A World Without a Rainboom

by Mocha Star

The Battle With Nightmare Moon (part 2)

Nightmare Moon stood and spat on the floor, her mane billowed a solid black, and she locked her eyes on the remaining four mares. "Thee bethink me a fool? So easily beaten, mine army so easily defeated?" She stood tall and grinned, "thee art but mere specks of dust in mine eternal night; mine power is endless, as mine night shalt be, and none shalt knoweth of thy struggle. Every pony of thy rebellion wilt be slaughtered without mercy. Thee wilt all beest frozen in lodging eternal, alongside Trixie the fool."

"You know what, Nightmare Moon?" Twilight said sternly, "you're... um," she tried to think of anything to get more time, to think of another plan, "you're old."

"What?! First thee fig mine army. Then thee fig mine night. Now thee fig mine age?!"

"What the tartarus are you talking about?! Figs are food," Applejack shouted in frustration.

"Why do you talk so weird? No pony talks like you, grandma." Nightmare Moon's mane changed to having a slight orange hue on its fringes as she looked at Scootaloo after her comment.

"And if you need a mane cut I'll just sharpen my blade on your pointy horn, considering if it's half as strong as your head."

Nightmare Moon's feathers were bristling as her mane was engulfed with a red flash of light. She reared and bellowed a roar, landing on the throne room floor with such might the room trembled, green saliva dripped from her mouth, her eyes glowed the same green as the saliva, and her horn held dual colors of green and dark blue.

"T-th-thee... You fools, how darest you fig me?"

"Wow," Twilight said relaxing and sitting on her flank, "she almost made a modern sentence that time girls." The others laughed and clopped their hooves on the floor in agreement. "You're on the right track," Twilight said standing and trotting casually towards Nightmare Moon. Knowing full well she was at risk of dying anyway she wanted to go out a legend.

"You see, back in your day, which may have only been a few months ago to you, language has changed quite a bit-"

"What is she doing?""Why is she approaching the queen?""Why hasn't the queen turned her into a statue yet?" were the hushed whispers from Luna's guard around the room while the remaining three element bearers looked on with restrained, understanding, horror.

"Thee has become 'you', 'fig', if I remember right, means insult. Now it is a fruit," Nightmare Moon's focus was on the mare, nearly half her height, beginning to lecture her.

"Th-you shalt die where you-"

"Shalt is another one, shalt became shall. One shall open the door, yet, one shant open the door in a blizzard," Twilight recited. Nightmare Moon's rage faded as she looked intently at Twilight who was slowly approaching, a mere two lengths away now. "Your highness, I teased you and mocked you, yes, but there's a reason," Twilight said, stopping in front of Nightmare Moon and looking up to her, straining her neck to see.

"And why is that, mortal?" Twilight stared and slowly moved her lips, speaking softly. "Speak up, knave," she said loudly as she leaned in to place an ear by the whispering lavender pony beneath her.

Twilight reared, grabbed Nightmare Moons cheeks, and pulled her into a kiss, stunning the would-be queen and every other pony in the room. Their eyes met and both of their faces flushed red as what Twilight was doing registered in both their minds. With a tug and a rear, Nightmare Moon spat up and stumbled back, falling over herself and onto her back, desperately wiping her lips on her forelegs, her tongue on her hooves.

"Wow, she actually put her tongue in my mouth," Twilight said out loud, watching Nightmare Moon scrambling on the floor. Twilight felt a warm chill run through her and she began to feel giddy. A smile formed on her muzzle as she thought about the event.

"Um, Twilight," Night asked taking a step to her side, "how was it?"

"Night?! I just kissed the most powerful living creature on the planet and that's your only concern?" she asked incredulously. "It was amazing!" Twilight screamed as she hugged herself, falling to her side letting a giggle fit take control of her.

The room was awash in side conversations and whispers as the four mares grouped back together.

