Double Rainboom

Double Rainboom is a fan "episode" based on My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. It is written and directed by Zachary Rich, a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. After ingesting a strange potion Twilight made that enhances a pony's special talent, Rainbow Dash creates a sonic rainboom that breaks the barriers of time and space and goes on an adventure that transcends entire dimensions.

Summary
In her library home in Ponyville, Twilight is mixing some chemical compounds in a beaker. During her delicate work, Rainbow Dash interrupts, curious about what her unicorn friend is up to (nearly causing Twilight's compound to spill in the process). Twilight explains she's making a potion that she'd been working on since magic kindergarten. When she adds the final ingredient, a chemical explosion fills the library with purple smoke. A face within the smoke laughs wickedly at Twilight and Rainbow Dash before it gets sucked into a test tube and sealed with a cork. An excited Rainbow prods Twilight with questions as to what the potion does; Twilight explains that it's a "talent enhancer", designed to amplify a pony's natural talent (such as augmenting Twilight's magical power or heightening Applejack's physical strength and applebucking abilities). Rainbow Dash's curiosity is further piqued at the thought of being able to fly faster. As Twilight imagines what such a potion would do to a pony as unpredictable as Pinkie Pie, Rainbow drinks it while Twilight's back is turned. Twilight, concerned about what effects the potion might have, hooks Rainbow Dash up to several measuring instruments to monitor her for side-effects. When nothing happens and Rainbow Dash seems just fine, Twilight releases her and gives her permission to fly. The blue Pegasus takes off almost immediately and crashes through the ceiling, leaving behind her a trail of rainbow smoke and a dumbfounded Twilight.

Rainbow Dash opens her eyes to find herself high in the sky above Ponyville, surprised that she'd flown so high up. She tests out her newfound speed and races through Ponyville, zooming past several of her fellow ponies, before arcing up through the clouds and lower atmosphere. Amazed by her own speed, Rainbow Dash comments that she could easily do a sonic rainboom -- maybe even a double rainboom. She outstretches her wings and takes off like a rocket. The rainbow-colored trail she leaves behind her grabs the attention of numerous ponies below (especially one very amazed Scootaloo). As Rainbow Dash prepares to pull off the double rainboom, her body begins to change; from her hind hooves up, she starts turning into an actual rainbow. Twilight calls out to her from the ground below, telling her to slow down, but Rainbow doesn't hear her. Her body has almost completely changed color, and the faces of her pony friends turn from excitement to concern. In a tremendous boom of sound, Rainbow Dash pulls off the double rainboom. The shockwave it creates blows fiercely over Ponyville, destroying buildings and sending everypony flying, and can be seen stretching over a good portion of the planet's atmosphere. Ponyville is left in shambles, and Twilight goes to find Rainbow Dash. All she finds in the double rainboom's wake is a twin trail of multicolored fire leading up to a wormhole that disappears moments after Twilight discovers it.

Rainbow Dash awakens inside the wormhole, and as she passes through it, she floats past a number of strange-looking characters before the wormhole spits her out the other end. She emerges in an urban city on an empty street. Before she can even figure out where she is, she hears the loud roar of a giant rampaging monster.

"The City of Townsville... is under attack!"

