The Factory Psychologist

The whirr of Machinery, screams of the unknown, clanks of hooves on corrugated metal sheets. All sounds that one would associate with Subsection 7R of the Weather factory - or at least those who were 'privileged' enough to see it. Having that plastic ID reading "Clearance R" in bold text alongside the blazing rainbow stripe down its side - it was the dream of many Pegasi. Not just in the factory, but to many little fillies and foals who - just like those before them - wanted to carry the pride of Cloudsdale on their backs. It's the way it always had been. Cloudsdale took pride in creating the weather for Equestria, conjuring storms and sunshine alike - but no weather phenomenon was as respected and adored as the Rainbow. Perhaps it was its spectrum of hues that inspired awe in all that saw it arch across the sky - or perhaps it is its mysterious and unknown origin.

Many ponies could figure out the creation of the other weather events - rain and snow are simply water after all - but none, not even the residents of Cloudsdale, could pin down exactly how Rainbows were made. Its closely guarded recipe was kept close to the heads of the weather factory - it was even rumoured that even royalty couldn't conjure the spectacular spectrum of colours that the weather factory could produce. Each hue is more vibrant and vivid than anything Ponykind had ever seen before. The only way to know how this mythical imagery is created is to get that idolised position in the weather factory - Clearance R.

Very few ponies who have access to Subsection 7R are known - in fact, only one is officially confirmed - the head of Subsection 7R herself;

Rainbow Dash.

There are other ponies of course - How else would rainbows get made if there weren't - but most who go in don't come out - and those who do often aren't the same. Only one explanation has been offered as to why this is - making the components of a rainbow is difficult and stressful work that can take weeks at a time. This would leave any pony drained of energy.

The public accepted this for a long time - everyone went about their day as individuals slipped away behind the doors of 7R - returning as broken and dull ponies that couldn't or wouldn't elaborate on their time inside. It developed a nickname around Cloudsdale as cases became more and more common: F.S.D - or Factory Stress Desaturation. Ponies with FSD often would never return to regular life - completely restricted by the phenomenon. As more and more families and friends were torn apart by this disorder, public outcry grew louder and louder. Pressure on the weather factory grew. After the sudden withdrawal of Rainbow Dash from her PR position in the factory, a solution had to be found.