@genervt  
Lightning dust is a high functioning sociopath who has expressed less empathy than some villains in series

@cloudkicker108
 
@genervt  

@genervt  
I meant off-topic in a more general sense. This post we’ve been making comments on literally has nothing to do with Lightning Dust. You are more than welcome to entertain your own interpretations, but you can’t claim them as objective facts.

@cloudkicker108  
I was on topic and I stated facts, not headcanons. I don´t worship Lightning, I just don´t demonize her.  
If you don´t like it that is not my problem.

@genervt  
You know what? I’m going to end things here because I’ve had just about enough of this. It’s clear we’re going in circles now, and this comments section is veering more and more off topic. If you want to continue replacing facts with headcanons and worshiping an idealized version of Lightning Dust, be my guest. But I, and I’m sure others, will continue to view her character the way it was actually presented in the episode.

@cloudkicker108  
I’m talking about the impact of the out-of-control tornado in general. It would have resulted in damage one way or another. If not the balloon, then something would have been destroyed.  
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Yes, a board. Hardly unforgivable.
 
That’s your personal interpretation of events. That’s not what was shown on screen or heard in the dialogue.  
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It is exactly what happend on screen. It is bad enough that Spitfire kicked Lightning out without even a warning but to add insult to injury she did it in public instead of her bureau (total humiliation).
 
The expulsion came at the end of a string of escalating negligent behavior from Lightning Dust. The tornado incident was merely the tipping point. Moreover, it’s not like she’s being banished from all of society; there’s still plenty of potential for her, and she could possibly even make it back into the academy if she’s tries hard enough.  
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The tornado incident would have never happened if Spitfire would have done her job. A short talk would have been enough to prevent it. Everything what Lightning did before was rude at worst. She definitely deserved better.  
As long as incompetent Spitfire is in charge, Lightnings chances to reenter are pretty small.
 
Rainbow didn’t speak up because she was afraid of jeopardizing her one chance at becoming a Wonderbolt. Her silence does not excuse the actions of Lightning Dust. Not to mention that when they were working as a pair, they were doing almost exclusively what LD wanted, not necessarily what Dash wanted. If you don’t want to be perceived as a troll, then don’t make absolutely nonsensical statements.  
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Rainbow did not speak up, she also did everything what Lightning did and shifted the blame later. At least she could have tried to speak FOR her partner when it came to the expulsion. Giving her partner a second chance would have been LOYAL.  
If you continue to insult me as a troll we can end this conversation.
 
No, it’s not. Lightning has already made quite an impression on Spitfire, and she definitely has the skills to keep it going. Winning the competition as a whole would have more than sufficed to continue wowing the Captain. Finding the first flag is merely icing on the cake and definitely not worth risking injury for.  
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Yes, it is. Only the best of the cadets can become a Wonderbolt and Lightning wanted to make sure that she AND Rainbow were the first choice.  
The injury is on Rainbow.
 
How is assuming her cadets have the most basic qualities of being a good human—err pony—constitute Spitfire “not doing her job”? I agree Lightning isn’t the only one to blame, but all you’ve been doing is faulting everyone but her.  
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Watching the training for SEVERAL DAYS and noticing nothing is definitely not doing one´s job. The fact that Spitfire did just kick Lightning out instead of putting her right is just as bad.  
Once again, Lightning is NOT THE ONLY ONE to blame.
 
Saving is still not remorse, which is what you claimed earlier. Those images are after she was reprimanded. Of course she would feel bad then.  
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The picture is BEFORE she was kicked out. At this moment she did not see the expulsion coming and felt bad anyway.
 
 
@Psyga315  
Whenever it is neccessary.

ITT: We defend Lightning Dust… Again.

@genervt  
I’m talking about the impact of the out-of-control tornado in general. It would have resulted in damage one way or another. If not the balloon, then something would have been destroyed.
 
That’s your personal interpretation of events. That’s not what was shown on screen or heard in the dialogue.
 
The expulsion came at the end of a string of escalating negligent behavior from Lightning Dust. The tornado incident was merely the tipping point. Moreover, it’s not like she’s being banished from all of society; there’s still plenty of potential for her, and she could possibly even make it back into the academy if she’s tries hard enough.
 
Rainbow didn’t speak up because she was afraid of jeopardizing her one chance at becoming a Wonderbolt. Her silence does not excuse the actions of Lightning Dust. Not to mention that when they were working as a pair, they were doing almost exclusively what LD wanted, not necessarily what Dash wanted. If you don’t want to be perceived as a troll, then don’t make absolutely nonsensical statements.
 
No, it’s not. Lightning has already made quite an impression on Spitfire, and she definitely has the skills to keep it going. Winning the competition as a whole would have more than sufficed to continue wowing the Captain. Finding the first flag is merely icing on the cake and definitely not worth risking injury for.
 
How is assuming her cadets have the most basic qualities of being a good human–err pony–constitute Spitfire “not doing her job”? I agree Lightning isn’t the only one to blame, but all you’ve been doing is faulting everyone but her.
 
Saving is still not remorse, which is what you claimed earlier. Those images are after she was reprimanded. Of course she would feel bad then.

