Does one event outweigh the rest?
Finally, Rainbow Dash had arrived at Zecora's cottage, and to a bit of luck, she was home. She trotted up to the door and gave it a couple of knocks that echoed a little bit around her. Needless to say, the zebra didn't expect it to be Dash as she excused another guest who was just leaving. Zecora had some tea cooked up but Rainbow declined as she entered the small home.
"So my dear friend in rainbow colors, what brings you out here without the others?"
"Well...have you heard about the whole...Mare-Do-Well thing?" Rainbow was more confident speaking with Zecora thanks to what little words of advice Luna gave her. Plus, the sooner this was resolved, the sooner she might be able to move passed it, somehow that sounded like a more viable option than it did earlier that morning.
"Indeed I have, and quite a show, but your expressions tells me there is more to know."
"Well, yeah there is a bit. Okay so...when I was saving ponies before that, the uh...fame started getting to my head. I can admit that now. So then Twilight and the others go and rush off and become Mare-Do-Well and show me up left and right." It didn't take either of them long to realize that vague an explanation makes Rainbow out as the victim.
"There are more details than this story you've told, let your emotions and belief come unfold."
"Okay, okay. So, they kinda tried one time to tell me to be respectful or humble or something, but I was so ahead of myself I barely even heard it. So they become Mare-Do-Well, ran around saving ponies, and as they did, the whole town starts to favor them over me, because I couldn't match up to Mare-Do-Well, who could fly, was super strong, had pinkie sense, and had magic because it was Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight. They start bragging about themselves in front of me, but they did that secret crud where they talked about Mare-Do-Well, which meant they were actually talking about themselves, and everyone just sort of abandoned me. Even Scootaloo went and favored them over me. I mean...okay fine, it was stupid and selfish and extremely dangerous of me to make problems happen so that I could save the day, but..." Thanks to Luna as well, Dash could now be a bit more open about her own missteps, no matter how big they were, over the week.
"You sound troubled from this story you trot around here, so that I may help tell me it all without fear." It took Rainbow a good minute or two before she began to detail it out. She started from when the foal in the baby carriage was flying down the hill. She even quoted things that Luna had told her, because there were some details of the even that even Dash didn't fully comprehend until she had explained them. Zecora was a good listener, and as the pegasus took notice, she questioned if maybe she was unfair a bit. She was getting two outside opinions on the event, maybe she could have just talked to them directly? She hadn't done that yet because earlier the pain felt...more heavy. Now, having opened up about it, she felt better.
"From where I sit, my friend of blue, they aren't better and neither are you. You seem upset still at the actions they took, I doubt you've given any of them a second look."
"You sound just like Princess Luna. She said neither of us sounded in the right. But..no...I haven't seen any of them all day, like I said I don't want to until I can figure out what to do."
"This is why you have come to me then? To seek the answers to bring this to an end? You said you spoke with our princess of the night, what more could I say she did not say already to help your plight?"
"I...I don't really know. I just...kinda wanted to see some ponies and see what they thought. I mean...I don't expect much, heck you'll probably say the same things she said, but I think even that would help me a little." Zecora stood up and began to whip up some sort of powder from a few flowers and other ingredients she had scattered around her hut. As she did, the house fell silent. Rainbow thought back to all that had happened across the last few days again, and was glad now she could do so without feeling as much pain.
"Here my friend, a quick recipe to aid you dearly." Zecora poured some tea into the cup and handed it to her. "Recall happier times with the others more clearly." Dash took the drink and looked at it the drink, all the herbs from the powder were clearly seen floating around in it. She took a small sip, and it seemed the herbs weren't for a better flavor.
"Okay...um...one of the funnest and best memories I have of them, was when we were all at Sugarcube corner and we all talked about how we got our cutie marks. We all went in a circle, and I was last. As they were all going I started to realize they all had the same thing in common, me. I pulled off a sonic rainboom, and on that day me and all of them got our cutie marks because of it." Whatever was in the tea was giving Rainbow's mind pure focus. She was recollecting the day as if it were literally five minutes ago. The sweat smell of the bakery, the individual stories gently rang in her ears. "We had no idea...it was so cool...that we were all sort of friends before we had even met. That I had helped every single one of them in probably the best way possible when they really needed the help." A small smile grew on the pegasi's face as she remember them hugging after they realized it all. The tea made her feel their embrace again, it was warm, tight but soft, she could hear the happy giggling in her ears, and smiled at their smiles in her head.
"Good, very good indeed Rainbow my friend, think of another one from beginning to end."
