in response. “Emerald has a magic deficiency.” The filly was laying on the stage, and she lit up her horn. It sparked a few times, then fizzled. “But she’s not willing to let that stand in her way. With your donations, we can send her to Giraffrica with a scholarship to study with master zebra alchemists.” Lastly Star Catcher turned the mic over to the charcoal gray colt. “Hey, I’m Thunderstorm. You’re probably thinking that’s a pretty weird name for an earth pony.” He waited for the nods, then continued. “Mom’s a pegasus, and I was born without the ability to sense the earth under my hooves. I have magic, it’s just the wrong type.” Skywishes floated a cloud out to him and he hopped on top of it. Everypony in the room gasped as he remained standing on top of it. He stamped his hooves and unleashed a torrent of rain from the cloud. “I think storms are cool, and I want to work in the Weather Factory someday.” Starry once more took the mic. “As you can see, Thunderstorm has no problems moving about the clouds like a pegasus. But without wings, he has no way to get back and forth between the ground and the sky. Even if he chooses to move to Cloudsdale at some point in the future, his father’s an earth pony. He’ll need a way to get back and forth. With your donations, we can get him a balloon and a scholarship to the Cloudsdale Meteorology School so he can get the education he needs to make it rain.” Thunderstorm jumped on top of the little cloud, and it rumbled with thunder as it dissipated. “The Catch-A-Wish Foundation is all about helping fillies and colts catch the dreams that would otherwise always remain out of reach. Please help us help them.” There was enthusiastic stomping from the audience. It doubled when my sister’s cutie mark came in: a big red heart with a bunch of little stars off to the side. I always knew sis had a big heart. Now the whole world can see it too! Cloudsdale: eleven years, five months, and twenty-three days ago Of all the things we had to learn as part of our training, stoicism was the most difficult, and the most boring. Star Catcher and I stared ahead, expressionless. Making a filly sit still for hours on end ought to be considered cruel and unusual torture! Mom entered the room, and I briefly thought we were done for the day. My hopes were dashed as soon as she opened her mouth. “Just an hour more to go, girls. You’ve done such a good job, I feel like it’s time to step things up just a bit. We’ve got some guests today to help with your training. Remember, no looking away, and make no sounds. No fidgeting, no talking, no laughing, no crying, nothing.” Two of the Wonderbolts walked into the room and I struggled to resist gawking at them. Spitfire! I finally get to meet the team captain and I can’t even say ‘hi’? “So you two think you’ve got what it takes to be a duchess? Well let me tell you something: you don’t!” Harsh. “Look at you pathetic little whelps. You call yourselves descendants of Commander Hurricane? Bah! Cloudsdale General probably mixed up foals in the maternity ward.” Spitfire pressed her snout against Starry’s muzzle and lowered her sunglasses. “Blink!” I didn’t dare turn my head to find out if she did or not. Don’t take anything she says to heart. She’s trying to psyche us out. She turned her attention to me, and I could feel her tracing a hoof along the base of my wings. What is she doing? “Huh, they really are attached. I thought these wings might be part of a cheap Nightmare Night costume.” No reaction. I won’t give her the satisfaction. “Drop and give me twenty wingups!” I’m not a Wonderbolt, you have no authority over me. You don’t get to order me around. “Who does your hair? Your mother?” I could feel beads of sweat dripping down my forehead as she turned her attention back to Starry. It wasn’t so much the things she was saying, but rather the tone she used. She’s a drill sergeant, she’s used to screaming at ponies. Surprise then flopped on the floor between us. “You two look so tense. You really do need to learn to lighten up. Life’s too short to be serious all the time.” Her wings extended, and suddenly I felt her primary feathers brushing against my stomach. Tickling? That’s not playing fair. I’m extremely ticklish. I folded like a piece of paper in an origami contest, bursting into laughter as she tickled my barrel. That only encouraged her, and I soon found myself panting for breath as she continued tickling. I rolled over, trying to force her off. Suffice it to say if somepony ever resorts to tickling me, my façade will crack into more pieces than a shattered bottle. Well, I’d obviously lost all dignity and failed the challenge, so I pounced on Surprise and started tickling her. I don’t care if I’m forced to do stoicism practice every day for a month, two can play that game. She giggled and flopped to the floor. “See! Isn’t it more fun to lighten up?” Spitfire rolled her eyes. To her credit, Starry was still staring straight ahead. With Surprise in hysterics, I decided it was time to try out some of my other training. I’d been taught to project my voice when speaking, or what the princesses referred to as the ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’. “Spitfire! I’m ashamed of you! Admit it, the only reason you joined the Wonderbolts was so you could spend all day yelling at ponies!” Her ears flattened as I got in her face. “What’s the matter, doc? Can’t take your own medicine? I want you to go back to the barracks and scrub them clean. With a toothbrush!” I could see my antics were starting to make Starry crack, so I eased up. No sense in both of us flunking out of this one. “Drop and give me fifty wing-ups!” Surprise was rolling on the floor while Spitfire was blushing. I think I hit a nerve. Cloudsdale: ten years, eight months, and one day ago In a way, I envy other fillies and colts my age. They go to normal schools, learn normal topics, and get to have social lives. I get privately tutored on a wider range of subjects, and I’ve never had a summer vacation. The worst part of it was all this was in preparation for a role I’d most likely never fill. Star Catcher was the oldest, and the heir apparent. Eventually, she would turn the position over to her own oldest foal, and the line of succession would bypass me entirely unless something happened to Starry – and that was the last thing I wanted to see happen. Not only did I love my sister, but being duchess was what Starry was born to do – she was perfectly suited for it. Deep down in my heart of hearts, I knew I’d never be half the leader Starry already was. Because charity was a thing I was to learn, I’d tried volunteering with Catch-A-Wish, but it was just too hard. Not the work – that was so easy anypony could do it. The hard part was seeing those poor kids and hearing their tales. I don’t know how Starry and Skywishes do it. I couldn’t. I started desensitizing to the pain of others, and as soon as I caught that happening I ran out of there, hid under my blankets, and cried myself dry. They’re ponies, not statistics. Any leader who forgets that isn’t worthy of her position. But I needed to find a charity I could work with. Starry had already started laying the groundwork for her own charity by the time she was my age, and I could tell Mom was getting antsy that I hadn’t. I took advantage of some rare free time and trotted downtown. That was another thing Mom had instilled in us: a good duchess gets out amongst her subjects and sees how they’re doing up close and personal. That didn’t stop my honor guard from accompanying me, of course. Most of the ponies who noticed me smiled and waved, and I waved back to them. As Mom had repeatedly warned us, everything we did was scrutinized under a microscope. Returning waves was crucial – missing even one could result in a subject feeling snubbed or slighted, and that just wouldn’t do. One of the reasons I was so confident my sister would do such a good job as duchess was her amazing ability to remember everypony’s name. Had she been trotting down the street in my place, she’d have been able to greet many of these ponies personally. It would be nice to get to know some of our subjects better. What better way to see how they’re doing than to hang out with them for a while? I looked around at all the smiling and waving ponies, quickly returning them. While a few of them seemed forced, most seemed genuine. The majority of Cloudsdale’s population loved us. How much would they pay to spend time with one of us? I made a beeline for Tira Mi Su’s. Cloudsdale’s fanciest restaurant, it was also my sister’s favorite. Half of her honor guard was posted outside, which almost assuredly meant the other half was inside the restaurant with her. Success! Starry, I love you, but you’re