@cloudkicker108  
Rainbow at best bregrudgingly accepted LD’s plan. She didn’t go along with it because she wanted to do that; she went along with it because she was afraid of losing her life’s dream. Again, just because one single individual happens to get preferential treatment for whatever reason doesn’t mean the rules should be thrown out completely. While Lightning might not have intended to put anyone in harms way, she still resorted to a clearly dangerous and overkill technique just so she could be the first to clear out the clouds. Even though at that point they were already “way ahead” of everyone else. The tornado might not have been technically illegal, but it definitely wasn’t necessary either. The tornado was out of control regardless of Twilight’s presence; it would have damaged something one way or another.  
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The only other casualty of the tornado was a board. Lightning may have been overambitious, but this is no reason to kick her out just like that.
 
That’s a pretty big claim to make and honestly sounds more like a headcanon than anything. How can you tell from that one scene that Spitfire was planning all of that in her head? There’s no solid evidence of anything like that. Would it have been more appropriate to discipline Lightning in the office? Sure. But Spitfire’s mistake does not lessen the severity of Lightning Dust’s mistakes.  
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It is exactly what happened. Spitfire wanted to distract from her own failure, so she made the expulsion a public spectacle and made sure that the whole academy could watch Lightnings humilation and indignity.
 
A student whose careless and indifference to others nearly cost the lives of five individuals doesn’t deserve to be kicked out? Whatever happened to being held accountable for your actions?  
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Whatever happened to second chances? There are many possibilities for a punishment, the expulsion is not the first but the LAST resort.
 
Are you trolling me now? Of course Lightning wasn’t texting while driving. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of an analogy. And why on earth should Rainbow be angry at herself for LD’s actions?  
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Because they did everything together and Rainbow never bothered to speak up?  
I don´t like it to be called a troll.
 
Again, I’m not denying speed is an essential factor for that event. But there’s no need to go blazing fast either. While it’s nice to be the first to find a flag, that’s completely marginal for the main goal of the exercise.  
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Yes, it is. Lightning wants to make sure that she becomes a Wonderbolt, for this reason she has to impress Spitfire with her talents and give everything she has.
 
Spitfire arguably could have been more proactive, but can you really blame her for assuming that all the cadets possessed the basic quality of having respect for others? And while correcting Spitfire’s shortcomings in the episode would likely have changed the outcome, the most significant factor in deciding how everything would have played out in “Wonderbolts Academy” is still Lightning’s own actions.  
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I can blame Spitfire for simply not doing her job.  
And once again Lightning is not the only one to blame, everypony is.
 
Avoiding someone’s gaze does not translate directly into remorse. The is made clear by the dialogue of the scene, which indicates clear as day that she does not view what she did as wrong.  
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I already told you she was trying to save her face.  
Remorse looks like this:  
 

@genervt  
Rainbow at best bregrudgingly accepted LD’s plan. She didn’t go along with it because she wanted to do that; she went along with it because she was afraid of losing her life’s dream. Again, just because one single individual happens to get preferential treatment for whatever reason doesn’t mean the rules should be thrown out completely. While Lightning might not have intended to put anyone in harms way, she still resorted to a clearly dangerous and overkill technique just so she could be the first to clear out the clouds. Even though at that point they were already “way ahead” of everyone else. The tornado might not have been technically illegal, but it definitely wasn’t necessary either. The tornado was out of control regardless of Twilight’s presence; it would have damaged something one way or another.
 
That’s a pretty big claim to make and honestly sounds more like a headcanon than anything. How can you tell from that one scene that Spitfire was planning all of that in her head? There’s no solid evidence of anything like that. Would it have been more appropriate to discipline Lightning in the office? Sure. But Spitfire’s mistake does not lessen the severity of Lightning Dust’s mistakes.
 
A student whose careless and indifference to others nearly cost the lives of five individuals doesn’t deserve to be kicked out? Whatever happened to being held accountable for your actions?
 
Are you trolling me now? Of course Lightning wasn’t texting while driving. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of an analogy. And why on earth should Rainbow be angry at herself for LD’s actions?
 
Again, I’m not denying speed is an essential factor for that event. But there’s no need to go blazing fast either. While it’s nice to be the first to find a flag, that’s completely marginal for the main goal of the exercise.
 
Spitfire arguably could have been more proactive, but can you really blame her for assuming that all the cadets possessed the basic quality of having respect for others? And while correcting Spitfire’s shortcomings in the episode would likely have changed the outcome, the most significant factor in deciding how everything would have played out in “Wonderbolts Academy” is still Lightning’s own actions.
 
Avoiding someone’s gaze does not translate directly into remorse. The is made clear by the dialogue of the scene, which indicates clear as day that she does not view what she did as wrong.

@cloudkicker108  
Equestria largely runs on cartoon physics and, as we’ve time and time again in the show, ponies are much more durable than they look. While Rainbow’s actions during that performance might be dangerous by our standards, it’s still on the lighter side of things as far as major accidents go in Equestria. When they were working as a pair, Rainbow was merely following Lightning’s lead, as dictated by the lead-pony wing-pony hierarchy. It was LD making all the calls for the two of them. Also, I’d hardly consider being given a light reprimand for serious offense the equivalent of being thrown away like trash. Putting the lives of others in jeopardy just to benefit yourself is unacceptable behavior most everywhere.  
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Intentionally messing up that show was dangerous, it still was no reason to expell Rainbow. The same should go for Lightning Dust.  
Lightning ASKED Rainbow and she gave her ok to the tornado.  
Getting publicly humiliated and dishonourable discharged ist NOT a light reprimand, in this case it is disproportionate retribution.  
Lightning did not put other lifes in danger to benefit herself. The tornado was not illegal and would have been harmless if Twilight did not enter a restricted area.
 
