The Fate of Rainbow Dash · 2:31am Dec 5th, 2013
In Fallout: Equestria, the fate of Rainbow Dash is unknown. Of the Mane 6, hers is the only fate that Littlepip does not discover in the course of her adventures. She learns things about her that suggest what happened, but nothing which confirms it.
Tom Cullen, who created the "F:E Fates" series of artworks, made this comment upon finishing the image below:
"A lot of folks were wondering about this one, as Kkat never really addressed Rainbow's ultimate fate. Finally, I chose to go with this scene, our final glimpse of Rainbow Dash before she faded from the story, and from history...
I know it's weird, having a Rainbow-shaped hole in the history of the Equestrian Wasteland, but I actually prefer not knowing. It's kinda poetic...As hard as Rainbow worked to make history, the break every record, to have her name screamed to the heavens, it somehow seems right that in the end she should just...vanish."
Art by Tom Cullen
However, while the story did not tell the final fate of Rainbow Dash, I certainly had my own headcanon for it. And earlier this year, on my birthday, I revealed this headcanon to several others and fans in an IRC chat, along with part of my headcanon for the Crystal Empire (as seen in my Crystal Empire Blues blog posts). For those who are interested, you can find a log of that conversation here.
Please bear in mind that this is strictly headcanon, and not to be taken as actual canon. It should not interfere with anyone's stories or replace a headcanon that any reader prefers. In fact, I tend to agree with Tom Cullen that Rainbow Dash's story is best left as Fallout: Equestria left it.
It has come to my attention that at least one FoE side story author has chosen to draw upon this headcanon in the crafting of their own story. And that, in turn, has inspired the creation of an extremely impressive and delightful new brony song. Check it out!
Wow, amazing... :3 Also, I'M FIRST!
Interesting. Thanks for sharing the video.
Hmm.
Given the ending of your story, Somber's Rainbow Dash won't be surviving Project Horizons.
I thought the story implied pretty strongly that Gilda killed her. I never felt the lack of a body as a gap. It would be less realistic to tie up every thread neatly.
Woah, wait a minute. Rainbow Dash as Mare Do Well was from Project Horizons. That was based on your actual idea for her? I just thought Somber came up with that himself.
Huh. Cool.
Oh hell yeah, that works for me.
ISMBOF IN A NEW SONG?! LISTENING TO IT NOW!
And I agree that I enjoy having Rainbow Dash's fate a mystery.
I agree with having RD's story left ambiguous.
That doesn't make that song any less awesome. It's nice to at least have some semblance of closure, even if it has very little actual closing of a story.
That sentence...
Anyways, nice psudo-update to my favorite story of all time. So far... Thanks for that.
1573101
That was my headcanon too.
Would have made one heluva fight scene.
Luna clop me with her wings you're a good storyteller.
So what is the title of that Story on FoE Rainbow Dash? Personally I like how she just disappeared but listening to the song it sounds like she became the mysterious stranger, aka Mare-Do-Well, and is still around helping in the background.
Something to make a side story out of?
That would be fun to see, I think.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Oh wow, I didn't realize that Rd being MDW was your true head canon. Mind blown!
I read FOEPH and remembered I had to read that paragraph twice to make sure I read it right at the reveal.
Awesome! As for the song, that was cool.
I'm kinda bummed. Not wanted to spoil it, but it was the opposite of what I had expected. I'll run with it though, for my future story.
Also, I feel stupid for asking, but I can't find the TTRPG on the Fallout: Equestria Resource. Can you link me to it?
1573220 1573118
I haven't read it, so I don't know exactly what Somber did with the idea. I suspect he at least changed it considerably. (In the very least, I suspect he changed the "ghost" aspect.)
1573226
Here you go.
I'll be honest: I opened the conversation log in another tab... then closed it without looking at it. It is, in my opinion, best to leave Dash's fate ambiguous. It just works. And while I'm grateful that you're giving closure to those who need the question resolved, I'd rather keep it a mystery. It's just more fun that way.
Still, thank you.
1573252
Well it was more like a surprise to me. I cheered after reading it.
Wow....mind blown
1573083 api.ning.com/files/FBuk-METkC-RY3UNHVneLave9sXN0L*H2xDz3OYPJTOiarTMF-5nVSNOuAiqVosEALEde15dF6oQx6rJlqriGA__/BlueShell_62f6d8_3128139.jpg NO FIRST FOR YOU!!
1573214
That would be pretty awesome.
Maybe a compilation of people's personal headcanon, plus a Kkat story?
I am so down for that.
1573306 Oh shoot! Ka-boom
After reading the comment that artist made, I have to say I agree with him. While our human curiosity will always nag us to ponder the question I think in a lot of ways it actually works. The vagueness of her disappearance makes her that much more interesting. It is, in some senses, poetic. And I like that, regardless of my human curiosity I think it opens the world Kkat made even more. Making way for new stories, new theories, and more interesting twists on RD and how she vanished, and where she went.
Sorry for the first comment I gave, for it very childish of me to do, especially not giving a thought on your great headcanon, but it's really interesting and thank for sharing the video with all of us.
