The Lightning Dust dilemma

[Shanks 10,811]

What Lightning Dust was not only stupid but dangerous, remember this is a military style academy so I am sure that ponies have been kicked out for far milder offenses. If this was the marines, army, navy or airforce Lighning Dust may even have gotten court marshaled in addition to being dishonorably discharged. The Wonderbolts can't have ponies in their ranks that are so reckless that they even put civilians lives in danger. And she showed no remorse whatsoever for her actions so it is very difficult to have any sympathy for her. Don't get me wrong I am not entirely opposed to forgiving her as what Trixie did in Magic Duel was even worse but I think it will probably take a while for her to have the maturity to be a Wonderbolt.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

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). 

 

You'd be surprised on how NFL teams conduct their players. Some teams follow the militaristic approach to their games (for example, the Patriots) and they stress the part of just "doing your job".

 

There's an alternate ending to the episode which really should have been the ending. What were they thinking... 

[hawkflame 3,308]

You'd be surprised on how NFL teams conduct their players. Some teams follow the militaristic approach to their games (for example, the Patriots) and they stress the part of just "doing your job".

 

There's an alternate ending to the episode which really should have been the ending. What were they thinking... 

 

 

There's a difference between being "militaristic" and serving an *actual* military function.  If there's a rampaging monster attacking Boston, I doubt that Tom Brady's going to be on the front lines.  In the case of the Wonderbolts, actual lives are hanging in the balance if they screw up. 

 

Anyway what bothered me less was her reckless behavior (which is a problem for a group that has a militaristic function like the Wonderbolts) and more her utterly callous reaction when finding out that others nearly *died* because of it.  That has no place when part of your actual job involves saving lives and protecting the public.

Edited January 18, 2013 by hawkflame

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

There's a difference between being "militaristic" and serving an *actual* military function.  If there's a rampaging monster attacking Boston, I doubt that Tom Brady's going to be on the front lines.  In the case of the Wonderbolts, actual lives are hanging in the balance if they screw up. 

 

Anyway what bothered me less was her reckless behavior (which is a problem for a group that has a militaristic function like the Wonderbolts) and more her utterly callous reaction when finding out that others nearly *died* because of it.  That has no place when part of your actual job involves saving lives and protecting the public.

 

No kidding? My point was that part of being in a team is teaching everyone else around you about what they did wrong and pushing them in the right direction. I've already highlighted that several times in the post unless you blatantly missed out on them.

[hawkflame 3,308]

No kidding? My point was that part of being in a team is teaching everyone else around you about what they did wrong and pushing them in the right direction. I've already highlighted that several times in the post unless you blatantly missed out on them.

 

And my point is that there's a line to be crossed where you lose out on that second chance, and that's when you almost get others killed and don't give a crap.  Kicking her out of the academy is the right thing to do. 

 

In the actual military, she'd be court martialed, and for good reason.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

And my point is that there's a line to be crossed where you lose out on that second chance, and that's when you almost get others killed and don't give a crap.  Kicking her out of the academy is the right thing to do. 

 

In the actual military, she'd be court martialed, and for good reason.

 

Bridge under the water. The Wonderbolts aren't an actual military. That's what the royal guard is for. They are a team of professional flyers with militaristic approach to things but that doesn't make them the equivalent to an actual air force.

 

You can at least teach Lightning Dust the basics of teamwork and humility considering that nopony was hurt in the end.

[hawkflame 3,308]

Bridge under the water. The Wonderbolts aren't an actual military. That's what the royal guard is for. They are a team of professional flyers with militaristic approach to things but that doesn't make them the equivalent to an actual air force.

 

You can at least teach Lightning Dust the basics of teamwork and humility considering that nopony was hurt in the end.

 

It wasn't the Royal Guards who flew in against Giant Dragon Spike.

 

And nopony was hurt because others *rushed in to save them*.  Good god, what if they couldn't reach them in time?  When you show *that* kind of lack of remorse for the safety of others you need to be dealt with harshly. 

 

I'm sorry, I can't think of any situation where that wouldn't result in termination or expulsion of some kind.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

It wasn't the Royal Guards who flew in against Giant Dragon Spike.

