Did Rainbow Dash have a falling out with Cloudsdale?

[Dulset Tarn 441]

I mean, we know that at some point in the past, Dash left Cloudsdale to live in Ponyville. However, I think there's more to the story that might suggest Dash didn't leave on the best of terms.

 

Dash is the element of Loyalty, but more often than even to her friends, her loyalty is most often explicitly shown to be towards Ponyville. That makes sense, to be loyal to one's home, but notice that she holds no loyalty whatsoever towards Cloudsdale. In fact, her loyalty to Ponyville is often played against her loyalty to Cloudsdale. She had to be discorded in order to choose to save Cloudsdale over Ponyville, and bribed by the Wonderbolts to even consider joining Cloudsdale's relay team. For the element of loyalty, she seems to have absolutely no love for her old home.

 

And remember when she recollects how terrible she felt as a young filly when Cloudsdale wasn't picked to host the Equestria Games? When she's finally in a position to affect the results, what does she do? She helps a totally different city get the spot!

 

Finally, add into all this that Dash's classmates from Cloudsdale claim she dropped out of flight school, and I think there must be a real story underneath all this.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

Or maybe it's as simple as the idea that home is where her heart is, not where she was born so she's loyal to what really matters.

[Judgement 445]

Since she raced for Fluttershy's honor, I think it may be safe to assume that her and Fluttershy became close acquaintences and when Fluttershy discovered Ponyville, she was able to convince Rainbow Dash that it's a nice place to visit. Also, Rainbow does have a role of helping clear the clouds in Ponyville, so maybe she felt like she was appreciated more in Ponyville rather than Cloudsdale. 

[Red Cedar 1,408]

On the contrary, I think Rainbow Dash is still loyal to and fond of Cloudsdale. It was even used against her by Discord to force her to choose between her friends and her childhood home. She fondly reminisced about it when she went to the Young Fliers Competition.

 

It seems to me Rainbow moved to Ponyville either to follow Fluttershy or, more likely, to take a job working the weather that wasn't available in Cloudsdale.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

It was even used against her by Discord to force her to choose between her friends and her childhood home.

Exactly, and it's an important plot point that flying off to save Cloudsdale is something she would NEVER do.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

Exactly, and it's an important plot point that flying off to save Cloudsdale is something she would NEVER do.

I think you're reaching here. I believe that Rainbow Dash would try to save her childhood home and there is no real reason to suggest that she would not.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

I think you're reaching here. I believe that Rainbow Dash would try to save her childhood home and there is no real reason to suggest that she would not.

I should have said, flying off to save Cloudsdale over Ponyville.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

I should have said, flying off to save Cloudsdale over Ponyville.

Maybe not but I think it would depend. Surely, her parents if they are alive would be there and that would be a strong incentive for her to protect the city if harm came to it.

[MechanicalDoom 300]

Discord was able to hypnotize her with the Cloudsdale stuff because that was where she grew up. I think she just moved out when she was older like most people do in real life, but Cloudsdale still has a special place in her heart.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

Maybe not but I think it would depend. Surely, her parents if they are alive would be there and that would be a strong incentive for her to protect the city if harm came to it.

Unfortunately the show seems to do everything to say otherwise. Her loyalty is to Ponyville alone.

Rainbow Dash: "There's crazy weather all over Equestria! Cloudsdale is getting soaked by a major cola storm right now! But don't worry. I'm not leaving you until I get control of Ponyville!"

[Silver Letter 1,832]

Unfortunately the show seems to do everything to say otherwise. Her loyalty is to Ponyville alone.

Rainbow Dash: "There's crazy weather all over Equestria! Cloudsdale is getting soaked by a major cola storm right now! But don't worry. I'm not leaving you until I get control of Ponyville!"

I think protecting Ponyville is her main duty and job since it's where she lives and it's where her friends are. Of course it's going to be more important. It's what happens when someone moves away to live elsewhere.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

I think protecting Ponyville is her main duty and job since it's where she lives and it's where her friends are. Of course it's going to be more important. It's what happens when someone moves away to live elsewhere.

So then what's your actual point, and what can you point to that demonstrates it? I'm not understanding what you're trying to argue.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

So then what's your actual point, and what can you point to that demonstrates it? I'm not understanding what you're trying to argue.

