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The Lightning Dust dilemma


Akemi Homura

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Often times, I ask myself on what kind of people should be offered a second chance. Had they not acted so rashly or even rudely, they could have gone to be more than just some "selfish turd" with no concept of teamwork or friendship. Their desire and ambition to perfect themselves are, as a result, detrimental to those around them and they are often bashed in the end. We get angry, of course, railing on them to watch themselves and harshly criticize them for being "bitches" and other crude terms of the sort. But we often don't take into account on what drives them to behave that way... whether it's fulfilling a life-long dream they had to wake up everyday of the week to work for, or even just in hopes of impressing others. Lightning Dust was coined to be the biggest "bitch" since Gilda from the episode Griffon The Brush Off, tossing aside her fellow peers aside with force in hopes of passing her trials with flying colors. Spitfire coined this as excessive but allowed Dust to stay as she had the tools needed to be a Wonderbolt at the time. This was met with controversy and rightfully so, negative/snide remarks on how her character was deserving to be kicked out of the Wonderbolt Academy in the end - thoughts I would like to shed light onto and challenge. Although Dust appeared to be kicked out in the end, with her talent, work ethic, and if she is given the proper guidance, she can return to form and make the most out of herself the right way.

 

Lightning Dust's special talent lies within pushing herself to be the very best in what she does - flying and flying abnormally fast. She was known to be so fast that she almost outdid Rainbow Dash in an obstacle course in terms of allotted time, and this was with the settings put on the highest of levels. That of course, immediately invoked praise from Spitfire was critical in naming her the Lead Pony along with Rainbow Dash as her partner. Lo and behold, after several trials and more obstacles, Lightning Dust not only promptly showed off her quicks, she also passed these trials with explosive results and in emphatic fashion as well. There are very few pegasi that can say flying is their special ability, as everypony with wings can take flight. But what happens if you do it professionally? You would be considered in the class of the Wonderbolts, if not exactly a part of them. Make what you want of her, but she is definitely talented and it was all too certain here. Spitfire would be insane not to give her another chance should there be another academy session in the near future, if there is one of course.

 

Dust's work ethic overshadowed her talent and made us believe that it is hard work - not natural gift - is what makes you the best of the pack. Her desire to push herself beyond her current level of focus and style of play paid dividends, which is exactly what the Wonderbolts were looking for. As it stands in the real world, hard work and determination pays off in big chunks and she has the skills needed to do just that. There also comes a point in time where professional athletes can feel content with how they are performing, especially if they are performing well, and they tend to forget how they got there - either through their natural ability or their hard work. In other words, they catch what is known as the "couch and video game syndrome" and it distracts them from becoming better and better in what they do. In the professional leagues, one slow step can result in a loss and it will make you remorseful. Fortunately for Dust, she was so locked in that she never did once sway away from her goal, and did not let anything distract her. She may have a militaristic attitude with that line of thinking, but as Spitfire said it herself - she can make amends and learn how to work hard the proper way.

 

 In my own lifetime, I've seen professional athletes that are so tremendously gifted in what they do, it's hard to think of them any less or not be amazed at their skills... but there is sometimes one thing that keeps them down. One thing that prevents them from being truly great... their personal lives. As such, they are often referred to the media as bad influences even though they have legitimate skill and would be better if they weren't so immature! As someone who follows these professionals in his spare time, it's quite maddening to think about, especially if they're one of the players on your favourite football team or something. But there is always light at the end of the tunnel for these guys - they just have to look for the right guys to be around and to try to give themselves an opportunity to grow.

 

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This is Randy Moss, an NFL wide receiver who's had a hall of fame career... and a bunch of personal issues in his past that made people uncomfortable, doing a lot of crazy things that were either maddening or controversial. Before he was drafted, he had issues with the law which caused his draft stock to plummet all the way to the late first-round of the draft. Why? Because teams were afraid that he'd cause problems among his new teammates. You certainly don't want to go in that direction, right? Off-the-field incidents are a hindrance to professionals and as it stood, folks would not want to be around those kinds of "immature" guys.

