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It's going to be Scootaloo's nineteenth birthday soon. Everypony who knows and loves her is going, but Twilight learns that Scootaloo wants to invite a pony neither of them had seen in a long time: Lightning Dust.
Despite what happened years go, Scootaloo wants to help her as she explains how she met Lighting Dust and the condition the crusader found her in.
Commissioned by Sunset_Shimmer83
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Very nicely done
How interesting. Very well done.
Lightning Dust deserved better than what the writers did with her.
Well done! This is an interesting viewpoint into what would have happened to Lightning Dust after the washouts. I've read a bunch of them, some good, some bad, but this is near the top.
A lot of your “lightning” words is worded as “lighting”. Even the chapter title.
Aris
10464249
Indeed. Especially considering there's one aspect of the balloon incident so many people neglect to mention.
Twilight neglects to mention that she and her friends failed to get clearance from Air Traffic Control to enter Cloudsdale airspace. If they had contacted ATC beforehand, they would probably have been denied access as a military exercise was going on.
Nice story. "Convince her in ten seconds flat" had me laughing. Lightning Dust felt real, though because of Rainbow Dash's low word count I felt like she was missing something. And the little post-S9 things were fun.
Anyways I enjoyed reading this story!
Nice piece of work.
One suggestion: "You can be formal with me" should be "You can be informal with me". Being formal means using the formal title, which is what Scootaloo was doing.
10464502
Are the Wonderbolts a military group? I've not seen any evidence for it. Also, Cloudsdale is mobile, so might not even be in the area. Finally, we don't know enough about the workings of the place to know if a flight-plan is even required.
10464677
Though the base has a control tower. As the base is laid out like a conventional airbase/airport (both of which require permission from the tower to enter and exit their airspace), it stands to reason that permission is required to fly within the area-irrespective of whether the Wonderbolts are military or not.
In the real world, this is why airports such as Heathrow have aircraft circle, as the airspace is occupied.
It is too bad Lightning Dust only appeared in two episodes in canon. She had an interesting character that could have gone in several ways. I have seen lots of fan works where pretty much anything happens to her, like making amends with Rainbow or becoming even worse due to her grudge against her. This was a pretty interesting story though and was very well done.
10464737
- MLP: FiM
- Slice of Life
A fixfic for the end of "The Washouts"I think this will be right up your street.
10464758
I already read it. Didn’t particularly like it since it tried to justify Lightning in that episode.
10464760
Fair enough.
Yeah I had to admit she is pretty reckless
Oh my god thats kinda sad she so broken
Dang, there's not a lot of fanfic that got me this close to shedding actual tears. I can picture Lightning's condition very clearly. No home to stay, just shivering under a cardboard at night next to the dumpster, diving into the dumpster to find something to eat...
I have a very mixed feeling for Lightning Dust from this fic and in general. She's someone who 'deserves a punch in the gut, but didn't deserve to have her bones broken'. You do feel she deserve something from what she did, but only if it will make her to be a better individual. Her condition is heart wrenching, and I salute you for able to make someone like me to feel that way. Truly amazing writing~
Now, I know that every fic with Lightning Dust will have bloodshed and a lot of hatred in the comment sections, but I'm just here to give the fic a full 10/10. Seriously, one of the best single chapter fics I've ever read~
It's a start Redemption is a long process away
Always thought it a shame we never got a third Lightning Dust episode where she gets redeemed in some part.
Oh wow this was a pretty good story so scootaloo found out what happened to Lightning Dust after the event she was kicked out and a lot of people hate her for causing the accident basically it was the last straw for everybody for her Reckless then after taking so much years to think about it she felt guilty for everything she's done so scootaloo wants to help her to get up and get her life back and put it into a Redemption Road even though it's going to be a long process for anybody to trust her or forgive her what Rainbow dash said but she will give her a chance to see if she truly did change this was a pretty good story and I really wish the show did give her more character in later episodes but it happens
10464502
There wasn't really any danger in the exercise as it should have been done. The trainees were tasked with busting clouds. A balloon slowly moving into the area wouldn't have brought about any real complications. It was only a problem because Lightning Dust impulsively decided to create a twister to remove the last few clouds.
10464877
I was more thinking of the risk of airborne collisions (DHL Flight 611 comes to mind), but I suppose airspace could be cleared to let it through.
10464890
Collisions? With what? They weren't actually anywhere near the training arena, because Twilight and the others aren't stupid enough to go straight into an area where rookie fliers are zooming about.
10464955
I suppose we have the challenge of not having a map of where the individuals were at the time.
10464955
Entering the surrounding Airspace is typically restricted in military or airforce academies for the explicit reason of not sitting on the edge of the danger like a moron.
There wasn't an escort. The blimp had no other person who could be a designated hired pilot.
