The Rain-Bow Incident
All was peaceful in the town of Ponyville. The skies were sunny, blue and cloudless. Like the top shell of a robin's egg encased the small town. The park was bustling with life. Ponies of all species and backgrounds were walking, talking, playing, anything and everything that would be expected on a sunny afternoon.
All of a sudden, a pony's head, blue as the sky above it, poked up from within a bush with a pair of nervous, scarlet eyes that gave the area a quick scan. Just as quickly as it appeared, the head vanished back into the safety of the bush.
Rainbow Dash could feel herself shivering. There she was, in the middle of the park, several ponies walking around that would be able to see her in plain view had she stepped out of her designated hiding spot-inside a thick bush that was pushed up against an oak tree.
Normally being noticed would be great for the young mare. She craved the attention of others-so long as it was positive. Having so many ponies around to see her fly, shouting compliments at her skills, was something the pegasus took a great deal of joy in. It always made her feel prideful to know she turned so many heads and drew so much applause.
This was how she normally felt, but not today. Not after what she woke up to. Not after....the terrible-terror.
No, not the cute little breed of dragon often found where Viking ponies lived.
This was something far worse.
And it all started early that morning, after Rainbow Dash woke from her pleasant slumber.
"Ah, what a lovely day," Rainbow Dash thought with a yawn, stretching as she sat up in her fluffy cloud-made bed. Rays of sunlight cascaded over her sheets and sky-blue face. She pushed the bed-sheets off of her and moved to the edge of the bed, her hooves rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she opened her mouth and let out another mighty yawn.
She hopped off the bed and trotted to the bathroom.
"Brrr, why is it so chilly in here?" Rainbow Dash thought for a brief moment before deciding it was nothing she should concern herself with. She then entered her bathroom and jumped into her tub-where she took showers. She turned the nozzle on, jumping a bit due to the initial frigidness of the water. She quickly turned the shower knob so it was on the "H" side. She then stepped out of the water and waited, every now and then placing a hoof under the water to test its temperature.
Once she felt it had warmed up enough, she grabbed a bar of soap and began to lather her body up with thick suds. She may have been the polar opposite of Rarity when it came to appearances, but she still cared about cleanliness, which included the silkiness of her rainbow mane and tail, and the shininess of her blue coat.
Once she was finished cleaning her body, white foam obscuring her blue frame until the water washed her clean, she placed the bar of soap back into the small dish and reached for the clear bottle of mane-scrub shampoo. She pulled the top open with her teeth and squeezed a glob of the conditioner into her waiting hoof. She then closed the bottle and put it back onto the soap-dish before scrubbing the shampoo against her scalp, trying to get all the way to the roots of her mane. But almost as soon as she started scrubbing, she stopped, hoof frozen in place on the crown of her head and her eyes wide.
Something was wrong.
She pressed her hoof against the top of her head, yet she couldn't feel her mane. In fact, all she could feel was the same kind of short, blue fur she had on the rest of her body. .
"What the..." Rainbow Dash said, her eyes widening in horror as she flew out of the shower, still dripping wet, and made her way to the mirror. The reflective glass was fogged up with steam. She cleared it with her hoof so she could see her reflection. Once she was able to see her face and head, her jaw dropped.
Instead of seeing the brilliant, rainbow mane she normally boasted atop her head, she saw nothing but a centimeter of blue fur, the same kind of fur that covered the rest of her body. There wasn't even any Rainbow coloration to the head fur, it was just blue, like somepony sneaked up to her as she slept and only clipped the rainbow hairs of her mane off, leaving the fur underneath intact. Her still-wide eyes began to twitch. She shook her head as the realization struck her that she was mane-less and, basically, bald.
"Okay...this is NOT cool!"
Rainbow Dash was embarrassed just thinking back to when she first saw her reflection. She swallowed hard, rubbing the top of her head, only to feel the emptiness of blue fur that normally would be underneath her mane, but was now exposed to the cool air. She was somewhat thankful that the perpetrator didn't shave her head completely bald, that she still had her blue fur atop her scalp rather than no cover at all.
Still, she was called Rainbow Dash for a reason, and only having a rainbow-colored tail was not good enough. Not to mention how much chillier the day got when she lacked hair. Every tiny breeze that blew past her would send a shiver down her spine. It was downright annoying.