incredibly predictable. “Duchess Ploomette! A pleasant surprise!” “If it’s not too much trouble, could I be seated with my sister, please?” “Never trouble for you, Duchess.” He led the way to a private room at the back of the restaurant. “Forgive me, but first I must check with Duchess Star Catcher for her permission.” “Of course.” There was nothing surprising about that. The room was reserved for us at all times, but there was a pecking order. If I was in there, Starry could force me out, and if she was in there, Mom could evict her. In reality, we respected one another too much. If I was in there, even Mom would refuse to disturb me. That situation would also depend on me coming here more frequently. I couldn’t remember a time I’d voluntarily eaten here without one or both of them. “Right this way, Duchess.” I was escorted into the room. The restaurant had spared no expense. Mahogany paneling covered the walls, decorated with pictures of the current and previous duchesses. The chairs were padded with red crushed velour. Not as soft as clouds, but certainly more durable. It was suitably elegant. Unsurprisingly, Starry was dining with Skywishes. I pulled up a chair, and ignored the menu I’d been given. “Spaghetti, please.” “Of course, Duchess.” I have a policy when it comes to food: if I can’t pronounce it, I don’t eat it. That eliminated 90% of their menu. Star Catcher shook her head. “Oh, Ploom. You should broaden your horizons. They have such phenomenal food from all around Equus.” “I’m not even hungry, sis. I just needed to talk to you.” Skywishes stood up. “I’ll leave the two of you be, then.” I shook my head. “This concerns you too. It’s about your charity.” She sat back down, and I had their undivided attention. “First of all, I want to apologize for dropping out after only a week.” “Sis, you’ve apologized for that a dozen times already. Believe me, I understand. It’s… challenging. But they need the help.” I nodded. “And I want to help. I can’t do what you do, but that doesn’t mean I can’t offer up something else instead. I’m going to donate myself. Or rather, I should say, I’m going to auction myself off to the highest bidder.” They looked at each other. “Ploom, you’re way too young for that. You don’t even have your cutie mark yet. Yes, a decade from now there’s a slight chance you could end up in an arranged marriage of political benefit, but I really don’t think Mom would do that to you.” “Huh? Who’s talking about marriage? I was just going to auction my Saturdays off. Hang out with a subject, listen to any concerns they might have, and then talk to Mom and you about it after the fact. They get an ear, the charity gets money, and everypony wins.” “We’ll have to run that one by Mom first, but I’m certainly not opposed to it. Perhaps a set fee? Something that’s not out of reach of all but the rich.” “But then it wouldn’t be as much money for the charity.” “Indeed, but it would give you a much better cross section of subjects to listen to. I think it would be great experience for you. I also think the input you’d get would be invaluable to all of us.” “A lottery.” “Hmm?” Starry and I both turned our attention to Skywishes. “Anypony who wants to be heard gets their name put in a barrel and we draw it out. We do that three weeks a month, but the first week of every month is open to the highest bidder. You’ll argue that it’ll skew the sample, but would it really? Your mother listens to the nobles every single day. Can you name even one noble whose agenda your mother doesn’t already know by heart? How about one you don’t know?” “Point made and taken. I still don’t think Mom’ll be too keen on letting Ploomette wander around Cloudsdale with random ponies though.” “I’ll have my honor guard.” Star Catcher laughed. I can’t remember the last time I saw Starry laugh. “If Mom agrees to this, you’ll be lucky to leave the palace with anything less than an honor battalion.” We hashed out the details while I ate my spaghetti, then planned what we were going to tell Mom while we had dessert. Cloudsdale: ten years, seven months, and nine days ago My alarm blared and I groaned. It’s Saturday. I don’t need to get up. It took a few moments for my brain to process why my alarm was going off on a Saturday. Right. I tossed the blankets off and rolled out of bed. Mom had agreed to my idea. That didn’t surprise me, because she wanted me to do charitable work, but it caught Starry completely off guard. Mom also didn’t insist on an entire battalion, because that would’ve been silly. She did, however, have a platoon ready to go, composed entirely of the most skilled guards we had. The maids helped me get ready, styling my hair and bringing out my finest jewelry. It was nothing compared to what Mom had, but it was suitable for spending a day with a noble. Once I was ready, I was escorted by my honor platoon to find a middle-aged mare with a dark green coat and graying hair. One of the most prominent nobles, I recognized High Tower immediately. “Duchess Ploomette, marvelous to see you.” She curtseyed, as did I. “There’s the little matter of payment.” A stallion appeared beside her and placed a bag overflowing with bits on the floor. He returned with another. And then a third. “100,000 bits, as agreed.” She raised a hoof and I bumped it. We held the pose while photographers clicked shot after shot of the two of us standing there. “To a worthy charity!” Flashes of light kept going off, and then somepony shouted, “Cutie mark! She got her mark!” The flashes picked up in intensity as I struggled to refrain from looking at my flank. It’s irritating that everypony else in the room has seen my mark and I haven’t. What kind of mark do you get because somepony hoofs you a large sack of money? I probably don’t even want to know. Journalists frantically scribbled on their notepads, while Starry and Skywishes joined us for more photo opportunities. “It looks wonderful,” Starry whispered to me. Meanwhile, Skywishes spoke loud enough to command the attention of everypony in the room. “We can’t thank you enough. You’re going to help so many foals.” High Tower nodded. “Like I said, it’s a worthy cause.” The journalists and photographers left, having gotten what they most wanted. I was somewhat surprised that the paparazzi weren’t going to tail us the entire day, but I wasn’t going to argue with it. My first look at my cutie mark will probably be when I see it splashed on the front page of a special afternoon edition of the Cloudsdale Gazette. “What would you like to do first?” “Me? I’m afraid I have a great many plans today, Duchess Ploomette.” She stamped a hoof, and a colt two or three years older than me stood up from where he’d been sitting the whole time. “This is my son, and he’ll be taking my place today. Have fun you two.” Of course. Instead of listening to a concerned citizen, I’m going to listen to a spoiled noble brat try and woo me. “Hi. I’m Ivory Tower.” He bowed. “What would you like to do first, m’lady?” Okay, he’s kinda handsome and he’s got chivalry down pat. Maybe this isn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened. “I hadn’t really thought about it. You’re paying for this, or rather your mother is, so you lead the way.” One of my guards grabbed the door for us before he could do so, but Ivory insisted I go through first. He followed, and the remainder of my platoon fell into position around us: six in front, two on each side, and the remaining six behind us. Thankfully, Tira Mi Su’s wasn’t open at that hour of the morning, though I had pretty good idea where we’d be dining for lunch and/or dinner. Instead he led the way to a quaint little coffee shop in the historic district. The structure had been a mansion in the early days of Cloudsdale, when this had been the ritziest residential neighborhood in town instead of the center of the business district. The architecture had aged well, which probably helped explain how it hadn’t been razed in the ensuing centuries. Half my guard detail went in ahead of us and ‘secured’ the building for our safety, and the rest surrounded the outside of the building. I would’ve sighed if I didn’t have company. I’m never going to have the ability to blend in. Ivory held the door open for me and bowed as I passed through it. I glanced at the sweets under the counter and immediately knew which one I wanted. “Crumb cake and hot chocolate, please.” “I’ll have the same.” We sat at a table by the window, and my guards took the remaining window seats. “Get the guards what they want too. Put it on my family’s tab.” That was a generous offer. What’s his agenda? One way to find out, that’s what this is supposed to be all about, after all. “So what would you like to talk about? You’ve got me for the day, and I’m supposed to address any concerns you might have to the best of my abilities, and forward the rest on to Mom.” He shrugged. “I don’t have any issues. This was all Mom’s idea. She has this crazy notion that we’re meant to be a couple. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.” “I’m sure you’ll end up doing something related to your special talent.” I resisted the urge to look at his cutie mark. I still hadn’t even looked at mine and it was tearing me up inside. “I don’t even have my cutie mark yet. I know right? I’m twelve and I don’t have my cutie mark. How pathetic is that? And when I was telling Mom about how nervous I felt because I don’t have my mark, she said not to worry so much because you don’t have your mark either. Except now you do. I’m so confused.” “Hmm, that sounds like an issue to me. Let’s see if we can figure out what your special talent is. What do you like to do?” “I love reading.” I clopped my hooves on the floor. “Let’s go to the library!” “We can’t.” He sighed. “We’ve got a schedule to adhere to.” “What schedule?” “This one.” He pushed over a folded note and I read what was on it. “An opera?!?” I blinked and looked at the time it was scheduled. “I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be home before that ends.” Ivory nodded. “Probably. But Mom’s solution to everything is to just throw more money at it until the problem goes away. So if your parents get mad, she’ll just open her purse and keep the bits flowing until they aren’t.” “I don’t even like operas.” “Neither do I.” “So why would we go to one?” “Because it’s on the schedule. Because my Mom’s already paid for the tickets. Because my Mom bought all the tickets to the showing so we’d have the theater entirely to ourselves.” I picked the note up in my teeth and started chewing it. “Oh darn, looks like you lost the schedule.” I took a big swallow of hot chocolate to wash down the nasty-tasting paper. “Can I get a refill, please?” “One refill coming up, Duchess! Whipped cream?” “Of course! Leave the can.” Whipped cream is the best food group. Meanwhile Ivory Tower was having a panic attack. “Ivory, chill. Today is about you, not your mother. So what do you want to do?” “But Mom paid for this!” I nodded. “So she did. And if she had stayed, I would’ve made today all about her. But since she’s not here and sent you instead, it’s your call as to what we do, not hers.” Ivory just looked at me blankly. Oh dear, his mother plans everything out for him, doesn’t she? “Like maybe the library?” He nodded. “I like the library.” I took another sip of my hot chocolate, taking a generous portion of whipped cream with it. I squirted some more on top of the remaining chocolate while I waited for him to make a decision – quite possibly the first real decision he’d ever made in his life. “We’ll spend the day in the library.” Not bad, only took him a minute and a half to decide to discard his mother’s schedule. Some of the other nobles’ kids would’ve locked up entirely at the thought of defying their parents. With a destination in mind, Ivory led the way, and it was refreshing to see a young noble not only take an interest in reading, but one so avid that he actually knew the location of the public library as opposed to his family’s personal library. Once inside, he was like a completely different colt. I told him to grab his favorite book and once he did, I led the way to one of the reading rooms. I hopped up on the comfy couch and patted the empty space next to me. “Aren’t you going to grab a book too?” I shook my head. “I was thinking you could read to me.” So he did. His chosen book was a high fantasy, with a swashbuckling pegasus and griffin fighting their way through the wild jungles of the Mareazon Basin, fighting against mythological creatures like elves, humans, and even long-extinct ponysaurs. A little too silly for my liking, but he’s really enjoying himself, and it’s nice to see him come out of his shell. And I love the little embellishments he makes when he’s reading in-character. He’s totally adorable. I had to give him credit, very few of the words tripped him up. He was so caught up in the book, he didn’t even notice lunchtime had come and gone. Good, Tira Mi Su’s was on the schedule, so we probably would’ve ended up there regardless of the schedule change. It was nearly closing time when he finished reading. “I’m sorry, m’lady, I was so caught up in the book I forgot to stop for food.” I waved a hoof dismissively. “We’ll just have to make up for it with dinner. What do you like to eat?” “We have reservations for dinner at Tira Mi Su’s.” “You didn’t answer my question.” “I… I like hayburgers and fries.” “Me too!” “Mom will disown me if I take you to Hayburger.” Just as well… I normally send one of my guards out for takeout since the paparazzi would have a field day if they caught me there. Fortunately, there were other options in Cloudsdale, ones that wouldn’t scandalize us if we were caught there. “How about Sugar Apple’s?” Dinner and dessert. “Mom won’t be happy if we don’t go to the finest restaurant in town.” I could hear the hesitation in his voice, so I repeated my original question. “What do you want to eat?” “Sugar Apple’s sounds really good. I get tired of eating at Tira Mi Su’s.” I nodded. “Me too.” Leaping off the library’s second floor balcony, we flew to the restaurant. Once more, my guards secured the building for us before we entered, and we were escorted to the banquet room. In the privacy of the banquet room, I had no qualms ordering a hayburger and fries, and Ivory followed my lead. Our burgers were deliciously messy, and my muzzle was probably just as splattered with ketchup and grease as Ivory’s was. There’s nothing like real food. Not like the tasteless, unpronounceable, and ridiculously small portioned food that gets served at the fanciest restaurants. But no trip to Sugar Apple’s would be complete without dessert, and my mouth watered as I looked at the massive caramel sundae I’d ordered. Topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and a rainbow of sprinkles, it was an edible work of art. Now this is a meal fit for a duchess! With our bellies full, and time running short, I turned my attention back to the problem I’d yet to solve. We’d spent the day doing things he enjoyed, but his cutie mark hadn’t come in. “Would it be accurate to assume the library is something you take an interest in?” He nodded, and I continued. “Therefore, perhaps library funding is relevant to your interests? New books are always being written, and libraries only have so much space. Rather than sell off books that are less-frequently checked-out, perhaps you could talk to your mother about donating a substantial amount to the Cloudsdale Public Library? In return they could expand and name the new addition to the building ‘the Ivory Tower wing’ or something along those lines?” Nothing ever said this can’t be a two-way street, with me making suggestions on how the nobles and the rest of our subjects can help better Cloudsdale or the pegasus tribe as a whole. “Oh!” He lit up at the prospect. “That would be wonderful!” With his decision made, we trotted back to the palace. Some of his family’s staff was waiting to escort him home, though his mother was nowhere to be seen. “I had a wonderful time tonight. I hope we can do this again sometime.” Once he’d left, I galloped to my bedroom to finally check out my cutie mark. A heart wearing a crown? I looked from my flank, to a picture of the family crest on the wall, and back. It was a perfect match. Rule with compassion. Cloudsdale: ten years, five months, and twenty-six days ago The alarm blared, and I rolled out of bed. By now I was used to my new Saturday routine, and I hurried through my morning hygiene routine. I’d been advised in advance not to wear my finery or any jewelry, which helped speed up the process. A mare named Rainbowshine met me outside, and I followed her to the Weather Factory, my guards surrounding us as normal. “What’s the backbone of Cloudsdale’s economy?” “Weather. It’s our primary export.” “You ever make weather before?” “Not exactly.” “Figures. Do you know how rainbows are made?” I shook my head. “Of course not. Weather work just ain’t important enough for a duchess to dirty her hoofs with. Today you’re gonna help me make the rainbows.” She pulled a lab coat out of a closet and put it on. I followed her lead, as did my guards. Then we all acquired goggles and followed her onto the factory floor. A large vat of steaming water sat in the middle of the room, and Rainbowshine motioned to it. “First we start by bringing water to a boil.” She rummaged around in a supply closet and hoofed me a jug. I picked it up and winced under the weight. She makes it look easy to heft this around. “That’s