Tales from the Dark Side of the Mirror

by GrimWolf

I Can('t) Help!

No!...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...Huh?!...What's that light?!...oh, it's daytime? Why isn't it super hot?

Oh! Hi there! My name is Rainbow Crash, nice to meet ya! Huh? Why am I on the roof of our club house? I live here!...the girls banished me up here. I keep asking them to let me come back and they keep saying 'No! You're still banished.' I kinda deserved it...What did I do? Well...

---

“Can somepony please carefully bring me that vial on the corner there?” Twilight said, pouring some yellow chemical things together in her little lab thing. She spent a lot of time there. I think Spike was sleeping at the time so he couldn't help. “And be careful! If you drop it, it might explode!”

“I'll get it Twilight!” I called, being the helpful friend I am and got it in my hooves.

“NO RAINBOW CRASH!!!”

BOOM!

---

Twilight said I just dropped it, but I tripped!...While flying...It could happen to anypony, even awesome flyers like me. Right? Right.

And it's not all bad living up here! I get to sleep outside under the stars!...Even if Princess Luna makes it really, really, really, really cold at night and Celestia makes it really, really hot during the day. But other than the frost bite and the sunburns it's great!...Though come to think about it, last night was pretty nice, and it's not super hot right now. I can't remember the weather ever being this nice! Maybe that's why I slept so well last night! Well, for me anyway!

Huh? So you want to know about my dream?

Uh...let me think...

I was an awesome superhero in cool powered armor! I saved everypony and helped everypony! I even managed to rebuild Cloudsdale, to make it back to how it used to be and everypony loved me!...But then...Cloudsdale fell apart...then it turned out all the good things I did just turned out to be bad things in the long run...And everypony hated me and banished me, then built a prison for me in the place they banished me to...and made me sit in the corner there...Then...then...SHE showed up...she...she...

Uh...I-I can't remember anything after that, but I'm sure everything turned out great in the end! Why wouldn't it with a pony as awesome and helpful as I am as the hero? I bet it turned out SHE was just being a big bully and making it LOOK like I did everything wrong!...Right? Right!

Where was I? Oh yeah! I'm still banished to the roof! It's nice but...I miss staying downstairs with everypony...How am I supposed to be helpful while I'm stuck on the roof?

Oh! There's Applejack! I wonder where she's going!

“Applejack!”

I'll just jump off and glide down! Okay, just gotta land-OW!

“Ouchies...are you okay, Applejack?”

“Rainbow, get the buck off meh!”

“Sorry...”

I didn't mean to land on her, it must have been a wind current or something, even a great flyer can sometimes crash.

I get off Applejack and try to help her up, but she knocks me off and gets up herself. Oh! Right, Applejack doesn't like getting helped up!

“Where ya going, Applejack?” I asked, giving her a cheerful and helpful smile.

“Gonna go rob an Apple store!” she said, adjusting that really cool hat of hers. Applejack is so badflank! I think she and Scootaloo would get along really well!...Applejack's so lucky, her little sister's best friends with her! I wonder why she doesn't like going to see her...or introduce me...

“Cool! Can I help?!” I asked, giving my best 'I'm ready to help' face.

“NO!” Applejack yelled, I whimpered and pulled back.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad...”

She gave a sigh and looked at me. “Ugh...Look, Rainbow, this requires bein' stealthy, and yah ain't that, got it?”

“Okay...maybe next time?”

“If Ah need to cause some property damage, Ah might call yah, alright?”

“Okay!”

Yay! I might get to help Applejack! I love helping my friends! Like that time I accidentally crashed into the food at that banquet! Pinkamena was so grateful I did that! I was helpful!

Anyway, Applejack left to do her thing, and I'm not allowed to go into the house...Oh! I could go watch Scootaloo and maybe try to get her to notice me!