 

As it turned out, he ended up having the best rookie season by a wide receiver in NFL history, grabbing 17 touchdown passes and his team was a force to be reckoned with... however, as the years went by, he became unsettled and his off-the-field issues finally came to life. It was disheartening for his team and he was traded to another team at the end of the 2004 NFL season. Unfortunately for him, Moss could not start anew and his issues got the worse of him. He did not appear engaged at all in games and his new team unperformed greatly in the end. At the end of the 2006 season, he was noted to be a "quitter" and a "loser" by a lot of folks... no doubt causing him to feel bad and such. But his fortunes took a turn for the better as he was traded again, this time to a team with a coach that knew how to turn troubled players into world-class athletes. This coach would be Bill Belichick but I am not going to discuss his greatness on this thread. Needless to say, under a new coach and new system, playing with teammates who saw him as family, he had the best season for a wide receiver in NFL history, grabbing 23 touchdown passes (an NFL record, mind you) and he electrified his team's offense. His team went all the way to the Super Bowl, but they lost in the end. However, for a guy like Moss, it did wonders for his personal life and somepony like Lightning Dust can benefit quite a bit if they're pushed in the right direction. Like Moss, she has the talent needed to be a true professional - she just needs the guidance to do it. From then on, you're looking at a low-risk, high-reward type of option going forward. This was all the result of someone knowing that he has the talent to succeed at the professional level, but needed a good push in the right direction to do it. Bill Belichick knew it and even though Moss is nearing the end of his career, he's a much happier individual now all because he has had the right guys to be around with and has really come a long way from being a troubled person. 

 

Even though Lightning Dust has caused problems for the cadets in the academy, her desire to win was profound and her talent spoke for itself. They are undoubtedly part of the things you need in order to succeed, but all this time she has lacked the figure to guide her in the proper direction. While Rainbow managed to learn that on her own, some of us need that sympathetic budge and that is perfectly fine. The name of the game is to make friends and have fun with what you're doing, and Dust has also demonstrated that with her time alongside Rainbow Dash, the two making a formidable duo. Under more tutelage, she can learn and she can learn quite a bit. Rest assured, giving someone the chance to succeed if you're willing to take them under your wing will no doubt save their lives if they are willing to work for it, which I'm absolutely sure Lightning Dust is.

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Hmm.. You make a good point. Lightning Dust is certainly impressive when it comes to her determination and skill, but I believe she lets this get to her head. She knows what she is capable of and is sure to push herself. Yes, that could lead someone to greatness, but take a stroll down the other pathway and you arrive at corruption. It does depend upon which direction she pushes herself in.

 

She seems like an impatient pony (or at least that is the impression I got when she was groaning at the slow pace) and obviously inconsiderate. I wonder if she would be willing to undergo mentoring to help her in this area, or if she would be too stubborn and egoistic to try and improve.

 

She's a super cute character though! I think she could make an excellent Wonderbolt if she developed a sense of empathy. Sometimes though, it's a hard thing for selfish people to do.

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This is one of the 3 main reasons I didn't like this episode. Other then the lack of continuity with the rest of the show, and the fact I don't enjoy Rainbow episodes and....

 

Well. This.

 

It seemed uneedly cruel. It quite reminds me of Trixie (Who is best pony). Her career was ruined by the Ponyville folk, and no one feels slightly sorry for her. Not to mention everyone completely forgets about the whole thing. Not to mention, the reason behind her actions is /never/ brought up. In Trixie's case, it makes the cast look immature, and slightly arrogant.

 

In Lightning Dust's case, it makes the cast (specifically Rainbow) uncaring. No one gave a damn she was so cruelly pushed out of the academy.

 

As you mentioned, Dust's work ethic seemed to be what made her better then Rainbow. That being said, she most definitely deserves another chance. She did not break any rules. There was no rule about using tornadoes. There was no rule about cutting off the other ponies. Moral? They are at a freaking military camp! There was no reason for her to be brushed aside, without being talked to (on screen) about her actions.

 

I do not like this Wonderbolts Academy. Tis a silly place.

 

I /really/ like antagonists in this show. But was Dust even an antagonist? She didn't do much to deserve that title. In fact, she was a protagonist for more then the first half of the episode. So why does the show make it seem she now has Gilda status (A lot of people say she is the new Gilda).

 

I think the best possibility for her character, would be if she was part of an anti mane 6. Perhaps Gilda would be Pinkie's rival. But that's more of a "I hope the writers do this idea..." then anything.

 

To summarize, yes, she does deserve another chance. I feel like she's going to be the next Trixie. Her dream was ruined, but no one speaks of it ever again. And heck. I kinda like that. Dust is probably my favorite pegasus. She has a similar personality to one of my least favorite characters, but she's made out to be the bad guy because of it.

