Rainbow Dash

Development and Design:

was inspired to create Rainbow Dash by her childhood toy G1 Pegasus pony Firefly.[9] Rainbow Dash shares her name and color scheme with a fashionista Earth pony from G3 and G3.5, however, Faust gave her the personality of her favorite G1 pony, Firefly. Faust originally gave Rainbow Dash a cutie mark of two blue lightning bolts like Firefly's, which was changed to a single wide three-colored lightning bolt—used for one shot in Dragonshy, for part of one shot in The Mysterious Mare Do Well, and for some other material—and then to the current cutie mark design, a cloud with a slightly-curved three-colored lightning bolt. After Faust left the show, G4 Pegasus mare/stallion General Firefly was named after Faust's Twitter and DeviantArt username "Fyre_flye"[10][11]/"fyre-flye", in turn named after G1 Pegasus mare Firefly.[12][13] Faust gave Rainbow Dash messy hair and straight eyelashes to hint at her dynamic nature. Rainbow Dash shares her design and eye color with Daring Do and WCE Unnamed Mare - Jouster, her design with Skywishes, Sugar Grape, Lucky Dreams, Sweetsong, Breezie, Feathermay, Periwinkle, Star Dasher, and sometimes Ploomette and Banana Bliss, her mane and tail style with Holly Dash, "Doseydotes", "Ballad", Léon, and Roku-chan, her mane style with Andrea, her tail style with "Sunstone", and her coat and eye colors with Shoeshine, Eclair Crème, Screwy, "Turf", "Bloo", "Tough Love", and Micro 02 Unnamed Mare - Alicorn. On January 13, 2015, Jim Miller and Jayson Thiessen were asked "is that orange hair on rainbow supposed to be there in the lower left?" and Jim Miller answered "Npt[sic] really, but it's open to interpretation."[15]

Depiction in the Series:

History Equestria Games announcement Filly Rainbow Dash on her father's head S3E12 Filly Rainbow Dash on Rainbow Blaze's head. Rainbow Dash has a flashback in Games Ponies Play to an event in Cloudsdale where she is a young filly without a cutie mark. She is accompanied by Rainbow Blaze, a stallion who has similar rainbow-colored mane and tail as her and a similar blue coat, with a rainbow-colored cutie mark. They are standing in the crowd listening to an announcement about where the Equestria Games will take place. When Dash hears that the Games won't take place in Cloudsdale, she cries out in disappointment. This disappointment is somewhat assuaged later when young Rainbow was selected to carry Cloudsdale's flag in the Equestria Games opening ceremony. She boastfully claims in Flight to the Finish that she "did tricks with that flag the likes of which nopony saw before and nopony's seen since!" Cutie mark Filly Rainbow Dash ready to race S1E23 Rainbow Dash, as a filly, in a Pegasus race. Rainbow Dash mentions in Call of the Cutie that she was the first in her class to get her cutie mark. She tells the Cutie Mark Crusaders in The Cutie Mark Chronicles the story of how she got her cutie mark. Her story is set in summer flight camp, where she defends Fluttershy from a pair of bullies, who refer to Rainbow Dash as "Rainbow Crash", which she is also nicknamed by Spike in Bridle Gossip. One of the bullies, Hoops, already has his cutie mark, where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy do not. She challenges the two bullies to a flying Pegasus race, and in the ensuing contest she discovers her passion for speed and for "winning," in her words. Going through the race course, she performs her very first sonic rainboom, not only gaining her own cutie mark, but also inadvertently setting in motion the events that would cause Fluttershy and her future Ponyville friends to gain their own cutie marks.