 

You really think a small team of professional flyers are called in every single day of the week to serve Equestria under Princess Celestia directly?

 

That instance happened to be because of the urgent need to deal with a threat immediately. The Wonderbolts are the fastest fliers in Equestria but they're not the military. It's not their job to put their lives on the line every single day of their lives. They are entertainers and celebrities. If someone demonstrates extremely capable talent in flying an F/A 18 Hornet, are they immediately fighter pilots? No, they're not. They may have the remarkable gift of flying an advanced aircraft like that, but they would lack the intangibles that are required of an actual soldier in the armed forces.

 

 

And nopony was hurt because others *rushed in to save them*.  Good god, what if they couldn't reach them in time?  When you show *that* kind of lack of remorse for the safety of others you need to be dealt with harshly. 

 

I'm sorry, I can't think of any situation where that wouldn't result in termination or expulsion of some kind.

 

If, if, if. What if the Mane Six hadn't flown up their in the first place? Dust couldn't have possibly have known that they would be arriving at a time like that. 

 

Again, bridge under the water. The end result was that nopony got hurt and Dust shown genuine remorse when she was scolded.

 

Recklessness can be corrected and she can be taught to push herself in the right direction. That's all.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,833]

I love the Patriots, especially since I live in Massachussets. But more on topic, I believe that people should only be given a second chance if they truly have potential to change. If someone is unwilling to improve themselves then so be it.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

I love the Patriots, especially since I live in Massachussets. But more on topic, I believe that people should only be given a second chance if they truly have potential to change. If someone is unwilling to improve themselves then so be it.

 

Thanks for that. It baffles me on how Dust's work ethic and talent was disregarded so easily. Spitfire said so herself that Dash and Dust could make an unstoppable team - is that not worth working on for the sake of bettering Dust's attitude? Had it been somepony else, I suspect they would have been kicked out right away.

[hawkflame 3,308]

You really think a small team of professional flyers are called in every single day of the week to serve Equestria under Princess Celestia directly?

 

That instance happened to be because of the urgent need to deal with a threat immediately. The Wonderbolts are the fastest fliers in Equestria but they're not the military. It's not their job to put their lives on the line every single day of their lives. They are entertainers and celebrities. If someone demonstrates extremely capable talent in flying an F/A 18 Hornet, are they immediately fighter pilots? No, they're not. They may have the remarkable gift of flying an advanced aircraft like that, but they would lack the intangibles that are required of an actual soldier in the armed forces.

 

 

 

If, if, if. What if the Mane Six hadn't flown up their in the first place? Dust couldn't have possibly have known that they would be arriving at a time like that. 

 

Again, bridge under the water. The end result was that nopony got hurt and Dust shown genuine remorse when she was scolded.

 

Recklessness can be corrected and she can be taught to push herself in the right direction. That's all.

 

1) Even still, she's going for a profession where if you screw up, either you, your teammates, or civilians in the area could get seriously hurt.

 

2)   Point is, they didn't die only because she was lucky that others could reach them.  Did she really show remorse, or did she just feel bad about getting kicked out/demoted?  Her initial lack of caring suggests the latter.  A drunk driver doesn't always kill someone, hell, they don't even always get into an accident, but they still deserve more than a stern talking to. 

 

Sorry, but "nearly killing others due to your recklessness" = "Bridge under the water" (I assume you mean "water under the bridge") is just... I can't wrap my mind around that.  There's no real world situation I can think of that wouldn't result in expulsion or termination of some kind.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,833]

Thanks for that. It baffles me on how Dust's work ethic and talent was disregarded so easily. Spitfire said so herself that Dash and Dust could make an unstoppable team - is that not worth working on for the sake of bettering Dust's attitude? Had it been somepony else, I suspect they would have been kicked out right away.

It's not worth the effort to force someone out of their comfort zone and to shape them into a tool for your own personal Agenda. Just because Spitfire said Dash and Dust would make an unstoppable team doesn't mean that Dust is able to change.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

2)   Point is, they didn't die only because she was lucky that others could reach them.  Did she really show remorse, or did she just feel bad about getting kicked out/demoted?  Her initial lack of caring suggests the latter.  A drunk driver doesn't always kill someone, hell, they don't even always get into an accident, but they still deserve more than a stern talking to.   