"Well, uh, I remember one time before Twilight came to town. My first home was beaten badly by a storm, so while it was getting remade for me in Canterlot, I didn't have a place to stay. Pinkie Pie let me bunk with her in Sugercube Corner. We made so many cupcakes...I thought I'd never lose the weight...and then...one time I got a little out of hoof and I was put on leave from the Weather Team. Applejack took me and put me to work bucking apple trees and helping out across the whole farm so that I could make the hospital payments on my leg, she gave me far more bits than I deserved even from working for her...but she didn't care, she just wanted to help out her friend. Fluttershy organized a surprise birthday party for me. That had one of the best cakes I had ever eaten, she made it special just for the occasion." With each memory coming in so clear, the feelings and love she felt those days came right back hard. She felt them just as powerful as they were one those days, it was thanks to whatever Zecora had whipped up, and even Dash started to realize what she was about to say.
"Rainbow Dash, think hard of what I had you recall. Think of your friends one and all. The memories you shared and bonds made strong, is it all to be thrown away on a single wrong?"
"Well-"
"A wrong by one pony is hard to accept, from five there is no exempt. To see all your friends as you found out, is painful to understand without a doubt." Rainbow sighed deeply as she listened to Zecora's words.
"I know...I know...we've been friends so long now, and they've done all kinds of really good things for me, a lot more than I deserved...but...I just never thought to myself that one day it would end up like this. All five of them lying in front of me...and going behind my back."
"No friendship is perfect my dear, but that is no reason to fear. A bond between friends is deep and strong, again it shouldn't be thrown away on a single wrong. Large that wrong may be and painful it must have been, I was not there, so it is not something I have seen. But the choice remains yours Rainbow Dash, act how you will be it slow or brash. You witnessed it from start to finish, you will decide if it must diminish. But remember this the next time you see your friends, is it worth bringing this friendship to an unfortunate end?" The pegasus pondered the words a good and quiet while. She ended up staying at the cottage and had some tea as she sunk all the pieces together. The memories before Mare-Do-Well and the revelation of who the caped crusader was as well as the additional tidbits they had done, such as secretly bragging their accomplishments in front of her. She mentally weighed all the memories she could conjure and the feelings each presented, before Rainbow said her thanks and left the house hidden in the trees.
***
For one more night, Dash failed to sleep thoroughly. The words of Luna bounced around in her mind, the feelings Zecora gave her felt strong and tugged at her heart. She didn't see any pony else after that, because there weren't many in Ponyville she trusted enough or felt likely enough to give her the advice she needed. That was left with the ones she did see, and she also knew now that Twilight had spoken with Luna and was probably offered the same meet up in Canterlot as she was. To talk it over pony to pony, the one thing none of them really did but had every opportunity to. Rainbow even felt like it could be a good idea. This morning she felt she could barely spit in their general direction, now she had the confidence and backing that she believed she could stand her ground. That she could admit her wrongs and point out there own. From what Princess Luna said though, she felt that perhaps both ponies were in the wrong. Though she would only know Twilight's side after Dash had left, she still hinted that the blame was probably more balanced than the pegasus believed. So she wouldn't be nearly has hard on the five as she wanted to be, if she went to the meet up. They would be there, she could feel it, sitting there waiting for her. Giving her all the time they felt she needed to pop up. After a nearly two hour mental debate that last from twelve to two in the morning, she decided if she caught enough sleep and didn't stay in bed, she'd meet them at a decent time.
***
The day after, as Luna had instructed, Twilight was sitting with the others at a restaurant in Canterlot. There was outside seating, which all five of them took and brought a sixth chair over. Needless to say, none of them had a smile on and nor was the table very talkative. When Twilight told them what the Princess told her, all of them about felt sick to their stomachs hearing just how much their actions had caused their friend pain. They didn't know but they all felt like they did. That they all just tip toed around the entire thought with their excuses. Well they were going to end it, if Rainbow Dash showed up. Luna swore that the pegasus would arrive, but they had been there an hour and there was no sign of her, but they would be patient.
Each on thought ahead to her arriving and what they would say. How they'd apologize, and admit their wrong doings. Rarity considered even burning the costumes so that the thought of them could never be brought back up. Pinkie Pie was planning a big apologetic party for Rainbow Dash, but she hadn't thought of a good name yet though for it. The other three kept to what they would say now, and kept their eyes searching for the last of their band of friends. Luna wanted them to be ready for this meeting, she asked all of them to wait another day and really think of their actions before, and what they'd do today. Five out of six had shown up, and as time slowly passed by, they wondered at one point if they'd be the only ones to show up.