She considered flying into town, where most ponies wouldn't be able to see her, but then that'd still leave the pegasi to see her, which was even worse. And just because she could fly faster than most of them, didn't mean she could fly higher, so taking the vertical route was also out of the question,
So, here she was, stuck in the middle of Ponyville Park, trying to sneak from bush to bush without being seen by anypony-an extremely daunting task considering the number of ponies around. Even with her mind on so much,she still found herself seething at the mysterious pony that put her into this predicament by clipping her clean.
"When I find the pony that cut my mane...oooohhhhh, I'm going to buck them into the next century!"
Sticking her cue-ball head out from behind the leafy bush again, Rainbow Dash looked around, hoping to find some sort of cover. She found another bush about twenty feet away and, in between the two bushes, there was an overturned box-perfect for cover.
She sighed, "Okay, here goes nothing."
Quick as a rocket, she flew towards the box, appearing as nothing but a sky blue blur, and dove underneath it. She pulled the box over her body and crouched towards the grass, making herself as small as possible. She let out a sigh of relief, feeling safe and well-hidden in the confines of the box-the only cover her mane-less head had from the outside world.
She waited a few seconds before peeking through the tiny, elliptical hole that was used to carry the box to see if anypony saw her. The sight of fillies and colts continuing to play and older ponies chatting and going along their merry way signaled that she was still incognito.
Getting up onto all four hooves, she started to trot towards the bush, still keeping herself hidden under the box.
"Okay, only a few more feet."
The sounds of approaching fillies, their laughter nearing the terrified pegasus, caused Rainbow Dash to fall to her stomach, the box falling to the ground so she was still hidden beneath it.
"Wait up guys!" called out one of the fillies. Rainbow Dash's blood ran cold. She recognized that young, country voice.
"Oh no. Not Apple Bloom."
The thought of Apple Bloom discovering her "ailment" sent shivers down her spine- she knew if Apple Bloom found out, Applejack would find out. And even if they were best friends, she knew Applejack would never let her live it down, especially not after what she had been doing for the past week. While cleaning Pinkie Pie's house, she and her pink friend caught Applejack dancing to a pop song. Ever since, Rainbow couldn't resist the juicy temptation of teasing her friend for her dancing and singing.
Another thing she did recently was pester Applejack about how plain her appearance was. She meant for it to come across as gentle ribbing, but worried that her friend took it the wrong way. She planned to apologize to Applejack about it today, but priorities changed when she woke up missing her pride and joy.
She initially contemplated the possibility that Applejack cut her mane before common sense hit. Applejack was an earth pony, and earth ponies couldn't walk on clouds without magic, not to mention get airborne without wings. Twilight could have cast a spell, but it seemed like a lot of work to put into one prank. Plus Twilight would ask what the reason was and if Applejack told her-being the honest pony she was-the unicorn would refuse to help.
"Come on Apple Bloom! Why are you taking so long to catch up?"
This voice was also recognizable. Youthful and full of grace, there was only one pony Rainbow Dash knew with such a voice.
"Sweetie Belle. Ugh, really!?! Is this some kind of cruel joke?" Rainbow Dash thought, swallowing hard as her legs began to wobble.
She could hear Sweetie Belle's hooves about three feet away from where she was hidden. If she found out, and then told Rarity...well...let's just say that Rainbow Dash would have a vast collection of fancy, froufrou wigs from her generous friend. To her, that was a fate worse than Applejack's mockery.
"Okay, this situation could not possibly get any worse."
And then, Rainbow Dash heard a third, and final, voice was mere inches away from her box of concealment.
"Yeah, we're moving at, like, ten feet a minute because of you." Scootaloo said. The thought of Scootaloo, the filly that worshiped her so much, seeing the baldness of her shaved head sent a shiver down Rainbow Dash's spine. Would she stop idolizing her if she saw her appearance. Sure that would be very shallow, but for a filly her age it certainly wasn't out of the question- it was very plausible. Rainbow Dash remembered what it was like to be young, to shun anything and anypony that was different in the slightest-not that she wasn't innocent of doing this either, she just regretted doing so.
