Since this is now unlikely to be canon due to Soarin and Lightning Dust being roughly the same age in the flashback scene of Parental Glideance, I see it not a stretch to switch Soarin with Wind Rider in this scenario. He’s more likely to give that kind of advice.
@IGAF
In my head I cannot help but think that LD’s seeming lack of concern is akin to the kind of attitudes displayed by people who think that to be ‘cool’ means acting like action movie heroes and such - when said heroes would be complete dicks if you were to meet one in real life.
As to LD’s punishment… Ugh… you’d have to find a comparable situation in life to really get a good idea on it.
My biggest issue with her punishment is that she’s blamed for endangering civilians when, at the time of her performing the tornado maneuver, there were no civilians present to endanger.
Plus one has to ask if those civilians were even meant to be able to just wander into the training airspace like that - to me it comes across an awful lot like a bunch of civilians randomly driving onto an artillery range then being surprise when an accident happens.
All this and we still don’t even know why the tornado broke down. I can’t imagine LD deliberately doing a maneuver she knows she actively can’t pull off since… well. You’d have to be a right dumbass pony to try showing off with something you know you can’t do. My best guess is that she’d only ever done single-pony tornados and wasn’t able to for the extra wingpower Dash provided (which interestingly implied LD doesn’t have a weatherpony background since I imagine a trained weatherpony would know this).
Add in Spitfire and other Instructors failings and… holy shit it’d be a messy investigation at minimum. Especially since LD is, what, only on her fourth or so day of basic training? I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be sorting through that mess - especially since if this is the standard of the academy there are probably a whole shitton of other ‘accidents’ that would be uncovered in the process.
Rather than fully kicking her out, or even banning her forever as people in other places have suggested, I’d be more in favor of dropping her from the academy but leaving a spot open for her return provided she completed some form a remedial trainings - proper weatherpony training or somesuch first. If she can’t that then she doesn’t deserve the second shot, but if she does then the wonderbolts haven’t lost someone who is clearly ace flier material.
Exactly. Or she could be Rainbows wingpony and learn from her.
Pow:
So you think you’re hot stuff ay kid?
try to follow my pattern
Dust:
you got it! aerial display above the crew are watching
Drako:
she’s come a long way
she’s a lot more driven than rainbow dash
she just needed someone to curve that gumption into something useful
power without control is no power at all
but she’s very eager to learn
reminds me of Twili-
Cannon:
what was that?
Drako:
oh nothing important
she’s stronger than both rainbow dash and fluttershy but she’s very unwieldy
her moves swing wide and flail
but it looks like she’s already learning how to use the momentum to swing into the next move
the only problem is that flying that way she has to plan in advance
could be a problem if she has to adapt to a changing evironment
I don’t think she’s gonna be a wonderbolt
Cannon:
But she’s tried so hard
It’s her dream
Drako:
the wonderbolts dart and fly in formation
she bellies out of turns and swoops
if she was a wonderbolt she runs the risk of a collision
there is one thing we can try though
Cannon:
what’s that
Drako:
an inverted pitch turn
Cannon:
a what?
Drako:
rolling tends to make her belly drop taking her wide
if instead of rolling in and pitching up
she rolled out and pitched down
that effect should drastically tighten her turning circle
Cannon:
that sounds complicated
Drako:
not really
all she has to do is fly like she’s upside-down when taking corners
it’s a trick not even the wonderbolts can do
Cannon:
sounds risky
Drako:
sure is sees Dust take an inverted turn
something’s not right
she twitched in the apex
Dust! can you come down a minute
Dust:
but I’m doing so well floats down
Drako: feels Dust’s belly
Dash?
You haven’t noticed Dust vomitting a lot after practice have you?
Dash:
well yeah but she pushes herself so hard i thought-
Dust:
I’m sorry
I’ve been ill for a couple of weeks
I hope it wont affect my training
Drako:
you’re not ill Dust
Dash:
That’s a relief
Drako:
you’re pregnant
@IGAF
In my head I cannot help but think that LD’s seeming lack of concern is akin to the kind of attitudes displayed by people who think that to be ‘cool’ means acting like action movie heroes and such - when said heroes would be complete dicks if you were to meet one in real life.
As to LD’s punishment… Ugh… you’d have to find a comparable situation in life to really get a good idea on it.
My biggest issue with her punishment is that she’s blamed for endangering civilians when, at the time of her performing the tornado maneuver, there were no civilians present to endanger.
Plus one has to ask if those civilians were even meant to be able to just wander into the training airspace like that - to me it comes across an awful lot like a bunch of civilians randomly driving onto an artillery range then being surprise when an accident happens.
