Now the spectators all began to whisper in hushed tones, for fear of being overheard by any of the gods above who were looking down on the tournament. It was well known among the mortals that Vayu, the god of the winds, who was notably in attendance today, could easily sweep up the words uttered out of one's mouth and swirl them on his wind, immediately bringing the words to his ear to hear what was spoken. However, the excitement could not be contained, and the onlookers yet whispered to each other the recent development that was now unfolding at the Pandava Brother's tournament.
"Who is this boy that comes to challenge Arjuna? At his very own tournament, no less! What could he possibly have done?" whispered a nearby villager who was in attendance.
"Shush, shush, shush," hushed out the friend. "See how the gods have all come to attend today. Something must be in the cards of fate, and they're here to watch it all unfold."
"Yes, friend. But look! This challenger is bathed in golden sunlight, see how he glisten and glows. Oh, but it is sadly all that surrounds him now. If the the gods have assembled in the stairs of the clouds, why have none other than Surya chosen to shine some favor on him, the challenger?"
"Ohhhhh! But, look, now, at Arjuna! Swathed in a perfect, hazy fog at his feet, a foreboding cloud above! What a cloud! Dark grey, ominous, it fills the whole sky behind him, delineating immediately in a sharp line between him and the challenger. What a thing to witness. Oh, but that silly multi-colored bow in the sky just above him! Poor boy, he hasn't been able to shake it for his whole youth? Tsk, Tsk. I'm quite surprised Drona didn't teach him how to conceal it, at the very least. How embarrassing for it to be out and shining for all to see at such a moment as this!"
"Oh, I know!" exclaimed the villager. "How could Drona not have done something about that ridiculous bow! Remember what happens to it when Arjuna becomes enraged, or embarrassed? Hahahaha, they say that it morphs into some puerile little thing, useless to him, it's rumored. I hope the challenger says something to incite him so that we can see if it really does morph. That would make today entertaining, for sure."
"It.... morphs? Into what? Do tell!" replied the friend.
Just at that very moment, the two challengers were beginning to circle each other preparing for the battle dance, and a hush fell over the crowd. The dark grey cloud above swirled in the sky, mixing with the sunlight, creating an eerie sight, like two mixed paint colors swirling together who have initially refused to mix just yet. The two challengers began to dance around each other, and only visible, inaudible to the onlookers, the challenger spoke something to Arjuna. At once, Arjuna's cheeks flushed, his steps to the dance of the battle quickened, and the cloud above him rumbled. The rainbow above swirled into a circle, spun, lifted up through the cloud, invisible to those below, gaping at what they were now seeing.
"It's happening! It's really happening! It's going to morph! And, we're here to see it!" giggled excitedly out the villager to his friend.
Rushing down in galloping steps, out through the cloud, down on a surfboard of wind he galloped and landed just beside Arjuna. Arjuna, not realizing that his emotions had been read by his father, Indra, now looked at the tiny blue pony next to him. The circling battle danced stopped. The little blue pony, with the rainbow tail and mane shook out its rainbow hairs in a defiant battle stance, as if saying "I am here Arjuna! I am here with you to fight!" As the pony's eyes blazed at Karna, the challenger, the rainbow lightning bolt, a brand from his creator, Indra, on his rear blazed up brightly, shining out a rainbow from his rump.
The crowd went dead silent. Not a foot shuffled, not a garment of clothing rustled, not a breath could be heard. Until finally, a booming laugh came from Duryodhana.
"That pony is shooting a rainbow out its arse," he cried! It was not really out the arse, but rather out of the brand on the rump region, the onlookers observed, but laughed loudly at Duryodhana's mockery.
Vayu, the wind god, favoring Karna for the battle, amplified Duryodhana's words using the wind through some conch shells as microphones, so that no one failed the hear the words of Duryodhana.
Everyone waited breathlessly for Arjuna's response, but their minds raced. How could Indra shame his son, Arjuna, with this pitiful little rainbow pony? How could Drona, having instructed Arjuna all these years, failed to teach him how to conceal such an embarrassment? Why was Indra meddling in his sons affairs? What would Arjuna do? Would Karna even bother to fight both Arjuna and the pony, or wait, laughingly, until the pony was morphed back into a multi colored bow, the typical embodiment of Indra's weapon?
"Father," seethed Arjuna to the heavens above. "Use him as you will, but this is my battle to fight today."
The pony heard the whistle from the clouds, shook his mane and tail in disagreement, but begrudgingly closed his rainbow bolt projector, and galloped back on the wind, through the dark ominous cloud above Arjuna. Within a few seconds, the typical, arching bow of colors sat over Arjuna, however, more at a distance from him this time.
Silence maintained its presence over the crowd, but pleased that the battle could be fought on more equal terms, the onlookers turned their rapt attention back to the two competitors to see what the gods had fated to unfold today.
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Author's Note: I created this little vignette to add to the story of Karna and Arjuna's battle from page 131 of the Mahabharata, as retold in Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists, by Sister Nivedita and Ananda K Coomaraswamy.
I was struck by the idea that Arjuna was Indra's son, and a rainbow arched over him during the battle between Karna and Arjuna, which began at the tournament to feature the Pandava Brothers' skills they had learned under Drona's training all of these years. The rainbow is said to be Indra's bow, one of his weapons, and I simply aimed to create a story around the rainbow, still relating to the tale of the Mahabharata, but adding an extra side story in. I couldn't help but incorporate some features from My Little Pony, as we recently attended a birthday party with a My Little Pony Birthday theme.
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Gif Information: Rainbow Dash, Uploaded by Hooman on https://derpibooru.org/986323.
