The moment I saw Dash's daddy in that flashback from the "Games Ponies Play" episode, I HAD to draw him.
...And then I started toying around with Rainbow's mama and immediately decided she would HAVE to be Firefly from G1.
Lauren Faust based Dash's personality after Firefly, and has even claimed that she would have liked her to be Rainbow's mother. So that settled it. And then I made this.
I like to think of Rainbow as nearly like Firefly in every way, personality wise (which she already is) -- the only difference is Firefly's a little more comfortable in her own horseshoes. She is bold and rebellious and doesn't give a crap what others think of her. Before Rainbow took the title, she was considered the best flier in Equestria and could have easily been a Wonderbolt. But her distaste for rules and restrictions blew that opportunity away. She knows she's the best and doesn't feel like she has to be part of a flying team to prove it. She just prefers showing off her skills in the company of her loved ones, giving her all the time in the world to train her little Rainbow in all her techniques! We all know how heartened Rainbow is on "looking cool" to others, so she doesn't always understand her mother in that respect -- why she would pass up the opportunity to be a Wonderbolt is BEYOND HER! But, that gives them more time to spend together. She supports her daughter in all her endeavors and knows exactly when to give her a push in the rare times when Rainbow finds herself nervous of judgement.
As for Dash's daddy --
Sky Strike, as I like to call him his name on MLP wiki is Bifröst -- he's a quiet guy and doesn't like to draw too much attention to himself. The poor guy found himself in
quite the pickle when he realized he had the biggest, most adorkable crush on the untameable Firefly by the time he graduated from Flight school! Lucky for him, Firefly liked his reserved self, his dry jokes, and stability. Their courtship was short.
Sky Strike works at the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale. He's a pretty good flier and can even beat Firefly in a race on a good day! He loves his daughter with all his heart, but is seen as a little too overprotective in Firefly's eyes. She often has to coax him into just letting Dash be herself, and remind him that getting a scrape or two builds good character. I like to think of him as a little like Marlin from
Finding Nemo. He's not "suffocating" in his worrying, just a tad annoying. But Rainbow loves him just as much as he does her, and finds it sometimes easier to confide in him when in need of advice. Firefly's advice is almost always "fuck it, who cares?", and that isn't always helpful, believe it or not.
So it's Sky Strike that fills the void by being as understanding and encouraging as Dash needs during those puzzling situations.
Woo, look at all that writin'! Might as well quit while I got nothin' more to say at the moment. Anyway, enjoy the Dash Family!
Image (c) ~
Graystripe64MLP:FiM and characters (c)
, Hasbro, DHX, Hub
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Twilight Sparkle and Spike
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