"Okay, I stand corrected...NOW it couldn't get any worse."
"Hey, what's this box doing here?" asked Scootaloo, her voice now even closer than it was before.
"AHHH! Stupid fate! Stop jinxing me!"
Rainbow Dash peeped through the tiny opening to see what the three fillies were doing outside. To her dismay, all she did was make eye-contact with a single, big, purple eye that was peeping into the box from the outside.
"Rainbow Dash, is that you?" Scootaloo asked, the eye pulling back, revealing a very confused-looking filly.
"OhNoOhNoOhNoOhNo!!!!" Rainbow Dash thought in a panic. Should she just stay hidden? Should she fly off? Should she come out to reveal herself?
NO! Not that! Definitely not that. She worked too hard hiding to reveal herself now. Especially in front of these three fillies. It would be bad enough to do such a thing in front of anypony, but the three ponies that she knew? That was even more humiliating.
Rainbow Dash decided to play along, while also not revealing herself completely.
With a sigh and a fake smile, she lifted the box up to her forehead before releasing it. She looked like she was wearing the box as an odd hat that started on her head and sloped down to the ground behind her back hooves. It concealed her bald head and allowed her to look at the fillies face-to-face. It wasn't the most ideal plan, but it was the most logical one she had.
"Hey girls, what's up?" she asked, a slight shakiness to her voice. The three fillies looked up at her before they looked at each other, wondering what to say next while expressing their confusion through bewildered eyes.
"Um...hey Rainbow Dash." Apple Bloom said, "not much, we was just crusading and stuff."
"Oh, you three have any luck?" Rainbow Dash asked, putting on the most phony and creepy grin imaginable. The three girls took a step back, looking up at the boxed pegasus with worry in their eyes.
"Well...no, unfortunately." Sweetie Belle said.
"Hey Rainbow Dash, why are you hiding under the box?" Scootaloo asked, walking towards Rainbow Dash, hoof extended like she was going to push the box off. The older pegasus took a step back in fright.
"No!" she shouted, resulting in a shocked Scootaloo to retract her hoof and look up at her worriedly. Panicked, Rainbow Dash came up with an excuse, "I mean...no. Don't take it off, I have to keep this on to win a competition between me and Applejack."
"Competition?" Apple Bloom asked. "Mah sis' didn't say anything about a competition."
"Yeah, well that's because we don't tell everypony about our competitions. It isn't their business, it's ours."
"Okay then, tell us. What competition would involve you hiding under a cardboard box?" Scootaloo asked, her voice drenched in skepticism.
"Geez when did Scoots get so observant?" Rainbow Dash thought, laughing nervously before she answered the inquisitive filly's question.
"Oh, we bet each other to act like our pets for a day so, this is my impression of Tank!" she tapped the box, still forcing herself to smile. "See, it's my shell."
"Well if that's the case shouldn't ah have seen Applejack fetching sticks or licking mah face or something?" Apple Bloom asked, shuddering in disgust at the thought of her sister licking her like Winona.
"Crud!" Rainbow Dash thought, trying to come up with another excuse.
"I...uh..." Rainbow Dash started before she was cut off by an unconvinced Scootaloo.
"Come on, what's the real reason you're hiding under that box?"
Scootaloo pressed her hoof against the cardboard and, this time, Rainbow Dash wasn't able to stop her from lifting it up above her head. Scootaloo's jaw dropped, as did her friends. She released the box so it fell back onto a mortified Rainbow Dash's head.
"You're...you're..." Sweetie Belle started, pointing at Rainbow Dash, whose face was red.
"Yes, okay? I woke up this morning to find out that somepony shaved my head." she said defensively, "And now you know. Are you happy?"
"Oh...ah'm...ah'm sorry there Rainbow Dash." Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah, we didn't know." Sweetie Belle added.
"Sorry Rainbow Dash, I didn't mean to embarrass you like that," Scootaloo said, looking at her hooves in shame. "I was just curious."
Rainbow Dash's expression softened. She realized that maybe she shouldn't have worried about the fillies finding out, and that they would stay quiet about the whole thing.
