//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The End of the Rainbow // by JTH //------------------------------// "RAINDOOM!?" Pinkie Pie screamed in horror. "Worst name ever..." Followed in a ho-hum voice. But the entity before the ponies didn't seem to care about what they thought of his name. He only sought out to do what he was there for, his threat to the land the ponies lived in. The rumble in the ground wasn't sure to be either the voice of the figure above, or the roar of thunder that accompanied his movement. He seemed to morph his shape and size at will, like an actual cloud could. But he was just that...a cloud. How could this be a sentient being, much less one that could be the apparent destruction to Equestria. The girls were skeptical, but the demeanor in the Royal Princesses told a different story. Whenever Celestia and Luna deemed something a serious threat, it was certain every pony would and should heed it. But this was unlike anything any pony had ever seen. What could this entity do? The rumble of the sky and it's voice could be heard once more over the land, it's glowing blue eyes open wide. "And now, after two thousand years, I have returned to the place of my creation to destroy those who wished to vanquish me and condemn my creators. You will now all suffer from my ultimate power!" At the heed of his threat, the wind began to howl furiously once more, moving some ponies from where they stood. Thunder and lightning could be seen and heard as the sky grew darker and darker by the second. The Mane Six and friends feared the worst...when to their surprise... *BLOOP* *BLOOP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *BLOOP* *DRIP* A drop of rain...then another drop. The sky began to emit in a heavy drizzle of rain from the embodiment of the being before them. This brought extreme confusion, what was going on they thought. "Huh?" Twilight in pure puzzlement rubbing a droplet off the tip of her nose, proving what she clearing thought. "It's just rain..." "A bit too much rain for me darling, should have brought an umbrella." Rarity whined out, with her mane plopped down over her eyes, however in typical fashion, she had a stand by coat and umbrella in preparation should any change in the weather take place. However, something about this didn't seem to fit. The group continued to look on over at the entity above them, who's heavy drizzle began to continue to worsen to the point of now a downpour. This figure just remained in place, seeming like all was going as it sought and hoped. "I don't get it...what's so evil and powerful about rain?" Twilight wondered aloud, the others were also beyond confused as well. None of this made any sense. Suddenly, something would draw their attention from behind. "DAHH!!! STOP!!! PLEASE STOP!!!" The voice was familiar, the voice of a friend. A cry for help? And five of the Mane Six were quickly in tone to the voice behind them was their friend. "Rainbow Dash?" Came a call from Twilight as the group turned to see why the heightened plea was cried. Then what they saw put everything in focus, and their fears into motion. Rainbow was hunched over, drenched in rain, wrapping her hooves around herself like she was in pain. Quivering and shaking like a pony would do if they were freezing cold. Twilight ran over to try and help, even if unsure what the dilemma was. "Uh, she did eat a lot of pancakes, maybe it's cramps?" Pinkie commented, more a hope than sheer fact. Frankly, it didn't seem very farfetched. All the fillies had heard those myths in their youth. Rainbow was in pain like it was only a cramp...but it was like a very serious cramp at that. The pain on her face looked undeniable; Twilight grasped Rainbow's trembling body to try and calm her, giving a simple..."It's going to fine Rainbow Dash, you're alright." But something wasn't alright, as the rain continued to worsen, "NOO!!!" Rainbow let out a yell as what looked like a vapor of colored smoke began to emit from the mane and coat of Rainbow Dash. Twilight witnessed this smoke float by her which left her speechless. "That ain't no charley horse cramp! What in Equestria is happenin' to Dash Twilight?" Applejack called out in in worry. The color from this vapor of essence not only bared a resemblance to the colors of a rainbow, but it seemed to literally be the color that made out the pigment of Rainbow Dash herself. As the vapor continued to drift away and float into the sky, the color of Dash was noticeably beginning to fade and gray. "It's like something is being drawn out of her..." Twilight said in a panic. She didn't get what it was though. But what it may be, was serious for sure. "But what is causing it!?" Rarity brought up in an upped tone, as the rain fell so hard the ponies needed to speak up to hear one another. And the answer was quite clear. Twilight began to realize it quickly as weather continued to fall. "It's the rain! I don't why, but Rainbow Dash can't take this rain!" Just then, Twilight heard a quiet mumble from beneath her. "Twilight?" Rainbow was struggling to even pick up her head, she looked like a ghost almost to the eye. The color of her coat looked like it was running like thinned paint. "What's...going on?" It was the last thing Rainbow could say before she passed out in Twilight's hooves. There wasn't a second to lose. "My umbrella!" Rarity cried out as Twilight used her magic to zip the object over to her. "Sorry Rarity, I hope you'll understand." Twilight made a feverish attempt to hover it over Rainbow's body to keep any more precipitation from making contact, and trying to make sure that not a spot was