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Cloudsdale Courier
Monday 29 July 1995
Mystery Rainbow is Sonic Rainboom
The Legend is True
BIG SHOT
We reveal that the alluring, yet uncredited, rainbow which graced skies across the city was nothing less than a legendary sonic rainboom created by a young colt at the summer flight camp.
After a dull start to the day, the sky above Cloudsdale was brightened by a magnificent multi-coloured ribbon causing heads to turn throughout the city. “It was amazing,” said West Cloudsdale resident Dew Drop. “I just looked out of the window, and there was this beautiful rainbow! I haven't seen one like it since I was a filly. It made me smile all afternoon.”
The rainbow, which was not on the weather schedule, has caused some embarrassment for the Met Office. “Frankly, it's a bit of a mystery,” said senior weather-mare Warm Front. “It's not one of ours, and we don't know of anypony else with the expertise to pull off something on this scale. And it's the wrong weather for a natural rainbow. We've had reports that this one was seen from all over Equestria.”
However Courier reporters have found the answer. After we flew out to the epicentre of the spectral arc, we visited the Summer Flight Camp where the junior pegasus cadets were in no doubt as to what made the weather phenomenon. “It was a sonic rainboom!” said young Cirrus Swirl. “Rainbow Dash did it! It was so awesome! They were having a race, and then—kaboom—there was an amazing white flash with all other colours mixed in, and the rainbow. Just like in the stories!”
Unfortunately we were unable to interview Mr Rainbow Dash as the young sportspony had left the scene at speed leaving a rainbow vapour trail.
Most ponies only know of the sonic rainboom from the legends of ancient Pegasopolis. Many experts have questioned whether it is a real phenomenon or just an old mares’ tale. We now have the answer.
Future Wonderbolt Captain?
Top young flier Spitfire is now the bookies' favourite to become the next captain of Equestria's elite stunt flight team. Captain Flank Phalanx, of the Royal Guard, yesterday questioned whether she has the experience required to take on the leading role, however senior Wonderbolt Academy instructor Solent Sparkle is confident his daughter has the speed and agility to take on the competition in the battle for the skies. “That's my girl!” he said. (Cont. page 4)
Mayor to Make Refuse Disposal a Priority
City mayor Civil Stratus yesterday announced that she would personally oversee efforts to find a solution to Cloudsdale's growing garbage problem. “Right now this is my number one priority,” she announced at a press conference yesterday evening. Refuse has been accumulating in the city for the last week since official landfall sites reached full capacity. The mayor said she was optimistic a deal could be reached with one of the low-lying Equestrian regions. However when contacted by the Courier, Trottingham premier Grazed Earthenmare ruled out taking any more refuse in her region. “If Ms Stratus thinks she can continue to dump her rubbish on us indefinitely, then she's got her head in the clouds,” she said.
Perfect Storm, the leader of the opposition, taunted the mayor about the crisis in the council senate last week. “If we had seen a little less hot air and a bit more action from the mayor, then we would not be in this fix,” he said. “We've been saying for years that we need to boost recycling and take waste reduction seriously, but does she listen?”
The best chance of a quick solution to the crisis does seem to rest with the hope of a deal with the authorities in Trottingham, Hoofington or Ponyville. Disagreements with Lower Equestria on waste disposal are nothing new. A similar crisis occurred in 1981, complicated by further arguments about access to water resources, which went on for two months before Princess Celestia intervened once the smell of a growing mountain of decaying garbage drifted as far as Canterlot.
Win a Weekend Spa Break at Rainbow Falls
Full details on page 17
Luxury New Cloudominium Development
In the Property Supplement
Foal Free Press
Ponyville School Student Newspaper
Monday 29 July 1995
Rainbow Over Ponyville
Penny Pastel, Editor-in-Chief
Today a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky above Ponyville. It happened in the late afternoon and we all went outside to look at it. It was an arc shape with six coloured bands. Miss Spell Chequer says it wasn't on the weather schedule, and it might mean that something special has happened or is going to happen soon. Everypony voted it the best rainbow ever. Except for Violet Vine who said it wasn't as good as the one she saw on her birthday.
