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Alex Warlorn


Just your average Brony who happened upon an idea that might actually turn out to be clever enough for guys to love.

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Oct
16th
2016

MLPFiMS6E24 commentary spoilers. · 12:34am Oct 16th, 2016

MLPFiMS6E24 commentary spoilers.

And this is the penultimate episode before the season finale.

The writers remember RD is a 100% Wonderbolt now.

And we learn that Spitfire 'likes' yelling and blowing her whistle. The haters must be panting at that news.

And the Tree that decides their fate pulls the puppet strings again.

And they actually let Starlight have a background presence.

AND! The friendship problem is at Wonderbolts HQ... The haters must REALLY be drooling at that news!

And Twilight gets told what to do, her favorite (makes you wonder why she'd ever resist some friendly mind control magic where she doesn't have to think). Twilight last time was used as a brute force weapon to solve a problem. Then her encounter with Starlight ironically reminded her that she's not just a canon and reasoning DOES freakin' work if you can see things from THEIR perspective (Twilight spoke to Starlight in her language, on her level).

It's intersting the new crop of newbies aren't wearing their trainee uniforms like RD and Lightning Dust. Yet, RD and Lightning were clearly meeting for the first time. I'm now confused on how the whole thing works. Have they passed the written test for the Wonderbolt reserve? No wait, RD had to pass the physical test first.

And Spitfire is making sure to break the newbies out of their civilian mentality with a big heaping help of trash talk. And we got the smooth calm guy at the far end. Is he another Lightning Dust? Or is he using his attitude to cover insecurity or inability?

And RD looks at Spitfire's trash talk WITH NOSTALGIA! (Then again, RD was doing her best to show she could play ball when she needs to and Spitfire would never play favorites).

AND SHOCKER! The pegasi AGAIN seem to ACTUALLY KNOW that Rainbow Dash is a big deal! Since when do the mane six get RECOGNIZED for having saved the world sans Zephyr Breeze?

One of the pegasi wants to share their admiration with the elements, but Spitfire is determined for her to STAY ON TASK! She ordered her to do laps so fly them dammit!

If Spitfire's attitude turns out to be the friendship problem... it is, isn't it? For goodness sake, she's a DRILL SERGEANT! She's DOING HER JOB!

Seems both RD and Twilight are kinda naive, Twilight thinks all are bookworms like her, RD think that all are as allergic to traditional learning methods as her.

And we're introduced to Sky Stinger. Apparently he's set a new world record for vertical flight.
And his attitude is the same as RD's regarding learning. Except RD isn't getting chummy with him like she did Lightning Dust.

500 ft, in two seconds.

And we're introduced to his wingpony, the mare Vapor Trails, who apparently looks up to Sky Stinger.


there are apparently eight standing Wonderbolts at a time.

Spitfire is on top. RD's is at the bottom. And RD being RD, her picture isn't the same as the others (her goggles are off, and she's grinning in her typical 'look at me!' way.)

But I don't see Surprise there.

Twilight tries to get things back on track, and it's RD who falls asleep!

Sky Stinger after class says that for the solo trials, he claims he has no worries (far too many times) but he IS worried about Vapor Trail passing.

Then the girls notice something... Vapor Trail is using her OWN pegasus magic to argument Sky Stinger's abilities!

They conclude Sky Stinger must have no idea Vapor is powering him up, and Vapor is so focused on him that she's neglecting her own skills. This is not a healthy relation for either of them.

For the record? The whole 'misjudged what the friendship problem is' only works for a bait and switch if you DON'T do it every time!!!

I spoke too soon. The conflict is that Twilight and Rainbow have completely different means of resolving this.

RD doesn't want to burst Stinger's bubble.
And Twilight thinks honesty is the best policy.

And we learn the name of the pony from before, Angel Wings, and... her cloud busting sucks. (How do they even know what an angel IS?!?! Seriously, paradox!)

And the writers IMHO go OVERBOARD with Spitfire saying aside 'I love my job' to RD too much.

Twilight confronts Vapor about her cheating in favor of Stinger. In spite of RD trying to continue to act like they don't know. But Twilight will have none of it.

Stinger was in a large family desperately trying to get attention.
And in an inversion, Vapor was an only child with TOO MUCH attention her!

And Vapor has been helping him get attention and giving him praise for the very things she's been helping him with ever since, she's been augmenting his abilities without his knowledge SINCE THEY WERE FOALS!

Sky is the one who wants to be a Bolt, Vapor is just there to be with him! (She's never even THOUGHT about what she wants!).


I wonder why Applejack wasn't brought along, after all, she know honesty better than anyone, IT WOULD HAVE MADE SOME GREAT CONFLICT!