Depiction in the Series 2:

The Cutie Mark Crusaders Despite earning her cutie mark in an endeavor that came naturally to her, Rainbow Dash advises Apple Bloom to try out many different activities to gain her cutie mark in Call of the Cutie, leading the filly and her friends to pursue their cutie marks in the wrong avenues. When coaching Apple Bloom in Call of the Cutie, Rainbow Dash dons a sports headband, a whistle, and later a martial arts uniform with a black belt when Apple Bloom tries karate. Scootaloo, the Pegasus pony of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, idolizes Rainbow Dash. While Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are the younger sisters of two ponies from the main cast, Applejack and Rarity, respectively, Scootaloo is not related to Rainbow Dash.[16] Rainbow Dash affectionately calls Scootaloo "squirt" in The Mysterious Mare Do Well and Equestria Games, and appears alongside Rarity and Applejack to congratulate the Cutie Mark Crusaders for their performance in The Show Stoppers. Rainbow Dash saves Scootaloo S03E06 Rainbow Dash saves Scootaloo. In Sleepless in Ponyville, Scootaloo invites Rainbow Dash on a camping trip so that they can bond more. However, when Rainbow Dash decides to tell everyone ghost stories, Scootaloo begins to have nightmares about the frightening fables; yet she is too afraid to tell Rainbow Dash, since the filly does not want her to think she's a wimp. When Scootaloo rides on her scooter in the middle of the night, trying to run away from the Headless Horse from one of the stories, she accidentally falls into the river and almost falls down a waterfall. Rainbow Dash rescues her, and then learns the truth about why Scootaloo has been acting nervous during the trip. She comforts Scootaloo, saying that even she was scared when she heard those stories, and she agrees to take care of her as a big sister figure.

Weather Patrol:

Rainbow Dash manages the weather in Ponyville. She keeps the skies free of clouds for the Summer Sun Celebration, and apparently, unless the weekly rainfall is scheduled for that day of course, makes sure that Ponyville has nice weather, although in the opening of Bridle Gossip, Spike states that she rarely gets up early in the morning to get a start on it.

The Wonderbolts:

Rainbow Dash is one of several ponies badgering Twilight for the extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala, in The Ticket Master. Her reason is a chance to draw the attention of the Wonderbolts, who perform there every year. She persists, even when Twilight calls her out on it, and when all her other friends say they don't need the ticket. The Wonderbolts attend the Gala in The Best Night Ever, where they mingle with the guests in a V.I.P. section. Dash doesn't manage to secure their attention, despite her several attempts. Rainbow Dash receives the lead pony badge S3E7 Rainbow Dash as a Wonderbolt Academy cadet. Rainbow Dash is accepted into the Wonderbolt Academy for a week. She makes friends with a Pegasus pony named Lightning Dust and is paired with her by the captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire, to complete the boot camp exercises. In the challenge of obliterating the clouds, Lightning Dust tries to complete the task quicker by creating a tornado. Unfortunately, the tornado almost hurts Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy when they come to visit her in the hot air balloon. Rainbow Dash saves them just in time and chews out Lightning Dust for her recklessness. She decides to quit the academy, thinking that cadets are rewarded for being reckless. Spitfire soon catches up to her and informs her that being the best should never come at the expense of one's fellow ponies. Being elite isn't about pushing oneself, it's about pushing oneself in the right direction, which Rainbow Dash has demonstrated. Because of this, she is promoted to lead pony. In Rarity Investigates!, Rainbow Dash, being a reserve for the Wonderbolts, is chosen as a stand in for a show if a Wonderbolt is unable to perform. In the end, she takes part in the performance in place of Wind Rider. In Newbie Dash, Rainbow Dash becomes a full-fledged member of the Wonderbolts, despite being saddled with her old nickname "Rainbow Crash".