exposed to anymore of the elements. "Applejack! Fluttershy! Get Rainbow out of here, hurry!!!" "WAHH!!! MY MANE, I CAN'T SEE ANYPONY!!!" Was a quick call from Rarity, whose hair now drooped down to the ground, nearing laying in the newly created mud below. Applejack and Fluttershy took their fallen friend to the nearby hospital, which fortunately for them was a quick gallop away. When those who stayed behind saw the other ponies gone from the horizon, they returned focus to the cloud in the sky who had remained unmoved. Continuing to torrential downpour, which was starting many puddles already in the short amount of time the rain began. The Princess of the Day and Night stared relentlessly to the figure above, the time had come for action. "Come now sister, let us rid the land of this nuisance." Ordered Celestia, which was replied with a nod from her younger sister. They then both took off in flight, while Twilight and her friends continued to look on. They were clearly still a combination of confusion by what was transpiring and wariness after seeing Rainbow Dash in the condition that came before her. But they knew if anypony could stop this entity, the Princesses could. Based on their apparent knowledge of this "Raindoom", they would clearly know of what course of action to take. Luna and Celestia flew up into the sky with the greatest of ease, cutting through the heavy bands of rainfall. They both began to charge their horns for a simultaneous blast of magic at their foe before, who continued to pay the royals no mind in the slightest, only continuing the fall of rain to the land below. This only began to make Twilight even more concerned, if the Princesses had encountered this being before, then surely their previous battle would have instilled some form of worry into the cloud like being before. But this was far from the case; it was almost as if Raindoom expected an upcoming attack, ...and deemed it no threat. The Princesses would make this entity regret not taking their magical powers seriously. After their magic was fully charged, Celestia and Luna aimed at the center of the cloud in the sky and fired full blast. Both their bright yellow and dark blue beams of magic respectively shot through the sky at a lightning fast pace with both trajectories as straight as an arrow. After mere moments, the magic blasts reached the enemy in the sky. It was a direct hit. Ponies on the ground began to cheer and celebrate at the events above, but something seemed to be wrong. Nothing had changed. In fact if anything, the rain continued to fall harder than before. Soon after, the magic that connected at the target in the sky disappeared within the entity above, showing no signs of effect. "That's impossible!" Celestia declared, with her younger sister along side. But Raindoom merely laughed at the statement. "You fools! Your magic cannot effect me like before!" He bellowed with a forceful tone in his voice, his eyes glowing a brighter blue than before. "Your powers are part of me now!" The sky began to rumble once more as Raindoom appeared to charge up for some kind of strike, soon after striking a powerful lightning streak towards Luna and Celestia. The sisters were able to avoid it, for it didn't seem to be aimed directly. The energy from the lightning streak though did force the two to draw back to the surface rather unconventionally and attempted to rethink the means of another form of action. So they returned to ground without injury as the pouring rain continued to fall, no additional aggressive means from Raindoom proceeding. It almost seemed like he was ignoring them, only focused on what he set out to do...flood the land with his elements of nature as the rain kept falling harder. "Twilight!?" Rarity yelled out as loud as she could, for it was the only way to be heard with the howling wind and rain falling so hard. "What do we do!?!" But Twilight didn't know that answer, how could she. She still wasn't sure what she was seeing was real or not. "You cannot delay your fate." Raindoom bellowed down from above. "Your Pony of the Elements may try, but she will fall the same, leaving your land to feel my wrath!" The words were spoken with confidence and believed truth, but the words themselves were confusing to the company on the surface. A "Pony of The Elements"? Who was that? The ponies had never heard of such a being. But whoever this was clearly was not here to help at the moment. So a different plan needed to be put in motion. The eldest sister of the royal sisters looked to her younger with determination as Twilight tried to wipe her eyes dry of the wetness continuing to sting her face. "Luna, we must use the ancient ritual." Celestia commanded out, using a voice loud enough to be heard over the high volume of rain falling faster than ever. The Princess of Friendship looked over to the younger sister to garner her reaction, which was one of uncertainty. "But we have never used that spell sister." Luna answered to her elder. But Princess Celestia began to fly up into the sky. "Well now is as good as time as any." Luna and Twilight gazed glances to one another briefly before Luna followed her sister's trail into the air once more. The two Princesses then stopped several hundred feet in the air, locking eyes and about ten feet apart. The two mumbled words together, almost like they were reciting a spell. After a few seconds, the Princesses both began to glow and shine immensely, almost as brightly as the sun. Ponies on the surface covered their eyes with their hooves, all except Pinkie of course who enjoyed the display as only Pinkie Pie would. "Oh, so