Hold Your Color

by Quillery

Rising Shadows

Hold Your Color
by Quillery

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Suggestions, Editing and Pre-Reading by :
Siyray, Willsons, Izraill Z, BabySkittleMonster, Legion222, Dreamshadow, edensbane, amacita

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Chapter Four
Rising Shadows

The darkness lingered. Like a great, swirling presence it whirled around Rainbow Dash, tightening around her legs, her barrel, her neck. Coils and tendrils of living darkness gripped her, holding her still as she fell deeper into oblivion. Her chest burned with fearful breaths as she tried to fight against her bonds, further tightening with each move of resistance.

A shred of light cut out in the darkness. Her head twisted as she tried to reach for it, but she met with only more resistance. She felt the beat of her heart in her chest and heard it echo in her ears. The light grew with each rhythmic pound, cutting out more of the void that tried to consume her. The bonds lost their strength and she wriggled her way from their grasp.

She grabbed the tendrils that tried to reaffirm their grip with her hooves and bit down. They let out ear-shattering shrieks as they let go. She freed her wings, immediately spreading them wide and beat them furiously. She pulled away from the cords that remained, flying towards the light that she prayed led to safety. The beating in her chest became louder, followed by a steady ringing in her ears. She kicked her legs at any bonds that pawed at her to regain their hold on her as she broke away. The light grew as she got closer, and she felt a comforting warmth embrace her as the darkness faded behind her.

The light suddenly vanished, and Dash landed on something hard. She rolled a few times and lay prostrate on her back, staring up into more darkness. She felt the ground with her hooves, turning her head to look. It was a cold, lifeless stone, rough and natural. She followed it to an edge, where it melded with the shadows into nothing.

A faint glow drew her attention. She turned her head and gasped. A large stone pillar, smoothly cut and towering above her, stood in the middle of a small circle of stone. At its base, staring up at it, was a small filly. Her white mane flowed to an ethereal wind as she sat still in silence.

“Hello?” Dash said. Her voice echoed into the distance all around her for a long while before dying away into a whisper in the wind.

The filly turned her head. Her eyes widened at the sight of Dash, stood up, and started galloping towards her. She tackled into Dash with an enormous grin on her face and wrapped her legs around Dash’s.

“Whoa there, kid,” Dash said. “There’s no need to be rough.”

The filly broke away from Dash and peered up at her. She was bouncing in place wagging her tail.

Dash raised an eyebrow. “Can you tell me where I am?”

The filly nodded.

Dash smiled a moment, waiting for the filly to answer, but when one didn’t come, her frown returned. The child merely stared at her with a smile, not saying a word.

“Okay…” Dash said, scratching her head. “Can you at least show me how to get out of here?”

The filly nodded again, and grabbed one of Dash’s legs. She pulled her towards the stone in the center, pointing up at it with each step with enthusiasm, but no words.

Dash’s frown deepened. “What? The rock? How is that supposed to help me get out of here?”

The filly kept pointing at the stone, puffing her cheeks in frustration. She took Dash’s hoof and pressed it against her chest. The filly then let go and wrapped her legs around herself tightly and pouted.

Dash looked at her hoof against her chest, then to the filly. “I don’t get it…”

The filly rolled her eyes. She pulled at her mane with one leg, and pointed at Dash with with other.

Dash looked up, and saw the tips of her mane hanging down. Her eyes fell quickly on the patch of hair that was once a bright red, and was now turning a dark gray. She suddenly looked back at the filly, who was nodding.

“Do you know what’s going on? Why is this happening to me? Why am I here?”

The filly sighed and slumped her head. She started gesturing with her hooves wildly, when a gust of cold wind drifted across the plateau. The filly froze, and turned to face the dark void surrounding them. Dash looked too, and saw that the tendrils of shadow had returned, and were slowly crawling towards them.

Dash stood and turned around, looking for an escape. The filly clamped onto her hind leg, and she backed up into the center beside the stone pillar. The coiling darkness approached closer, and started to tense in the air. They twitched and wavered like a snake, waiting patiently.

Dash scuffed the ground with the edge of her hoof. “Gimme your best shot,” she growled between her teeth.