Personality:

Loyalty In Friendship is Magic, part 2, Nightmare Moon tests Rainbow Dash's loyalty by creating an illusion of an elite flying team called the Shadowbolts. The Shadowbolts offer Rainbow Dash a position among them, provided that she abandons her friends and their quest to find the Elements of Harmony. Rainbow Dash chooses to stay with her friends. When they confront Nightmare Moon in the Castle of the Two Sisters, Twilight Sparkle declares that Rainbow Dash represents the element of loyalty. "Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire, represents the spirit of loyalty!" — Twilight Sparkle Rainbow Dash's loyalty is tested in The Return of Harmony Part 1. Discord shows Rainbow Dash a vision of Cloudsdale falling apart in her absence, convincing her to abandon her friends in the Canterlot castle maze. In Rainbow Falls, Rainbow Dash faces a choice between flying with the prestigious Wonderbolts and the Ponyville team at the Equestria Games' flying relay competition. She secretly practices with the Wonderbolts at first but ultimately decides to stay with the Ponyville team. In The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2, in an alternate-timeline Equestria ruled by Nightmare Moon, Rainbow Dash is one of her loyal royal guards. She demands that Twilight give Nightmare Moon the information that she wants to know.

Personality 2:

Competitiveness Rainbow Dash describes her passion for winning in a flashback in The Cutie Mark Chronicles. She races several times with Gilda, her old friend from Junior Speedster flight camp, in Griffon the Brush Off. In Fall Weather Friends, Rainbow Dash loses a game of horseshoes to Applejack, and says she hates losing. She then challenges Applejack in the Iron Pony competition. In several rounds, she uses her wings to give herself an unfair advantage. During the Running of the Leaves, Rainbow Dash continues to use underhand tactics even though her wings are tied down. Applejack retaliates with tricks of her own, and both end up tying for last place. They realize that their competitive streaks got the better of them, and apologize to each other and Princess Celestia before amicably running the race again. Despite this, she and Applejack fall back into being overly-competitive with each other many times more over the course of the series. In Rainbow Falls, Rainbow Dash comes to the conclusion that even though she loves winning, she loves her friends "waaaaay more."

Personality 3:

Self-Confidience Rainbow Dash displays confidence in herself and her physical abilities in multiple episodes. In Boast Busters, when Applejack and Rarity criticize Trixie for showing off magic tricks and looking down on other ponies, Rainbow Dash adds, "Especially when ya got me around being better than the rest of us." In Sonic Rainboom, Rainbow Dash is confident about her performance in the upcoming Best Young Flyer Competition until Rarity's magical butterfly wings get a lot of attention and admiration. Despite her insecurities, Rainbow Dash successfully pulls off the sonic rainboom and wins the competition. Pony Crowd Cheering S2E8 A crowd cheering for Rainbow Dash. In The Mysterious Mare Do Well, Rainbow Dash is venerated by Ponyville after performing heroic deeds around town, one of which being saving Aura from a deserted well. She basks in the attention of the townsfolk and her official fan club (led by Scootaloo) and becomes over-confident in herself. A mysterious cloaked pony starts one-upping Rainbow Dash's feats. Rainbow Dash eventually finds out that the cloaked pony was actually her friends in disguise, teaching her a lesson about keeping her pride in check.

Personality 4:

Brashness Rainbow Dash and Applejack snicker at Twilight Sparkle for running a race with them in Fall Weather Friends, calling her an "egghead" for joining a race with no prior running experience except reading a book on the topic. Upon seeing Rarity wear a scarf for a mountain expedition in Dragonshy, Rainbow Dash sarcastically says, "That'll keep you nice and cozy." Later in the episode, Rainbow Dash expresses her annoyance and frustration when Fluttershy panics over minor obstacles in the trail. Rainbow Dash begrudgingly lets Rarity give her a makeover in Swarm of the Century with a frown on her face. When Twilight Sparkle tries to convince Rarity that she's not a laughing stock in Suited For Success, Rainbow Dash bluntly says, "She kind of is." Rainbow Dash's bluntness isn't always called for, though. She calls a dragon lame after seeing it do a trick in Dragon Quest, but then gets her coat singed after nearly getting burnt by another dragon's fire breath. She also teases Spike about his maid outfit in the same episode before being scolded by Rarity. In both parts of The Crystal Empire, Rainbow Dash interacts gruffly and even aggressively with some of the Crystal Ponies, first when she and her friends are interviewing the locals on how to keep the Empire safe, and later when she scares them away from the fake Crystal Heart. Later on in the second half, in an effort to keep the Crystal Faire going, she forces a hesitant Fluttershy to joust with her, and even tries to guilt her into continuing when Fluttershy voices her discomfort. In Keep Calm and Flutter On, she calls both Fluttershy and Applejack "slackers" when she comes to fetch them upon Princess Celestia's arrival, even though they were preoccupied with something to begin with.

