Sonic Rainboom

Dear Princess Luna...

Aww, episode begins with Rainbow Dash trying to teach Fluttershy how to properly cheer for her. Rainbow demands 'Louder!' and Fluttershy takes a deep breath, then gently says... 'Yay!'

Rainbow falls backwards, Fluttershy wonders if she was too loud. This may be the shortest pre-intro segment of any episode, less than 40 seconds, they are usually a minute plus. Guess that means the rest of the episode should be longer than usual, and it is looking to be a Rainbow Dash episode, so that's always good.

Rainbow Dash is going through some elaborate routine to try and perform a sonic rainboom. She fails, and it sent hurtling into the distance. It cuts to Twilight's Library, where she uses magic to put a book back on the shelf and thanks Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack for helping her pick up all the books. Rainbow comes flying through the window and trashes the place.

Rainbow Dash flying, bombs coming down, millions of cooties crawling around. Pieces of shrapnel, pieces of shell, fighting and fighting a horrible war, and God only knows what you're fighting it for!

Fluttershy arrives and softly cheers for Rainbow. Rainbow says that was a feeble performance, they clarifies she meant Fluttershy's cheering. Rainbow is annoyed and wishes her non-pegasi friends could come to Cloudsdale to see her compete in the Best Young Flyer Competition. This sounds familiar, yep, it was referenced in The Best Night Ever.

"Sonic rainbooms? Oh, yeah, I do those like all the time..."

Pinkie somehow knows all about the competition and the sonic rainboom. It's a legendary thing where if a pegasus is flying so fast a sonic boom and a rainbow happen at the same time, and Rainbow Dash is the only one to ever have done it. Rainbow tries to downplay it, saying she was just a filly when she did it, then starts bragging that she can do them in her sleep. The grand prize winner gets to spend the day with the Wonderbolts, who Rainbow says are her life-long heroes.

Aww. I know they're fictional characters and all, but I feel like a douchebag for mocking the Wonderbolts all the time while having Rainbow in my 'favorite character' list.

After Rainbow and Fluttershy are gone, Rarity pokes Twilight with her horn and tells her to find a spell to get them into Cloudsdale to support Rainbow. Applejack doesn't understand, claiming Rainbow was 'tootin' her horn louder than the brass section of a marchin' band!' Rarity says she has seen enough fashion shows to recognize stage fright, and slams her rear into Twilight to make her go find the spell.

"Do your damn job, Twilight!"

Twilight complains she'll never find the flight spell in all the mess. Pinkie immediately produces the proper spellbook and page number, claiming it fell on her head when Rainbow knocked all the books down. Twilight says the spell provides flight for 3 days and looks complicated and asks for a volunteer. Rarity boldly volunteers herself, for Rainbow Dash.

Here we go, magic in action! The spell begins wrapping around Rarity, then an orb is launched from Twilight's horn and emits a blast of energy. Rarity is then seen hovering and Twilight says she thinks it worked.

New use for magic: granting flight powers to others.

Rainbow and Fluttershy arrive at Cloudsdale.

Cloudsdale is pretty badass.

Those pegasi bullies that Rainbow races in The Cutie Mark Chronicles are there, they begin mocking her, calling her Rainbow Crash and ask if she's been kicked out of any flight schools recently. They then start mocking her about the sonic rainboom. Wait a minute here, I'm pretty sure those were the douchebags from that episode, and that race definitely takes place in the past. So these guys managed to ignore the massive explosion that was felt from Cloudsdale to Canterlot to Ponyville, and left a visible rainbow able to be seen in Manehattan?

"Rainbow Crash, ya get kicked out of any flight schools recently?" "Uh, you mean flight schools, for fillies, where I also beat you in a race? No, no I haven't."

Fluttershy tries to defend Rainbow against them. Rainbow has no confidence and says they are right. Fluttershy tries to cheer her up by saying just because she failed to do the sonic rainboom hundreds of times in practice, doesn't mean she won't really do it in front of hundreds of spectators.

If praying was horses, all of us would ride.

As Rainbow melts down about not being able to perform the sonic rainboom, and fears Celestia will banish her to the Everfree Forest, Rarity arrives.

Hmm, I'm pretty sure pegasus can't use magic-magic, but since this is a spell to cast on others, seems like it could have been designed to embarrass your non-Rarity style friends. I suppose a 'royalty' breed pony could have made it.

Rainbow and Fluttershy are shocked. The rest of their friends arrive in a hot air balloon. Rainbow's heart probably skipped a beat as Pinkie jumped out of the basket, as only pegasi can walk on clouds. Turns out the wing spell was too hard for Twilight to do more than once, and she just found another spell that lets any pony walk on clouds. New use for magic and points for unicorns/magic.

