//------------------------------// // Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse // Story: There Goes the Neighborhood // by Prak //------------------------------// Chapter 1 Things Are Never So Bad That They Can’t Get Worse As the sun reached its apex above the overcast sky, Celestia and her fellow alicorns were settled onto their chariots. With nothing left to do but wait for their chariots to arrive at the nearest town, she had lain down to get some much-needed rest. Discord's music had stopped in the distance, which likely meant he had finished disposing of the vermin. Despite that, she could still hear rumblings in the distance behind her as more buildings—perhaps even her castle—continued to fall. According to the guards, almost all the buildings in the city had been hit. Her eyes burned at the thought of the homes, businesses, and countless historical artifacts and monuments that had been lost. It was a cruel twist of fate that the only building to remain completely untouched was Prince Blueblood's manor. Celestia already knew her ‘nephew’ was repulsive, but if his personality could actually repel parasprites, he probably ranked slightly higher than Sombra on a list of the worst ponies in history. With the clouds below them, the sun shone directly on her white fur, giving extra warmth to her horn as it slowly drew in power from the rays. Lighting her horn to test her magic's state, she found that it could at least form a stable field again, but it wasn't strong enough yet to lift the half-eaten crown from her head. “Princess Celestia?” The call came from the chariot on her left. Raising her head above the rail, she could see Twilight Sparkle sitting up straight, unintentionally mocking her own lack of energy. “Yes, Twilight?” she called back impassively, raising her voice to be heard over the lashing winds. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay, Princess. You used a lot of magic, and I know that can be exhausting.” At the mention of her title, Celestia's eye gave an involuntary twitch. “I am fine, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said. Turning to the other side, she called out to her sister, “Princess Luna, Princess Twilight Sparkle is concerned about our condition. Would you please tell the princess how you are doing, Princess?” When her sister appeared over the rail, however, it was to give a simple shrug and point a hoof at her own throat before collapsing again. Sighing softly, she turned back to Twilight and said, “There's no need for formalities now. There will be enough of that for all of us once we reach Ponyville.” “Right. Sorry about that. Old habits, you know.” Celestia started to say something in reply, but stopped as Discord caught up with them. He was riding on a chariot of his own, made of petrified parasprites held together by gooey caramel and pulled by two rubber ducks chasing a cheese wheel. The silly vehicle slipped easily into position between Celestia and Twilight, largely due to the pegasi at the front of the other chariots moving aside to distance themselves from it. “Good afternoon, everypony!” he said in his infuriatingly jovial voice. “You'll be pleased to hear that those adorable little balls of mischief have been dealt with.” “So you turned them all to stone?” Twilight said, her voice quavering, as Celestia gave an involuntary shudder at the thought. “Good heavens, no. What kind of cruel harmony zealot do you take me for? I didn't kill them, and I didn't turn any of them to stone," Discord said, proving that even a universe capable of giving birth to mutant parasprites was capable of small mercies. Twilight gave a polite cough and motioned to the chariot beneath Discord's legs. “Oh, these?” he said dismissively while rolling a bit of caramel in his lion paw. “They're not real. I modified the enchantment on the parasprites, so now when they reproduce, they spit out stone copies of themselves instead.” There was something wrong with what he just said, but Celestia couldn't quite put her hoof on it. “So, Discord,” Twilight said, “are you telling us that you took the parasprites away somewhere, tweaked the spell on them a bit, and just turned them loose on Canterlot again?” By the end, panic was evident in her voice. The question was fair, but it wasn't the one that was jabbing a stick into Celestia's brain in a desperate bid to draw attention to itself. “Oh pshaw. Give me a little credit now and then, Twilight Sparkle. I locked them up where they won't do any more damage. Parasprites don't live long in the first place, so they'll be gone in a few days.” “What could you lock them in that they won't just eat?” “I found a tacky mansion near the castle that they weren't eating, so I just shoved them all inside and coated the walls, floors, and ceilings with gingerbread. The owner should pay me, really. Whoever decorated the place actually made all the walls the same color! Can you believe that?” Arg. It's right there. What was it? Parasprites, mansion, gingerbread, stone copies, enchantment… Enchantment? Enchantment! “Discord," Celestia said suddenly, rising to her full height and enunciating carefully to avoid making any embarrassing mistakes, "you said that the parasprites were modified by magic. If they were enchanted, this was most likely a deliberate attack on Equestria's capital city. I must have more information. Please