NOTICE: This is a Recap page, so all spoilers will be left unmarked, per wiki policy. Read ahead only with caution! You Have Been Warned.
Television has marketed toys for young boys and girls for generations. This ranged from G.I Joe to Barbie and Transformers to My Little Pony.
Starscream of the 1st Generation Decepticons. And Rainbow Dash of the G4 Pegasus Ponies
In the seventeenth episode of the first season, Wizard and Boomstick pit two flyers from Hasbro's top toy franchises against one another. While both are aerial aces, their personalities couldn't be more different, as one is notoriously treasonous while the other is the very embodiment of loyalty.
The episode starts off with Wizard and Boomstick describing Starscream, the air commander of the Decepticon battle fleet who strives to seeks power and usurp the Decepticon leader Megatron...with little success. He's also capable of firing several different types of weapons, including cluster bombs, Sidewinder missiles, and the Null Ray: a laser that shuts down all electronics. He is able to transform into an F-15 Eagle, a jet that can reach speeds up to Mach 2.8, and fire off homing missiles and a Vulcan gatling gun (1600 rpm).
He's also a bit of a Dirty Coward, but is able to worm himself into good favors due to his silver-tongue. Unfortunately, his strategy skills are severely lacking. He was crowned leader of the Decepticons once... it only lasted a short-lived twenty seconds. The most important thing about him was that his Spark (or life-force) somehow was indestructible, letting him possess different types of machines. This includes a robotic school-girl in the bathroom without realizing to pull up the girl's underwear.
Next up is Rainbow Dash. She's a pegasus from Equestria, the magical land of ponies ("Ugh," as Boomstick notes). Dropping out of flight-school, she took up a job as Ponyville's weather manager. She is shown to be very agile, durable and resilient. She has dreams of joining the aerial performance group called the Wonderbolts. And somehow, she has a black belt in karate. (Boomstick: "How does a pony learn karate, let alone master it?")
Since she's a pegasus, Rainbow Dash is capable of manipulating weather, ranging from kicking clouds to induce lightning and rain, and creating tornadoes on the fly. She also has special moves, ranging from the Buccaneer Blaze to her trademark Sonic Rainboom which lets her fly up to speeds ranging from Mach 5 to Mach 10, creating a huge rainbow and splitting rocks.
Despite her athleticism and cocky attitude, she is loyal to her friends. This doesn't mean that she won't stoop to cheating to win though.
With the analysis done, and after an advertisement for Gamefly, it's time for a death battle.
Starscream flies down to an empty field and transforms back, asking to see who would dare challenge him. His answer comes from someone, or rather somepony, crashing down from the sky, saying hello.
FIGHT!
Starscream is in hysterics at the fact that his opponent is a little pony, boasting that he would instantly crush Rainbow without any effort. Rainbow comments on how much he talks before zooming back and forth and kicking him, to no avail. Annoyed by her antics, Starscream now decides to go after Rainbow—after Rainbow herself tags him. Thus the fight goes into the sky with Starscream doing his best to fire a shot at Rainbow Dash with little success. Rainbow is too fast for him and dodges them easily, taunting him with funny faces and raspberries. It isn't until he realizes that Rainbow Dash is riding on top of him that he gets annoyed and follows her into a giant mess of storm clouds, transforming back to his Decepticon form. This is right where Rainbow wants him, dragging a giant thunder cloud and kicking it so the lightning hits him.
Starscream falls to the ground where Rainbow Dash follows him, only to get a hit with his Null Ray. Starscream laughs at the attack while Rainbow Dash decides that it. is. on. She begins to fly super fast, creating a humongous tornado that is too fast for Starscream, even in his jet form, to escape. Thus he is hurled back a few feet and Rainbow Dash pursues him. Starscream decides to use his last tactic—his silver tongue. He begins to apologize for his actions and states how he'll "join the herd" while Rainbow Dash is wary about the whole thing ("I don't know, I mean I know I'm supposed to love and tolerate—"). She realizes too late that it was just a set up to unleash all of his homing missiles. Rainbow immediately flies into the sky in a zig-zag pattern, and into the mass of clouds once more.
Starscream waits impatiently, but his waiting doesn't last long as Rainbow Dash begins to create her famous Sonic Rainboom. Starscream looks in awe at the rainbow trail that is created, but is distracted to not realize that Rainbow sent his homing missiles back at him. Distracted by the blow, he is soon finished off by Rainbow Dash's Buccaneer Blaze.
However, it's not over yet. Starscream notes that as long as his spark lives, he would be indestructible and never defeated. So Rainbow Dash eats him.
K.O!
As Boomstick looks in astonishment on how Rainbow Dash ate a transformer, Wizard states how Starscream was outclassed in every way. Rainbow was faster than he was, thus able to dodge all of his missiles (and also because Starscream is a lousy shot), but also how since she was a pony (and thus entirely organic) the Null Ray was useless. Plus even if Starscream's spark is is indestructible, he wouldn't be going anytime soon.
Wiz: The winner is Rainbow Dash!
Tropes:
- Badass Adorable: Rainbow Dash is a cute, pastel, little pony... who utterly curb-stomps a giant robot warrior.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: As Boomstick and Wiz said themselves, this battle was pretty much one-sided, as Rainbow Dash outclassed Starscream in every area.
- Deadly Dodging: This is how Rainbow Dash finishes off Starscream: by flying ahead of the Transformer's homing missiles swarm, she guides them into smashing against the Decepticon, blowing him to pieces.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: In a desperate, last ditch effort, Starscream launches all his guided missiles at Rainbow Dash. She just evades them and, after some clever air maneuvering, directs them back at the sender. Boom.
- I Shall Taunt You: Once it becomes clear that Starscream is hopelessly outmatched, Rainbow Dash openly mocks her opponent, landing on top of him and blowing raspberries right in his face.
- I Surrender, Suckers: Starscream attempts this on Rainbow Dash, only for his missiles to miss her and hit him instead.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Rainbow Dash is basically toying with Starscream during first phase of the battle. However, once she gets hit with Null Ray, she starts playing for keeps and goes full throttle on him, with devastating results.
- No-Sell: Starscream's Null Ray does absolutely no harm to Rainbow Dash other than briefly stunning her, since it was meant to neutralize electronics, not living creatures.
- Robo Cam: We see Starcream's viewpoint a couple times when he's trying to crosshair Rainbow. The second time, there is some funny text on the sides of the screen.TARGET: STUPID PONY
OBJECTIVES
DESTROY HAPPINESS - IN PROGRESS
DEFEAT MEGATRON - CALCULATING... - Underestimating Badassery:
- Boomstick is less than thrilled with the prospect of a death battle where one of contestants is a cute pastel pony. He changes his tune though, when her abilities are brought up.Boomstick: This is a pony! A baby horse girl toy! Why is it so awesome?
- Upon finding out that his opponent is a pony, Starscream immediately believes he's gonna win. Rainbow Dash quickly proves him wrong.
- Boomstick is less than thrilled with the prospect of a death battle where one of contestants is a cute pastel pony. He changes his tune though, when her abilities are brought up.
- Who Dares?: Starscream's first words at the start of the battle.Starscream: Who dares challenge the mighty Starscream!?
