Sonic Rainboom

Sonic Rainboom is the sixteenth episode of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, season one. The episode is named after Rainbow Dash's signature aerial acrobatics maneuver, the sonic rainboom. In this episode, Rainbow enters the Best Young Flyer competition, in the hope to win a day with her idols, The Wonderbolts.

Episode summary
Rainbow Dash is preparing for the Best Young Flyer competition, a gathering and exhibition of the most talented pegasi in Equestria, held in the cloud city of Cloudsdale.

Preparing for the competition
At the beginning of the episode, Rainbow Dash tries, with little success, to help Fluttershy improve her cheering based on three fundamentals: lots of control, screaming/hollering, and passion. Much to Rainbow Dash's dismay, her verbal volume fails to meet her expectations. Nevertheless, Rainbow Dash continues to practice her moves, including an old one from when she was younger. If performed correctly and with enough speed, she could break the sound barrier and create a huge rainbow from the thunderous boom, appropriately dubbed the sonic rainboom. However, she is unable to break the barrier and is literally catapulted right into Twilight Sparkle's library, just as the unicorn and her friends finish cleaning up the books

Twilight learns what is going on between the two pegasi and the competition, including the grand prize: a contest's crown and a full day with the world-renowned Wonderbolts. Pinkie Pie tells Twilight what a sonic rainboom is, although she adds that she, like all the other ponies, have never actually seen one. However, Pinkie says that Dash is said to be the only pony ever to pull it off. Dash takes off to rest before heading to Cloudsdale. Before Fluttershy leaves to work on her cheering, she tells the others her concerns:

"She's practiced that move a hundred times and she's never even come close to doing it. I don't know if I can cheer loud enough to help her..."

- Fluttershy

Recognizing Dash's recent attitude as a form of stage fright, Rarity convinces Twilight to find a spell that can take them to Cloudsdale to join Fluttershy in cheering their friend on. Pinkie Pie instantly finds the specific page with a flight spell, on account of it landing on her face when Rainbow Dash crashed. The spell would allow any earth or unicorn pony to have wings for the next three days, but Twilight notes that it is an extremely difficult spell, and asks for a test subject.

Rarity volunteers after a moment's pause. Despite the difficulty, the spell is a success, granting her large, translucent butterfly-like wings. However, Twilight could only complete the spell once due to the difficulty. The remaining ponies are still able to visit Cloudsdale, thanks to an easier spell that allowed non-pegasi to walk on clouds for a limited time.

Cloudsdale
Upon the two pegasi landing back in their hometown, Rainbow Dash runs into a trio of male pegasi who know her from childhood. They proceed to make fun of her, calling her "Rainbow Crash" and claiming she will never pull off the sonic rainboom, which they dismiss as "an old mare's tale." Fluttershy, trying to be more assertive, defends Dash, saying that she will make the sonic rainboom happen and challenges them to show up at the Cloudiseum, Cloudsdale's stadium, to see for themselves. Dash becomes nervous, even more so when Fluttershy inadvertently reminds her that she will have an entire audience of super-critical sports fans to impress with a move she never pulled off in practice when the contest actually starts. She panics until she and Fluttershy see Rarity with her temporary wings. Twilight, Pinkie, and Applejack soon arrive in their hot-air balloon and explain Twilight's spells to the pegasi. Flattered by her friends' support, she and Fluttershy decide to show them around the city.

The first stop is the snowflake factory, where each snowflake is delicately created and detailed, but they are forced to abruptly leave when the fluttering of Rarity's wings blow the snowflakes into disarray. Next is the rainbow pools, where rainbows are mixed. Pinkie curiously tastes the concentration, learning the hard way that it is too spicy, as Dash notes that "rainbows aren't really known for their flavor." Throughout the tour, Dash sees Rarity causing some commotion as the city's residents gawk at and compliment her new wings. Dash's pre-competition anxiety is heightened by the new concern about her own pair of wings being too boring. The final blow to her dignity comes in the cloud-making department, when some of the spectators recommend that Rarity take part in the competition. Rarity, basking in the radiance of her fame, quickly accepts. A completely demoralized Dash states that she will never win the contest now.

