azula-griffon:

I mean, didn’t rainbowdash already choose her friends over the SHADOWBOLTS? and she’d just met them at that time! A huge bond should’ve been made by then and she should’ve been automatically loyal. She:d already been in the situation! There’s got to be something off.

Well, she never heard of the shadowbolts and probably thought they were arrogant because they said they were better than the wonderbolts and the only one she didn’t know at the time was twilight so the decision was a bit easier. This time it was between the ponies she actually does look up to and the ponies she has been with for long times so it’s essentially the same but on a greater scale.