 

Sorry for lack of sense all that made. :/

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This is one of the 3 main reasons I didn't like this episode. Other then the lack of continuity with the rest of the show, and the fact I don't enjoy Rainbow episodes and....

 

Well. This.

 

It seemed uneedly cruel. It quite reminds me of Trixie (Who is best pony). Her career was ruined by the Ponyville folk, and no one feels slightly sorry for her. Not to mention everyone completely forgets about the whole thing. Not to mention, the reason behind her actions is /never/ brought up. In Trixie's case, it makes the cast look immature, and slightly arrogant.

 

In Lightning Dust's case, it makes the cast (specifically Rainbow) uncaring. No one gave a damn she was so cruelly pushed out of the academy.

 

As you mentioned, Dust's work ethic seemed to be what made her better then Rainbow. That being said, she most definitely deserves another chance. She did not break any rules. There was no rule about using tornadoes. There was no rule about cutting off the other ponies. Moral? They are at a freaking military camp! There was no reason for her to be brushed aside, without being talked to (on screen) about her actions.

 

I do not like this Wonderbolts Academy. Tis a silly place.

 

I /really/ like antagonists in this show. But was Dust even an antagonist? She didn't do much to deserve that title. In fact, she was a protagonist for more then the first half of the episode. So why does the show make it seem she now has Gilda status (A lot of people say she is the new Gilda).

 

I think the best possibility for her character, would be if she was part of an anti mane 6. Perhaps Gilda would be Pinkie's rival. But that's more of a "I hope the writers do this idea..." then anything.

 

To summarize, yes, she does deserve another chance. I feel like she's going to be the next Trixie. Her dream was ruined, but no one speaks of it ever again. And heck. I kinda like that. Dust is probably my favorite pegasus. She has a similar personality to one of my least favorite characters, but she's made out to be the bad guy because of it.

 

Sorry for lack of sense all that made. :/

 

They sacrificed some character development for the sake of getting jokes across and adding comedic effects. I thought it was great, mainly because it provided the drama and action you would expect from Dash episodes but it also paved the way for a possible redemption of Dust's character in the future, as I've highlighted above.

 

She's a super cute character though! I think she could make an excellent Wonderbolt if she developed a sense of empathy. Sometimes though, it's a hard thing for selfish people to do.

 

She is pretty gorgeous. If she weren't so callous she would be immensely popular and would give Dash some real competition, kind of like any teammate would. 

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Gee, that's the best argument anypony's going to make for forgiving Lightning Dust...I don't know what's left for me to say. xD

 

Well, I did feel sorry for her when she got kicked out of the academy. Sure she messed up big time, but it seemed a little harsh to me. I would have liked to see her learn something from the experience, at least. But this is where Meghan McCarthy's alternate ending comes into play. There, Dust simply gets demoted to wingpony and it's confirmed that the Wonderbolts have their eye on Dash. I think I would have liked that ending better.

 

And Randy Moss is awesomesauce. Which rhymes. :lol:

Edited by TailsAlone
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Gee, that's the best argument anypony's going to make for forgiving Lightning Dust...I don't know what's left for me to say. xD

 

Well, I did feel sorry for her when she got kicked out of the academy. Sure she messed up big time, but it seemed a little harsh to me. I would have liked to see her learn something from the experience, at least. But this is where Meghan McCarthy's alternate ending comes into play. There, Dust simply gets demoted to wingpony and it's confirmed that the Wonderbolts have their eye on Dash. I think I would have liked that ending better.

 

And Randy Moss is awesomesauce. Which rhymes. :lol:

 

I guess they like ambiguous endings, but that did kind of give me the feeling that you should kick people out instead of giving them the chance to redeem themselves, which isn't something I'm too comfortable with. I recognized she has talent but no one picked up on it even though Spitfire approved of it to begin with. It wasn't terribly consequential either as Dust was just blinded by her own goals to feel any sort of empathy.

 

And yeah, Moss sure has come a long way. He's a lot more humble and professional than years past, that's for sure. Being a Patriot will do that.

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The only thing I disliked about lightning dust, was that she was only doing it to show off and did not care for the other ponies around her. This is what led her to being kicked out of the camp. She started out well, but when she realized that Rainbow Dash was an equal match, she pushed herself (a little too far putting others at risk). 

