Chapter 27
Rainbow Dash was doing what she was taught pegasi should never do: fly directly at the ground. She wasn’t diving, not flying in at an angle, but flying straight down as fast as she could go. There was every chance she could end up a pancake splattered on the ground below. However, that thought was pushed to the far back of her mind. This wasn’t the first time she’d done something she’d been explicitly told not to do, but this time the stakes were much higher.
Below, just out of reach, her friends were falling to their deaths. Fluttershy screamed as she tried to open her wings, but they were held tight by Nightmare Moon’s bonds. Even Twilight Sparkle’s impressive magic couldn’t break through the Nightmare’s spell. There was nothing to stop or even slow their descent except for the rocky ground below that was rapidly approaching.
Rainbow knew Shining Armor was out there with reinforcements, perhaps watching them right now, but they were too far out to make it in time. Even Shining’s magic, assuming he had recovered from his bout with Twilight, couldn’t affect ponies so far away and falling so fast. There was nopony else who could save them but her.
The wind whipped at Rainbow Dash’s face as it blew her mane and tail back. There were tears trickling down her cheeks that had nothing to do with the rushing wind tugging at her eyes. Five ponies, five friends, and not enough time to save them all. Who gets saved? Who’s left to die?
Fluttershy. No, never! Memories twisted in her gut of Fluttershy falling to the earth below while she raced to defend her honor, oblivious of her plight … and this time there was no cloud of butterflies to break her fall. She swore she’d never let Fluttershy down again. She was her oldest friend. The thought of somepony as soft and gentle and kind as her lying broken on the ground squeezed at her heart so hard Rainbow found herself fighting for breath.
Pinkie Pie. How could she even think of letting Pinkie fall? As strange and weird as the pink earth pony was, Rainbow doubted that even she would just bounce up and be fine after a fall like this. She wasn’t just full of life, it was like she was life. Always laughing, always bouncing, partying, bringing a smile to somepony’s face. How could the world continue on without her laughter making it better?
Applejack. A pony who offered to take her in without even knowing who she was, just because she could tell Rainbow needed a hoof. Always tough but remarkably gentle in her feelings. Honest and trustworthy. Ponies like her were the backbone of Equestria. How could Rainbow Dash leave her behind, especially having met her large family, all of whom loved and cared for her so much?
Rarity. It had taken her a while to warm up to the fussy unicorn, but seeing how much she loved her little sister, everything she’d sacrificed to get them this far—Rainbow Dash couldn’t imagine a Ponyville without her. No amount of beauty could replace what Equestria would lose if Rarity wasn’t there.
Twilight Sparkle. The funny, dorky, initially withdrawn, and insanely powerful Twilight. Shining Armor had tossed the two of them together because he knew they complimented each other and countered each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Twilight had just started to finally come out of her shell and start making friends. She had a bright future ahead of her if it didn’t end at the ground.
Rainbow Dash grit her teeth. No, No, No! She couldn’t do it! There was no way she could make a choice like that.
The different colored coats of her friends started to blur as they fell faster, like some fallen rainbow. Something started to click in her mind at that thought. C’mon Dash, think! She scrunched her eyes as she tried to probe the flicker that passing thought had provoked. On those occasions when Rainbow Dash needed to clear her thoughts or, conversely, think things through, a much rarer occurrence, flying always provided her the best inspiration.
Her friends, rainbows, something about the Elements of Harmony … what did it all mean?
The voices of her friends floated through her mind.
“…it wasn’t until I found some gemstones after an explosion of light…”
“There was this—I don’t know—this big explosion and this light and then my magic just went crazy!”
“But then I saw the most amazing rainbow that made me smile and smile until I never wanted to stop!”
"A rainbow seemed to point the way straight for home, so that's where I went..."
“But when they were startled away by this loud noise…”
An explosion. A rainbow. A loud noise. Her friends’ cutie marks. Rainbow’s eyes widened.
It was her sonic rainboom! That was the connection! They were all connected by her sonic rainboom. And there were six of them, just like there were six Elements of Harmony. There had to be a connection. But why didn’t it work earlier? Rainbow thought furiously. What was missing?
That’s when she thought back to her rainbow analogy. Each one of them part of a rainbow … it didn’t matter how bright each individual color was, it was the unity of them all that made them a rainbow! When she tried using the Elements before, she'd been alone. Now she wasn't.
