Neglected
The Rainbow's End
By ShootingRainbowStar13
Neglected
Read this chapter listening to this, just to set the scene.
The crowd murmured excitedly. Banners displaying intricate pictures of Mare-do-well were held ready, some ponies were even wearing costumes. They were all waiting in front of a white stage. Multicolored balloons were tied to the stage, and empty stand stood ready on the corner of the platform, and the backing of the stage displayed a large but thin canvas with a painting of Mare-do-well on the front.
It was Mare-do-well's thank you parade, and everypony in town had come.
Finally the Mare appeared, and walked across the stage to the empty stand. She tapped the surface of the stand to gather the attention of the crowd, who immediately became silent. The Mare smiled, and began to speak.
"Welcome to Ponyville's first, but surely not last, "Thank-you" parade in honour of our city's greatest hero..."
She paused slightly for effect, and the crowd leaned forward eagerly.
"...THE MYSTERIOUS MARE-DO-WELL!!"
The canvas was torn as Mare-do-well herself jumped through and stood on the stage, standing proudly and letting her cape flow and flap in the wind.
The crowd went wild, screaming and waving banners, shouting her name over and over. Then suddenly...
From the crowd flew a familiar blue pegasus, facing the hero and glaring at her in the eye. "The Mysterious Mare-do-well, huh?!"
The crowd gave a shocked gasp. It was Rainbow Dash, the former hero of the town.
"Well, let's see just how mysterious you are WITHOUT THAT MASK!!!" She snapped her jaws shut, attempting to grab the mask off her face, but Mare-do-well stepped back. She turned and fled, Rainbow Dash in hot pursuit.
She ran the length of the street, turning at the end and disappearing around the corner. Grinning, Rainbow turned and flew the other way, expecting to catch her at the end of the street. But to her suprise, there was nopony there. Looking around, she noticed Mare-do-well run through the shadows, and flew after her, wearing a determined scowl.
Mare-do-well turned another corner and ran to the end. Rainbow Dash flew after her, but noticed something moving behind her. She turned and saw Mare-do-well run past the spot where she had been. She flew back, baffled, but the same happened at the other end. She flew back and forth, completely confused, and when she thought she had lost her she heard a sharp, taunting whistle and turned to see Mare-do-well run further into the maze of buildings.
"What the hay?" cried Rainbow, and flew like a bullet after the vanishing figure.
Rainbow came to a dead end, looking up to see the figure leaping off the top of the wall. She growled with frustration.
Mare-do-well ran down a flight of steps. Rainbow followed. She was almost on her when she heard the same taunting whistle behind her. She turned and saw Mare-do-well vanish back the way they came. Rainbow looked back and saw another dead end. She snarled furiously and flew even faster after Mare-do-well.
She soared down the street, but she did a double take as she passed a ladder. Deciding to be discreet, she flew up and hid in the hay-built rooftop. She looked down into the street below and saw Mare-do-well trotting by, off her guard.
"I GOT YOU NOW!!" She flew from her hiding place and mercilessly tackled the pony to the ground. They landed in a heap, but Rainbow Dash had Mare-do-well pinned down on the cobblestone floor.
"ALRIGHT miss mysterious!" She cried triumphantly. "MYSTERY - " She paused to tear the mask from the face. " - SOLVED!!"
She gasped.
Pinkie Pie smiled sheepishly up at her.
"PINKIE?!" Rainbow cried in disbelief. "Wha-du-du..huh-du..HUH?"
A hoof clopped down on the cobbles. Rainbow looked up to see yet another Mare-do-well standing in front of her. Stunned with surprise, she could say nothing as the figure smiled serenely at her, before taking off her own mask.
"TWILIGHT?!"
Behind her, another Mare-do-well walked out from the shadows. It pulled off its mask as well.
"APPLEJACK?!"
As her friends approached, all she could think to say was "There were three of you??"
"Yep!" Twilight said smugly. "We all played Mare-do-well at different times."
"AH stopped the carriage with these babies." Applejack proudly showed off her strong hind legs. "Bucky Mcgoody-gully and Kick-smuggey."
"I saved the construction workers with my Pinkie sense!" As Pinkie tilted her head smartly upwards she suddenly quivered violently, and shoved herself into Dash just in time to avoid a falling plant pot.
"Sorry!" called one of the flower ponies.
