Does Rainbow Dash really need rainbows?

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

If a pony used magic to suck all the color out of her mane, tail and cutie mark (and thus the contrails she leaves behind when flying at warp speed or doing a sonic rainboom), would it really affect her all that much? She's still one of Equestria's fastest flyers, so does her talent make color necessary, or could she do without it?

[WriteCodes46 178]

If you mean the situations where a villain causes her to go all pale (about 3 so far), that's because she's having all of her magic, and part of her soul, sucked out, which leaves her incapable of doing pretty much anything. The same also goes for the rest of the ponies.

 

If you mean literally removing the dye from her fur and hair, I doubt that'd do more than make her all white, and I don't think it's possible to remove the rainbow trail without removing the magic mentioned above.

[[NULL] 906]

When was it established that her character design makes her faster?

Edited May 16, 2015 by SpaceOnion

[Roughshod 719]

Her color is just a visual tool to emphasize her speed and agility. Taking her colors alone wouldn't slow her down but she would definitely look less cool. Rainbow Dash ain't about that.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

When was it established that her character design makes her faster?

I'm talking about her flying ability in terms of showmanship, not how fast she is. If her cutie mark is a rainbow-colored lighting bolt, that begs the question of how her performance would be impacted if someone converted her magic to greyscale, as well as her outer appearance. Does she need color? That's all I'm asking.

[The Awesome One 1,314]

I am thinking that her cutie mark means that her special talent is making sonic rainbooms and it was always an old mare's tale until she did it and it became real.

 

Also, I guess that draining the color out of her mane and tail would not stop her from doing the sonic rainboom. The only difference would be that it would be just in grayscale instead of a bright rainbow.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

Her color is just a visual tool to emphasize her speed and agility. Taking her colors alone wouldn't slow her down but she would definitely look less cool. Rainbow Dash ain't about that.

That's understandable. But what if instead of gray, her rainbows got replaced by a monochromatic palette? Her coat's already a sky blue, so if her mane and tail were changed so they had different shades of blue, and the trails she left behind matched, it could still probably look cool to any pony watching her performances. Would not having rainbows still matter to her then?

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

Even if this happened:

Rainbow Dash could still fly as fast.  (And would still be sexy.)

[Roughshod 719]

That's understandable. But what if instead of gray, her rainbows got replaced by a monochromatic palette? Her coat's already a sky blue, so if her mane and tail were changed so they had different shades of blue, and the trails she left behind matched, it could still probably look cool to any pony watching her performances. Would not having rainbows still matter to her then?

 

Well her name is RAINBOW Dash, so I think she would probably care at least a little bit. The color scheme you're suggesting doesn't sound very exciting but rather generic for a pony with her personality and abilities. Not to mention she'd be pretty hard to spot against a clear blue sky, camouflaged almost and RD likes to stand out.

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

It's neither talent nor color what makes her appealing to me. But an inner resemblance.


I'm not used to measure people by their talent, nor aesthetic appeal. This applies here as well.

Still, she looks beautiful.

[Venomous 18,813]

I don't think that she needs rainbows.

[manic 121]

It appears that different pegasi, or at least the ones known for going fast, have their own trails. The wonderbolts have theirs, RD has hers, and her rival at the wonderbolt academy Lightning Dust.

[cider float 2,535]

If I eat skittles and shit rainbows I could Sonic Rainboom on the toilet.

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

Alright, world, get ready for the awesomeness of Greyscale Dash!

 

 

 

In other words...

 

 

 

Hmm...  Looks like you don't need rainbows to be badass.

[Pastel 7,627]

No, I don't think she cares about colors.

I don't recall her saying she likes colors or rainbows. I don't think that would affect her.

[yisetab28 89]

No. RD can fly faster than most ponies, with or without rainbows. The rainbows are related to what made her stand out of the pack: her sonic rainboom. If she didn't perform it, she would probably fly as fast as most competitor pegasi. In no case does changing a color affect an object's maximum velocity.

[Cwanky 17,455]

Well she wouldn't be RAINBOW Dash anymore now would she? 

[Scootaloo9074090 500]

On 2015-06-05 at 10:29 AM, Cwanky said:

Well she wouldn't be RAINBOW Dash anymore now would she? 

 well Rainbow dash still look awesome as a vampire and without rainbow dash mane or tail

Edited February 17, 2022 by Scootaloo9074090

[Evil Pink One 12,964]

the rainbow is a side effect... it's not that she needs it. it's because she cant help it. it's like asking someone to stop farting so much after eating beans. or tell someone to live when they're dead.

[Megas 27,061]

Yes, Rainbows are part of her identity. It's in her name

One massive missed opportunity with the show was an episode addressing what would happen if she lost all of her colors or if they split

[Skylight Scintillate 1,850]

Well it seems to be a core part of her identity, so she wouldn't really be Rainbow Dash without the rainbow. (Then she would just be Dash.) However, she probably could still fly at supersonic speeds and have rainbow contrails.

[Tom Gallagher 33,521]

Of course! It’s in her name! 

[North Star 4,540]

Rainbow is the Ying to her Dash yang.

Alternatively, C'mon Dash time to show em' a little Rainbow

[Retroflex 25]

This sounds to me like a "is cereal a soup?" type debate.

 

But if you want my opinion, cosider this: 

"Does Pinkie Pie really need pink?" Sure, it may be part of her namesake, but I'm inclined to think most people will say not really.

 

In the same way, I'd say that Rainbow Dash is still Rainbow Dash without rainbows.

 

As they always say, it's not what's on the outside that matters.

[Stancet 673]

Yes, Rainbow Dash does need rainbows. I've never seen another cartoon character who makes rainbows look so cool. Without it, rainbows would just be that trying-to-hard-to-be-cutesy trend that every other girls show has used at least once.