Rainboom Rewritten (MLP AU)
an Grimdark/Psychological Horror/Mystery
It all started with a rainboom, at least thatโs what I remember. In truth, my mind is a bit foggy from that day, and what I could recall was the screams and... a rainbow. It wasnโt an ordinary rainbow, though not from the way it was radiating from within the stars. Oh, thatโs it! I remember the stars, they were bleeding, but not of blood; it was the colorful, almost like the rainbow falls you see in Cloudsdale, oh right, you donโt understand? Do you? Iโll start from the beginning, at least what I can remember.
It was an ordinary night in Ponyville. I was up during one of my study halls with the new books Princess Celestia has sent to me. I still donโt understand why she sent me these books, only stating that โin due time you will understand.โ Perhaps it was a warning? Or maybe it was something much more than that? Oddly enough, the titles of the books were fairly old and seem to date back before Luna became Nightmare Moon.
I decided to read those books, and honestly, I wish I hadnโt. Two books were given to me, the names of which remain unclear, as they seem to be worn out over time, but are still somewhat readable, and really hard to make out. I looked over to the first book given to me, one I could faintly read, but only the first few letters. It was called โBog?โ Thatโs odd, I thought to myself, but when I read the title of the next one, I couldnโt make it out. Only two letters stood out, being the letters โSโ and โRโ.
The books were very scuffed and very hard to read, but I managed to read only a few pages before I heard the screams coming from outside my home. I ran towards the window, and thatโs when I saw it; every pony was outside looking into the night's sky, all visibility confused and shaking. I ran out the door to see what every pony was freaking out over, and part of me wishes I didnโt, cause what I saw I-I canโt even begin to describe. I was so horrified at what I saw that I didnโt- oh sweet Celestia, I wish I hadnโt gone outside, Spike was right next to me, oh Celestia, Spike he- I canโt, I need to remain on topic.
Okay, okay, when I went outside and looked up into the sky, what I saw was beyond me; the stars were bleeding, but it wasnโt blood, it was a liquid rainbow, but it wasnโt anything you've seen, it was oh, the moon, how do I even begin to explain this? It was sorta like acid, it had this strong smell to it, and the ponies they were.... Oh, sweet Luna, Iโm going to be sick.
(Twilight quickly grabbed the nearest trash bin she could find and emptied the bile that was festering deep inside her stomach. She composed herself before picking up the quill and continuing where she left off.)
Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, the ponies... I donโt know what happened, but before I knew the ponies, they were eating whatever that was, they were changing, and I heard their cries I-I saw them, the ponies I mean, the ones that ate that THING, it wasnโt the rainbow goo or whatever it was that they were eating it was what came from the rainbow drops that formed after.
Oh, sweet Luna, they were eating it, and they were changing. Whatever the rainbow drops were, they did something to ponies; it was making them crazy. All I could do was stand there, stunned, while hearing the cries, the shouts, the horrid screams that befell all my friends. I couldnโt make out what they were all saying. I was too shocked to notice anything else, but not long after, I heard a sound and then a flash of light before everything went dark.
I looked up at the sound just to see what it was, and in that mere moment, I saw a rainboom that was pulsing in the sky. It was heading right towards me, it looked like Rainbow Dash? But she was all wrong? Thatโs when she crashed into the library. I regained control over my body and ran inside the library. She was badly hurt, her body covered in the stuff from her wings... oh sweet Celestia, her wings were ripped clean from her body, like they had been torn from her flesh, leaving nothing but the bones sticking out of the socket.
I moved closer to her to check if she was even alive, one heartbeat, then another, and then screams, she was alive, but the screams from outside got louder. I looked outside the window, and thatโs when I decided to look up again. I wish I didnโt, I really wish I hadnโt, but I did, and now I am stuck wherever this is. What I saw was the sky, or at least what was supposed to be the sky, no, what I saw was just white, no stars, no sun or moon, just nothing. It was just white, like an empty void of nothingness. The ponies' screams died down, and everything went silent.
So if any pony is reading this, my name is Nerco Light, formerly known as Twilight Sparkle, a faithful student of Princess Celestia. Iโm writing this so ponies can know what happened to us. Wherever this place is, it took Ponyville, and it took us. Every pony is still here, we are still here, but we are not the same anymore; it has changed us, and Iโm scared. I have no way of coming back, and I donโt know how to fix this. I donโt know what I am even dealing with. Nothing in these books even explains anything like THIS, and the books I was sent.. I donโt know how, but theyโre gone, like poof disappeared like they never existed in the first place, and honestly, maybe they never did?
I donโt know! This place is always changing, things appear and disappear, and warp beyond recognition, but every time I try to talk about it with any pony, they always say the same thing: โItโs just your imagination, Nerco Light,โ and they carry on like nothing has even happened! I tried telling them my name wasnโt Nerco Light, but they would only look at me, confused, like I was the crazy one!
Rainbow and I are the only two who seem to remember what truly happened here, and our poor friends canโt remember either. Iโm so sorry, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike. I miss you so much... Iโm sorry for what I did, but it was the only way I could get you out of here. To tell the Princesses what went down, it was the only way.
Iโll try to fix this, all of this, but I donโt think I can, and Iโm scared, so very scared, weโre running out of time, and I-I donโt think it will let us leave.
โAny luck on finding what has befallen Ponyville's sister?โ Luna peered into Celestia's chambers; sheโs been working endlessly, trying to find what happened to her student, after Spike dropped in randomly, to which he was freaking out and shaken up about the events that occurred. โNot yet, I donโt understand ponyville is still there, but theyโre all...โ Celestia drifted off for a moment, perhaps lost in thought? โGone? Vanished? Left without a trace?โ Luna blurted, finishing the very thought her dear sister was lost in. โYes, gone,โ Celestia repeated after her sister.
โThough I find it odd that dear Spike was talking about these... Rainbows that leaked from the stars?โ Celestia stated, turning towards her sister once more โYou sure you donโt know anything about this Luna?โ No traces of Luna knowing anything about this, as she was just as confused as her. โNot a clue, dear sister, but perhaps we can pick this up another time. You've been working tirelessly, and you need rest.โ Once again, Luna pleads with her sister to take a break, but this time, Celestia finally listens. โPerhaps you're right, itโs been 36 moons since then, and nothing seems to lead anywhere, sister, Iโm worried.โ Celestia turns to her sister once again, trying to fight back the tears that threaten to fall. โIn due time, sister, we will find what happened to them all, but for now, you need rest.โ Celestia smiled at that before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. For now, she rests, and in the morning, the two sisters will set off to Ponyville for a closer inspection, something they should have done from the very start.
{From within the stars, I remain watching, while you remain unaware of my watchful gaze. I am not pony nor being, I am what persists beyond moral compersion, where you lie may seem as nothing, but to me itโs true understanding, in due time you will know, but those books were not her own Twilight Sparkle.
You will see me soon, but not face-to-face, for a being will arrive from a single flash, unaware and curious, treat it right, and everything will remain calm, but treat it differently, and your actions will speak for you. I hope you heed the call of my warning, for we will meet very soon, Twilight Sparkle.}