"It's alright!" Pinkie called back.
"And I used my magic to fix the dam!" Twilight removed her hat with her magic to show off her glowing horn, winking at Rainbow. She was cut off by Fluttershy, who excitedly said, "Ooh, OOH! And I did the.. FLYBY afterwards!"
"I made the costumes. FAA-bulous if I do say so myself!" boasted Rarity.
Rainbow stared at her, reeling as she tried to take it all in. She was shattered, shocked and slightly sad, and she wanted one question answered. Just one question. She walked past with a sigh, saying "I don't understand..."
She stopped a couple of feet away. She turned to her friends, the ponies who she thought she could trust.
She said it. "Why? Don't you want me to be a hero?"
"Of course we want you to be a hero!!" Twilight exclaimed.
"But a real hero doesn't BRAG." Applejack winked at her.
Rainbow felt a strange little tug in her gut.
"Uh.. I guess I started to brag.. a little.."
"A LITTLE??" All her friends cried in unison. Dash fell backwards, away from the angry faces.
She stared, surprised, before replying "Okay, a lot."
"Celebrating one's accomplishments is natural, but.." started Twilight.
".. Rubbin' them in everypony's face in nowt." finished Applejack.
There it was again. Her gut tugged again, slightly more insistently.
"Yeah, the only thing that should be rubbed in anypony's face is chocolate cake!" Pinkie began very realistically licking her face, slurping rudely and drooling everywhere.
Everypony stared at her. "Ah think we're getting off topic here." said Applejack.
"What we're trying to say is, it's great to be really good at something, but it's important to act with grace and humility." Twilight said.
For a moment, Rainbow looked confused.
The twinge in her gut wasn't going away. If anything it just grew stronger, like a knife gradually being pushed into her side. She decided to ignore it.
She perked up, partly understanding. "Ohhh... that makes much more sense!"
She flew up, above the rooftops, and said, "Yeah. I guess I should also act with grace and humility when others outshine me. Like... Mare-do-well."
The knife in her gut twisted painfully as she said this. Her heart ached, and she didn't know why. She saw her friends smile at each other, as if to say, 'We sure did!'
"It looks like you've got a letter to write to Princess Celestia!" Twilight winked again, smiling happily.
Another lesson learnt. Another problem fixed. Another letter to the Princess.
Twilight thought she could just let it go into the massive collection of other lessons she had learnt. She saw it as just another neatly wrapped scroll to be put away peacefully.
It was her downfall.
"Thanks Twi!" Rainbow took the latest Daring Do book, Daring Do and the Ivory Phoenix, from Twilight's hooves and grinned. "Oh mane, I've been waiting for this book forever!"
Twilight smiled. "Glad to see you like it!"
Dash sighed and hugged the book to her chest, grinning and spinning into the air. Then she opened her eyes.
"If only I had the mini-sequel, How to Survive The Wild. But I heard you didn't have that book in the library so far." She came back down onto the wooden library floor, slipping the book into her saddlebag. "Thanks anyway!"
She turned to go, but Twilight said "Wait! I think I have a copy of my own somewhere, I'm pretty sure I found it last week." She muttered to herself as she walked to the stairs. She turned back just to say, "Just wait here for a while, okay? How about you look around, choose some new books?"
Then she vanished into the upper room.
Rainbow wandered around the shelves. Although Daring Do was her favorite, she liked Dragonmight, a trilogy of the tales of an earth pony who could transform into a dragon. She slid Dragonmight II: The Moonlit Hunt from its place on the shelf.
She walked to the far corner, reading and waiting for Twilight to return, but she was taking an awfully long time. Dash leaned absently against the wall, flicking her tail at a fly against the bookcase.
Windracer lent against the cave's cool stone wall and closed his eyes, wearily wrapping his long dragon tail around himself. How long would this continue?
The strange pale white dragon, known to some as 'Night Avenger', was slowly but surely stealing the spotlight for himself. Windracer was ashamed that he thought so selfishly about his reputation, but the more he ran from the fogmonsters the faster 'Night Avenger' was drawing all the attention and respect to himself.
Why had everyone deserted him? Had he changed? He opened an eye and glanced down at himself. The same sharp spines. The same gorgeous pale green scales. The same gleaming talons. No, he was still Windracer.
But then why was he so alone? He hated being all alone.
