So...Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt. Now what?

[Forlong 1,726]

Well, she's currently in the reserves.  Same difference really.  The writers could easily boot one of the members out offscreen and no pony will care.  Does the team really need Lightning Streak?  Or High Winds?  What about Fire Streak?  They already have two other fire themed pegusi.  You can't overrepresented that element.

 

But in all seriousness, what is in store for Rainbow Dash now that her dream is a reality?  I spotted some hints in Rainbow Falls.  It seems that the Wonderbolts have gotten a bit corrupt and forgotten the importance of honor and loyalty.  I foresee Dash changing the Wonderbolts from within, possibly with help from Soarin'.  And in the process, the two fall in love.  Please?

Don't crush my dreams, MacCarthy!

[Scootalove 10,689]

Now that she is in the reserves, it could be similar to a draft. They would probably draft her from the reserves, and have her on the Wonderbolts for real this time. Having a sequel episode to this could shed some light on the subject.

 

Furthermore, now that Rainbow Dash is technically in the Wonderbolts she will have to learn to micromanage her time with her friends and with the Wonderbolts, stay in tip-top shape, show professionalism, and be able to tackle the challenge of responsibility.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Scootalove

[Shanks 10,816]

I could very easily see an episode in maybe season 5 where a Wonderbolt gets sick or injured and Rainbow Dash has to cover for them. Rainbow Dash could in the process make a good impression which could get her closer to being a full time Wonderbolt. The question is when Rainbow Dash becomes a full Wonderbolt how will if affect her relationship with her friends? The Wonderbolts are fairly busy and probably do a lot of traveling.

[Fhaolan 4,484]

According to the little bits of history that Twilight and Co. spouted off, the Wonderbolts are in fact part of the Equestrian Military. Which means Rainbow Dash just officially joined the military.

 

It's unlikely this show is going to have any full-on wars or anything like that, but this gives the writers the opportunity to have Rainbow be called in as part of the reserves for emergencies and disasters. Give RD a chance to tackle the challenge of official responsibility and the like on a bigger scale than she's done before. I think that would be a good direction for her character to go.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

It's a fair compromise having her on the reserve. She's still working her way up there. She can still be with her friends and live her dream at the same time, and the show's ratings won't have to look like a ride on the Top Thrill Dragster because of her absence.

Edited April 6, 2014 by WindChaserPegasus

[_Kurtis 636]

I'm pretty sure there will be a sequel episode, or another episode on this subject! 

[Forlong 1,726]

It's unlikely this show is going to have any full-on wars or anything like that,

I beg to differ.

 

This show has done a lot of things surprising.  Invasion and short-lived wars are a definite possibility.  Obviously massive death tolls are unlikely, but actual war from the network that has Transformers?  Yeah, I think it's on the table for discussion.

[Fhaolan 4,484]

This show has done a lot of things surprising.  Invasion and short-lived wars are a definite possibility.  Obviously massive death tolls are unlikely, but actual war from the network that has Transformers?  Yeah, I think it's on the table for discussion.

True, but I was thinking more along the lines of long-term wars where RD would be pulled in for significant amounts of time. Showing the downside of full-on wars with the isolation, attrition, and constant threat to life. The show just isn't geared for that kind of thing, even if they balance it with the appropriate upsides.

[Thunderchild 875]

It does seem that her character would see a lot less screen time if they did go the route of having her full time in the Wonderbolts-Unless they plan to have her teach the others the power of friendship. As far as wars go, it's a bit of a touchy subject for increasingly large numbers of the population-cartoon or no-and I think viewership would drop off at an alarming rate.

[SomariFeyWright 776]

You may as well give up that whole romance with Soarin' possibility before your dreams are crushed beneath the weight of disappointment. I'm about 99.9% sure that won't be happening.

 

Even with Rainbow being as close to the Wonderbolts as she is now, she still has a lot of work to do before she gets there. The Wonderbolts are a highly prestigious and confident team, and while they may have been willing to abandon Soarin' for a single competition, I'm sure it would be more difficult than that to just leave a member behind completely and entirely.

 

Even when she's IN the Wonderbolts, she still has some more to work with. Making time for her friends, keeping herself in pristine shape, possibly even working herself to exhaustion, doing what she can to be even better than she ever was... making time for her friends. There's probably more, I'm just not creative.