 

Recklessness never prevails. When you are reckless, this is a sign that you are doing it for yourself and just want attention. If Lightning Dust were to get a second chance, Spitfire would have to pay closer attention to her. When I first saw Lightning Dust, I stated that she was an increase on Rainbow Dash's brash and prideful side. But the real difference between Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust, is that Rainbow Dash pushes herself, but always keeps her fellow ponies in mind, since she represents loyalty. 

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I think well Lightning Dust was pretty wreckless and didn't care about the other Wonderbolts. I know that Spitfire said that, Lightning pushed herself a little more then Rainbow Dash did in the Dizza-tron.

Rainbow Dash was right about, saying that a Wonderbolt should really not endanger the competition and put anyone in danger especially her friends with the tornado. I respect Dash's way of standing up for herself to become a Wonderbolt in the end. What I don't get is why, let Dust go for her actions and not give her another chance to change.

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@,

 

How do you come up with such lengthy, awesome posts????

 

Honestly, it was way too long, I didn't read the whole thing.  

 

Lightning Dust would have been awesome if she wasn't so rude.

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She completely got what she deserved for how she acted, but now being after the fact, I'm not against bringing her back and or forgiving her for it now that she's apparently gotten the punishment for her behavior, be it simply being stripped of lead pony status, being kicked out of the week-long academy, or what have you. As I've said before in other topics about her, she was meant to be what Trixie is to Twilight, except in a moral sense, and not a 'good/evil' sense. She's what Dash can be, at her worst. At her most competitive, 'seeking to be #1' attitude. It makes sense to give her a shot at realizing what truly matters.

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Here are my thoughts on the subject of Lightning Dust. Please know that I do not hate or even particularly dislike her. I thought that she was an interesting and engaging character with a lot of potential.

 

Lightning Dust displayed competitiveness, hard work and a desire to improve. This in addition to her obvious ability makes her a fantastic candidate to be a Wonderbolt, if you leave it at that.

 

The problem is that as we see with Spitfire and Soarin's uniforms and with their role in Secret of My Excess, the Wonderbolts also seem to have some sort of military function. In order to be in the military one must respect the health and safety of their teammates and civilians. Lightning Dust did not do that at all, showing no problem with mowing down the other cadets when it was not necessary to do so at all. In addition to this her actions almost led to the deaths of several innocent people. If she had apologized for that, or acknowledged that she did something wrong then if it were up to me then I'd keep her in the Academy. The thing is, she didn't. When Rainbow called her on her behavior she didn't admit that it was wrong in any way, and chose to hide behind the Wonderbolts' authority. The first time that she shows remorse for anything is when she is kicked out of the academy. For me personally, someone who cares more about a spot in the academy than the lives of five people is not someone I want in my organization. I have no qualms with Spitfire's reaction to Lightning's actions, even if I do feel bad for her.

 

I believe that this is a long running problem that the Wonderbolts cannot solve for Dust, and that she has to work out on her own. I also believe that it isn't Spitfire's responsibility to try to rehabilitate Dust. When she learns greater humility and respect for other people then she would clearly deserve a spot in the Academy, and maybe even in the Wonderbolts. I don't believe that Dust will never be given a second chance.

 

The ending of the episode made me think that there will eventually be a followup episode redeeming Dust, and I would like to see it.

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(edited)

Here are my thoughts on the subject of Lightning Dust. Please know that I do not hate or even particularly dislike her. I thought that she was an interesting and engaging character with a lot of potential.

 

Lightning Dust displayed competitiveness, hard work and a desire to improve. This in addition to her obvious ability makes her a fantastic candidate to be a Wonderbolt, if you leave it at that.

 

The problem is that as we see with Spitfire and Soarin's uniforms and with their role in Secret of My Excess, the Wonderbolts also seem to have some sort of military function. In order to be in the military one must respect the health and safety of their teammates and civilians. Lightning Dust did not do that at all, showing no problem with mowing down the other cadets when it was not necessary to do so at all. In addition to this her actions almost led to the deaths of several innocent people. If she had apologized for that, or acknowledged that she did something wrong then if it were up to me then I'd keep her in the Academy. The thing is, she didn't. When Rainbow called her on her behavior she didn't admit that it was wrong in any way, and chose to hide behind the Wonderbolts' authority. The first time that she shows remorse for anything is when she is kicked out of the academy. For me personally, someone who cares more about a spot in the academy than the lives of five people is not someone I want in my organization. I have no qualms with Spitfire's reaction to Lightning's actions, even if I do feel bad for her.