Rainbow sharply drew in a breath and snapped the book shut. She had heard those words before.
"Rainbow! I found it!"
Twilight trotted back down the steps, carrying a book with her magic. Rainbow flew over and took the book, thanking Twilight for going in to the trouble of finding it for her.
Twilight eyed the book tucked under Rainbow's wing. She smiled. "Dragonmight is an excellent series! Do you want to borrow this book?"
Rainbow thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'll borrow it after I finish Daring Do and the Ivory Phoenix and How to Survive The Wild.
"Alright then. See you soon!" Twilight waved as Rainbow left the library, the books in her saddlebag. She took off and flew in the direction of Cloudsdale. The air was brisk and cool as autumn approached its prime. It was, in fact, almost Nightmare Night.
Rainbow would have liked to finish Dragonmight, but she already had a grim idea of how it would end.
Rainbow was lying in bed, reading The Ivory Phoenix, when she heard the school chariot pull up outside the house. A moment later there was a knock on the door.
Rainbow swooped down the stairs and opened the door to Scootaloo. As she ushered the filly into the living room, she burst into excited chatter.
"Oh Rainbow Dash, next week we're gonna do a speech on our role model or hero and we get to wear costumes and stuff and bring in posters and flags it's gonna be so fun Diamond Tiara doesn't want to do it the other crusaders are - "
"SLOW DOWN, SQUIRT!!!" Scootaloo abruptly stopped and smiled up into Rainbow's face.
"Do you wanna hear who I'm doing it on?" she said.
"Duh!"
"Well, I thought about doing Mare-do-well for a while, she was so awesome, but after that I obviously chose you! You're my hero, Rain - Rainbow Dash? Where are you going?"
There was no reply as Rainbow Dash turned tail and disappeared upstairs.
Mare-do-well.
Rainbow collapsed on her bed, ignoring the fact her book fell to the floor.
The hero was gone, but her memory lingered like a ghost. Everywhere Rainbow went, it was there. Haunting her. Rainbow remembered the way Scootaloo ran happily with her friends, her costume's cape rippling in the wind. She remembered flying over the CMC clubhouse and finding the Rainbow banners gone, replaced by posters of Mare-do-well.
It had been months since the incident. But suddenly the knife was back, digging into her side.
My friends.
They told her they did it to stop her boasting. They did it to teach her a lesson. But it didn't change the fact that it hurt.
The door creaked open. "Rainbow Dash?"
Scootaloo stood in the doorway, looking concerned. "Why did you just fly off like that?"
Rainbow sighed. "C'mon over here, squirt."
Scootaloo closed the door and quietly fluttered onto the bed. She looked expectantly at Rainbow Dash.
"Mare-do-well was not just one pony, she was five. My friends. They wanted to stop me from boasting about being a hero, and it worked, but..." She sighed. "Did they intend to make me feel like an outcast? Did they know I sat on thunderclouds and watched ponies forget about me?"
Scootaloo snuggled up to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow put a wing over the tiny filly.
"I don't see how it matters anymore, Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo looked up at her. "You're still my number one hero."
"Thanks, squirt."
The next day...
Rainbow was flying over the Everfree Forest when she heard the shrill cry.
"Help! HELP!!"
Instantly adrenalin began pulsing through her bloodstream. She scanned the ground, flying lower and lower. She spotted something running on the edge of the forest, and flew towards it. As she came closer she could see it was a mare, and she was being chased by timberwolves. What on earth was she doing there?
She folded her wings and dove towards her. The timberwolves were gaining on the mare, and her cries for help were growing higher and more panicked as she began to tire.
Just as the leading timberwolf lunged for the pony, Rainbow's hoof slammed into the top of his head and crumpled it like a tin can. The wolf fell, hindering the others. Before they could reach their prey Rainbow latched her hooves under the mare's arms and flew off, landing safely in front of Fluttershy's cottage.
"Rainbow Dash?" It was Roseluck.
Rainbow released Roseluck onto the lawn. She looked up, expecting to see at least a few ponies to look back at her and cheer.
But there was nopony there.
"Way to go, Rainbow Dash. Woo-hooo."
She turned to see Fluttershy standing on the doorstep, smiling at her. "I saw the whole thing from my window. You were so brave, saving Roseluck from the timberwolves."
Rainbow turned back, seeing Roseluck smile at her. "You saved my life. Thank you."