Rainbow Dash felt a fierce grin tug at the corner of her lips. That was the secret! The six of them, together, were the key. Zecora had been trying to give Dash the hint the entire time. If she had just flown on ahead without them, she might’ve been able to avoid some of the obstacles they’d encountered and arrive sooner … but she wouldn’t have been able to defeat Nightmare Moon.
She needed her friends for that, and for so much more. And that’s when Rainbow Dash knew that they would win, because she could never let any of them drop. We’re in this together. And I don’t leave my friends hanging! Or falling! Her wings beat twice as hard as she hurled herself toward the ground. Her muscles ached, sweat beaded on her brow only to be swept away by the wind. She grunted as she felt the familiar push of a barrier in her way as she struggled and strained to fly through it.
Her old foe, how many times had she pushed and strained at that barrier only to have it snap her back and send her falling like a sack of potatoes? Too many times to count. The barrier sharpened as Rainbow plowed ahead. Each inch forward was marked with a dramatic increase of the pressure on her, threatening to shove her back. “N-no, not this time!” Dash flapped her wings harder, moving forward inch by inch. “Y-you’re not gonna keep me from them … you hear me? You’re not gonna stop me!”
She felt her tail and wings being tugged as if something behind her was trying to haul her away. But she couldn’t be; wouldn’t be. Not when her friends were still in front of her, and so close to the ground too.
Twilight, screaming as she fell, spun, her eyes catching Rainbow’s for a moment. Her pleading purple eyes met Dash’s determined magenta ones. Rainbow Dash redoubled her efforts. “C’mon … c’mon … hnnng!” She pushed and pushed, her wings sore and aching but she didn’t stop until…
KRA-BOOM!
The final barrier splintered and shattered like a pane of glass as Rainbow Dash did the impossible, for the second time in her life: a sonic rainboom.
Accompanying the breaking of the sound barrier was a bright rainbow-colored shockwave. Even the five ponies falling to their doom took a second to marvel at it, their eyes widening in amazement and recognition.
Soon the rainbow filled the length and width of their vision, their eyes awash with color. Colored hues started surrounding each pony, like the colored magic aura cast by a unicorn’s horn, only much larger and encompassing their entire bodies. Rainbow Dash was giving off a red pulse of light, even as she trailed the brightest rainbow ever seen behind her. She looked down to see Applejack surrounded in an orange light. Fluttershy gasped at the yellow surrounding her. Rarity pulsed with a green light while Pinkie Pie’s was blue and Twilight’s a distinct purple, all pulsing in synch.
Rainbow Dash was practically a blur as she flew underneath her friends. She proceeded to dart from pony to pony, tossing them on her back or clutching them in her hooves. One by one she did the impossible and grabbed them all: Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle. Nopony was left behind. Rainbow Dash pulled out of her sheer drop and dove upwards, still trailing rainbows in her wake.
Standing stock still at the top of the castle, Nightmare Moon’s jaw dropped in horror. She bellowed in anger and terror right before the shockwave of the rainboom struck her full on.
Rainbow felt a surge run through her, setting her body and her mind on fire. She absently deposited her friends back in the tower, still looking for Nightmare Moon. She spotted her crumpled up in a corner. As she stared at her, she felt the odd sensation of feeling something inside her being pulled towards her.
She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she was back in the mindscape Nightmare Moon had taken her into before. This time, though, Nightmare Moon was trapped. She was surrounded by a ring of fire that shimmered with every color imaginable, looking for all the world like her rainboom. She tried to break through, but let out a pained howl and fell back. It was then that she noticed Rainbow watching her. “You!”
“Me.” Rainbow saw the fire moving closer as the ring contracted, nodding with approval. “Doesn’t look like you have a lot of time left.”
“No!” Nightmare Moon whirled around. “This is not the end! I am eternal! I am—”
“Finished.” Rainbow walked over, stopping just on the other side of the rainbow fire. To her surprise, it didn’t even feel warm. “It’s all over.”
“Never!” Nightmare Moon hurled all her magic at the barrier, but the flames only grew brighter. She then tried flying over it, but the fire reached higher faster than she could ascend. Rainbow watched as the fire only grew fiercer the more the Nightmare struggled. Eventually she realized as much for herself. She staggered and fell clumsily on her rear as her knees gave out beneath her. She wore a defeated, crushed expression. “No, no…” Nightmare Moon shook her head, her denials probably sounding as weak to her as they did to Rainbow. “This isn’t right. This isn’t fair! I—I just wanted what my sister had.”