Hoofball Team Plays First Game
Minty Polo, Sports Editor
Figskin and Flummery have started a new school hoofball team and played their first match against a visiting team from Hoofington. Figskin was the new team captain. “We all had great fun,” he said. “Flapper was in goal, and Chantillee in defence—she's great, and Flummery and Rhubarb were our top scorers.” When asked which team had won, he said, “Oh—we forgot to keep score.” But when asked if the team were aiming to reach this year's Super-Foal Cup final, he said, “Yes, definitely.”
School Play Tonight
Ad Lib, Arts Editor
The school play opens tonight. Blueberry Cake, Cotton Top, Fruitbasket, Honey Drop and their friends have been hard at work for the last three weeks practising their dance moves. Rarity has made some very nice costumes, and she says she is going to make some even better ones in time for the performance. So everypony please come along tonight.
The Manehattan Times
MANEHATTAN, TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1995
"All the Neighs That’s Fit to Print”
DID FILLY MAKE SONIC RAINBOOM?
EXPERTS DIVIDED
Mystery at Cloudsdale Flight Camp
Opinion is still divided among experts as to whether the spectacular giant rainbow, seen across Equestria earlier this week, was really the result of a 'sonic rainboom'.
“I was sceptical at first,” said Polo Vortex, head of Tropospheric Planning at the Cloudsdale Met Office, “but the reports really do match the historical descriptions of a sonic rainboom: a bright rainbow visible from all directions, produced after a loud boom sound and dazzling flash of multicoloured light.”
She further speculated that a lightweight athletic foal could potentially reach a velocity impossible for an adult pony. Although she added, “They would have to be a really top flyer to reach a supersonic speed.”
However Professor Noble Laureate of the University of Canterlot is not convinced. “There have been reports of alleged rainbooms going back many years,” he said. “But when we look into the details, there is nothing to suggest anything beyond an ordinary rainbow appearing at the same time as a flyby by a fast pegasus. Some report a bright flash and other effects, but these seem to be simple exaggerations.”
The earliest references to the sonic rainboom are in ancient Pegasopolitan myths. The most famous being the story of Fillypides, a messenger in Commander Hurricane's army, who flew back to Equestria bearing the news of victory against the Minotaurs in the battle of Mareathon. She flew so fast that she reached the speed of sound, and produced a brilliant flash of light visible across the country and leaving a rainbow which lingered for several days. This story, known to every young school filly and colt, is generally regarded as apocryphal.
References to the sonic rainboom are also found in many of the epic pony sagas from the Middle Ages. Historians have pointed out that these texts are more works of fantasy than reliable historical records. The rainboom appears to be a standard literary device used by poets of the time, usually performed by a pegasus knight in the act of defending a friend or lover.
The 1800s saw a revival in interest in the sonic rainboom among the intellectuals of the day. This was at the time of the Cloudsdale Enlightenment, following the foundation of the first weather factory and the development of the new science of meteorological engineering. It was soon established that a supersonic flight alone was not sufficient to produce the effect, but scientists of the day speculated that a sonic rainboom could be produced by high-speed flight in particular weather conditions.
The most famous experimenter was the maverick millionaire Buster Nimbus, who at the start of the twentieth century spent his entire fortune creating artificial fog, thunderstorms and hail showers, through which he would then fly at dangerously high speeds. Following complains about the erratic weather and noise pollution, he was forced to move his experiments away from the city. After many years he finally announced that he had achieved the sonic rainboom, but as he was unable to demonstrate it in public, he was not widely believed.
Most modern scholars have dismissed the sonic rainboom as an old mares' tale, not worthy of serious study. But this may be about to change if this week's rainboom is confirmed to be true.
In a further mystery, Rainbow Dash, the pegasus filly behind this story, has been missing from the flight camp for two days. Her present whereabouts are unknown. “She flew off shortly after the race saying that she had to find her friend,” said one of her classmates.
Rainbow Dash is described by her teachers as a lively young pony, with an interest in weather control, especially lightning management, but whose real passion is for competitive sport. She was chosen as flag bearer for the Cloudsdale team at last year's Equestria Games in Fillydelphia.
INTERNATIONAL - GRIFFINSTAN: Chocolate shortage feared
Tensions have risen in the trade war between Griffinstan and Muledavia after the Eyrie High Council yesterday voted to block the import of all chocolate mousse. Fears that this could be followed by an outright ban on all cocoa products led to panic buying in the markets of Clawachi last night. Talks aimed at resolving the dispute collapsed after the Muledavian Ambassador, Ms Aurie Mule walked out blaming the inflexibility of the Griffin administration. “We can make no further progress with the current trade minister,” she said. “He's as stubborn as a mule.”
