Micro-Series Issue 2

My Little Pony Micro-Series #2 is the second issue of IDW Publishing's My Little Pony Micro-Series comic series. In the issue, Rainbow Dash faces off against a pair of cloud gremlins who torment Ponyville with bad weather.

Summary
The issue opens during the Summerfell Festival in Ponyville; the Wonderbolts give an aerial performance, followed immediately by Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom. Rainbow attempts to pull off a second, 20% faster stunt, but she overexerts her wings and flies into a dense black cloud. Unable to fly, she calls out for help, and the cloud itself appears to talk back to her, mocking and frightening her. Rainbow asks the cloud what it wants, and it says it wants to feed on everyone's negative emotions.

A devilish face chases Rainbow Dash to the edge of the cloud, and Spitfire catches her as she plummets to the ground below. A news reporter asks Rainbow what happened, and she explains the storm cloud's menacing nature, intending to get rid of it. The reporter is unsure of Rainbow's flight capability, but the confident Rainbow says she'll think of something.

Several weeks later, the storm over Ponyville persists, and its presence has everyone in a permanent state of depression. All of Rainbow's attempts to clear the cloud away have ended in failure, making her frustrated and just as miserable as everyone else. From atop the cloud, Big Boy and Runt—a pair of cloud gremlins and the creators of the storm—look down upon the town, feeding on the ponies' misery and taunting Rainbow's efforts. When Rainbow tries flying at the cloud again, Runt leaps on her and belittles her more before driving her away. Each of her attempts only makes the cloud bigger and the gremlins stronger.

Lightning strikes the trees at Sweet Apple Acres, and a tree branch falls on Tank. After making sure Tank is unharmed, Rainbow Dash apologizes for her constant failures. Despite her confidence in this task, there's too much negativity for the gremlins to feed on. That's when Rainbow realizes: it's not about inspiring herself; it's about inspiring everyone. Only by doing so will she be able to defeat the gremlins. Rainbow Dash puts her goggles back on and tells Tank to tell her friends she loves them if she's not back by Tuesday. If 20% faster speed grounded her for a week, what she was about to do would ground her forever.

Rainbow pulls off a sonic rainboom. The gremlins are unimpressed, but Rainbow shocks them and everyone else by speeding up and pulling off a sonic double rainboom. The explosion of colors makes everyone in Ponyville smile, turns all of the apples at Sweet Apple Acres into zap apples, and drives the cloud gremlins away. Applejack catches the nearly unconscious Rainbow Dash before she hits the ground.

Two months later, Applejack visits Rainbow Dash's cloud home, now tethered to the ground by wooden stakes, and surprises her with a joke gift of new sneakers. Rainbow is still despondent about her not being able to fly anymore, so Applejack invites her to go on a walk with her. Outside, Rainbow finds a cart of zap apple treats—made from the crop she saved with her double rainboom—that Applejack is going to deliver to ponies. She tosses a candied zap apple into the air and tells Rainbow to catch. She does, and much to her delight, she discovers she can fly again.

The two friends depart together on their new business venture in positive spirits.

Quotes

 * Cloud: What do you call a Pegasus who can't fly?
 * Rainbow Dash: A new friend who you should be nice to...?
 * Cloud: A siting target.


 * Rainbow Dash: I don't know if you noticed... but I'm pretty awesome. I'm "Pony Newman's Hickory-Infused Awesomesauce."™


 * Runt: We don't even need to ask, they simply hand over their worst feelings.
 * Big Boy: What fools these ponies be.


 * Cloud: Consider your threat ignored.
 * Rainbow Dash: Consider your faces lame!


 * Rainbow Dash: If I'm not back by Tuesday, tell the others I love them. At 20% faster, I lost control and couldn't fly for a week. With what I'm about to do... I may never fly again.


 * Runt: Ah, the happiness! The goggles, they do nothing!


 * Applejack: I brought you a present! Size 9, right? I figured with you out of the skies you should finally own some comfy shoes.
 * Rainbow Dash: That's not as funny as you think it is.
 * Applejack: You're right... It's funnier!