The End of the Rainbow

by JTH

Chapter 19

Within the outer region of Ponyville, the massive group of ponies traveled out of the town in a panicked, but orderly fashion. Applejack and Fluttershy took the lead of the evacuation while Princess Celestia assisted any of the elderly or younger fillies who were having trouble keeping up.

AJ on occasion would head off to the side and keep note of ponies present to make sure nopony got lost. Giving a sporadic "Just follow the pony in front of ya." to all the Ponyville residents. The continuous sounds of the thunder and heavy winds behind them all could only mix their feelings of if they were safe, yet knowing they was great danger back where they started. Upon hearing another loud boom of thunder, young Scootaloo near the front of the gathering looked back to the skies behind her. The being of Raindoom was so large of scale, it could easily be seen from anywhere in Equestria, but it was what else the filly saw that made her worry.

From the far distance, Scoot could see a small streak of a rainbow flying straight towards to cloud being in the sky, along with a very condensed downpour of rain in the direction the rainbow streak was flying at. Little Scootaloo knew it meant that Raindoom was attacking her friend. She only wished she could head back, but it wasn't what Rainbow Dash wanted. Soon Applejack came back to her and placed a hoof to her side. "Come on sugarcube, we need to keep movin'." Sadly, Scootaloo obliged. All she could do was view from their retreating distance and continue to hope that Dash would come through...

***

The fierce battle raged on as Rainbow Dash continued desperately to make a Sonic Rainboom. One that would vanquish the foe in the sky before her. But attempt after attempt was easily thwarted by Raindoom. And while the cloud being above looked willing and able to continue the heavy rainfall to flood Equestria into a barren oceanfront, the young pegasus resisting to help her friends while holding strong was beginning to show her first signs of fatigue. It seemed to not matter how hard she tried, she was getting no closer to performing her signature Rainboom and save all her fellow ponies.

Meanwhile, Princess Luna and Twilight remained on the ground below, trying to shield the strong winds and debris with their hooves. And even from a far, they could see Rainbow's speed and energy starting to wane.

"I don't know how long Rainbow can keep this up!" Princess Twilight called out to Luna, raising her voice to be heard over the howling winds. "If only there was something we could do!"

"Perhaps there is!" Luna called out, who had come up with an idea.

Another attempt by Rainbow Dash to attempt her Sonic Rainboom proved futile as the elements of nature prevented her from gaining the speed to defeat her enemy. Suddenly another strong blast of wind hurled Dash again down to the ground, only this time away from the Princesses so the pegasus took a rather rough landing through the quickly forming mud. After a brief moment, Luna and Twilight met up with Rainbow once more, who was starting to visibly become frustrated, along with all the scrapes all over her body.

"Rainbow! This isn't working!" Twilight began. "We need a new plan!"

"Twilight Sparkle is correct." Luna added on. "Please, let us help you!"

Dash didn't know what to do, but the one thing she DID know was she couldn't let her friends put themselves in danger. "I just...don't know."

Before she could continue on, The older Princess placed a hoof on the young pegasi's shoulder. "My friend...do you remember what my sister and I attempted in the Dreamscape?" The question gained a look of intrigue from Rainbow, and decided to hear in to the idea.

***

After quite some time of continued rainfall, Raindoom looked down below its sight to see the rainbow pegasus once more ascending to face it again, and the continuous attacks were beginning to annoy the cloud being in the sky.

"The will you have to keep resisting is impressive young one, but I grow tired of these antics." As the rumbling of thunder began to be heard. "Stand down now, or I will be forced to..."

Suddenly the foe's words were halted, as something began to become visible by Rainbow Dash's side. But not just something, but...somepony. After a few seconds, The Princess of Friendship appeared from a spell of invisibility, and so after another figure began to appear from Rainbow's other side. Revealing it was the other Princess present, The Princess of the Night Luna. Both the Princesses had a confident, yet determined look to their faces.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Raindoom bellowed aloud. "Your interference will not help her!"

"You're wrong Raindoom!" Dash said, with a Princess to each of her side in defiance, as Twilight spoke up next. "Because we've realized that our friendship will help Rainbow Dash stop you once and for all!"

"You think friendship will help you young one..." Raindoom began, but a sharp squint of its eyes showed determination and malice. "But in truth...it will cost you everything!"

"You're wrong Raindoom!" Rainbow Dash. "I..." She then stopped and rephrased her statement. "We will stop you!!!"

