Rain without Rainbows

by Leoshi

Eighteen: Where Land Meets Sky (Epilogue)

Rain without Rainbows
The grand adventure brought forth by adventurous minds!
Author: Leoshi
Co-Author: Cyros Lugoth

!Disclaimer!: After seventeen of these, the message should be pretty clear. MLP:FiM belongs to Faust and Thiessen, as well as Hasbro and the Hub. Give them thanks, wish them luck, and buy their toys!

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Epilogue

Where Land Meets Sky

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The land of Equestria changed after that fateful day in the royal city. Suddenly everypony was interested in other lands beyond their own. They wanted to know where they were, who ruled them, and what they were capable of. The aftermath of Alucard’s storm had imprinted true horror into the minds of the survivors, and even those who were beyond the reach of the clouds were still caught in the gaze of his eclipse. Stories of all caliber eventually trickled down to Fillydelphia, Apploosa, Manehatten, and every other city, settlement, township, and outlying pioneer. Everyone eventually knew of the dark stallion who ruled over Canterlot for a day, and they all asked who else was beyond their border that could overpower them.

They knew the threat was real.

But the threat never came.

In the weeks following the assault on Canterlot, the city underwent significant changes. As repairs were made, new training exercises for the guard were enacted, and the enlistment offices suddenly saw a surge of talented ponies eager to defend their home. However, the royal guard's changes came slowly, as they were often called to extended duty in order to protect the two princesses.

Indeed, the main danger after Alucard's storm had ended was not another attack by the stallion, but constant mobs of hurt and confused citizens that filed into the palace on a daily basis. Questions were loud and demanding, filled with wild accusations and very real thirsts for blood. When Celestia and Luna denied all suggestions to hunt down the one responsible for so many deaths, their subjects grew agitated. A small militia was formed, led by a pair of retired mason workers. But the militia never got its chance, as the royal guard brought a tense but peaceful end to its existence.

Over time, when it became clear that their attacker was not returning, the critics and warmongers lost their fire. The repairs were made on-schedule, and eventually life returned to the hustle-and-bustle that was typical of the city. An addition to the palace grounds was a memorial erected for those unfortunate souls caught in the storm, and each year Celestia and Luna would hold a somber event in memoriam. Hundreds of city ponies attended the first year. The next year, half that number. And in following years, the attendees were only those whose families were affected.

They knew the threat was real.

But the threat never came.

The princesses themselves opted for a set of changes as well, the most prominent being Luna's official role as a Diarch of Equestria. Until then, Celestia had handled nearly all matters requiring open court, allowing her sister the time needed to settle into her new life. The elder sister was effectively the sole ruler of the land, if only in practice. But the actions Luna had taken during the assault proved her wisdom and capabilities, convincing Celestia to defer some of her own responsibilities.

So when the throne was sent to her workers to be repaired, Celestia ordered a second to be made for her sister. When it arrived, both sisters ruled over the land as a pair. Celestia deferred a number of court visitors to Luna, trusting her judgement to be sound. The change was immediately accepted, to the point that palace court was held during both day and night for each sister. Productivity in and around the castle increased significantly.

No longer was Luna a figurehead of the night. She truly ruled over it once again, as she was always meant to do. She worked with her sister to ensure the threat would never surprise them again.

And the threat never came.

In the days following the attack, Twilight Sparkle revealed all she had seen to Celestia and Luna. Not just what she perceived was the soul of the white stallion, but the existence of Loyalty who resided there. They debated the significance of that part of Harmony being beyond their reach, often wondering if other attacks against their country could be met as effectively. It was disturbing news to say the least - both princesses had never before imagined that magic as powerful as the Elements of Harmony could be separated in such a way.

Eventually, the rest of Twilight's friends were told as well. They all shared the same feeling of surprise, Rainbow Dash most of all. Strangely, while the group expected Rainbow to be depressed at the news, she actually seemed relieved. When asked why she took the news so well, she explained that it was just another aspect of sacrifice - that whoever the white stallion was would be able to practice the virtue of Loyalty on his own.

The fact that the powers of the Elements were actual spirits inspired a campaign to learn about them. History books revealed nothing on the matter, and attempts to communicate through the artifacts resulted only in migraines and wasted hours. However, the advice that Twilight had been given - to let her magic flow freely - led her to believe that perhaps the supposed spirits had existed since before the age of Celestia's reign. Maybe in the time of magic's birth, or earlier still. The subject has been the focus of many debates involving many more interested scholars, and Twilight went on to publish several works regarding the hypothesis.

