The Fires of Friendship: Loyalty Comments (Also on the Real Fires)

by Silent Shade

I'm Talking About IRL Fires Too, Really, Does this count as Allusion?

You know. I never paid much attention in those history classes I was forced to take during my time at Flight Camp and beforehoof. My mind was in other places. After all, I could’ve been outside. Flying! Soaring through the sky and laying amongst the clouds! Without a worry in the world! I would come up with move and tricks so amazing that the Wonderbolts would just have to accept me! And I would be among the greatest flyers in all of Equestria! No, the Greatest Flyer in Equestria!
If you knew me, which is likely, I'm so radical that everypony knows my name! And if they haven't, they live under a rock and they will! Anyway, the point being you shouldn't be surprised with me pointing this out.

I'll be frank; I'm as dumb as a post. I ain’t an egghead like Twilight. I'm a doer. I achieve the impossible! But that doesn't mean I know nothing, or that I don't think deep deep thoughts. However, it’s not like that because I would be moving my wings so much during class that random facts to entire lectures are now stuck in my head. Hehe… Looking back, that’s probably how I managed to get through my classes without completely failing. I never knew how I did make it through those tests until that time with Twilight and the gang helping me with that Wonderbolts exam. Then again, me ‘getting through’ wasn't the most impressive thing in my career known as being pure awesome.

My point in mentioning this, being that – especially during the more interesting bits – I do know of many important moments in history. Especially the Hearth Warming’s Tale, ya know – where I last played as Commander Hurricane. He was pretty cool, but he had some obvious flaws along with the other leaders, ahem. Moving along.

Remember when you first read or watched the Hearth Warmings’ Tale? Or even every time after? You probably wondered to yourself, “How could ponies hate each other in such a way? How could they be so unreasonable? So intolerable to one another… Why was there so much hatred?”
And then appears that condescending feeling in your mind and gut. How you neither have nor will ever behave in such a fashion. How barbaric it would be! … Ok I'm imagining Rarity right now, sorry if you are reading this in advance.

While we may never behave exactly like Commander Hurricane, Princess Platinum, or Chancellor Puddingham in the story – that doesn't mean we don't act like them in tiny little ways. Perhaps even in many different, little ways. Ways we never notice in the moment or perhaps ever.

Sometimes, ponies swear I’m the Element of Honesty with how I often come down on ponies with my cold, blunt truth. And they're right. I never really think before I speak, it makes me look pretty stupid sometimes. But what is important, is that sometimes I am the biggest jerk to my friends and I never notice. Especially to Fluttershy, my longtime friend since before Flight Camp, who is also practically a sister to me. Even though it may not seem like it at first glance… I am better with it and especially to her. But… something that I'll never be able to forgive myself for, is how I raced for Fluttershy’s honor, when it was really only for the thrill of the race and the chance to put those bullies in their place… but was what happened next worth it? That I flew by her, causing her to fall potentially fall to her death. It’s not like I was ignorant of how her wings locked up when extremely nervous or scared. It was practically all the time! I should have known better. If it weren't for those butterflies, she'd be dead. She almost disappeared for good because of my inability to focus on the true prize, because of my damned mostly deserved pride.

…Not everyponies’ faults are as evident as mine, but this is the best example I could pull from my own life. Little things can create big effects in other ponies and other species. Equestria’s greatest villains can be created from the bullying of foals and indifference of youth. In fact, a certain Mare of the Night dealt with this, but simply on a larger scale.
Now, you might be wondering, “Rainbow, why are you writing about this? Has something happened? Did you go on some super cool amazing adventure and learn some deep stuff after a radical trial? Why do you sound so out of character, you’re not this serious.”

Well, to most of that not so much. It was mostly Twilight who had most of the action, dealing with alicorn magic, raising the sun (poorly, I might add, it was quite funny at the time), fighting Tirek (so awesome!), gambling with the last of her magic to Tirek placing her faith and trust in our friendship, ultimately defeating him, and the first in perhaps truly forgiving Discord.

I suppose, I felt a little left out. I didn't have much a cameo as the awesome mare and Element of Loyalty I am. Speaking of that, we girls had talked about how we were still connected to the Elements and each other through the Tree of Harmony, and now through this ‘Rainbow Power’ (Why, yes, I am smirking at this. Rainbows rock!)
I became the Bearer of Loyalty not because I was chosen by the Element or Twilight, but because I was capable to and worthy to bear it. That means that I pretty much represent it to some fashion, but don't get me wrong. That doesn't mean it’s easy. I learned about that recently as well. But sometimes I go to my thinking cloud, that's where I do most of my really deep thinking, and lately I've been thinking about Ponies and Loyalty.