"Don't worry about it. Just promise you won't say anything to anypony." Rainbow Dash said. The three fillies nodded and promised to keep their lips sealed. Rainbow Dash relaxed and looked towards the bush. "Well, I'm going to keep sneaking my way into town. Hopefully I can get to Twilight's library without being noticed. I'm sure she has some egghead cure for my...problem."
Rainbow Dash was about to leave when a little, orange hoof stuck out to stop her. She looked down to see Scootaloo looking up at her-it was a look of sudden epiphany.
"Wait, hang on I've got an idea!" Scootaloo said, grinning. She took her saddle-bag off and dumped the contents onto the grass. There wasn't much, mostly school-books, a toothbrush, a sharp pair of scissors, some crayons- typical filly stuff. But it was the last thing, the thing Scootaloo held up to her role-model, that grabbed Rainbow Dash's attention. There, in the orange filly's outstretched hooves, was the Rainbow Dash wig she wore for her "Rainbow Dash Fan Club" meetings. She lifted the wig up to Rainbow Dash.
"Maybe you can wear this into town. That way, nobody will know that your mane is gone."
Rainbow Dash slowly reached out and took the wig from her, "Wow Scoots...I don't know what to say..."
Scootaloo smiled and waved it off. "You don't have to say anything. Just make sure you have it back to me once your mane grows back in. I need it for my meetings."
Rainbow Dash chuckled and tossed the box before putting the wig onto her head. Tugging it on until it was firmly on-fortunately Scootaloo got it big so it fit onto Rainbow Dash's head. Taking her hooves away from her head, Rainbow Dash grinned. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief wash over her. She looked back down at Scootaloo with appreciation.
"Thanks kiddo." Rainbow Dash said, grinning. She then pulled Scootaloo in and gave her a noogie, the little orange filly struggling a bit in her arm, but laughing.
"I knew you were more awesome than you looked."
"He-he, thanks Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said, breaking away. Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and hovered above the three fillies.
"I'll see you girls later, good luck with your cutie mark stuff!"
With that, Rainbow Dash flew off towards town, one hoof staying on the wig to prevent it from flying off. Once she found herself in the center of Ponyville, she trotted off towards Twilight's library. She then entered an almost "Pinkie-Pie" state where she was humming a cheerful song to herself and waving to everypony in town, a big, stupid grin on her face.
After a morning of hell, it felt good to have her spirits elevated.
"Wow, that Scootaloo sure was a life-saver." she thought, gratefully. "I mean if she didn't have that Rainbow wig then..."
Rainbow Dash stopped trotting and froze in place. Her smile and overall cheery demeanor vanished, leaving her shocked and uneasy.
"Wait a second...why did she even have her wig in the first place? She doesn't have a Rainbow Dash fan-club meeting for another two weeks!" Rainbow Dash thought.
She knew this because she made sure to keep informed of the meeting dates so she could eavesdrop on the fillies as they worshiped her awesomeness. It was the ultimate ego-boost.
As she pondered this, she suddenly remembered the pair of scissors in Scootaloo's bag. They weren't the typical arts and crafts pair of scissors. They were silver, small, and looked a lot sharper than the colorful, dull scissors she remembered working with in school.
And then there was the skepticism. Out of all the fillies, she seemed the most eager to get the box off of her. It wasn't innocent curiosity, it was determination.
As the pieces fell into place, Rainbow Dash felt another emotion overcome her. It wasn't confusion, worry, or glee. It was rage, pure rage as she realized she'd been duped.
"Oh you've GOT to be kidding."
"So she bought it, eh?" Applejack asked with a grin as the Cutie Mark Crusaders all nodded. She and the three fillies were all in Sugarcube Corner, waiting for Pinkie Pie to come over with their order of cupcakes. The entire shop was empty and the Cakes had gone out to grab some groceries, leaving the place in Pinkie's "capable" hooves.
"Yep, hook, line and sinker!" Apple Bloom said with a triumphant grin.
"Yeah, and you should've seen the look on her face when I handed her the wig!" Scootaloo said with a grin. "She thinks I'm awesome!"
"Especially since it was made out of her own mane." Applejack said just as Pinkie Pie arrived with the cupcakes.
"Here are your sugary treats girls! I hope you enjoy!" said the pink mare.
Everypony thanked Pinkie Pie and took a cupcake.