 

There's much more that Hasbro can do with her even now, and even post-Wonderbolt commission. Let's not jump to any rash conclusions quite yet.

[CT-1138 3,183]

She's a Wonderbolt Reserve, which assumingly means she goes on with her normal life unless Equestria ever enters a war. 

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

Now the show forgets about it and it may be mentioned again, but it's never meaningful again. 

 

Or maybe I'm just a cynical jerk that has no faith in the writers actually using the canon that they build. I would like to know what it actually means to be in the "Wonderbolt reserves", which is weird for me... Why do they have their own reserves? Does it mean that they are separated from the military/Royal Guard, since you don't need to be a guard to be a Wonderbolt? So I don't know if wars are of any relevance here.

Edited April 6, 2014 by moonlightavenger

[Adorkable 2,737]

I was pretty happy to see that Dashie has finally achieved her dream. I guess the writers will somehow work with Dashie being a Wonderbolt in an episode, which is pretty exciting! Furthermore, I just want you all to know that I completely approve of Princess Twilight Sparkle becoming a Wonderbolt.

[Shanks 10,816]

Does it mean that they are separated from the military/Royal Guard, since you don't need to be a guard to be a Wonderbolt? So I don't know if wars are of any relevance here.

I think they are different from the royal guard but I suspect that there may be times like wars and emergencies where they can called on to assist the royal guard. I think that the reserves probably exist because a lot of the work the Wonderbolts do is dangerous and so injuries are probably fairly common and with that said it makes since to have a reserve in order to have some pegasi as backup in case anypony gets sick or injured especially if more than one gets sick or injured.

[Mywas 687]

I am suprised they did this. The status quo barely changes in this show.

Now I wonder if this will have a role in the Equestrian games

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

 

 

I foresee Dash changing the Wonderbolts from within, possibly with help from Soarin'.  And in the process, the two fall in love.  Please?

No... absolutely not. I forbid any kind of romance and will strictly oppose it if it gets on the table. Do you have ANY idea how crazy shippers will get once their "Oh-so-Glorious" OTPs get in the show? Oh dear lord no... please don't... some of them are obnoxious enough... i really don't want to even imagine the fangasms and screams that will happen once a ship becomes canon.  

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

I think they are different from the royal guard but I suspect that there may be times like wars and emergencies where they can called on to assist the royal guard. I think that the reserves probably exist because a lot of the work the Wonderbolts do is dangerous and so injuries are probably fairly common and with that said it makes since to have a reserve in order to have some pegasi as backup in case anypony gets sick or injured especially if more than one gets sick or injured.

You're right. They did appear during Secret of My Excess.

They just weren't much use...

 

Initially I was thinking that their reserve exist simply to replace members that got injured (must happen a lot) or for some reason can't perform, as you said, but it also makes sense that they'd assist the Royal Guard if needed, since they ARE supposed to be the best flyers in Equestria. But I have a bit of a problem with this... Are they trained as Royal Guards or in any way that they can be of use? Their training, if this is the case, must cover other things, as crowd control, crisis management and the such and all we know for sure about them is that they are supposed to be good flyers. Well, Secret of My Excess seems to support this idea.

 

I guess that my point is that pilots that go to squadrons such as the Blue Angels are first active military pilots that then get transferred to the Blue Angels, while the Wonderbolts are recruited from the civilians. Well... Maybe I being silly, since all pegasi already know how to fly and this makes it acceptable for civilians to join the ranks of the Wonderbolts. What do you think?

[Red Cedar 1,408]

She's a reservist at the moment, so she can still split her time between life in Ponyville and life as a Wonderbolt (until she's called up), but, even in the realm of a kids' show, there's some definite challenges that could come of this for her.

 

For one thing, as mentioned, the Wonderbolts are technically military and we've seen them respond to emergencies like monstrous dragons rampaging through Ponyville (and by monstrous dragons, I mean Spike). What if she had been ordered to do that?

 

She took sides in Over A Barrel. What if her kingdom or her superiors take an opposing view to hers?

 

What if, after a time with the Wonderbolts, she starts looking to plan her future even further, and finds that her next plan doesn't fit in with being a full-time Wonderbolt?

 

Lots of things that could happen...