Soon enough though, Twilight tapped the table an got all of their attention. Down the road among all the dressed up and sophisticated looking Canterlot ponies, was a familiar cyan and rainbow colored pony calmly walking down the street towards them. She saw them all, and her expression matched theirs. Unsure, a twinge of worry, and regret. The distance Dash walked to them was maybe fifty feet from the corner she turned, but it felt like miles. Everyone tried to compartmentalize exactly what they would say and how. As Rainbow got to the table, all of them stood and walked in front of her and looked at each other.
"I...I...I was stupid...and I made mistakes, I went too far, but you all went too far too." Dash started. She accepted the length of her actions as well as theirs. Her endangering of ponies and their going behind her back for so long. "I admit my problems. I admit it, I got ahead of myself. I admit it, I got cocky. I admit I started problems just to be the hero of them. But...when I finally found out the truth, instead of you girls trying to ease that feeling of...of betrayal away...you stood their and yelled at me that it was all my fault."
"Rainbow..." Twilight wanted to speak but a cyan hoof was raised that stopped her.
"You know...before that "Thank you" parade you all got...I was sitting on a cloud on the out skits of the park. Crying..." Rainbow looked all of them in the eyes. Silence fell upon them all for that moment. "That's right...you heard me...I was crying. The great and unstoppable Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Equestria and the strongest mare this side of Everfree, crying like a little filly. I was crying because I had NO ONE. You girls weren't there, the town wasn't there, and Scootaloo was only there to tell me her "new favorite hero" was getting a parade. I've felt alone only a hoofful of times in my entire life, and that was by far one of the most painful I had to deal with." She swallowed the knot in her throat. "How am I supposed to be loyal to you girls when you do things like this to me? How can I trust you to not do that to me again?" The five other pairs of eyes bounced off of each other for someone to speak.
"You can't..." Came the purple unicorn.
"I thought so too...but..." Dash took a second to herself. "The fact that I didn't act when I was supposed to, and the fact that I got so head strong in my abilities that you girls had to step in like this for me to realize what I did...it was mostly my fault. I mean, there was a million things I could have done differently, from start to finish. I didn't do any one of them...and here we are now...you girls had no other way to really step in and make me listen to what you girls were going to say so...I'm sorry girls...I over reacted and I went way too far..."
"No Rainbow, you didn't. You can't and shouldn't trust ponies who would do such things...understandable reasons or not, Rainbow, we went too far. We thought we "knew" how you would react, and we were wrong. Dead wrong, and there is no thing more that I wish and pray I could take back more than what happened the last couple of days. All we wanted to do was try and help you, to teach you how to be a humble hero. We...we're so sorry Rainbow Dash...we we're absolute idiots and we didn't realize just how badly we'd hurt you, we chose to think we knew how when we didn't. We dressed up as a fake hero and purposefully jumped into the lime light so that you could see how a real hero should act, and that was not what we should have done at all. Not only that but we felt so ahead of ourselves, we felt we were the righteous ones, and we were much harder on you than we should have been, we should have known, and we did, but we didn't listen to ourselves. Applejack doubted what we did the longest, but I think every single one of us doubted what we were doing a little as well.. We want to make it up to you...we'll do...whatever it may be, to earn your forgiveness and your trust again..." Rainbow stared them all down a short moment.
"I...I do forgive you...all of you...already. I know why you did it, and I admit I wasn't exactly known for being a level headed pony or a good listener. But...it's going to take a bit before I can trust you girls as much as I did...I mean I still do thinking about it now...we're like a family...we have ups and downs. This was a big down. It'll take a bit of time...but...I'm not about to turn my back on my friends...my family..." The pegasus had cooled down greatly from yesterday morning, but while she did trust them and still called them family, it wasn't to the same degree as before. But she meant it when she said they could all work together to get that back up there.
"Rainbow...w-we..."
"We both did things we shouldn't have...but I don't want that to stop us from being friends. We had so many great times together...too many to throw away like this. But...do...uh...yo...uh....do you think we could...talk about it? Just a little bit...and then forget it ever happened?" Rainbow was never one for talking about how she felt, not with one person in private, let alone with five in public. But if anything showed those five how trusting she still was of them, this was more than enough. Eyes all fell on the pegasus, and the all looked into those magenta ones they had been waiting to see for the past day.
