The End of the Rainbow

by JTH

Chapter 18

All the ponies of Ponyville began to gather at the middle of Town Square. Concerned looks came from mares and stallions alike as the skies above continued to worsen, violently flashing back from stagnant grey to darkish red hue. While Rainbow Dash continued to keep close eye of the sky waiting for the arrival of the Princesses, Princess Twilight and the other Mane Six ponies made sure that every Ponyville resident was present and accounted for.

Suddenly off in the distance, the Princesses were spotted. It was clear by their sluggish pace they were in dire need of care and assistance. Rainbow Dash called out to Twilight to help her before bolting into the sky and trying to help Celestia and Luna quickly. With Twilight helping Princess Celestia, and Dash aiding Princess Luna, the Princesses were greeted by the townsponies with bows. Both Celestia and Luna quickly acknowledged the kind gestures of everypony, but knew there were far greater matters as the two began to struggle to even stay upright, causing a worry from everyone present.

"We cannot hold the spell much longer Twilight..." Princess Celestia stated with a grovel and strain in her voice. "Whatever you have planned, you must do it now!"

Twilight looked to the one who was the inherit leader of any operation, the rainbow pegasus next to her. "Rainbow, what do you need us to do?"

Dash gazed around almost in a complete circle, making sure she gave eye contact to everypony before speaking. After a deep breath, Rainbow announced... "I don't want anypony to be in harms way. So I need everypony to evacuate the town to safety."

There was a hollowed gasp of ponies all around. Some in a seem of frantic concern.

"Rainbow Dash, are you sure about this?" Twilight asked with a level of uncertainty, which Dash gave a reluctant nod to.

"I'm the only one that can stop that thing, and it knows that. So it will only focus on me." Rainbow then began to look to all the townsponies, to explain her rational to all of them. "So everypony will be safe if you're not where I am."

A chorus of murmurs were heard from several, until a young voice was heard loudly above all the others.

"But...Rainbow Dash?"

It was the young pegasus filly, the one who looked up to Rainbow Dash for years now. Scootaloo trotted over to talk to her "big sister", almost in a plead though. "I-I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you."

Dash gave a frown towards Twilight's direction, but soon went to the filly, whose head was slumped. She placed a hoof under Scootaloo's chin to lift up her head so they could talk. "It's gonna be alright Scoot..."

Twilight and the townponies looked on, most of which were quite impressed. Many in Ponyville had known the rainbow pegasus for some time, and this whole ordeal had to everyponies' eyes given Dash a whole new level of loyalty and maturity. Almost like this was Rainbow's "Growing Up" moment of her life. They all looked on as Dash continued to talk to the young filly, mare to foal.

"Look Scootaloo...it's alright to be scared." Dash spoke again. "But your friends are counting on you to be there for them. You gotta be brave for them...for me. You and everypony did so much to help me believe I can do this, now I need you to believe that you were right. Can you do that for me kiddo?"

Scoot wiped a single tear from her eye, sniffled as she wiped her nose and hugged Rainbow Dash tightly. "Alright Rainbow Dash."

After their embrace, Scootaloo slowly ran back to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, who alongside Applejack were ready to carry out the evacuation. After a moment, Twilight saw a nod Rainbow to give the cue to the Princesses that the time had come.

Luna and Celestia soon faced one another and connected their horn's tips, and shortly after a rapid series of magical sparks began to emit. Almost immediately, the sky began to flicker and flash more violently. All the townsponies looked above to observe the disturbance.

Then, a rumbling began...it was coming. Raindoom was almost here as the skies began to redden. A worried Twilight began to take lead of Ponyville evacuation, but quickly Rainbow extended a wing to block her movement.

"Twilight! The others can lead the evacuation. I need you to stay here!" Rainbow Dash hollered, as the rumbling and sonic flashes above were becoming too loud to use a normal voice...the response caught Princess Twilight off guard.

"Stay!? I thought you wanted everypony to..." But Twilight stopped as she saw the look on Dash's face. The pegasi's wings extended out gave a reminder as well to the Princess what Dash was asking of her. "You want me to give you my magic, don't you?"

After a moment of thought, Dash shook her head.

"No, It's too dangerous to ask you to do that." Answered Dash, wanting to almost make sure that nopony heard the response. "Do it only if you feel we're out of options..." Placing a hoof on her friend. "...I trust your judgment."