 

I believe that this is a long running problem that the Wonderbolts cannot solve for Dust, and that she has to work out on her own. I also believe that it isn't Spitfire's responsibility to try to rehabilitate Dust. When she learns greater humility and respect for other people then she would clearly deserve a spot in the Academy, and maybe even in the Wonderbolts. I don't believe that Dust will never be given a second chance.

 

The ending of the episode made me think that there will eventually be a followup episode redeeming Dust, and I would like to see it.

 

The thing is, there was no way for Lightning Dust to know that the Mane Six would be arriving to visit Rainbow Dash. Though in a civil case where Dust would presumably be held for negligence and also accounted for poor duty of care to her neighbors, in this case everypony except Fluttershy (her downfall was really exaggerated for comedic effect) in one scenario, but they were so high up above Cloudsdale that it never occurred to Dust that such a thing would happen. It's moot at best and I seriously don't think that the cadets were at any real danger from being killed due to falls from large heights. All it was was some heavy winds and obscuring the field so that the other cadets couldn't even pass the courses. Dash injured her wing for not paying attention to her surroundings and hesitating to fly about whilst following Dust during one course, so you can't really blame Dust for that instance. It would be like following someone but slipping and falling because you failed to see a slippery floor in front of you - should have minded your surroundings.

 

 

 

She completely got what she deserved for how she acted, but now being after the fact, I'm not against bringing her back and or forgiving her for it now that she's apparently gotten the punishment for her behavior, be it simply being stripped of lead pony status, being kicked out of the week-long academy, or what have you. As I've said before in other topics about her, she was meant to be what Trixie is to Twilight, except in a moral sense, and not a 'good/evil' sense. She's what Dash can be, at her worst. At her most competitive, 'seeking to be #1' attitude. It makes sense to give her a shot at realizing what truly matters.

 

Well, my man had all day long to think about her actions and showed genuine remorse at the end, but the ambiguity leaned a lot more on her getting kicked out than demoted. Just a terrible decision by her to start off the academy and another sad sight to see. She should have been "punished" (have at you) but not kicked out. There was another ending yet they didn't show it to boost Rainbow's character while sacrificing Dust's. If this was a professional institution valuing all of their students, it would not be maddening to think that their problems can be looked at/worked on and likewise, Dust's ambition could be controlled so that she feels empathy for her peers. Terrible call by Spitfire.

 

 

 

How do you come up with such lengthy, awesome posts????

 

Honestly, it was way too long, I didn't read the whole thing.  

 

Lightning Dust would have been awesome if she wasn't so rude.

 

I thought hard about this for a while. And thanks, but try reading the entire thing next time. It'll clear up any doubts you have about it. Dust wasn't "rude" per se; just ambitious enough to make herself out to be that way. She is not one of those superstar wide receiver type of players you find in the NFL, though. A bit of bragging here and there but she has tremendous work ethic and was always motivated to do her best. In this case of course she overdid it, but a terrible decision by Spitfire didn't even give her the chance to learn from it.

Edited by Alfonzo Dennard
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I feel that Lightning dust should have got punished in some form. I understand that Lightning Dust was really not understanding that she was being too aggrisive but still she could've possibly killed or seriously injured somepony! I believe that Lightning Dust is simply lost and just needs the right guiding hand, She's willing to push herself, but she's doing so solo without trying to work with others. Lightning Dust is a lot like a younger Rainbow-Dash and like her their's potential for her to do great things. I really hope they bring back LD because I think she has a good chance of changing somewhat, If they could've changed Trixie why not LD?

 

I do wish she wouldn't have got kicked out, but I do think she should've been punished in some form. In conclusion I hope that LD returns and is able to be redeemed.

Edited by Rainbowswag4
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The thing is, there was no way for Lightning Dust to know that the Mane Six would be arriving to visit Rainbow Dash. Though in a civil case where Dust would presumably be held for negligence and also accounted for poor duty of care to her neighbors, in this case everypony except Fluttershy (her downfall was really exaggerated for comedic effect) in one scenario, but they were so high up above Cloudsdale that it never occurred to Dust that such a thing would happen. It's moot at best and I seriously don't think that the cadets were at any real danger from being killed due to falls from large heights. All it was was some heavy winds and obscuring the field so that the other cadets couldn't even pass the courses. Dash injured her wing for not paying attention to her surroundings and hesitating to fly about whilst following Dust during one course, so you can't really blame Dust for that instance. It would be like following someone but slipping and falling because you failed to see a slippery floor in front of you - should have minded your surroundings.