All this and we still don’t even know why the tornado broke down. I can’t imagine LD deliberately doing a maneuver she knows she actively can’t pull off since… well. You’d have to be a right dumbass pony to try showing off with something you know you can’t do. My best guess is that she’d only ever done single-pony tornados and wasn’t able to for the extra wingpower Dash provided (which interestingly implied LD doesn’t have a weatherpony background since I imagine a trained weatherpony would know this).
Add in Spitfire and other Instructors failings and… holy shit it’d be a messy investigation at minimum. Especially since LD is, what, only on her fourth or so day of basic training? I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be sorting through that mess - especially since if this is the standard of the academy there are probably a whole shitton of other ‘accidents’ that would be uncovered in the process.
Rather than fully kicking her out, or even banning her forever as people in other places have suggested, I’d be more in favor of dropping her from the academy but leaving a spot open for her return provided she completed some form a remedial trainings - proper weatherpony training or somesuch first. If she can’t that then she doesn’t deserve the second shot, but if she does then the wonderbolts haven’t lost someone who is clearly ace flier material.
@lackey_h
Yeah, Lightning Dust exhibited the most basic behaviors of a recruit that believed the best athletes would be what the military would want. It’s not a bad thing, to want to be the best athlete in the team, but it’s not the true purpose either. Like you said, the training is supposed to break down the individual and build up the team player. Being able to work in a cohesive unit is not a natural born talent, but a skill that needs to be instilled into the recruit during basic training and forged through the bonds of their teammates.
You’re also right that Spitfire failed as a leader when she didn’t take care of the situation when it first presented itself. So I definitely don’t think that Lightning Dust should shoulder ALL the blame. But on the flip side, I do think that in a situation like this, she would be removed from the class as an example to the rest of the recruits, to show them that the Wonderbolts had little-to-no tolerance for glory seekers who put their own interests in front of the wellbeing of others. It’s also possible that this would be done to “save face” for the instructor. I’ve seen it happen before, and it doesn’t mean it’s right, but believable.
And this is just pure speculation, but I got the feeling that Lightning Dust’s lack of concern for Rainbow’s friends seemed to be an emotional defense mechanism. She acted all brash and defiant in front of the recruits, but when she was removed from her position (even prior to that), she looked like she felt guilty for her actions. If she truly thought that she was in the right, I think she would’ve voiced it, or at least glare at Rainbow indignantly.
@IGAF
Hey hey, I’m pretty much in agreement with that. But you try explaining to the people who have decided LD is one step away from Hitler.
I’ve never intended to say that LD is blameless, only that everything she did was entirely preventable had the various instructor ponies cared to do their jobs properly.
But apparently the vast majority of the anti-LD crowd believe, as i mentioned in an earlier post, that LD should have been trained to be a wonderbolt before she came to wonderbolt training. It’s almost impossible to convince these people that, shockingly, not everyone who comes to basic training has the right attitude and sense of teamwork right off the bat and that this is normal and not some freakish crime by LD.
I’m kinda glad the real episode didn’t go there.
I can’t believe they thought it was an good idea to scrap the intended scene! One of the show’s biggest mistakes if you ask me.
The original Script was that LD was demoted to Wingman position, while Rainbow Dash took the role of Flight Leader.
She actually had lines at the end, giving Dash a proper apology.
That scene was scrapped in favour of her washing out.
Exactly. Or she could be Rainbows wingpony and learn from her.
Edited
Fuckin’ Australia…
Noooooo
No no no nooooo
Why
Why did it have to be there
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Cracks knuckles
Dat bitch gunna die
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Kill it kill it with a sledge hammer!
i’m just having fun
So you think you’re hot stuff ay kid?
try to follow my pattern
Dust:
you got it!
aerial display above
the crew are watching
Drako:
she’s come a long way
she’s a lot more driven than rainbow dash
she just needed someone to curve that gumption into something useful
power without control is no power at all
but she’s very eager to learn
reminds me of Twili-
Cannon:
what was that?
Drako:
oh nothing important
she’s stronger than both rainbow dash and fluttershy but she’s very unwieldy
her moves swing wide and flail
but it looks like she’s already learning how to use the momentum to swing into the next move
the only problem is that flying that way she has to plan in advance
could be a problem if she has to adapt to a changing evironment
I don’t think she’s gonna be a wonderbolt
Cannon:
But she’s tried so hard
It’s her dream
Drako:
the wonderbolts dart and fly in formation
she bellies out of turns and swoops
if she was a wonderbolt she runs the risk of a collision
there is one thing we can try though
Cannon:
what’s that
Drako:
an inverted pitch turn
Cannon:
a what?