"Oh, wow. Look, we're sparkling again," Scootaloo said as she looked at Twilight, then the others noticed her gem beginning to brighten again.

---

Rainbow felt the spell explode off her, she flexed her wings and legs, then dove after Fluttershy.

I'm ready to die with you, Fluttershy. I'm ready to spend eternity with you in the next life, where ever that is. Because we'll be together, best friend.

Faster and faster she flew as the castle approached; the marble stone floor of the throne room beckoned. Rainbow pushed herself harder than she had ever thought to go, just to try to catch her friend. She didn't want to die if she didn't have to, but she was ready.

Thrusting her forelegs out she could almost reach Fluttershy, just like in their dream. Fluttershy's tears splashed across Rainbow's body as she turned to reach for her friends grasp.

The other elements activated again along with Rainbow and Fluttershy's. Twilight wasted no time and let the energies flow through her again. Her giggles weren't stifled as she raised into the air with the other element bearers. A rainbow began to emanate from them all and shot out in a radius, washing over everypony and everything across the mountain, extending as far as Ponyville.

Rainbow heard silence for a moment as she felt the air around her still and then she felt it return with more force than ever before as she caught Fluttershy and shut her eyes, letting herself cry into Fluttershy's coat. "I caught you. I CAUGHT YOU!" she screamed through the roaring air around her.

"Rainbow, not only that, look!" Fluttershy pointed behind them as the spirited away. "You just did a sonic rainboom! I can't believe it! How can you be so amazing?!" Fluttershy felt herself open her wing in joy then gasped. The other opened with it and she was looking at the world with both her eyes. "Rainbow? Rainbow!? My wings, my eye! I'm healed!"

---

The energy wave blasted forth from the element bearers on for them to be knocked to the floor, every other pony in the room was blasted to the walls as a rainbow collided with the rainbow being emitted by the mares. The ponies that were injured or unconscious in the room stood and took in a collective deep breath. A bright flash of yellow temporarily blinded all the ponies in the room as Celestia, healed and fully powered, changed the lighting in the room of a dreary night to a bright summers day.

"Sister?" she asked softly as she landed beside Nightmare Moon's form.

"T-Tia? Ugh," she said with a groan, "what- I am vexed. Last I recall, the Limelight was in mine mind."

"Hush, sister. You are healed, the Limelight is destroyed, and you are whole again. If not larger than you were," Celestia commented.

Nightmare Moon rolled to her belly and stood up, a beautiful dark blue mare with a moon as her cutie mark on a black splotch stood head height with Celestia. "I, I am not worthy of forgiveness. The things I have done; I have killed, Tia, and not in a true war, I killed your protege in blind rage," she said sullenly.

"Luna-"

"No," she turned away and looked to Twilight. "You, the mare who kissed me. What is my name?"

Twilight stuttered and looked to Celestia then to Nightmare Moon. "Um, well, Luna means moon, so-"

"Very well, I will be knownst at Luna Moon, from this day forward," Luna proclaimed with a grin. She winked at Twilight then turned to her soldiers. "My army, thy art free of mine rule. I submit to my sister as I am in no place to rule an eternal night, the war is over, the sun shall rise again!" The room roared with excitement and joy as the celestial sisters looked at each other. "Tia, I have much to atone for, I prithee forgiveness."

"Sister, um, Luna Moon," Celestia stifled a giggle at the new name, "all is forgiven. The Limelight simply did what it was created to do, and now it's over and gone. Welcome home."

---

Rainbow banked and turned, aiming for the castle again as her speed slowed. It took her two minutes to reach the castle again before she could safely with Fluttershy. She looked around in amazement as everypony that was allied with Nightmare Moon hugged and cried, their hostility gone. Fluttershy was still crying as she rolled her eyes and waved both hooves in front of her face, tracking them with both eyes. Her wings fluttered and flapped almost pulling her in a circle and backwards at the same time.

