Cerulean and Spike both warned her, but she didn’t listen. It was one of those things that anypony else could tell wasn’t going to end well, but Twilight, ever confident in her magic and logical reasoning, assured them that her experimentation with poison joke would be perfectly safe.

“Just look at this laboratory! I’ve got protective wards around the room, magic resistant bottles for the experiments, a lifetime supply of the antidote, and my two best assistants. You guys ready to get your science on?” Spike winced as Cerulean immediately let out a mighty whoop, before Twilight turned her back and he dropped his voice low.

“Look, Spike, I’m not too thrilled either, ok? I can still taste the bile if I think about what happened last time I was near the stuff. But she’s in a good mood for once, and it will be best for everypony if we keep her that way. So, for sanity?”

“For living,” Spike agreed, nodding and walking towards the table.

“Ok, Spike, use those gloves and measure out exactly three grams of poison joke on that scale. Cerulean, turn on the heating pad and start warming the aqua regis. Oh, and be careful. That stuff is pretty nasty if you get it on you.” A single drop spilled from the vial as Cerulean poured it into a beaker, and the tabletop soon found itself with a new hole as the highly corrosive substance enjoyed a nice meal of finished oakwood.

“Poison joke is ready, Twilight.”

“Very good, Spike. All right, take the mortar and pestle and mash it up good. When you’re finished, add it to the beaker.” Cerulean allowed himself to let his guard down at Twilight’s happy humming, thankful for a day off from constantly being on her nerves. In the last month her mood swings had turned violent, and it took Celestia stepping in for her to get a hold of herself. It didn’t last long though, and she had quickly regressed to her old habits. So on a day like this, when everything was veiled under a thick cloud of normality, he could almost forget the worries that were building in the back of his mind. Speaking of clouds...

“Uh, Twilight? That’s supposed to happen, right?” Cerulean asked with a start as Spike dumped the mashed flower into the beaker, which soon began to froth. A small blue tendril of vapor began to form a small cloud over the heating pad.

“Supposed to? Anything is possible, nopony has ever done this!” she exclaimed, scribbling furiously on her clipboard as she observed the process. The last of the blue drained from the aqua regis, and a small but fully formed blue cloud hovered over the heating pad. “Cerulean, time for the test stage. Stick your hoof into it. Don’t worry, we have plenty of the antidote, so if something too strange happens I can fix you right back up!”

“All right.” In truth, her excitement was becoming infectious, and for a moment the cute, dorky mare he had fallen for was acting like her old self. It was for this reason that, in his haste, he did not reach in to gingerly touch the cloud, but rather jabbed it sharply. The cloud, angered by his abrupt intrusion of its personal space, promptly darkened and gave him a small jolt of electricity.

“It functions like a normal cloud, and can even generate static? Amazing! I wonder, can it rain? Cerulean, could you agitate it a bit?” Cerulean was standing motionless with his hoof still outstretched. “Uh, you ok?”

“Quite. Now stand aside, Twilight, true science calls my name. You wish to see it rain? I shall make it pour.” She willingly obeyed, brimming with enthusiasm as her stallion took an interest, prepping seven grams of poison joke and adding it again to the beaker. The cloud formed was much larger and quickly assimilated the previous tuft. After casting the cloud walking spell, he began poking the cloud in precise points, yielding a gentle drizzle of a deep blue substance around the room.

“Cerulean, that was incredible! How did you know it would react that way?” He said nothing and punched a hole through the cloud, causing a sudden shower to drench everypony. Twilight quickly dried herself and applied the antidote before anything could happen, treating Cerulean and Spike as well.

“Twilight, we should stop now.” How could Cerulean go from maximum science mode to frightened foal in two seconds?

“How can you say that? Things are just getting interesting!” she replied cheerfully, preparing a second beaker with aqua fortis and bidding Spike to mash some more poison joke.

“Easy, that jolt of whatever that cloud hit me with temporarily allowed me a glimpse of every outcome poison joke can have, and some of them aren’t pretty.”