Rainbow sighed. "Anytime."
She took off, shooting through the clouds.
Only one cheer. Fluttershy's cheer.
Woo-hooo.
Rarity applied pink ribbon to her latest dress. It was important, and she wanted it perfect. She admired the result, and reached out with her magic for more ribbon. But there was none left in the box.
'No worries!' she thought to herself. 'There's more in the chest.'
She clopped over to the pink chest she kept for storing colored thread and ribbons. Inside was blue ribbon and gold ribbon and red ribbon, but there was no pink ribbon.
Rarity felt a twinge of annoyance, but dismissed it instantly. 'I shall have to look in the basement. I must have more pink ribbon.'
She trotted to the back of the boutique and opened the door to the basement.
The air inside was warm, although the rest of the boutique was nice and cool and smelled slightly of roses. Old dresses stood on mannequins around the room. When Rarity turned on the lights she could see some small cobwebs. To other ponies it wouldn't matter but to Rarity they were unacceptable. 'I will have to clean out this room at some stage. But first things first...'
She clopped to the back of the room. A few lonely boxes and drawers stood against the wall. A full size ancient mirror was grandly positioned nearby. Rarity opened a box and sorted through it, and to her delight she found the pink ribbon. She was about to close the box when something else caught her eye.
It was only the pointed tip of a purple hat, but Rarity recognised it immediately. She pulled it out with her magic and dusted it off, reaching back into the box for the matching cape, bodice and mask. She found them and brought them out.
It was one of the Mare-do-well costumes. She must have stored it there after the incident. She tried on the hat just to see if it would fit, and to her delight it did. She draped the cape lightly over her shoulders and looked into the mirror. As she admired her handiwork a brilliant idea came to her.
'It's almost Nightmare Night! I could wear this to the party... or even better, I could find the other costumes and give them around to the others! We could bring back Mare-do-well one last time, just for fun! And - oh..'
She stopped for a moment and thought about Rainbow Dash. 'Should I include her too? Oh wait, she already finished her costume, I saw to that. It would ruin the whole mysterious effect anyway. I'm sure she won't mind if the rest of us go as Mare-do-well.' She carelessly banished the thought as she gathered the purple cloth.
Rarity let out a little giggle of excitement as she took the costume upstairs, forgetting all about the pink ribbon.
It was the night before Nightmare Night.
Rainbow Dash was helping Scootaloo put the finishing touches to her costume. Scootaloo was going as a Wonderbolt that year, as she was beginning to gain Rainbow's passion for the celebrity flyers. Rainbow's own costume was waiting upstairs.
She was going as a Shadowbolt again this year. She had improved last year's costume and it was near pure perfection. The group had intrigued her, even though they were only the ethereal smoke of Nightmare Moon. She was more than ready to prank some ponies.
Rainbow put a last lick of yellow to the neck piece and stood back to admire the result. Even if she was an athlete she wasn't such a bad artist.
Scootaloo eagerly put it on, carefully slotting her wings through the holes and slipping the goggles onto her face. Instantly she looked like the smallest Wonderbolt in Equestria.
"Well, does it look okay?" She asked.
"It's awesome!" Rainbow replied.
The filly slipped her goggles onto her forehead, revealing her sparkling violet eyes. She grinned. "Do you think I can join the Wonderbolt Academy someday?"
"I'm sure you will. You're a lot like me when I was your age."
Scootaloo experimentally opened out her little wings and gave them a flap. Rainbow Dash had taught her not to buzz her wings like a hummingbird but flap them in a paced tempo. She found that it helped a lot and she could actually get a full metre off the ground.
She pouted a little bit. "When you were my age you performed the impossible; a sonic rainboom."
"That may be true, but you sure act like me." She winked at her and gave her a playful noogie. "I was just as tough and fearless as you are."
"Yeah, but... A SONIC RAINBOOM."
"That's how fate would have it. You know the story, you spent a full day trying to learn it."
Scootaloo nodded. "You stood up for Fluttershy and raced for her honor. You wanted to win so bad that you shot past your contestants and broke the sound barrier, making the sonic rainboom, which gave all your friends their cutie marks and bonded you guys all together." She paused.
"But... wouldn't that make you the most important of them all?"
The words impacted like a bolt of lightning, and Rainbow knew exactly how that felt. It sent her reeling.