So yes, they entered restricted airspace through improper channels, and much like a moron running through a minefield to go visit the local military base were in the wrong and endangering themselves as much as the people in the base.
God I love how much people refuse to attribute fault to the Mane Six.
By all accounts Rainbow shouldn't be able to apply to be a Wonderbolt and Spitfire should've been court-marshaled but a bit of lip service and feeling bad apparently makes up for hurting people and betraying the ideal of your own organization and country despite doing nothing to actively fix the dumpster fire you left behind.
As with all the stories I've read of yours "Rated Ponystar", this is a very well written story. I guess I'll have to thank Sunset_Shimmer83 for the idea?
Thank you to whoever came up with this idea and thank you RP for executing it this idea perfectly. I really enjoyed reading this, at least personally, very interesting story.
10464827
I couldn't agree more. Thankfully we have an awesome collection of writers within this fandom, to substitute such missed opportunities. Wouldn't you agree?
10464962
We know the balloon was travelling in across from where the exercise was taking place. If it weren't for the twister, they would have landed without fuss on the runway.
10465139
Except there was no mention ever of it being "restricted airspace" in the show. If it were, Spitfire, as the one in charge, would have pointed it out. But she didn't, so logic dictates that it isn't "restricted" at all.
And disregarding the fact that Lightning Dust created a twister, putting not only them, but her fellow recruits in danger? I'm guessing you enjoy that too.
10465191
I'm sorry I expect people to be held to the standard they preach, something the mane six have basically stopped doing early in the shows life.
Seeing as it's a literal academy, for the Equestrian equivalent to the air-force-and we clearly do not see any other civilian craft around this raised and isolated Plateau, if it's not restricted that makes the Wonderbolts look even dumber then the Rainbow Falls fiasco where Spitfire spit on her uniforms honor and legacy and should've been disqualified for attempted sabotage.
You people always assume I think Lightnings innocent when I never make that statement. In fact I state the opposite in that comment.
My point is that I'm tired of two-faced pricks being seen as the ones in the right IRL and in fanfics and lord knows there isn't a story on this site that doesn't act like everyone else can do no wrong and deserves to never face the consequences of their action in the case of Wonderbolt Academies borderline D- writing and the Washouts cop out characterization.
10464683
Yeah, looking through all thje galleries, I can't see anything that clearly indicates that it's a control tower. Which makes sense really, since there's so many opaque obstacles around.
10465139
Um, what evidence do you have that the Wonderbolts are in any description a military or even paramilitary force? We also have no knowledge of the internal workings of the Academy, such as whether it's possible to even file a flight-plan in advance. Also, the space is loaded with obstacles anyway, so there's nowhere on the sight that has unrestricted vision, so it may be redundant.
10465203
I'm sorry do you typically send a group of civilian performers to stop a rampaging monster?
Or did everyone forget that in season one thats what happened(and they failed spectacularly), the presented Wonderbolt strike force in the alternate timelines or the fact that they are constantly presented alongside the Royal Guard in every iteration of the show?
Either they are military or Celestia likes sending untrained civilians into a warzone, which considering her other decisions is on par with how little she seems to care for people outside her plans and attempts to "teach Twilight lessons."
10465191
I'll give the episode another view.
10465203
Really? There are several buildings attached to the base. I imagine at least one had a radar room.
10464502
If a recruit in the military brought a weapon without a blank-firing adapter and live ammunition to a training excercise, just with the intent to show they were so skilled they didn't need the precautions, then proceeded to lose control of the weapon, nearly hitting several nearby civilians and only the quick actions of a fellow recruit prevented this resulting in casualties, I'd imagine that recruit would be lucky to just catch a dishonourable discharge.
Actually, that's not even really a good example. Even if we ignore the fact that in our example the recruit would be in serious troube for bringing an unsafe weapon on an exercise alone, the cloud busting was more akin to make-work than an actual exercise.
A better example would be a recruit using pyrotechnics in a burn pit, causing an uncontrolled detonation and subsequently endangering a lost visitor with the resulting shrapnel. Was the visitor supposed to be there? Of course not, but the guy trying to get rid of rubbish with plastic explosives is the bigger offender.
PS: Sorry for the rambling nature of the comment, I tried to prune it down but the "stream of consciousness" nature of the whole thing kinda threw a spanner into the works
10465353
Terribly sorry, but I'm not sure what you're trying to say.
10465353
Considering Spitfire, and apparently the other C.O's continued to encourage this reckless behavior and ignored the no doubt massive amount of complaints and reports lodged against Lightning I'd argue this is more the case of a C.O patting a recruit on the back after they nearly got a random trespasser killed but passed and broke every record on file.
They encourage bad behavior from someone who's there to be whipped into shape then boot them out to cover their tail when it's going to be revealed they knew exactly what was going on but chose their public image and reputation over doing their job right.