(Continued on page 5)
NATIONAL - CLOUDSDALE: Industrial action halts cloud production
The Cloudsdale weather factory will stay closed today after the United Weather Workers of Equestria called a one-day protest strike after accusing the management of employing non-union labour for rainbow manufacture. The factory spokespony denied this, but UWWE president Red Rose said, “The evidence is there for all to see.”
This action is in addition to an ongoing series of half-day strikes over pay and the allocation of chocolate chip cookies at tea breaks.
(Continued on page 3)
MANEHATTAN: Fashion designer suspected of tax fraud
Manehatten City Police Department confirmed today that fashion designer Ruban Surpiqué was being investigated for possible tax evasion. It is alleged her company failed to declare several million bits of earnings, hiding income in the account of a knitting league in Ponyville to avoid paying tax in Manehatten.
Detective Inspector Marelowe of the fraud team said it was unclear if they could collect enough evidence for a prosecution. “Unfortunately this behaviour is not uncommon in an industry where an 'everypony for herself' attitude prevails.”
(Full story on page 7)
LIFESTYLE P13
What in the world is a rooster?
Latest exotic pet craze
FASHION P15
Hottest new mane styles
THEATRE P20
Best Night Ever
Coming soon to Bridleway
BUSINESS P12
Rock farm shares soar
The leading Equestrian rock farms yesterday reported a large rise in annual profits, driven by increasing demand for granite and limestone in the Far East.
Markets
HOOFSIE-100: 6,743 +2.0%
COW: 8,203 +1.2%
Hoofball
Trottenham Hotspur 1
Manechester United 2
Daily Mare
Tuesday July 30, 1995
Rainbow Crash
Teenage Rebel Creates Chaos in Cloud Capital
By Petunia Pollen
A YOUNG PEGASUS was responsible for an outrageous act of high altitude vandalism yesterday.
Junior flight student Rainbow Dash broke into in a chemical storage room at the Cloudsdale Flight School and sprayed rainbow colours all over the sky, then in a foalish hoax, boasted that she had created a sonic rainboom.
Her irresponsible antics have had an impact outside Cloudsdale. Sub-urban Trottingham resident Privet Border said, “This 'sonic rainboom' really is the limit. We've been complaining for years that the flight cadets fly too low over our gardens, and make too much noise, but the Cloudsdale camp just dismiss our complaints and insist it is essential for their training.”
A flight school spokespony confirmed that they would take action. “It is still unclear exactly what happened on Sunday afternoon. We want to talk with Miss Dash as a matter of urgency. The fact that she didn't show up for class this morning is suspicious.”
Rainbow Dash, described by flight school instructors as a 'well-known prankster' is regarded as a bully by other students. “She's really aggressive,” said her classmate Hoops. “She pushed my friend Dumb-Bell into a cloud column and cut past me so fast she sent me into a spin. We hope the teachers will kick her out of the flight camp.”
School admissions policy "grossly unfair" say outraged parents
“CELESTIA just hoof-picks her favourite fillies,” say Canterlot parents Jet Set and Upper Crust, whose son Eton Mess missed out on a place at the prestigious School for Gifted Unicorns, despite attending the city's most expensive preparatory school. Our investigation has revealed Princess Celestia did bypass the official procedure to offer a place to one Twilight Sparkle, a foalhood friend of Princess Cadance, despite the fact the examiners’ notes say she had “no exceptional magical ability”.
SEE PAGE 4
OVER 50,000 ZEBRICAN IMMIGRANTS ILLEGALLY WORKING IN EQUESTRIA
PAGE 13
The Canterlot quack
The News You Won't Read Elsewhere
31 July 1995
Filly Frees Demon King,
Makes Sonic Rainboom
A young pegasus Rainbow Dash yesterday freed the evil demon King Sombra from his crystal prison in return for the power to create a sonic rainboom. The filly was flying over the enchanted Beakon Hills when she spotted the entrance to a cave. Venturing inside, she found a large glowing green crystal, into which had been thrust a rainbow-coloured lightning bolt.
