Rainbow Dash is a female Pegasus pony and one of the main characters in My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. She is responsible for maintaining the weather and clearing the skies in Ponyville. As a huge fan of The Wonderbolts, she dreams of one day joining their elite flying group. In Sonic Rainboom, Rarity and Princess Celestia both declare that she is the best flier in all of Equestria. Rainbow Dash has a pet tortoise named Tank, whom she chooses out of Fluttershy's offered animals in the episode May the Best Pet Win! She represents the element of loyalty.

Lauren Faust was inspired to create Rainbow Dash by her childhood toy G1 Pegasus pony Firefly. 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 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 General Firefly was named after Faust's Twitter and deviantART username "Fyre_flye"/"fyre-flye", in turn named after G1 Pegasus mare Firefly.

History

Rainbow Dash has a flashback in

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 later boastfully claimed 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

Rainbow Dash mentions in

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

The Cutie Mark Crusaders

Despite earning her cutie mark in an endeavor that came naturally to her, Rainbow Dash advises

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 andRarity, respectively, Scootaloo is not related to Rainbow Dash.^[11] 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.

In

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.

In

Ponyville

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

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 audition for The Wonderbolts who would presumably perform there. 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 do appear at the Gala in The Best Night Ever, although their performance is not shown, and they are only seen mingling with the guests in a VIP section, but Dash doesn't manage to secure their attention, despite her several attempts. In The Mysterious Mare Do Well, she saves a dirty filly who thanks her for the rescue from the deserted well.

Wonderbolt Academy

Rainbow Dash is accepted into the

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.

Tank

Rainbow Dash is the last of the main ponies to have a pet introduced in the series, only gaining her pet,

At the end of May the Best Pet Win!, Tank is fitted with a propeller and flight goggles so he can fly and keep up with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow maintains a mostly professional attitude about him around others and is embarrassed when he displays affection towards her in Just for Sidekicks. Despite this, she reciprocates Tank's affection in the same episode but only does so when no one else is looking.

Personality

Loyalty

In

Rainbow Dash chooses to stay with her friends. When they confront Nightmare Moon in the

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 choosing between flying with the prestigious Wonderbolts and the Ponyville team at the Equestria Games' flying relay competition. At first she secretly practices with the Wonderbolts, but she finally decides to stay with the Ponyville team.

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.

In Rainbow Falls, Rainbow Dash comes to the conclusion that even though she loves winning, she loves her friends "waaaaay more."

Self Confidence

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.

In The Mysterious Mare Do Well, Rainbow Dash is venerated by Ponyville after performing heroic deeds around town.

She basks in the attention of the townsfolk and her official fan club (led by

Brashness

Rainbow Dash and Applejack snicker at Twilight Sparkle for running a race with them in

Upon seeing Rarity wear a scarf for a mountain expedition in Dragonshy, Rainbow Dash sarcastically says, "Yeah, that'll keep you nice and toasty." Later in the episode, Rainbow Dash expresses her annoyance and frustration when Fluttershy panics over minor obstacles in the trail.

Rainbow Dash begrudgingly lets

Mischievousness

Rainbow Dash tries to spook her friends when they venture into the

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.

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

She also displays this in

In Flight to the Finish, Rainbow Dash causes general mischief when Ms. Harshwhinny addresses Cheerilee's class of foals, causing Harshwhinny to scold her for being unprofessional.

Love of books

Rainbow Dash discovers her love of reading in the episode Read It and Weep. When Twilight first offers her a book to read during her stay at the hospital, she rejects it and testily tosses away the book, saying "I'm a world-class athlete; reading's for eggheads like you, Twilight." After a short boredom montage, she picks up the book and becomes immersed in the adventures of the book's titular character, Daring Do. Not wanting to admit she is an "egghead", she hides her new hobby from her friends. When she is discharged from the hospital, she tries to sneak back in and finish reading the book. She is chased and eventually caught, and she admits she was after the book. Twilight Sparkle lends her personal copy of the book to Rainbow Dash. The episode concludes with her finishing the book and excitedly picking up another one from a small stack, entitled Daring Do and the Griffin's Goblet. She reads more Daring Do books in A Friend in Deed and Too Many Pinkie Pies.

In Spike at Your Service, she mentions that she's writing a novel, one which is about "this awesome Pegasus who's the best flyer ever, and becomes the captain of the Wonderbolts"; Rarity sarcastically comments on the complexity of its plot.

In Daring Don't, Rainbow Dash is shown to have become as passionate about reading as Twilight; as they argue over whether or not to help the real Daring Do, they refer to the complex storylines of her books in detail.

In Trade Ya!, Rainbow reveals that she has an almost complete collection of first edition Daring Do books, seeking to get the final one at the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange. She finally achieves this goal, but decides against it, as the final trade required Fluttershy to leave Ponyville to train an Orthros. On the way home, Twilight gives Rainbow an old copy of the book she was seeking. Rainbow considers it just as good, as she can read it with all her friends.

Shades

Rainbow Dash wears a pair of black-tinted glasses several times in the show; in

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 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 is shown to be able to focus 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, Rainbow is able to retain all that she learns about the history of the Wonderbolts and pass the entrance exam to join the Wonderbolts Reserves.

Sonic 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 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 the direction of Princess Celestia. 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 kicks them by accident due to her falling down, 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. Both this sonic rainboom and the one in The Cutie Mark Chronicles 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 not minding her anxiety. Rainbow Dash is crowned the winner of the competition and leaves off to spend the day with her heroes, the Wonderbolts.

In A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2, bolting her bridesmaid dress off, she performs a sonic rainboom for the marriage of Cadance and Shining Armor by the request of Princess Celestia. This rainboom, unlike the other two, comes faster and is performed while flying upward.

Family

In Games Ponies Play, during her flashback as a filly, Rainbow Dash is shown standing on the back of an adult Pegasus stallion with a similarly rainbow-colored mane and tail. The stallion is unnamed in the episode, but he is named Rainbow Blaze in Enterplay's collectible card game and is described as Rainbow Dash's "dashing mentor".

Residence

Rainbow Dash's home 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 is shown again in Party of One, with a slightly different design from the first appearance, resembling more of a cloud tower. The interior is shown in Swarm of the Century, and her bedroom is shown at the end of Read It and Weep. The exterior is shown again at the beginning of Wonderbolts Academy, along with her mailbox underneath it. The inside is shown once more at the end of Daring Don't. The outside is shown once more near the end of Testing Testing 1, 2, 3.

In Gameloft's mobile game, the house is named the "Cloudominium" (a name previously mentioned online in reference to a Dave Dunnet sketch, the finished version of which is identified as Cloudsdale pre-production art on page 35 of Little, Brown's guidebook The Elements of Harmony).