But not all news was welcome. Unfortunately, Luna had waited too long to save one of her subjects - Rarity. The unicorn's constant reliance on the dark magic bound to her, as well as her exposure to Alucard's unhindered power, had caused the segment implanted in her to sink too deeply. When the time finally came to unravel the dark magic, it took with it a part of Rarity's being. Luna was left with a choice...to either pull out the magic and destroy it like she had always intended, or let Rarity's soul remain whole and tainted.

Rarity made the choice for her, and chose to allow the magic to stay. Her reason was that by undoing the magic with a part of her with it, she would be losing a piece of who she was. Plus, she said, her friend had suffered far more for far longer and was still alive. As a result, Rarity suffered from fierce but intermittent night terrors, and she often complained of a burning sensation deep inside her body. Yet despite the consequences of her choice, she led a happy life with her friends. She even began a family of her own.

Luna had never been able to cure Rarity as she had done Rainbow Dash. She constantly tried to correct that, but each attempt saw the same result. It seemed as though the segment of bound magic was meant to stay, while the spell woven into Rainbow's soul was destined to be removed, as Alucard had planned. But none of them could say if Alucard had intended the magic in Rarity to remain. After all, he wasn't even aware that she was tainted in such a way.

Despite the foreign magic, the six friends eventually returned to their old lives. They all took part in celebration and everyday adventure, just as they had always done. The only difference was that they all better appreciated their own unity. They had managed to find harmony after four years in the dark. And they enjoyed that harmony for years to come.

It was a harmony not entirely perfect. Their peace was won at the cost of several innocent lives and Rainbow’s lifelong dream. None of them would ever forget their struggle, and Rainbow Dash often wondered if her battle was truly over. The threat never returned, but it was still out there. A phantom on the horizon, enacting plots and attacks on another land unknown to her. The harmony in Equestria was besmirched with the price paid to return it.

Yes, it was a harmony not entirely perfect. But it was harmony nonetheless.

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Spring in Ponyville was coming to an end. The excitement for summer fun was in the air, increasing as each day came and went. School ponies fought to stay focused for their end-of-term exams. Shops and wagons held specials for the new season. The sky was clear, the food was fresh, and a mild breeze kept spirits high throughout the town.

Which was why the look of annoyance crossing Kaitlyn Kream’s face was more than a little unusual.

“You’re not listening!” she hissed beneath a scrunched-up nose. “How would we even make it to the falls without planning ahead? It’s a three-day hike just to get there!”

Kaitlyn sat with her two best friends, Sun Spot and Jeweled Radiance, just outside the schoolhouse. The three of them had been talking back and forth over a possible jaunt to the beautiful Windsome Falls once the new season began, but the differing ideas in how to get there were causing some trouble. And a few headaches besides.

Sun Spot, the eldest among them, nodded. “See, Jewel? Even she agrees with me.”

“Well of course we’re gonna pack a few things! We need a way to climb cliffs and take pictures after all!” Jeweled Radiance replied, ever oblivious to the time constraints. She closed her eyes and tilted her chin, a habit she had picked up from her mother. She heard it exuded an air of confidence. Silently, she resolved to find out what ‘exuded’ meant later that day. And ‘confidence.’

Sun Spot merely slapped her forehoof against her head, careful to avoid bashing her horn. That had happened one time too many that day alone. “Ugh...you worry me sometimes, Pebble.”

“Don’t call me Pebble!”

“Calm down, Jewel!” Kaitlyn said, reaching across the table. “Sunny’s still right. We need to worry about getting to the falls, before we worry about what we’re gonna do once we’re there. Let’s think about tents and food before cameras and rope, okay?”

Jeweled Radiance huffed and set her head down on the table. “Fiiiine,” she whined. “But I still think we shouldn’t use too much time. You know what I always say.”

Both Sun Spot and Kaitlyn rolled their eyes, reciting “Adventure is only a gallop away” in unison.

The three friends made an interesting sight. Sun Spot was the oldest among them by four years, and the voice of reason for the trio. Other ponies her age didn’t feel like associating with the younger crowd, but she genuinely liked spending time with them - though she often questioned that decision. As a unicorn, she was the de-facto ‘get-them-all-out-of-trouble’ girl when things went awry. Despite the misuse of her magic, she still maintained a level head, and often dreamed of learning beneath Princess Luna one day.