The demon spirit imprisoned in the crystal then spoke to her, offering to grant her a wish if she would pull out the bolt and thus free him. Rainbow did so and wished for the power of supersonic flight. The demon granted her request and she promptly flew back to Cloudsdale to wow the crowds with her magic skill. The fate of the spirit Sombra, imprisoned in crystal a thousand years ago for crimes against equinity, is unknown.
Secret Rulers of Equestria
Following last week's revelation that Princess Celestia is merely a figure-head set up to draw attention away from the real source of power in Equestria, our political reporter Filly Buster has managed to track down the true rulers of Equestria to a small bakery in Ponyville. She explains: “Whoever controls the supply of cake, controls the kingdom.”
Real Daring Do author:
HRH Prince Blueblood
An analysis of the latest 'Daring Do' bestseller has revealed that the author known only as A.K. Yearling is none other than peer of the realm Prince Blueblood.
The writer's meteoric rise to the top of The Manehatten Times Best Sellers list, following the publication last year of Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone, has astounded the literary establishment. However A.K. Yearling has shunned publicity and refused requests for interviews. Reporters travelling to her given address, several hundred miles north of Vanhoover, have found only an abandoned cottage with a note on the door saying she was off researching her next book. This has led to much public speculation about her (or his) true identity, with suggested names including: Twilight Velvet, Cranky Doodle Donkey, and even Princess Celestia. We can now show that all these theories are false.
Professor of linguistics Florid Prose reached the conclusion after comparing the text of the latest novel with the transcript of His Royal Highness's speeches to the House of Lords. He said, “The author left many clues to his identity in the books. Not least the fact that his character has almost the same cutie mark. Daring Do is clearly his alter ego—who has all the romance and adventure he would pursue, were it not for the restrictions of aristocratic life.”
Following this hunch, Professor Prose conducted a detailed analysis. “There are striking similarities in word, sentence, and paragraph length. Over 90% of the words used in both texts are the same.”
Baby Dragon For Adoption
Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns today confirmed that they face an unprecedented problem of finding a home for a baby dragon. “We've had an old dragon egg at the school for years,” our source said, “and it has been a standard exercise to give it to some of the brighter students and challenge them to hatch it. Of course nopony expects them to succeed—it's impossible—but it's a good exercise to see how they approach the problem and what ideas they have. However somehow, somepony has managed to hatch it. So we now need to deal with the hatchling.”
The many animal adoption agencies in Canterlot have all offered to help, but the School said they would prefer to deal with this privately.
(see P.5)
Silly Season: Giant Lizards, Then Ponies Turn Into Plants
Canterlot: It is a silly place
Is the hot summer weather getting to everypony? Or have they been having a bit too much of the zap apple brandy? This week has seen reported mass hallucinations across the city.
Pollution leads to Gender Imbalance
High levels of estrogens in the water supply, resulting from pollutants produced by modern farming practices are distorting the gender balance of births in Equestria, giving an unnaturally high ratio of fillies to colts. Environmentalist Daisy Green said: “We have tested water supplies all around the country and have found dangerously high levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. These can interfere with the reproductive system of many species and lead to a feminization of the population.”
The End is Neigh
Church of the Equine Epiphany prophesizes return of Nightmare Moon within five years (see P.7).
50% Equestrian princesses are secretly changelings P.3
Cloudsdale Courier
Wednesday 31 July 1995
Defiant Student to Face Disciplinary Panel
TRACY FLASH
Flight student Rainbow Dash returned to Cloudsdale yesterday to face the news that she is summoned to appear before a school disciplinary panel concerning her role in Monday's sonic rainboom hoax.
The school principal made it clear that she would not tolerate disruptive behaviour and intended to set an example for the other students.
While some ponies have called for her expulsion, it is understood that this may not be possible on legal grounds. Twinkie Tulkinghorn, the Canterlot lawyer assigned to defend Miss Dash, explained, “The formal charges against her are: physically harassing other students, being absent from class without good reason, and behaving in a way to bring the school into disrepute. These are serious allegations, however I understand the evidence to support them may be limited. I am optimistic that we will reach a deal which will be advantageous to both parties.”
The incident has divided the summer flight camp. While some students hope to see the filly go, she still has many supporters. “To a not insignificant number of little ponies, Rainbow Dash is the epitome of cool,” said a young teacher.