My point is that people normally drift away from where they grew up over time. Rainbow Dash had no ulterior motive towards supporting Ponyville. She may not have loyalty towards Cloudsdale at all so she has nothing to compromise. And I have nothing to point to. It's just my opinion.

[Pinkie-Guy 563]

Basically, she feels strongly about both places, but her duty is to Ponyville as a member of the local weather team.  Discord not only shows her a vision of Cloudsdale crumbling, he also used his magic to corrupt her and make her forget about her duty like he unilaterally made Fluttershy mean.  Therefore, she wasn't of sound mind when she made the choice.

 

EDITional

 

I think there's definitely a story about her past, dropping out of flight school, and ending up in Ponyville.  Maybe it was a Wonderbolts Academy kind of thing.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Pinkie-Guy

[Red Cedar 1,408]

Rainbow still has a great deal of feelings and sentiment for her old home, that much has been shown. Her life and work and friends are in Ponyville at the moment, but that doesn't mean she has cast aside any feelings for the place she grew up and where her family, presumably, still live.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

Rainbow still has a great deal of feelings and sentiment for her old home, that much has been shown.

Well shoot, don't just leave me hangin, tell me about it!

[sweetolebob18 728]

I'm not sure of Dash's feelings to Cloudsdale (& their feelings to her).  In "Sonic Rainboom", she was teased for leaving Flight Camp for "too many rules & not enough naps".  This suggests she dropped out.

 

HOWEVER in "Cutie Mark Chronicles", she was in an unauthorized race & knocked Fluttershy to what could very well have been her death.  I can't imagine the camp not doing SOMETHING about that. + in "Griffon the Brush Off" it was hinted she was a troublemaker. IMO, she didn't drop out, she was kicked out.  Did she ever go back? In "Testing 1, 2, 3, ...", she is shown to have academic problems (probably ADD).  This strongly implies school problems & adds up to what we used to call a "juvenile delinquent" (Do people still say that?)

 

In the Pilot episode, she is in charge of clearing the weather for Princess Celestia's visit & this implies she was Head Weather Pony for Ponyville & at a very early age.  This implies she cleaned up her act enough to get a fairly important job.  (She's not stupid, she probably got an entry level job & earned her way up by learning on the job)

 

Cloudsdale officials probably focus on the Element of Harmony, hero of EQ, Best Young Flyer, side of things & gloss over any disreputable bits.  But, I agree there is plenty of room for an episode on How a Troubled Foal Reformed Her Life.

[Pinkie-Guy 563]

I'm not sure of Dash's feelings to Cloudsdale (& their feelings to her).  In "Sonic Rainboom", she was teased for leaving Flight Camp for "too many rules & not enough naps".  This suggests she dropped out.

 

HOWEVER in "Cutie Mark Chronicles", she was in an unauthorized race & knocked Fluttershy to what could very well have been her death.  I can't imagine the camp not doing SOMETHING about that. + in "Griffon the Brush Off" it was hinted she was a troublemaker. IMO, she didn't drop out, she was kicked out.  Did she ever go back? In "Testing 1, 2, 3, ...", she is shown to have academic problems (probably ADD).  This strongly implies school problems & adds up to what we used to call a "juvenile delinquent" (Do people still say that?)

 

In the Pilot episode, she is in charge of clearing the weather for Princess Celestia's visit & this implies she was Head Weather Pony for Ponyville & at a very early age.  This implies she cleaned up her act enough to get a fairly important job.  (She's not stupid, she probably got an entry level job & earned her way up by learning on the job)

 

Cloudsdale officials probably focus on the Element of Harmony, hero of EQ, Best Young Flyer, side of things & gloss over any disreputable bits.  But, I agree there is plenty of room for an episode on How a Troubled Foal Reformed Her Life.

I've always had the same feeling about the subject.  The show doesn't actually say anything about her being kicked out that I'm aware of.  However, I just considered that those ponies saying she dropped out were just saying the story she said publicly to save face, that she was Too Cool for School even though it was really a personal failure on her part that she doesn't want to admit to broadly.

 

I've been thinking about writing a fanfic on this very premise.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Pinkie-Guy

[Jammo 986]

We actually haven't seen much of Cloudsdale actually.  For all we know they have a culture that doesn't really click with Rainbow.  The wonderbolts live there, maybe Cloudsdale is organized like a military..  She'd be okay doing that when she wants to further her career as a flyer, but for day to day life I think she'd prefer a relaxed environment.  Again...  This is just based on theory.