Why did they delete those scenes?

[Forlong 1,726]

You may or may not have heard that there are a couple deleted scenes from Wonderbolts Academy.

 

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/12/alternate-ending-to-wonderbolts-academy.html

 

I was wondering why they would delete those.  Possibly it was due to time.  The episode had plenty going on already and it's hard to imagine taking something out without it being a detriment to the episode.

 

Another possibility is the fact that a demotion isn't exactly a proper punishment for putting civilian lives in danger and being a complete ass about it.

[XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 777]

          Wasn't it changed at the last second because someone leaked the episodes plot early?  Probably all in my head...

 

          Either way, I'd have to agree with the fact that a demotion isn't the best course of action if others lives were put into jeopardy. Early on it would make sense, but after the tornado? A demotion is a slap on a wrist in comparison to being ousted. It also wouldn't feel true to character if Lightning Dust suddenly had a change of heart like this. Personally, I find that the ending we got was much stronger than what was originally planned. But whether they chose to go with this ending or the one we have now, I still would've enjoyed the episode. 

Edited July 11, 2013 by Accellerant

[Loona 287]

For the second one;

 

I think it's that they want to continue Rainbow Dash's journeys on pursuing her dreams. A big thing about Rainbow Dash is getting the Wonderbolt's attention, and even she has to do that throughout the episode.

[Dark Horn 430]

Interesting tidbit. Not sure how I feel about it, but regardless of the demotion, I like the medal scene. I'm not quite sure why, but it seems to open up more later episodes.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

While the ending that they ended up using for Wonderbolt Academy wasn't exactly perfect, there are a few reasons that I prefer it over the alternate one. Of course, time may have been a significant factor in the change.

 

First off, given Lightning Dust's repeated demonstrations of her shortcomings as a teammate and a leader, along with seeming fairly unrepentant after accidentally endangering the lives of other people, I don't have much issue with her getting booted out of the weeklong academy. Spitfire coming to the conclusion that Dust is a loose cannon who may just be flat out dangerous to have around the cadets doesn't seem particularly unreasonable. Let her come back when she learns some basic respect for the safety of other people.

 

Second, changing Dust's attitude so quickly kind of cheapens her as a character in my opinion. People love to blast Season 3 for seeming rushed, but having Lightning have a 180 degree change with little (if any) buildup at all would only seem to be hurrying things along for the sake of having a "redeemed" character, where leaving Dust's fate unknown opens up possible future episodes for exploring her character and developing it further without having to cram her redemption into a thirty second scene.

 

All in all, I think that the ending that they used was definitely better than this alternate one, both in terms of wrapping up the episode and in laying grounds for future ones. The only real loss in my opinion is not having the explanation as to where Dash stands with the Wonderbolts after the episode, but that can be drawn from the given information relatively easily.

Edited July 12, 2013 by DashForever

[Zygen 6,066]

Idk honestly, but I'm going to be honest the ending we have right now makes more sense to me, the one in this alternate scene is to fast a change of heart for Lightning and her personality.

 

Maybe the other was just for time constraints who knows.

 

I have to say i don't know the exact reason. but I prefer the current one.

[ReverseFaller 2,484]

Idk honestly, but I'm going to be honest the ending we have right now makes more sense to me, the one in this alternate scene is to fast a change of heart for Lightning and her personality.

 

Maybe the other was just for time constraints who knows.

 

I have to say i don't know the exact reason. but I prefer the current one.

I prefer the current one too. The alt. one isn't bad per se, but it does feel a tad too rushed for a change of heart for Lightning. Who knows why they didn't use the alt one? I really don't care. I like the ending we have now, so I'm not upset we didn't get the alt. one as it isn't much better than the current one.

[pinkiefan1287 610]

Idk honestly, but I'm going to be honest the ending we have right now makes more sense to me, the one in this alternate scene is to fast a change of heart for Lightning and her personality.

 

Maybe the other was just for time constraints who knows.

 

I have to say i don't know the exact reason. but I prefer the current one.

 

I prefer the current one too. The alt. one isn't bad per se, but it does feel a tad too rushed for a change of heart for Lightning. Who knows why they didn't use the alt one? I really don't care. I like the ending we have now, so I'm not upset we didn't get the alt. one as it isn't much better than the current one.