Rainbow and Fluttershy give the gang a tour of Cloudsdale. Rarity stops to stare at her wings in a mirrored surface. A group of construction workers, using a jackhammer on a cloud (yeah, I don't know), are stunned by Rarity's wings and the jackhammer goes soaring down below.

Applejack wants to see where the weather is made and they head to the weather factory.

Hmm, so are there no 'natural disasters' in the Ponyverse since they just make all the weather?

Their first stop is where snowflakes are hoof-made. Rarity flies up to take a closer look and the gust from her wings sends snowflakes flying all over. Rainbow says they better leave before Rarity ruins winter and causes a drought. So weather in the Ponyverse is 100% fabricated? Windigos can cause snow, though, as we saw in Hearth's Warming Eve.

Can you imagine what a mind-numbing job this must be, making billions upon billions of snowflakes by 'hand'?

Next is the room where they make rainbows. Pinkie dips her hoof in and licks it. Her head turns all the colors of the rainbow and she says it's spicy and runs off. Rainbow says rainbows aren't exactly known for their flavor. The pegasi bullies are seen talking with Rarity, admiring her wings. Rainbow is upset with her, the bullies tell Rainbow to forget the sonic rainboom and just get wings like Rarity's.

Taste the rainbow!

 Rainbow is getting pretty upset about this whole competition.

"Maybe you should have trained harder instead of whining that I wasn't cheering loud enough!"

They continue on and see how clouds are made: pouring water into magical? urns that then spit forth clouds. Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy grow annoyed at Rarity showing off her wings.

Rarity might be going SPLAT, that looks like the kind of pissed-off-friends look that resulted in an entire episode revolving around making their friend feel terrible.

 Twilight tells Rarity to knock it off, Rarity flies up and the sun shines through her wings, casting beams of colored light down. Rarity is delighted. Rainbow is having a nervous breakdown, now not only upset because the grand finale of her performance has never worked, but Rarity's awesome magic wings are giving her wing envy.

"Why can't I have cool wings like that Twilight? Why do you love Rarity more than me?"

The workers/visitors of the factory tell Rarity she should compete, Rarity says she may, because no pony uses their wings like she does. Rainbow is crushed.

"I spend hours of my time, and you just magic up some awesome wings for Rarity, now I might lose? Twilight, you suck...."

Later, the competition begins.

It's being held in a Colosseum looking thing, likely was used in the past for gladiatorial combat, since we saw in Hearth's Warming Eve that the pegasi wore Roman style gear.

 Princess Celestia arrives to much applause.

The celebrity guests are announced: the Wonderbolts! They perform some aerobatics, merge into a ball formation, then fly apart as a firework goes off.

The Wonderbolts must have pretty badass flight suits now that I think about it. Smoke trails, fireworks, who knows what else can be triggered.

 Rainbow watches them excitedly. The Wonderbolts set down on their cloud platforms and the competition begins.

"The Wonderbolts will get to watch me fail!"

 Rainbow was assigned as number 2 contestant, and panics, switching tags with number 5. She then switches with number 6. Rarity is supposed to go on as number 4, but asks for more time. The event coordinator gets all pissy and says she doesn't care who goes, someone has to. Number 7 runs out, Rainbow is upset, asking outloud what she is supposed to do. She switches with 15.

Their friends are shown out on their cloud platform/ Twilight says she liked number 7 because he did 15 barrel rolls in a row, Fluttershy likes number 10 because she just looked like a nice pony. Applejack wonders why they haven't seen their friends, since the competition is almost over.

 Rainbow is curled up into a quivering ball, the coordinator tells her to get the hell out there.

Aww. =[

Rarity finally is ready. Apparently the contest HAS to end at a specific time, as they won't let them each go out on their own, and they have to do it together.

"Don't worry Rainbow, I'm sure a few ponies will watch your performance instead of mine."

They begin their performances: Rarity gracefully flying about, Rainbow forces herself to start her routine.

Rainbow is weaving in between pillars of cloud, gets her timing off and is bounced face first into the arena wall, right in front of the bullies who gleefully laugh and call her Rainbow Crash.

"Hah hah!" "She might really be hurt!" "I said, 'Hah hah.'"

Undeterred, Rainbow proceeds to phase two, spinning the clouds. A bit of cloud breaks off and hits her in the face, the cloud then goes out of control towards Princess Celestia.

Celestia, darling, you are one of the most powerful magic users in your universe. Blast the cloud already!

"Hmm, would I be better off if it kills her? She won't be able to punish me then, but I might get charged with regicide..."

