History Fanfic / RainboomsAndRoyalty

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: While Rainbow Dash is openly brash and boastful, her inability to perform the sonic rainboom and the pressures of living up to being Celestia's student makes her very insecue.

* TheFinalTemptation: Like in the show, Nightmare Moon tempts Rainbow Dash. It is much darker, however, in this story. Rather than offer her the captaincy of the Shadowbolts, Nightmare Moon commiserates with her, pointing out that [[NotSoDifferent she too knows how it feels that have one's self and achievements overlooked in favor of another]]. She tries to plant seeds of doubt in Rainbow's mind about whether Celestia truly cared for her or even understood her, or whether she was just using Rainbow as a weapon. Nightmare Moon then offers all of Rainbow's goals and fondest desires to her, namely a spot on the Wonderbolts and Shining Armor's love. And not just that, but she offers to fulfill all of her friends' wishes as well if Rainbow would proclaim loyalty to her. Finally, she points out that with Celestia gone, she was the only one capable of controlling the sun and the moon, and was thus indispensable to Equestria. Despite heavy temptation and inner turmoil, Rainbow resists with a simple realization: Celestia loved her, and all Nightmare Moon cared about was her own self-gratification.

** Rainbow Dash, ironically, is not as altered as Twilight Sparkle by the change of events, but her InferioritySuperiorityComplex is magnified by being Celestia's student. Not very studious, not from a prestigious family, and certainly not given to following the etiquette of high society, she constantly struggles to prove to Equestria and herself that she is worthy of being Celestia's student. She's also upset by the fact that her own achievements are marginalized by being recognized as "Celestia's student", rather than for her own accomplishments. Coupled with her inability to repeat the sonic rainboom despite Celestia's promise to help her in doing so, as well as her competitive nature, Dash often feels like she's incapable of winning, and she ''hates'' to lose. Another difference is that when Rainbow and the Mane Cast (plus Zecora) head out to confront Nightmare Moon, Rainbow Dash is reluctant, like mainstream Twilight, to bring them with her. But whereas Twilight was reluctant because she had to realize the value of having friends, Rainbow is reluctant out of a desire to keep her new friends safe and a distorted sense of taking Nightmare Moon down being her personal responsibility.

* CoolBigSis: Ditzy Doo's relationship with Rainbow Dash, for the most part.

'''Tropes pertaining to "May the Best Friends Win"
CompositeCharacter: Trixie combines her personality from "Boast Busters" with Gilda's role in "Griffon the Brush-Off" as Rainbow Dash's abrasive friend.
HardWorkHardlyWorks: The main source of contention between Rainbow Dash and Raindrops of the weather team.
[[TeachHimAnger Teach Her Anger]]: When Twilight and Trixie tutor Dinky Doo in basic levitation, this is Trixie's method.
VitriolicBestBuds[=/=]FriendlyRivalry: Rainbow Dash and Trixie. Especially evident when Dash heckles Trixie's show, only for Trixie to incorporate it into her performance to create a real spectacle.

Relevant tropes:

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* ParentalSubstitute: Celestia and Ditzy are both motherly figures to Rainbow Dash.

* ShoutOut: There are too may too count in this fic, but the most notable is Twilight's paraphrasing Superman's WorldOfCardboardSpeech.

* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Fluttershy proves herself worthy of bearing the Element of Kindness by treating the gargoyles, who had sworn loyalty to Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago, with compassion rather than reviling them. So touched were they that they swore loyalty to ''her'', rather than serve Nightmare Moon.

* DarkerAndEdgier: While this fic doesn't swerve into a [[DarkFuture Dark]] AlternateUniverse fic, the general situation and trials of the Elements are much more serious. Ditzy Doo and Shining Armor are brainwashed into serving as Nightmare Moon's minions before their horrified loved ones, and Nightmare Moon is very explicit in her attempts to kill the Mane Cast. The trial of laughter involves the Mane Cast and Zecora falling victim to the Swamp of Despair, in which they are forced to relive their most painful memories, paralyzing them with sadness while they sink into the swamp. Only Pinkie Pie's reminder that sadness doesn't last forever and to find laughter in any situation saves them. In Rarity's trial, she gives up a precious gift from her grandmother to appease the Diamond Dogs. Applejack honestly admits fault after accidentally disrupting a school of seaponies' spawning journey, knowing that they were contemplating killing the transgressor. Fluttershy interrupts a pitched battle between the other ponies (and Zecora) and gargoyles to extend kindness to said gargoyles. Twilight Sparkle duels [[spoiler: a corrupted Shining Armor]]. Rainbow Dash [[spoiler: very nearly sacrifices her life to save the other ponies, and resists a temptation much more seductive then the one seen in the show]].