red. Pour the whole thing in the vat.” I struggled under the weight of the container, and one of my guards picked it up and dumped it into the vat for me. “How do you get ‘red’ and what’s it made of?” “We get it from Canterlot. The colors of the rainbow are extracted from natural pigments. Red comes from the hottest peppers. Orange comes from the fruit of the same name. Lemons bring us yellow. Green consists of rabbit’s foot ferns, blue is made from blueberries, and purple comes from grapes. Technically, rainbows are nontoxic. In practice, it’s not advisable to taste the rainbow. The few ponies foolish enough to try drinking liquid rainbow have declared it ‘spicy’, no doubt due to the peppers overpowering the other flavors. Solid rainbows will break your teeth if you try to eat one.” Why would anypony try to eat a rainbow? She didn’t even bother hoofing me any of the other colors, dumping each of them into the vat one at a time. Once the water looked like a rainbow, Rainbowshine poured it into a trough leading outside. The rainbow water streamed into cooling ponds. We filled various templates with the cooling rainbow water, then used our weather magic to speed the cooling process and freeze them solid. Rainbowshine was an expert on all things rainbows, and listed a number of facts I hadn’t known about them: rainbows freeze at a temperature well above ambient temperatures in all but the hottest locations. Rainbows didn’t fare quite as well in the tropics. Rainbows are incredibly durable, and were often used as a flexible building material. The only other factory capable of making rainbows was in Las Pegasus. The rainbow trivia broke up the otherwise monotonous labor. We repeated the process, again and again, until lunchtime. Rainbowshine pulled a brown bag out of the breakroom’s refrigerator, while I sat watching her eat until one of my guards could make it back from a restaurant with food. Unfortunately, by the time she returned, our lunch break was over. Lunch went into the fridge, and we went back to work. Dump jugs into the vat. Pour. Freeze the rainbows solid. Repeat. All day long. This is horribly tedious. I finally managed to eat my lunch on our second designated fifteen-minute break. Sadly, Swoop had picked up sandwiches, and the once crisp lettuce had turned the bread soggy. I just squirted more ketchup on it and hoped for the best. “Is this all you do at the Weather Factory?” “It’s all I do, but the factory itself makes all the weather for Equestria. Each type of weather has a separate department. They’ll probably move me into snowflake crafting in another five or six years. Whenever I start slowing down and struggling with the jugs. You know how heavy they are. Talk about dull, though. I don’t want to spend the rest of my career sitting behind a desk making snow.” If you ask me, it sounds a lot better than lifting and pouring all day… Two hours later we finally finished working. Remaining regal was proving difficult. I’d strained or pulled something in my back, and it was all I could do to stand upright. “Congratulations, Duchess. You actually worked one day in your life. Now you know how the other 90% lives. That puts you above the rest of your family, the princesses, nobles, and assorted other upper class snobs.” “That’s what this is all about. Getting to know our subjects and seeing what you do on a daily basis, and seeing if there are ways we can improve things.” I shrugged off the lab coat and hung it back in the closet I’d gotten it from. “Thank you for an eye-opening experience today, Rainbowshine.” I’d add ‘I won’t forget it’ but that could be taken as a veiled threat and I don’t want to scare the mare. “What’s next?” She laughed for the first time all day. “You’re tenacious, I’ll give you that. But I’ve got a family to get back to. So you’re off the hook for the rest of the day.” I’m tired, sore, and a bit insulted. But mostly I’m embarrassed. This mare’s three times my age and running circles around me. I’m so tempted to order my guards to carry me home. They’d do it without hesitation. But that would be showing weakness, and I refuse to show weakness, especially not to somepony who can’t grasp that we work hard in our own way. I trotted off, head held high, though at a slower pace than usual. Visions of relaxing in the palace’s hot tub was the motivation to keep going. Cloudsdale: nine years, six months, and thirteen days ago My eyes opened as sunlight danced across my face. The alarm sounded as I rolled out of bed and stretched my legs and wings out. Another Saturday, another citizen to spend the day with. I put on my finery as I waited for Sunshine Smiles to show up. His name had come up nearly two months earlier, but he’d requested a postponement due to a scheduling conflict. With a name like Sunshine Smiles, I wasn’t surprised to find a pony with a yellow coat and a smiley face cutie mark. Even the rainbow mane and tail didn’t seem all that out of the ordinary. The fact that he was a stallion, five times my weight, and built like a brick wall certainly subverted all preconceived conceptions. “Howdy. I’m Sunshine Smiles.” “Hi!” I squeaked the word out in my surprise. He’s got muscles on top of muscles. I bet he could take out half my honor guard single-hoofed! “This here’s my daughter, Electric Slide.” He introduced a shy blue filly, slightly younger than me. She looked at me with wide eyes, and I revised my initial impression from ‘shy’ to ‘awestruck’. “Hi.” “Hi.” I smiled to put her at ease, then turned my attention to her father. “Today’s all about you, Mr. Smiles. What would you like to talk about?” “Shucks, I ain’t much for talkin’. I figure actions speak louder than words. I was just thinkin’ I’d take my daughter and our guest to Six Nags Cloudsdale.” Years of stoicism practice were the only reason I resisted the urge to jump for joy. Amusement parks were very low on the list of priorities, and as such, I’d never been to one. Of course my inner cynic had to analyze the situation looking for ulterior motives. Is he trying to bribe me? No agenda, no ranting, no forcing me to work a day at his job, no trying to make a love connection. Come to think of it, he didn’t even call me his daughter’s ‘new friend’ but rather their ‘guest’. If he was sincere, it was a breath of fresh air. Sunshine bought my ticket, despite my protests that the duchy would cover my costs and the park’s insistence that I’d be allowed in for free. Electric Slide galloped for the park’s biggest roller coaster, and I trotted along behind her, at a pace that was still unreasonably quick for a duchess. It was also unreasonably slow for a filly in an amusement park. Like everything else in life: split the difference and please nopony. I finally caught up to her at Skyfall, a coaster billed as the greatest thrill in Equestria. I stared out at the expanse of track. Unlike conventional roller coasters, there was no upward sloping hill. Instead the tracks pulled out of the platform and immediately plunged off the side of Cloudsdale, plunging thousands of feet toward the ground below. Not content with merely dropping its passengers, the track corkscrewed for more than half the length of the plummet. Then it rose halfway back to Cloudsdale, before plunging into a series of loops bringing riders perilously close to the ground. It had been built to the extremes, because it was competing with a pegasus’ own wings. Not even the Wonderbolts could fly such a pattern. It was physically impossible. Not that that would stop ponies like Rainbow Dash from trying… Forget ‘must be accompanied by an adult’, if you didn’t have wings you had to sign a waiver. Unsurprisingly, the line consisted almost entirely of pegasi and griffins, with a few dragons small enough to fit in the seats and hippogriffs being the only exceptions. For unicorns, yaks, and other beings without wings, flying was a thrill. But flight had its own hazards, and flyers tended to be drawn to extreme thrills to get an adrenaline rush: the riskier and more death-defying the better. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. The park had only just opened for the day, but the line was already snaked around more than half of the waiting area. We took our place at the end of the line, and that lasted for all of five seconds before every pegasus in line stepped aside to let us pass. The other creatures in line followed their lead, so as not to be accused of line cutting. I groaned internally. We’re going to go straight to the front of every line here. That’s going to score me lots of points in the popularity department with everypony we bypass. Electric Slide and I took the front seats, while her dad took the seat directly behind us. A car that could seat twelve left the platform with just the three of us, with my guards hovering at strategic spots around the course of the track to make sure everything was safe. I felt my stomach jump to my throat as we dropped toward the ground thousands of feet below us. Electric shrieked in delight, and I echoed her mirth. She threw her forelegs into the air as we plunged, but I had a death grip on the safety bar. I couldn’t have let go of it even if I’d wanted to – the g-forces were so intense I couldn’t move my legs at all. By the time we hit the corkscrews we were moving faster than I’d ever gone in my life. The corkscrews weren’t quite as intense as I’d been expecting; they were more gradual than they’d looked from the platform. The reason for that quickly became apparent – at the speeds we were moving anything more than that would have caused riders to black out. By the time we exited the corkscrews I was thankful we hadn’t stopped for breakfast. I was already dizzy and nauseous, and the ride wasn’t even half over. “Smile!” “Huh?” “Smile!” I flashed the best grin I could manage under the circumstances. I could feel my cheeks flapping in the wind as a camera flashed. “Paparazzi?” Electric Slide giggled. “No, Duchess. There’s a camera there that takes pictures of everypony at that point. They sell them as souvenirs.” Not much past that the track curved upward, and the momentum from the plunge carried us up the steep slope towards the loops. We soared through the loops, and then spent what felt like an eternity spiraling back up to Cloudsdale. Electric Slide sighed. “This is the boring part. What goes down, must come back up. I could fly up there faster.” The harnesses and lap bar prevented us from doing so. There’s always a reason for things. Think, Ploomette. I looked toward our destination, then at the track ahead of us which meandered in lazy spirals instead of rising straight up. Aha! They’re letting the riders reorient themselves. They don’t want the liability of somepony flying dizzy and crashing. “Finally!” Electric Slide grinned as we disembarked from the car. I’d forgotten about the photo that had been snapped of us during the ride, but it was ready as we trotted out the exit gate. Another reason for the long ascent back – the staff needs time to recover and develop the film. Sunshine Smiles dropped some bits on the counter. “Three copies, please.” The mare behind the counter smiled and let us know we could pick up the photos in an hour. Electric Slide dragged me away from the photo stand. “We did my favorite ride first, now it’s Dad’s turn!” Sunshine Smiles laughed. “You know what I like. Lead the way, sweetie.” I followed them to the bumper cars. As before, the line parted to allow us to proceed to the front. Now I know why we never go to theme parks. Mom would have a fit if she knew I let ponies do this. But today’s Sunshine Smiles’ day, and he’s apparently turned it over to his daughter. I’m not going to make them wait in line, even if I do feel a little guilty about receiving special treatment. As we waited for the ponies currently enjoying the ride to finish, I took a good look at the cars we’d be using. They were clouds on wheels, with a seat hollowed out in the middle. Each had a racing number on the side, with a pair of painted on stars decorating the front, obviously intended to replicate the headlights of a carriage. Completing the look was a big red heart on the rear. Not quite a bullseye, but close enough. The ride came to a stop and the ponies disembarked from their cars. Several of them had caught sight of me, and had lined up along the barrier separating the bumper car ring from the rest of the park. I trotted to the nearest car, but Electric Slide shook her head. She led me to the car decorated with the racing number 1. “You’re number one!” She and her dad climbed into cars that were parked close to mine, and other ponies quickly filled the remaining open rides. I rode around, but nopony other than Electric Slide bumped into my car, and even she refused to spin me out. That defeats the purpose… My thoughts were interrupted by a colt bumping me from behind. I grinned. Finally! Some fun! Any thoughts I had of bumping back the only pony brave enough to slam into me were immediately dashed by Sunshine Smiles. He plowed into the colt’s car from behind and pushed him all the way into the retaining wall. After that, nopony even glanced in my direction for fear of a similar reprisal, so to be fair I refrained from bumping into anypony other than Sunshine Smiles or Electric Slide. When the ride ended, the colt who’d been utterly demolished by Sunshine took off at a gallop. Sigh. He’s going to hold that against me for a long time to come. I wish Starry was here. She’d probably know him and then I could go apologize. There was a map of the park not far from the bumper cars, and they implored me to pick the next ride. It was only mid-morning, but it was already getting hot and humid, so I selected a water slide to help cool us all down. I should’ve expected that even a simple thing like a water slide would be amped up at a theme park like this. Not content to merely slide down a hill into a pool of water, the slide instead ended in a ramp, giving riders the option of splashing down in the water a dozen feet below, or for those with wings, a chance to fly away. I went first, and sailed off the edge of the jump, somersaulting twice and landing rump first in the refreshingly cool water. I swam away from the impact zone and Electric Slide glided down and skimmed across the water. Then Sunshine Smiles catapulted off the ramp. He tucked himself into a cannonball and splashed down with enough force to create waves in the pool. He poked his head above the water and flashed a cocky grin. “Now that’s a splash!” He fluttered into the air, shaking his coat out like a dog. “I think we should have some breakfast while we dry off!” His idea of ‘breakfast’ was decidedly different than most ponies’. Funnel cake. I had been aware of its existence, but being carnival fare, I’d never had the occasion to actually sample it. It looked deliciously unhealthy. That’s probably a whole week’s worth of calories. “You’re only young once. Enjoy, Duchess!” Sunshine plopped three entire cakes on the table – one for each of us. I stared at the monstrous pastry in front of me. I only wanted a slice, not an entire cake. The cake sat in my stomach like a lead weight. If I was a cartoon character, my stomach would be horribly distended right now. Please no more rides until this digests… probably sometime next week. We returned to the bumper cars, and I was grateful for the chance to just drive around without fear of being bumped by anypony else as my stomach settled. Thank the stars for the metabolism of youth and pegasi, both. When asked to pick the next ride, I went with the Ferris wheel, which much to my delight, was a run of the mill example of the ride. It was still family friendly fun, and an enjoyable ten minutes of slowly going in a circle. My stomach finally settled down, and I no longer felt like I’d swallowed a basketball. By the middle of the afternoon we’d gone through all the best rides in the park, some of them multiple times. Sunshine picked up the photos from our first ride of the day, and then we left the park. I’m surprised we’re not staying until closing time. “You ever been to a demolition derby?” I shook my head. I’d heard of them, but my parents thought that sport was too barbaric for a filly my age to witness firsthoof. “Then you’re in for a real treat! The Fairgrounds Classic is tonight, and I got us prime tickets.” I started gliding toward the front row, but Electric Slide grabbed my tail and steered me towards the nosebleed section. Force of habit: we always get front row seats for any venue. Their idea of ‘prime’ tickets are probably the best they can afford. Oh gosh, I hope I don’t seem ungrateful. It was then that I noticed that Electric and I were alone. “Where’d your dad go?” “It’s supposed to be a surprise.” “Well, he better hurry or he’ll miss the derby.” “He wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I was excited – possibly even more than I’d been to finally go to the amusement park. My parents didn’t think I was old enough to experience a barbaric sport like this. More likely they probably thought it would taint our public image to be seen spectating a brutal event such as this. Demolition derby was one of the few gladiatorial games that had survived to modern times, the others having been abolished centuries earlier due to the bloodlust of the competitors and fans alike. “You want a snack?” Memories of the funnel cake were forgotten as I nodded my head. Electric Slide left me surrounded by my entourage of guards as she went to get refreshments. I’d