"Absolutely. We should. Talk it out and then leave it in the past." Twilight held out a hoof to shake Dash's hoof and opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could say another word, it was Rainbow who made a move. The whole way here she thought of what Zecora and Luna said. How neither of them were completely wrong, neither were right, and that this was only one, though a big one, hiccup in their relationships. One slip like this is not enough to bring it all crashing down on top of them. And having now had some extra time to really think of it, the heat of both moments got them all worked up pretty easily, and now it was time to pull back and talk pony to pony with them all. The five of them she thought of as, and still did consider friends. The five ponies she helped save Equestria from Nightmare Moon and Discord, the five she was most loyal to, and the five she care for the most. The blame was being bounced around already, Dash took it first, then they did, which meant that they had both been changed in their views, which meant it as a whole could be worked on more easily. In a quick action, she collected all of her friends in her hooves and hugged them all tightly, just like they did a way back in Sugarcube corner, to which they all instantly wrapped themselves around her in return. They were silent a few long minutes that felt like hours, just hugging each other and letting the feeling wash over them. They didn't need to say anything at that point, just embrace the fact they were all together now. Rainbow held them all close, held their memories close, held their bonds close, because they were her friends and she wasn't about to give them up now. Though earlier she questioned them and herself, now she didn't care. Their intentions were good, as were hers, their actions were bad, so were hers. Neither were right and neither were wrong, but all together, they were still friends, they were still family, and Dash and the others intended it to stay that way.
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... Yo, was gonna say that.
This is one of the "better" 'expansion fics' on Mare Do Well. Neither in right, acknowledged. It doesn't heft all blame onto one side, let alone one pony. It's just a simple discussion with help from Princess and Zebra.
Jolly good show.
Absolute Haram, Dashi dind du nuthin
But in all seriousness, love how you went with this, got a follow from me if you got more work like this which is out side of the thinking box.
I'd have liked this story better if you'd cut down in the walls of text EVERYWHERE, especially when Luna speaks. There's nothing wrong with a short paragraph as long as its main point comes along.
This earns no upvote from me.
5836451 Thank you for the tips, I know I have a tendency to make lengthier paragraphs, mostly it's because if it's the paragraph that ends a chapter or a story, I have a real hard time deciding what and how to end it. I'll work on that in the future, also I like you name. That's a pretty good name, especially for whoever checks the alerts of things you did. Like comment on a story.
could have been better. Did Rainbow do some wrong? Yes. But the Girls severely crossed a line.
If ANY of my friends did this to me they won't be my friends anymore. I have seen both sides of this.
A good friend of mine was nearly choked when he was a tad drunk and forgot an injury. The tried to move on from it but years later that same guy back stabbed him again and kicked him out of a game clan without ever telling him. I immediately left that clan afterwards in support of my friend. Though I did try to figure out what happened and see if I could fix it. It was unfixable.
A couple years later I was with a modding group. I made some policitcal statements on my personal facebook page and the mod leader kicked me out of the group for it. The same friend I supported in the clan issue immediately left the group even though he disagreed with me on that issue he was still my friend and thought the move unjust.
Trust is a very hard thing to earn and easy to lose. A famous quote is this. "The only thing worse then a wounded enemy is a comrade betrayed." Why do you think Civil Wars and sibling fights are so brutal.
Rainbow save lives because it was the right thing to do. Due to her personality it fed her ego and need for adoration. Things well known about her.
Mare Do Well was made for one purpose. To knock Rainbow down a peg. the lives were secondary. The biggest sign of this is the fact they show up at a parade made in MDW's honor. Rainbow never got that. Why she posed for pictures, signed pictures, and told of her rescues. She did those because the ponies came to her. She even thought the best of ponies. While she was an awesome flier she thought others can be awesome in their own way. The girls thought the worst of their friend.
5942232 Yes, I will agree that the girls as Mare Do Well weren't that bright. I think I said before in another comment that they could have ended it at the parade by revealing themselves, or have done a double dose and have all the girls end up trying to be THE Mare Do Well, and realizing that even they were susceptible to over indulging their own egos. Except AJ, she would have been on Dash's side the whole time, in my opinion. And while their original intentions were good, they did carry it out too long when they got ahead so easily. Again, as I mentioned, the could have shown up and been heroes without the costumes and the effect would have been even better. However, at the end of the couple of days/week it too, all together it was one incident. Compared with several years to possibly a decade of friendship, fun times, and true to the core harmony among them all, to suddenly throw it away on such a single event, though painful and unneeded, is something I don't think any of them are willing to do, least of all the Element of Loyalty. This mare gave up her dreams, to stick to her own morals. This mare has risked her life, for ponies she would never know or meet. Though those do not have anything to do with her friends, the show the lengths she's willing to go on a lot of matters. And so from my perspective, though it would hurt a lot, I for one just can not see Rainbow Dash leaving all five of her greatest friends behind as a result. She has every right to be mad and weary of them from now on, but as Zecora said it is one thing. Mare Do Well was one thing, though carried out by others, it is a single event. So when slid up beside the tower of all the fun times these six mares have had in their lives together, the odds are not in MDW's favor, and so I feel that Dash and the other's would have the strength, knowledge, respect, and love for each other to talk it out and to not destroy such a well built foundation to their friendship.