Twilight didn't know how to process that however. She didn't want to put her friend at risk, Twilight saw first hoof what happened to Rainbow acquiring the Princesses' Alicorn Magic. The results were astounding, yes; but the consequences were equaled as bad, if not greater. That was a whole different level of responsibility, giving Rainbow Dash Alicorn Magic to defeat Raindoom knowing it was beyond dangerous...and Rainbow willingly gave Twilight the liberty to make the decesion on Dash's behalf, knowing all the negative that could come with it.

Twilight could only begin the first word in her answer, when the other Princesses gave a cry out to all the ponies. "IT IS COMING!!!"

A loud moan quickly followed, making the ground shake so hard, that ponies began to lose their balance and stubble. Rainbow acted fast. "EVERYPONY! GET OUT OF HERE...NOW!!!"

A frantic flee of mares, stallions, and foals alike began retreating from Ponyville to regather to a safe location. Princess Celestia while exhausted, urged her younger sister to accompany all the ponies, but The Princess of the Night decreed against the idea. Twilight and Dash were nearby to hear the conversation and gathered close. "Assist the townponies to safety sister." Luna spoke. "I will remain with the young one to do anything I can."

"Is there anything we even can do?" Celestia pondered the thought aloud.

"We will not know unless one of us tries sister..." Luna responded. After a quick embrace, The Princess of the Day flew off to aid in the evacuation. Leaving Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Princess Luna to only ponies remaining in Ponyville.

"Twilight quick, help me get this suit on!" Dash told the Princess of Friendship in a hurry, trying to desgiuse her protection before Raindoom appeared. It took a bit of time, but finally with a bit of magic, Twilight zipped the suit up under Rainbow's chin. "Thanks Twilight." The pegasus responded, now clothed up and ready to take action. All the ponies still present soon proceeded with the plan at hoof.

And soon, the rumbling voice they all recognized spoke...

"Your efforts to prevent my presence has failed you all!!!"

The skies grew darker as the clouds swirled above, as the form of Raindoom appeared before the ponies below. It was just as Rainbow Dash remembered the ominous figure in her dreams. But a dream this no longer was, this was now as real as could be. Dash instructed the two Princesses, Luna and Twilight to remain behind her.

Then its glowing blue eyes opened, its cloud like being taking up the entirety of the sky. And the pegasus below gazed into those eyes with not the slightest trace of fear.

"I see you are still choosing to resist young one..." The response from the air lead to Dash unfurling her wings, ready to leap into the air for attack. The being above became annoyed by the action. "Know that I take no pleasure in what will result..."

Before Rainbow Dash was prepared to fly into the air, her name being called stopped her. She turned to Twilight who gave her last words of encouraging. "Rainbow...Be careful."

Dash gave a nod of assurance, and then in a flash flew into the sky, her rainbow trail streaking behind. Princess Twilight and Luna could only for the time watch, and hope that Rainbow would succeed.

As the cloud entity saw the small pegasus figure approach with blazing speed, a sound of disappointment was heard..."So be it." It spoke, before beginning a rapid downpour of rain and a raging blast of high winds.

The winds were so strong, that even the Princesses on ground level were pushed back slightly by their strength, and the rain had already began to dampen hair. In the air however, it was a different story.

Within the finely fitted suit, Dash could feel the rain continuing to bead off, leaving her unaffected for the time. And the gusts while strong did not push her off target. Rainbow continued to pursue the foe at hoof.

As Raindoom observed below to see the rainbow mare continue to approach, the look on its face could be described as a "pleasant surprise". "Impressive, young one. But it still won't help you!" The cloud threatened.

Then in a spurs moment, the winds transformed from strong to the strength of a hurricane. And try as she might, Dash was blown away from her target in a heap. The two Princesses looking below could see the mare in trouble. Though the The Princess of the Night tried to help, her magic was still too faint to assist, leaving it up to Princess Twilight to save her friend from a hard crash landing. The rapid speed of the out of control Rainbow proved tricky, but at the last moment Twilight managed to use her magic to stop Dash's momentum allowing her to power slide on her hooves to the surface.

An adrenaline pumped Rainbow was breathing heavily at the frantic turn of events. "Thanks again Twi!". Dash quickly bolted back into the sky to engage Raindoom once more. Twilight and Luna on ground felt helpless, only able to do virtually nothing more but witness Dash's efforts. If only there was anything they could do...