She did play the essential role in their friendship... why, without her sonic rainboom...
Applejack would still be living in Manehattan, missing her home. Rarity would have disappointedly given up on fashion. Pinkie Pie would still be farming rocks, unsmiling and unhappy. Fluttershy would still be in cloudsdale, oblivious of the wonderful world below.
And Twilight Sparkle would have failed her entrance exam into Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns, which meant she would have never been Celestia's star student, which meant she would have never been sent to Ponyville to stop the rise of Nightmare Moon, which meant that Equestria could be suffering eternal night.
She would have never met any of the other five ponies. She would never have learnt about the Magic of Friendship.
That rainboom sealed all six of their fates.
"Yeah, squirt... you could say that."
The next day passed in a blur. Rainbow Dash helped out on the decorations in the town square, putting up streamers and balloons too out of reach for earth ponies. She stuck Nightmare Moon symbols on the walls, remembering the monster Princess Luna had once been.
Soon the sun slipped behind the mountains and the stars began twinking in the beautiful coolness of night. Little fillies trotted through the night, empty bags in mouths, sending out resonating cries of "NIGHTMARE NIGHT, WHAT A FRIGHT, GIVE US SOMETHING SWEET TO BITE!!"
Ponies began to gather in the heart of the town, bobbing for apples and buying candy from stalls and commenting on costumes. They laughed and chattered, taking in the full thrill of the best night of the year.
Soon the obsidian chariot carrying Princess Luna arrived, and this year she was heartily greeted by majestic bows from everypony. She joined a group of trick or treaters and vanished into the crowd.
Rainbow Dash flew silently on a storm cloud over Luna's group of ponies, determined to get the princess back for last year's final prank. She raised her hooves and was about to stomp down when she froze in horror.
No. It can't be.
Was she hallucinating? Was she seeing a mirage induced by her recent thoughts of her? She didn't know. But she was there, slipping about on the edge of town.
It was Mare-do-well.
She pulled herself together. It was probably just a lingering fan wearing the costume for Nightmare Night. But as she left the thundercloud and flew closer, the pony noticed her and waved. It pulled back its mask to reveal a fountain of elegant purple curls. Rarity.
When Rainbow landed on the ground and flipped her Shadowbolt goggles back, four other Mare-do-wells slinked out from between the buildings. They each pulled off their masks and smiled at her. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Twilight.
Rainbow smiled weakly. "Hey guys. Nice costumes."
Rarity giggled. "I found this one in the basement." She gestured at her costume. "I had the brilliant idea of bringing back Mare-do-well just one last time!"
"We all agreed to the idea, so we each wore a suit. But don't worry, we're not going to go and save the day!" Twilight winked.
"Uh... okay... that's cool. Uh I... I have to go." She flipped her goggles back down and flew back into the sky, landing on her thundercloud and flying away.
"Nice costume, by the way!" shouted Pinkie.
Rainbow had had enough of pranking ponies, she just didn't find it funny anymore.
She had joined the party, trotted around, beat everypony at the party games. She finished the last of her candy. She watched as the fillies went off to see Zecora's little play of Nightmare Moon, aided by Princess Luna. It was probably the best Nightmare Night show ever held in Ponyville. She let herself forget about Mare-do-well.
Now Rainbow flew absently and low over the town, looking at the party in full swing below her. It was surreal, with the moonlight framing the valley and the stars twinkling above. She could fly on all night if she wanted to.
She was too distracted to notice the sly figures creeping towards the town, disappearing into the shadows and waiting for a chance to get close. Nopony noticed until it was too late.
There was a sudden scream, echoing through the peaceful atmosphere and shattering it. It was joined by multiple other screams, and the thundering of hooves brought terrified ponies racing out of the streets.
There were timberwolves loose in Ponyville.
Ponies began panicking and running as four, five, six timberwolves ran though the town square, ripping through stalls and howling with pleasure. They were giving chase, they were loping effortlessly after the frightened townsfolk.
Rainbow Dash snapped into full focus, everything becoming sharper. Why were timberwolves in ponyville, when they only stayed in the Everfree? Perhaps it was the noise and tantalizing smells that wafted out of the village that attracted them, or perhaps it was the loss of their prey, Roseluck, a few days before.