tell me everything you know.” “Um... Princess Celestia…” Twilight interrupted, her voice trailing off at the end as her perfect posture fell into a dejected slouch, ears pressed down against her skull. “Yes, Princess Twilight?” she replied, smirking slightly as Discord grimaced at their sudden display of formality. “Please tell me what's on your mind.” “Well, Princess, you see... um…” Again, she trailed off as she struggled to find words. “It all started when…” As the story reached its conclusion a few minutes later, Celestia's muzzle sported a lingering imprint of her hoof. Only Twilight Sparkle could accidentally weaponize parasprites. “I don't know why the spell is still active, though. It should have ended after a couple days,” Twilight said. “It was probably just Everfree magic having unpredictable effects. At least they've been dealt with for now, and things can only get better from here.” Years later, Luna remembered that statement, prompting her to fund Mad Science's development of the irony detector. Silence had reigned since Twilight Sparkle's explanation of her last encounter with parasprites. No one seemed to have anything else to say after Discord pointed out, “At least they didn't start eating ponies.” It really could have been a lot worse, Twilight thought as an old cautionary tale about misused magic emerged from her memory. * * * * * Rising Tide was a young mare with colors of sky and sea. She was born beside the ocean and lived her life upon its waves, sailing the coastal waters in her father's old boat. One day, while passing through the waters of an unnamed strait, she found her path blocked by impassable rocks. Though she did not doubt her skills, she knew her beloved vessel was far too large and slow in its maneuvers to survive an attempt to navigate the treacherous waters. To turn back would have been the wise choice, but Rising Tide was a prideful mare and decided to challenge the reefs. The weathered vessel upon which she had learned to sail would no longer serve her needs, but she would not part with it. Instead, she made landfall near a small village, inhabited by earth ponies who made their living by diving into the waters of the strait to gather seaweed. They welcomed her with open hooves and helped her to tear down her ship and rebuild it into one that was smaller and more agile. In exchange, she used her magic to help gather their crop. In time, her new boat was completed and she cast it off upon the water. With the sails unfurled, the new vessel, built from the bones of her father's boat, skipped across the waves as quickly and nimbly as she had dreamed. However, her joy was not to last, for her design was flawed, and the boat began to sink. She swam to the safety of the island on the other side of the strait and watched as her beloved ship disappeared into the sea. Though stranded on the island, she did not fall into despair, for the strait was narrow, and the island could be clearly seen from the village. It would have been a simple matter to cast a spell of light and summon the villagers to her aid. However, her pride once again overwhelmed her wisdom. Why should she call for help when she could escape on her own? Calling upon her magical connection to the sea, she cast a spell that drew all the water-dwelling creatures within several leagues to her. Within a day, she had found a large sea turtle, which she rode back to the safety of the village. Upon reaching the shore, she rushed away to tell the villagers of her brilliance, but she found them in mourning, for many of their divers had been attacked by sharks and lost to the depths. Upon hearing her tale, the vengeful ponies bound her hooves and weighted them with rocks before casting her into the water. The village was soon abandoned, for they could no longer harvest their precious crop. Wherever the ponies went, they told the tale of the madmare who had doomed them and her terrible end in the waters of the Shark Bait Strait. Little Unicorn, remember the lesson of prideful Rising Tide, and dare not to change the ways of nature, for the unintended consequences may be greater than you can bear. * * * * * Beneath the chariots, the clouds rolled past leisurely. The ground was rarely visible in gaps between them, but the landmarks were familiar enough to know they were still on course. Celestia and Luna had recovered much of their strength and were sitting up straight, wearing stoic expressions. It was Discord who eventually broke the uncomfortable silence. “You've been awfully quiet, Luna. I'm starting to miss having my eardrums shattered every time you look my way.” Luna's response was to roll her eyes and point a hoof at her throat. “Yes, yes, I already know. After all that yelling earlier, you're a little... never mind. Too corny.” Everypony within earshot breathed a sigh of relief. “Anyway,” he continued, “I think you have more important things to worry about than my sense of humor.” He pointed toward Ponyville, and all three princesses saw the problem at the same time; a column of black smoke was rising from the train station. “I'm going to check on Fluttershy. Good luck!” Discord and his chariot vanished in a flash of light, leaving the three princesses and their guards to investigate the trouble below. Throughout the trip, Luna had made at least a dozen attempts to communicate with her fellow