Personality 5.5:

Brashness 2 Rainbow Dash has also been known to make snide remarks about Twilight's interests and habits, such as in Three's A Crowd when she calls the Star Swirl the Bearded Traveling Museum that Twilight was planning to attend with Princess Cadance "lame".

Personality 6:

Mischievousness Rainbow Dash tries to spook her friends when they venture into the Everfree Forest for the first time, claiming that no pony has ever made it back out of the forest. Her reputation as a prankster is established in Griffon the Brush Off, where she and Pinkie Pie prank various ponies, and is further enforced in A Bird in the Hoof, when she tries to make the royal guards laugh, and in 28 Pranks Later, when she pulls a continuous string of pranks on the ponies of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash plays several pranks on her friend Gilda in Griffon the Brush Off, which were set up for Gilda's party but are not specifically aimed at her. For the majority of the time when Gilda is visiting Ponyville, Rainbow Dash is unaware that the griffon is being callous and rude to the other ponies, but the pranks at the party get the best of Gilda, and she loses her temper in front of Rainbow Dash. After witnessing this side of her personality, she calls her out on her behavior and sends her on her way. Dash uses a cloud to create thunder and lightning to scare Spike in the same episode. She does the same to Pinkie Pie and various other ponies in Luna Eclipsed while dressed as a Shadowbolt, laughing at the ponies she frightens. She tells Twilight Sparkle that Nightmare Night "is the best night of the year for pranks" and that "it's all in good fun". She then hurries off to scare another group of ponies, which she continues doing until Princess Luna gives her a taste of her own medicine in the end. She also displays this in It's About Time, taking advantage of Twilight's worrying to spook her, along with Spike. In Flight to the Finish, Rainbow Dash acts overly enthusiastic in front of Ms. Harshwhinny as she addresses Cheerilee's class, causing Harshwhinny to scold her for being unprofessional.

Personality 6.5:

Mischievousness In 28 Pranks Later, Rainbow Dash gets carried away with her love of pranks and targets nearly everyone in town; some of her more extreme jokes include disguising herself as a dragon-like monster to frighten Fluttershy, replacing Cranky Doodle Donkey's hairpiece with a live skunk, and putting a brick in Mr. Cake's sandwich. Only when her friends prank her back does Dash realize that pranks have their limits.

Self-Image:

Rainbow Dash is often self-conscious in regards to how she appears in front of others. She often dismisses things, activities, and certain mannerisms considered to be feminine, though this is at times merely a front. Near the end of The Last Roundup, Rainbow briefly cries over Applejack's reconciliation with her friends, and she catches herself for "acting all sappy". In Ponyville Confidential, Rainbow Dash laments over having a slanderous article printed about her in the Foal Free Press. In Just for Sidekicks, she only shows affection toward Tank when no one is looking. In The Crystal Empire - Part 2, she eagerly agrees with Applejack's suggestion to do a jousting demo for the Crystal Ponies, claiming that "seeing her awesomeness has a way of putting ponies into a pretty good mood". When her selected opponent, Fluttershy, is overwhelmed in the first round, Dash grudgingly assures her that she'll "take it easy on her next time", then catches herself and adds, "But not too easy. I've got a reputation to maintain!" Despite this, Rainbow Dash has moments in which she displays femininity, fragility, and culturedness, sometimes unintentionally. In Castle Mane-ia, she shows intense fear while exploring the abandoned Castle of the Two Sisters with Applejack. In Rarity Takes Manehattan, she has an appreciation for musicals. In Applejack's "Day" Off, she enjoys pampering herself regularly at the Ponyville Day Spa.