Spitfire didn’t humiliate anyone. The only thing she was responsible for in that particular scene was rescinding LD’s lead-pony title. At no point did she order the other cadets to sit and watch. They wanted to see what as going on for themselves. Spitfire only encouraged LD to push herself. She never said to do so at the expense of others. That was entirely Lightning’s call. Is Spitfire incompetent at times? Certainly. But kicking out a student who has continuously posed a hazard to others is not one of those instances.  
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Spitfire made sure to humiliate Lightning in front of the whole academy to make herself look better and to distract from her own failure. She could have done the expulsion in her bureau (which would have been bad enough) but she just had to rub it in.  
Kicking out a student like that without even a warning is unwarranted, cruel and downright disgusting.
 
And saving face, while an understandable reaction, still does not lessen the severity of her mistakes.  
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This is still no reason to kick her out.
 
Lightning knew full well that tornado was out of control and thus posed a threat. How can you expect anyone—let alone Rainbow Dash—to act so calmly after witnessing first-hand someone’s carelessness nearly killing their friends? I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be exploding with anger and wanting to confront her immediately in that situation. If you saw someone nearly run over your friend because they were texting and driving, wouldn’t you be upset?  
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Lightning was not texting while driving.  
Maybe Rainbow should also be angry at herself.
 
Flying fast in general, yes. But the extreme speeds LD was traveling at were unnecessary. And again, they were only moving that quickly so they could be first ones to obtain a flag. They could have still easily won the whole competition without claiming that particular honor.  
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Of course it was neccessary, speed was essential for that exercise. Being the first to get a flag is nothing bad, Lightning does not have to justify herself for that.
 
I’m not pinning all the blame on Lightning. I’m holding everyone responsible for their own actions, including her. Yes, LD’s original dream is destroyed, but if you truly understood her character, you would know she is partially responsible for that. If she had shown even just the slightest bit of consideration for her fellow cadets and others in general, this entire fiasco very well may not have happened.  
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I never said she was blameless, she still was wronged. If Spitfire showed the slightest bit of consideration for the ponies she was supposed to train, this entire fiasco definitely would not have happened.
 
Also, it appears the images in your prior comment are miraculously working again. However, I’m still not seeing any remorse from LD in them. In the first one, she clearly angry, and in the second and third ones, she’s simply confused as to why Rainbow is berating her.  
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She is confused because does not realize how much the situation escalated. On the first one she is also avoiding Rainbows gaze.

@genervt  
Equestria largely runs on cartoon physics and, as we’ve time and time again in the show, ponies are much more durable than they look. While Rainbow’s actions during that performance might be dangerous by our standards, it’s still on the lighter side of things as far as major accidents go in Equestria. When they were working as a pair, Rainbow was merely following Lightning’s lead, as dictated by the lead-pony wing-pony hierarchy. It was LD making all the calls for the two of them. Also, I’d hardly consider being given a light reprimand for serious offense the equivalent of being thrown away like trash. Putting the lives of others in jeopardy just to benefit yourself is unacceptable behavior most everywhere.
 
Spitfire didn’t humiliate anyone. The only thing she was responsible for in that particular scene was rescinding LD’s lead-pony title. At no point did she order the other cadets to sit and watch. They wanted to see what as going on for themselves. Spitfire only encouraged LD to push herself. She never said to do so at the expense of others. That was entirely Lightning’s call. Is Spitfire incompetent at times? Certainly. But kicking out a student who has continuously posed a hazard to others is not one of those instances.
 
And saving face, while an understandable reaction, still does not lessen the severity of her mistakes.
 
Lightning knew full well that tornado was out of control and thus posed a threat. How can you expect anyone–let alone Rainbow Dash–to act so calmly after witnessing first-hand someone’s carelessness nearly killing their friends? I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be exploding with anger and wanting to confront her immediately in that situation. If you saw someone nearly run over your friend because they were texting and driving, wouldn’t you be upset?
 
Flying fast in general, yes. But the extreme speeds LD was traveling at were unnecessary. And again, they were only moving that quickly so they could be first ones to obtain a flag. They could have still easily won the whole competition without claiming that particular honor.
 
I’m not pinning all the blame on Lightning. I’m holding everyone responsible for their own actions, including her. Yes, LD’s original dream is destroyed, but if you truly understood her character, you would know she is partially responsible for that. If she had shown even just the slightest bit of consideration for her fellow cadets and others in general, this entire fiasco very well may not have happened.
 
Also, it appears the images in your prior comment are miraculously working again. However, I’m still not seeing any remorse from LD in them. In the first one, she clearly angry, and in the second and third ones, she’s simply confused as to why Rainbow is berating her.