 The Princess ducks, and the cloud smashes over head, disintegrating. That probably would have done some damage since we saw that little bit that hit Rainbow was enough to send her reeling. Rarity and Rainbow begin their grand finales. Rarity wants to fly up in front of the sun so the light will shine down all over Cloudsdale and Rainbow of course is going to try to do a sonic rainboom. They both soar off up into the sky.

Rarity's plan works, for a little bit, but her wings burst into flame.

Guess Twilight didn't bother enchanting them with protection spells, after all, if they fail, it's only going to send Rarity plummeting to the ground, no harm done.

Rarity falls, screaming and flailing. While the audience gasps in horror, the Wonderbolts are ready for action.

Spitfire, Soarin, and Unknown, ready to rock and roll.

They quickly catch up to Rarity, where she proceeds to accidentally kick them all in the head.

Spitfire takes a well pedicured hoof to the face.

Rainbow's attention is finally drawn to the horror playing out below her. Now Rarity is falling and three dazed and/or unconscious Wonderbolts.

Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die! They ain't gonna jump no more!

Rainbow stop her ascent and begins flying down to save Rarity and her heroes. She reaches the critical level between sonic rainboom and being launched in the other direction, and breaks through that barrier, finally making the sonic rainboom.

"Engaging Ludicrous Speed!"

Fluttershy finally gets to cheer like she's been practicing to do, while the others are just dumbfounded.

"Sonic Rainboom! Yay!"

Rainbow rescues Rarity and the Wonderbolts mere feet from the ground.

Damn, Rainbow can carry three adult pegasi and a teenage(?) unicorn, and still is the fastest pegasi in the world.

Rainbow brings them back up towards Cloudsdale, and finally notices the crazy magic rainbow trail she's leaving in her wake, she does an arc over the city, then slows down and flies up into the arena, where she is met with cheers and confetti.

Rainbow says its her best day ever. Aww.

Sometime later, Rarity is apologizing to them all for getting so caught up in her wings and apologizes to Rainbow for going into the competition at the last minute, even though she knew how hard Rainbow had been training for it. Rainbow says she forgives her, since it all worked out, and just wishes she had met the Wonderbolts when they were awake.

"You called?"

 Rainbow is amazed, only being able to say 'ohmygosh' repeatedly.

"OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh!"

Spitfire says they wanted to meet the pony that saved their lives and say thanks. Rainbow continues saying nothing by 'ohmygosh' repeatedly.

Princess Celestia descends upon Twilight and her friends. Rarity starts apologizing for ruining the competition and says Rainbow really is the best flyer in Equestria. Celestia says she knows, and that is why she is declaring Rainbow Dash the winner, for her incredible act of bravery and her sonic rainboom.

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!"

Once again, Rainbow says nothing but 'ohmygosh' repeatedly as some pegasi carry her around. Celestia asks Twilight if she learned anything. Twilight says she did, but Rarity learned more. Rarity explains she learned to keep her hooves on the ground, and to be there for your friends. The Princes says, "Excellent, well done, Rarity." Rainbow says this really is the best day ever.

Aww.

The pegasi bullies awkwardly apologize to Rainbow for giving her such a hard time and want her to hang out with them. She declines, saying she's got plans.

"Yeah, I'm really going to show you douchebags how to perform something no other pegasi has been able to do."

 The episode ends as she flies off into the sky with some Wonderbolts.

What I learned from this episode:

• This was a pretty good Rainbow Dash episode. She overcame her fears, saved her friend and heroes, won a prestigious title, got to spend time with her life-long heroes, and performed the impossible: the sonic rainboom. She even earned the respect of the pegasi bullies.
• The weather in the Ponyverse may be almost completely manufactured. They hoof-craft each and every snowflake, make the clouds, even make rainbows.
• The sonic rainboom seems like a really odd legend. I think I talked about this in The Cutie Mark Chronicles, but really, who came up with this thing? What may make the most sense was someone in the past was able to do them, then as the centuries pass, no other pegasus can do it, or tries to do it, and it becomes merely an 'old mare's tale.' Or it is tied into Rainbow's destiny as the Element of Loyalty, and being able to do her rainbow hued explosions will be her superpower for the coming Apocalypse or whatever she and her friends are destined for.
• Even though their attempt failed, I did feel a new respect for the Wonderbolts. The fact that they alone rushed to help while everyone else, including Princess Celestia, just stood there, really made them seem not quite as useless as I have previously thought. It should be noted that there were at least six in attendance, and only three tried to help, but they were also the highest ranking ones, including Spitfire.

Update -  This episode ended up being in my top 10 overall favorites, write-up copied from my Triumphant Return post:

Rainbow Dash secures her place in Equestria's history books by winning the Best Flyer competition, the thanks of her heroes (the Wonderbolts), and made the impossible possible by performing a sonic rainboom, again.