As if waiting for the invitation, the darkness lashed at her, snapping at her hooves. She jumped back, avoiding their strikes, although with difficulty with the filly attached to her leg. She stumbled as she regained her footing, backing into the stone.

The lashing continued, but, as it did, Dash blinked as the effort needed to dodge them was minimal. Even when she stopped trying to avoid them, they did not harm her. She gasped and lunged aside, when she realized that they were not aiming for her, but for the child.

She took the child in her legs and gripped tightly as she turned her back to the edge of the plateau. She craned her head back with a scowl. “You aren’t getting her!” she shouted. “You’ll have to go through me first!”

A deep rumbling emitted from the depths of the shadows. It shook the plateau as each bellow heaved through the wind. Dash felt her skin crawling when she noticed the sound was laughter, dark and dripping with malice.

The shadows drew closer, and Dash’s grip on the filly tightened. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I won’t let it take you.”

The filly tapped Dash on the chest. Dash pulled away enough to see the child’s face. Despite the darkness swirling around them, there was no fear in her eyes. Her hoof rested on Dash’s chest, just above her heart as she stared with a forceful gaze.

The filly began to glow, and Dash’s vision blurred to white. She tried to shield her eyes, but her legs suddenly felt tired and heavy. She squinted instead, as she tried to lift herself further towards the light, but her wings felt numb on her back. A soft feeling started pressing against her back, and she sprang up out of instinct.

She blinked. The darkness was gone, replaced by a green curtain that surrounded her on a rail. Her vision adjusted to the light as she looked down to the equally green sheets that wrapped around her. She ruffled them with her hooves, feeling the soft warmth of reality return her senses to order.

“Dash!”

Dash turned her head, only to be met with a lavender blurr rushing to her sides and squeezing around her. She blinked a moment as her hooves moved on their own to return the embrace as Twilight wept into her.

“I was so scared! Thank Celestia you’re alright.”

Dash’s voice was shaky as she tried to form words in her mouth. “Y-yeah. I-I’m alright, Twi.” She pulled away from Twilight to look at her, and she gasped. Twilight’s mane was a mess, it was rife with split ends and tangles that looked as if they hadn’t seen a brush in days. Her eyes were stained from tears, and deepened with wrinkles from sleepless nights.

“Twi,” Dash breathed. She turned and faced her marefriend, with an increasing look of confusion. “What happened?”

Twilight choked back a sob and looked away. “I-I… shouldn’t… I can’t…”

Dash tightened her grip. “Twi. Tell me what happened. Please.”

Twilight rubbed her shoulder. “W-well, the official report is that somepony stole a storm cloud and let it loose, and it happened to end up over your house, b-but…”

Dash pressed harder against Twilight. “But?”

The curtain surrounding them flew aside. Dash sucked in a breath as she pulled Twilight closer and tried to put herself in front. Pain lanced at her sides as she did, but she grit her teeth to fight it back. She allowed herself to breathe, when she saw that her dad, her aunt, and Ditzy stood on the other side. They too looked ragged and worn, with a few spots of black char staining their manes and coats as they stared at Dash.

“D-dad? What’s going on? Why do you look all burnt?”

He glanced at his wounds. “Such is what happens when you barely escape a lightning strike aimed at you.”

Dash’s chest tightened as she looked to Twilight. She nodded, her face reeking with regret. “I barely got us away in time, but you were closest to the blast. There were some bad burns, but they got the best healing magic they could for you.”

Dash exhaled a breath, as if her mind was only now taking in the weight of what she had heard. “That was a lightning strike?” She looked at her dad. “What about my house?”

Khroma blinked as his expression turned grim. Twilight put a hoof on Dash and she turned to see great sadness in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Dash. Your house didn’t survive. There was more than one strike, and whoever did this wanted to make sure you were—” Twilight choked on the final word.

“M-my house is...gone?” She looked to her dad, who nodded gravely.

“Aurora and I tried to give chase,” he said, “but whoever did this was long gone.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “I am so sorry this has happened. It’s all my fault.”

Dash stared at the bed. She gripped the blankets tight as she fought back tears. Her body trembled as the words Twilight and her father said slowly sunk their way into her mind. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath, and turned to Khroma.

