What Ever Happened to Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts?

[galaxysquid 2,122]

Okay there is one thing I absolutely don't understand and am totally lost about, and that's Rainbow and her relationship with the Wonderbolts. First off how come in Wonderbolts Academy so many people wanted to be Wonderbolts when there are only 3 of them, and also in Rainbow Falls Dash sacrifices her dream to fly with the Wonderbolts to fly for Ponyville, but in Testing, Testing, 1,2,3 she wants to become a Wonderbolt again, please explain. Also after Wonderbolts Accademy why wasn't she a Wonderbolt.

 

Well, there were reasons for her not wanting to fly with the WonderBolts in "Rainbow Falls." She didn't want to just up and abandon are friends for the WonderBolts. RD surely still wants to be a WonderBolt, she just didn't want to let her friends and Ponyville down in "Rainbow Falls." 

[FlitterFlutter 1,583]

well if we are considering the comic books canon then she is still close to the wonderboalts because spitfire called her up to help with some fillies, so I guess that means that she is still a wonderbolat. 

[sweetolebob18 728]

IMO, The Wonderbolts are based on the real life Air Force stunt flying team, the Blue Angels (if that's the name, I'm bad at names & too inept to look it up)  They are the part of the Equestrian air force the public sees most, but not all of it  I thought the Wonderbolt's Academy was supposed to be like West Point, training you to be an officer in the air force.

 

I thought that at the end of the episode, Dash had reconsidered her resignation.  However, in Testing 1, 2, 3... she joined the Reserves (Which would mean she had dropped out).  In Rainbow Falls, Spitfire says something to the effect that the flight part of the training wasn't why she left 

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

You'll really have to look at this from a meta perspective. If Rainbow Dash were to become a Wonderbolt today, she would have to leave her friends for a long period of time. When the Mane 6 are so strong as an ensemble, especially with Rainbow Dash being such an icon for this show to many, removing one would wreck the dynamic. That's why the writers have been slowly inching towards doing this.

 

It would be quite the trade-off. Fulfilling Rainbow Dash's character arc would mean separating her from her friends, and the show does not want to do that. It reminds me of the Crusaders and getting their cutie marks. They are so close to doing it, and the writers keep inching them closer and closer to it, but the significant change in dynamic to the show that would happen would be too much to handle.

 

Though I'm sure we'd all like to see Dashie become a Wonderbolt, it's a plot thread that I believe should stay without a full resolution until the end of the show, as resolving it would have big implications. Putting her in the Reserves is a fair compromise. In one way, she is already living the dream, while at the same time she gets to stay with her friends. Future episodes could deal with situations in which she would be needed by the Wonderbolts.

[ggg-2 3,553]

It's not like they have to mention it every single time you know.

[sweetolebob18 728]

One way to handle it would be to have Dash just show up in her uniform.  They have official receptions, parades, etc.  She would be in the military, she could just be assigned to Twilight's Castle.  Even if you assume T has another kingdom, she could be an embassy guard.