Stepping around a pile of branches, I glanced around at Ponyville proper. At first glance, it appeared that the town weathered last night’s storm, but upon closer look, there were dozens of debris mounds consisting of shingles, bits of siding and small plants dotting the streets, signs that the storm left lasting damage to the small village. Construction ponies moved from building to building, checking on what needed to be fixed immediately and what was just cosmetic damage.

Man, I didn’t think it was that bad, I thought as I watched a unicorn carefully remove a busted sheet of glass from a window pane. Then again, I wasn’t exactly in the right state of mind last night to really notice. Thankfully, it didn’t look like any place was too heavily damaged; I highly doubted anyone would be without a home for the next few days.

The marketplace hadn’t fared better. Almost all the stalls were toppled over with several having collapsed entirely, the old wood unable to hold up against the force of nature. Now they were destined to become kindling. Unsurprisingly, Applejack’s stand looked none the worse for wear, as did Timberline’s, the local woodworker.

Despite all the storm damage, things were operating as normal for the ponies that called this small village home. Lacking her stall, Carrot Top had taken to selling her produce out of the back of her cart, and was also allowing the Flower Sisters to use the front to sell their flowers while Big Mac fixed up their stall. Sugarcube Corner had thrown open its doors and was supplying plenty of food and water to any pony who walked in. Berry Punch was working with the glassworkers, donating empty bottles to help replace broken windows and lamps. Timberline was assisting in finding any hidden damage that might not be visible to the untrained eye. Several members of the weather team were carrying wooden beams and ropes about, transporting them to their needed destination, and any business that wasn’t too damaged was open and providing to the masses.

Several ponies waved to me as I picked my way through the marketplace—as well as several curious looks—but for the most part, I was left alone. I returned the waves, ignored the looks, and headed toward my intended destination. Limping along, I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost didn’t hear the shout. “Oh no! W-watch out!”

I looked up only to duck to the side just in time to avoid the wooden beam that thudded to the ground beside me. It buried itself into the earth about an inch before slowly toppling over. A moment later, a distraught gray pegasus fluttered down beside it.

“H’ohmygoodness! I’m so so sorry!” Ditzy cried, tears in her eyes and her ears splayed back. “I… I thought I could make it but it was just so heavy a-and my hooves were damp and I couldn’t readjust it and it… it just slipped!”

“Ditzy, it’s fine,” I said, although my heart was pounding in my chest. “Just… just be more careful next time. Maybe get someone to help you carry it.”

“Nopony ever wants to help me,” Ditzy muttered as she circled the fallen beam. Closing an eye, she studied it carefully before sighing. “Should probably take it back to Timberline so she can check for any splits or cracks.”

I moved to stand next to her. “Can… can you carry it back by yourself?”

“I’ll manage,” she said. Running a hoof along the wood, she hummed. “I’ll go get some straps. Maybe that’ll make a difference.”

A cough drew our attention. Cloudchaser and Flitter hovered in the air above us, both wearing vests with straps of various lengths hanging from the front. While Cloudchaser looked bored, Flitter smiled warmly as she waved. “Hello, Ditzy. It looks like you could use some help!”

“Hi, Flitter!” Ditzy responded with a wave of her own. “I actually could, if you’re willing to help. I had an accident and need to get this back to Timberline for inspection.”

“Say no more! We’ll help you get it there!”

Stepping back, I watched as the trio went to work pulling the beam out of the dirt, straightening it out, and putting the straps around it. The sisters hovered patiently in the air as Ditzy doubled-checked the lines, making sure that her previous mistake didn’t happen again. Satisfied that the wood was secure, all three of them slowly rose into the air before winging it back towards the lumber depot. Ditzy gave me one last wave before following after the sisters.

I raised a hand in farewell and was about to continue on my way when I heard it. It was almost inaudible at first, practically hidden amongst the hubbub of the town, but frequent repetition had engrained the noise into my subconscious. My body was already tensing before my mind even processed what it was hearing. The faint whistling noise grew louder.

Diving to the ground, a rainbow blur whizzed by a moment later, nearly clipping me in the process. The speeding comet shot off into the sky, banking sharply as it came around for another run. I rolled to the side in order to avoid the second assault before staggering to my feet. My injured leg throbbed as I glared at the rainbow missile that was already coming back for another attack run.

