Hello, everypony! :D This story is basically a 'What if' situation. What if Rainbow Dash had joined the Shadowbolts? Well, lets start at the beginning...

(P.S. If you're wondering why Rainbow Dash is so OOC, don't worry, you'll find out in the later chapters!)

Rainbow Crash. That's what they called me. I practised and practised. I tried so hard for those who ridiculed me, only to fail and be laughed at even more. Still, I was never one for giving up. If I wanted something, I'd get it. No matter what. And what I wanted was to become the fastest and most famous flyer in all of Equestria. In the gullible years of my fillyhood, I thought that joining the most famous flying group, the Wonderbolts, would make my dream come true. But that was never what was meant for me. I was meant for greater things than to become part of some stupid goody-two-shoes, egotistical group, met by a drooling fanbase who were so idiotic they probably didn't know a Sonic Rainboom from an distorted cloud. That was not my destiny. I was meant to fly on the darker side of the sky. I see that now. I wouldn't have it any other way.

This is the grand story of my life. In my early days, when I was only a filly, I knew my place. I was weak back then, weaker than the other pegasi. They would push me around, laugh at my tears, drawing blood on some occasions. I tried to stand up for myself, but all in vain. They were stronger and quicker than me. That's just the way things work sometimes. I had only one friend: Fluttershy. She was even more pathetic than me, and remained pathetic until the death she deserved came for her. I only became friends with her because nopony else would even speak to me. Even the flying teachers looked down at me in disgust. My own parents ignored me most of the time for being so weak. I don't blame them. If I had given birth to a filly like that, I would have killed it already, and not shed a single tear in its absense. They fed me very little, as an effort not to waste food, and beat me extremely if I made even the slightest of mistakes, which was often. I would always go to school with some new bruise, not that anypony cared. Only Fluttershy cared. That weak fool. The teachers did the right thing by ignoring my pleas for attention. Everypony should look out for themselves. To care for others is to make yourself vulnerable, and to make yourself vulnerable is to make yourself weak. If you haven't come to the conclusion that I despise weakness by now, then you must be a complete and utter idiot. I didn't know much about my parents. I assume that they wanted to have a great flyer, hopefully a colt. However, when they were stuck with me, for some reason, they weren't able to have any other foals, no matter how many times they tried. It was as if destiny didn't want them to. It was just as well. They were weak too. I found that out later.

But, continuing with my story, after a few years, they became sick of me and kicked me out. At first, I tried sleeping at other ponies doorsteps in Cloudsdale, hoping I could gather some fleeting bits of warmth from the hard bristles of the 'Welcome' rug. However, the next morning, I would awaken to sharp hits of pain as they kicked me off their rug. After that happened multiple times and the cuts on my body increased, I decided I'd hide in the back alleys of restaurants or the backyards of other houses. Every night, I was forced to eat what little remains I could find in their garbage to survive. Because I was a clumsy filly, I would often make too much noise, meaning that the owners of the house would awaken, see me and start throwing things at me. So I ran from them. I ran from everypony. Because I couldn't stand to see my own shame reflected in their eyes. However, I still attended school. It was the one thing I truly enjoyed. Even though I was often defeated in all kinds of contests, ranging from swiftness to strength, I didn't give up; I felt I couldn't, that, in some way, becoming a winner would soothe my pain. That instinct turned out to be correct. Nopony knows how satisfying it is to see your foes tremble until it's finally happening.

My bond with Fluttershy was strong. I would often push her around, as she was weaker than me, and seeing somepony like that gave me hope in myself, so I felt stronger around her. However, she never fought against my abuse, and seemed only concerned for me. Stupid bitch. She should have looked out for herself instead of some pathetic little pony she knew nothing about. She was already being bullied herself. Not only was she a bad flyer, she was also clumsy, too quiet and a real pain in the ass to have a decent conversation with. Why didn't she try to improve on herself? Why did she just sit there and take it all? That's what separates the weak from the strong, in the end. Willpower; and though I was weak and useless, my willpower grew everyday. I wouldn't take it anymore. I would work and work until I became the best flyer in Equestria.

So, one day, when I was walking with Fluttershy, two pegasus fillies approached us. They were from my school, and started to mock us, as they did everyday. Fluttershy wanted to walk away and ignore them. But not me. You see, when one is a filly, one has a lot of spare time. Though most other fillies would spend it playing with others or obsessing over computer games, I practised. I flew quickly at first, until I realised that was my downfall. I was impatient, and wanted to beat all my opponents with great speed. However, for those few months, I forced myself to concentrate on things like balance instead, making myself go at a slower speed so I could analyse every aspect of my unique flying. When my balance was finally in check, I focused on speed, which wasn't half as much of a problem. Soon, I was an impressive flyer for a filly. Still, I walked everywhere. I didn't let others know how much my skills had improved. No, I was waiting for that moment. A moment in which I could bask in my glory. Such a moment was now. I challenged them to a race. They, as expected, laughed at me, but when they saw the seriousness in my face, they must have thought I was mad. Still, as a pegasus can never back down from a challenge, they accepted. I thought at the time I was doing it for Fluttershy and her honour. But what honour did Fluttershy really have? All honour she did have vanished when she went to live on the ground. No, it was for my own personal glory that I did it. To show everypony, including my good-for-nothing parents, that I was worth more than they had ever estimated. But, carrying on with my tale, all three of us stood at a cloud, our starting line, waiting for Fluttershy to wave her flag. One of the other pegasi flew past her too quickly, causing her to fall. But, right now, she was the least of my concerns. I flew quickly, speeding through the cloud rings that hung in the air, the obstacles that had been set up earlier. One of them flew too quickly, crashing into a piece of cloud ahead. I carried on, chasing my last opponent through circle after circle. However, he crashed into me, trying to knock me over.

"Heh! Later, Rainbow Crash!"

He then sped ahead.

"Hey!"

I flew after him at top speed, using all the energy that I had been saving for later in the race, chasing him downwards. I sped past him, but soon I realised that I couldn't stop. I had broken the sanctity and predictably that the sky had to offer, and made it a place of exploration, competition and adventure in my mind for the rest of my life. And for that one moment, I was truly free. I didn't know what was happening, but I was enjoying every second of it. Later, when other ponies were asked, they described it as 'a forcefield of light surrounding her, and colourful spectra of the same light following her'. What they meant, in less poetic words, was that I had performed a Sonic Rainboom. In all my months of practising, I had never foreseen such a thing happening. I had barely even thought such a thing possible. Still, against all the odds, this ugly duckling had grown into a swan, one that was flying at the speed of light through the crowds, shocking everypony she zoomed past. As I finally sped through the finish line, breaking it with my impossible speed, the pegasi who had once mocked me only cheered me. I had never felt better in all my life. Finally, I had received all the recognition that I deserved. Finally they knew that I was meant for greater things. And finally, as the Sonic Rainboom cutie mark appeared on my flank, I was filled with that knowledge as well.