10465196
How exactly have the Mane Six stopped being "held to the standard they preach"?
You just assume they broke a rule, despite no such rule being established within the show.
10465210
Well none of the Element Bearers seem to have any military training, so...
Plus we don't know that they take monsters on because it's their actual job, or because they decide to do it (like volunteer firefighters).
10465225
That's assuming radar (or some analogue) exists in the setting. It may well not.
Only reason Lightning Dust was the way she was in her last episode is because the writers of FiM didn't have a dam clue on how to redeem her probably. So they just wrote her in like some PoS Egotistical scumbag. Funny... Dash was the same way previously. I guess if you are not one of the mane7 you just get cast aside as some one off easily forgotten nobody.
10465406
Or maybe some magical equivalent. I think it unlikely that Cloudsdale is unable to track things moving about, or else the city would be constantly crashing into things!
10465406
Considering the entire concept of the Elements is Plot Armor they are a horrible example-and the fact they have no formal training nor understanding of how these things work is part of the problem.
Volunteer crime fighting and military action is considered vigilantism, reckless endangerment of civilian life and property destruction.
If they aren't on the militaries payroll they aren't exactly civil servants nor are they defending and protecting their local establishments as Volunteer forces do, they are a mercenary corporation which is only a good thing in military propaganda and action movies.
Any person with over 1000 years to prepare for a threat who does nothing till the last 30 years is an imbecile, and Celestia continuing to let her people become entirely dependent on Harmony to do all the work while barely helping the bearers to improve and become more capable longterm sets a bad example for anyone.
10465393
To start lets go to the bold faced lie to protect Discord after he helped Tirek torture/steal magic from/injure the entire nation.
Lets talk about Rainbow being able to apply to the Wonderbolts in the first place despite multiple cases of her destroying peoples homes and property with no recompense.
Lets talk about Applejacks arrogance over her monopoly on a single fruit(can't be 2nd place when your family owns all the farms) against her constant hypocritical treatment of others for pride-and lets talk about how that contract from Season one with Flim and Flam was a clear loss for her by the rules and agreements of the contract, which her incompetence allowed to be made by a child.
I could go on and on but frankly every person that's asked about this balks and then ignores it to pull up some other goal post.
10464502
That is a good point there. Wouldn't the academy have some kind of air control tower or at least look out to keep there airspace clear 🤔
10465450
Precisely my point.
10465414
Cloudsdale is a city of pegasi, so having a 'pathfinder patrol' is fairly likely right? Also, they'll have maps, and probably lists of all the buildings they could possibly run into.
10465444
Not going to argue about the elements. As to the Wonder bolts, volunteer =/= vigilante, they're almost certainly registered somewhere. And yes, Celestia is an idiot.
Now I'd have been willing to accept the Wonder bolts as at least a paramilitary force, but for one factor, the Windrider debacle puts them firmly in the civilian category, as I can't imagine a military officer attempting to ruin a recruit's reputation just to protect his own record.
10465509
True.
10465509
I can definitely see a retired air commander doing it with Spitfires' track record of poor and/or arrogant decisions in the show as a measure of how the Wonderbolts have operated for the last century alongside their obsession with doubling as a source of morale and pride for Cloudsdale since it's mentioned to be their center of operations outside of things like the Academy.
And (big if) if we take the comics into consideration they've been given access to specially designed and barely tested military equipment.
I can't name a single non military or paramilitary group that would remotely be given that clearance much less have the things designed explicitly for them.
10465559
Okay, fair enough. I guess this (like a lot of things) comes down to 'insufficient planning' on the part of the writing staff.
10465570
It definitely can and the worst part is they seem incapable of adding lines that are basically throwaway's, but could easily in an instant cement the intent.
The number of times they mention what the Wonderbolts do but can't just drop a solid "you mean the Spitfire?-Yes, my brother works with her since he's y'know, the captain of the guard." or something.
A single throwaway line as they transition between scenes would fix half the inconsistencies in the series but wasn't an option for some reason.
Getting off the 'Wonderbolts, civilians or soldiers?' debate, this is a very good fic. And I'll disagree with those who said Lightning Dust was handled poorly by the writers. Why? Because not every character needs to be redeemed! It's okay for a story to have a character who's a downright arrogant prick.
10465444
What "bold faced lie" would that be?
How about listing these "multiple cases"?
"Monopoly"? Please. It's hardly Applejack's doing that the Apple family owns the only apple farm in Ponyville. She's never shown any kind of hostility regarding the idea of other apple farmers setting up shop there. And Flim and Flam first appeared in season 2.
10465391
They didn't "encourage" anything, because they weren't aware of the extremes Lightning Dust was resorting to until Rainbow brought them up.