I’m with Spitfire on this! Yes, the situation changed from aerial performance to emergency, and Dash may have experience (sheer luck or not) saving the world, but in this capacity she is acting as an active Wonderbolt. And the ‘Bolts are well equipped to deal with emergencies on short notice.
 
ergo, Spitfire is Captain, Her Captain

Fleety would always listen to RD first :3

@kztxl7  

 
 
 
Not counting comics, magic comics, alternate timelines, and dreams.
 
Oh, and the manticore because I couldn’t get a picture of that.

@Philweasel  
She doesn’t have combat experience. She has experience of her and 5 other girls running around until they get power from some ancient relic of high magic power to blast away the enemies in a deus ex machina only acceptable in a kids show. Most of the work being done by Twilight Sparkle.
 
“Spitfire silently wetting herself”
 
This is just you making up stuff to justify Rainbow Dash’s actions isn’t it? Because there is literally none of that. You’re pretending like there is a page of Spitfire doing nothing but standing around doing nothing but acting scared but there isn’t. She asked a question and Rainbow Dash immediately barks orders around. There is none of this “Spitfire doesn’t know what to do crap” between the two panels.

@kztxl7  
Well, by combat experience I mean ‘save the world multiple times’ experience, while various evildoers have desired to hurt her.
 
That’s likely why Rainbow Dash quickly took charge of the situation, and frankly the fact that she was first to order everypony to cover and start collecting civilians right after a panel of Spitfire silently wetting herself says something.
 
I think Rainbow Dash is somewhat in the wrong, as I mentioned. Spitfire doesn’t help her situation by openly yelling at Rainbow Dash about the chain of command in the middle of a crisis though. Either she has her own plan of action, in which case she should communicate it, or she doesn’t, in which case she should formally pass authority over to the one who does.

@Vaidelot  
That sounds more like headcanon than actual fact.
 
 
@Philweasel  
What combat experience?
 
Also, she shouldn’t be taking charge immediately like that without any input and “Spitfire is out of her depth”? We haven’t even seen a single panel of how she’s handling the situation after trying to ask a question on why dragons would attack before Rainbow Dash is belting out orders.

It’s a dodgy situation all round, and Rainbow Dash is crapping on the chain of command (she is in Wonderbolt uniform, therefore Spitfire is her CO).
 
On the other hand, Dash likely has more combat experience that Spitfire does, and might indeed outrank her as a civilian. She’s also taking charge, and making good decisions, where as Spitfire is clearly out of her depth.

Well, as a Wonderbolt Spitfire surely outranks Rainbow. But as a member of the Friendship Council the only ponies who outrank Dash is the Princesses themselves! And sudden attack on an ally nation is definitely the Council’s business, so Dash’s pretty much in her rights here (and so is Pinkie Pie).

>A Sergeant in motion outranks a Lieutenant who doesn’t know what’s going on

@kztxl7  
It may be insubordination by Wonderbolt ranking, but Rainbow Dash is a main character. If anything, this is hanging a lampshade on the trope of main characters’ special privileges.

@Masem  
That’s not powertripping though.
 
Rainbow Dash is the Newbie to the team. Spitfire is the Captain to the team. RD does not have the authority to be giving out commands like that. Respectfully she should be offering suggestions or running decisions through her before making them. Not taking command of the team and making decisions with no input from others when the literal top of command is sitting right there.

@kztxl7  
She probably knows that Fleetfoot is the right Wonderbolt to send to get help (with RD’s parents likely making RD want to stay close), so RD was giving the right order, but she didn’t like RD giving that, or FF following that.

@Background Pony #72AC  
How exactly is she powertripping?

I see spitfire has chosen the perfect time to start powertripping.