Friends Forever #36 Soarin' and Rainbow Dash · 10:18pm Jan 26th, 2017
Friends Forever # 36
Rainbow Dash and Soarin'.
Let's go.
First day of Winter, and it turns out the Wonderbolts get the season off, so RD is looking forward to vacation time (does this mean she's quit her job as a weather manager? I wonder who she had replace her.).
Spitfire shows up, telling RD she RD at the Yaket mountain range to the Mt. Everhoot outpost.
RD is stunned at this and asks if this is another part of the group initialization. Spitfire tells her this is no game.
(Also to note, RD is called by Rainbow Crash throughout... and she doesn't react negatively towards it at all. Looks like the Wonderbolt got her to grow up some, or at least, she knows with the WB it doesn't mean the same thing when the jocks say it).
Soarin' is there, and it's RD's job to bring him back.
Know all the emotional trouble Soarin' has gone through in the series? It's come to a head. In fact, Spitfire explicitly asks for RD to do the deed since Soarin' TRUSTS HER. (And it turns out Spitfire fears he still has hurt feelings about the Rainbow Falls incident.)
Spitfire wanting to replace Soarin' with RD on the Cloudsdale team during the Pony Olympics, he recent crashes and burns, they've all come to a head.
RD explains that Everhoot is the nasty of the nasties when it comes to Pegasi, it's where the desperate and the reckless go to prove themselves, or disappear. The weather is borderline feral (I still think that makes Everfree less shocking and alien to the ponies if its not the only place in Equestria where the laws of nature follow Earth's rules).
RD says that Soarin' has gone there to "prove he's as awesome as me."
Twilight thinks RD is ego stroking, but she's being completely serious. Soarin' is hurt, and as far as he's concerned, he needs to prove he's still Wonderbolt material.
Mt. Everhoot is the one place that the Everplant grows, apparently used in a lot of Equestria's medicines, but is a rain guzzler, and the weather makes farming less than pleasant.
Twilight worries for RD, RD asks if the Princess of Friendship is asking Loyalty to leave a friend hanging, Twilight just says she just wonders if there's a better option than RD braving a deadly deadly snow storm (Spitfire actually gave RD precise instructions how to get there and NOT to take ANY short cuts and to follow her instructions to the letters).
RD says Spitfire wouldn't have given her this if she didn't think RD was awesome enough to handle it.
"Just be careful."
"You know me!"
"Yes... I do."
We get a splash/panel two pager of RD following Spitfire's instructions to the place, including her correcting RD on one of her reckless ignoring of one of her instructions (going straight to the outpost it turns out lands you straight into a wind tunnel!) but that aside she manages to follow the rest, and yes, Spitfire's instructions are very precise.
She also warns RD to beware whatever types might be hanging out in this land from nowhere.
RD does not receive a My Little Pony welcome from the locals.
Inside the outpost, she asks a group of gamblers at one of the table if they've seen... a pegasus mare with a japanese kanji for a cutie mark, an eye patch stallion with a rotten apple cutie mark, a griffin, and a Black Hive changeling all give RD the stink eye and she backs off. (Guess Chrysalis isn't the last of her kind after all.)
The fact no one is screaming changeling, IMHO, just shows this place really does take all kinds in fell swoop.
RD asks the piano mare instead. "I'm looking for somepony."
"Looking! That's a change. Most everypony here is trying to hide."
She points him towards Jett Glider, a stallion with a hat behind the bar, who doesn't look all that bad.
He thinks RD is there for a job, and wants to get her started ASAP since they're short hooved for deliveries, but RD repeats she's looking for someone, and Jett repeats that's new.
One of the runners returns from a delivery... too fast... he overshoots the runway... he crashes... he comes out of the woods, it's Soarin'.
(New pony introduced, Split Flap, the stallion operator of the flood light meant to help guide in fliers.)
Soarin' says he's just a little beat up, until he sees RD and now says he's embarrassed.
To note, Soarin' calls RD by 'Crash, throughout here.
Soarin' asks if Spitfire sent RD here... Soarin' presumes it's because Spitfire doesn't think he's important enough for her to come herself. (Ouch.)
Also, this place has Cider from Sweet Apple Acres, go figure.
Jett again asks RD to be hired on... as Split Flap and a NURSE griffin are carrying a G-rated mangled pegasus away inside on a stretcher.
Soarin' is the most serious and dedicated worker Jett has had, taking the most dangerous assignments.
Soarin' completes another delivery, and crashes again. RD begs him to come home before he's next on the stretcher, but Soarin' swear he'll master this mountain.
Also, RD drank all the cider... she justifies this as them never having to compete with Pinkie Pie.
RD again begs Soarin' to stop this nonsense, he's a Bolt, he's already proven himself.
As far as Soarin' concerned, he's HASN'T been proving himself lately. Good enough to get in, but good enough to stay on?
The extreme weather alarm goes off (RD exasperates that it wasn't extreme before?!).... AND!!!! Derpy shows up. Smiling and wall eyed. This mail mare gets everywhere, like sand.
She has an urgent message from Yakyakistan. And is smiling about it.
The Yak strain of the Equine Flu is hitting them hard. They need a triple order of the Everplant, NOW. (Guess the Yak immune system after centuries in isolation isn't so hot. I wonder if Shining Armor gave it to them.)