[Fhaolan 4,484]

I guess that my point is that pilots that go to squadrons such as the Blue Angels are first active military pilots that then get transferred to the Blue Angels, while the Wonderbolts are recruited from the civilians. Well... Maybe I being silly, since all pegasi already know how to fly and this makes it acceptable for civilians to join the ranks of the Wonderbolts. What do you think?

About the only thing I came up with to work around this is that the pegasi we saw *weren't* civilians, including Rainbow Dash. I know, I know, bear with me here for a minute.

 

About the only thing we know about pegasi in distant history is that they were a militant culture, if you go with Hearth's Warming Eve play as being at least *vaguely* accurate. And that they were responsible for weather control even then.

 

What if weather control *remained* a military function when the tribes blended together? Something along the same lines as the Army Corps of Engineers in the US.

 

As such, Rainbow would already be in the military, just a considerably more lax version of the military than what we're used to seeing.

 

Unfortunately, I doubt it.

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

Sorry to say I don't share your enthusiasm for the possibility of Rainbow and Soarin getting together, but interesting ideas there.

 

 

Although she's a reservist, we don't know how many reservists there are. Should a Wonderbolt retire or become incapacitated, how is a reservist selected to replace the missing member? Could it be that she's one of dozens? Is there a hierarchy? Are there more active Wonderbolts than those we've seen so far? We have several questions that still need an answer. Given the lore expansion in this episode and Rainbow's induction, I think it's safe to say we'll get to see more of their inner workings in the future.

 

My guess is that time spent in the reserves is for grooming a career Wonderbolt. Those who stay beyond a minimum required tour of duty, assuming that they are treated as a military outfit considering they have no known combat roles, might be offered several avenues of advancement afterwards. So far that's my headcanon. Not elaborate, but possible by what we now know.

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

About the only thing I came up with to work around this is that the pegasi we saw *weren't* civilians, including Rainbow Dash. I know, I know, bear with me here for a minute.

 

About the only thing we know about pegasi in distant history is that they were a militant culture, if you go with Hearth's Warming Eve play as being at least *vaguely* accurate. And that they were responsible for weather control even then.

 

What if weather control *remained* a military function when the tribes blended together? Something along the same lines as the Army Corps of Engineers in the US.

 

As such, Rainbow would already be in the military, just a considerably more lax version of the military than what we're used to seeing.

 

Unfortunately, I doubt it.

Makes a lot of sense to me. I'd like to see it in the show like that in the show too.

[RED20 289]

She's gonna climb her way to the top, that's what.

[Khaoios 1,970]

She's a Wonderbolt Reserve, which assumingly means she goes on with her normal life unless Equestria ever enters a war. 

 

My thoughts exactly, Dino.

[Forlong 1,726]

You may as well give up that whole romance with Soarin' possibility before your dreams are crushed beneath the weight of disappointment. I'm about 99.9% sure that won't be happening.

 

She's a Wonderbolt Reserve, which assumingly means she goes on with her normal life unless Equestria ever enters a war. 

That's your cue, Zebras.

 

No... absolutely not. I forbid any kind of romance and will strictly oppose it if it gets on the table. Do you have ANY idea how crazy shippers will get once their "Oh-so-Glorious" OTPs get in the show? Oh dear lord no... please don't... some of them are obnoxious enough... i really don't want to even imagine the fangasms and screams that will happen once a ship becomes canon.  

Well, a fine "love and tolerate" to you too.

[King Sejong 859]

   Rainbow Dash is a reservist, I can relate for I was a navy reservist, but I still had to join the navy, and go through basic training then "A" school, I guess Equestria is a militia based defence force, that has a limited permanent force, which is the Royal Guard, and its demonstration force is the Wonderbolts, similar to the air force Thunderbolts or navy Blue Angels, of course to be recruited in the demonstration teams, you have to been in the service for two years, and have a certain number of flight time, you just don't fly right away, you have to learn aerial aerobatics, which different from the aerial dogfighting fighter pilots learn, so it can take time before you can become a full fledged demonstrator, provided rainbow Dash is still willing to be a Wonderbolt, life can still throw a spanner in the works, and she has to abandon that goal, so she can fulfil a new goal, that does happen to servicemen, I know I saw this happened when I was in uniform.