Rainbow Dash herself gave a defiant defence to reporters, denying the charges against her. “It was a sonic rainboom. I can fly faster than anypony and I showed that the legend is true!” When asked to explain her absence from Cloudsdale for the last three days, she said, “I had to go and find Fluttershy [her friend]. She had fallen several hundred metres from a cloud. Turns out she was fine, but she was in no fit state to fly back to the camp so we spent the night on the ground. Fortunately we found a real friendly family in an apple farm who let us sleep in their barn. Next day their young filly came home from Manehatten and they invited us to stay for a party. They had the most awesome cider.”
The disciplinary panel will meet tomorrow morning.
Trottingham Claim Weather Ponies Withholding Rain
Trottingham mayor Grazed Earthenmare has accused the Cloudsdale authorities of deliberately withholding scheduled rain showers over her territory in order to increase pressure in the ongoing negotiations to find a new refuse disposal site.
“We will not give in to these bully tactics,” she said at a press conference yesterday. “But our farmers need this rain to ensure a productive harvest. To withhold it at this point in the growing season is completely irresponsible.”
Premier Civil Stratus responded angrily, “We are not deliberately holding back rain. It is just that with all the industrial action at the weather factory, cloud production is at a low, and we need all the clouds we can get for temporary rubbish storage.”
Ms Stratus will meet with the other city leaders tomorrow at the Council of Equestrian Regions where it is hoped an agreement can be reached. The city authorities have been urging the weather factory and union officials to end the current dispute and boost cloud production as soon as possible.
The Weather Factory negotiators today announced that they had made a final offer of a 4.5% pay raise and cream scones on Fridays. Union officials will meet today to decide whether to accept this.
Daring Do and the Griffon’s Goblet
Review of AK Yearling’s New Novel Page 12
Your Full Guide to the August Weather Schedule
Pages 21-24
Daily Mare
Thursday August 1, 1995
Rainbow Rebel Grounded
By Petunia Pollen
SCHOOL BULLY Rainbow Dash has been expelled from the Cloudsdale Flight School after she refused to apologise for the rainboom hoax she perpetrated earlier this week.
“She is being completely unreasonable,” said her defence lawyer Twinkie Tulkinghorn. “We had negotiated a very generous deal which would see all the charges against her dropped and allow her to return to her studies. All she had to do was make a public apology to the school. But she refused to do this.”
THE CLOUDSDALE REFUSE problem has finally been resolved after a deal was reached following late-night discussions at the Council of Equestrian Regions.
Trottingham, Hoofington and Ponyville will all take a fraction of compostable Cloudsdale waste, with the remainder being shipped to dragon incinerators outside Equestria. Cloudsdale Mayor Civil Stratus also promised to invest in new recycling facilities. We agree the deal was the right outcome, but the council leader refused to answer questions on how they will pay for it and whether this will mean a reduction in much-needed investment in the cloud city sewers.
EDITORIAL PAGE 10.
“TAVI ATE MY HAMSTER”
Scandal in Canterlot Music World
Page 9
Foal Free Press
Ponyville School Student Newspaper
Friday 2 August 1995
NEW FRIENDS IN PONYVILLE
Penny Pastel, Editor-in-Chief
Two new little fillies have come to stay in Ponyville! They came along to the schoolhouse this afternoon. Fluttershy is really sweet. She has a lovely pink mane and a yellow coat with a beautiful butterfly cutie mark. And she brought in a cute little baby bunny to show us. Rainbow Dash is awesome. She's a great flyer and everyone really likes her mane. Miss Spell Chequer said Rainbow Dash had had problems at her old school but we shouldn't mention it if she didn't want to talk about it. But Rainbow was all cool about it. She said, “I did a sonic rainboom but those jerks didn't believe me so I quit. I'll show them. One day I'm going to go back and prove them wrong and get crowned best young flyer. Until then, I'm going to stay with my friends in Ponyville. And when I win a medal at the Equestria Games it will be for Ponyville.”
Rarity’s Generosity
Now that she has her cutie mark, Rarity has said that she will make new outfits for the entire class. She has already started making dresses for the fillies and was chasing the colts today with a tape measure to get their measurements.
Another Rainbow
Today there was another rainbow in the sky above the school. Miss Spell Chequer says this one was a special scheduled rainbow made by the weather pegasi to say thank you to all the ponies in Equestria for their support during the recent strikes. They will now be going back to work and everyone is happy. It was a nice rainbow, but not quite as good as the one we had last week.