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?” she squealed, punching the cloud and receiving a minor shock. As the jokes electrical charge raced through her brain, she saw the possibilities unveiled like the lifting of a curtain and for a second, her mind was consumed by scientific bliss. Then the joke took over, and without warning she mixed the contents of the beakers and piled in the rest of the flowers.

Pinkie Pie was almost finished checking her scattered stockpiles of rubber balls and eye patches when she saw the library explode. Large, roiling clouds billowed out and spread in all directions, moving incredibly fast as if driven by an invisible wind and quickly covering most of Ponyville. While most of the city saw fit to panic, Pinkie’s mind was consumed solely by one thought, and her eyes began to shine with anticipation.

“If pink clouds make chocolate milk, then blue clouds must make... frosting!” Standing on her hind legs, she reached out her hooves and opened her mouth as the first drops began to fall. She sputtered as the incredibly sour substance forcibly puckered her mouth, her hair falling down straight as her hopes were cruelly dashed by the raging downpour. “Twilight, that’s just mean... Wait a second, maybe Cerulean exploded! Twilight, you broke your Pinkie promise!” she shouted, dashing towards the library before she felt her tail start twitching, and she immediately ducked under the shelter of one of the market stalls. After several moments of nothing happening, she stared at her tail, now covered in blue spots. “That’s funny, my Pinkie sense has never been wrong before. Oh, duh, maybe it’s ‘cause of the rain!” She was about to continue towards the library when her ears started to flop. “Ear floppy? I don’t wanna get dirty! Wait, I’m inside of a stall, how am I gonna get dirty?” She hunkered down and waited a whole minute, only to have nothing happen. “This is getting spooky. I better find Twilight fast! Wait, what’s this? Achy shoulder? Gummy is at home, and I’m not even in the tub! What’s wrong with me?” she wailed, making a break for the library as her Pinkie sense told her it was going to rain angry alligators from an opening door in the sky while a hydra plays the lute.

Throwing down a mess of fabric in frustration, Rarity stalked to the door and swung it open to witness the bizarre rain descend.

“Oh my, what a brilliant azure! I do think this gives me an idea!” she exclaimed, though not before reaching out a hoof and catching some so she could examine the color more closely. Walking back inside she wiped it onto a square of white fabric so she could refer to it later, and immediately began working on her latest creation. “What that...” she muttered a short ways into the dress she had begun to design. “What the buck was I thinking, making this trash? I know what a real mare would wear, faux leather and studs!”

“Uh, Storm? Do you see that?” Rainbow Dash said, stopping her practice and pointing at the blue cloud that had started to dissipate but still overshadowed much of the town. “We didn’t make that, did we?”

“No, we didn’t. I’ve never seen clouds like that before, either. Have you?” She shook her head and they both descended, careful not to agitate them. Rainbow Dash reached out a hoof to stop him from landing as she pointed to the blue puddles all around the town.

“Storm, we cannot touch that stuff! I don’t know what it is, but look at everypony!” It was like the de-colored rainbow incident all over again, with ponies running amok and chaos reigning supreme. Storm saw Pinkie Pie dash off and was about to comment when his mind short circuited at the sight of the new Rarity.

“Rainbow Dash, I think you’re gonna want to see this,” he managed between fits of laughter, barely maintaining his ability to hover. Rarity was strutting confidently through town, her normally styled mane spiked into a massive mohawk. Her tail looked like she had applied a few bolts of lightning to it, its usual curl replaced by jagged edges that stuck out in all directions. Perhaps most surprising was the decidedly masculine vest she was sporting, with sharpened steel spikes lining the collar and down the front. Dash gawked not only at the awesomeness of the vest, but also at the fact that never would Rarity ever consider being anywhere close to such an article of clothing, much less design and wear one.

“Holla, homies! What’s crackin?” Rarity suddenly yelled out to them. Storm and Dash looked at each other before falling to the ground in fits of hysterical laughter, Rainbow Dash fortunately landing somewhere dry. Storm was soon drenched in the blue fluid that had collected below, and while Rainbow Dash realized what was happening, she was too breathless to warn him. “Sup, Dash. What’s so funny, huh? You better not be laughin’ at my new threads. They’re bitchin,’ aight?”