Jeweled Radiance was the youngest, though not by much. She was an oddity among earth ponies, who preferred the comfort of company and clothing to that of physical work or personal gain. Of course, her mother Rarity was often the source of those feelings. Whenever the three friends got into trouble, the filly was the first to tremble in apprehension. The shaky demeanor had earned her the nickname ‘Pebble’ in the schoolyard. A harmless, if infuriating, name to choose.

Then there was Kaitlyn Kream, the pegasus of the group. She was older than Radiance by a matter of weeks, which was the ice-breaker for their first conversation from a year earlier. Kaitlyn had moved to Ponyville from Cloudsdale with her family, a transition she didn’t care for at first. Thankfully, the friendship she struck with the two ponies helped her through the school year (and the town events held almost every month), and the three of them had been nearly inseparable ever since.

The adults of the town often thought of them as the next generation of the Cutie-Mark Crusaders, which also pleased Kaitlyn to no end. She had heard of the original Crusaders when her family had moved, and even maintained a personal friendship with one.

“Just a gal-lop!” Radiance sang. “A gal-lop away! Let’s go, lit-tle ones, it’s time to play!”

Sun Spot promptly ignored the filly, instead focusing on her pegasus friend. “So let’s talk business. We know we’ll need tents, sleeping bags, and some food to last us a week. Know anypony who can spare them?”

“My aunt Sweetie Belle can loan us a travel bag!” Radiance said.

Kaitlyn nodded. “There’s you taken care of. Although...we need two more. How many does she have?”

“Uhm...I’ll...ask my mom?”

Sun Spot rolled her eyes for the second time in as many minutes. “Packs, sort-of check. Sleeping bags?”

“My family still has a few left over from the move,” replied Kaitlyn, much to the surprise of her friends. “What? Dad wanted to experience ground life and talked us all into sleeping outdoors one weekend!”

“Wow,” the unicorn breathed. “What did you think?”

Kaitlyn chewed over her words for a moment. “There were a lot of bugs, and the grass was all wet in the morning. It made me feel icky.”

“Ohh!” came the high-pitched voice of their earth pony friend. “Don’t talk like that! I don’t like bugs!”

“Mm-hmm, you also don’t like river moss. Or raisins. Or summer reading. Or rocks.”

“I-huh? Rocks are fine...”

Kaitlyn smirked. The bait had been taken. “Especially pebbles.”

The laughter that sounded barely covered Radiance’s cry of disdain, though it did drown out the groan Sun Spot let loose. The three friends fell into another bout of good-natured bickering, drawing the attention of passers-by. Most of them shook their heads with a knowing smile and continued on their way.

One such pony experienced a rise in interest, and chose that moment to calmly sit down on the other side of the table. Kaitlyn’s eyes instantly widened. “Scootaloo!” she squealed.

The newcomer, a fully-grown pegasus mare, nodded her greeting. “I’ll have what’s she’s having!” she called, despite the fact that she wasn’t at a café. More grins graced the ponies walking past. With a friendly smirk, Scootaloo extended a hoof to each of the girls, who bumped it with theirs in turn.

“Fancy seeing you on the ground for a change,” Sun Spot commented. “Been a while.”

“Oh, I’ve been back since the weekend,” Scootaloo explained. “I’ve just hardly had time to rest properly. This whole survey job is a lot more taxing than I expected.” She gingerly massaged one of her wings to emphasize her point.

“Can’t say I’m jealous.” The young unicorn spared a moment to giggle. “Then again, I can’t fly, so who am I to judge?”

Scootaloo returned the giggle with one of her own. “Heheh. Would you believe me if I said I know how you feel?”

Kaitlyn stretched her own wings on reflex. She was all-too familiar with the stories of her idol’s stunted wings, and how it had haunted her for many years growing up. Part of that was why the filly admired her so much.

“So!” the orange pegasus began. “What’s on the menu for you three rascals? Not another experiment with candied muffins, I hope.”

Across the table, Jeweled Radiance hid her embarrassed muzzle behind her hooves - a habit taken from her aunt. “It was just a thought!” her muffled voice called.

Scootaloo shrugged. “I’m just sayin’.”

