@Ace: I'm still a Lance Corporal, but I got a pretty cushy job in the Officer Mass :P

@Apple: Good episode, trips my Nostalgia Bomb for my days in BRTC. Ahhh, back when I was a Recruit :3

@Pan: I was a Personnel Department clerk, and now I'm a MRT Shelter Tech for my ORNS duty.

edited 15th Dec '12 8:52:16 AM by AceOfScarabs

Ahoy, Apple.

The reaction has been mostly positive. I really liked this episode. It's the MLP version of Top Gun.

I could really call OOC on her because well, she only has like half a dozen lines total prior to this episode, and those were under completely different circumstances. I've seen personality differences like that in Real Life. Like one of my teachers in high school had a reputation for being a real hardass, but when I met him again during a reunion a year or two later he was incredibly laid back.

As for the showboating, normally I'd have taken that as a cue, but the entire point of the academy is to demonstrate your ability. When Lightning cranked up the recovery test, I don't really think there was anything wrong with that. She wanted to show the extent of her capabilities, which was the entire reason everyone was there.

edited 15th Dec '12 8:54:26 AM by JapaneseTeeth

I don't have white and black.

Fridge Tearjerker?

My job is to act as a yes man and serve drinks to officers. I guess you could say I got lucky to land this job

@Applelight The biggest complaint I've seen is the change of Spitfire's voice and her Drill Sergeant Nasty attitude, but all in all, the response is positive.

derpibooru has her tagged as Flowershine

@Ako: That complaint is only by folks who don't realize that's how Instructors have to be on-duty. No playing favourites, not even for someone clearly competant enough to skip ahead :P

@Pan: yer lucky. I used to handle the microfilm and print out certs for the old vets who wanted their COS so they could become security guards

edited 15th Dec '12 8:57:43 AM by AceOfScarabs

@Ace: She really has no one to blame but herself for that.

Then I guess people think that Spitfire should not have been an instructor this episode. She did a pretty lackluster job after all.

edited 15th Dec '12 8:58:45 AM by Mio

Good. Here's some of my thoughts:

1. I don't exactly know what the real purpose of the Academy is. It could be just a tryout, or an actual training facility. Or hell, it could be both! Consider this week the opportunity to earn a place on the six month training program or...whatever.

2. Spitfire acted the way she is supposed to act...although as Mio says...a new character as Drill Sergeant could have worked.

3. LD deserves what she got. But hey, redemption is a theme of the show. Hopefully something is done about it.

the recovery test, yeah that was just her shwing off, perfectly fine. jus the simple WAY she flew in the flag hunt, not caring for her wingpony, not even trying to stay in formation, not listening to RD saying something wasn't right, insulting the ponies in front of them in the obstavle course, not even blowing off that she wiped them out.

yeah she never at anypoint showed any empathy or any hint she gave a fuck about anypony but herself.

I actually liked the fact that they brought Spitfire back. I generally prefer it when they develop previously seen characters rather than introducing new ones constantly.

Those who are complaining about Spitfire's attitude are missing the point. Drill sergeants aren't supposed to be nice, fercryinoutloud!

Personally, I think the drill sergeant role fits Spitfire like a full-body Wonderbolts uniform.

@Applelight: My guess is that it's a multipurpose training facility that is also a bunkhouse for Wonderbolts staying in/on standby duty, in addition to being training fields for aspirants and cadets and actual Wonderbolts.

As for Spitfire not noticing, well she wasn't in view of the whole course, so she didn't have the full picture. It's only after Dashie alerts her that she could legally take action.

edited 15th Dec '12 9:01:43 AM by AceOfScarabs

Yeah, I'm happy with what they did to Spitfire.

@Seraphem: I honestly didn't think the flag hunt was that bad either; the assignment was for RD to follow her lead, and like I said before, I don't think that clipping a wing is that major of a thing. No, she didn't display any empathy, but I don't think she acted like that much of a jerk either. The potential for injury is an inherent aspect of stunt flying (RD has certainly crashed enough to know that), and it's something that probably would have to be worked through on occasion. (not to mention that her wing was fine the next day, so it couldn't have been too horrible of an injury). She was more or less neutral up until the precision test.

edited 15th Dec '12 9:02:58 AM by JapaneseTeeth

I figure it's wholly possible LD could make it back to the academy, but she'd have a long road to go. The way I kinda see it is the acedemy is an annual recruitment camp - you apply for the camp, and if you make it you go, work for the week, and at the end of it they pick who, if anyone, gets inducted to the wonderbolts. Obviously Dash isn't going to have made it, since Status Quo Is God, so she's gonna have to go back next year. I think that they'd likely allow LD back next year as well, but they'd be keeping a very close eye on her.

Or, as others have suggested, it's possible she could simply get knocked back to basic, if only to teach her humility. Nothing says 'shape up' like basic flight camp with the kiddies.

edited 15th Dec '12 9:02:54 AM by kegisak

People would be calling Spitfire out if she had shown favoritism toward Rainbow Dash. It's her job to treat RD as just another new recruit.

LD getting booted back to a lower-level training camp might be a possibility.

Exactly! Well, not exactly as a recruit, but no special treatment for Dashie while on-duty.

edited 15th Dec '12 9:02:47 AM by AceOfScarabs

I forgot that RD never finished flight school. I wonder if that'll ever come up?

And i'm not saying she ever acted like a jerk, just a pony that did not give a fuck about others. you can do that without being a jerk.

And was just the way she was flying, not signaling to RD, not working anything out, not even acknowldgin that she HAD a wingpony. Yes RD was suppsoed to keep up with her, but they were supposed to work as a TEAM, and LD did not even try.

@Apple: She clearly finished Basic Flight Camp, but she might have dropped out of middle or higher flight camp.

@Kegisak: I agree with that mostly, with the caveat that I don't think you'd get inducted to the Wonderbolts immediately after. I saw it as a first level tryout; they take all the ponies from a given region who want to attempt it (a lot of ponies we saw here seem to be from Ponyville), the ones who make it are given Cadet status, at which point they can work their way up in the actual Wonderbolts. Dash passed that first level and is under serious consideration, but hasn't worked her way to the top level yet.

@Seraphem: Okay, I can agree with that.

@Applelight: I get the feeling that acceptance is based on skill rather than degrees. RD has proven that she's a competent flier, so she gets in. Maybe that's why she was apprehensive about getting into the academy in the first place.

edited 15th Dec '12 9:06:49 AM by JapaneseTeeth