@cloudkicker108  
Rainbow’s past history of saving Equestria might have given her some lenience in the matter. Also, no was endangered by Rainbow’s antics during the Wonderbolts show. In fact, the only one who got the short end of the stick in that incident was Dash herself. Regardless, even if one particular individual isn’t held strictly to the rules for whatever reason (RD in this case), that doesn’t mean the rules should be ignored completely. As for the public expulsion, that’s the least she could have endured given how badly she treated her fellow cadets in pursuing her own goals (among other things, she sent the entire class into tailspins on the obstacle course).  
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I don´t appreciate Spitfires incredible hypocrisy and double standarts. There were innocent bystanders at the show who could have gotten hurt easily. Lightning did not expect civilists to be in a restricted area. She got the short end of the stick, not Rainbow.  
By the way, Lightning and Rainbow did everything TOGETHER. One of them got promoted, the other one was thrown away like trash.
 
How was Spitfire’s punishment unnecessarily harsh? All she did was revoke her lead-pony title. It’s not like she forced the other cadets to watch. They chose to stay put themselves. Lightning wasn’t being used as a scapegoat either. Sure, Spitfire was unintentionally goading her bad behavior, but it’s not like she ever instructed LD to ignore the well-being of her fellow cadets. If LD was truly dedicated to the Wonderbolts, she should have been aware that teamwork is critical to the job, since the Bolts always perform as a team. I certainly wouldn’t be against Rainbow and Twilight helping her get back into the academy, provided she’s shown that she’s changed.  
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Spitfire humiliated her in public and kicked her out after encouraging all the time. The least she could have done is to make Lightning Rainbows wingpony so she could learn from her and have a positive influence. But of course incompetent Spitfire did not had that idea.
 
Spitfire admittedly could have done a better job as instructor, but that doesn’t diminish the severity of Lightning Dust’s own actions. As mentioned previously, not showing any consideration for others was LD’s own choice.  
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She tried to save her face.  
That still not change the fact that she never got the chance to do better.
 
The balloon and the fall are irrelevant. What important here is that the tornado—which was entirely LD’s idea—nearly brought Dash’s friends to their demise. Rainbow didn’t want to wait until they were in private because she was already fuming at Lightning Dust. LD’s actions almost killed her friends; Dash—who has a history of acting rashly—is of course incredibly angry with her (frankly, I don’t know who wouldn’t be in that situation).  
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They are very relevant. Lightning had no idea how dangerous the situation became. If Rainbow had explained everything calm and in private Lightning would have been much more reasonable and much less stubborn.
 
The cadets were working in pairs for that exercise. Dash has to keep up with Dust, and LD was already going unnecessarily fast. There’s also still the fact that Lightning completely ignores her partner’s plea to slow down. Moreover, LD wasn’t even trying to win the whole competition then; she just wanted the glory of finding the first flag. I don’t know about you, but I think the well-being of a teammate is more important than finishing first.  
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Flying fast was NOT unnecessary, it was essential to catch as many flags as possible.  
Of course Lightning wanted to win the competition, everything she did had the purpose to impress Spitfire.
 
Yes, there are others that are technically to blame, but you can’t push all the fault onto them. At the end of the day, the only one who controls Lightning Dust’s actions is LD herself. What she got in the end was more than fair. Getting kicked out of the academy while others happen to be around to watch and enduring really nothing beyond that is already an incredibly lenient punishment for negligence that almost resulted in the deaths of five ponies. If Equestrian Law was anything like the real world’s, she’d be sitting behind bars now.  
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And you can´t push all the blame on Lightning.  
What happened to her was far from lenient.She was publicly humiliated and kicked out. Her dream was destroyed in front of her eyes by the very pony she looked up to and tried to impress. That wasn´t just harsh, that was incredible heartbreaking, hurtful and cruel.

@genervt  
Rainbow’s past history of saving Equestria might have given her some lenience in the matter. Also, no was endangered by Rainbow’s antics during the Wonderbolts show. In fact, the only one who got the short end of the stick in that incident was Dash herself. Regardless, even if one particular individual isn’t held strictly to the rules for whatever reason (RD in this case), that doesn’t mean the rules should be ignored completely. As for the public expulsion, that’s the least she could have endured given how badly she treated her fellow cadets in pursuing her own goals (among other things, she sent the entire class into tailspins on the obstacle course).
 
How was Spitfire’s punishment unnecessarily harsh? All she did was revoke her lead-pony title. It’s not like she forced the other cadets to watch. They chose to stay put themselves. Lightning wasn’t being used as a scapegoat either. Sure, Spitfire was unintentionally goading her bad behavior, but it’s not like she ever instructed LD to ignore the well-being of her fellow cadets. If LD was truly dedicated to the Wonderbolts, she should have been aware that teamwork is critical to the job, since the Bolts always perform as a team. I certainly wouldn’t be against Rainbow and Twilight helping her get back into the academy, provided she’s shown that she’s changed.
 
Spitfire admittedly could have done a better job as instructor, but that doesn’t diminish the severity of Lightning Dust’s own actions. As mentioned previously, not showing any consideration for others was LD’s own choice.
 
The balloon and the fall are irrelevant. What important here is that the tornado–which was entirely LD’s idea–nearly brought Dash’s friends to their demise. Rainbow didn’t want to wait until they were in private because she was already fuming at Lightning Dust. LD’s actions almost killed her friends; Dash–who has a history of acting rashly–is of course incredibly angry with her (frankly, I don’t know who wouldn’t be in that situation).
 