 

 

Well I don't know. Both scenes seem fine to me. But I don't see there being a problem with Lightning Dust having a change of heart at the last minute. She did almost kill 4 ponies. (5 if Fluttershy forgot she was a pegasus) So she could have realized that maybe being to head strong and rash maybe a bad thing and she needs to think about her actions. Would at least give us a better idea what happened to her.

 

Still the scene we got was fine to.

Edited July 12, 2013 by pinkiefan1287

[Zygen 6,066]

Well I don't know. Both scenes seem fine to me. But I don't see there being a problem with Lightning Dust having a change of heart at the last minute. She did almost kill 4 ponies. (5 if Fluttershy forgot she was a pegasus) So she could have realized that maybe being to head strong and rash maybe a bad thing and she needs to think about her actions. Would at least give us a better idea what happened to her.

 

Still the scene we got was fine to.

You have a good point I guess, putting the lives of 4(or 5) ponies in danger would be a pretty good eye opener.

 

However if she still reacted the way she did to it at first and they still had that scene where shes still like"So?" it would be a bit weird still.

 

I guess I was being a bit shallow with my thinking overall. Sorry.

 

And i agree, the scene isn't really something to complain about I think.

[Twi Rubix 726]

Maybe it's just me, but I prefer the ending we received. The reason in particular is because Lightning Dust is still in the academy wearing the Wing Pony pin, and she was not kicked out of the Academy. Perhaps I'm being a little harsh here, but Lightning Dust should stay kicked out of the Academy for pretty much almost killing 5 ponies, and endangering many others.

[Ihei 714]

I liked the deleted scene; I mean, I'm pretty sure that Lightning Dust just wanted to seem "more extreme" enough to be in the academy, and wanted to become a Wonderbolt really badly. It was probably an accident and she should be forgiven for it.

 

But also, the deleted resolution seems a bit girly too.

[Megas 28,139]

I think the current ending is stronger than the alt. 

 

For starters, on top of hr punishment being justified in the current endning, Lightning Dust's sudden 180 in the alt. ending seemed really out of place considering how she acted throughout the episode. Considering I had huge issues with the sudden 180s with the 3 leaders in Hearth's Warming Eve, Trixie in Magic Duel, and to a lesser extent Sunset Shimmer in Equestria Girls, I'm really glad they didn't go with the same route with Lightning Dust. It also gives her potential for a return in a future episode(personally I'm hoping for a team up with Gilda). 

 

Granted, the alt. gave more closure with Rainbow Dash's time there and how well she did, I think the original wrapped up well enough while still leaving it open enough for a future follow up.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Megas75

[Forlong 1,726]

Spitfire coming to the conclusion that Dust is a loose cannon who may just be flat out dangerous to have around the cadets doesn't seem particularly unreasonable.

Lightning Dust is a loose cannon cop that doesn't play by the rules!

IN...

Loose Cannon Cop

That Doesn't Play By the Rules

 

Sorry, I couldn't help but make that joke.  You do make some excellent points in your post.  Glad to see I'm not the only one that thinks demotion wasn't an appropriate punishment for the crime.

[fimdash 1,197]

I'm glad they took out the scene with Rainbow Dash boasting about her medal. To me, she really shined when she stood up for what she believed in against somepony she admires. We knew that becoming a Wonderbolt meant so much to Rainbow Dash, so seeing her put her friends over her lifelong dream was really respectable. We don't need to know that Rainbow Dash got first place as always. What truly makes her a winner is her undying loyalty for her friends. Keeping that medal scene would have been misleading, since it deviates from the episode's lesson completely.

[Salacberry 90]

I think the ending that was used showed more character development for Rainbow Dash. By deciding to quit the academy instead of just being promoted to lead pony due to what happened shows how she's grown. The fact that she was willing to let go of her dream for her friends' sake is admirable and shows that she is loyal and cares more about the welfare of others than being the best, while the alternate ending gives more closure but not the same amount development in my opinion. 

EDIT: fimdash beat me to it haha, her post is pretty much exactly what I'm trying to say.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Salacberry

[RrVPfX9cPtw59FpC 1,304]

I think it's because we don't want to be too certain that Rainbow Dash is becoming a Wonderbolt. It's better if it's a mystery, and we don't find out until it happens.

[Scootalove 10,692]

I think the ending that we got gave us more character development for Rainbow Dash even if we didn't get the alternate ending. Besides, Lightning Dust will have to learn that success is not given if you put your friends in danger.