"Cause now you see us, and now you..." And before Twilight could say "don't", the Alicorn's spell engulphed all three flying ponies until they disappeared from plain sight. And from a cloaked state, all three ponies took off in a different direction.

Just as Twilight had predicted, Raindoom temporarily seized any precipitation, which would help Rainbow Dash during the battle and give her an opening. Raindoom then began making more rain fall wildly at the sight of nearby moving trees. Fortunately, none of the rainfall came in any further contact with Dash, allowing her to get into point blank range for a Sonic Rainboom.

But suddenly, Raindoom's movements began to change. It started to ascend higher into the sky, so high that it nearly doubled its altitude, making Rainbow Dash halt her pursuit. As Dash pondered what to do next, something or perhaps somepony pulled the pegasus back to the ground below. Quickly Rainbow realized that it was Princess Luna, still in a stealth state, giving her a "SHH" to stay quiet in case Raindoom could hear them. Also from a distance, Rainbow could spot a lightly glowing dot of pink on the surface, showing Luna where Princess Twilight was located...and soon after the three discussed their next move.

"I don't suppose making me have to fly even further was part of the plan?" Rainbow Dash talked loud enough to be heard, yet still wanting to make sure their location wasn't revealed.

"Perhaps not." Princess Luna declared to the pegasus. "But it did accomplish stalling its motive."

Princess Twilight agreed with the statement, now noticing that Raindoom had halted any rainfall once more, almost as if it were attempting to determine the ponies location. "Now from a distance, it allows us to better prepare for any attack it plans." But Dash was a bit cautious at the optimism.

"The same thing could be said against us also." Dash reminded the Princesses. "Keeping its distance gives it more time to plan a defense and possible counter."

It was a fair point from Rainbow, so all agreed to stay focused on the matter at hoof. Everyone's location may have varied, but the overall plan remained intact.

All the ponies involved retook to the sky, and the Princesses while invisible began from a distance to slowly emit a spell together to trap Raindoom in position, once confined would give Rainbow Dash an opportunity to strike, however the cloud fiend could sense the magical energy around it and now had the Princesses right where it wanted. "A clever trick ponies! But using your power on me has given you away!"

Now Raindoom using its own magic, it had long acquired from the Alicorns in the past and present, now had Princess Luna and Twilight trapped instead of the other way around. Slowly from a far, Rainbow Dash could see their magic beginning to be absorbed into Raindoom, thus only making it stronger.

"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow Dash called out to her friend, as hers and Luna's magic both was continuing to be drained. Princess Twilight was also making her best effort to try and continue to keep Rainbow Dash hidden in stealth from Raindoom's sight. The only hope they would have left, but doing was causing her own stealth, as well as Luna's to fade. The two Princesses were beginning to be revealed. Though as Princess Twilight struggled to break free, she called out to Dash.

"Rainbow! You have to stop Raindoom now! W-we can't keep it trapped much longer!"

Dash looked up to the cloud being, still caught within a spell of confinement. However, the magic was absorbing from the Princesses, growing stronger and stronger by the second. If Rainbow Dash was going to act, it had to be now.

Suddenly in a last bit of rage, Raindoom yelled out. "THIS ENDS NOW!!!"

A massive bolt of electrical energy was shot directly into Twilight's direction, with the Princess of Friendship being unable to move, the attack would be certain to land a direct hit. The lightning along with the rapid rainfall would also make the strike incredibly powerful. Twilight Sparkle could only watch in peril as the bolt of energy came closer and closer.

But just as Twilight thought she would be struck, her friend called to her.

"TWILIGHT!!!"

Dash soared in front of her friend, taking the electrical blast direct in the heart. The electricity mixed with the continuous rainfall looked to have greater impact, and Dash's reactionary loud groan confirmed such. The shock didn't take Rainbow off her wings though, who after the shock directed her attention to Twilight who was able to free herself as well, as the ponies flew back towards the surface out of harms way.

"Rainbow, you saved me!" Twilight thanked Rainbow Dash, who like her friend had a mane soggy and drooped from the rain at this point. The pegasus though simply chuckled at the remark as she turned her head to look back to Twilight.

"Oh come on Twilight. You know that cloud would have to...do better...than......that......" Rainbow's demeanor began to change mid sentence, as her body started to turn droopy like her mane.

Then Princess Twilight could see it, the colored vapor could be seen flowing from Dash's body, and like before, the beautiful color of Rainbow Dash's body and mane began to fade. Both Twilight and Luna flew to her aid quickly.