"Thanks again for helping me get up to her house, Pinkie Pie." Scootaloo said before taking a huge bite out of her cupcake. "I would've done it myself, but...you know. I still can't fly."
"It's no problem. I gotta find a use for my candy-cane flying doohickey somehow." Pinkie Pie said, pointing to the back of the bakery where a strange device powered by pedals and a propeller at the top. It was like a tiny helicopter with candy-cane shaped skids on the bottom. It was the perfect airborne vehicle for the sugar-obsessed mare.
"So why did you three do this to Rainbow Dash again?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Ta teach her not ta make fun of mah dancing, singing and appearance. And in the end ah'd say that ah got the upper hoof. After all, ah'd rather have a mangy-looking mane than no mane at all." Applejack said with a snicker.
"I bet you would."
All five ponies turned to see Rainbow Dash standing in the entrance. Even with the pair of sunglasses she had on, the look of steely determination on her face was clear as day. In one hoof, she held what appeared to be a blue electric razor. She seemed to be chewing gum, her teeth cracking as she chewed on the pink wad.
"Wow, Rainbow Dash. That's a nice look you've got there." Pinkie Pie asked, completely oblivious. "Ooh, what are you gonna do with that razor?"
"You'll see Pinkie Pie." Rainbow Dash said, closing the door behind her and flipping the sign so it read 'CLOSED'. All of the ponies, save for the still excited Pinkie Pie, swallowed hard.
"Um, look sugarcube. Would it help if we apologized for what we did?" Applejack asked, nervously laughing like she knew they were doomed.
"No, Applejack. You see, I have come here to chew bubblegum, and kick flank." said the disgruntled pegasus, who pulled off her wig, revealing her baldness, and tossed it into the corner. She started to approach the other ponies, turning to spit her gum into a nearby trash-bin before giving her friends a sadistic grin.
She then turned on the razor. "And I'm all out of bubblegum."
All five ponies screamed as Rainbow Dash flew at them, buzzing razor aimed at her terrified targets.
"And that's why all of our manes are gone." Applejack said, concluding her story to an annoyed looking Twilight. Herself, the CMC, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were all in the library. Everypony in the place except Twilight was bald. But unlike Rainbow Dash, who still had a nice, thin layer of blue fuzz to cover her head, everypony else was shaved to the skin. The sight of the six shaved ponies was too much for Spike, who had to leave the room due to having an uncontrollable giggle-fit.
Applejack looked upset, but not hysterical. Possibly because her Stetson hat gave her a small bit of cover for her bald head.
Beside her was Rainbow Dash, whose hooves were crossed. She was smiling smugly as she hovered above the wood floor of the library, clearly feeling a huge sense of accomplishment in exacting her revenge.
The three fillies were still freaking out over going to school the next day, looking as they were. Being called "Blank Flank" was bad enough, but being called "Blank Head" or "Bare Head" would be pure, un-equivocated torture.
Finally, Pinkie Pie was busy looking herself in the mirror, giggling as she ran over hoof over her shaved head, utterly fascinated in her lack of mane and fur. She kept commenting on how "smooth" and "soft" it felt against her hoof.
After taking a few moments to process what Applejack had just told her, Twilight put her hoof to her face. "So let me see if I understand this entire situation correctly. As part of a prank by you, Applejack." She pointed her hoof at Applejack, who nodded before Twilight continued.
"Pinkie Pie flew Scootaloo up to Rainbow Dash's house in her helicopter so she could cut her mane off. You then had Granny Smith weave the clipped mane into a wig and gave it to Scootaloo so she could give it to Rainbow Dash and seem "cool" to her idol." Twilight looked over at a shameful looking Scootaloo before continuing, "and it worked until Rainbow Dash realized what happened and she went to Sugarcube Corner with an electric razor and shaved your manes off."
"Yep, that about sums it up." Applejack said with a sigh.
"He-he, it's like a squishy melon!" Pinkie Pie giggled, still admiring her bald head in the mirror, pressing against the pink flesh.
Twilight sighed, "And I assume you all want me to cast my mane-growth spell?"
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, sugarcube." Applejack said with a pleading grin.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Fine, wait here I'll grab the book."
She trotted off to find her spell book, thinking the same thing over and over.
"I'm surrounded by idiots."