princesses, but her small croaking voice wasn't enough to make it past the rushing winds, and to make matters worse, Discord had made a point of drawing attention to himself every time she had tried to pantomime something. Even her own bat-pony guards seemed oblivious to the presence of their passenger. Her chariot descended alongside the others, coming to a stop next to the train station amidst a crowd of ponies who had parted for their landing. The six guardsponies unhitched themselves from their respective chariots and accompanied their charges around to the other side of the single building. Half of the structure was missing. At least that much of the train—or what was could once have been called a train—was also gone. The column of smoke rising from the locomotive was the result of all the uneaten coal within burning at once, a natural consequence of the entire boiler assembly having been devoured, allowing the fire to spread. The rails had been just as badly ruined. It was obvious that a sprite or two had managed to slip aboard before the shield went up over Canterlot's railway hub. The important question was where they had gone. Celestia and Twilight Sparkle were busy studying the wreckage, having already doused the fire with magically-conjured water, leaving very little for Luna to do there, so she instead turned toward the townsfolk, finding them mingling in equal numbers with the refugees from the capital. Forcing extra energy to her mane for effect, she opened her mouth to address her subjects, some of whom had remembered protocol well enough even in these stressful conditions to bow hastily. She remembered her predicament just in time to slam her jaws shut and squelch most of the awkward squawk that had tried to force its way out. Grumbling inwardly while steadfastly retaining her outward regality—at least, as much of it as was possible after making a sound in front of them that sounded like a sickly belch—she walked back to her sister and nudged her slightly. “Yes, sister?” Celestia said, still not taking her eyes away from the train's carcass. Luna gave a more insistent nudge to draw her full attention. With her older sister's gaze now locked upon her, she motioned toward the crowd milling behind them and gestured to her own abused throat. After a moment of thoughtful silence, Celestia finally took the hint and went to gather the information they needed. She spared a moment to roll her eyes as all the ponies remembered to bow to Celestia, then quickly began her own investigation by transmuting a stray piece of wood into a scroll, quill, and ink bottle. Outside the town hall, the residents of Ponyville and the displaced ponies from Canterlot were lined up outside the doors, slowly making their way in. The air was buzzing with the sound of a hundred different conversations, but most of those fell silent at the sound of a princess yelling nearby. “What do you mean, 'by herself?' Didn't any of you think it would be a good idea to go with her?” Twilight shouted in Applejack's direction. “Now simmer down there, Twi. First of all, she didn't say a word to us about it before she up and left. And second, this is Pinkie we're talking about. There ain't a thing in that forest that can touch her.” “And besides,” Rainbow Dash added, “there's so much going on that we all have things to do. AJ's taking some refugees back to the farm, and I have to get my team up in the air to move those rainclouds right after the meeting. We were scheduled to have showers later, but the mayor doesn't want these sissy Canterlot ponies getting wet.” “You're right,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I can't help but worry about her, but I guess if anypony can get by in there, it would be Pinkie.” “Okay, y'all, I think we might want to get moving now. That's line's getting pretty small, so the princesses will be wanting to get started pretty soon.” “Right. You want me to get you past that line?” Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash grinned and opened her mouth to accept the offer. “Nah,” Applejack answered quickly, beating Rainbow to the punch and squashing her hopes of avoiding the delay. “You go ahead and join the other princesses, Twi. Rainbow and I'll be there in two shakes. And don't you worry none about Pinkie. Once she drops them critters off in the forest, she'll be back quicker'n you can say apple cider.” “My little ponies, thank you for joining us,” Celestia said in her usual regal manner. She stood at the center of the stage, flanked by Luna to her right and Twilight to the left. “I understand that it has been a trying day for us all, and there is still much work to be done, so I will be brief.” A quick glance around the crowded town hall was enough to tell that most of the Canterlot ponies had grouped together on one side of the circular room while the Ponyville natives were pushed to the other. Every pegasus in the room was hovering up above, and even up there, they were cramped. The only exception was a wide area the pegasi were avoiding, where Discord and Fluttershy sat at a floating table, a large umbrella shielding them from nothing in particular. He casually sipped from a tall glass of chocolate milk through a straw that wriggled like a snake, but Fluttershy shrank into her chair and tried to hide behind her own mane. Whether she was hiding from the attention of the