“Are you kidding me?” I shouted up at her. “You’re really doing this now?!”

“You’ve been laying around too much, lazybones!” Rainbow shouted back as she circled above me. “It’s time to get you back in shape again! Don’t worry though; I’m the perfect mare for the job! You’ll be back to your old self in no time!” She had on the same vest as Cloudchaser and Flitter had, obviously having been in the middle of a task when she had spotted me.

Ponies slowly began to form a large ring around us, the familiar spectacle drawing smiles as well as bets from the onlookers.

As ponies picked their side, I flipped Rainbow the bird.“I’m not just laying around for the sake of it. I’m still recovering from Canterlot!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll start off easy!” That was all the warning I got before she lunged for me, her wings spread wide. I ducked under her strafe again, wincing as her hooves scraped along my back. She launched off me at the last second, causing me to stumble as she banked about.

Sore, annoyed, and now with new bruises, I turned to face the grinning pegasus. “I swear to Christ, Rainbow, if you keep this up…”

“You’ll what?” she asked, crossing her forelegs with a smirk.

I huffed and shook my head, muttering, “I don’t have time for this.” Turning, I started to head off down the road, pretending to be done with the fight but secretly keeping an eye on Rainbow as I ‘left’. She hovered in the air, a look of disbelief on her face which quickly morphed into a scowl.

Lowering her head, she dove forward, hooves outstretched. “Oh no you don’t!”

As she raced toward me, I kept my pace steady. I waited until the last possible moment—until she couldn’t avoid what was coming—before making my move. Spinning about, I braced myself as she slammed into my chest, toppling me over onto my back. My breath left me at the impact, but I gritted my teeth and fought on.

Wrapping my arms around the stunned pegasus, I quickly got to work. Before she had time to recover, I stuffed her wings into the vest, pinning them to her sides and rendering her flightless. Moving onto her legs, I wrapped the loose straps around them, tying the limbs to her barrel. Having recovered and realized what I was doing, Rainbow fought back, both of us now rolling around on the ground, trying to get leverage on the other. She put up a good fight, but with each limb I tied, her ability to fight back lessened until—with the last leg bound—she was left wiggling on the ground like a weird-looking worm.

The sound of cheers and boos filled the air as bits exchanged hooves. The ring around us dispersed as ponies returned to what they had been doing.

“D-dude, what the buck?” Rainbow whined as I got to my feet. “This is totally not cool!”

“Neither is pulling this shit,” I grumbled. Dusting myself off, I glared down at her. “My leg is still sore. I’m in no shape for this kind of stuff right now.”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” she huffed. She wobbled back and forth before tipping over on her side. “No wrestling until you get better. Fine, whatever.” Struggling with the straps for a few more seconds, she took to gnawing at them— “Come on you stupid… gah!” —but the straps were made of a tougher material. She wiggled about some more, the movement causing her to roll over onto her back.

Finally giving up, she glared up at me. “You gonna let me go or what?”

“Nah,” I said without hesitation. “I don’t think so.”

“What?!” she yelped. “Oh, come on! I have stuff I have to do!”

“I do too.” I shrugged before turning and walking off.

“V-very funny!” she called after me. “Okay, jokes over!” I kept on walking, wincing each time I put weight on my bad leg. “You can’t just leave me here!”

“Should have thought of that before you went after me,” I called back.

“Oh come on, dude! This isn’t funny!”

Giving her the peace sign over my shoulders, I turned the corner of a building and left her behind. I could hear her complaints fading into the distance as I limped down the street. Buildings passed by, and I hummed softly to myself, nodding to the occasional pony that waved in my direction. None of them accosted me though, and I was able to make it to my destination without further interruptions.

Dirt crunched beneath my feet as I came to a stop right outside. The sign above the door depicted a mare with a flowing mane and tail, and the display in the window housed various bottles of lotion, shampoo, mane wash and conditioner. I eyed the plaque that proudly displayed the words ‘Ponyville Spa’ before, with a small smile, I pushed the door open and entered, the chime of a bell announcing my arrival to those inside.

Author's Note

Don't get spoiled at the upload speed. This is an anomaly; I swear, I'm much slower at updating than this.