“I want answers, dad. You’re telling me I’m connected to this Prism thing and you’ve known about it your entire life. You lied to me, probably Mom too about a whole lot of things, like how Ditzy is somehow your BFF.” Rage started seeping into Dash’s voice as her trembling worsened. “My house just blew up because somepony tried to kill me and you, not to mention Twilight and Auntie! And it’s all because of you, "Dash shouted, pointing a hoof at her dad, "screwing something up! Now you’re going to tell me. Everything. Or so help me Celestia I will get out of this bed and beat it out of you.”

The room went still. Khroma blinked. Then he scoffed. A small smirk formed on his mouth as he shook his head. “I don’t doubt you would try. Always a fighter.” He dipped his head into a slow nod, and then took a seat on the floor. “But perhaps it would be best to hear it from somepony you trust more.”

He turned his head to Ditzy. She nodded and stepped towards the door, opening it. Dash and Twilight gasped as Princess Celestia entered the room. Her eyes found them immediately, and were set in concern. She passed by Ditzy and Khroma towards the bed, where Twilight finally left her place at Dash’s side. She rushed to Celestia’s side, stopping her with a weeping hug.

Celestia steeled her expression as Twilight squeezed her hooves tightly. She wrapped one of her long, flowing wings around her student, craned her head, and spoke softly into her ear. “There, there, Twilight. It’s okay.”

Celestia looked at Dash. “You are looking well, Miss Dash.”

“Could be better,” Dash muttered.

Celestia nodded. “Considering the circumstances…” Celestia smiled. She turned to Khroma and nodded at him, and then turned back. “I know this is a difficult time for you two, but I would start by saying to not be too angry with your father, Rainbow Dash.”

Dash crossed her forelegs and snorted, glancing a moment in Khroma’s direction. “He hasn’t given me much reason not to.”

Celestia lips pursed into the faintest of smiles. “I understand, but I ask this because he is not to blame for what has happened.” Her smile faded. “I am.”

Dash’s eyebrows arched. “What do you mean?”

Celestia indicated Khroma with another nod of her head. “Khroma entrusted me with the knowledge of the Prism’s existence shortly before you were born, Rainbow Dash. He was willing to sacrifice the secrecy of his mission to protect it for his family, a sacrifice I took with the utmost seriousness. I promised I would do everything in my power to keep its burden from ever affecting you, and I failed.”

“And a spectacular job you did of that!” Aurora barked. All eyes fell on her as she stepped in between Dash and Celestia. Her wings flared out and she lowered her head to the princess, glaring. “My idiot brother foolishly entrusted the stewardship of the Prism to you, and now look at what has happened.” Aurora turned her attention to Khroma. “I told you this would happen, and now look at what your choice has caused. If you had just passed the duty to your daughter like you were supposed to, at least she would be ready to deal with these risks!”

Khroma returned the glare, but said nothing. Even Celestia was silent as Aurora continued screaming. “And now, the Prism is missing, and it is taking what it lent to my darling Prizma, and whoever stole it is trying to kill her!”

“Shut up, Auntie!” Dash said. Aurora blinked as she stared at Dash, mouth agape. “What did the Prism give to me that it’s taking back?”

“Your colors, dear,” Khroma said.

“Why?”

“Because it cannot produce any of its own anymore,” Celestia said. She nuzzled Twilight, who finally broke her embrace. She circled the bed towards the window and pulled away the curtain with her magic. Sunlight poured into the room, casting a square patch of light on the hospital floor.

Celestia withdrew a small triangular crystal and placed it on the windowsill. The light passed through it and the square of sunlight changed to a shimmering rainbow. All eyes stared at the glowing section of color on the floor a moment, before Celestia removed the prism and the light returned to white.

“It is a little known fact that color is a tangible resource in our world. Without it, rainbows would be an impossibility, and the lands we live in would seem much more gloomy than we’d like to believe possible.”

“But Celestia,” Twilight said. “Color is just a product of how our eyes interpret light. There is no magical quality behind it.”

Celestia smiled. “True. There is a plain, scientific quality to light and color that serves as a basis, but in the world we live in, with all its magical wonder, can you truly say even color has no magic of its own?”

Twilight’s mouth opened to respond, but she blinked and shut it again, allowing Celestia to continue.