The stadium
At the stadium, the competition begins. Princess Celestia is in attendance along with the Wonderbolts, three of whom are the special judges of the event. Overcome with fear, Dash avoids going out to fly by switching the number on her flank, originally two, making her the second flier, with other competitors' numbers. Meanwhile, Rarity is busy grooming herself in preparation for her flight. When her turn comes, Rarity informs the competition organizer that she is not ready, allowing several other pegasi to go before her. Watching from the stands, Twilight and the others are impressed by the competition so far, but are eager to see their friends perform.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity are up
The contest is about to end, and Rainbow Dash, now wearing number 15, and Rarity are the only competitors left in the waiting room. The organizer informs the two ponies that, because there is only enough time left for one performance, the pair must go out together. Rarity steps out of her dressing room in an extravagant ensemble and makeup. She wishes Dash good luck, unaware of her friend's extreme anxiety, and notifies her that she changed the music to better suit her performance, which consists of a ballet-in-the-sky routine. Dash tries to concentrate on her own routine, but still stumbles from the start of her performance. She bumps into one of the cloud columns during her first phase, and loses control of one of the clouds during her second phase, almost hitting the Princess. Knowing that she needs to pull off the sonic rainboom to have any hope of winning, Dash begins her preparatory ascent. Rarity, meanwhile, decides to end her performance by flying in front of the sun so her wings will shine down onto the audience.

The grand finale
Rarity's grand finale is a success, as she calls out to the crowd triumphantly, "Look upon me Equestria, for I am Rarity!" However, as Twilight warned her earlier, Rarity's temporary wings are too delicate to survive the physical and elemental strain of the flight due to the material from which they were made. The sunlight's glaring heat burns the gossamer wings into ash, and Rarity plummets through the empty air of the stadium's stage area. The Wonderbolt judges immediately react, diving to rescue her, but are knocked out by Rarity's flailing limbs. Rainbow notices what is happening and quickly dives down to catch up with them. Pushing the limits of her acceleration, Dash reaches and finally breaks the sound barrier, managing to save all four from hitting the ground and unleashing the beautiful sonic rainboom for Cloudsdale's audience to see. Twilight, Pinkie and Applejack are awestruck into silence by Dash's feat. Fluttershy, on the other hand, explodes with excitement, screaming and cheering as her friend circles the stadium and lands.

Epilogue


In recognition of Rainbow's bravery and flying skill, Celestia names her the winner of the competition. Most importantly, Dash earns her prize of hanging with the Wonderbolts, who thank her for saving their lives. The three male pegasi who repeatedly mocked her prior to the contest apologize and ask if she wants to hang out with them, to which she replies that she has plans with the flying troupe.

Rarity, in the safety of the balloon's basket, apologizes to everyone for getting caught up in the excitement of showing off her wings and overshadowing Rainbow Dash in the process. She reports to Celestia that she has learned to be there for her friends, while keeping her hooves on the ground, literally and figuratively.

Quotes

 * Rainbow Dash: So now that you know the elements of a good cheer, let's hear one!
 * Fluttershy: [inhale] ...yay.
 * Rainbow Dash: Ugh... You're gonna cheer for me like that? Louder.
 * Fluttershy: Yay.
 * Rainbow Dash: Louder!
 * Fluttershy: Yay.
 * Rainbow Dash: LOUDER!
 * Fluttershy: [deep, gasping inhale] Yay...
 * Rainbow Dash: Ugh... [falls back in frustration]
 * Fluttershy: ...too loud?


 * Rainbow Dash: That was a truly feeble performance...
 * Fluttershy: Actually, it wasn't all bad. I particularly liked it when you made the clouds spin.
 * Rainbow Dash: I'm not talking about my performance. I'm talking about yours; that feeble cheering.