Twilight wants to reveal the truth, Vapor is terrified of shattering the illusion she's built for him.

So they divide Sky with Twilight and Vapor with RD to built up both their strength and skill.

Sky goes for the classic methods.

NOW Vapor is wearing a bolt trainee uniform?!


And so is Sky.

And we see that Sky really isn't all that tough once he's stripped of the crutch he never even knew he had!

Vapor meanwhile, shows signs of actually getting it.

And RD notes that Vapor's OWN confidence is rising.

I wonder what Vapor would have done if Sky HASN'T been made her wing leader.

AND! She basically helped Sky utterly unwittingly commit fraud! Even his world record is a lie! And he doesn't even know it!

Sky wants to switch and practice tricks with RD, except Twilight shows that he's failed ALL the basic strength tests. He then says that 'I obviously don't need to practice' poor guy is in his own world right.

Sky then says he's sure he'll be asked to join the academy tomorrow, and says how he won't be surprised if they ask him to become a bolt right after the trials, "Dream Achieved."

Vapor can't take it anymore.

I think the animators should REALLY retire that face! It works with PINKIE PIE because she's the definition of 'loony toons stretch,' but see it on Fluttershy and other ponies is just jarring.

Vapor tells him the truth... Sky doesn't believe her... until... he tries to fly on his own... he endurance and strength goes kaput.

Wind blows, rain falls, and once the lie is revealed, Sky Stinger venomously asks Vapor Trail, "Was this your plan the whole time? To embarrass me?"

"How can you say that! Don't you know me?!"

"Apparently I don't!"

-

Vapor tells the Elements angrily, "Thanks a lot."

And we're back to the whirlie gig. The others are various shade of nervous or determined but Vapor and Sky are glaring daggers at each other.

Twilight says RD was right after this disaster. Then RD says, no, Twilight was right from the beginning. She realized it watching Sky 'train', he wasn't even trying!

Sky Stinger is just going through the motions. And Spitfire wants to know why Sky Stinger has gone from the best to worst, but the girls don't reveal 'why.' Only saying they'll 'fix' it.

Twilight finds Sky and tells him, no, he's NOT a natural. At all.

But Twilight sucked at friendship, and now she's the Alicorn of it.

RD tells Vapor she's Lead Pony material, but Vapor doesn't want the attention. And RD asks her, is being a Wonderbolt what SHE wants?

I'm suffering a computer crash here. Mentally I mean. They respect Shy is an introvert after everything, but they don't want to respect Vapor is?

And Vapor admits, no it wasn't, AT FIRST, but practicing with RD, she's realized, yes, this IS something she wants!

(This ironically reminds me of a much more dark example from Sword Arts Online. 10,000 people are trapped in a VR game where if you die in the game, the die for real. A husband and wife were among those trapped, but where before SHE was the meek one, she begins to become the one to take charge and to adapt to their situation. While the husband ends up having to depend ON HER! And... she arranged a freakin' assassination of her! Justifying it go himxdlv as 1) According to the 'rules of this world' 'murder is legal (PKing), and 2) that he had to do it while something of the women he loved still existed. The hero Asuna brutally calls him out on this, that he just wanted to OWN his wife! Not love her. I don't know why, but that's what this reminds me of.)

Sky is NOT happy to see Vapor.

Sky is told that Vapor did what she did to help him. And Vapor is told she shouldn't have been so content to take a back seat.

(For some odd reason, this reminds of a gag on TVtropes, where ALL the heroes volunteer to be the bait except one, and that ONE GUY who didn't want to be the bait is made the bait. )

And Sky Stinger ACTUALLY TRAINS FOR REAL! With Vapor giving him the encouraging words he needs! And Sky also gives Vapor some good SKILL BASED advice.

For the record, I do appreciate the switch of the gender cliche of female/skill and male/strength.

And both become cadets.

And Spitfire suggests they might become better than Rainbow Dash.

And Angel Wings now has two NEW favorite ponies! Fickle lady!

And Sky admits... that Vapor is better than her, and they can both be each other's wing ponies.

And Misty Fly barges in telling RD that her vacation is canceled a SECOND TIME ... Wonderbolt Emergency. RD does a comic faint at it, and Fleet Foot and Twilight laugh.

No strong opinion on this episode one way or another. It was certainly interesting.

Report Alex Warlorn · 465 views · #top bolt
Comments ( 1 )
Ri2

Why do you hate that tree so much?
How is them knowing what an angel is a paradox?
There's two logical reasons for why Applejack couldn't come. One is that she already had a Tree mission this season, the other is she can't fly.

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