“Heh, ah...actually, we’re planning a week-long hike to and from Windsome Falls. Pebble here wants to add it to her photo album for this year, and I’ve been itching to see it anyway,” Kaitlyn said. Radiance shot her a dirty glare from around her hooves.

“Oh, the falls!” Scootaloo sat up straighter. “Some of my best memories are at the falls. I think you kids have made a fantastic choice.”

“Was it the site of one of your fantastic adventures?” Kaitlyn eagerly asked.

With a chuckle, Scootaloo waved at her to calm down. “Yes, yes, of course it was. I’ve already told you that story, Cream Cheese.”

It was Kaitlyn’s turn to be embarrassed. Radiance snickered in satisfaction at the nickname. A moment passed between them before the younger pegasus looked up again, the excitement in her eyes returning.

“...you want me to tell the story again, don’t you?”

An eager nod was her only answer. Sun Spot sighed, muttering how they would never finish planning their trip at the rate they were going.

Scootaloo closed her eyes and gave a sigh of her own. “I don’t know why you like hearing that one so much. It was just a camping trip, after all.”

“Yeah, but there was the time you got to fly with Rainbow Dash! Oh, and how Jewel’s aunt sang a silly tune because you wanted to stay up all night!”

“There was also the part about you seeing Princess Luna,” Sun Spot added, more to herself than to the others.

Scootaloo laughed, and was soon joined by the laughter of the fillies. She looked at Kaitlyn with a mix of appreciation and nostalgia. There was so much about her that reminded Scootaloo of her own days as a kid. She saw the penchant for adventure, the worry that ran beneath her attitude, and the eagerness to impress her idol. That, in particular, resonated with Scootaloo the most. Such a desire to be noticed was much like how she behaved around Rainbow Dash in years past.

The thought made Scootaloo’s mirth trail off, though her happy grin grew wider. An idea formed in her head. “You girls are really looking forward to this new adventure at the falls, aren’t you?”

Three heads nodded back.

“Well, in that case, how about I tell you a different story? One that has plenty of adventure, with danger and mystery mixed in.” Scootaloo leaned in close, adding an edge to her voice that showed just how much excitement she intended to convey.

Sun Spot, out of respect for her elder, bit down the groan in her throat. “Not to be rude, because the story does sound nice, but we’ve still got a trip to plan out. We’re gonna need more than a ‘maybe’ on travel bags if we’re gonna go anywhere.”

“Hey, now! You shouldn’t overthink things to the point where you have no fun! Besides, this story I have in mind starts off with no planning whatsoever.”

That was all Kaitlyn needed to hear to be hooked. She gave a warm smile of anticipation. “You know, I kinda like those stories!”

“My mom has a few stories like that,” Radiance added.

Scootaloo grinned. “Your mother is in this story, you know.”

And like that, Radiance was interested too. She sat up straight, her eyes dancing with the promise of hearing about her mother’s legacy.

“Alright, alright,” Sun Spot conceded. “We’ll just hold off on the entire ‘planning to plan’ thing until later. Not like we have anything else to-”

“Sunny, Princess Luna is in this story, too.”

The unicorn halted mid-syllable.

“And she saves lives.”

Without a word, Sun Spot leaned in closer. Scootaloo grinned. Three for three.

The mare spared a moment to look around, appreciating the sight of her old school and the fields beyond. “I’ll tell you this, girls - sometimes the best adventures you have are the ones you never plan. They come up on you from behind, and you have the choice to either gallop with it, or sit down and let it pass you by.”

“Adventure is just a gallop away!” Radiance sang. Her friends both grinned.

“Right, that’s right! And this particular adventure was had by one of my closest friends, over ten years ago. She wasn’t expecting it, either, and it very nearly beat her several times before the end. You see, when it came up on her, it did so by basically ruining her entire world. Everything she was working toward was taken away from her. And the worst part? She was blamed for it all.”

Scootaloo paused, looking at each of the fillies. She had their full attention. With a chuckle, she placed both her forehooves on the table, one atop the other, and continued.

“The ending to this adventure was just as hard as the beginning of it. But I like to think that the ending is a little less important, because the day when this story ended was not like others. It was different, for some very good reasons. See, it was the beginning of the adventure that I like more, because it started unexpectedly. And it all began with an ordinary day...”

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End chapter eighteen
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End Rain without Rainbows

Comments

[Leoshi]

My god, it's finally done...