1573172
Project Horizons, by Somber. It's not really a story about Rainbow Dash though. Her appearance as MDW is a twist that occurs over sixty chapters in during the middle of an Enclave-related story arc. I wouldn't normally spoil that for anyone except that you're specifically looking for the story this is from.
1573252
If you mean you intended her as a literal ghost, then no, he didn't use that. She was just a really stealthy ghoul.
1573371 I encourage you to read the log linked in this blog.
1573321
Tricky, I'd think.
~Skeeter The Lurker
So...Rainbow Dash basically took something close to the Obi Wan Kenobi route with her death...not voluntarily of course.
Silver out!
I like your head canon for Rainbow's fate, especially with how well it relates to Fallout mechanics. It really is crushing though; her life in the Equestrian Wasteland is probably one of the most tragic and poetic tales out there.
Well I guess that is a way better head cannon than making RD a cyborg. You don't mind if I use it do you? But how can RD help ponies if she is a literal ghost? I actually like how incorporated the fan fic Rainbow Factory into FO:E. Let me guess, the incident was when a couple of foals accidentally fell into the zap apple grinder?
1573118
1573220
Count me amongst those that were surprised by Sombre's reveal. I thought it was a cheeky deus ex machina; I did not realise how close it was to your original headcannon for Dash's fate.
1573252
It is remarkably close to what you mentioned. Dash got turned into a "regular" ghoul (like Derpy) instead of a ghost, but everything else is similar from the fight with Gilda, to the megaspell detonation above Cloudsdale and her subsequent irradiation.
I knew it!!!!!!
I hope the crystal heart give her the eternal rest she deserves.
Now I'm curious about what happen after.
In the drawing, what is that triangle underneath RD's mane? It looks like a shard of glass laying across her brow.
So wait, did Dash join the ghost Wonderbolts?
1573172
Duel details the fight between RD & Gilda, very well done but in need of an update.
1573252
Yeah, not a ghost, but he did treat the character well. It was well done.
I love it!
i.imgur.com/ewSGLQA.gif
1573714
No during the war, Dash created the Shadowbolts, as a separate airforce to the Wonderbolts.
If i recall correctly, the Shadowbolts used the Power Armor that would become the Enclave Armor.
1574095 Nah you silly pony! I was referencing this, where after Pinkie kills RD (in by far the least disturbing version of cupcakes ever) they joke about her joining the ghost Wonderbolts
A couple of questions:
So, assuming I understood all that, every megaspell leaves some sort of radiation, but the effects of that radiation vary depending on a given megaspell's effects. Also, a more powerful megaspell will override a lesser megaspell's radiation effects with its own. With that in mind, What effect does the Garden of Equestria's radiation have? And shouldn't it have been stronger than pretty much every other megaspell's radiation, thus fundamentally altering everyone already affected by some other form of radiation (e.g. ghouls like Ditzy and Lionheart)?
Also, I have a sneaking suspicion I'm forgetting something here- it's been quite some time since I read Fallout Equestria, and I'm fuzzy on a lot of the details- so I apologize if I am.
So Rainbow Dash became the Mysterious Stranger perk? On one hand, that's awesome. On the other, her spirit is unable to move on, unseen but to only a select few.
I... agree.
There are some things that, once explained, taint a story to its core. Once touched upon, even in the slightest, the mystery becomes less special. What once was sacrosanct and untouchable has become "normal". It's what happens when you define god, the supernatural, the lovecraftian, the darkness, the terrible, or simply the unknown.
Not to say Tom Cullen won't develop a good tale. Hell, may even be an amazing tale, but it's just one of those "rules" of mine. It's just a little too special.
On another note, do you have anything against me livestreaming a Fallout: Equestria campaign?
I've known about your headcanon for Rainbow Dash's fate for quite some time now, and I still absolutely love it. It's both yet another perfect merger of MLP and Fallout, and a way to tie in some of the events of Season 3, and it gives Dash a really cool role to play. It's perfect.
This is awesome, that is all.
1573252
Wait... did he actually get the idea for her to be a ghoul from you, or was this just a freak coincidence?
Sorry if the question is redundant. I don't know how involved you are in his story beyond inspiring it...
1574167
oooookaaaaay then.
I like the idea that she became a ghoul unknowingly do to her mixed radiation exposure. Maybe she found out while fighting Gilda?
Whether you like it or not, I take every word you say as canon when talking about FOE, and I know lots of others that do, too. Huzzah finally getting it out into the public though!
You know, I kind of agree with the idea that her fate should remain a mystery, but I couldn't exactly do that for my own FoE story, Once More with Feeling. For those of you who haven't read it, it revolves around the Ministry Mares waking up in show-era Ponyville shortly after the bombs fell, and having to readjust to life in the past, their memories the only evidence that the war ever happened.
The story opens with a memory of Rainbow Dash dying after her last fight with Gilda (who had already died from her wounds). While it's likely that RD became the Mare-Do-Well ghost afterwards, the RD of my story won't remember any of that.
That was the best headcanon I've ever read.