Rainbow folded her hooves across her chest. “What you had was trying to terrorize ponies into obeying you. What you had was brainwashing my friends, trying to torture me and, oh yeah, trying to murder us! How many more ponies would you have done that to just so you could get to be Queen?” She spat into the fire. “Does any of that sound like Celestia?”
She didn’t really expect an answer, but Nightmare Moon looked down and let out a shuddering breath. “...No.”
The admission caught her off guard but Rainbow soon rallied, not about to let her off that easy. “Do you have any idea how many lives you tore apart?” Rainbow pressed her face close to the fire. “You stole a mother away from her daughters and ripped siblings apart. You cost all of Equestria our Queen—your own sister! She’s gone because of you!”
“I didn’t want that!” Nightmare Moon protested.
To Rainbow’s confusion, she saw her blue misty mane and tail began to contract, becoming more streamlined. If Nightmare Moon noticed, she didn’t give any sign. Rainbow shrugged it off. “That’s all this is to you: what you want, what you don’t want. You wanted to be in charge? You want to be loved and respected? How do you think Celestia got to be that way—by obsessing over what she wanted?”
With a low moan, Nightmare Moon hung her head. “No … she always put her ponies first.”
“No kidding.” Rainbow exhaled, wondering what was even going on. “That’s how we beat you. It was when I stopped thinking of this as being about me: my destiny, my dreams, my payback, my … whatever.” She shrugged, shaking her head. “Makes it sound so easy, doesn’t it? It wasn’t. That was hard.”
Nightmare Moon sat down, away from the encroaching fire. “It’s difficult to put away the image you’ve constructed of yourself.” She licked her lips and Rainbow saw that her fangs were gone. “I so badly wanted to be seen the way my sister was. But ponies didn’t—wouldn’t—look at me that way. I was the mysterious thing in the night … overlooked at best, feared at worst.”
Against her own instincts, Rainbow couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity. It was hard to reconcile the image she had in her head for over two years of the monster she’d defeat—the creature who had cruelly and ruthlessly ripped away her teacher, her pride, her friends—with the pathetic pony sitting in front of her, contemplating her own end. “Yeah, well, what you did was go all-in on the being feared thing, didn’t you? What a shock: it turns out that if you’re feared, going out and trying to terrorize ponies makes them even more afraid.”
To her annoyance, Nightmare Moon didn’t try to argue or defend herself. She wasn’t being defiant to the end, like a villain in a Daring Do novel. Instead she was just … folding up and collapsing like a house of cards.
Rainbow shifted uneasily on her hooves, feeling the urge to fill the silence herself. “Ponies see what they want to see. Some ponies can be won over, some refuse to no matter what. Either way, you can’t force a pony to respect you. I mean, not without going crazy and using mind-magic to actually change their minds or something.” She winced, wishing she could take that back and really hoping she hadn’t given her any new ideas.
Nightmare Moon shook her head. “That would only cheapen it. It’s not real respect if you have to use magic to get it.”
“You mean like what you did to create the Shadowbolts? Or when you tried to threaten and terrorize ponies into respecting you?” Rainbow leaned in. “That’s not respect either. It’s how tyrants and monsters rule.”
“You’re right.” Nightmare Moon fluttered her wings, which began to look more and more like a normal pony’s. She looked at Rainbow imploringly. “Please, before the … end. Tell me, how did you do it?”
Rainbow tilted her head. “Did … what?”
Nightmare Moon regarded her. “You were able to put your wants aside, and I couldn’t. I know that you are a proud pony, with much to be justly proud of. But why were you able to put that aside and accept that you couldn’t do it all yourself—while I could not?”
Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane as she bought time to think, confused by the lightening of Nightmare Moon’s coat. It had gone from pitch black to purple. She even seemed smaller now. Part of Rainbow wanted to toss off some pithy heroic remark and walk away—but for the life of her, it just didn’t feel right to. So she answered her. “I guess it comes down to the fact that I had ponies I cared about who were depending on me. And however much I wanted to do everything myself, be recognized as the pony who single-hoofedly saved the day—it wasn’t worth it if it cost me everypony else I cared about.”