Huh? Why do I like Scootaloo so much?! Why wouldn't I?! She's so popular! And she's so badflank, just like me! She's fast, just like me! She's a 'bad filly' like my friends and me! She's awesome just like me, except she's one hundred and twenty percent cooler! When she does a stunt, she doesn't crash!...When she goes fast, she doesn't crash. When she tries to do something awesome she doesn't trip and set off a chain reaction that destroys the entire room. When she tries being a bad filly, she does it...She's just like me but better!

Oh! And she's on TV! How can you not think a pony who's on TV isn't awesome?!...Except the Princesses, when they're on TV, it's bad...Oh! And that time Pinkamena bought a public access show with Applejack's Grandma's money to teach ponies to eat better, and Twilight got jealous of all the attention she was getting...Or when Applejack's grandma got on TV asking her to come home. Applejack must have really hated that since she broke the TV...

I try to get Scoot's attention all the time, but I just end up crashing...Sometimes into a camera pony or into a bunch of trashcans... or into a camera pony THEN into a trashcan... I think it's cause I don't sleep well the night before, I'm just so anxious! That makes sense, right? Right! And at least I still get on TV when that happens!...Even if I get laughed at...Especially that one time I crashed into a skunk den and stunk for a week. Twilight needed something to test some smell remover stuff so it all worked out! That was good luck!

Huh? Why am I friends with the others? Well, Applejack protects me when I make ponies mad! Pinkamena makes sure I eat healthily and patches me up when I get hurt! Twilight is so cool with all her experiments and sometimes I get to be a test subject! Rarity uses me as a model sometimes! And Fluttershy...we've known each other since we were kids...I can trust her.

They care about me, isn't that a good reason to stay with them?

And I have other friends too! Like...

“Rainbow?”

“Gilda!”

My friend Gilda walked up to me. She's is such a cool griffin! She's a royal guard!...To be a royal guard right now is really, really brave. She's also really nice and no matter what she never yells at me. She got an award for representing Temperance like the Film Flam Brothers got one for being fair! Isn't that awesome! Huh? What does Temperance mean? Uh...I think it means self-control or something...

Anyway, Gilda wasn't wearing that cool red armor of her's. I don't know what it means, just that it's different than the other guards. Which means she wasn't going to have to rush off suddenly on duty! Yay!

“Hello, Rainbow,” she replied, giving me a hug. “...How are you today?”

“I'm doing good! I actually slept well last night!”

“Yeah, so did I...” Gilda said, giving a smile. Why wouldn't she have slept well before now? Well, she's been really worried about keeping ponies safe from the Princesses! She's a guard after all!

We ended up sitting on the roof for awhile. Sometimes we do that. The others don't like having a guard there, except AJ, but she doesn't arrest them. Huh? Why not?

“...Gilda...if my friends are bad ponies...why don't you ever arrest them?” I asked.

Gilda rubbed her head. “Well...mainly because I've had bigger fish to fry. Your friends aren't...really that good at being bad girls...besides, AJ would enjoy that too much.”

“Yeah, she would!” I reply with a smile.

“...Dash...You know I don't like you hanging out with those five, right?” she asked me, looking sad. “They're a bad influence.”

“...Then why do you let me?”

“...Because there ain't a lot of places you're happy. They're not really hurting anypony, and from what I've seen they actually care about you...I don't like it, but you're better off with them than without them...for now at least...At least you actually feel safe here...”

“Oh...thanks Gilda...”

“...But I've got some more fines for you to give them.”

Wow, what did Pinkamena do this time? That's a big one for her!

Huh? How do I know Gilda? We grew up together. When I was younger and ponies got angry at me, she never did...no matter how much I deserved it. When...when SHE tried to...Gilda protected me...Gilda always tries to encourage me to try to do things better. She's just...nice to me. She always has been.

“So Rainbow, uh...look,” Gilda started. “Ya busy today?”

“Huh? No...” I replied. “I was actually trying to figure what I wanted to do today...Why?”

Huh? Why does Gilda look like that? She's not sad, she just seems kinda...conflicted. Did I do something wrong?