Whatever it was, it didn't matter. She had to stop them. Rainbow Dash shot towards the majority of the wolves, folding her wings and diving like a hawk. If she crushed the leader, then she could surprise and confuse the others and bring them down fairly easily -
She was about to strike when a blur of purple whizzed past and swiped the leading timberwolf away. Surprised, Rainbow accidently slammed head first into the street. Dazed, she rolled over onto her back and shook the stars from her eyes.
When she could see again, she saw the purple figure viciously bucking one wolf and sending it crashing into another. They both fell into a pile of twigs. They quivered and attempted to reform, but the figure bounced on top of them and crushed them to bits, scattering them to the wind.
No... a different figure. There were four of them. It was Mare-do-well.
Another two wolves were swept into a wall by a sparkling wave of magic, and as they crumbled the magic surrounded them and mercilessly smashed them to kindling. The final wolf backed wisely away, until one of the Mare-do-wells turned a furious gaze on it. It froze for a moment, then turned and ran, whimpering, back to the Everfree.
It all happened so fast, and Rainbow head was spinning. These were her friends, they had saved the town from the timberwolves on impulse, which was exactly what Rainbow was going to do. Was this good or bad? Rainbow was only beginning to rise when one of the figures leapt on top of her, pinning her arms to the concrete.
Her goggles fell off and clattered away onto the stone floor. The hooves dug unyieldingly into her forelegs, cutting into her costume.
Rainbow's mind overloaded. She fell limply to the concrete and stared in shocked silence at the mask falling away, revealing the cruel face, clouded with stern justice and anger... of Twilight Sparkle.
And the ponies came back and saw Mare-do-well, the old hero, vanquish the timberwolves. They saw her attack this dark figure lying on the ground, and momentarily thought it was the bad guy.
And they cheered.
The malice died from Twilight's when she saw it was not a monster she was pinning down but her friend Rainbow Dash. Shock and horror replaced it. She immediately released her, gasping a hasty apology.
"Oh good Celestia, I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash, I didn't realise..."
Rainbow Dash stood slowly, shakily. She stared, thunderstruck at Twilight. She stared at her other friends standing like statues behind her. She stared around at the crowd around her, their cheering quickly fading but all to slow for Rainbow. She realised this was the same street where she had first discovered who Mare-do-well really was.
She began to quiver. She stared right into Twilight's wide ashen eyes, her own magenta ones filled with brimming tears and the yearning question of 'Why?'
She stared into them, unable to understand.
"Rainbow..." Twilight's voice was soft and unsure.
Rainbow Dash quietly stumbled away from the unicorn, away from her friends, away from the now silent crowd. Without a word she whipped out her wings and turned away, taking off and leaving her goggles lying in the center of the street for all to see.
She flew away at top speed, tears streaming down her cheeks, the cheering still ringing in her ears.
She flew for as long as she could. Hours could have passed, decades even. She didn't care. She flew away from Ponyville, away from Canterlot, towards the mountains in the west.
She finally stopped, completely worn out, and landed on a cloud. She broke shamelessly down and sobbed into the puffy surface of the cloud. Her tears seeped so endlessly into the thing that it began to rain lightly.
She was still wearing her shadowbolt costume.
The knife that had nipped at her for so long had sunken deeply home, never to be removed again.
It was a knife of jealously, of neglect. Perhaps it was just pride. Perhaps Rainbow was just a big selfish foal, being moody and crying about her friends stealing the limelight.
Or perhaps it was underestimation. She didn't need Applejack to honestly tell her that she had the talents of a true hero.
Rainbow was worthy of being a Wonderbolt, more than worthy. She could break the sound barrier, performing a feat that ponies considered legendary. That alone was a superpower.
That superpower brought Twilight and the others together, forming the new Elements of Harmony. When she was A FILLY. Rainbow Dash was the key of the most powerful beings in Equestria.
She was worthy of being a princess.
But she was kicked out of Cloudsdale College. She spent her days bucking clouds and flying about, looked upon by most as a regular pony, seen by her friends and fellow Spirits of Harmony as a regular pony. It wasn't enough for her.
If her friends saw her as a normal pony, then fine. They weren't her real friends. She didn't need them.
Rainbow Dash was coming to terms with the emotions that had been building up within her throughout her whole life. The cold, cold knife began dissolving her powerful barriers of trust in her friends, of her belief it would all be alright, of her pure, pure Loyalty.