And I came to realize that we ponies can be total jerks for no logical reason. Take Zecora, minus her cool strips she looks just like a pony! Sure, she talks funny and lives like in the wildest part of Equestria, but that was no reason for all of Ponyville – including myself – to treat her that way. Sure everything is nice and dandy now, but in this land of peace and equality should that have even happened in the first place?! So uncool.

Everywhere, everypony seems to have an instance where they betray a fundamental part of what us Equestrians. They do something against what they are supposed to be. Against what they think they are.

And some ponies may just be silently suffering just waiting to burst and release that built up emotion. We ponies aren't perfect. We have our moments of stupidity. We can be greedy, lying, angry, cruel, apathetic, traitors. It may not be as strong as in the times of old, but did they think it was so obvious then?

Maybe. Maybe not. It’s all stories and horse apples now, right?

Something great about us ponies is our potential for making friends and good in the world. Together, we have all been learning the Magic of Friendship. How, all our problems can be fixed when we work together with our friends. And the magic is, that we all make each other stronger. We stop the greed, the lies, the anger and grief. We are forgiving to the cruel, we support the lonely, and we stand united against anyone who wishes to take that away from us.

Maybe when we all can think really hard about this then everyone, not just ponies, can create a true utopia. No more villains or troubles. No shattered dreams, damaged homes (or libraries), or faces empty, without friendship to bring light to their eyes.

Then again, everypony would probably get a bit lazy and fall out of practice. I'm the only one allowed to be lazy and I make sure to get my exercise in!

Anyway, I'm starting to run out of things to write, and being this serious is getting to be a little uncool. I should totally be flying now. But if you wonder why anypony would do something that just seems to terrible you just don't understand why; just remember that behind the anger, behind the apathy, there is some pain – some desire for love and tolerance. And we need to be the bigger pony and share it with them

Within the semi-faraway lands of the United States of Amareica, riots are breaking out between ponies that can’t seem to work out problems from centuries before. They are burning down buildings and places of work. Destroying other pony’s livelihood. Some of those ponies are there for a reason. Fewer are there for a cause. Some simply seem to have gone to pillage and plunder – to take advantage of the terrible situation the locals are facing. But some of those ponies are really there to try and solve the problems they face, peacefully – to bring about something meaningful. Trying to create the love and tolerance we appreciate in Equestria. Trying to build the Fires of Friendship.
My name is Rainbow Dash, and this entry is totally depressing. But hey, whenever things have gotten really bad are the times when we became our strongest.

~Rainbow Dash
Stay Loyal My Friends!
XI/XXIV/MMXIV

Author's Note:

I'm not sure this counts as allusion, but it's too late at night for me to do anything about that.
This was me trying to quickly write about what's currently (for me right now in this particular moment in time when I type this) going on just a few miles from where I live. In North County, St. Louis.
Comment if I did okay writing this, or not. Feel free to discuss what is going on in Ferguson is you feel the need, this situation is something some pony love and tolerance really needs to be shared with.

Also, I'm probably writing Rainbow extremely out of character. I'm hoping to scoot by since she's trying to be all serious. But you should probably interpret this as me speaking through RD. If you think I wrote a serious RD and that I didn't do too bad, please comment and tell me or give me some advise. My paranoia says this entire story has no flow and RD would never think like this. Help. Paranoia is too strong a foe.

Write again maybe? Look forward to it or don't. That's cool. Anyway, Later! (It's 1 AM for me right now, its time for bed)

Comments

[Doodleswirl]

this is very nicely done! i also love the message this fic brings

[Ozymandias42]

5310813
I agree to that.
In my opinion you succeeded with writing RD serious but not OOC.
I can't really say why exactly but I think you got her just right.
Everything that makes her herself was present. Her straightforward way of thinking, her self awareness and the way how she refuses to see things more complicated than they really are and is going straight to the core of a problem.

It is interesting, that you choose to write her this way. In some stories I have seen her as overly brash, as someone who jumps into action before thinking and sometimes even as someone who is pretty aggressive.
In other stories I have seen her to possess qualities that only compare to Applejacks 'hard but fair'-style.
I've seen her as someone who lives in the moment but as someone who does so in more awareness than she let's on.

To sum it up: I guess you could show every character as possessing more or less wisdom but it was nice it done with RD this time.
I think this side of her is not shown enough. Btw. another story where she shows to be much more than she first appears to be was It's dangerous going out of your house which was the prequel to Besides the Will of Evil. Also, even though she only has one chapter of her own in that story, I really liked her in The Great Alicorn Hunt.