Skills_Flight:

Rainbow Dash demonstrates her remarkable talent for flying throughout the show. In The Cutie Mark Chronicles, she says she got her cutie mark when she performed her first sonic rainboom when she was a young filly. In The Ticket Master, Rainbow Dash dreams of impressing the Wonderbolts at the Grand Galloping Gala with flying feats such as the "rainblow dry," the "super-speed strut," the "fantastic filly flash," and the "buccaneer blaze." She gets to meet the Wonderbolts in Sonic Rainboom after Princess Celestia declares her the champion of the Best Young Flyers Competition. She also performs the sonic rainboom in this episode. In May the Best Pet Win!, Rainbow Dash performs dangerous stunts to demonstrate a flying course through the Ghastly Gorge. She flies through giant bramble patches and dodges attacking quarray eels. Rainbow Dash 'Agility!' S2E7 Agility! Rainbow Dash clears a cloudy sky in Friendship is Magic, part 1 by kicking the clouds with her hind legs. She leads water drops out of a cloud in Boast Busters, and creates a rainbow above her when the droplets splash against her. She teams up with other Pegasus ponies in Winter Wrap Up to create a whirlwind that sucks away clouds and snow from Ponyville, and she creates a tornado to vacuum the parasprites in Swarm of the Century. In Hurricane Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash coordinates and leads the Ponyville Pegasi team responsible for creating a hurricane that lifts water to the Cloudsdale weather factory for the rainy season. During this time, Rainbow Dash's wing power was measured at 16.5, while most of the other Pegasi's wing power could barely measure more than 10. Rainbow Dash helps Twilight Sparkle learn to fly in Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1. In Testing Testing 1, 2, 3, Rainbow Dash focuses on several things at once while in flight. When she's in the air, she monitors the ground and sky for trouble and makes note of everything she sees and hears. With this hidden talent of hers.

Skills_Soinc Rainboom:

Rainbow Dash tries to perform a sonic rainboom in the episode Sonic Rainboom, in an effort to win the Best Young Fliers competition. Fluttershy confides to her friends that Rainbow Dash was unable to perform the move in her many practice trials. Nonetheless, Rainbow Dash heads to Cloudsdale to participate in the competition, accompanied by Fluttershy as moral support. Much to their surprise, their wingless friends have decided to follow them with the aid of Twilight's cloud-walking spell, easing Rainbow's fears. However, Twilight had also given Rarity beautiful butterfly wings, which led her to steal the spotlight. As a result, Rainbow Dash loses her nerve and tries to delay her performance. As the competition draws to a close, however, she decides that she must perform anyway. Dash messes up the first two rounds of her performance, hitting an obstacle and accidentally sending a cloud hurtling in Princess Celestia's direction. Due to time constraints, Rarity performs alongside Rainbow Dash, and delivers her grand finale, which involves flying up to the sun and beaming her wings. However, her fragile wings, made of "gossamer and morning dew", burst into flames, sending her plummeting towards the earth. The Wonderbolts try to save her, but Rarity hits them by accident due to her falling down and flailing, and they are knocked out. Rainbow Dash finally notices the goings-on and accelerates towards the plummeting ponies, saving both Rarity and the Wonderbolts and performing a sonic rainboom in the process. This sonic rainboom, the one in The Cutie Mark Chronicles, and the one that Rainbow Dash performs in A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2 are performed when Rainbow Dash is leading with both front legs forward, while in her failed practice attempts she is leading with a single leg. Rarity is incredibly grateful that Dash saved her life, and apologizes to her friend for not minding her anxiety. Rainbow Dash is crowned the winner of the competition and leaves.

Residence:

Rainbow Dash's Cloudominium is first shown in Griffon the Brush Off. She lives in a white cloud-house hanging low to the ground somewhere near Ponyville. It features classical columns and rainbow-colored streams and waterfalls. In Dragonshy, Rainbow Dash uses one of these streams to make rainbow-colored facepaint. Her home appears again in Party of One, with a slightly different design from the first appearance, resembling more of a cloud tower.