“I had been aware of the Prism’s existence long before Khroma approached me, but he and his family had done such a wonderful job hiding it, I thought I would never see it in my lifetime, long as it is.

“The magic of the Prism allows pegasi to collect and manufacture rainbows, and it is this process that saturates the world with bright and lively colors. Without it…” Celestia turned her head to a small flowerpot outside the window. She opened it and took the pot, grabbing a clump of dirt from it and coating the window with it. After she finished, she returned the pot, and shut the window.

The light that passed through had darkened from the dirt, shifting the bright white to a dull gray on the floor. Celestia’s magic continued as it shaped around the small blotch of dismal light, and with a wince of effort, it began to grow. It traveled across the floor like a living wave, draining the color of anything it touched. It washed over her body, robbing her opalescent coat of its radiance. The golden glow of her magic turned an ugly brass.

The wave did not stop there. It traveled up the bed and through the curtains, turning the sterile green into a distinguishing muck of gray. In turn, each other pony in the room quivered as the invasive magic rushed through them, taking away their color in a sudden, malicious breath.

Dash pawed at the magic as it raced towards her, fighting in vain to keep it from her. It traveled up her body, and she felt a powerful tug in the depths of her heart. Her joy was being stolen. Her happiness. Her love. All of it faded into gray as Celestia’s spell completed its intention.

With an audible snap, Celestia’s breath gave out, and the wave retreated. It washed back over the room, returning everything back to normal. Everypony was panting as they shook the uneasy feelings the magic had caused away. Celestia’s chest was heaving as she finished, and took a moment to collect herself. She lifted her head up back to Dash. “That… was only a taste of what the world would become should the Prism be displaced for too long.”

“But if it’s been moved, why hasn’t it happened yet?” Dash said.

“That is where our family comes in, dear,” Khroma said. He stood and rose to the end of the bed. “Throughout history, there were instances of where the magic of the Prism has failed. The birth of Equestria, the Rise of Discord, the fall of Nightmare Moon. Each of these events precursed a severe displacement of the Prism’s power, and its effects were well underway. In order to prevent its effects from being noticed again, the Prism gained… a sense of sentience.”

Khroma took the prism from Celestia and took it to Dash. He placed it into her hoof. She stared at it as a flicker of light passed through it. “It chooses a host, to contain a fraction of its power, so that in the event of its displacement, it can still function, for a time, living through its host. When you turned eighteen, you became its new host.”

“B-but, your mane is still normal!” Dash said. ”Why doesn’t it take something from you?”

“Well…” He lifted a hoof to his mane and scrubbed. After that, he parted a section of his mane aside, revealing the roots of his hair were a plain gray. “I discovered the most difficult thing in life is to maintain appearances.” He dropped his hoof. “Even your mother doesn’t know I was turning gray.”

Aurora scoffed. “Stallions. Always concerned with going gray. Does nopony see graying as a sign of age and experience?”

Khroma glowered. “This is hardly the time, Aurora.”

She rolled her eyes. “I am merely saying.”

Dash continued to stare at the prism in her hooves. She squeezed it tight as she shielded it from the light in the room. It faded to gray, and a shiver crawled up her back as she tore her gaze away from it. “How long do I have?” she asked.

Khroma frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t try and lighten the issue, Dad!” Dash shouted. “I’ve been feeling weak ever since this started, getting tired by stuff that never bothered me before. I was wobbling on my hooves like a foal. I could barely fly back to my place. How long to we have until this… finishes?”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth. Celestia also looked at Dash with a raised eyebrow. Khroma shook his head. “The Prism’s effects may worsen, but they should not for long.” He placed a hoof on Dash with a reassuring smile. “Your life is not in danger because of what the Prism is doing to you. You may feel weak, but your life is not what it wants, merely what it lent you.”

Dash swallowed and let out a small breath. “Then if the Prism isn’t going to kill me, why would anypony else want to?”

Khroma slouched his shoulders. “Because so long as the Prism is active, they cannot use it for their own ends. As long as it has you to feed from, it cannot be stopped in its intended use.”

“So… as long as I’m alive, I’m a problem for… whoever took it.”

