Bolt from the Blue

Or not so much in this case. Here are my thoughts on Wonderbolt Academy, as promised. I'm not sure if I'm getting this in after the episode release or not, but I know I'm close enough and I'm not going to be able to access the internet from the car time machine tomorrow.

May contain traces of nuts, rude words and spoilers.

Fuuuuck. Fuuuuuuuuuuuucccckk.

Well as I planned for, it wasn't smooth sailing this week. I knew the shipping was coming, just not from where, and in this case they all but canonised Pinkie Pie having a massive crush on RD. Welp. Wellpp. I can endure that, as long as something proportionally drastic pops up later in the season. We have at least 1 Fluttershy episode coming up. While doing so they all but canonised Pinkie Pie being completely and utterly nuts. Like we didn't know.

Remember kids, borderline personality disorder is a serious illness.

While I wait for the status quo dust to settle, let me list some of the good things about this episode.

Lightning Dust

I swear she has the same voice as Diamond Tiara. Attitude to match. Still, this was better than I ever could have dreamed up. Which is why I'm not running the show I suppose.

What do we know about our new brash and reckless overlord? She's quick, about as quick as RD, and she shows off RD's responsible, emotional side better than the mare herself ever could. Her lack of empathy makes her a shoe-in to recur at some point. Suddenly I want to write an LD and Trixie team up against RD and Twilight. Would the Great and Apologetic Trixie do that? Hell yeah she would. Throw in Blueblood as well actually, I wouldn't mind another episode with his royal assness. Or I'll just ship Trixie and Lightning Dust. Or combine the two of them into some kind of evil alicorn. Infinite plot potential.

Fluttershy

Fluttershy, get your head in the goddamn game. You have wings. Srsly.

Background Ponies

Best background ponies recur? Oh yeah they do. Thunderlane and Cloudchaser are back and in business. Which demonstrates that Cloudchaser is indeed more reckless, and a better flier than Flitter. Thunderlane x Rarity is now a ship. Exactly as planned. Also Roid Rage is back YEAAAAHH!

The Wonderbolts.

Spitfire is best drill sergeant. What we got is between the lines confirmation that the Wonderbolts are indeed the air force. Which once again brings into play the not-so-hidden milataristic aspect of the pegasi as a race. finally Rainbow Dash now a Wonderbolt and thus I never have to read another “I crashed out so I'll kill myself” fic ever again. Ever. Hallelujah.

No Soarin though, wonder what ol' blue is up to. We know he's roughly Spitfire's equal, I guess Spitfire's the one running the show.

Wing Five

Wing five is now a thing and they canonised hoof bumping, telling your pony friends that they're awesome has never been easier.

Yeah I didn't have as much to say as I expected. To be honest was braced to have to rebuke a wave of shipfics featuring RD and the pony we now know as Lightning Dust. With the shiping fuel falling squarely on Pinkie and Lightning Dust out of contention as a threat to my fragile ego existence OTP, I'm actually relieved. Sure PinkieDash got enough Shipping Fuel to retrofit them as a fully functional star destroyer, but they were flagging anyway and a shot in the arm is just what they needed to ensure I don't spend the rest of my time in this fandom battling Twidash and Appledash from the loser's seat. With a large proportion of the community still tied up in Pinkie Dash, we've fallen back towards the pre-season status quo. Not too far mind you, but far enough. Hopefully this will all even out. Or RD will show up in Apple Family Reunion and I will have to burn down a store that sells cowboy hats in rage.

Eh, it's not likely.

Everhopeful out.