spent most of my life surrounded by these ponies, and I could sense their internal excitement. They’d been underwhelmed by the amusement park, but I could feel the spark of energy emanating from them now. I turned to Swoop. “Have you ever seen a demolition derby before?” “Me Swoop once compete in demo derby.” “You did? Wow! How’d you do?” “Me Swoop finish dead last, spend three days in hospital, then join Royal Guards. Military less dangerous for Swoop.” I blinked. Swoop was one of the most capable guards we had. Nopony was ever going to accuse her of being the smartest pony, but she was strong, and highly skilled in hoof-to-hoof combat. “Me still remember like yesterday. Right up to point me was knocked unconscious. Good times for Swoop.” “That sounds like quite the experience.” I’m not sure I’d use ‘good times’ to describe it, personally. Electric Slide brought back a giant box of popcorn and a couple of extra-large sodas. She set the popcorn between us and we each dipped a wing in to grab some. The buttery kernels melted on my tongue, but the salt made me keep reaching for my beverage. “Welcome demolition derby fans to the thirty-seventh annual Fairgrounds Classic! Competing tonight is reigning champion, Clubber!” A stallion sporting a Mohawk haircut and gold chains entered the arena and the audience split into a nearly equal amount of booing and cheering. Electric Glide was very much in the first category, heckling him with taunts he’d never be able to hear. It was hard not to get caught up in her enthusiasm, and I had to remind myself not to take sides – all the competitors were pegasi, and all likely lived in Cloudsdale. It wouldn’t do for any member of the duchy to favor one competitor over another. “Two-time former champion, Leif Spring!” A massive blue stallion bowed to the crowd to wild applause. I looked at his choice of headgear – an ancient Viking helmet. “Last year’s Most Popular Flyer on the derby circuit, Buffly Tuff!” The hot pink stallion also received a fair amount of cheering, though Electric Glide had been silent thus far aside from booing Clubber. Her favorite has yet to be announced. I wonder who it is. “Boxcar goes from town to town taking odd jobs, whether it be boxing, bucking, or derbying.” The pony who trotted out to join his fellow competitors was completely covered in mud. It made it impossible to determine any details to his identity. The crowd started booing him. “Last year’s Fairgrounds Classic Rookie of the Year, Sunshine Smiles!” My jaw dropped as my host for the day waved to us from the arena. “You didn’t say your dad was competing!” “Like I said, it was a surprise.” She grinned. “He’s really good!” She added her voice to the chorus of cheering, though he hadn’t mustered as much noise as most of the others before him. I’m not supposed to take favorites, but how could I not? I cheered him on, and cranked up the volume with the Royal Canterlot Voice. Electric filled me in on the details of her dad’s derby career, and I completely missed the names of the other pegasi competing as they were announced. But I knew Electric Slide could fill me in on those once the derby started. Two dozen burly stallions took to the arena. Some of them even dwarfed Sunny, who was right there in the thick of things. I felt incredibly small and fragile looking at them. A petite mare waved a green flag and then bolted for the safety of the locker room. She galloped, not daring to venture into the sky that was now filled with burly stallions slamming into each other. “How do you win?” “By being the last pony flying. If you hit the clouds, you’re out.” A few of the stallions had already fallen to the clouds and out of contention, knocked out of the sky less than a minute in. Sunny was still flying high, putting pressure on Buffly Tuff. I absentmindedly reached a wing into the popcorn bucket. Clubber absolutely dominated the upper reaches of the playing sky. The biggest of the participants, he was a target, and a lot of his opponents came at him at once hoping to overwhelm him. They didn’t. Several fell to the clouds for their efforts. Electric Slide was watching Clubber nervously. “He’s in good form tonight. He’s always tough to beat, but tonight he’s really dealing out the damage.” I nodded. “It was five on one and he eliminated two of them and forced the other three to retreat and recover. That’s impressive.” “Dad’s impressive too,” Electric replied, defensively. “Sorry.” “I didn’t say he wasn’t.” I smiled. “It’s just Clubber’s the best of the best and we all know it. He won eight out of ten derbies last year. Dad won one of the other two, but Clubber didn’t even show up. Dad’s never beaten him.” Tears started trickling down her cheeks. “And he got lucky – he inherited that win when the only other two ponies left flying collided head-on and took themselves out. He was kinda hoping that if he had you here it would spur him on to victory. Give him somepony worth fighting for.” “He already has somepony worth fighting for.” I lifted her muzzle with a hoof so she was looking me in the eye. “I’m just a duchess, but you’re a princess.” “I’m no princess.” “You’ll always be his princess.” I hugged her, holding her tight until she stopped sniffling. “Brutality!” I turned away from Electric Slide and my jaw dropped in surprise. Three pegasi in a row slammed through the wall and into the first few rows of seats; the second pushing the first, and the third pushing them both. “That’s why the good seats are up here, Duchess.” Electric Slide patted a hoof on my withers. I looked at the carnage below, instantly worried that there were injuries. The competitors pulled themselves out of the hole and returned to the arena. Spectators, on the other hoof, groggily got to their hooves and were treated by a staff nurse. The announcer blared through the stadium’s speakers. “Demolition derby has more spectator injuries than any other sport!” The crowd cheered. What the hay? They’re cheering the fact that they have a better than average chance of being hurt. Are they crazy?!? I stood up and glided down to the damaged bleachers. “Is anypony hurt?” A few ponies raised their hooves and I looked them over. I had some basic training in first aid, but mostly I knew that by coming down here, my guards would follow. Between them they had more skills and supplies on hoof than I did, but I couldn’t stand by and do nothing when my ponies were injured. The nurse nodded to us in appreciation as we set to work on treating the injured. She was already working on the most serious injury: a dislocated shoulder. Once I was satisfied everypony had been patched up to the best extent possible, I returned to my seat. Now I know why Mom never let me watch one of these derbies before. I grabbed some more popcorn from the rapidly emptying bucket. I’d lost track of how many wingfulls I’d had, but it was safe to say a lot of them. The field had thinned by more than half, with only nine pegasi left aloft. A loud crack echoed around the arena and I turned my attention skyward. Leif Spring was dropping like a rock in one direction, his helmet in another. Leif had taken the brunt of the impact, but Clubber also looked shaken from what must have been an absolutely massive hit. Sensing weakness, his opponents closed in on him, and soon the champ joined Leif on the clouds below. “Are they going to be okay?” I couldn’t comprehend injuring oneself for the entertainment of others. Instead I was concerned about the ponies competing. Competing for what? Bits? Glory? Nothing in the world could possibly be worth going out there and putting their lives on the line. “Why do they do it?” “It’s hard to explain, Duchess. Everypony gets into derbying for different reasons. The prize money’s a big draw. A top five finish nets a pony more than they could earn in a month at the Weather Factory. Not bad for a few hours’ work. In Dad’s case, he was bullied when he was a colt. He doesn’t talk about it, but that’s why he started working out. Deep down inside, I think he goes out there to show any would-be bullies that they’re messing with the wrong stallion. I know it seems barbaric, but it’s not that much different than hoofball. Linebackers slam into each other constantly too.” Clubber stood up and walked over to where Leif had fallen. Clubber hefted him up and draped him over his back, then headed toward the locker room where a doctor was waiting. The fans who’d so zealously booed him earlier cheered him for his heroic efforts. “Clubber’s a good pony. The whole bad guy act is just that: an image. When they’re not competing, they’re all the best of friends. He’d do anything for any of the ponies out there flying with him, and they’d do the same for him.” “Didn’t stop you from booing him earlier.” “He