"Rainbow, what did you do? That was incredible! Everypony was cured from their ailments and even Princess Celestia is better! She's talking with her sister, Luna Moon, see?"

Princess Celestia was standing in her full glory radiating light as she spoke with Luna. "Twilight, is that Nightmare Moon? Is she crying because she lost?"

"No, Rainbow Dash, when we blasted her and you did, whatever you did, the magic combined and covered all of Canterlot. Everypony is healed and full of love and I got a kiss!" Twilight lunged Rainbow into a tight hug before galloping to Applejack, who was looking into her reflection in some broken glass, admiring her former beauty returned.

"I wonder who else is-" There was a loud thud and several screams as Night Lead's body slammed into the floor splattering blood across a dozen feet and turning the new alicorn to mush. Rainbow chuckled. "Hey Twilight, I don't think everypony was healed."

Fluttershy walked to Rainbow and placed a hoof on her back between her wings. "Rainbow Dash, that doesn't bother you?" Rainbow shook her head and looked at Fluttershy with her head cocked to the right, quizzically. "We need to have a talk when we get to a safe place, okay, sweetie?"

Rainbow smiled and hugged Fluttershy as tightly as she could and sniffed. "As long as you're alive, I don't care."

Celestia's horn lit yellow and she sighed. The moon fell and the sun rose for the first time in what felt like years. Cheering across the city was audible; across Equestria creatures left their homes and basked in the warmth of the morning sun.

"Bearers of the Elements of Harmony for spreading the power of the elements across the area in a unique way. You have saved Equestria, and the world, from the darkness that plagued my sister's heart. You are heroes and will be remembered for ages to come."

The room roared with cheers as the element bearers grouped together and hugged tightly.

The doors to the throne room opened and a platoon of soldiers led by Shining Armor charged into the room to the amusement of the ponies already there. "Your highness, you're well and the sun has risen! Thank, you," Shining Armor looked to Luna and glared, "what of her? Shall we kill her for her crimes?"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie would love to see that," a proud and overconfident voice came from the side. With fifty sets of glaring eyes on her she shrank away and slowly walked out of the room. "The great and powerful Trixie shall become famous once again," she shouted as she galloped down the hall.

Celestia smiled warmly. "Relax general. She's my sister again and no threat to the world. Let's hope no pony here minds, but I think I'm ready to leave this room for a while; I have a kingdom to check on," she said with a chuckle as she walked with Luna out of the room past Shining and his troops.

"Well, go home ponies. You have families to see and we have a nearly repaired castle in the Everfree forest to watch over." Shining's troops relaxed and left, with a side glance the night guard left as well. "Twiley," Shining shouted as he and she galloped to each other, embracing tightly. "I'm so glad you're alright. If anything happened to you, I-I just don't know," he said as Twilight let her emotions flow, blubbering into his mane.

"Come, let us leave this depressing room and verily enjoy the sun on our fur."

"Yes, let's go and watch the kingdom return to life," Fluttershy added as she, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo galloped to a window.

"Oh, Fluttershy, this means I can teach you how to fly now! We're like best sisters almost," she turned and grabbed Scootaloo into a hug, "we all are. Let's go, I wanna smoothie and I heard Big Head knows a great place."

"Hey," Shining Armor shouted from a distance away, Twilight by his side, "that's General Big Head."

With a laugh they all began to leave the throne room, Scootaloo stopped to look at her mother's remains.

Goodbye mommy. Tell daddy I love him and someday, far far from now, I'll meet you both in a cooler place.

"Scootaloo," Night said in a soft voice, "you're not alone. You have us for the rest of your life. We're all family now," she said, letting a tear leave her for the first time in years as she and the other Pegasus in the huddle opened their wings and encircled the group.

Comments

[IMNOTHERE889]

Day 3: I'm literally crying as I type this. This chapter is so beautiful, I was in tears with the Rainboom. Honestly, when a story gives me feels, it becomes 20% cooler.