Everyone in Ponyville was in shock as the hoard of dark clouds and the castle lying on them have come into the middle of town, essentially covering all of it.
"What is with this castle on the cloud?" asked Starlight.
"Hopefully, not something bad." Fluttershy squeaked in fear.
"Look!" Applejack pointed out.
The ponies look and saw two figures coming from the castle. They soon came into full view, it was Bitter Taste and the alicorn Rainbow Dash.
"Is that Rainbow Dash?" asked Scootaloo.
Pinkie Pie chimed in, "Maybe, but why is she an alicorn?"
"And who is that unicorn she's with?" asked Rarity.
"Citizens of Ponyville," Bitter Taste shouted to the ponies down below, "I bet all of you are curious and scared about what is going on about this giant castle cloud. Well, allow me to give you an answer: Ponyville is now home to Equestria's Newest Ruler, Princess Dark Rainbow!"
Dark Rainbow came up and nodded to the ponies down below. But the ponies down below only murmered in confusion and fear and this news.
Applejack spoke up, "Wait just a minute there, Twilight Sparkle has just been named Equestria's newest ruler!"
"Yeah!" said Pinkie Pie.
"And where did this new Alicorn come from?" asked Rarity.
"Yeah," said Fluttershy meekly.
"Well girls," said Dark Rainbow as she chuckled sinisterly, "It's funny you should mention that and Twilight Sparkle."
"Yeah," said Bitter Taste, "Because she and the other 'former' alicorns are having some difficulties as we speak."
The ponies looked even more shocked.
"What do you mean 'former alicorns'?" asked Starlight.
Dark Rainbow nodded to Bitter Taste, who nodded back to her, lit up his horn and proceeded to show the citizens of Ponyville 3 images of Twilgiht carrying a petrified Spike to the Canterlot Train station, Flurry Heart using an air-horn to try and wake up her sleeping mother, and Celestia and Luna being partially unfrozen from the crystal block as their heads and necks are free, albeit crisped as the earth pony is using a pick-axe to continue freeing them. They also look rather annoyed.
"Thank heavens our manes weren't blown off." said Celestia.
"Yeah, but I'll be smelling likee burnt hay for a month." snarked Luna.
The citizens of Ponyville looked shocked at these images, especially considering that these mares weren't alicorns anymore.
The Mane 6 and Starlight looked positively upset at this before Applejack suddenly shout out to the two villains, "What did you do to them?!"
Bitter Taste then said in mock-humlity, "Oh nothing major, just stripped them of their alicornhood and gave that alcornhood to Rainbow Dash here." He motioned to Dark Rainbow, making the other ponies down below gasp.
"I knew it!" Pinkie whispered.
"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo spoke up nerovusly.
"I'm not that pony anymore!" Princess Dark Rainbow spat, "That pony was nothing but a Grade-A punching bag to those who she put aside her own pride to be loyal to, and yet whenever she makes a mistake, those ponies forget what a loyal pony she was and treat her like a criminal."
The ponies converse amongst themselves quietly in confusion to this.
"What do you mean?" asked Applejack.
"Oh, as if you guys don't know." Dark Rainbow said seriously.
The Mane 6 looked at each other in confusion before Rarity gets a thought.
"Rainbow Da-" said Rarity before stopping herself, "I mean 'Dark Rainbow', whatever you want to be called, if this is about what happened yesterday, please know that we have some time to think about it an we'd like to apologize for..."
"Oh, I'm afraid this is more than just about what happened yesterday, Rarity." said Princess Dark Rainbow bitterly.
"What do you mean?" asked Applejack.
"I believe I can explain," said Bitter Taste smugly, "You see, after your little tiffs yesterday, I sort of provided her with an ear to her woes and she was also feeling that a bunch of other stuff that happened to her in the past on account of you girls and other ponies."
The Mane 6 look confused.
Bitter Taste resumed, "The Mare-Do-Well incident, the cookie zombie prank, the Wonderbolts relentlessly calling her "Rainbow Crash" when she finally joined them, her parents not respecting her boundaries and that fan of hers not seeing how uncomfortable Rainbow was with it, being forced to coach a team of cheerleaders even though she wasn't qualified (nor interested) for it, oh, I could go on."
The ponies give looks of cofusion and sadness.
"Well ponies," said Princess Dark Rainbow, "Bitter Taste helped me see how toxic my friendships were and we decided that things needed to change for me, even if it means you all being caught in it."
With a huge ounce of magic, Princess Dark Rainbow made every cloud in a 1,000 mile radius come to her castle and giant cloud holding it to make the cloud bigger.
This made the citizens of Ponyville more scared.
"Toxic?" asked Applejack in disbelief to her friends, "Why would she think our friendship is toxic?"
"Yes," said Rarity, "All of those instances worked out well, don't you all think?"
"I don't think the new Rainbow Dash and her new friend agree." said Pinkie.
"Well then," said a determined Starlight, "I'd say it's about time we go meet with out new 'Princess' and her new friend.
The ponies nod.
"But," Fluttershy spoke up, "How will we get up there without those two seeing us?"
The ponies mused before Starlight gave a happy grin.
TO BE CONTINUED...