It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #143 · 8:16pm Dec 13th, 2023
The Wonderbolts. An elite stunt team filled with the best, the brightest, the fastest… okay, wait, so to be sure we're clear here by 'the brightest' I'm talking about colors. Or contrails. Certainly not brains.
I mean Rainbow Dash is right there.
So let's talk a little about some of their, ah. Less than perfect moments.
And we'll lead with FanOfMostEverything and Arrest Ye Merry Gentlemares.
Because we begin with Spitfire and Rainbow Dash in jail.
See, Dash talks a lot about all the crazy stuff that happens in Ponyville. Spitfire's pretty sure that's all made up because how could some little sleepy town have all that? Parasprites? Timberwolves? Mysterious forest zebra alchemists? This so-called 'Pinkie Pie'? Rainbow Dash is just making up tall tales, and Spitfire plans to go with her for the holidays to prove it. Force Dash to admit she was making it up and learn a little humility.
I'm sure you can see where this is going.
And I'm sure you can see the inherent comedy. Introducing an outsider to the madness of Ponyville is usually funny, and having it be a fairly cool, collected, and confident pony like Spitfire just makes it better. She's so sure of herself before arriving, after all.
This pairs wonderfully with the current moment half of the scene, where Spitfire is very much understanding she's made a mistake and is quite sorry about it. (Being in a jail cell will do that to you.) It gives a wonderful comedic juxtaposition with an undercurrent of sweet hubris.
Really, it's another great FoME comedy jam and that alone is enough to give it a recommend. Rainbow Dash getting to be the mature, sensible one is just a cherry on top of the rest. (But that's still pretty damn funny.)
Meanwhile, we have Dash being a bit less mature and sensible with The Wrong Stuff by DashEight.
Rainbow Dash has a really really good idea, and somehow that doesn't make everypony run for cover. She's been paying attention to Twilight so now she understands Science. She can even use words like 'linear coefficient'! (Not correctly, but she can use them.) See, the Wonderbolts are holding her back because they can't add a rainboom into their routine since Rainbow's the only one that can do it. For now. But she's figured out how to make it work: by basically dragging another pony along to surf her shockwave.
However dumb you think it gets after that goes inevitably wrong, you're incorrect. It gets much, much dumber. Even after it transitions into further Wonderbolt incidents, it remains packed with "What were you thinking?" moments of comedy.
And that's why it's funny. The story's got tons of hilari-stupid as the Wonderbolts do dumb after dumb. There's some parts that are a little less so and lean more into drama - notably towards the end - but even then there's a distinct undercurrent of silly and madness.
Plus while I point out Dash and Soarin in the initial blurb, pretty much all the Wonderbolts get in there. Plenty of Spitfire, a bunch of Misty Fly, Fleetfoot, Surprise, and even a few lesser known ones like Cadet Thunder Dust and her wonderful mustache.
For this one just sit somewhere comfy, turn your brain down a few notches, and enjoy the show as the Wonderbolts prove that when you consider Rainbow Dash a shining example to follow? That's bad news for everyone in the blast radius.
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Happy to see FoME's 2021 Jinglemas entry here, because it's an absolute hoot. Even apart from his take on Estee's Ponyville police chief Miranda Rights. Spitfire is up her own arse enough in the show/fanfiction that seeing her get taken down a peg or two like this is a delight from start to finish.
That may be the best title pun I've ever written. Also, I appreciate being reminded of The Wrong Stuff. I may have to reread it.
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It's a good chunk of why that one's great. The Spitfire/Dash dynamic doesn't go that way often and it really enables a silly time.