"Young one, are you alright?" Luna question to the pegasus, whom she almost had to keep hold of as Dash's wingspeed slowed to a near snail pace.

"I don't...understand. Why is...this happening...now?" A slow speeched Rainbow asked seeing the effects from herself visually, but Twilight saw the reason, gasped and pointed her hoof below Dash's face, and when Rainbow down...she noticed it as well.

The lightning strike of Raindoom was so powerful that it burned through the protective suit that Rarity had created. All that remained was a black singed outline around the material. The exposed area on Rainbow Dash's body was now coming in contact with the elements of Raindoom's rain. And with every passing moment, Dash became weaker.

In a spurs moment, Twilight began to use her magic to attempt a trick she had learned from Rarity, trying to use pinpoint magic to sow the material back together to close the opening to Dash's exposed chest. But in this attempt, a rumbling was heard from above once more, causing the ponies to look above.

"So, you found a method to protect yourself." Raindoom roared in the sky. "But your friendship has now endangered you. I warned you to not resist young one, but if you and your friends continue on, I fear I must force you to stop!"

After a moment, the rain up above stopped; confusing the ponies, but certainly for Rainbow Dash was a positive. Shortly then, Raindoom appeared to have made the weather change. The rain had turned into snow. The flakes began to fall on the ponies' noses and manes.

"Good!" Rainbow huffed in determination once Twilight had finished repairing Dash's suit as best she could. "Now's my chance!" Who then at the best of her ability took off, now at a much slower pace than before, though it appeared the suit appeared to hold and protect her again.

The Princesses, both Luna and Twilight Sparkle were trying to understand what Raindoom's plot was. Rapidly, the wind blew stronger, and the snow turned into blizzard like conditions, turning the trees snow covered. The cold became so extreme, that the tips of Princess Twilight's wings began to frost and freeze making it harder to stay afloat in the air. Suddenly, Twilight realized something. The freezing was so harsh that if the Alicorn's own wings were freezing, then any material worn would also freeze solid. But that would mean the protective suit that Rainbow Dash was wearing would...

Twilight gasped aloud at the realization. "RAINBOW! WAIT!!!"

But Dash was too far way to hear the Princess call her. As the wind blew harder, it started to cause her to struggle to stay on target. What Rainbow didn't realize, was the tips of her wings were beginning to freeze over and soon after the entire suit she worn turned to ice, leaving Dash completely immobile. As she heard her foe say aloud. "Good luck flying, with wings of ice young one."

As Dash let out a loud yell, as her frozen over suit and wind led to Rainbow freefalling to the ground far below.

Rainbow fell down, down, down to the ground below. Frozen still, with no ability to protect her fall. Within mare seconds of crashing, Rainbow Dash could see from the corner of her eyes Princess Twilight flying straight for her, and barely managed to swoop in and catch her friend before both Twilight and Rainbow slid onto the ground for Celestia knows how long. When Twilight got up, she saw a streak of ice crystals along their fallen path, and onto looking down could see that the ice was pieces of Rainbow's protective suit that had shattered and cracked apart. The pegasus was able to move her right wing and right forehoof slightly, but the rest of her body was still incased in an ice crystal cocoon, grunting and struggling to move to no success.

"Rainbow..." Twilight said quietly, winded from her sprinted flight. "Are you alright?"

After another grunt trying to move, but failing Dash responded. "Twilight, get me...out of this thing."

Soon Princess Luna arrived back to the mare's side, also exhausted from the trials of Raindoom's attack. "Young one, if you remove the suit, you will be at the full mercy of Raindoom's elements." But Rainbow looked up to her side to face Twilight, almost in an expression of plea.

"Twilight...I can't...move!" As Rainbow continued to desperately tried to move to no success. Also Twilight and Luna both while at her side could feel her body violently shaking and shivering from the ice the pegasus lay trapped in. After a moment, Twilight looked up to Luna and shortly after gave a hoof stomp to the ice, shattering fragments little by little. Soon, The Princess of the Night also lent a hoof as well, attempting to free Rainbow Dash from her icy prison.

In a couple minutes time, Dash was freed who struggled to her hooves, her legs wobbling non-stop. The moment Twilight asked Rainbow Dash if she was alright, Rainbow stumbled to try and retake to the air. The Princess of Friendship grabbed Dash by a hoof to hold her up. "Dash, save your strength. You can't possibly do a Sonic Rainboom in this state."

But Dash bumped Twilight's hoof off her. "No, I...have to...keep going......"