“...Rainbow, the Weather Team is trying to make some storms to end this drought, they asked me to get any pegasi or Griffins I knew to help, they're kinda short hooved and need help...You see, the Princesses-”

Gilda wanted me to help make a storm? Yay! I love doing stuff with Gilda!...We hadn't had any time to really hang out for awhile. Gilda's a guard...she...she had to go away for awhile, right? She...she wouldn't have just stopped hanging out with me if she hadn't been busy, right? She'd never leave me right? Right.

But now we get to do something together again! I get to help Gilda! Yay!

“Rainbow? Are you listening?”

“Yeah!” I jumped up and hugged her. “I get to help do the weather with you!”

“...Yeah...” said Gilda, then smiled. She hugged me back. “It'll be a blast...”

---

“Alright, Rainbow Dash,” Gilda told me, they two of us in the clouds with a bunch of other pegasi and griffins. Cool! Maybe I can show them how cool and helpful I can be! “This should be something you can handle, okay?”

“Anything!” I replied, trying to look eager!

“They need some help busting up the clouds that are already up here.”

I blinked. “But I thought we were making a storm.”

“We are,” said Hoops. He's this really smart stallion we know. Well more Gilda than me. He adjusted his glasses. “But the clouds the Princesses allowed to be created are saturated with the dark magic they possessed, such that they could react violently if a storm is triggered utilizing them them.”

“Uh...They what now?” I asked, blinking.

He gave an annoyed sigh. “There's evil magic in the clouds the Princesses put up. If we use them to make a storm, something bad might happen.”

“Oh...okay...sorry...”

I would've got it first try if he weren't using such big words.

“...It's okay, Rainbow, simply do your job, okay?”

“Okay! Bust clouds, I can do that!” I shouted, giving a salute.

“Yes, breaking things is a talent of yours, one that should be put to good use here.”

Gilda elbowed him and then nodded. “Alright, Dash, let's do this.”

So we got to busting clouds! Huh? How do I know how? What pegasi doesn't? And I'm a good helper at it! I can help clear the sky in ten minutes flat! Especially with Gilda helping me!

I pull my hooves back and buck one, BAM! Gone! Gilda slashes another one in half! We both hit another and get rid of it together!

We both zoom around smashing up clouds left and right. Gilda can't buck (she's not a pony), but she sure knows how to use those claws to smash 'em up! Okay, fly up then back down right through a cloud, Gilda doing the exact same thing! Okay, still a lot left but we're doing it! Gilda was smiling! I'm smiling! I missed this so much! I...I missed Gilda, I missed doing things with her...with my other friends...I-

“You're doing good Rainbow!” Gilda called.

OW!

“Rainbow, you alright?!” Gilda called, flying down to check on me after I crashed into the ground.

“Y-Yeah, I just wasn't watching where I was going. Was too busy with how much fun we're having!”

But...when I back in the sky. I just kept crashing. I kept hitting the ground. Somehow I ended up hitting one of the good clouds they brought in. They shouldn't have put them there!

“...Rainbow?”

“Huh?! What?” I asked, jumping. “What Gilda?”

She slashed a cloud in half. “What's wrong? You seem distracted...”

“I don't know,” I replied, pinning my ears. “I think I just got a piece of cloud in my eye. Can't see where I'm going.”

Yeah, that's it, I had clouds in my eyes! We were busting SO many!

No way am I gonna mess up! Not when Gilda's counting on me! Huh? I busted a cloud while I was talking to her.

Why do I care about making Gilda proud so much?...Because this is the first time I've been able to do anything with her in forever! And she's never given up on me...I don't want her to give up on me...

“Captain Gilda!”

Huh? A guard called her right as I went to buck-

“GAH!”

...Oops...

“Sorry, Hoops!” I called. Oh, wait, he can't talk right now, I missed the cloud and kicked him in that place stallions hate to get kicked in...now he's on the ground. That Guard distracted me so I didn't notice him there!

“Ugh...Rainbow?”

I turned to Gilda as she came back, huh? Why does she look so disappointed?

“Yeah, Gilda?”

