The Colorful Aftermath

by Comma Typer

Break

The cloud-laden streets were loaded with life. By the front yards made up of cloudy "lawns"—complete with cloud bushes and shrubs—pegasi were partying, some screaming and shouting with noisemakers at hoof. Boisterous parades marched through the city, led by royal guards in armor and helmets as they blasted their trumpets and tubas, filling the air with their bombastic tunes in the face of those plugging their ears at the brass's sheer volume.

Posters of the Princesses' faces stuck to the walls, hung under the balconies, even advertised throughout the city by hired fliers carrying the unfurled posters high in the air—and so was the sky dotted with royalty. Multi-colored balloons of all shapes and sizes proliferated everywhere; streamers and confetti scattered throughout by more pegasi flying overhead, showering the streets below with buckets of party decorations while making sure to not spoil the cooks among them who were grilling vegetables and cheese over charcoal fires, much to the dismay of gas-grilling proponents who sensed that they were overwhelmed by their time-honored peers.

However, in the middle of the happy chaos was a small brick house untouched by the ceremonies. It did not have tables nor grills nor balloons nor other party decorations nor any partygoers. It was a quiet and quaint house with its average lawn bordered by a rainbow fence.

Inside, it felt cozy. Little potted plants decorated the room alongside wooden statues of squirrels, shining under the sun's mild light through the window. The floor, also made of clouds, was fluffy yet sturdy; a part of it was covered by the carpet which held up a sleek red dining table. Around the table were four cloud-cushioned chairs where four ponies sat: Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy alongside her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Shy.

Who was busy wiping her eyes with tears beneath her glasses. "O-Our daughter...r-rescued all of us from th-that horrible creature! I-I never thought it w-would happen, but—" blew her nose on some tissue paper, then gave it to her husband.

Mr. Shy, whose eyes were also pouring out tears, winced at the wet tissue before placing it inside a plastic bag crammed with more wet tissue.

Fluttershy smiled, modest. "I w-was surprised, too."

Mr. Shy hovered to her and hugged. "We're just overjoyed at having you here. When you were a foal, we wanted you to do something for yourself, but we never thought of you being..." and looked at his wife in askance. "Uh, honey, what's it called?"

"An Element of Harmony?" Fluttershy quipped.

Rainbow placed a hoof on her head, smirking. "Yeah. Pretty great, right? I wish we brought them over and let you see 'em, but the Princesses stored them somewhere safe in case anyone tries to steal them."

But the parents continued their soft crying. "H-How will you live out there?" Mrs. Shy asked her child—choked, hushed. "Ponies from around the kingdom will travel to Ponyville to get your autograph!"

Fluttershy shrank away. "Um, I'll...f-find a w-way."

Rainbow prodded her on the shoulder, but kept up a grin for the parents.

"Hey, is Fluttershy there?!" they heard somepony yell from upstairs.

Mr. Shy opened his wings and flew to the living room. "Zephyr, did you just wake up? Come down; your sister's here!"

Rainbow let out a light-hearted groan, cracking a mischievous smile. "Isn't that just great?"

Fluttershy giggled. "Actually, I don't know how Zephyr handled it." She turned to her mother, who was recovering from her crying bout by taking up more tissue paper. "What d-did he say?"

Mrs. Shy sniffled. "Well, dear, Z-Zephyr got wind of it before he went to the coffee shop. By the end of the day, he had told all his co-workers there and...they w-weren't sick of him, which is good for—"

"And guess who's home, mares and gentlestallions?!" cried out Zephyr from the living room.

Rainbow stifled a laugh.

They all turned round to see Mr. Shy accompanying Zephyr Breeze, a tall and slightly lanky stallion with his mane in a bun.

"Well, well, well!" Zephyr said, leaping over to Fluttershy and then slapping her on the neck. "I always knew my big sis' could handle big responsibilities, but defending Equestria from a world-destroying monster? Like I said, I always knew you had it in you, sis'!" and rubbed her mane until it was unkempt, that long mane now covering much of her face.

She blew her bangs out of the way, fixed it up with a brush of a hoof, and glared at him. "Zephyr, what did I say about—"

"Wow, you've really changed since I last saw you!" Zephyr broke in, bending his head back in surprise and rubbing the stubble on his chin. "Just because you're a hero now doesn't mean you gotta be bossy all the time—not to mention you were always bossy with me, sis', but...yeah...heh...."

Everyone looking at him.

Zephyr scratched his head. "Wow. This got awkward pretty quickly, eh?"

Mr. Shy trotted to the refrigerator and opened it, trying to find suitable food for the table which only had a lonely plate of wobbling gelatin.

Mrs. Shy turned to Rainbow. "You could stay with us if you want to." Sniffled, blew her nose. "Your Mom and Dad are busy setting up the games for the festival over at the square."

Rainbow gasped. "What?!"

Zephyr leaned his face in between his Mom and Rainbow, blocking each other's view and peering straight into Rainbow's eyes. "I can't believe I almost forgot about you, Rainbows of the Dash! I'm pretty sure you did a great job saving the world, making sure the both of us stay alive!"

Rainbow shot out of her chair. "I am not in love with you, Zephyr! How many times do I have to say it?"

Zephyr raised a brow. "Playing the denial game, huh? Alright, what about reverse psychology or something? Because two can play that game and I'll let you know that I really, totally, absolutely not love you."