“Trust me... it’s not... your clothes!” Rainbow Dash gasped, tears streaming from her eyes as she fought her quaking body for control.

“Rainbow Dash, is something going to happen to me too?” Storm asked, pulling himself out of the puddle and examining the blue mud that was now caked onto his coat.

“Yes, and I can hardly wait to see what it is!” she squealed, continue her laughter. Storm was half tempted to drag her into the puddle, but after Rarity’s lecture last time he messed with her appearance, coupled with her new personality, he decided it would be better to suffer alone. He joined in with his fillyfriend’s laughter up until he felt a sudden pinch on his back.

“Wha, no! Give my wings back!” he shouted as his wings shrunk to approximately the same size as Scootaloo’s. “Rainbow Dash, help! How do I make whatever this is stop?”

“Aaah, Storm, this is horrible! I like your wings!” she exclaimed, suddenly no longer amused.

“Yeah, so do I! Is there a way to stop this stuff? Come to think of it, why is this happening in the first place?” Rainbow Dash was about to shrug when she remembered Zecora’s delivery to Twilight two weeks prior, along with several jars full of the antidote.

“Come on, Storm, Rarity, we need to get to the library now!” she urged, flying above the two as they ran to avoid the splashes from their hooves.

“Woohoo, let’s git crackin’, mothabucka!” Rarity howled, giving chase.

Spike awoke facedown in a puddle of blue. The invading liquid made a break for his sinus canals as he attempted to breathe through his nose, causing him to sneeze, sending a rather large column of green flames out of his mouth. Much too large, he realized, as some of the lab equipment and much of the puddles on the floor were sent to Celestia.

“Wow, I didn’t know I could make a flame that large,” he muttered, thoroughly confused. He slowly stood to find that the room was much smaller than he remembered, Twilight and Cerulean being even smaller. He reached out a claw only to realize that the ponies before him hadn’t shrunk, but that he’d grown. A lot. Not stopping to help the two ponies, he raced back to the library, tearing apart the entrance to the lab as he forced his way out, frantic to find a mirror to see the full extent of his change. Making it to the second story in two steps, he poked his head through the bathroom door to find that he was roughly the size of a young adult dragon, and with a cry of alarm he was about to return to the laboratory to wake Twilight when a sudden, rapid knocking sounded at the door.

“S-s-spike, T-t-twilight! L-let m-me in!” Pinkie Pie? She talked fast a lot, but she never stuttered. He opened the door to find the mare suffering from body wide spasms, as every Pinkie sense fired at once.

“Pinkie, what’s that one supposed to mean?” Her body stopped vibrating long enough for her to respond, though the ear flops, knee twitches and just about everything else continued.

“It means that flying taco from the door on the sun is going to rain kittens from the puddles of berry pudding! No wait, I meant burrito! Flying burrito! Wait, was it the moon? Ah, I can’t tell! You gotta help me, Spike! The chimicherrychangas are coming!” Spike grabbed Pinkie Pie and was about to head to the laboratory when a bone chilling cackle arose from the depths. Even without her Pinkie sense, both of them could tell that they should vacate the premises with all haste. As Spike fled the scene with Pinkie in tow, an even scarier sight confronted his eyes.

“R... Rarity?!?”

“Hey, check it! It’s my favorite sugar daddy!” she exclaimed, forgetting her quest completely as she wrapped herself around his leg. Spike, still very much the same baby dragon inside, blushed violently and dropped Pinkie, who suddenly inflated like a balloon and drifted to the ground.

“Pinkie, your Pinkie sense! What’s gonna happen?” Rainbow Dash cried, scanning the skies and looking every which way.

“It means that girl’s gone and flipped her lid,” Rarity offered as she stroked the scales around Spike’s leg, who stood riveted and bright red in the face.

“Somepony make it stop!” Pinkie wailed as her mind frantically attempted to translate the random twitches and senseless ear flops.

“I dunno, I could get used to this,” Spike said quietly, more to himself than anypony else.

“Oh no, I am not letting Storm’s wings go just like that. I still haven’t gotten to explore them!”