 

Sorry, but "nearly killing others due to your recklessness" = "Bridge under the water" (I assume you mean "water under the bridge") is just... I can't wrap my mind around that.  There's no real world situation I can think of that wouldn't result in expulsion or termination of some kind.

 

Oops, that was a major typo... thanks for pointing it out. 

 

After reading going over your replies, I can't think of anything that wouldn't result in expulsion either. Please pardon my stubbornness. I simply believe that people can be rehabbed and continue their pursuits afterwards. I do feel a lot of sympathy for Dust because she now can no longer pursue her dream... even if she was super reckless, I know how that feels nonetheless. I just wish they weren't super ambiguous with her deep-seated showing of remorse of some kind in the end, though. You're right, it's hard to make out whether she's really regretful or is just sad for getting kicked out.

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

Dust didn't show remorse when scolded, she showed remorse when she was kicked out of the academy. She showed that she cared more about her position in the academy than the lives of five people. It's not the Wonderbolts' job to give Lightning a conscience or the ability to care about other people. When she develops the ability to show her talent in ways that aren't extremely dangerous to her teammates then I'm sure the Wonderbolts would love to have her. I still take no issue with what Spitfire did.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

It's not worth the effort to force someone out of their comfort zone and to shape them into a tool for your own personal Agenda. Just because Spitfire said Dash and Dust would make an unstoppable team doesn't mean that Dust is able to change.

 

I didn't base it off that, though. Being stripped of something as intangible as that can turn a lot of folks around. I should know - I experienced it first hand a few times. Does that mean Dust is automatically reformed? No, but it's worth noting. I have said multiple times that her desire to be the best blinded her greatly but that can be worked on in her own personal time... hopefully.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,833]

I didn't base it off that, though. Being stripped of something as intangible as that can turn a lot of folks around. I should know - I experienced it first hand a few times. Does that mean Dust is automatically reformed? No, but it's worth noting. I have said multiple times that her desire to be the best blinded her greatly but that can be worked on in her own personal time... hopefully.

Usually personality traits that are negative (or positive) aren't alone and you may have many negative or positive traits. You can't permanantly reform yourself anyways, reforming is an ongoing battle that can last your entire life.

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

I'm going to toss in my opinion that I think Dust's redemption is quite possible, but it won't happen overnight and she's going to have to do some soul searching first.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

Usually personality traits that are negative (or positive) aren't alone and you may have many negative or positive traits. You can't permanantly reform yourself anyways, reforming is an ongoing battle that can last your entire life.

 

Yes, but I never said that she had to be reformed permanently. She just needs to grow up and own up to her mistakes. Then and only then would it be feasible for us to believe that Spitfire can give her another chance. Hence the Randy Moss comparison.

[Comet Tail 808]

Okay, I haven't been keeping myself current on these forums for several months, and I'm thinking of including a certain pegasus as a character in a fanfic project so I want to see what people think about her.

 

 

 

 

[snip (kept awesome Lightning Dust picture because pretty pony]

 

 

 

That was FANTASTIC. You should see if you can try submitting this to Round Stable News. They do long and well thought-out articles just like this one

 

Reading the rest of this thread, though, I think a huge point was that she showed no remorse when equals told her her actions almost killed some ponies. The only remorse she showed was at being demoted, expelled, or whatever that was. That's a big issue.

 

But, I am very interested in the idea that she was just too prideful, or perhaps even embarrassed or scared to admit that her actions nearly led to Twilight, Pinkie, AJ and Rarity's deaths, and that's the reason she denied it to Rainbow Dash. She was too horrified to admit it to herself or others. And the reason I take that seriously, is because simply not caring about others' lives is borderline psycopathic, and that is very rare. What's a lot more common, though, is pride, fear, and embarrassment. And she was definitely a very proud pony.

 

Pride: There's no way I could have accidentally killed other ponies! I'm better than that! I don't do that!

Embarrassment: Holy crap, 4 ponies almost lost their LIVES because of me! I didn't do that, I couldn't have done that!

Fear: I could get in huge trouble for this!