The Yaks will HAVE TO wait with that weather... no pony is that insane (Derpy doesn't raise her hoof). But Soarin' is.
Jett, "You sure kid?"
Soarin', "I'm sure."
RD, "No, he's not sure!"
"Stay out of this Crash."
"Then I'm coming with you."
"Suit yourself."
-
The two suit up, and with insanely hard weather looking back at them, and a few last words with each other, they take off.
And we get two whole pages without words. And it works.
RD proves easily faster than Soarin' as they zip among the mountain peaks.
Oh, and RD gets struck dead center by lightning, begins to fall, but Soarin' catches her, and she's no worse for wear. (Limits are our strengths.)
On the next page, inside a cave, RD thanks him for saving her life.
"That dive was amazing."
"You're not the only one with fancy moves."
Which is why RD doesn't get why he's doing all this.
And... we learn some history with Soarin'.
RD was NATURALLY GIFT (Rainboom as a filly). Soarin'? Not so much. 'Some raw talent', sure. But everypony around him told him he'd never be a Wonderbolt. So he practiced harder than anyone else, it's pretty much all he did.
(In other words, Soarin' is like Rock Lee from Naruto.)
He's a Bolt NOW so RD doesn't get what the problem is.
Soarin', "Just because I made it, doesn't mean I don't feel like a fraud sometimes."
RD insists that Soarin' just bad day, we all do, and she reminds him of how she got her nickname.
And yeah... we learn, Soarin', never DID completely get over the Rainbow Falls incident.
RD agrees that wasn't cool, but insists Spitfire is worried about him, and again, Soarin' says she didn't come herself (the irony is that Spitfire didn't come BECAUSE of that incident, she's too ashamed to come).
RD, "Spitfire's not exactly warm and fuzzy, but she respects and cares about you. We all do. You're the heart of the Wonderbolts, and we would not be a team without you."
This finally gets through to Soarin'.
"You really mean that?"
"Of course I do, all the Bolts think you're amazing."
"Thanks Dash, that means a lot." (Not he doesn't call her Crash on that one.)
"And you don't need to come to he top of a mountain to prove it."
And she tells him next time he's feeling adventurous, wait a few hours for the weather to clear!
A rainbow appears, time to make that delivery.
They return to the outpost... to find Spitfire, having come to get her two best flies off this mountain.
Spitfire gives a heartfelt apology for not coming herself, AND for what happened at Rainbow Falls, she sent RD think she'd be the best choice, but now sees that was a mistake. And asks for his forgiveness.
Soarin' forgives her. But wonders how she knew what he thought of her sending RD.
RD reveals that she took advantage of Derpy being there to sent a message to Spitfire.
Soarin' parts ways with Jett on good terms. And Spitfire asks if they're ready to start planning routines for the spring. And Spitfire asks RD if she was planning on taking the Winter off, (which RD replies no).
But first RD suggests they enjoy a good wind current nearby, Spitfire begins to think the weather warnings were exaggerated with the calm weather, and Soarin' and RD politely agree with her.
I liked this issue.
-Nothing set off my triggers (THANK. YOU. GOD!).
-And we get some natural and healthy character development with Soarin'.
-RD SHOWS WHY THE HELL SHE'S THE ELEMENT OF FRIGGIN' LOYALTY, NOT 'ELEMENT-OF-NEPOTISM'!!!!!
-We see that Chrysalis isn't the only changeling alive who wants nothing to do with Thorax's new way of life.
- We see detailed artwork with plenty of 'show don't tell' moments where dialogue isn't needed.
-And by the love of EVERYTHING, THIS IS HOW you address wrongs of previous episodes WITHOUT IT BEING A FRIGGIN' ACCUSATION FIC! TAKE NOTE ALL FANFICTION WRITERS!!! Seriously! This is how you do it WITHOUT dragging a character through the mud or turning them into a groveling mess or another character into a self-righteous jerkass!
Next month, Friends Forever # 37.
RARITY AND TRIXIE! AT! LAST!!!!!! (Seriously, RD and Trixie deserved each other that issue, but Rarity is the other half of the mane six that Trixie takes traits from IMHO.)
It seems that both Rarity and Trixie are working on Sapphire Shore's latest concert. (I still believe that Rara completely abandoning her old vocal style WILL invariably cost her fans who'd migrate to Sapphire Shores).
Seriously, Trixie's talent with stage magic should make her a natural fit at this.
Great review. Apparently in addition to an old-school changling, there was also a Cloud Gremlin in the bar as well. I like the idea that Soarin doesn't have as much natural talent as the other Wonderbolts, but works twice as hard to compensate for it. I bet he helped Bulk Biceps get accepted as a trainee Wonderbolt.
I wonder what RD meant about Soarin being "the heart of the team?"
Seconded.
Sorry, but it's been bothering me through the entire post...
It's "weather," not "whether."
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Thanks dude!
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Edited. I thought I had that kicked, I think I do it unconsciously. Now what did you think of the review?
4398105 Honestly... it still needs more proofreading.
However, as a review, I understood the plot. I understood your critique, so thumbs up.
I agree with a lot that this is certainly a better comic than they usually put out. The dive after some lightning though feels like such a cliche asspull. She used to dodge lightning or not be affected by it much. It made sense that it wouldn't bother Pegasi much if they used it in weather, so why the hell are they using it if it's dangerous to them?
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Notice that RD was fine afterwards and didn't need any medical treatment.