She rubbed the back of her head. “Uh, Rainbow, look. We just got some intel and we found Spitfire. They need my help to come and help take her in. I gotta go...”

“S-Spitfire?!” I asked, practically yelled. Spitfire? N-No, not H-HER!

Why am I afraid of HER?! Because she's one of Celestia's minions, that's why! And...and when...she...in Flight School...NOTHING! NOTHING HAPPENED! I BARELY KNOW HER! Can we please stop talking about HER?!

“Yeah, but don't worry, she lost that power up Celestia gave her, I shouldn't have too much trouble with her now,” Gilda replied.

“O-Oh no. If she lost anything, she's going to be upset, and when she's upset she gets mad, and when she-”

Gilda gave me a hug. “Rainbow, calm down!...Don't worry, she ain't gonna hurt ya ever again!...I swear I won't let her.”

Why would she say that? B-B-Because we're friends! She doesn't need any other reason, right? Right! Of course, it's right! STOP TALKING ABOUT SPITFIRE PLEASE!

“O-Okay...” I said, why am I shivering?

“Alright...good luck, Rainbow, and glad that we got to hang out for a bit...”

“Yeah...yeah, it was...”

We hugged and she flew away...T-To beat Spitfire...to...to make sure SHE never hurts m-anypony! Ever again! Huh? Why...why didn't I ask if I could help?...I...I just didn't think she needed my help is all. That makes sense, right? Right! Now back to cloud busting and stop talking about HER!

Ah! Come back here clouds! Why are you running away from me?! Stop it! Bad clouds!

Now ponies are laughing at me! It's not my fault the clouds are running away from me! I...I'm going to let Gilda down...I can't let her down the one time...the one time we were doing something together in forever...I-If I let her down she might stop believing me and if that happened I...I...

But what could I do? The clouds are making this hard! Why?! It...it must just be the bad magic that the Princesses put in it! That's it! They're just mean!...Oh! Wait! I have an idea! If they're going to move every time I try to kick one of them, then maybe I'll just wrangle them all up and bust them all at once! That's smart, right? Right!

Here we go! Gotcha you stupid clouds! Now stay right here while I get your friends! Grab these ones over here, and these over here, and bunch them all together right here in the middle of the sky! See? I told you I'm an awesome helpful pony!

Nope! None of you clouds are getting away! Not a single one! I'm not letting Gilda down! I'll show her she's right about me! And...and SHE'S wrong! Wow, I forgot I could move this so fast! And...and I'm not crashing all over the place! I might really do it! Yay! Gilda will be so proud of me!

Okay, all the clouds are all packed up super tight together! Huh? Why is Hoops screaming at me to stop? All I need to do is bust it and them I'm done!

GGGGGGAAAAAAAHHHH!

Ow...I think I got electrocuted...everything tastes purple...

Huh? Is it raining? Or hailing? It's so heavy I can't tell...

“You idiot!”

“Huh?” I open my eyes and see Hoops glaring down at me. The pegasi and griffins behind him are trying to make the clouds stop, but they keep getting zapped by lightning.

“I told you that the dark magic could have a bad reaction if triggered! You've set off a wild storm!”

I whimpered, pinning my ears. “That's...bad, right?”

The wind is blowing really hard, the rain is stinging my face.

“I. Don't. Know.”

“Huh?”

He rubbed his head like he had a headache. “It's a wild storm! There's no TELLING what it is going to do and pegasi can't stop it! And King Sombra can't just put up a shield to protect us this time! All we can do is just wait it out! And do you have ANY idea how much trouble that is going to cause?!”

“A-A lot?” I asked. No...I didn't...I...The clouds must have...have...

“If anypony had plans for tonight, they don't now!” he yelled at me. “Everything is going to have be canceled and rescheduled! You've ruined everypony in Canterlot's day, Rainbow Crash! Do you get that? No sports games of any kind. No plays. No concerts. No nights on the town. Because everypony is going to be too busy seeking shelter in case this gets very bad!”

“I...I didn't mean to...I'm...I'm sorry...”