crowd or the undulating straw in her own glass, Celestia could not tell. “Most of you already know what occurred this morning in Canterlot, but for those who are not aware, the city was overrun by a new and particularly dangerous type of parasprite. The infestation was successfully eliminated, but as a result of the damage done before then, most of the city is currently uninhabitable. “While our intention”—she nodded to the two princesses flanking her—”was to have Ponyville be a temporary stop for most of those who have been displaced from Canterlot, further movement is not an option at this time due to the destruction of the railways. We have dispatched couriers to most of the major cities in Equestria, formally requesting their aid, and we should receive replies from all of them within a day or two. In the meantime, my fellow princesses and I shall remain in Ponyville to oversee Canterlot’s reconstruction and ensure a smooth transition for all of you. “However, while Ponyville is a wonderful town, it does not have the resources to support such a rapid increase in population. For that reason, we must ask that any pegasi who have fled here from Canterlot proceed as quickly as possible to Cloudsdale.” With a quick glance to the top of the hall, the princess attempted to estimate how many pegasi would be departing. As expected, not many of them seemed to be Canterlot natives—most of them were probably in Cloudsdale already—but she took note of a large number who looked uncomfortably at Discord in the next few seconds, perhaps considering taking a vacation until he had left. “We have spoken to Mayor Mare and agreed upon several arrangements. First, the royal court will be held here in the town hall until such time as the railroad has been repaired and trains are able to enter and leave Ponyville again. Our most optimistic estimates for these repairs are six days, although it may take as many as ten. “Next, we would like to ask that any citizens of Ponyville who have extra space in their homes agree to shelter as many of the victims of this tragedy as possible. Fortunately, the number of refugees who have been stranded here is relatively low compared to the numbers on trains bound for Manehatten, Fillydelphia, and Vanhoover, so we believe it should be possible to provide adequate housing for everypony.” A slurping sound from above drew everypony’s attention momentarily as Discord drained his glass. Upon his less-than-subtle cue, a second draconequus appeared with a pitcher to refill their glasses, but he noticed that Fluttershy hadn’t even touched hers. After a crack from a tiny whip that probably hadn't been in his talon a moment before, the straw in her glass stopped its gyrations and straightened. Fluttershy still made no move to drink it. “Lastly, with leave from Mayor Mare, the Golden Oak Library will be closed for the next few days. Princess Luna and I will be residing there with Princess Twilight Sparkle until such time as this matter is completed, and the royal guard has rightly insisted that it be closed to the public as a security precaution. Important matters of town business should still be addressed to the mayor, as usual, but should you have any concern that requires our attention, please present it to us during court. Thank you for your time and attention. I shall now return the floor to Mayor Mare, who will oversee the process of finding housing for those who have been displaced.” “I’ll see you later, Fluttershy,” Discord called out as he faded through one of the walls, which allowed her to breathe a quiet sigh of relief. It wasn't that she disliked him, but spending time in public with an entity who seemingly lived only for the sake of causing mischief could be taxing on an introverted pony. She was patiently making her way to the exit when Twilight called out to her. “Fluttershy, wait!” “Yes, Twilight? Oh! I’m sorry, I should say Princess Twilight in public, shouldn’t I?” By the end of the sentence, her voice was barely more than a whisper. “It’s fine, Fluttershy. You know I don’t like it when my friends call me by my title instead of my name.” “I’m sorry.” “Please stop apologizing, and please don’t say you’re sorry again,” she said quickly, cutting off the inevitable follow-up apology. Fluttershy nodded in response, but hung her head a little lower anyway. “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about sending some guests over.” “I’m sorry, Twilight, but I can’t. I don’t have a guest room, and my animals take up what little space I do have.” “Yes, I know that. That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I know you already have a lot of animals to care for, but one of the cars on the train was loaded with all the animals from the palace gardens.” Ever since Discord had summoned that table, her cheeks had felt like they would burst into flame at any moment, but as the implication of those words struck her, that heat was replaced by a sudden chill, which crept down from her face, wriggled along her spine, and settled down to start a family somewhere in her gut. She knew what was coming, and it was much worse than having to play host to a unicorn she didn’t know. Visions of stampeding critters, a ruined party, and a rage monster wearing her skin ravaged her mind. ‘You’re going to love me!’ the monster in her memory roared. What should I do? I can’t let her ask that. I can’t do it! I need to escape, she thought. Now! “Princess Celestia and I were thinking that you would be the best pony to take care of them while they’re here.” Oh no. It’s too late to run now. I need an excuse! I need some reason—any reason!