“Your friends, you mean.” Nightmare Moon blinked, revealing her slit, dragon-like eyes had been changed to that of a regular pony. Blue-green orbs stared out at Rainbow as the final scales fell away. “I thought I was alone. That I needed to rely on my own strength to show that I was as worthy of respect as my sister.” She looked at her hooves, as if only now seeing the physical changes she’d been undergoing. “Now she’s gone and—and—what have I done?” She began to cry. “T-Tia, I’m so sorry! Please! I-I don’t care what happens to me anymore, I just want you to know that I’m sorry!”
The pony sitting and sobbing in the ever-shrinking ring didn’t even look like Nightmare Moon anymore. Rainbow Dash, however angry she still was for everything she had done to her, to Celestia, to Shining and everypony else she cared about … even she couldn’t stand to watch this. The fire was blaring wilder as it drew closer to constricting entirely. Before she even knew what she was doing, Rainbow had thrust her hoof through it. “Take my hoof!”
The startled face of what used to be Nightmare Moon looked up in stunned surprise. “W-why would you—?”
“Less talking, more grabbing,” Rainbow grunted. “Do you want to let it end like this or not?”
“It’s what I deserve…” came the mumbled reply.
Rainbow snorted. “I think we’ve established already that you’re a really bad judge at what you think you’re entitled to.” She frowned. “Didn’t you hear me before? It’s not about what you want. What do you think Celestia would want? You owe it to her and to Equestria.”
Luna grabbed Rainbow’s hoof. With a fierce tug, Rainbow pulled her through the fire. There was a yelp of anticipated heat and pain—that never came. Before either had time to puzzle that out, the mindscape dissolved away.
Rainbow felt herself returning to the here and now, back in the ruined castle with her friends. The colored aura surrounding them faded away, leaving them to grapple with what had just happened.
“Oh my.” Fluttershy blinked, looking around. “Is … is it over?”
“I … think it is. I did it!” A smile started stretching across Rainbow’s face. “It happened! I did it!”
“‘You did it?” Applejack looked at her questioningly. Rainbow Dash, despite how tired and aching her wings were, couldn’t help leap into the air and perform a neat loop de loop.
“Yeah! I did a sonic rainboom!” She hugged herself with glee. “I did it!”
“Oh shucks, congrats.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Here we were thinkin’ about saving the world and stopping Nightmare Moon an’ all, but don’t let that get in yer way.” Rainbow flushed, but even that gentle chide couldn't keep her spirits down.
Twilight nudged Applejack. “Let her have her moment, she worked hard to do that again. Plus, it did save all our lives.” She smiled, shaking her head. “I just can’t believe it!”
“I believe that goes for all of us, darling.” Rarity nodded, looking around. “Everypony all right?”
Before anypony could even answer, the sound of rushing hoofsteps cut them off. Shining Armor, Derpy, Cloud Kicker and Blossomforth poured into the room, despite still looking exhausted from their ordeals. In Shining's case, it looked as though he had only just awoken from his post-duel collapse.
Shining Armor crossed the room first, snatching up Twilight in a tight hug. "Are you okay, Twiley? Is it over?"
“Shining!” she cried out, hugging her big brother so tightly that the big brawny stallion winced. “I’m so sorry.” Twilight sobbed softly. “F-for…”
He shushed her gently. “It’s okay Twi, you did what you had to do. I always knew you had it in you and I’m so proud of you.”
Rainbow Dash smiled, but it was tinged with an uncomfortable squirming sensation in her gut. Shining was apparently aware of what happened while he was under Nightmare Moon’s control. She sighed, remembering everything Darkened Armor had said to her. That was a conversation she was not looking forward to.
But she didn’t get to dwell on it long, as both Derpy and Cloud Kicker caught Rainbow between them in a massive hug. “ACK! Need … air...”
“Oh shut up, you’re not getting out of this that easily!” Cloud squeezed. “We owe you big time for what you did for us ... and for what we did to you.”
Dash waved a hoof dismissively, though she might also have been signaling for aid. “Guys, you don’t have to apologize for anything. It wasn’t your—”
Derpy reared up, pointing at a darkened corner of the room. “Nightmare Moon!”