“Sorry? You triggered a WILD STORM that no pony can control! Sorry will not cut it!”

No...I...he told me that...I...I just wanted to...

---

“Who are you trying to fool, Rainbow Crash? You think you're going to ever be able to do anything? You're never gonna get anywhere in school because because you're too stupid! You're never going to get anywhere flying because you're a klutz! You're never going to make it in the guard because you're too soft!” the fiery pony yelled at me...again...and again...and again...towering over me like an inferno. I feel so tiny that she could squash me like an ant, those orange eyes glowing like embers, her mane like fire. I feel like I'll burst into flames if she gets any closer. “You're nothing but a loser and that's all you ever will be!”

---

“Rainbow...are you crying?” Hoops asked me, looking at me surprised.

“No! I'm...It's just rain! And I caused it! I'm a stupid pony for causing it! I'm a bad pony who can't do a single thing right!”

He took a step back from me. The ground was already muddy.

“I...I have to do something!”

Gilda, I...I can't let her down...I...I don't want to lose her...I don't want her to be mean to me...

“Rainbow, I just told you! It's a wild storm! There's nothing you CAN do!”

“Well, I'm not letting Gilda down the one time she trusted me!” He tried to stop me, but I just shoved him away.

I flew back up and started trying to use pegasus magic to try and do something-AHHH!

Ow...stupid lightning!

I kept flying up to try and stop it...but I just kept getting hit by lightning and knocked back down...ow...this really hurts. Aren't pegasi not supposed to get hurt by lightning?

“Rainbow, stop it!” Hoops finally yelled, grabbing me and actually managing to hold me back.

“Stop it! I have to do this...I...I don't want to...”

Gilda...First chance I got in forever to actually help her...and I make such a mess out of it! I...I...I don't deserve a friend like her...Maybe she'd be right to lose her faith in me...

“And how will Gilda react if you're dead?!”

I stop struggling. “She...why...why do you...you hate me so why do you...”

Everypony hates me...my friends are the only ones that care about me...

He lets me go and flies in front of me. “...Because you're a pony. I know the idea is probably a foreign concept to you considering the kind of attention you normally attract, but ponies don't let other ponies harm themselves!...And regardless, you are still Gilda's friend, and even if this is all your fault, she'd never forgive me if I allowed you to kill yourself!”

“O-Oh...”

This felt weird...I...I don't know how to...

“T-Thanks...But...but what can-”

“Have no fear! Captain Goodguy is here!”

We looked over to see Captain Goodguy standing on a building all cool like he always does! Yay! Captain Goodguy was here!

“Help get ponies to safety, leave the storm to me!” he called, giving us umbrellas out of nowhere, which kinda got torn up by the storm really quick. Then he flew up and began to suck some kind of black stuff out of the clouds into a bubble he made from bubble gum.

So...me and Hoops rushed to get ponies inside...I ended up breaking some windows, but telling ponies about it wasn't that hard...It helped I was too hurt to really fly too well right now with how hurt I was, so I didn't have a lot of opportunities to crash...

The storm was getting less bad, but it was still really hard to see with how bad it was pouring. I got separated from Hoops and-ow!

“You! You caused it?! We should've known it'd be you!”

Somepony tackled me out of the air and into a wall...ow...

I looked up to see three pegasi. One of them is white and had a black belt Cutie Mark. Another is black furred with a knife Cutie Mark, and a third one is Score, one of Hoops's friends with a football Cutie Mark. He wasn't super strong, but he was smart enough he was still on a national team with strategy.

“Blackbelt, that was a little rough, don't you think?” Score asked, but Blackbelt just pushed him aside.

“Hi...I...I messed up...you're right to be upset but...I'm sorry-”

Ow! Blackbelt punched me in the face...ow...I think I'm going to have a black eye...

“You're sorry?!” he yelled. “My tournament got ruined because of your stupid storm!”

“Blackbelt, calm down!” Score yelled, trying to stop him.

“Are you defending her, geek?” he asked, making Score take a step back. “YOUR game got canceled too!”