 * Rarity: Didn't you see how nervous she was?
 * Applejack: Nervous? Have you spit yer bit or somethin'? She was tootin' her own horn louder than the brass section of the marching band.
 * Rarity: Oh puh-lease! I put on enough fashion shows to recognize stage fright when I see it.


 * Twilight Sparkle: How am I supposed to find a flight spell in this mess?
 * Pinkie Pie: A flight spell? One sec... [Gets book] Page 27!
 * Applejack: How'd you do that?
 * Pinkie Pie: It landed on my face when Rainbow Dash knocked me into the bookcase.


 * Rainbow Dash: AAAAHHH! What do I do?! Everypony is gonna see me fail! The Wonderbolts will never let a loser like me join! Princess Celestia will probably banish me to the Everfree Forest! MY LIFE IS RUINED!


 * Fluttershy: Rare...
 * Rainbow Dash: Rare? The sonic rainboom is way more than rare!
 * Fluttershy: Rarity?


 * Rainbow Dash: And here's where they make the rainbows.
 * Pinkie Pie: [lick] Spiiicyyy!
 * Rainbow Dash: Yeah. Rainbows aren't known for their flavor...


 * Twilight Sparkle: Rarity! We're supposed to help Rainbow Dash relax, remember? Put your wings away and stop showing off.
 * Rarity: How could you ask me to put away perfection?


 * Rarity: Look upon me Equestria! For I. AM. RARITY!


 * Fluttershy: [wildly] A sonic rainboom! She did it! She did it! WOOO!


 * Rainbow Dash: I just wish I could've met the Wonderbolts when they were awake. OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!
 * Spitfire: So you're the little pony who saved our lives. We really wanted to meet you, and say thanks.
 * Rainbow Dash: OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!

Gallery

 * Sonic Rainboom image gallery

Trivia

 * The episode's title is a portmanteau of "sonic boom" and "rain/rainbow".
 * Rarity's wings might be a reference to the 1980s first-generation Flutter Ponies toys, whose sheer butterfly wings were notoriously fragile.
 * Rarity's hubris, leading to the loss of her wings to the sun, echoes the story of Icarus from Greek mythology.
 * The bow wave Rainbow Dash generates is an inaccurate depiction of the vapor cone of fighter jets.
 * When attempting to execute the sonic rainboom during practice, Dash leads with a single hoof and rebounds from her bow wave. During the competition and her rescue effort, she leads with both hooves and is successful. During her first successful sonic rainboom, seen in flashback in The Cutie Mark Chronicles, she also leads with both hooves.
 * The name Cloudsdale is curious. "Dale," when associated with places, is an old word for a valley. It is also a pun on the Clydesdale breed of horse.
 * Derpy Hooves makes another set of appearances in this episode, both derp-eyed and not. In some shots, multiple Derpy clones appear at once. In addition, Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle also roll their eyes and are derp-eyed for brief moments.
 * To delay her presentation, Rainbow Dash swaps her number for a higher one three times: from two to five, from five to six, and from six to fifteen. Fifteen is the highest number shown, and Rainbow takes it from Derpy Hooves.
 * Rarity gives this episode's moral instead of Twilight.
 * Rainbow Dash mentions having succeeded at a sonic rainboom only once before. This event is central to the plot of The Cutie Mark Chronicles.
 * Two sound clips are recycled from Friendship is Magic, part 1. Rarity's laugh is the same as her shocked scream when she noticed Twilight's unkempt hair. Fluttershy's inhale is Pinkie Pie's gasp (also reused for the crowd in that episode when Celestia is revealed to be missing) played backwards.
 * The music Rarity chose for her performance was based on Tchaikovsky's the Waltz from Swan Lake.
 * This is one of the few times that the Treehouse channel does not mute the word "loser" in its airings of the episodes. Rainbow Dash says "The Wonderbolts will never let a loser like me join!"