At that cry, everypony and zebra immediately stopped and turned to look. Rainbow Dash zoomed out ahead of the others, her wings outstretched to protect everypony behind her. “Show yourself!” she barked.
A hesitant hoof shook as it emerged from the shadows. The pony attached to it slowly stumbled out. It was a dark purple alicorn with a starry mane and a crescent cutie mark. Rainbow blinked as everything she’d just experienced came back to her. “So … you’re Queen Luna?”
“Luna?” Applejack looked confused. “You do know that’s Nightmare Moon right?”
“No, well, not anymore." Rainbow rubbed her head. “I think? I don’t even...”
Fluttershy let out a gasp. “Rainbow Dash, look.” Rainbow followed her gaze to the window to see a golden light streaming in. The sun was rising.
Rainbow walked over to stand in the dawn’s rays. “Never thought I’d miss this so much.” she mumbled, closing her eyes and drinking it in. She suddenly felt refreshed; all the tiredness and aches and pains she’d acquired over the course of this long, long night all dropped away. She felt re-energized and reinvigorated. Dust motes danced in the sunlight as a gentle breeze blew in. Opening her wings out, she felt something soothing moving between her feathers. Her eye cracked open a sliver as she saw tiny shimmering particles twinkling in the light, wafting in through the window.
They seemed oddly familiar. Comforting even. A thought crossed her mind as she slowly backed out of the light. The golden particles swirled and shifted around, pulling together and coalescing into a familiar tall pony-shape, complete with resplendent wings and a large majestic horn.
“Queen Celestia?!”
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You've found it. The Rainbow Connection.
You think AJ is stubborn? Rainbow's JUST as bad.
YEEEEAH!
SUCK IT, BITCH!
Old. Alone. Done for.
The parallels are AMAZING.
Even then, FORCING someone's mind to change like that, usually leaves permanent mental scars.
Yep.
Air is overrated.
The purifying power of sunrise.
The Queen Bitch herself.
Oh good, she's back. Wasn't expecting that, honestly. Very satisfying climax. I thought this would happen, but it was still fun to read. Celestia has a lot of explaining to do, though.
Before I start reading, what's the difference between this and the original?
10141453
A lot.
Character motivations (actually giving all of the Mane Six sub-plots or motivations), themes, several events occur differently ... it's rather different.
Her wings beat twice as hard as she hurled herself toward the ground. Her muscles ached, sweat beaded on her brow only to be swept away by the wind. She grunted as she felt the familiar push of a barrier in her way as she struggled and strained to fly through it.
Her wings beat twice as hard as she hurled herself toward the ground. Her muscles ached, sweat beaded on her brow only to be swept away by the wind. She grunted as she felt the familiar push of a barrier in her way as she struggled and strained to fly through it.
You double posted that last part.
"had", maby?
10141925
Thanks, fixed!
Bravissimo! The rainboom, the reformation, everything just works so well here. Masterfully executed, and I can’t wait for the next chapter!
Excellent, excellent job! I'm actually rather glad Rainbow chewed Luna out there a bit. ;)
And Rainbow proves that she is 20% more awesome
Right, cueing up the orchestral remix of Megalovania to get me in the mood for the last few chapters.
In fairness, if anypony could survive it...
Just, y'know, maybe not right at this second, what with the falling to their deaths and all that.
Careful, that castle nearby is old and we know that the Sonic Rainboom can shatter even rocks that are miles away, let alone ones that are just a few thousand feet.
Ah, and we reach the scene of Rainbow reaching out to Nightmare Moon. The difference between a mere good person and a hero is that heroes save people. First everyone who is in danger from the villain -and then, if they can, they try and save the villain. THe hero reaching out ot the villain is one of my favorite scenes in any work, even when it doesn't work. Appealing to their humanity, trying to get past the pain and hurt and brokenness that made them who they are to reach the person who's ultimately just rying to put their world back together again, but has forgotten how.
It's one of the reasons why you'll never catch me ragging on Batman & Robin, even if it is a bad movie - because in spite of it, it has my favorite Batman scene in it and one of my favorite moments in any superhero flick:
It's also Kirk's attempt to reach to Edison that made the movie Star Trek Beyond for me and cemented it into my top 5 favorite Trek films, even though ultimately Edison wasn't saved:
And of course...the lack of that scene - the lack of anypony even trying, even if they failed - is what made the ending to MLP hurt so much.