“Y-Yes, but I didn't want to hurt her! Just...tell her off, you know?”

“Tell her off? How's this for telling this waste of space off?!”

OW! I think I have a burn there!

“Please stop!” Score begged but got knocked aside.

“...Don't try to stop him, Score...” I told him. “I deserve this...”

Score looked at me in shock.

OW! It's okay...I deserve it...I'm a nasty, stupid, worthless pony... I can never do anything right...I'm never going to ever be able to do anything... I'm never gonna get anywhere because I'm too stupid...I'm never going to get anywhere flying because I'm a klutz...I could never make it into the guard because I'm too soft...I'm nothing but a loser and that's all I ever will be!

Score tried to stop Blackbelt, but he just pushed him out of the way and kept hitting me. The other pony starts kicking me too.

“What's going on here?”

Huh?

There was this light purple unicorn standing in the alley, keeping this pretty glimmering shield around her to keep the rain off her...Wow! She just put it above the entire alley without a second thought!...Ow...

“Starlight Glimmer?!” Blackbelt yelled, looking really surprised.

Starlight? But...wait...what...I don't...she's supposed to be up north...

“I was helping get civilians to safety and heard the commotion, what's going on?” she asked politely.

“She bucking caused it and we're teaching her a lesson!” the knife pony called.

“I see...” Wow, she has a scary glare... She pointed to Score. “Since you appear to be the only rational pony here, please tell me what's going on.”

“We already told you-”

“QUIET!”

Wow, that was loud. The knife cutie marked pony looked scared.

“I was asking him,” Starlight said, looking to Score.

“Y-Yes ma'am...She...she DID cause the storm...but I just wanted to call her out! I didn't think she deserved to get beat up over an accident!” Score replied.

“He's wrong...I deserve this...” I said, not even trying to move.

Starlight watched us silently. “Well, I can sympathize with you, but at this point, only Mr...”

“Score, M-Miss Glimmer...”

“Mr. Score and your target are the only ones not on the verge of being guilty of attempted assault and battery,” she explained, sounding kind of like mom when she was really mad at me. “If you kindly step aside, I'll be taking her into protective custody until Flim and Flam can take a look at her case and give her a just and fair ruling.”

I'm being arrested?...I deserve it...I deserve everything...

Blackbelt snarled. “No way! I'm not letting this little, walking disaster get off with a slap on the wrist!”

“Uh, Blackbelt, this is Starlight Glimmer we're talking about,” the knife cutie mark pony said, looking scared... “You know, the one ROYAL GUARDS ask to train them?!”

“Shut up, Chop! You know the loser deserves this!”

Starlight kept that stern face. “She won't be 'let off easy,' but neither will you if you lay one more hoof on her, Mr. Blackbelt.”

Blackbelt just got angrier while Chop backed away with his ears pinned back. Blackbelt snapped around and tried to do a judo chop to my head...

There was a bright flash, and Starlight was over me with a shield around me to block him. “Tsk, using your special talent for martial arts to abuse a defenseless mare? Forgive me if I consider that a personal insult.”

Blackbelt took a step back. “Her special talent is being a loser and a klutz!”

Wow...Starlight looks really, really, really mad...

“Oh really? You think there's such a thing as a bad special talent? Forgive me if I disagree.”

Blackbelt gave a glare. He tried throwing some really fast punches at her, but she dodged the first punch, then blocked another with a force field. He then did some kind of fancy spinning kick, but she sent him crashing with a wind spell I didn't know.

“I expected this from you,” Starlight told him, looking at him, her eyes and horn flashed for a moment. She sounded so...disappointed... “Ponies like you who look down on others need to examine themselves first. For example, your talent is martial arts, but you have no discipline. True martial artists never use that skill to harm the defenseless, or pursue a petty vendetta. You could be so much more.”

“What do you know?!” he asked, charging lightning into his hooves and diving at her with some kind of punch I don't know either...

Starlight caught him with a force-field, the teleported above him faster than I could blink and sent him into the ground with a beam, then landed on his back, pinning him down.