Drako:
rolling tends to make her belly drop taking her wide
if instead of rolling in and pitching up
she rolled out and pitched down
that effect should drastically tighten her turning circle
Cannon:
that sounds complicated
Drako:
not really
all she has to do is fly like she’s upside-down when taking corners
it’s a trick not even the wonderbolts can do
Cannon:
sounds risky
Drako:
sure is
sees Dust take an inverted turn
something’s not right
she twitched in the apex
Dust! can you come down a minute
Dust:
but I’m doing so well
floats down
Drako:
feels Dust’s belly
Dash?
You haven’t noticed Dust vomitting a lot after practice have you?
Dash:
well yeah but she pushes herself so hard i thought-
Dust:
I’m sorry
I’ve been ill for a couple of weeks
I hope it wont affect my training
Drako:
you’re not ill Dust
Dash:
That’s a relief
Drako:
you’re pregnant
Yeah, the paperwork would be hell. LOL
In my head I cannot help but think that LD’s seeming lack of concern is akin to the kind of attitudes displayed by people who think that to be ‘cool’ means acting like action movie heroes and such - when said heroes would be complete dicks if you were to meet one in real life.
As to LD’s punishment… Ugh… you’d have to find a comparable situation in life to really get a good idea on it.
My biggest issue with her punishment is that she’s blamed for endangering civilians when, at the time of her performing the tornado maneuver, there were no civilians present to endanger.
Plus one has to ask if those civilians were even meant to be able to just wander into the training airspace like that - to me it comes across an awful lot like a bunch of civilians randomly driving onto an artillery range then being surprise when an accident happens.
All this and we still don’t even know why the tornado broke down. I can’t imagine LD deliberately doing a maneuver she knows she actively can’t pull off since… well. You’d have to be a right dumbass pony to try showing off with something you know you can’t do. My best guess is that she’d only ever done single-pony tornados and wasn’t able to for the extra wingpower Dash provided (which interestingly implied LD doesn’t have a weatherpony background since I imagine a trained weatherpony would know this).
Add in Spitfire and other Instructors failings and… holy shit it’d be a messy investigation at minimum. Especially since LD is, what, only on her fourth or so day of basic training? I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be sorting through that mess - especially since if this is the standard of the academy there are probably a whole shitton of other ‘accidents’ that would be uncovered in the process.
Rather than fully kicking her out, or even banning her forever as people in other places have suggested, I’d be more in favor of dropping her from the academy but leaving a spot open for her return provided she completed some form a remedial trainings - proper weatherpony training or somesuch first. If she can’t that then she doesn’t deserve the second shot, but if she does then the wonderbolts haven’t lost someone who is clearly ace flier material.
Yeah, Lightning Dust exhibited the most basic behaviors of a recruit that believed the best athletes would be what the military would want. It’s not a bad thing, to want to be the best athlete in the team, but it’s not the true purpose either. Like you said, the training is supposed to break down the individual and build up the team player. Being able to work in a cohesive unit is not a natural born talent, but a skill that needs to be instilled into the recruit during basic training and forged through the bonds of their teammates.
You’re also right that Spitfire failed as a leader when she didn’t take care of the situation when it first presented itself. So I definitely don’t think that Lightning Dust should shoulder ALL the blame. But on the flip side, I do think that in a situation like this, she would be removed from the class as an example to the rest of the recruits, to show them that the Wonderbolts had little-to-no tolerance for glory seekers who put their own interests in front of the wellbeing of others. It’s also possible that this would be done to “save face” for the instructor. I’ve seen it happen before, and it doesn’t mean it’s right, but believable.
And this is just pure speculation, but I got the feeling that Lightning Dust’s lack of concern for Rainbow’s friends seemed to be an emotional defense mechanism. She acted all brash and defiant in front of the recruits, but when she was removed from her position (even prior to that), she looked like she felt guilty for her actions. If she truly thought that she was in the right, I think she would’ve voiced it, or at least glare at Rainbow indignantly.
Hey hey, I’m pretty much in agreement with that. But you try explaining to the people who have decided LD is one step away from Hitler.
I’ve never intended to say that LD is blameless, only that everything she did was entirely preventable had the various instructor ponies cared to do their jobs properly.
But apparently the vast majority of the anti-LD crowd believe, as i mentioned in an earlier post, that LD should have been trained to be a wonderbolt before she came to wonderbolt training. It’s almost impossible to convince these people that, shockingly, not everyone who comes to basic training has the right attitude and sense of teamwork right off the bat and that this is normal and not some freakish crime by LD.