Khroma nodded. “It is likely they have an intended use for it in mind, but are constrained by time. The sooner you were to… die, the sooner they would be able to achieve their goals.”

“Do you have any ideas of who might have taken it, Khroma?” Celestia asked.

He shook his head. “No. Only you and myself knew where the Prism was kept. I have no idea who could have stumbled upon it.”

“What about Edweena?” Twilight said.

All eyes fell to Twilight. She blinked at the sudden attention and slouched to the ground.

“Who is that?” Khroma asked. His eyes went wide. “Is that the author you mentioned?”

Twilight nodded. She went to the bedside cabinet where her saddle bags lay. She retrieved the hardcover from inside and floated it to Khroma. He snapped it in his hooves and stared at the cover, disbelief overtaking his expression. He opened the book and flipped through the pages, scanning numerous entries. His face trembled with hints of anger and confusion when he reached the end of the book and slammed it shut. He glared at Celestia, shoving the book in her direction.

“I will speak to this gryphon. Now!”

Celestia nodded. “I will dispatch my seekers immediately. I believe she was still in Canterlot when I left. You will have her no later than sunset.”

Aurora muscled past her and her brother. “I will have her now!” She paused at the door, glaring at Khroma. “Let us go, brother. I am done leaving this in her hooves.” She stepped through and vanished on the other side.

Khroma sighed and looked at Celestia. “She is right. No offense to your support, but we will have greater luck leaving immediately.”

Celestia nodded. “I understand. I will still send my own aid. You will all cover more ground together. I will instruct them to obey your commands as necessary.”

Khroma nodded and turned back to Dash. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead, and stared into her eyes. “I want you to help, dear, but not right now. I want you to get some rest tonight and recover your strength. I promise to return in the morning.”

“But Dad!” Dash said.

Khroma silenced her with his hoof on her mouth. “No buts. You may be a grown mare, but I am still your father. You will respect my wishes. One night. That is all I ask.”

Dash stared her father down, but his face was like stone, and would not relent. After a while, she sighed and groaned in defeat. “Fine. One night, then I’m outta here and helping you and auntie find the jerks who did this.”

Khroma smiled, and with one final fatherly pat on the head, he rose from the bedside and turned to leave. He stopped, one last time beside Ditzy, who had stood silent vigil during the entire conversation. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear, to which she quickly nodded. After that, Khroma stole one last glance of his daughter, and left the room.

Dash grumbled and sunk into her bed. She knocked her head against the headboard, letting out angry grunts with each hit. “I can’t believe him. Keeping something like this hidden from me for so long.”

Celestia rose and returned to the foot of the bed. “Do not underestimate the love of a father, Rainbow Dash. He did all of this to attempt to protect you.”

“Fat load of good it did.”

“You will see in time the difficulty he endured to do this, and hopefully you will appreciate it better when you do.”

Celestia glanced at Twilight one last time and turned to leave. “I should let you get some rest. I must speak with my seekers. It is going to be a long night.”

“Princess, wait,” Dash said.

Celestia paused and turned her head.

“Dad said you knew where the Prism was kept?”

She nodded. “I do, yes. It was my suggestion.”

Dash tore the blankets aside and moved to get out of the bed. “I need you to take me there. There’s something I need to see.”

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Comments

[Quillery]

Since the site formatted this chapter and the proceeding incorrectly during the import process, im posting two chapters today, dont forget to check them both!

[Hobbestc]

Whoohoo! One chapter down, one more too go! I'm gonna need some more after that though.... dangit.

[Aotrs Commander]

That chapter went a long way to address the issues that I had a couple of chapters ago (as to regarding what Dizty had said about the Princess being irrelevant to Khroma and the bad light it had cast him in). Dash's anger at him is entirely reasonable. I do have to give Khroma credit though, for actually going to Celestia, rather than just keeping it a secret. Though again, her knowing about it anyway also helped considerably; it paints him in a much better light than Ditzy's initial comments.

Good job.

[ShadowIronsword]

Bloody hospitals

[Orange Pudding]

I still have no idea whether I hate or love Aurora.

[Rainbow sparkle1]

The magic of the Prism allows pegasi to collect and manufacture rainbows

why does that line give me rainbow factory vibes?

“Fat load of good it did.”

nice line right there