wins too much. I may be a bit biased, but I like seeing Daddy win. Besides, he takes silence as a bigger insult than booing. Silence means indifference. Love him or hate him, but don’t take the middle ground.” “Looks like Leif Spring’s going to be just fine. Just as soon as his bones finish knitting. But don’t worry, folks. He’ll be back two weeks from now for the Fairground Figure 8!” The derby was down to just a half a dozen participants, most of whom looked like they were struggling to remain aloft. Sunshine Smiles plowed into the broadside of Buffly Tuff and the pink stallion careened out of control and into the clouds below. “Woo! Go Daddy!” Electric Slide hopped to her hooves and screamed at the top of her lungs. “He’s gonna finish in the top five.” Considering there were now only five ponies flying, that was a given. Another pony landed with a wing sprain, and an unlucky stallion crashed into the clouds trying to dodge Boxcar, and it was down to three: Sunny, Boxcar, and a pony Electric Slide had identified as Clamshell. All three were wobbling, and Boxcar was flying erratically. Clamshell took him out and then he and Sunny started circling one another warily. Nopony else left in the sky but the two of them. No place left to hide. It was the moment everypony had been waiting for: a one-on-one battle for air supremacy. I knew nothing about Clamshell. He was probably a good pony, so I felt a pang of regret as I rooted for Sunshine Smiles to win. They collided, but they were in such close proximity to one another that it wasn’t much of a collision. Repeatedly they slammed against one another, looking each other over for signs of weakness. There was no pulling away to gather momentum, where one went the other followed. For a full five minutes they crashed into one another until Sunny finally found his opening – Clamshell drifted too far away and it was enough that Sunny could get enough speed to lay a decent hit on him. Winded, Clamshell dove for the clouds. Gliding, he was trying to goad Sunshine into slamming into the ground, but Electric Slide’s dad wasn’t falling for it. Clamshell conceded defeat and landed and the crowd erupted into thunderous applause for Sunny. I added my voice to the uproar. “Tonight’s winner is #115, Sunshine Smiles!” He took a victory lap around the arena, waving to all the fans. Then he fluttered over to where we were sitting and hoisted his daughter up on his back. Then he took another lap around the arena, letting Electric Slide wave to everypony, before finally landing next to the announcer for the winner’s interview. “That was quite a performance out there tonight!” “Thanks! I owe it all to my number one fan!” He kissed his daughter on her forehead. “And my good luck charm for the evening, Duchess Ploomette!” He waved a wing at me and I waved back, sheepishly. Oh, I really wish he hadn’t put me on the spot like that. I don’t want anypony to think I’m playing favorites. The crowd thinned out and eventually Sunny and Electric returned to where I was sitting. “I hope you had fun today, Duchess.” “I did, but today’s supposed to be about you, not me.” “I had lots of fun. I reckon Electric Slide did too.” “I’m supposed to listen to your concerns and address them the best way I can.” “Well, I suppose that as a parent, I’m concerned that I see a young filly not enjoyin’ herself ‘cause she’s too worried about others. You have to remember to take some time out for yourself. Life’s a balance. There’s a time for responsibilities, and there’s a time to have fun. I’m gonna let you in on a secret: it’s not easy to win a race, but I ain’t never heard of a pony losing a party.” “Thank you.” “If you want to thank me, just keep doing a good job. You watch over Cloudsdale the best you can – that’s all I ask.” “Will do, Mr. Smiles.” “Call me Sunny. ‘Mister’ is way too formal for my liking. I figure this here prize money is burning a hole through my wallet and we’ve got just enough time to get ice cream before I need to have you back at the palace.” I’ve had funnel cake and a ton of popcorn, I really shouldn’t have ice cream too. Willpower, Ploom, resist temptation. “Sure!” Dagnabbit. After we had dessert, they escorted me back to the palace and I bid them adieu. Once inside, I stripped off my finery, depositing it in the laundry basket, and then showered. I’d worked up a sweat and the water felt refreshing as it washed the filth off my body and down the drain. Where does Cloudsdale’s wastewater go, and why have I never thought about that until now? I yawned. That’s a question for another day. I turned the water off and toweled dry, wrapping my mane in the towel as I trotted to my bedroom. Mom was waiting for me, as always. Part of it was being an overprotective parent, and part of it was wanting to get feedback while it was still fresh in my mind. “How did you like your first demolition derby?” “I don’t really understand it. I watched ponies get hurt tonight. I don’t see the appeal, and yet I couldn’t look away. I… I feel so ashamed.” “Don’t be. Pegasi are natural thrill seekers and risk takers. Everypony there knew what they were getting into, and consciously made a choice to do so.” Mom kissed my forehead. “Sweetie, never forget we’re descended from a militaristic tribe. Gladiatorial battles are a thing of the past, but demolition derbies sate some of our darker instincts. There’s no shame in enjoying yourself. They wouldn’t be out there competing if there weren’t fans in the stands to show off to. No fans, no prize money.” “Would that necessarily be a bad thing?” “Considering the alternatives, yes. Demolition derby is by far the tamest of the events our ancestors enjoyed. We’re drawn to danger, Ploom. This is the safest of the games of old. It’s a connection to the past and the glories of Pegasopolis. That’s more important than you think it is, perhaps even more important than it should be. But traditions are important to ponies, and we wouldn’t be here today if not for those ancestors who weren’t as cultured as we are today. More to the point, by remembering the mistakes of the past, we won’t repeat them. So what does Mr. Smiles want?” “Well, first of all, he wouldn’t want you to call him ‘Mr. Smiles’. As weird as this is, Sunny just wanted to treat me to a fun time and let me be a normal filly for a day. No agenda. Every time I tried bringing up anything even remotely political he changed the subject.” I shrugged. “I’ve got nothing to report aside from I’ll probably have a stomachache tomorrow. Funnel cake, popcorn, and ice cream. So good, but my belly feels like it’s doing flip-flops.” Mom preened my wings as I laid down on my bed. My soft, warm bed. Today’s been the most fun day of my life, but I’m exhausted. My head hit the pillow and that was it for the night. Cloudsdale: nine years, four months, and twenty-two days ago I stood in awe of Cloudsdale’s new library. When High Tower commits to a project, she goes all out. The new structure was three times the size of the old building, and featured towers on all four corners. Ivory’s cutie mark had come in when the new library was in the planning stages, with the towers on the building matching the one on his flank. He’d emerged from his family’s shadow and come into his own with the project. He’d made it his baby, and matured in the process. Gone was the awkwardness and shyness, replaced with confidence and determination. He spotted me and rushed over to me. “M’lady!” He bowed and kissed my hoof, proving his chivalry had survived intact “I’m so glad you could make it!” “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” “If it wasn’t for you, this new library wouldn’t exist. I owe you so much. You gave my life purpose.” I shook my head. “No I didn’t. You gave your life purpose. I just made a suggestion. You took it well beyond my wildest expectations.” “Your guidance made this possible.” “My duty is to help my citizens with any problems they might have.” I booped his snout. He’s cute when he’s flustered. I patted my saddlebags to make sure my surprise was still inside as I followed him to the makeshift stage. We took our places as we waited for the ceremonies to begin. First the head librarian said a few words, thanking the Towers for their generous donation. High Tower went next, heaping praise on her son for his vision. Then Ivory Tower trotted to the microphone. “My name may adorn the building, but none of this would have been possible without Duchess Ploomette. She’s the true visionary here, and I’m honored she’s here to dedicate the Ivory Tower Cloudsdale Public Library.” I stood up and took my place next to him behind the podium. “Thank you, Mr. Tower, but you give me far more credit than I deserve. Before I cut the ribbon, I have a little something