 

So when she tells RD that nopony got hurt, almost angrily, she's trying to convince herself almost as much as she's trying to convince RD. This kind of highly emotional response is just what I'd expect for her if her pride is hurt, she's embarrassed, and afraid of getting in trouble and what could've happened. Afraid of the seriousness of it! Just think of yourself being accused of almost murdering four innocent people! Terrifying, indeed.

 

Meanwhile, to honestly not care that she'd almost killed four ponies would be borderline psychopathic. Also, If she really didn't care, then she wouldn't have responded to RD so angrily.

 

Aaaaand, as I write this, I found this link to show what I meant. Well, to my surprise, she doesn't angrily retort; "But it didn't nearly kill them!"

 

No, she replies like this: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DDD535i4IdQ#t=1107s

 

Initial reaction:

Holy crap. That is downright scary.

 

Either she's trying to distract everypony from that fact, by focusing on the clouds, or... I dunno. It seems pretty upfront, here. If she's really nervous about her pride being hurt, embarrassed, or scared, then she really doesn't show it at all. And even that by itself is kind of scary.

 

If I'm Spitfire, and that's the attitude she shows when I question her about the incident, then she's out of the academy for good.

 

 

 

But, on the other hoof, to her defense and on further thought...

 

She did show some signs of remorse and defensiveness, which indicates anger and fear. When RD finishes her first rant, LD looks away. This means she's no longer engaged in "you vs. me" type-banter, but is seriously thinking in an introverted manner (no longer looking at RD). Then she replies; "The Wonderbolts don't seem to think so..." My thought: she's such a huge fan of the Wonderbolts that she's asking herself what they would think for moral guidance (lol, "What would Spitfire do?"). So she did legitimately and honestly question herself, there.

 

And as I think about getting in her mind, she was focused on the clouds. As some have mentioned, RD's friends just came outta nowhere. It was kinda just a random addition to the day. And they weren't hurt, so she wasn't concerned.

 

And then there's her punishment. She seems sad on the approach, and key: she bites her lips right before having her pin removed. A true psycopath doesn't show apprehension at future events (perfectly calm right before execution on the electric chair, is what a true psycopath does), and as she walked away, she gave a little salute to RD and everyone.

 

So she's not a psycopath. So when it finally sinks in, she will be horrified that she almost killed four ponies. I can gaurantee that, if she doesn't keep herself in denial of it.

 

And that salute? She wasn't thinking about herself, otherwise she wouldn't have thought of it. She legitimately realized that what she had done was wrong. Thinking back to her questioning herself earlier, I think she looks to the Wonderbolts for guidance in just about every way. I think her entire code of ethics is based off of what she thinks they believe (hence when she questioned the morality of her actions, she immediately thinks about what the Wonderbolts think). So when she really realizes she's broken that code of ethics, she's legitimately sorry, and she's fighting her own pride to show it (hence she does it so quickly).

 

If she was only sorry at losing her rank and spot, then she would have been thinking of herself, and wouldn't have thought to do a salute.

 

Usually personality traits that are negative (or positive) aren't alone and you may have many negative or positive traits. You can't permanantly reform yourself anyways, reforming is an ongoing battle that can last your entire life.

 

It gets easier as you go, though, and I really do believe, I've seen, that people can change who they are.

[Brainstorm 4,092]

I would say, give Lighting Dust a 2nd Chance, Twilight gave Trixie a second chance, so I think We can give LightingDust a 2nd chance. Only if she really wants to change, like Trixie did.

[Cwanky 17,459]

There's an unspoken and perhaps larger antagonist in Wonderbolts Academy a lot of fans I've noticed caught onto when watching the episode. Maybe it wasn't the creators' intentions but Spitfire and the Wonderbolts Academy and its students played equally large roles as antagonists in the episode. Functionally, yes Lightning Dust was the primary antagonist, since she acts as Rainbow Dash's rival in the episode, engages and promotes bad behavior, and ends up jeopardizing the safety of others. At the same time though we have to remember that Spitfire was the one that encouraged not just a competitive, but also cutthroat environment by. It probably wasn't deliberate but by promoting Lightning Dust, Spitfire gives the greenlight to ignore ethics and whatever it takes to excel. The students and staff join in on this by showing a reluctance to speak out against the questionable behavior and standards. I think its safe to say that even in the military behavior that's reckless and can compromise team safety is not tolerated. 

