The starry skies over Ponyville were turning dark, much more so than usual for a warm summer’s night, creating an ominous cliffhanger for today’s chapter in the storybook known as life. Thick storm clouds had begun to blacken the world above the usually bright and cheery village. Heavy winds blew in from the west, violently rustling all trees in their path. Lightning crackled in the distance, with the boom of thunder close behind. Torrential downpours of rain descended from the sky. Birds huddled in their nests, bunnies scampered into their burrows, squirrels darted into their dens, and ponies of all shapes, sizes, and colors sealed themselves away in their homes, clinging tightly to their loved ones and bracing for the impending danger. Every creature in Equestria was tucked away, safe and sound, sheltered from the fury of the storm…All except for one.

A lone weary traveler pulling a wagon had wandered out of the Everfree Forest…and right into the crosshairs of the relentless tempest. She sighed, hoping that the forces of nature would’ve been kinder to her during this leg of her journey. The forces of nature are always pleased to find somepony new to play with…but they never take good care of their toys, and they never play nicely.

Suddenly, a bright flash carved through the darkness, blinding her. A lightning bolt had struck a tree, sending a scorched massive limb hurtling to the ground as wooden shrapnel fell like rain. The tree limb landed with a heavy thud, scaring her half to death. The wagon’s wheels clipped the edge of a steep hill and slid over the edge, pulling the traveler down with it. In a last-ditch effort to avoid a grisly demise, she wrapped her forelegs around an exposed tree root and clung to it for dear life. She started screaming at the top of her lungs as she struggled against the wagon’s weight. She fought valiantly against the irresistible pull of the almighty power of gravity, but eventually lost her grip and fell.

She fell down…down…down…and landed with a SPLAT in a cold, wet mud puddle. She took several deep breaths and rejoiced her good fortune, but as she struggled to get free, the slimy substance slowly began to pull her under. A horrified grimace crept across her face as she realized that she had landed in the center of a sinkhole. Even though a thick glob of mud was obscuring her vision, her gaze drifted skyward as she cast an ungrateful sneer toward the heavens.

“Out of the frying pan and into the fire.” she grumbled, “Perfect. Just…Bucking…PERFECT.”