- The narrator

The monster lays waste to the city until a trio of flying girls appears to confront it: Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup—the Powerpuff Girls. The girls proceed to beat the monster up a little before it angrily retaliates, slamming the girls into the ground. Before the monster can finish the girls off, Rainbow Dash steps in, attacking the monster and sending it flying into a building with a sonic rainboom. Rainbow Dash flies in to attack again, but the monster, revealing itself to be able to speak, surrenders and—at Rainbow's demand—apologizes for attacking the city. Rainbow accepts the monster's apology and sends it on its way...before the Powerpuff Girls, believing it to be attempting to escape, fly up and beat it to a pulp. Following this, the girls fly up to hug Rainbow Dash, thanking her for her help and marveling her wings and fighting ability. Discovering that she can also talk, the girls decide to keep her. Rainbow Dash, seeing the looks that the girls are giving her, flies away, and the girls give chase. The flying pony is pursued all over Townsville until a twinge in her wings grounds her. The effects of Twilight's talent-enhancing potion have worn off, and Rainbow Dash is unable to fly. With the Powerpuff Girls quickly closing in, Rainbow cries out for help. Suddenly, she hears Pinkie Pie's voice echo from seemingly nowhere, and Pinkie Pie herself appears through the wormhole that Rainbow Dash entered this dimension through. She pulls her pegasus friend inside before zipping it closed again, leaving the Powerpuff Girls to wonder where their new pony friend had vanished to.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie pass through the wormhole again and reappear in Twilight's library, in front of a visibly displeased Twilight. Rainbow attempts to laugh the situation off, but Twilight is not the least bit amused, and she shows Rainbow the damage her double rainboom has done to Ponyville. Realizing her mess, Rainbow composes a friendship letter to Princess Celestia, saying that she's learned not to take things that don't belong to her. During the composition of her letter, she wonders how Pinkie Pie was able to retrieve her from the other dimension. Pinkie explains that Twilight made a second talent-enhancing potion and had her drink it, the effects of which allowed Pinkie to "see through the fabric of time and space"—Rainbow Dash and Twilight don't seem to have any idea what she's talking about. In the letter's closing, Rainbow vows to ask before taking something that isn't hers from now on. Unfortunately, it appears that Pinkie had yet to learn this lesson, as she'd also taken Bloo (from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends) from the other dimension with her as well, much to the surprise of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike.

Quotes

 * Blossom: Don't worry, Bubbles. We'll find another pony.
 * Buttercup: Not one that can fly.
 * Bubbles: Or talk. [cries]
 * Talking Dog: I can talk.
 * Buttercup: YOU'RE NOT A PONY!