The cadets were working in pairs for that exercise. Dash has to keep up with Dust, and LD was already going unnecessarily fast. There’s also still the fact that Lightning completely ignores her partner’s plea to slow down. Moreover, LD wasn’t even trying to win the whole competition then; she just wanted the glory of finding the first flag. I don’t know about you, but I think the well-being of a teammate is more important than finishing first.
 
Yes, there are others that are technically to blame, but you can’t push all the fault onto them. At the end of the day, the only one who controls Lightning Dust’s actions is LD herself. What she got in the end was more than fair. Getting kicked out of the academy while others happen to be around to watch and enduring really nothing beyond that is already an incredibly lenient punishment for negligence that almost resulted in the deaths of five ponies. If Equestrian Law was anything like the real world’s, she’d be sitting behind bars now.

@cloudkicker108  
The weather factory incident had nothing to do with her work as a Wonderbolt. Messing up a show doesn’t seem nearly as severe as almost causing the deaths of five ponies. Moreover, Rainbow’s faults (which she definitely has) do not lessen the impact of Lightning’s poor decision making. Mistakes are mistakes, period.  
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Everything what Rainbow does has to do with her work as a Wonderbolt, if she is on duty or not. Blowing up a building is reason enough for an expulsion. Intentionally messing up the show endangered civilists (After all, THIS was not a restricted area)and would have been enough for an expulsion, too. Rainbow was punished but not kicked out.  
Lightning may have made a mistake but that is no reason for a humiliating public expulsion.
 
You have to take into account it’s Spitfire and the rest of the Bolts that Lightning has to win over. They aren’t nearly as open-hearted as Twilight and the gang. Moreover, who’s to say she even has any desire to return to the academy? For all we know, she could still firmly believe she was in the right and that the Wonderbolts had wronged her.  
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It is clear that being a Wonderbolt meant everything to Lightning. She was not in the right and realized that, too. However she still had been wronged by Spitfires unneccessary harsh and humiliating punishment.Spitfire used her as a scapegoat to distract from her own failure.  
I would love to see Rainbow (and Twilight) help her back into the academy. Such a gifted flier like her should not be dismissed that easily.
 
Again, many of the exercises had the cadets spread out all around (like the flag-capture activity), and last I checked, Spitfire doesn’t have 360 degree vision. Not to mention there’s still the fact that Spitfire wouldn’t even be able to physically see the cadets in some of the exercises, such as the obstacle course through the clouds.  
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If Spitfire did not notice anything after several days she simply had not done her job. She had enough chances but proved herself to be incompetent.
 
Rainbow outright informed Lightning that the near-death experience of her friends was the direct result of the tornado: “You unleashed a tornado that nearly demolished my friends!” Even if she didn’t witness the incident herself, LD clearly knows what happened.  
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“You unleashed a tornado that nearly demolished my friends!” contains no informations about the balloon or the fall. Rainbow could have talked in private with Lightning but she called her out in front the whole academy. As a consequence she became stubborn.
 
The distance had nothing to do with the injury; as shown by that direct quote from the episode and what we see on screen, it was the result of Rainbow trying to keep up with LD, who was going unnecessarily fast. Rainbow didn’t explicitly say “my wing is hurt”, but she definitely did let LD know. Dash told her to “give me a minute” as she clutched her visibly battered wing. This was followed directly by that “Oh, you’re fine” line.  
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Of course it had. If Rainbow had kept her distance and was not so close to Lightning she could have reacted in time. She also would have a better view on everything what was in front of them.  
Lightning HAD TO FLY FAST, after all the task was to collect as many flags as possible before the other team could do so.  
Lightning was focused on the task, if Rainbow was not not able to fly (she was) she should have told her so. Lightning is not omniscient.
 
I’m sorry, but the images still aren’t working. The links only bring me to a blank page with the words “Not Found”.  
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I have no explanation for that.
 
I understand you have a soft spot for Lightning, but you’re giving her way too much credit. You can’t just deflect the blame to others; she needs to own up to her mistakes. For example, I’m a pretty big fan of Starlight, but I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you that what she did in ELTSD was a huge mistake that no one but her was responsible for.  
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I think you give her not enough credit. She is NOT the only one to blame, everypony is. However she is the only one who lost everything. She was publicly humiliated, kicked out without even a warning and lost her chance at the Wonderbolts. This is simply not fair and must be corrected.

@genervt  
The weather factory incident had nothing to do with her work as a Wonderbolt. Messing up a show doesn’t seem nearly as severe as almost causing the deaths of five ponies. Moreover, Rainbow’s faults (which she definitely has) do not lessen the impact of Lightning’s poor decision making. Mistakes are mistakes, period.
 
You have to take into account it’s Spitfire and the rest of the Bolts that Lightning has to win over. They aren’t nearly as open-hearted as Twilight and the gang. Moreover, who’s to say she even has any desire to return to the academy? For all we know, she could still firmly believe she was in the right and that the Wonderbolts had wronged her.
 
Again, many of the exercises had the cadets spread out all around (like the flag-capture activity), and last I checked, Spitfire doesn’t have 360 degree vision. Not to mention there’s still the fact that Spitfire wouldn’t even be able to physically see the cadets in some of the exercises, such as the obstacle course through the clouds.
 