—to say no! “Okay, Twilight,” she whispered. Ponyfeathers. “Aunt Celestia, this is completely unacceptable.” Ah, here it is. No bad day would be complete without a run-in with—  “Blueblood, dear. What is the problem?” Celestia said, forcing a serene smile to counter her indirect relative’s pouting. He had practically stomped into the mayor’s office, interrupting the impromptu conference between the heads of the local and national governments. “The problem is that I simply cannot stay in a place like this!” Blueblood said. “This entire village smells of nothing but livestock and dirt, and even if a place with adequate ventilation could be found, I daresay that my hopes of finding a decent bed are non-existent.” Of all the ponies who could have been on that train, why him? ... Then again, perhaps I can make the best of this. “And what do you suggest I do about that, nephew?” Celestia's reply was calm, but beneath the mask of serenity, there was an excitement building, betrayed only by a subtle fluctuation in the flow of her ethereal mane. Putting Blueblood in his place was always a wonderful source of catharsis. It would need to be done with caution and tact, however. The first time she was overtly snide to one of the nobility, Luna had jokingly nicknamed her Princess Sarcastia. After her sister’s banishment, the nickname had faded quickly for fear of anyone who spoke it being sent to keep Nightmare Moon company, but nicknames tended to be as resilient as roaches, and that one kept popping up every time she intentionally offended a noble. At least it was better than some of the others though. If she ever figured out who it was that came up with Molestia… “I must insist that a chariot be assigned to convey me to Los Pegasus with all haste.” “I’m truly sorry, Blueblood,” Celestia said. Though only in the sense that I can’t be rid of you that quickly, she added mentally. “—but the only chariots we brought here were used to send emissaries to the other cities. Besides that, most of the royal guard is dispersed throughout Equestria to help my subjects integrate into their new environments. None can be spared.” “Then send for one from Cloudsdale.” Give a fool enough rope, and he’ll eventually hang himself. The only question is how much more rope he needs. “While there might be private chariots available for hire, I’m afraid I still cannot do that,” Celestia said solemnly. “And why not?” Blueblood said, nearly yelling. Celestia noticed that the mayor had retreated behind her desk and was occupying herself with some paperwork of the sort that could be propped up to hide her from view and apparently didn't require any writing. “It is simple. You need bits to hire a chariot. Do you have any?” “Of course not. All my expenses are paid from the royal treasury,” the unicorn huffed, tossing his mane in what he undoubtedly (and mistakenly) thought was a dashing or regal manner. “Yes, nephew. Now tell me, where is the treasury again?” “In the castle, of course.” I wish I could be surprised that he still hasn't caught on, Celestia mused. “And where is the castle, Blueblood?” “Canterlot?” he said hesitantly, clearly growing confused by her questions. “Exactly. And why are we not in Canterlot now?” “Because those filthy vermin… ate… the city?” His voice was quavering. The reality of his predicament was finally sinking in. “Very good,” Celestia said quietly, her muzzle moving uncomfortably close to Blueblood's face as her serene smile was abandoned in favor of one that would be considered predatory if her teeth weren’t all flat. “In other words, young prince, the treasury is out of our reach at best, and at worst, completely devoured.” “Y-you mean…” “We have no money. For the first time in your life, nephew, you’re poor. Destitute. Impoverished. You cannot leave here because we cannot afford to hire a chariot.” Blueblood’s coat seemed to darken a few shades (although that might have just been Celestia’s imagination) as he sank to his haunches, mouth slightly agape. Inwardly, the princess was bouncing like Pinkie Pie after a pot of coffee, but her outer facade betrayed none of her elation over her relative’s comeuppance. “Don't worry, dear. I know a place where you can stay where there is plenty of room and excellent ventilation.” “Really, Auntie?” he said. Hope was clearly rising in his voice, which would make his impending misery all the sweeter. “Yes. I just need to make a few arrangements, but I’ll have somepony pick you up soon and escort you there. Now, go wait in the main hall with the others.” Blueblood picked himself up and slowly made his way out of the office, again not showing the proper deference that his own rules of protocol would have demanded he show the Princess of the Sun, but she suspected there was no malice or arrogance in it this time. He just had a lot on his underdeveloped mind. Now to find Applejack, she mused. And I’ll need to tell her to keep the barn doors open. I’d hate to have lied about the ventilation. Perhaps she’ll even manage to teach him the value of a hard day’s work, though that’s probably asking far too much. All in all, I’d say