Trivia

 * When the library fills with purple smoke, a trollface appears within the smoke, smiling and laughing wickedly at Twilight and Rainbow Dash.
 * During Twilight's explanation of what her potion would do to her and her friends, the animation style is the same as that used during Twilight's reprise of B.B.B.F.F. in A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1.
 * During Rarity's part of Twilight's explanation sequence, costumes resembling the following characters are shown:
 * Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender
 * Starfire from Teen Titans
 * Belle from Beauty and the Beast
 * Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo
 * Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece
 * Harley Quinn from Batman: The Animated Series
 * Link from The Legend of Zelda
 * Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons
 * Dipper and Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls
 * Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time
 * Him from The Powerpuff Girls
 * During Fluttershy's part of Twilight's explanation sequence, the following animal characters and creatures are shown:
 * A bunny and duck appearing to resemble Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck respectively
 * Rocksteady from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
 * Jerry Mouse from Tom and Jerry
 * A Leafeon
 * Kanga and Roo from Winnie the Pooh
 * Zazu from The Lion King
 * Monkey from Dexter's Laboratory
 * Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
 * Wicket from Star Wars
 * Raja from Aladdin
 * Pabu from The Legend of Korra
 * Viper from Kung Fu Panda
 * Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro
 * Pen Pen from Neon Genesis Evangelion
 * Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb
 * The whale from The Powerpuff Girls episode "Helter Shelter".
 * When the camera zooms in on Rainbow Dash's face after Twilight's explanation sequence ends, the "item catch" musical sting from The Legend of Zelda plays.
 * The helmet Rainbow Dash wears while Twilight records the potion's effects is the same helmet Pinkie Pie wears in Feeling Pinkie Keen.
 * When the smoke in the library clears after Rainbow Dash crashes through the ceiling, an empty vial of Chemical X and a Companion Cube from the Portal series can be seen. A letter from Spike to Rarity can also be seen, with the quote "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways" from this poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
 * The sound effects during the scene when Rainbow Dash "plays" pinball are from the Cinematronics pinball game "3D Space Cadet".
 * Rarity having Twilight's manestyle is a nod to Twilight having Rarity's manestyle in The Cutie Pox.
 * Scootaloo crashing into the "Adopt a Chicken" billboard is a reference to Apple Bloom calling her a chicken in Stare Master (and, by extension, the fandom joke that Scootaloo is a chicken).
 * Berry Punch having dozens of wine bottles in her house is a reference to the fandom interpretation of her being the town drunk.  The wine bottles all say "Faust" on the labels.
 * When Twilight finds the trail of rainbow flames, the Back to the Future theme is briefly heard.
 * Numerous Cartoon Network and The Hub characters make cameo appearances in the wormhole:
 * Johnny Bravo from Johnny Bravo
 * Billy from The Grim Adventures of Billy &amp; Mandy
 * Courage from Courage the Cowardly Dog
 * The Red Guy from Cow and Chicken
 * Jack from Samurai Jack
 * Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory
 * Plank from Ed, Edd n Eddy
 * Lucky from Pound Puppies
 * Lil' Bat from The Aquabats! Super Show!
 * Optimus Prime from Transformers: Prime
 * Zoe Trent from Littlest Pet Shop
 * Dan from Dan Vs.
 * When Rainbow Dash attacks the monster, Rainbow Dash's Theme by MandoPony is heard briefly.
 * During the Powerpuff Girls' pursuit of Rainbow Dash across Townsville, the following all appear very briefly:
 * A shop window with "Equestria Daily" and Lauren Faust's OC pony's cutie mark on it
 * The Cartoon Network "CN" logo on one of the buildings.
 * G1 Optimus Prime
 * A shop window with the "WeLoveFine.com" logo on it
 * A TARDIS
 * The logo of Aperture Laboratories on a truck
 * When Rainbow Dash was looking for Pinkie Pie, Domo stood in the window.
 * The Cutie Mark Crusaders' skipping animation is the same as that used in Hearts and Hooves Day.
 * Pinkie Pie's mention of Twilight's potion tasting like snozzberries is a reference to Willy Wonka &amp; the Chocolate Factory.
 * When Pinkie Pie is holding Bloo, the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends theme is briefly heard.
 * Inside the dumpster the Talking Dog fell in, there's a broken version of BMO from Adventure Time.
 * When Rainbow Dash arrived in Townsville, the number on the door was '221', the same numbers in 221B Baker Street.
 * The brace Twilight used on Rainbow Dash is similar to one used on Monkey from Dexter's Laboratory.
 * During the near of the end of the pursuit, there was a street sign that says Faust and McKraken.

Cast

 * Emily Koch - Rainbow Dash
 * Kira Buckland - Twilight Sparkle
 * Brittany Lauda - Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo
 * Meredith Sims - Blossom
 * Eileen Montgomery - Bubbles
 * Sara Miscavage - Buttercup
 * Isaiah Kim - Narrator
 * River Kanoff - Monster
 * Spencer Moran - Talking Dog
 * Erica Mendez - Rainbow Dash (Animatics only)
 * Amanda Kay - Twilight Sparkle (Animatics only)

Crew

 * Zachary Rich - Writer/Director
 * Cara Ann Murray - Assistant Director
 * Kurt Smith - Lead Animator
 * Anna Ngo - Lead Animator
 * Matt Margerison - Lead Animator
 * Michelle Lapalm - Animator
 * John Atkinson - Animator
 * Ben Magnum - Animator
 * Oscar Dadfuf - Animator
 * Frank Adamek - Animator
 * Nick Kalmar - Animator
 * Aaron Lavarnway - Animator
 * Karl Ehrnström - Animator (formerly)
 * Rachel McWhirter - Puppets, Assets, Backgrounds, Marketing
 * David Gruwier Larsen - Lead Sound Designer
 * Daniel Andrew Stein - Music

External link

 * The Double Rainboom website