“Uh, Dash? Could you say that any louder?” Storm asked, giving a mournful glance at his pitifully undersized wings. “Wait, what the hay?” Rainbow Dash followed his hoof up into the sky to see Scootaloo soaring high on a massive pair of wings, perhaps even bigger than Storm’s had been. “Scootaloo, you give those back!”

“No way, this is way too much fun! I’m keeping them!” she yelled back defiantly before soaring out of sight. Storm, temporarily forgetting his lack of usable wings, leapt into the air and landed with a thud a short distance away.

“Would somepony please tell me what the hay is going on?!?” Storm yelled, stomping his hooves in frustration as he scrambled to his feet.

“It’s poison joke, Storm.” His blank stare begged further explanation. “It’s a plant native to the Everfree Forest, and the effect it has on everypony is different. It’s meant to be funny, but losing your big, strong... gah, it’s not funny at all!” Rainbow Dash cried. “Somehow, it’s gotten into the air, and the only pony who can make the antidote is Zecora. Come on, everypony, to the forest!”

“Nah, I’m good,” Spike said with a grin, reaching down and lifting Rarity to eye level. Knowing that argument would be pointless, she tore off towards the forest with Storm. Pinkie followed after, mysteriously able to keep up despite her body wide tremors.

Celestia had to wonder if Twilight knew exactly when to send messes her way. She was running out of ways to “lose” Proud Skies’ proposals when an oaken table landed with a crash on her desk, followed shortly after by a blue downpour and assorted lab equipment. She sat patiently waiting for some kind of note, but none came. Luna, having heard and felt the table’s violent entrance, came barging in to investigate, plodding through the puddle and regarding the ruined desk with a confusion tinged with amusement.

“I know you are not fond of Proud Skies, but that is no reason to destroy a perfectly fine desk, Celestia. And what is this mess?”

“I do not know, Twilight sent the desk along with this blue liquid. Do you have any idea what it could be?” Luna gave it a tentative sniff, and then a taste before adopting a thoughtful expression.

“Hmmm, I do seem to recall something, but what could,” she started before Celestia suddenly shot upright, an insane grin pasted on her face as she threw open her window and took wing. Luna sat staring for a moment before it dawned on her.

“Celestia, come back!” she cried, giving chase. She found her sister perched atop the tallest tower of the castle, staring up at the sun and chuckling softly. Luna had just reached out a hoof when the sun began circling overhead. Celestia’s eyes were glued to the glowing orb, accelerating faster and faster. “Dear sister, think about what you’re doing!” Silence. “You’re not giving me a turn,” Luna pouted. Unfortunately for Celestia, she had made herself quite dizzy from playing with the sun, and as she fell over it shot off into the horizon and an inky black darkness covered the land. “Oh, how kind of you, Celestia. Now then!” she exclaimed, raising her hooves to the sky and yanking the constellations in place. “Let’s make the skies dance!”

In the palace gardens, Discord had grown quite bored being a statue. All he ever had to do was count the number of butterflies that fluttered past, the number of times birds decided to sully his head, and how often leaves fell from various shrubs. He had just finished thinking that, if anypony were to break him out, he would be forever indebted to them and repay them tenfold with he picked up on a mass hysteria, strong enough that he could feel it coming in from all across Equestria.

“Oh, Celestia, what is this I see? Have you finally remembered your playful side?” he thought to himself as a small crack appeared near his left leg. He couldn’t help but relish the screams he could sense as ponies panicked about the unprecedented celestial activity. Suddenly, the sky darkened and another crack appeared, just below his right arm. He watched in awe as the constellations appeared and were immediately rearranged in various shapes and objects. Many more cracks formed, one starting at his horn and reaching half way down his spine. “Oh my, is that what I think it is? How delightful! Though, not nearly as delightful as your pranks, Celestia,” he cackled on the inside as feeling began to return to his limbs. As the stares continue to dance, he broke free from his confines and let forth a hearty laugh at his newfound freedom, and much sooner than he had anticipated. Little did he know that down in Ponyville, a lavender mare was laughing just the same.