History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E24TopBolt

* AnAesop: Helping a friend with a handicap is good and all for their self-esteem. But if the help is made in secret and it doesn't change from promoting confidence to promoting independency, it becomes a shackle of over-dependency that weighs them both down together, inviting a disaster in a moment where both friends have to stand on their own without the other to support them.

* NotHyperbole: If Spitfire is talking about "Sonic Rainboom" and Rarity's wings, she might not be joking about wings falling off.

As Vapor Trail heads for the showers, Twilight and Rainbow confront her, where Vapor admits that she helped Sky Stinger become better, while also not thinking about her own career as a flyer that much. Twilight says that she'll coach Sky on the basics, while Rainbow will help Vapor with more advanced tricks. Through practice, it's clear that Sky is nowhere near as good as he claims to be , and while Vapor does improve with Rainbow, she still holds herself back. When meeting up after training, Sky boasts that he still doesn't think the practice is worth it, which makes Vapor blurt out that she's been helping him. Sky tries to prove her wrong, but can't perform a trick without her. Angry that she's been lying to him, he accuses Vapor of trying to steal his spotlight and flies away, a dejected Vapor wandering off.

* AllAPartOfTheJob: Spitfire complains about having to run the recruit camp that weekend, until Rainbow points out that Spitfire ''loves'' blowing her whistle and yelling at people, after which she admits it herself.

* NoodleIncident: According to Spitfire, an incident where somepony flew so hard their wings fell off has only happened once, but it's unknown if this is true or she's just making it up. However, it's possible she's referring to [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E16SonicRainboom Rarity's magical wings]].

** Twilight holds up a scroll at one point that is a ponified version of da Vinci's ''The Vitruvian Man''.

** The episode retreads much of what Dash had to go through in "Wonderbolts Academy" as a new recruit, including the Dizzy-o-tron.

'''Rainbow Dash:''' Awesome!... Does that means there's bad news?\\
'''Twilight Sparkle:''' Oh... well, not exactly...\\

'''Rainbow Dash:''' Urgh... but I was just there!

--> '''Spitfire:''' "Angel Wings! You call that cloud-busting? That cloud barely knew you were there!"

* YouHaveGOTToBeKiddingMe: Rainbow Dash's reaction when Misty Fly comes to call her back to Wonderbolt HQ, just as she left there for the second time in the episode.

* CallBack: Part of Spitfire's speech to the new recruits is the same as the one she gave in "Wonderbolt Academy."

* HandGagging: When Twilight tries to tell to Sky Stinger that Vapor Trail isn't the one who need help, Rainbow covers her mouth with a hoof and drag her away. She does it again when they confront Vapor Trail, but this time Twilight doesn't let it pass and moves Rainbow away with telekinesis.

* GoshDarnItToHeck: When Vapor Trail accidentally confesses to Twilight and Rainbow that she's been helping Sky with his flight, she exclaims "Ah, sugarcubes!"

* AllAPartOfTheJob: Spitfire complains about having to run the recruit camp that weekend, until Rainbow points out that Spitfire loves blowing her whistle and yelling at people.

* HereWeGoAgain: At the end just as Rainbow Dash and Twilight arrive back at Twilight's castle, Misty Fly shows up and tells Rainbow that she's needed back at Wonderbolts HQ, meaning Rainbow has to immediately return to the Academy for a second time.
* InterClassRomance: There are hints of this in the flashback showing the childhood of Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail. Although both are pegasus, Sky's family lives on the ground, has many children and they have an overall lower-class allure to them. In contrast, Vapor Trail is an only child, her family lives in a nice-looking cloud cottage and her parents have upper-class accents. The childhood romance part is downplayed but still present too.

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: To the 1986 Creator/TomCruise film ''Film/TopGun''.

!!Tropes in this episode:

* NoodleIncident: According to Spitfire, an incident where somepony flew so hard their wings fell off has only happened once, but it's unknown if this is true or she's just making it up.

* OhCrap: Vapor Trail's reaction when Rainbow announces that the Wonderbolt cadets will have to go through solo trials, since she’s not very confident in her ability to fly well on her own [[spoiler: and since she knows that Sky Stinger will do badly without her helping him]].

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: To the 1986 Tom Cruise film ''Film/TopGun''.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Twilight's approach to solving the problem is to talk directly with Sky Stinger, with Misty Fly revealing how she'd been helping him, while Rainbow wants to play it subtle, without telling Sky, while both she and Twilight help the two flyers separately to correct their respective weaknesses. Twilight and Rainbow tell each other about each approach's flaws, with Twilight's potentially causing a breakup between Misty and Sky plus affecting his confidence, while Rainbow's lacks the honest, direct communication necessary for the problem's solution; both are proven right in the end.