But as soon as Dash finished speaking, she collapsed back to the ground, visually having even less color in her coat, mane, and eyes. Twilight gasped at the sight of her friend. The elements above from Raindoom ceased as Dash fell, the Princesses aided to Rainbow Dash, who was as equally exhausted as she was cold to the touch. Twilight lit her horn desperately trying to conduct a form of heat spell to keep her friend warm ,also urging Luna to try the same. Just then, the cloud being above spoke once more.

"Why do you continue to allow the young one to suffer!? You must know that no good will come from it!" Raindoom rumbled aloud. A look of anger appeared on Princess Twilight as she snapped her head around to confront Raindoom.

"Because we all know that Rainbow Dash will do anything for her friends. She has a loyalty that you will never understand!" The tone in Twilight's voice was one rarely heard by any pony, let alone her fellow Princess. The venom in Twilight's voice though did not waver Raindoom above.

"Loyalty and self-sacrifice are NOT the same thing!" Raindoom forcefully put, putting a look of sorrow on both pony's faces. But equally surprising, its tone changed back to a calmer tone. "But judging by your response, I cannot fault you. For it seems the young one chose not told you what she knows." The look of anger began to fade on Twilight's face, and turned to a look of curiosity, almost wanting to now hear Raindoom's side. After a moment, Twilight asked for the truth. "I do not wish to harm your friend, but her actions to attempt in my demise force me to defend myself against her. I was created to bring eternal rainfall to your land by my creators, and it is taking all my being to not do so now. If your friend were to be exposed to anymore of my elements, I am certain she will not survive......But your friend has accepted that fate, and is willing to resist to the very end...and I know deep down that is never what you or any of your friends would want of her. Now is it?"

It was a stunning revelation to say the least. One so much, that Twilight couldn't possibly think it to be true, but just she started to rebut...Luna spoke up.

"Twilight Sparkle...I believe it is speaking the truth." Twilight turned back to The Princess of the Night, asking how she could be so sure, and while Luna didn't wish to believe it either, she spoke of earlier events. "Your friend spoke of encountering Raindoom last night while within the Dreamscape, and of certain things spoken. And while my sister and I did not know what to think at first...what the young one spoke was eerily similar to what Raindoom has spoken of now."

Twilight looked down to Rainbow Dash once more, mainly to see if she was still responsive, being so fortunately. Soon another sharp rumble came from above. "What are you doing Raindoom!?" Twilight questioned.

The struggle on its face was apparent, almost fighting within itself. "I...MUST...COMPLETE...MY...PURPOSE!!!" He said with a roar.

Then from the sky, a massive amount of rain began to fall from the cloud. Both Luna and Twilight each tried their hardest to fully cover Rainbow by physical means and with the help of magical shields. But once the rain hit the surface, they noticed something. The rain only came to a matter of a few paces from the ponies and stopped. All beyond them, was a massive monsoon of rain. The flooding began almost instantly, but yet where the ponies stood remained dry. Soon, Raindoom spoke once more. "Go! Take her from here, before it is too late!"

Its voice was trembling...suffering.

"Take her where!?" Princess Twilight called out.

"My magical elements weaken the young one's strength, if you can cleanse them from her, you may be able to save her. But you must hurry!" As Raindoom finished, a harsh roar emerged again and suddenly the path of rain expanded now over the ponies, the rain falling hard on the ponies.

The magical rain was so powerful, it passed through both Luna and Twilight's shields as if they were air. Rainbow Dash yelled in pain below, as more of vapored essence drifted from her.

"GO! NOW!!!" Raindoom urged once more. And Luna and Twilight quickly grabbed a forehoof each from Rainbow Dash and pulled her out of the rapid falling elements. The Princesses had to think of a location to get Rainbow to help her. But Ponyville Hospital was out of the question, it was in the middle of the powerful storm, and plus all of Ponyville had been evacuated.

All they could do was what Raindoom deemed they to do. Take her somewhere, anywhere in Equestria away from Raindoom's might. But Twilight and Luna both couldn't help but realize Raindoom's willingness to help. It gave them multiple chances to get away, and still they failed based on their unsureness of its trust. But it was clear that Raindoom gave the ponies a chance to save Rainbow Dash...they had to make the most of it.

And with that, Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle carried Rainbow Dash to safety, thinking of any idea to help her. Raindoom did not pursue...only continuing its purpose.

To bring eternal rainfall and flood the land to a watery ruin...

Comments

[Forcalor]

When first chapter opens with a song, you know that in this fic was placed more love and effort, than in many others. Wish you will get more traction soon