5944296 points, defiantly. i do plan in my story on this subject for the girls to reunite. But it will be a long road for them all.
I guess i can best surmized this with this phrase. Trust is hard to gain, easy to lose, and even harder to impossible to regain.
5944296 I think you have a little too much faith in them. I still agree that they would get over it together, but I, personally, think they would never be the same again. I honestly think that AJ wouldn't be on Rainbow's side, considering how much she hates bragging. This could cause a schism between them, fueled by hate. It wouldn't be friendship destroying necessarily, but it would still be there. They would never quite be the same again. Believe me, I know people who are stubborn about their view points, and the with majority, you'd be surprised how far they'll go to defend their it. Betrayal changes people, and it's incredibly hard to think as much as Rainbow did through all the anger that comes from it. When it happens you don't want to think, you want to act. And when you act, you do stupid things. I honestly think AJ or Twilight would feel betrayed by her even feeling like they didn't have the moral high ground. And they would probably do stupid things in return, and it could possibly be a big debacle. It's happened that way for centuries for situations almost exactly like this.
5942232 I kinda agree and I also have an explanation for Dash's ego.
You know she says that she's awesome and the fastest flier, right? But how much in the show has she been praised for it? Not much before the Mare Do Well episode.
So imagine you being suddenly pushed into the spotlight and being praised for doing something unintentionally, you would try to do it more, to get more praise, right? And don't even try to deny it.
Rainbow just did what any other pony would. And that explains her ego
6208851 my issue has always been with the other girls not Rainbow in that episode.
6210039 Me too, I was just saying that proves the girls to be pushing over the line to Dash's ego cause she wasn't at fault for it
Nope. Sorry. I feel nothing for Rainbow.
She went too far when she put signing autographs before saving lives. Nothing the other girls did compares to that at all. Moreover, Rainbow Dash was the one who made it a competition, not her friends. She was the one who wanted to be "best", the others simply helped people.
If anything, Ponyville shouldn't trust Rainbow anymore.
7888058
Dude, the girls were just as in the wrong as her. For one they didn't even bother talking to her, and don't give me that "she wouldn't have listened anyway" excuse. Even if she didn't, it would've been a nice gesture of faith from them as her friends for them to actually try, at least they'd have a valid excuse to go through with them or extreme measures.
Second of all, teaching someone to be humble actually involves displaying said humility as it was stated by Luna:
So yes, both sides were in the wrong, and simply shifting all of the blame to RD is nothing short of unfair.
Also, if that's the case then Ponyville shouldn't trust MOST of the Mane Six considering episodes like Applebuck Season, Lesson Zero, The Last Roundup, and inspiration Manifestation have happened.
So don't go loping only one character into the blame when it's easily and perfectly established that both sides are at fault. It only makes you come off as petty.
7977483
And saying they're both equally in the wrong when one party was playing with actual lives? Not going to do it, sorry. That's not pettiness, that's keeping my priorities straight. Disagree if you wish, that's your choice, just like mine is not to make it a false equivalence simply because Rainbow's feelings got hurt. Somepony could've died while Rainbow stroked her ego. You want petty? That's petty.
7977548
She wasn't "playing with their lives", yes she let her ego get ahead of her a little, but the situation could've easily been remedied by Twilight simply catching the balloon with her magic (and no it wouldn't of been "too heavy" for her, she lifted a giant bear and a water tower once) and then scolding RD right then and there by saying "What were you thinking?! Someone could've died if I hadn't done something?! I understand you like being a hero but save your showboating for when lives aren't on the line!"
But instead they go for some elaborate hoax that didn't really work in the grand scheme of things and only served to emotionally hurt their friend without even trying to talk things out first.
So yes, all of them are in the wrong. RD let her ego get ahead of her, and Mane five emotionally tortured their friend without even bothering to try and alternative solution first.
Not to mention that the Mane Five conceived of this plan -before- the balloon incident or anything like it occurred and most importantly, that was NOT their motivation for it. Their motivation was that "heroes don't brag."