Rainbow outright informed Lightning that the near-death experience of her friends was the direct result of the tornado: “You unleashed a tornado that nearly demolished my friends!” Even if she didn’t witness the incident herself, LD clearly knows what happened.
 
The distance had nothing to do with the injury; as shown by that direct quote from the episode and what we see on screen, it was the result of Rainbow trying to keep up with LD, who was going unnecessarily fast. Rainbow didn’t explicitly say “my wing is hurt”, but she definitely did let LD know. Dash told her to “give me a minute” as she clutched her visibly battered wing. This was followed directly by that “Oh, you’re fine” line.
 
I’m sorry, but the images still aren’t working. The links only bring me to a blank page with the words “Not Found”.
 
I understand you have a soft spot for Lightning, but you’re giving her way too much credit. You can’t just deflect the blame to others; she needs to own up to her mistakes. For example, I’m a pretty big fan of Starlight, but I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you that what she did in ELTSD was a huge mistake that no one but her was responsible for.

@cloudkicker108  
Nearly killing five ponies because of recklessness is a good reason to be discharged from the Academy. After all, there’s a reason why even in our world negligence is considered a crime.  
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Then you have to kick out Rainbow to. By the was, Lightning Dust never blow up a factory or messed up a public show.
 
I suppose given how forgiving Equestria is, there might still be a chance LD could make it in. But she’ll have to practice extra hard in order to convince Spitfire.  
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Even Chrysalis was offered a second chance just like that. Lightning would love that second chance and would  
do everything she could to earn it but to my annoyance six years later there is still no trace of her.
 
Again, if she isn’t looking at the right place at the right time, things can be missed.  
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Not for several days.
 
Lightning was literally flung out of the tornado because of how out-of-control it became. She might not know of its full extent, but she would certainly be aware of the danger it posed. The sky wasn’t entirely blanketed in clouds, and those weren’t weather clouds they were busting either. Only the tornado could have brought down a hot air balloon full of ponies.  
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The balloon was never mentioned, neither was the fall. I have no reason to believe that Lightning saw what happened.
 
The accident wasn’t the result of her keeping too close to LD; it was the result of LD forcing them to make a dangerous maneuver at speed. Rainbow actually asked LD to slow down (“We should slow down. It doesn’t look like both of us can make it at this speed”), but she just ignored her partner and kept going. Lightning was also aware of Rainbow’s injury, but she refused to take it seriously and nonchalantly told RD “Your fine” before flying off.  
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Yes, it was. Rainbow had to stay with Lightning, but not nearly THAT close. During that training Lightning did not do any dangerous maneuvers. She also did not saw that Rainbow hurt her wing, Rainbow did not bother to tell her. For Lightning Rainbow was just a little bit exhausted.
 
 
https://camo.derpicdn.net/58cfc8ed177e070b8ef6f67933985938434d7ab7?url=https_3A2F_{2Fvignette.wikia.nocookie.net}2Fmlp_2Fimages2Fa_2Faa2FRainbow_sweeping_up_the_performance_grounds_S6E7.png_2Frevision2Flatest_3Fcb3D20160509015840
 
https://camo.derpicdn.net/e7eafbc67d174fd4d81f015a7cbd67ee9ac8141e?url=https_3A2F_{2Fvignette.wikia.nocookie.net}2Fmlp_2Fimages2Ff_2Ffa2FRainbow_Dash_tries_reasoning_2_S3E07.png_2Frevision2Flatest_3Fcb3D20121218093323
 
https://camo.derpicdn.net/5a06ccd88944e068504fd479f3426c0687cde0f0?url=https_3A2F_{2Fvignette.wikia.nocookie.net}2Fmlp_2Fimages2Fd_2Fd42FRainbow_Dash_yelling_at_Lightning_Dust_S3E07.png_2Frevision2Flatest_3Fcb3D20121217044005
 
https://camo.derpicdn.net/8b02a67366134727914dca8d227d926f69d8015a?url=https_3A2F_{2Fvignette.wikia.nocookie.net}2Fmlp_2Fimages2F7_2F772FLightning_Dust_surprised_eyes_S3E7.png_2Frevision2Flatest_3Fcb3D20121220025900

@genervt  
Nearly killing five ponies because of recklessness is a good reason to be discharged from the Academy. After all, there’s a reason why even in our world negligence is considered a crime.
 
I suppose given how forgiving Equestria is, there might still be a chance LD could make it in. But she’ll have to practice extra hard in order to convince Spitfire.
 
Again, if she isn’t looking at the right place at the right time, things can and will be missed.
 
Lightning was literally flung out of the tornado because of how out-of-control it became. She might not know of its full extent, but she would certainly be aware of the danger it posed. The sky wasn’t entirely blanketed in clouds, and those weren’t weather clouds they were busting either. Only the tornado could have brought down a hot air balloon full of ponies.
 
The accident wasn’t the result of her keeping too close to LD; it was the result of LD forcing them to make a dangerous maneuver at speed. Rainbow actually asked LD to slow down (“We should slow down. It doesn’t look like both of us can make it at this speed”), but she just ignored her partner and kept going. Lightning was also aware of Rainbow’s injury, but she refused to take it seriously and nonchalantly told RD “Oh, you’re fine” before flying off.
 