With regards to the wing injury, to be fair Dust was going at an unsafe speed and by the rules of the academy Dash was obligated to follow her. Rainbow voiced her concern that they probably couldn't both make it only to have Dust blow her off. Because of the combined speed at which they were traveling and Dust blocking her view of the upcoming logs Rainbow wasn't able to react to them in time. So I think you could find room to at least partially blame Lightning for the wing injury.

 

With regards to everything else, I agree mostly. Lightning had no way to know that the Mane 6 would be up there ( of course there was still possibility of the people there being injured by the tornado). For the rest of the cadets it is true that blowing by them was unlikely to cause serious injury, one could argue that taking courses of action that would lead to their injury at all is wrong though. Flying isn't supposed to be a contact sport.

 

In any case, I take less issue with Lightning's actions in and of themselves but rather the general attitude that caused them and her response to them. The wing incident did demonstrate unwillingness to listen to team members and she did not care that her wingpony had to fly injured afterward. They were specifically told that the obstacle course wasn't a race, and there was ample room to demonstrate her incredible talent without causing harm to the other cadets but she chose to anyway, and didn't regret it. And at the end, though she certainly didn't intend to almost kill anyone she didn't seem to care that she had. This disregard for the safety of others is a running pattern with her and she never seemed to show that she was overcoming it, or even willing to acknowledge that it was a problem in the first place.

 

Ultimately though, Dust during the week showed repeated unwillingness to respect her wingpony or the rest of the cadets, and their basic safety. As an elite flying team, willingness to work with others and not do unnecessary things that have a high probability of injuring them are likely prerequisites for being a Wonderbolt. I believe Lightning was kicked out of the academy due to both not showing either of these things and her general not understanding that they are crucial.

I do think that in the future, when she understands the value of teamwork and is more respectful of the safety of others the Wonderbolts will be delighted to take her back.

Edited by DashForever
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I would absolutely agree with you were it not for the fact that Lightning simply just doesn't care about who or what gets injured in her pursuit to the top, it may be admirable to see her determination sure, but it's immature and selfish. I honestly don't want to see her again as a recurring character and after the episode ended I put her in the same mental category as Gilda... Quite frankly unlikable 

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I read that Lightning Dust was (in an alternative ending) going I learn her lesson and still be in the wonderbolts. From my understanding she was to learn her lesson and demote herself instead of getting kicked out of the wonderbolts academy. She and Rainbow Dash would still be partners, just that Rainbow would be the leader this time. She would willingly DEMOTE herself in order to show that she knew what she had done was wrong and that she would improve her actions.

 

If this ending had gone through (trust me this was an alternative plan, it was on Equestria Daily, you non-believers can search for it you will find it) many people who see Lightning as a jerk wouldn't feel as much hatred as they have with the ending we got. It was a good ending, but this ending would have been kinder to Lightning's popularity.

 

I felt sorry for Lightning because even though she did act like a jerk, her dream was no different from Rainbow's dream. The loss of a chance to fulfill one's dream is one of the most hurtful feelings one can have. It happend to me once so I knew what might have gone on to Lightning after her expellsion from the academy.

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It's not Dust's talent or work ethic that's at fault, it's her utter lack of cooperativeness and arrogance. She's willing to hurt others and laugh at their pain for no better reason than to show off. If Spitfire hadn't kicked her out when she had, within a week or two she'd be sneering at the Wonderbolt captains and bragging about how much the Wonderbolts needed her to fix their old routines. She was a terrible leader, a terrible follower, a loose cannon through-and-through and simply wasn't going to fit in on any team with her attitude. Teams are all about sublimating the individual and sacrificing one's ego for the cause of a greater whole. Lightning Dust simply didn't seem to have that in her. Actually being in the Wonderbolts would probably be pretty stifling for her.

 

That being said, she may well make a great daredevil barnstormer and go town-to-town to put on her own individual shows. She can push the limits of flight, pushing herself to go higher and faster than any pegasus before. She can challenge individuals to obstacle courses and take part in races. She may well find out that being kicked out was the best thing that happened to her, leaving her free to seek out fame and adventure on her own terms.