In fact, why did her friends bother with costumes at all? That was done SOLELY so Rainbow Dash wouldn't know who they were. It served no other purpose and I'm sure took time and energy that could've gone to helping ponies sooner. But they prioritized teaching a "lesson" over saving lives. This isn't like super-heroes safeguarding their identities in DC or Marvel. They had no secrets or love ones to protect.
If you want to argue that Rainbow's intention outweighs the fact that she was saving ponies, what does that say about her friends then? They didn't do a single thing to help until after they became annoyed with Rainbow's attitude. If their priority was saving lives, they wouldn't have bothered with the costumes and the charade. They would've just went out and helped, period. Instead, they put teaching Rainbow Dash a lesson over saving lives. How is that any better than what Rainbow did?
If anything, it's worse.
7977554
Not playing with..? I'm sorry, but that's just wrong. If Applejack hadn't stepped in, that pony would've died. Rainbow failed to catch the balloon or her. And instead of thinking about that, she decided somepony else helping was "competition".
And you want a reason for the costume? Rainbow said nopony had the guts to do what she did. Nopony could be the hero she is. So an unknown pony comes along to prove her wrong, but Rainbow doesn't learn a thing from that.
You mean those scenes where the others just arrived? It's a bit difficult to do something before you're there to do it. Also, you said it's not fair to assume Rainbow's friends didn't try to talk sense into her, but it's totally fair to assume they never did anything to help before the Mare-Do-Well thing?
Look. I know mine is not the majority opinion, but it's not random. It's possible we won't come to an agreement over this.
7977573
There is no way Rainbow could've possibly gotten the "right" message from Mare Do Well. Her reaction (which the others should've known) would be to either try to outdo her, or to quit and retreat into self-pity and doubt. When other characters make mistakes (like Rarity in Sisterhooves Social) she's given the chance to realize that she made a mistake on her own and THEN let her friends help set her straight. Here Rainbow Dash wasn't, so the whole episode comes off as just dumping on her.
How could she get that message? "Wow, MDW doesn't sign autographs and ponies like her. I guess I should..." there's no logical way to draw a proper conclusion. And her friends laughing at her didn't help, especially since she went into depression soon afterwards.
If they had they'd be getting the exact same phrase that Rainbow got. But they just heckled her silently from afar and never directly confronted her on the matter.
The rest of the Mane Six showed absolutely zero interest in helping Rainbow Dash out, or saving lives on their own--they ONLY got involved because they objected to Rainbow's attitude. Plus, it's not as if Rarity didn't brag about her skills, or Applejack hadn't been stubborn and prideful a few times (like when she didn't want to accept help despite her getting tired and overworked) so Rainbow's attitude was just a minor problem. An endless parade of implausibly close-together disasters still doesn't validate shattering a friend's self-esteem and driving them into depression without even TRYING to talk to her.
I'm not saying they shouldn't have leaped to the rescue. I'm saying they should have sat Dash down before any of that, as a group -- maybe even with some of the pestered townsfolk tagging along -- and given her a firm but gentle talking-to. The exact one they gave AFTER emotionally torturing her. Tell her that it's okay to be proud, but not to rub others' faces in it. Tell her somepony is going to get hurt while she brags, and then NOPONY will cheer. All that stuff. Maybe even mention how bad Shimmer-Wing-Rarity made HER feel back in Cloudsdale.
But no, her friends made it clear to her that believe she's too thickheaded and stupid to even TRY to reason with, and they duped the entire town into worshiping a made-up Pony who promptly vanished forever.
Also, how can they call her out on bragging and saying she should be humble if they showed up at the parade? That comes off as more hypocritical since the episode practically begins with her enjoying the fact that she has a fan club and the Mane five get on her case about her huge ego while she’s at a gathering of said fans at Sugarcube Corner, which was technically after her heroics. And yet it was ok for Mare Do Well to attend her own parade under the same circumstances?
They both technically EARNED that praise.
7977581
Considering what happened with 28 Pranks Later, they weren't off the mark there. To be fair, this story was written way before that episode.
Saying they had no interest in helping before is unfair. Applejack stopped the stampeding cows from flattening Ponyville. And before you say she got praise for that and that makes her the same as Rainbow, Applejack didn't put up photo sessions to celebrate herself. Or hesitate to help to make herself look better.
And because I don't think I communicated that properly: I'm not saying they did nothing wrong. I never have. I am saying Rainbow was in the process of getting ponies hurt for her ego, and that's what's keeping me from joining the Rainbow Dash Pity Party. It's not the same, and saying it is does a disservice to the ponies Rainbow could've gotten hurt just to pat herself on the back—including herself.