“For starters, I've got some martial artists as teachers at Our Town, the best in the kingdom. You could be one of them if you tried,” she then used a stun spell on him. How do I know what that is?...I've crashed into a guard training exercise and gotten zapped by one before. “You're welcome to come if you like, once your sentence is passed.”

She looked up at Chop and her horn and eyes flashed. “What is your special talent?”

“Uh...knife fighting, ma'am. That's it...”

“...I see...Repeat after me: you don't want to hurt this mare.”

He gulped. “I don't want to hurt this mare...”

“You want to go home and rethink your life.”

“I want to go home and rethink my life...”

“Good. Go do that. And by Chrysalis' mane, stop caring so much about what others think and make what you ENJOY making! You've got a cooking cutie mark, wear it proud!”

Huh?

He blinked. “How did you know...”

“You carry yourself as a tough guy. You're either the genuine article or got a 'girly' talent and desire to look tough, and given your current behavior and that you lied about your talent, it leans more towards the latter. I've seen it a million times. You'll never reach your true potential if you care so much about what others think you stop carrying what YOU want. And it's perfectly possible to be a manly chef if it means so much to you. Come to Our Town and I know a few ponies who will gladly teach you, understood?”

“T-Thank you...” Wow, I didn't know he could run THAT fast.

Starlight then trotted over to me and...she helped me up along with Score. I stared at her hoof.

“You're touching me...”

“Yes.”

“You're Starlight Glimmer and you're touching me.”

One of Equestria's big heroes is touching me. And she's not trying to stop me from helping one of my friends do something bad! That's never happened before!

“Yes, I know,” she said, looking proud. She should be, she's a big hero, not a loser like me... “You seem to have gotten yourself into a lot of troubles, haven't you?”

“...Yeah...I deserve it...”

“Do you now?...I do believe we have a lot to talk about...What's your name? You seem familiar...”

“Rainbow Crash...”

“...Gilda's friend?”

“...Y-Yeah...she talks about me?”

I wasn't surprised, I knew Gilda knew all the big goods...

“Yes, she's actually asked me to talk to you quite some time...She said you're a good pony and she believes in you...you just need a little help learning to believe in yourself...And I'm inclined to agree...Perhaps I can be of some help, Miss Crash...”

“...I don't deserve your help...I'm not worth it...”

“That's something you need to learn about me, Miss Crash: everypony is equal to me, they're ALL worth it. Now come along...we have much to discuss...”

To be Continued...

Comments

[Jordan179]

I like the idea that the good version of Starlight Glimmer tries to elevate everypony to the highest expressions of their personal talents.

[ShadowLDrago]

“I expected this from you,” Starlight told him, looking at him, her eyes and horn flashed for a moment. She sounded so...disappointed... “Ponies like you who look down on others need to examine themselves first. For example, your talent is martial arts, but you have no discipline. True martial artists never use that skill to harm the defenseless, or pursue a petty vendetta. You could be so much more.”

As a martial artist, I'm with her. I also REALLY like this version of Starlight, and kinda feel bad for Rainbow Dash. Crash, whatever.

“...I see...Repeat after me: you don't want to hurt this mare.”
He gulped. “I don't want to hurt this mare...”
“You want to go home and rethink your life.”
“I want to go home and rethink my life...”

“That's something you need to learn about me, Miss Crash: everypony is equal to me, they're ALL worth it. Now come along...we have much to discuss...”

That's, an interesting spin on Starlight's equality philosphy, I really like it.

[Godiswithus3]

.................when I first heard of Rainbow Crash, I found it amusing that she's kind of a klutz..........but this chapter caused me to sympathyze with her. And as the chapter kept progressing, the more depressed I was getting..........I'm glad Rainbow is getting some help she needs.

And I'm very much loving this Starlight Glimmer. She is a intelligent, a good debater, and can defend herself well. I love her.

[Julian the Dreamer]

... God, this version of Rainbow has serious self-esteem issue.
I really hope Starlight can help her.