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I feel like it would be the easy route for Lightning Dust to be swayed by a stern talking to. That wouldn't be incongruous with the feel of MLP, and had that happened I would have been satisfied with the episode. In fact, I thought Spitfire's treatment of Lightning Dust was unnecessarily harsh, what with the very public and dramatic removal of the pin. But the more I think about it, the more I think it was the right thing to do if Lightning Dust wasn't going to admit wrongdoing. Why? Because Lightning Dust is determined to a fault, and a big fault it is. Through the episode, LD repeatedly shows she does not care enough that her actions effect others negatively. One could argue that because Lightning Dust would have no way of knowning a hot air balloon would show up right after the tornado started, she shouldn't be held responsible for putting them in danger. But right afterwards, we get an exchange between her and Rainbow Dash where LD refuses to acknowledge that her actions were reckless because no one got hurt. (There's a possibility that was a lie, and she did feel bad, but was too proud to admit it, and that's a different kettle of fish.) And no one did get hurt, that time. She gives no indication of caring about others at all. So here we have a super talented pony who is either incredibly selfish or has really bad social skills, and it doesn't seem like she'll change for the better on her own. I think Spitfire was intending to give her the message, "If you don't care how your actions effect others, maybe you will care when they effect you" in a way she could not ignore or explain away. Judging by the look on LD's face when she walked away, it must have made some form of impact.

 

Whether LD will change her ways, or why exactly she behaved as she did in the first place, remains to be seen. Personally, I'd like to see her be an "If I admit I've done something wrong, that means I'm not the best, and I can't have that" kind of character. That would allow for either continued jerkishness or redemption, or a bit of both.

 

Also, I have a question. Did she actually get kicked out of the Wonderbolts? She did seem to be escorted away, but nothing definitive was said. If she did, would it have been a permanent kicking out, or just for this week long session?

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I think Lightning Dust definitely deserved a second chance.  I mean, she made mistakes, but she probably learned from them in the end.  Also, this almost guarantees Rainbow will become a Wonderbolt, since no one else at the academy is shown to be at her level.  It would have been nice for her to have some competition.

 

That's why I liked the alternate ending better.

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(edited)

She was a terrible leader, a terrible follower, a loose cannon through-and-through and simply wasn't going to fit in on any team with her attitude. Teams are all about sublimating the individual and sacrificing one's ego for the cause of a greater whole. Lightning Dust simply didn't seem to have that in her. Actually being in the Wonderbolts would probably be pretty stifling for her.

 

 

As I've said, my main problem lied with Spitfire kicking her out and not giving her another chance to redeem herself based on her regret at the end of the episode. She is young, she is talented, and yes, she is arrogant as well. But her remorse at the end should give anyone an indication to at least let her try again and to work on her faults. I'm a fan of ambiguous endings but the one they put in was kind of vague and ended with what people can coin to be a terrible decision made by Spitfire.

Edited by Alfonzo Dennard
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  • 2 weeks later...

As I see it, Lightning Dust was a brilliant flyer with a drive to be the best, but you need more than that to be the best in a team. You can be the best at something but to be a wonderbolt you need to also bring the best out of everyone in your team, Lightning Dust not only DIDN'T bring out the best in her teammates but rather was a detriment to them and made them less effective. I think it was the right thing to do to kick her out, maybe she will get another chance to attend the academy but learning to be part of a team isn't something that you do AFTER you reach the goal, you have to learn that lesson BEFORE you attend an elite academy.

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I think it was the right thing to do to kick her out, maybe she will get another chance to attend the academy but learning to be part of a team isn't something that you do AFTER you reach the goal, you have to learn that lesson BEFORE you attend an elite academy.

 

Did you miss the entire point of the essay?

 

Learning to be part of a team can only happen if you're already part of the team. I've already highlighted that her youth allowed her to do crazy things which she no doubt regrets and should get another chance as a result, among others. But yeah, let's just cut every promising young athlete on the planet from a team just because the coach was too incompetent to teach them the proper method instead of kicking them out! How silly does that sound?

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I think that she can be forgiven, but there's a difference between being forgiven and being a Wonderbolt.  Schools can expel a student for criminal behavior, and unlike the NFL, the Wonderbolts serve a military function as well and ponies' lives hang in the balance.  The kind of disregard for civilian lives she showed has no place in the military, and she didn't even care about the fact that ponies nearly *died* because of her actions.  It was tough to watch her go, but you know what?  It was fitting.

 

I can't think of any other organization that wouldn't *immediately* let go of someone who nearly let people die due to her recklessness while on the job (or in training for said job). 

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