Trembling, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes.
You are more than this.
I know.
You can be more than this.
I know I can.
You don't have to wear a mere necklace.
You can wear the crown.
Far away, in Twilight's library, the red thunderbolt of the Element of Loyalty began to dim in color. The ruby red faded to a pinkish grey, somehow sending a blast of cold wind across the other Elements. But no more than that.
Rainbow Dash stopped shaking. She opened her eyes, newly filled with fresh determination.
She lifted her head and looked upon the horizon, where the first rays of sunlight were appearing over the mountain. The sun was beginning to rise.
She was no longer restricted by her Loyalty to her friends. She had let it all go and unleashed her full powers. She could cast out her full light and shine like the sun.
And like the rising sun before her, it was only the beginning.
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Something tells me that Twilight and the others are going to learn a real hard lesson in friendship.
I wonder who the first target is...
3424366 Oh, they'd better. Mare-Do-Well was the worst thing ever. Even some fans didn't like the episode at all.
Do you have this whole story planned out? Do you know exactly how it's going to go?
AAAAAHHHHHHH!!! I LOVE THIS!
got any idea how often this will update?
Saddening. This sort of feels like how Rainbow became insane from nightmares, only with the pain of jealously that took her over, making her slowly become unloyal and possibly make her snap into thinking that she is good for anything, which she clearly is.javascript:smilie('
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3424744
Yes, I do. And you would fall to your knees if you knew what I was planning.
Try reading this chapter listening to 'End of Loyalty': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP28YlFaLBM
It sets the scene.
OMG this is amazing. You sure like rainbow dash.
3428575 Try me!
Black Kyurem doesn't care about what happens in the real series!
Awesome story! Really well written
3429014
Naw, jk. You decide wether the rest will be okay, its up to you.
3437173 Haha, fair enough.
3435771
Why thank you!
3440555 anytime! You deserve it
Yes! To all of this!
I like how you made her go through the motions of the canon ending. The question now is...
Will she become a hero
or a villain
Hm... this is a premise that, so far, I've yet to see any difference in execution from the whole 'Rainbow does not forgive' plot. I mean, don't get me wrong, I look upon the actual episode with unfathomable, yet definable, rage, but... well, I hope to NOT see Rainbow Dash go villain. It's been done.
3472167
Oh hell no. I'd never turn my favorite character into a monster... like SOME fanfic writers have... involving factories and rainbows...
But she's not quite loyalty anymore either... you'll just have to wait to find out... and you won't have to wait much longer....
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Okay then.
Hm... I might make a blog about Fix Fics and Mare Do Well. XD A venting blog, but still.
The moment the sun rose, 'Soul on Display' started to play. I am quite curious as to where this is going
I will be watching the next chapters.
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Yeah, I'm soo sorry for the long waits in between chapters.
I've got two stories and one faulty wi-fi, and it sucks. 
PLEEEASE be patient with me 
, and even if you don't I won't blame you. 
Amazing Story
guess who I am! 
monkeys can't wait for the next chapter 
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Hey there, Banana Split!!!
Glad to see you! I haven't been able to work on this chapter because I have two stories, one fautly wi-fi, and not enough time. I guess you'll have to wait a while...
But if I'm feeling generous, I might give you sneak peeks...
Wub the story can't wait for next update
Didn't she drop out?
Finally! I never liked the Mare Do Well thing for a few reasons. One it made Rainbow look bad. Two, the mane 5 were dicks. Three, the lesson taught was terrible. This story actually does Rainbow justice
Well twilight dad gum screwed up this time, REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, let me get this straight. whenever somepony no longer feels the element of harmony they embody, the element itself starts fading in color?
interesting, i want to see the rest of the mane six's reactions when they see that dash's element is starting to fade
i have a feeling it's going to be something like, twilight notices the element and calls her friends to see also and they start to worry about dash.
i'm excited to find out what happens in the next chapter
just the fact that it mentioned something from season 1, it's setting something true
reminds me of this other fanfic i'm reading right now
they are your real friends dash! don't give up!!!!!!!!!
once i read that, i was like...
well, crap. rainbow has given up her loyalty, just like in the song shown at the beginning of the fic
That might be a story I would read. Also, what’s with the mirror? Also, how can you confuse rainbow dash with a bad guy?
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especially on nightmare night where everyone is wearing costumes