And this for some reason reminds me of how Father/the Dwarf in the Flask died in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
"Just tell me what I was supposed to do! What'd I do wrong? ]What should I have done?!"
"You simply must have seen the answer with your own eyes."
I don't think God was being sarcastic there - it lines up with what he said to the Dwarf eaarlier. "You were incapable of believing in yourself. You stole your power from others. You rejected your human origins and chose to covet the power of what you call God. You never grew beyond your days in the flask."
Which is at least twice as excusable as Fluttershy from the movie, who forgets she’s even a pegasus.
There are some writers out there who eschew stuff like this, including a hyperlink to a YouTube video in the middle of a story — but I’m not one of them. Sure, it makes your craft less “pure,” but IMO there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of the unique offerings of the medium. Writing on the Internet is a lot different than writing in the pages of a book. I’m sure if the authors of centuries past could have inset their text with buttons that would instantly recall the mood of a particular piano piece or symphony, a lot of them would have done it in a heartbeat.
Not a critique, but it’s amusing to imagine the effect a point-blank sonic rainboom would have on this thousand-year-old crumbling castle ruin...
A, not an.
Ever-shrinking.
Little confused. Is it the Elements of Harmony that are causing this, or the purifying effects of the sonic rainboom, or just the power of Rainbow’s words? It isn’t totally clear.
Possibly the noblest thing Rainbow Dash has ever done.
The cavalry arrives! Just in time for the b—wait, what? The battle is OVER?! Oh, nooooo! How could this have haaaaappened?
What a lout! “I always knew you had it in you?” Where was this guy when his little sister was about to become parking lot pizza, and needed someone else to save her? Oh, that’s right—warming the bench! Man, Shining Armor suuuuucks. I guess that’s one way to become Sibling Supreme: just sit back and let the Big Bad splatter the other sibling across the pavement.
All that, and she gets to keep the starry mane!
The tiara and necklaces didn’t manifest, apparently? And Luna didn’t get reverted to her juice box form, the way she did when the Elements smacked her in the original canon? It’s still not clear to me what role the Elements of Harmony had any of this. Maybe it will be explored next chapter?
lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/9Lkg0oNW3LAyrFcYlu61mdJIkFSsryMMLcLZaBoBwI2MVR42Y4smdVW5VCC4d7SpBlgj8dHUlBk0dLepiq4mg-C0ssk3HfkQ1bQ
Happy homecoming!
Not much more to say about this one. As a climax, it does its job well, even if some of the details are fuzzy. Any other critiques I could make would be more stylistic than substantive.
10774798
Ooh, thanks! Close to the end!
Yeah, I admit: I'm a sucker for having dramatic music to go with a really good part of the story.
I was trying to sort of merge the sonic rainboom and the Elements' activation together, given both involve giant rainbows. Not something that'd be the case down the line in every other instance of the Elements being used in my stories, but since this was the first time Rainbow recreated the rainboom since they got their cutie marks and such I wanted the two events to intermingle a bit. If you mean what specifically caused Rainbow to enter a mindscape with NMM, that could be attributed to NMM having done that to Rainbow earlier. I also kind of assume the Elements don't exactly do what you -want- them to do as much as they do what is needed. How else to explain why one blast of the Elements can send NMM to the moon, or 'redeem' Luna (when the heroes do it, isn't mind control!) or turn Discord to stone or whatever. If that's a bit vague, well, so are the Elements, frankly. I mostly wanted to avoid the implications I just joked about that we had in the premiere, with redemption lasers magically making you good instead of evil. Maybe should've tried that on Discord, Sombra, Tirek, Chrysalis or whomever.
Yeah, you were right about Shining Armor. I went back and changed some lines that he was still KO'ed from his and Twilight's duel rather than being the one organizing the other three pony tribes outside.
The next chapter will confirm they got the necklaces, they just didn't notice them yet. Lot of things to focus on and all. Though in my stories all six get necklaces, with no big crown thingy for the designated leader. Also, with Rainbow there'd be no way she could keep that thing on her head the way she moves.
P.S.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention: no, this Fluttershy is not so dense as to frequently forget that SHE CAN FLY! Remember, this happened in Wonderbolt Academy too, though at least there the cadet who rescued her gave her a dirty look.