I think you might have messed up something with the formatting, because those images are coming up as errors for me.

@cloudkicker108  
I agree that Lightning Dust isn’t inherently a bad pony. But that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be held responsible for her own decision making, especially when “carried away” in this case put the lives of others in danger.  
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It is still no reason to kick her out just like that. There are other possibilities for punishment like a demotion or this  

 
I can see where you’re coming from, but it’s important to keep in mind that while she might have lost her chance at becoming a Wonderbolt, she isn’t being ostracized from society as a whole. With her skills, there’s still a lot of options open to her.  
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I´m not ready to give up on the Wonderbolts yet. Lightning has more than enough talent and just needs some guidance (that would have been Spitfires job in the first place).
 
That still doesn’t address the instances where it would have been physically impossible for Spitfire to see the cadets. Moreover, a lot of Lightning Dust’s recklessness came in the form of little things that could be easily missed. For example, Spitfire wouldn’t have known Dash injured her wing specifically because of LD pushing her to make risky maneuvers unless she witnessed the exact moment the injury occurred.  
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Spitfire watched the cadets for several days. She should have noticed something.
 
 
Lightning still should have been able to piece together that the life threatening situation was most likely caused by the out-of-control tornado; the sky and the weather were perfectly clear that day (the cadets were literally removing the clouds). It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.  
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She did not realize HOW dangerous the tornado became, nopony informed her about the ballon and the fall. The sky was clear AFTER the tornado, it was cloudy before.
 
LD is directly responsible for Rainbow’s injured wing. She was the one who egged Dash into running a dangerous maneuver that ended with RD clipping her wing just so they could have the fastest time.  
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No, this is on Rainbow. She was far to close behind Lightning and should have kept some distance. She also never told Lightning about her wing.
 
The first image was during Spitfire’s confrontation. The second was after. And the third image—which does depict her before being reprimanded—honestly looks more angry than remorseful.  
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The first image is BEFORE the confrontation. She was regretful BEFORE she was kicked out.  
The second one is more or less an apology and farewell to Rainbow.  
The third one is a mixture of anger and guilt.  
 
 
 
Here are some more.

@genervt  
I agree that Lightning Dust isn’t inherently a bad pony. But that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be held responsible for her own decision making, especially when “carried away” in this case put the lives of others in danger.
 
I can see where you’re coming from, but it’s important to keep in mind that while she might have lost her chance at becoming a Wonderbolt, she isn’t being ostracized from society as a whole. With her skills, there’s still a lot of options open to her.
 
That still doesn’t address the instances where it would have been physically impossible for Spitfire to see the cadets. Moreover, a lot of Lightning Dust’s recklessness came in the form of little things that could be easily missed. For example, Spitfire wouldn’t have known Dash injured her wing specifically because of LD pushing her to make risky maneuvers unless she witnessed the exact moment the injury occurred.
 
Lightning still should have been able to piece together that the life threatening situation was most likely caused by the out-of-control tornado; the sky and the weather were perfectly clear that day (the cadets were literally removing the clouds). It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.
 
LD is directly responsible for Rainbow’s injured wing. She was the one who egged Dash into running a dangerous maneuver that ended with RD clipping her wing just so they could have the fastest time.
 
The first image was during Spitfire’s confrontation. The second was after. And the third image–which does depict her before being reprimanded–honestly looks more angry than remorseful.

@cloudkicker108  

 
Lightning Dust may have got carried away by her successes but that is nothing that a short talk with Spitfire couldn´t fix. She just was not yet ready to be a lead pony. She is not a bad pony, just misguided (by Spitfire).
 
 
@cloudkicker108  

 
I don´t say that Lightning is blameless. But neither is everpony else. What bothers me a lot that she was denied a second chance too redeem herself as a wing pony; she was publicly humiliated and kicked out instead.
 
 
@cloudkicker108  

 
Spitfire had several days to notice something. She simply didn´t do her job, neither did her staff.
 
 
@cloudkicker108  

 
She doesn´t mention anything about a balloon but started immediately too call her out in front of everypony. Lightning tried to safe her face and switched on stubborn.  
She is NOT to blame for Rainbows injured wing. Rainbow did not had to be that close to Lightning, She also never informed her lead pony about her wing.  
 
She did not expected to get kicked out at that time.  
 

Yes, Rainbow ultimately gave in to the idea. But that still doesn’t change the fact that it was Lightning Dust suggested using a tornado in the first place. Callous is defined as showing indifference to others, whether intentionally or not. That’s exact the behavior LD exhibits; whether she actually knows she’s being rude or not, she clearly isn’t taking others into consideration whenever she’s “proving herself”. Spitfire only approves of her behavior because as far as the sergeant knows, it’s bringing in incredible results (“academy records”).
 
From what we heard in the dialogue, it’s implied that no one had ever used a tornado for the cloud clearing exercise before. Spitfire even calls it “a bit excessive”. Had LD and RD ran the idea before her, chances are she probably wouldn’t have approved it. As we saw, just two ponies are simply not enough to keep it under control. Moreover, none of the other activities during the training exercises would have posed anywhere near as much of a threat to Twilight and the gang as that out-of-control tornado.
 