Perhaps saying I felt "nothing" for Rainbow was too strongly worded. I won't lie, though, I really, honestly can't get behind the equivalence this story's trying to build. Those things are not on the same level.
7977667
28PL was MMDW done right. Why? Simple The aspect of "SHOW, DON’T TELL".
We actually SEE them SIT HER DOWN AND TALK WITH HER. We SEE them make direct attempts instead of heckling her with hushed words and excusing that as "talking", and when she doesn’t listen, they try it one-on-one with Pinkie, not to mention that we see her pranks get more and more dangerous as time goes on, and by that point, she’d made her bed and had to sleep in it.
True, but that fact gets contradicted by two facts, one of them being the rest of the episode:
Twilight tried to talk to Applejack when she was doing the harvest by herself in Applebuck Season. But Twilight and the others never did that when it came to Rainbow’s bragging. If they'd acted this way in Applebuck Season, they would have snuck around taping apples back up on branches and letting AJ keep working and working and working until she woke up in the hospital... and THEN given her the aesop. But instead Twilight spoke with her immediately.
Why doesn’t Dash deserve the same respect?
AJ is stubborn. Everypony KNOWS she is stubborn. Later on, she nearly abandons here entire LIFE in The Last Roundup because she's stubborn. But TS still TRIES to talk to her in Applebuck Season. Even if it doesn't work for several attempts, she actually TRIES, even though her antics were causing trouble throughout the entire town!
Speaking of The last Roundup, that brings me to the second contradiction:
For someone who complained about RD not being humble she sure didn’t hesitate to make it sound like she ditched her entire family for another job. Yes she was trying to payback a debt she owed and didn’t want ta disappoint everyone who was rooting for her, but in doing so she ignored the obvious option: telling the truth.
Would it have killed her to send a note that said this?
And then when confronted on the issue she just lied and ran away instead of facing the music, facing that fact that she’s not as great as she wanted to believe, the fact that she failed. She ran away because of her EGO.
Compare RD in Rainbow Falls, yes she tried to back out of making a choice, but she came clean on her own in the end. With AJ? THEY HAD TO CHASE HER DOWN JUST TO GET HER TO FESS UP.
So yeah, contrary to popular belief, AJ is MUCH more egotistical than RD. At least RD knows she has an ego and admits it:
"There's no need acting like you're better than everyone else, that's MY job!" - Boast Busters
AJ is too stubborn to admit that she has an ego.
And I'm not saying RD is completely free of blame either. only that the mane five's methods, while well-meaning, only came off as mean-spirited and spiteful, especially when you remember that in the final scene they never say that RD should prioritize ponies safety over showboating, just that "A real hero doesn't brag"... despite them doing the same thing and laughing at her for it, as well as attending their own parade.
Heck, there are much better ways they could've done this:
They could’ve just showed up as ’’themselves’’ to do heroic actions and pointed out how Dash is better off with allies, rather than some shadowy entity that she has no previous good interactions with. After all, at the end of the episode, we see that RD is quickly able to swallow her pride when she finds it's her friends 'out-heroing' her. Even the scene at Sugarcube Corner would have seemed more of a nudge than hypocritical if it were the Mane Five joking about something RD knew about. It’s not like RD would’ve told them “Hey! Stop saving Ponies when I’m the hero!”. We’ve seen her praise her own friends for their heroic actions before (Applebuck Season, Dragonshy, Boast Busters), she’d just see it as them helping her out, worst case scenario she’d just call them her sidekicks.
-OR-
They could've compared the masked hero to a group of heroes that RD was already familiar with:
The Wonderbolts.
Think about it, RD idolizes and adores them and aspires to be just like them. So in hindsight the mane five could steer her in the humble direction by reminding her that while the Wonderbolts do pull off shows and enjoy the fame they know when the time for showboating is and place the civilians their rescuing as a top priority.
BOOM. Rainbow gets the message and straightens out her act because again, it’s a hero that she aspires to be like. Therefore the main five come off as more well-meaning and less mean-spirited in the grand scheme of things.
Also, there's the fact that RD didn't learn her lesson from MDW herself, but her friends. Think about it, not once does she ever think about MDW’s actions or have a realization that she's doing things wrong, she only reacted negatively towards MDW but when she was faced with her friends she was willing to talk. It's only AFTER the Mane five take off their masks and TELL HER themselves that she actually swallows her pride, gets the message, and acknowledges her faults almost immediately. Further proving that just talking to her might’ve WORKED.
So in hindsight: MDW’s creation was POINTLESS.
