Elara stood at the edge of the Shimmering Glen, her silver hoof tapping against a mossy stone. Usually, the sky above the glen was a tapestry of brilliant colors, with seven-layered rainbows arching from the Whispering Woods to the Crystal Waterfall. But today, the sky looked like a faded painting. The once-vibrant reds and deep purples were turning into a dull, misty gray.
"The Prism Stone must be troubled," Elara whispered to herself. As a young unicorn, she had heard stories about the stone that lived behind the waterfall. It was said that the stone breathed color into the world, but it required a pure heart to keep its light glowing. Without the rainbows, the magical flowers in the glen would wilt, and the sprites would lose their sparkle.
Elara trotted toward the waterfall, her mane fluttering like silk. When she arrived, she saw the problem immediately. A giant, jagged boulder had fallen from the cliffs above, pinning the Prism Stone deep beneath the churning water. The water was splashing wildly, unable to catch the light correctly and scatter it into the sky.
Using all the strength in her slender legs, Elara pushed against the cold stone. She closed her eyes and focused on the memory of the brightest sunset she had ever seen. A warm, golden light began to glow from her silver horn. The light grew brighter and brighter until it pulsed with the rhythm of her heart. With a final, magical shove, the boulder shifted and rolled away into the deep pool.
Suddenly, a roar of color exploded from the Prism Stone. A magnificent arc of light shot into the sky, stretching across the horizon in a perfect bow. The red was bolder than a ruby, and the violet was deeper than a summer twilight. Elara stood under the mist, her white coat shimmering with every color of the rainbow. The Glen was alive once more, and Elara knew that as long as she watched over the stone, the colors would never fade again.