Spitfire might be the captain of the most talented in flyers in all of Equestria, but even she can’t possibly keep track of every single movement from an entire class of pegasi at any given time. After all, she wasn’t supervising the training alone; she had other staff members with her. It’s entirely possible she just didn’t catch LD’s more questionable actions, and for the exercises like flying through the storm clouds, it would have been physically impossible for Spitfire to see anything at all from her position on the ground.
 
Even if Lightning somehow didn’t see anything, Rainbow outright tells her exactly what happened. And yet she can’t do so much as ask if RD’s friends are okay. After everything she had put Rainbow through (her recklessness also caused Rainbow to injure her wing), being yelled at in front of the class is the least she could have gotten. Could you show me when Lightning expressed remorse before Spitfire repremanded her? Because that’s not what the episode depicts. Up until she was stripped of her lead-pony title, LD was adamant that she had done nothing wrong.

@genervt  
The tornado was entirely Lighting’s idea, though. Rainbow was merely following along. In fact, she even hesitated before joining in. As for why RD didn’t question her, you have to keep in mind the circumstances. The academy is her one shot at achieving her life’s dream–becoming a Wonderbolt. RD believes that if she doesn’t push herself like LD–whom Spitfire has used as an example of what she wants to see in the cadets–she might not make the cut and thus that dream of hers will be compromised, even though LD’s callousness is making her more and more uncomfortable (both physically and emotionally). Essentially, Dash is stuck in a very difficult predicament where she is forced to choose between something she’s wanted her entire life and her own integrity. She only comes back to her senses when she realizes that no dream is worth her friends dying.
 
[/bq]  
Lightning asked Rainbow before and Rainbow agreed.  
Becoming a Wonderbolt is Lightnings dream, too. She is not callous, she just want to prove herself by setting new records (in this case cloudbusting). Everything she does has the approval of Spitfire (at least that is what she thinks).
 
 
@genervt
 
Yes, Twilight and her friends flew into what was probably a restricted area, but that doesn’t mean they deserved to be put into a life-threatening situation like that. Nor does it excuse Lightning from using a technique as risky and unnecessary as a tornado in the first place.
 
 
[/bq]  
Using a tornado was an unusual and unnecessary but not a forbidden technique. If the balloon wouldn´t have been in a restricted area during training nothing bad would have happened. We cannot blame Lightning for not being omniscient.
 
 
@genervt
 
Spitfire never corrected LD because she was never aware of the full extent of the issue. All she saw were the results (she was literally sitting in her office when the cadets were busting clouds), which admittedly were impressive.
 
[/bq]  
Spitfire was present almost all the time (except at the end). She saw everything and did nothing. The least she could have done is to make Lightning Rainbows wingpony so that she could learn from her but she even failed at that.
 
 
@genervt
 
Even if Lightning was unwilling to show so much as a shred of remorse for her actions, she could have at the very least expressed concern for the ponies that almost fell to their deaths. Something as simple as “Are you okay?” would have sufficed. But apparently even that was too much for her. What was LD’s reaction to the whole thing, then? Remarking on how “awesome” (she used that exact word) the tornado was and patting herself on the back for how quickly she cleared out the clouds. That’s insensitive and inappropriate given the circumstances, to say the least. [/bq]
 
We don´t know if Lightning noticed anything what happened. After all she reappeared some time after the rescue and nopony bothered to mentioned the ballon. Being yelled at in front of the whole acedemy did not help either.  
Lightning showed remorse later (even BEFORE she was kicked out).

If we’re just naming awful ponies here, then I’ll vouch for the cherry stand guy from “Putting Your Hoof Down”. Not only does he extort Fluttershy, he also has the gall to pin his own less-than-upstanding behavior on her.
 
@genervt  
The tornado was entirely Lighting’s idea, though. Rainbow was merely following along. In fact, she even hesitated before joining in. As for why RD didn’t question her, you have to keep in mind the circumstances. The academy is her one shot at achieving her life’s dream–becoming a Wonderbolt. RD believes that if she doesn’t push herself like LD–whom Spitfire has used as an example of what she wants to see in the cadets–she might not make the cut and thus that dream of hers will be compromised, even though LD’s callousness is making her more and more uncomfortable (both physically and emotionally). Essentially, Dash is stuck in a very difficult predicament where she is forced to choose between something she’s wanted her entire life and her own integrity. She only comes back to her senses when she realizes that no dream is worth her friends dying.
 
Yes, Twilight and her friends flew into what was probably a restricted area, but that doesn’t mean they deserved to be put into a life-threatening situation like that. Nor does it excuse Lightning from using a technique as risky and unnecessary as a tornado in the first place.
 
Spitfire never corrected LD because she was never aware of the full extent of the issue. All she saw were the results (she was literally sitting in her office when the cadets were busting clouds), which admittedly were impressive.
 
Even if Lightning was unwilling to show so much as a shred of remorse for her actions, she could have at the very least expressed concern for the ponies that almost fell to their deaths. Something as simple as “Are you okay?” would have sufficed. But apparently even that was too much for her. What was LD’s reaction to the whole thing, then? Remarking on how “awesome” (she used that exact word) the tornado was and patting herself on the back for how quickly she cleared out the clouds. That’s insensitive and inappropriate given the circumstances, to say the least.

@shadowfire  
Here we go again.  
∞