How DARE THEY save Rainbow Dash's show boating flank from herself! How DARE THEY save those ponies who would have died from her show boating! How dare they drop transparent hints on how Mare Do Well was so Rainbow could piece it together herself and keep some of her dignity. HOW DARE THEY REPAIR THAT DAM THAT RAINBOW DASH WAS FUTILY TRYING TO HOLD TOGETHER ALL BY HERSELF?! HOW. DARE. THEY?!
7977731
We also never SAW Twilight put a 'anti germ field' around her 12 month old niece when she took her to a room full of sick grade schoolers. But it would be out of character if she hadn't done that off screen.
8172287
As I said before, they should have tried talking with her first before going for such a drastic option. And thoes weren't transparent hints, that was just them stroking their own egos, the very same thing that they called her out for doing.
Many people like to point out that she put many lives at the list due to her bragging. With the hot air balloon I can understand, if RD stopped signing autographs she could have saved the mare before MDW popped up.
But with the rest? Even if she had been super-modest and humble, nothing would’ve been different at all. For example:
Runaway carriage – Nothing more RD could have done with this one than she did. RD did not have the strength to even slow it down at all. She even hurt herself trying to stop it. AJ would’ve had to step in anyway.
The construction site- Nothing more RD could have done with this one than she did. She barely saved one of workers and only got out unhurt due to his help. Again, Pinkie would’ve had to step in.
The dam- If the theme is so fragile that simply leaning against it too hard caused it to give away, it was definitely gonna collapse anyway.
Being modest before then wouldn’t have altered a thing. We never see Rainbow’s over-confidence directly leading her to making a mistake. The times she wasn’t able to save ponies in the second half of the episode (the construction workers, the runaway carriage, the dam) wasn’t because she was overconfident. The way they set those up, she couldn’t have handled those on her own regardless of whether she went in humble or bragging. So that doesn’t support the lesson they were (allegedly) trying to teach.
8172290
That doesn't change the fact that we never see a visible confrontation or simple line where they say "and even when we try to talk to her about it she just brushes us off", nor do we hear them say "we tried to talk to you about it before but you just wouldn't listen".
Not to mention that this is the Element of Loyalty we’re talking about here-to her, this is a pretty awful bit of backstabbing, in Sonic Rainboom how fragile her self-esteem can be, and Rarity’s arrival and showboating only compounded the problem, to the point Dash suffers a mild nervous breakdown. So what would the Mane Six have done if she suffered a similar breakdown here? Or worse, what if she pulled an AJ and left town because she thought they didn’t need her anymore and dismissed her in favor of a new hero? What would the mane five’s response have been then? OOPS?
But instead, they play on her insecurities, and then gloat about how awesome they are in what’s an inside joke to them, but a jerkass ploy to Dash, who’s not in on the joke.
And back to the parade argument, they could have just sent a note that says this:
"While I appreciate your efforts, I do not wish to be thrust into the spotlight, the honor of protecting this town is more than enough of a reward for me."
Tell me, wouldn’t THAT have showcased more humidity than them just showing up? Despite the fact that they made MDW because they were annoyed that she was getting too egotistical, the fact that they voiced while she was at her own fan club.
Not to mention the fact that with episodes like Applebuck Season, Sweet and Elite (which takes place RIGHT AFTER this episode), Sonic Rainboom, and Bats. Characters like AJ and Rarity don't any recall RD out for not being humble.
While hypocrisy does not harm advice; it does harm the credibility of who is giving that advice.
8172314
What if losing the election and losing her best friend had caused Diamond Tiara to commit suicide?
8172319
That's a huge difference, in Sonic Rainboom we actually SEE RD freaking out. So her doing the same here wouldn't be that out of character.
We've seen Diamond Tiara lose to the CMC in the past (and even at one point Silver Spoon supported Apple Bloom over her after hearing Granny Smith's history) and the most she's done is throw a hissy fit about it, so the same would be expected in this situation as well.
7977548
They're plan made absolutely no sense. How was this supposed to help Rainbow learn about humility? Al it did was make everything worse. Nearly got the town destroyed in a flood because they fucked with her to hard. And the fact that they didn't even TRY to talk to her first is inexcusable. Even if she wouldn't have listened, if they were any kind of friends, they'd have at least tried first.
5817861
That doesn't excuse the fact that they didn't at least TRY to talk to her first. Even if wouldn't have worked, they should've had enough faith in their friend to believe that in MIGHT.
7977731
This, this right here, is a perfect tactic that the girls could've done to steer RD in the right direction
. Thank you my good sir, kudos to you
.