this is a perfectly flawless plan. “Excuse me,” Rarity said, tapping the shoulder of a light gray-coated unicorn to pull her attention from the group of ponies she was conversing with. “Please pardon me if I’m mistaken, but would you happen to be Silk Satin?” The mare’s cherry-red curls bounced as she turned around. “Yes, I am,” she proclaimed haughtily. “Ah, yes. I thought as much. My name is—” “Rarity,” Silk Satin interjected. “I am familiar with your work.” Suppressing the urge to squeal like a filly, Rarity pressed forward with the conversation. “Really? I’m very flattered. I’m familiar with your work as well. In fact, you’ve been something of an inspiration to me.” When she paused to allow the Silk Satin to reply, no words were forthcoming. Instead, the elder fashionista simply stared at her appraisingly, her teal eyes slowly scanning from Rarity’s indigo mane, down to her face, then back toward her cutie mark before finally returning to make eye contact. “So, is there a point to all this?” she finally asked. “Well, yes, actually. I have quite a bit of extra room at my boutique, so I can take in quite a few ponies from Canterlot. I can assure you that it is a much more, shall we say, cultured environment than can be found elsewhere in this quaint little town. Would you be interested?” “No,” Silk said, still maintaining eye contact, but holding her head as high as possible. Rarity couldn't help but feel that her fellow designer—the best in Canterlot, according to many—didn’t like her for some reason. Had she said something to upset her? Perhaps the conversation she interrupted had been important? Whatever the reason, Silk Satin was a very important pony in her line of work, and there was only one way she could see to salvage the situation: tactical retreat. “I see. I’m terribly sorry for disturbing you then. Please keep in mind that my offer still stands, though.” Silk Satin nodded tersely and turned away without another word, resuming her discussion with the other mares gathered around her. Rarity’s head swam with incoherent thoughts as she slowly walked away, trying in vain to make sense of what had just happened. It definitely was not the outcome she had expected. She had been prepared for small talk, shop talk, a few tasteful jokes, compliments (some sincere, some not) passing both ways. Wasn’t that how things were supposed to be done in those social circles? Her introspection was brought to a sudden and slightly painful end as her muzzle collided with a hoof being waved in front of her face. “Oh no! I'm terribly sorry! I was just trying to get your attention, and you didn’t seem to hear me when I called your name, so I thought I’d wave at you and then—” The unfamiliar yellow mare’s Pinkie-like rambling was brought to a halt as Rarity’s hoof leapt forward in instinctive desperation, burying itself in her mouth. With her senses back in the waking world, Rarity noticed that she was now flanked by half a dozen unicorn mares, all with cutie marks that appeared to be related to sewing. “How about we start over now, darling?” Rarity asked as she retracted her hoof. “Okay. My name is Cotton Weave. These are my friends,” she said, motioning to each one in turn as she called out their names. “Silver Thread and Silver Needle. They’re sisters. This is Chiffon, Glitter Lace, and this is Spindle.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Please pardon my inattentiveness a moment ago. I am Rarity.” “The pleasure is all ours, Miss Rarity. Is it true that you have a boutique with some extra room?” After the town meeting ended, Rainbow Dash had been the first pony out the door. With all the Canterlot pegasi moving on to Cloudsdale, there was no need for her to share her house, so she had gone straight to work organizing the weather team. A whole sky full of storm clouds moved in less than two hours, Rainbow Dash mused as she lazily drifted (which was still fast by most standards) toward her cloud home for a well-deserved nap. Seriously, that has to be some kind of record. As she flew past the other pegasi on her way back into Ponyville proper, they all shouted greetings and congratulations to her. “Awesome job, RD!” “Thanks, Flitter,” Rainbow replied, knowing it was completely true. “Great work today, boss!” “Good job yourself, Thunderlane!” “Hey, Rainbow! This should make you a shoo-in for that Weather Manager of the Year award!” “Hay yeah, Blossomforth!” “Sorry about earlier, Rainbow Dash. I just don’t know what wen—” “Don’t say that!” By the time she reached her house, Rainbow’s pace had slowed to a relative crawl. I can’t wait to climb into bed and take a long nap, she thought as her hooves touched down on the clouds. I can’t believe how tired I am from that. I can barely lift my hooves. It almost feels like they’re sticking to the clouds. As her head dropped, her blurry vision came to rest on the fluffy pink surface beneath her. …Pink? Her vision returned in a rush of adrenaline as she realized that it didn’t just feel like her hooves were sticking; they actually were. Cotton Candy. And that can only mean— “Oh Celestia! Not him!” A splashing sound from below drew her attention, and she immediately spotted the one being she least wanted to see. As he paddled a canoe up a stream of chocolate that should have been her rainbow waterfall, Discord called out to her. “Welcome home, Rainbow Dash!”