bright!" She admired staring directly into the constructed light the Princesses' created. Twilight and the others noticed that suddenly the horizon began to rise with light and brightness from all sides and angles; blocking out the darkness created by Raindoom. The wasn't sure what Celestia and Luna were up to to the ponies below, but it seemed Raindoom began to see. The precipitation stopped and the monster above bellowed from above once more. "NO! You can not escape!" He yelled as the dark figure drew closer to the Princesses and the surface. Seeing the movement very faintly, Twilight worried for the safety of the two royals, believing Raindoom may be plotting a form of attack. She acted fast to counter, flying up in a position to defend, charging up her horn for a blast of magic in her recognized magenta aura. "Twilight, NO!" Celestia called back, hoping her once pupil would hear her. But alas, she was too late. Twilight fired her blast of magic towards the cloud being in the sky. As the Princesses before, it was a direct strike into the center of the being. But unlike before, Raindoom was blasted backwards away from surface and far a distance from Equestria. The other Princesses took advantage and continued with their might to complete the ritual. The bright horizon continued to rise, and rise higher. Until at the top of the horizon, the light conjured by the Princesses connected. The spell was complete. Ponies looked around, it was as if the day had returned to normal. A cloudless sky above, with no threat of what had occurred. The only remnants that remained were the massive puddles of water caused by the cloud's downpour of weather. "Wh-What just happened?" Princess Twilight asked her royal others, who didn't answer. When she turned around, she noticed why. The spell appeared to drain their power to the point they appeared to both faint in mid-air. "Princesses!" Twilight used her magic to catch them and slowly lower them to the ground and to safety. "We'll be fine Twilight..." Celestia announced to the ponies before them, who many began to bow and knell before them, as a gesture of thanks and gratitude to their ultimate means to protect them. "Our magic may not affect Raindoom, but we can still use it to keep Equestria safe." It seemed to be true, the royal princesses' horns continued to glow even after the ordeal had occurred. Both Luna and Celestia's horns looked to both using an abundant amount of magic. Twilight herself was familiar with magical spells as well as output needed to perform powerful spells. And she realized that the amount of magic they were using was very excessive, even for an Alicorn's standards. "We've managed to make our location disappear, it is now as if we do not exist in the land." Luna declared, her horn still glowing bright, but the magic output gave off a strong spark making her wince. It was clear they had to put complete concentration in continuing whatever spell they had cast. Other ponies had begun to realize that the spell was in fact still in use. The looked to be that the royals would have to maintain the spell for the duration. Which was sure to be a daunting task. "But we cannot maintain this spell forever Luna." Celestia reminded her sister, her horn also glowing bright. "This spell will drain our magic at a very quickened pace, I fear it will last for no more than a few days, if lucky. With our magic drained, we will be an easy target thereafter." "It gives us enough time to think of a plan at least." Princess Twilight assured, knowing that if anypony could come up with an idea to save Equestria, they had learned that all of them together could do so. So for now it seemed, all the panic in the heat of the moment had finally passed, but once it did, it led to another reminder that hit Twilight quickly; gasping when she remembered. "Rainbow Dash!? We have to go to her. She may be hurt!" As Twilight galloping away to the location her friend was taken to for safety. A wet maned Rarity and Pinkie Pie followed quickly behind, also it seemed forgetting the moments prior. The group flew off or ran, or by whatever means they could to get to Ponyville Hospital. Their friend was potentially hurt, yet they didn't know why or how. There were so many questions to be asked, with no answers to any of them. They only hoped those answers they seek would come in time. "What do you suppose happened to the young one sister?" Luna asked her elder, who turned to her sister with a grim face. "Something I hoped I would never see again..." Celestia responded in complete disarray. It was clear the company was shaken with what had transpired. No other words were spoken, the health and well being of Rainbow Dash was now the primary focus. From beyond, the entity of Raindoom gazed into what looked to be a bright protective barrier around the land below. It did appear that Celestia and Luna had managed to encumber all of Equestria within their magical shield. Raindoom could roughly see the contents of the land through it's protection, which caused him to smile. And the cloud looked to begin to find a way to draw the magic that was creating the shield. If he could manage to do so, Equestria would be defenseless. More importantly, the aura of magic that Princess Twilight had shot Raindoom with was beginning to be drawn into himself as well, just as he had done with the magic of the other princesses prior. "You cannot hide the filly from me forever Princesses, then I will rid the land of your existence! Mark my words!!!" Were the words spoken from the evil present. Equestria was safe...for now. But no pony would be certain for how much longer...