Is Rainbow Dash REALLY the only one who can do a Sonic Rainboom?

[Jeric 46,851]

On 9/14/2016 at 10:13 PM, cuteycindyhoney said:

It's been stated several times in the series that Rainbow Dash is the only Pegasus in living history to produce a sonic rainboom. I'm sorry, but the tie in moneygrab book, isn't canon. 

I agree that Dash is the only one now that can do it, but a legend has to start somewhere, so it's reasonable to suggest that someone in the distant past did one. Heck, since the rainboom is central to the EoH lore, perhaps Flash Magnus was able to do one. 

[CypherHoof 26,483]

19 minutes ago, Deleted Ginger Wife said:

I agree that Dash is the only one now that can do it, but a legend has to start somewhere, so it's reasonable to suggest that someone in the distant past did one. Heck, since the rainboom is central to the EoH lore, perhaps Flash Magnus was able to do one. 

That would be consistent with the theory that only an Element holder can do one...

[cuteycindyhoney 13,307]

35 minutes ago, Deleted Ginger Wife said:

I agree that Dash is the only one now that can do it, but a legend has to start somewhere, so it's reasonable to suggest that someone in the distant past did one. Heck, since the rainboom is central to the EoH lore, perhaps Flash Magnus was able to do one. 

I think I agree. Change it Rainbow Dash is the first one in modern pony history to produce a rainboom. Before her, ponies thought it was only folk tales and legend.

[Black Sabbath 2,486]

I doubt that Rainboom is the only capable of doing it. Don't get me wrong, she's the only one in recent memory who has done so, but the idea that she's the only one capable of doing so laughable considring we've seen other pegasi fly just as fast as her (if not faster). 

[Kadeda 178]

I'm pretty sure any alicorn... especially season 4 twilight could do it if they wanted to... in fact season 4 twilight could probably do it by mistake. I don't think it's as rare as it's prescribed. People had to have done it before... She's the only one in recent history to do it though. Spitfire could probably do it if she wanted to.

[BlueStreak98 828]

10 minutes ago, Kadeda said:

I'm pretty sure any alicorn... especially season 4 twilight could do it if they wanted to... in fact season 4 twilight could probably do it by mistake. I don't think it's as rare as it's prescribed. People had to have done it before... She's the only one in recent history to do it though. Spitfire could probably do it if she wanted to.

I'm sure the Wonderbolts have all studied it to death, trying to figure out how she does it. Heck, once she joined the team it wouldn't surprise me if she tried to teach them. But I think Rainbow Dash is just the perfect pony for it, and the others lack the strength/speed/stamina/size/etc. combination to get it done.

Edited December 8, 2017 by BlueStreak98

[Kadeda 178]

1 minute ago, BlueStreak98 said:

I'm sure the Wonderbolts have all studied it to death, trying to figure out how she does it. Heck, once she joined the team it wouldn't surprise me if she tried to teach them. But I think Rainbow Dash is just the perfect pony for it, and the others lack the strength/speed/stamina/size/etc. combination to get it done.

Maybe... but if she was the only pony that could do it then she would have to be much faster than any other pony by far but... she isn't. Everyone in the Wonder Bolts are on par and she even had a rival that was shown better than her.  Seems very unlikely that she's the only one even in this generation that can do it let alone the only one ever.

[BlueStreak98 828]

23 minutes ago, Kadeda said:

Maybe... but if she was the only pony that could do it then she would have to be much faster than any other pony by far but... she isn't. Everyone in the Wonder Bolts are on par and she even had a rival that was shown better than her.  Seems very unlikely that she's the only one even in this generation that can do it let alone the only one ever.

I doubt she's the only one ever myself, but like I said, it's quite possible that there's more to it than just brute force or speed. Perhaps ponies who are too light or too heavy can't get through the barrier, or it requires a certain skillset only she's mastered. It's also worth noting that when she's outperformed she's not moving at rainboom speeds. If the Wonderbolts could do it, they'd do it at every show, and Rainbow Dash doing it wouldn't be special.

[sweetolebob18 728]

Real life

Back in the 1940s-50s, there were articles in medical journals about whether or not it was possible to do a 4 minute mile. A lot of people said, yes you can do a 1 minute quarter mile, no you can't do a 4 minute mile.  1954, Roger Bannister did the first one. They asked him "How hard is it to do that?" & he replied "If you moved the finish line back 100 yards, a miler would die before he ever crossed the line" Several others did it within a year (4, IIRC). Now, you've got to do better than that just to get to the Olympics, never mind win.

80 years of Woman's Gymnastics & no one had ever gotten a perfect 10. There was talk that it was impossible & standards needed to be relaxed. 1976 Olympics, Nadia Comaneci did it. Within 20 years, they'd had to toughen the standards because too many people had done it

You look at the 1896 Olympic gold medal records, these days you couldn't win a college competition with most of them.

The point is, once Dash won the Best Young Flyer's Competition & showed it was possible it was just a matter of time.  If someone hasn't already, I'm sure they soon will. That is just the way it almost always works. 

[EpicEnergy 23,218]

I think she is, because she's the only one with a rainbow mane and the only one who could beat Sonic the hedgehog in a race! 

[Flying Pencil 3,024]

Yes, but it would be cool to see another pegasus pull off their own type of sonic boom 

[Tom Gallagher 33,588]

Yes, there's no competing with this Rainbow pegasus! 

[HedonismBot 239]

On 2022-05-08 at 10:22 PM, Flying Pencil said:

Yes, but it would be cool to see another pegasus pull off their own type of sonic boom 

Plus it would have been a good way to teach Rainbow Dash a little humility without senselessly picking on her. Instead of being knowingly thrust into a job she has zero interest in, she'd just be coming face-to-face with a pony with abilities equal to her own, and learning that the existence of such a pony doesn't make her any less awesome.

[dead account 2,710]

Since there is the legend about the Sonic Rainboom, everypony should be capable to use it. Theoretically. Lightning Dust should be able to do it, but she never used it. Maybe she never tried it? Who knows. I can imagine that one of the G5 ponies will hear the legend as well and go for it eventually, but it has nothing to do with me, I just leave the thought here. To me it will always be something only Rainbow can use. I truly believe that only she can use it, since it was very important. The first Rainboom was what brought these 6 lovely mares together. It's similar to the cutie marks, it's something unique that only belongs to her.

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

Somepony had to have possessed the Rainboom ability many years prior to Rainbow Dash or else it would have not been a legend. Perhaps somepony made it before but nopony had been able to record the evidence.

[dead account 2,710]

4 minutes ago, ExplosionMare said:

Somepony had to have possessed the Rainboom ability many years prior to Rainbow Dash or else it would have not been a legend. Perhaps somepony made it before but nopony had been able to record the evidence.

I was thinking... Is the Sonic Rainboom even an actual legend? I mean when foals talk about it, they have a wild imagination and want to make it sound really cool and epic. I mean it's also possible that Rainbow's parents came up with it, to motivate her to do something epic. They just called it "Sonic Rainboom", it was made up, and Rainbow eventually created something with it.

[IDigAPony 7]

Alcorn magic can't do everything... 

Edited March 31, 2023 by IDigAPony