 

For me this is largely why Lightning Dust's comeuppance at the end was cruelly unfair and hence hurt Wonderbolts Academy a lot. Lightning Dust's reckless behavior in part was spurred by Spitfire's doctrinal encouragement. While we may argue that Rainbow Dash did confront and try to stop her numerous times, who would she be more inclined to listen to: a stranger who just happened to become her wingpony, or the figure of authority and experience that dictates her fate at the academy? Rainbow Dash was the protagonist and "hero" of Wonderbolts Academy not simply because she stood up to Lightning Dust's bad behavior and actions (and saved her friends), but also because she willingly protested and stood up to Spitfire and the academy's practices and values. I'm quite angry at Spitfire's reaction at the end. Even though its meant to show that she and the academy stand for good virtues and integrity, she never acknowledges that she was wrong and punishing Lightning Dust so harshly makes it seem like she just used her as a fitting scapegoat to cover her own flank.

 

Lighning Dust definitely deserves a chance at redemption after what happened to her. Yes she behaved like a jerk, was incredibly reckless and ignorant to others, and had selfish ambitions - all true. But she also demonstrated herself to be a hardworker and fierce competitor and a friendly rival to Rainbow Dash. Had Spitfire simply told the students to train and compete fiercely, but discourage unethical behavior instead of leave that window open, we may have very well seen a much friendlier, funner and less egocentric side to Lightning Dust. I definitely related to Lightning Dust's reaction when she had her badge stripped at the end. She was only taking the advice Spitfire had encouraged early on. Lightning Dust may have been selfish but she wasn't bad. She didn't deliberately try to have others lose. If Trixie was worthy enough for a redemption considering her selfish and malicious actions, then certainly Lightning Dust deserves that chance also. 

[Night Draft 0]

All trivial matters aside about Lightning Dust, Rainbow is quite a competitive character, if not the most competitive in generation 4 of mlp. Rainbow Dash, clearly saw that Lightning was faster; the only thing she really cares about when she is competitive and she could not handle this as even though she was on her team, she always wants to be the best. Not once has rainbow really shown any interest in being a good sport, Rainbow cheats on the occasions she races AJ and flies instead.

All in all she would not let any pony show her up and considering spitfire herself was watching she would definitely want to do better than her own partner so that she is elected captain of the team next time. there were no rules against what Lightning did, she may have appeared reckless but was Rainbow really just jealous of her flying skills? i think so as she proceeds to have a 'bitch' to Spitfire and have her removed. Lightning wasn't a bad character what so ever; as mentioned previously, wonder-bolts is almost a military style academy where the stakes are simple, go hard or go home. No one had died from her actions, it may be only a G rated program but Hasbro had really made her actions out worse then they appeared to be and considering Rainbow had almost killed animals in "May the best pet win", i dont see how much different they are.

Ultimately, how can you blame her for her actions and call her a villain when real villains include Sombra etc, which compared from what Sombra did to what Lightning did is nothing. she may have had a really rough upbringing and with no back story as to why she is like she is, we are all fed to believe she has a really horrible soul. Obviously, anypony accusing her of being bad has not done any character analysis on her; how can you judge when you only know the things you see? 

I personally found Lightning a very good character. After hearing Rainbow state she is the 'best' so many times, for example; "can't settle for less cause I'm the best", i had really grown sick of her boastful nature. Lightning is the one character to bring her down (Rainbow saw her out-flying her) but what happens to her? Rainbow eliminates her by dobbing her in and acts all safe and team orientated to sway the decision in her favour. I'm quite tired of all these Rainbow lovers, yes she may be 'cool' or whatever and she's so-called 'fast' but in reality, she is a self-stating attention whore who only wants to hear everyone kissing her flank.

[RainbowTashie 378]

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

She is Dash just more arrogant and reckless is all

[Guest]

On 1/16/2013 at 8:27 PM, hawkflame said:

  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.  T

 

[Props Valroa 26,053]

The way I see it is that she percieves life as a challenge to achieve ultimate salvation and she sees others as obstacles within her own inner reality. Delusions that are against her goal.