* ShipTease: Forced to recognize that her crush on Shining Armor will remain unrequited, Rainbow Dash can't help but notice how attractive Big Macintosh is. Applejack is quick to notice and tease her about it.

* WhatTheHellHero: Rainbow Dash is enraged when she discovers how Celestia manipulated her and her friends behind the scenes since their foalhood in her plan to redeem her sister. Interestingly, she's not upset about being used, she's upset that Celestia did not trust her enough to be forthright about her intentions, because she would have [[UndyingLoyalty gladly aided Celestia]]. She says that she still loves Celestia, but she cannot forgive her yet. Fortunately, after both the princess and Rainbow have a chance to talk with other ponies, they reconcile quickly.

* HighAltitudeCombat: Rainbow Dash vs. the Shadowbolts.

* HopelessSuitor: Rainbow Dash has a crush on Shining Armor, but he sees her as a second little sister.

** Spike is not entrusted to Twilight's care, as she does not become Celestia's student as is seen as a potential danger rather than a prodigy.

* DarkerAndEdgier: While this fic doesn't swerve into a [[[[DarkFuture Dark]] AlternateUniverse]] fic, the general situation and trials of the Elements are much more serious. Ditzy Doo and Shining Armor are brainwashed into serving as Nightmare Moon's minions before their horrified loved ones, and Nightmare Moon is very explicit in her attempts to kill the Mane Cast. The trial of laughter involves the Mane Cast and Zecora falling victim to the Swamp of Despair, in which they are forced to relive their most painful memories, paralyzing them with sadness while they sink into the swamp. Only Pinkie Pie's reminder that sadness doesn't last forever and to find laughter in any situation saves them. In Rarity's trial, she gives up a precious gift from her grandmother to appease the Diamond Dogs. Applejack honestly admits fault after accidentally disrupting a school of seaponies' spawning journey, knowing that they were contemplating killing the transgressor. Fluttershy interrupts a pitched battle between the other ponies (and Zecora) and gargoyles to extend kindness to said gargoyles. Twilight Sparkle duels [[spoiler: a corrupted Shining Armor]]. Rainbow Dash [[spoiler: very nearly sacrifices her life to save the other ponies, and resists a temptation much more seductive then the one seen in the show]].

''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/30097/Rainbooms-and-Royalty Rainbooms and Royalty]] is a ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' FanFic by [[http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Trinary Trinary]] with a rather simple premise: [[WhatIf What if]] rather than being in Canterlot the the day the Mane Cast earned their cutie marks, Princess Celestia was in Cloudsdale? And instead of taking on Twilight Sparkle as her personal protégé, she took on Rainbow Dash (despite knowing the Pegasus was more inclined to athletics rather academics)? How would things change? How would they stay the same? What happens when Nightmare Moon returns?

* DarkerAndEdgier: While this fic doesn't swerve into a [[[[DarkFuture Dark]] AlternateUniverse]] fic, the general situation and trials of the Elements are much more serious. The trial of laugher involves the Mane Cast and Zecora falling victim to the Swamp of Despair, in which they are forced to relive their most painful memories, paralyzing them with sadness while they sink into the swamp. Only Pinkie Pie's reminder that sadness doesn't last forever and to find laughter in any situation saves them. In

* BreakTheCutie: Twilight Sparkle after her disastrous entrance exam, to the point that she feels that her cutie mark represents her potential to harm other ponies, rather than her talent with magic. Rainbow and Applejack soon set her straight. [[spoiler: Rainbow is broken more than once. First, after Nightmare Moon forces Rainbow Dash, reeling from the loss of Celestia, to publicly plead with her to not brainwash Shining Armor, Ditzy Doo, and two Pegasus royal guards, only to do so anyway and reveal that she only wanted to humiliate the proud Pegasus before Ponyville. Second

* TakingTheBullet: Rainbow Dash knocks the rest of the Mane Cast out of the way of

* ForWantOfANail: While the whole story is this to a degree, it is most noticeable with Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. In the show, Twilight Sparkle's disastrous entrance exam is salvaged by the arrival of Princess Celestia. She restrains Twilight's rampant magic, and praises her for her raw abilities, offering to become her personal teacher. Twilight thus views the entrance exam fiasco positively in the canon, and in her dedication to living up to Princess Celestia's expectations (and due to her inherent introverted nature) eschews friends as something [[ImNotHereToMakeFriends she doesn't have time for]]. But in ''Rainbooms and Royalty'', Celestia is not in Canterlot, and exam is much more traumatic.