for you. Ivory Tower, it’s my pleasure to present you with the Key to the City of Cloudsdale.” It took him completely by surprise and he stammered out his thanks as the crowd cheered in appreciation. “Without further ado, I hereby declare the Ivory Tower Cloudsdale Public Library officially open!” I grabbed the comically oversized pair of scissors and neatly sliced the ribbon in front of the doors. The gathered ponies crowded inside the new building, with some exploring the architecture, others exploring the newest selections the library had to offer, while most made a beeline for the refreshments. Ivory and I just sat down on the chairs we’d been sitting in and watched everypony else. It would be so easy to fall for him. Sadly, that was exactly what his mother was hoping for. She was using her own son as a pawn in the game of politics. A union between us would elevate the House of Tower’s social status, and no doubt she’d expect favors from her son. His mother had positioned him like a chess piece. I couldn’t afford to be naïve about such things. With the nobility, ulterior motives abounded. It’s a shame that such a nice colt is caught up in the middle of political machinations. Not to say it would be impossible for the two of us to be together someday. I was most likely destined to marry among the nobility, and he was certainly the most suitable suitor I’d yet met. Thankfully, we were both still too young for such things. There’d be plenty of time to determine the best course of action. For now, I was content just enjoying his company. Cloudsdale: nine years, two months, and twenty-seven days ago (takes place during Season 5, episode 5: Tanks For The Memories) The seasons changed with regularity in Equestria, and Cloudsdale was at the forefront of weather. In towns all across the country, ponies were partaking in the Running of the Leaves in preparation of the arrival of winter. But it was Cloudsdale where the weather was made. Cloudsdale was unique among Equestrian cities, in that it didn’t have any one stationary location. Cloudsdale went where we wanted it to go, and as the fall segued into winter, we started with the northernmost towns and worked our way south, delivering winter weather as we went. The city would winter in Siami, then work its way north as winter wrapped up throughout the land. I looked at the calendar – today’s stop was Ponyville, with Canterlot to follow tomorrow. I looked out my window, dreaming of running with the ponies below to help bring autumn to a close. As a pegasus, I’d really have more luck flying between the trees and using my wingpower to knock the leaves off, but that wouldn’t be in the spirit of the competition. It would, however, be far more efficient. We had no need for a similar event in Cloudsdale – nothing grew in the clouds, so Cloudsdale itself never received weather of any kind, aside from a few inches of snow on Hearth’s Warming Eve to set the mood for the holiday. It was hard to wrap my head around the logic of traditions I’d never been a part of. I looked at leaf removal through the eyes of a pegasus antsy to drop our load of snow on the countryside and move on to the next town. I reluctantly left the window and returned to my studies. Clock Watcher knocked on my door five minutes before noon, advising me to head to the dining room for lunch. Mom’s secretary, she was adept at making sure we were all where we needed to be when we needed to be there. While I couldn’t identify the meal that was served to Mom, a heaping bowl of mac & cheese sat at my place at the table. I’m a filly of simple tastes. If it tastes good, I like it. I wonder if Dinner Bell cringes when it’s time to make my meals? Regardless of simplicity, he’d outdone himself. It was the creamiest mac and cheese I’d ever eaten. Sadly, my enjoyment of it was cut short. The town’s emergency sirens blared, and Mom galloped for the door. I ran to the window to see what was going on. It didn’t take long to spot the smoke billowing out of the Weather Factory. Oh my stars… My first thought was of Rainbowshine. I hope she’s okay. I hope everypony’s okay. I felt helpless as I watched first responders rush toward the burning factory. I could just make out Mom in between buildings downtown as she rushed to the scene. I stayed home. Away from the danger. Not because I didn’t want to help, but because there was nothing I could do except get underhoof, and that wouldn’t help anypony. Being relegated to an observer didn’t make me feel any better about the situation. I tried going back to reading about pegasus history, but my mind kept drifting back to what was going on across town. Eventually I gave up and set my reading glasses on my nightstand. I stood silent vigil by the window, hoping for the best and planning for the worst. Mom would quiz Starry and I later on what we would’ve done in the same situation, so I had to have a good answer ready for her. Hours later Mom returned home, coated in soot. I took one look at her and started to draw her a bath. “Don’t.” I looked up. “Why not?” “Because Equestria needs that water more than I need a bath. The firefighters saved the factory, but it’s an absolute mess inside. The Weather Bureau is already drawing up plans on how best to avoid a drought. They’ve got some retirees that know some old techniques for cloud making, before we had machines to manufacture them en masse. I’ve already stopped all other building projects in the city and diverted all construction resources toward rebuilding the Weather Factory.” “Equestria still has water.” Mom nodded. “Equestria has lots of water. But it doesn’t help anypony if it’s in all the wrong places. I sent a messenger to Princess Celestia. I’m sure she’ll have her own ideas, but I requested all skilled weather workers be recalled to Cloudsdale until the crisis passes. Local weather teams can’t do much if there’s no weather to distribute.” I shoved Mom towards the bathroom. “You’ve had a long day. Let’s get you cleaned up.” I dipped a washrag into the cloud floor of the palace and used my pegasus magic to heat it up, then I started scrubbing the grime off her. “Was anypony hurt?” “Luckily there were only minor injuries. A few ponies got banged up in the evacuation, and a couple of firefighters are down for the count with smoke inhalation. But everypony’s expected to make a full recovery.” “What happened?” “It looks like sabotage. There were multiple failure points. One’s an accident. Two’s a coincidence. More than that is suspicious.” I gasped in shock. “Who would do such a thing?” “I don’t know, but we’ve got our best detectives investigating it.” Cloudsdale: seven years, ten months, and twelve days ago I’ve never seen Mom so frazzled before. “What’s wrong?” “The magic drain was initiated by a pegasus.” I cringed. “I’m assuming we’ll have to have that trial on the ground. Canterlot?” Mom swished her tail. “There won’t be a trial. They’ve already thrown her in Tartarus.” “What?!?” “That was my question. I’m still waiting for an actual answer to it. Considering the crime is treason, we’d have to have the trial in Canterlot, with one of the princesses presiding. There’s precedent for that, of course. What’s unprecedented is the complete lack of a trial. That’s completely unlike Celestia.” “Poor mare. Sounds like she deserved it, but she should at least get a chance to plead her case.” “From what I gather she was caught red-hooved. It’s not a matter of ‘if’ she did it, but ‘why’. Furthermore, she’s not a mare; rather a filly. Younger than you.” “And they threw her in Tartarus? The place where all the monsters are sent?” “Yes.” “And everyone’s okay with this? “Yes.” “Did the princesses go insane?” “I don’t know. I don’t agree with their decision at all. I’ve already requested that she be remanded to our custody. We’ve got a dungeon, and we can arrange a trial. Then we can select a punishment that’s appropriate. The problem is, Celestia refused to acknowledge the request, or even explain why she did what she did.” “Something’s wrong.” “Something’s very wrong. In all my years as Duchess, I’ve never seen her act like this.” “Does Starry know?” “She’s trying to get clearance to enter Tartarus to visit the prisoner and get her side of the story. As a pegasus, she’s technically one of our subjects and deserves the same basic rights as anypony else. After she’s proven guilty, then the book can be thrown at her. But not until then, and certainly not a sentence that harsh. Nopony’s ever been thrown in Tartarus before, and there’ve been worse crimes committed.” “Does the kid have any family?” Mom shrugged. “She was at the School of Friendship and claimed to be an orphan. Whether that’s true or not is anypony’s guess. If somepony out there loves her, we’ll get a letter.”