Rainbow smacked herself on the face, disappointed. "That's not how it works, Zeph."

She looked at Mrs. Shy.

Who was busy hugging her daughter, whispering to her kind words, both of them breaking down into tears.

Rainbow looked at Mr. Shy.

Who left the fridge door open as he cried, too.

Rainbow maintained a smile for Zephyr who was still peering into her eyes. "I'd like to stay, but I can't because I gotta do a...thing...at the place...with Pinkie Pie, my party-planning pal!"

And she zipped away.

Zephyr, overlooking his rather emotional family, ran to the front door left open.

"With who again?! Sprinkle Pie?! " he shouted, seeing her fade in the distance, past the crowds of celebrating ponies on the roads and on the yards. "I'll go give her a love note for you!"

---

The town square was a huge flat "ground" made of flattened clouds. A few noticeboards were up, and so were a few built-in lampposts. In the middle was a clock tower, displaying the time for all to see in that square.

It was eight o'clock sharp.

The square was full of ponies busy partying. Guards were posted at strategic positions at the square and around it, watching over the whole area in their sight. More guards performed a musical performance at the back of the square—a full-on percussion performance, all of them equipped with small and large drums, creating a rumbling hum serving as the rumbling music for the festival.

The partygoers themselves merely reveled in the moment. Some just talked, enjoying casual conversation about how they narrowly avoided a global disaster. Others participated in more active pursuits: on the sidewalk progressed a cook-off with chefs competing against each other while taking care not to give in to the temptation of sabotaging their competitors' equipment; near the clock tower, several ponies stood in line to perform aerial moves, seeking to dazzle the crowd below with spins, loops, and rolls, willing to go under the scrutiny of informal judges who held up placards ranging from one to ten; over here, a pony impressed his impromptu audience by carving a magnificent cloud sculpture of the two Princesses, garnering him support and encouragement to continue on with his talent.

It was a noisy yet organized party.

Rainbow Dash was flying to the square, letting herself be passed by other Cloudsdale natives who recognized her and called out to her despite her efforts to tune them out.

She neared the square, noticing the guards stationed about.

Then, two guards flew to her and blocked her path.

Rainbow snorted. "Hey! What gives?"

The guard on the left held up a hoof. "Miss Rainbow Dash, you're a public figure and a national hero. Therefore, we've been assigned here to protect you from harm."

Rainbow groaned. "I've managed to survive up to adulthood without a meddling escort."

"But now, you're a prime target for assassination," the other guard stated in his baritone voice. "You are very valuable to Equestria, and we cannot risk losing you."

Rainbow hovered again and crossed her forelegs. "Well, if I'm a public figure and a national hero, then take my advice and leave me alone. I can fend for myself."

The two guards looked at each other.

Looked back at her.

"We shall grant you that permission, Miss Rainbow Dash," the first guard said as they stepped aside, giving her way.

Rainbow moaned, glancing at the array of activity at the square. "You know, you could just call me 'Rainbow' or 'Dash'. I don't like being called 'Miss Rainbow Dash'. I got a reputation to protect!"

The two guards nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Rainbow groaned. "Don't call me 'ma'am', either. It sounds so girly!"

The two guards nodded again, this time bowing before her as well. "Yes, Rainbow Dash."

Her frown disappeared. "Fine. I'll take it."

She hovered past the guards and on to the square.

---

Standing by a popcorn stall, Rainbow could smell the flavoring powder used to make different kinds of popcorn. Aside from pure buttered popcorn, she could also detect a whiff of cheese, a puff of garlic, and a hint of sour cream and onion.

There she was, standing halfway to the clock tower on the square. Various ponies trotted and flew around, chatting about the events of past days—the words "Ponyville", "Luna", "Fluttershy", and "Rainbow Dash" were mentioned quite frequently, with Rainbow herself perking her ears up at any allusion to her person.

She threw a couple of bits at the counter, saying "I'll have one of everything."

The vendor, who was biting on a pencil and deliberating on his next move in his current game of Sudoku, jumped up and dropped everything—"everything" being his pencil and his game paper. Finally, he gave her a shocked look.

Rainbow smiled. "Yeah, it's me, the one and only. I want one of everything; by that, I mean you place all the flavors into one massive bag and—"

The vendor combed his yellow mane, took out a popcorn bag of the largest size, filled it up with scoops of each flavor, and hoofed it to Rainbow.

Then, he grinned.

Rainbow nodded, holding out a hoofful of popcorn. "Now that's what I like! Speed and efficiency!"

He took out his Sudoku paper and put it on the counter. "Please place your hoofprint on it! I have..." and picked up an ink pad. "Here! Put your hoof here and stamp it!"

Rainbow examined the unfinished game before her. "Uh, aren't you going to complete that?"

The vendor shook his head. "I started my journey from my home in Manehattan, and here...here my wish has finally come true!"

Rainbow smiled again and stamped the paper with her hoofprint. "How long did you have your wish exactly?"

"Ever since I read it on the news!" he yelled.

Rainbow flapped her wings once more, holding on to her popcorn. "OK, that's...nice to know. If you'll excuse me, I have to go somewhere else and—"

"Rainbow Dash?!" a motherly voice cried out from far away. "Is that you?!"

Rainbow sighed, looking at the vendor—stern. "Thanks a lot, sir."

With that, she flew away.

"What did I do wrong?!" the poor popcorn vendor asked himself, slouching and resting on the ground, hiding below the counter.