[RDash]

Woo! Thank you for such a great story; really an adventure

[idontrunntoofast]

Yay! The final chapters are up! it has been so long... and now the story is finally finished.. I am going to have to re-read the entire story to refresh my memory...

[ULTRADJ4EVER]

Hmmm.... I guess I'll check this out

[Hestia]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for this amazing story and I loved the ending and I'm happy that everyone's okay and just this was an amazing story, I really enjoyed all the ups and downs and the feels. Can't wait to see what you do next!

[Leoshi]

4639611 Heh, I'm honored! And thank YOU for sticking with it for so long.

[Leoshi]

4656927 Magic fact: I've kept a flaw about Alucard a secret for the longest time. That flaw is something that instantly makes him an idiot. Care to guess what the flaw may be?

All the same, sure, vaporize him to your heart's content. It'll make my writing easier.

[Starlight Nova]

Will Rainbow Dash be beating anybody up (or at least getting REALLY mad) in this story?

[Leoshi]

4658423 Oh, yes. She spits on the face of one particular guy.

[UnweptSchlipps]

I remember following this story years ago on FanFiction. I remember how shocked I was when Alucard wrenched everything away from Rainbow Dash, how grief-stricken I was when her friends found her broken in the middle of the woods, how I wanted to see what would happen to her, and how Alucard would get his comeuppance.

But then the updates started to slow, soon after which I stopped going on FanFiction.

But now, after all this time and by some sheer luck, I've stumbled upon this magnificent story once again. And to think, it's all finally come to an end. I'll be honest, I stayed up till two in the morning just to read everything I had missed, and it was definitely worth it. Rainbow's path to redemption has been a great ride, sp bravo, Leoshi! One of my favorites, even after all this time!

[Leoshi]

4661930 I don't know what to say. A simple 'thank you' hardly seems enough. I really can't properly express my gratitude for you. And not just you - everyone who has passed along words of encouragement over the years, the people who chose to keep coming back even when I didn't want to. I'm just so happy to have finally given this story the ending that belonged, and I'm thankful for readers like you who pass along their kind words.

[SolidFire]

Alright, I'm finally done with this story, and that means it's time for my final comment. Everything I've said in my comments... I feel like I may have been a tad bit harsh, but I know that it needed to be said. The story had its ups and downs throughout, and there were, to me, some major problems with some character actions. The last couple chapters, Kindred Spirits I think, were probably the best in the story. To me, they were correcting some of the things that were majorly wrong throughout the rest of the story, but they still didn't quite do enough.

My biggest gripe with this story will always be how Dash's friends (the majority of them, anyways) actually thought of her as guilty of had to forgive her of anything at all. The only thing she should remotely apologize for is her attempted suicide, and even that is a bit of a stretch. After everything she'd gone through, death is a sweet mercy. They all witnessed what happened at the tryouts. They ALL saw it happen. There should have never been any of that to begin with. The only one whose anger is justified (if still misdirected) is Spitfire. Another thing... I don't think they'd ever stop searching for her. She's the Element of Loyalty, and as we've seen, kind of a part of the most powerful magical defense for Equestria.

Towards the end, when Luna absolved Rainbow of her 'crime' and everything, I groaned a bit. I know I'm being damn repetitive with this bit, but there was no crime committed. I've been trying hard to think of some metaphor for what happened, but it's actually quite hard. Even though there were those few off parts that really handicapped this story, it still did some things quite right. I found so few errors in this story, and that made me quite happy. The reading was very smooth and easy. The overall idea of the story was good, and I liked that, it was just the "quest for forgiveness" part that doesn't work the best. I did enjoy the story, I did, and I'm glad I read it. I'll be looking forward to reading something by you later on.

~SolidFire

[Tempestus]

Okay, admittedly you had me hooked, also when RD and the others were falling and you cut of the chapter... I hate you (In a good way) and I love thee fact that you didn't kill them off (See, no real hate). The ending was superb, my only complain is that I didn't get to see the White Alicoen return home and kill that sorry excuse for a wannabe god Alucard (I am still standing with my OC's torcher chamber as the proper punishment prior to death for that Daemon.)

All in all I give the story a,
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9/10 Rainbow Dash's as I still don't think that Celestia would screw up that badly (Somepony add that statement tot he records) as to convict RD of Murder, even given the scenario.

(And to think I picked this up because I thought it was a Shadowbolt Rainbow Dash story.)