Jason wasn't mad. In fact, he only became even more excited when he saw it was Scootaloo who tackled him to the ground. He pushed her off hard and smiled at the golden opportunity presented to him.
"What? Too scared to find out your idol is an even worse monster than her friends?" He asked as he encased her hooves in ice.
"Let her go!" Rainbow hollers as she gears up for a charge. However, Celestia's wing bars her path. "Princess, what gives?"
"If you move an inch into the air, I will pluck out each feather until you're as flightless as a chicken!" Celestia threatens. The look she was sending Rainbow made the prismatic mare shriek into her seat.
"Oooohhhh..." Jason shivered. "The old me would've propositioned you if he heard that." The mare coughed into her wing, trying to hide a light blush.
"Enough! It appears this court is far too lenient on all these outbursts. Guards! Take Scootaloo--"
"No, let her stay," Jason said, cutting Luna off. "Tempers are bound to flare up during this. And a filly like Scootaloo here lacks the self-control of any adult. Well, mature adults anyway." Rainbow scowls at the subtle jab at her and Pinkie Pie. Jason smiles at her before moving to Scootaloo. "You should count yourself lucky that little tummy ache and a bit of cold is all you are feeling right now."
"Is that all you got?!" Scootaloo grunts out.
"Scootaloo, stop!" Sweetie Belle said.
"Well, that was all you had. Actually. Have you not been paying attention? Now, why did you feel the need to disrupt court proceedings?"
"I'm not going to let you bully my friends!"
Jason stares at the filly for a time before he bursts out laughing. "Bully, huh? That's a new one. Tell me do you know at all how courts work? Here's how adults do handles bullies. The defendants - your friends and sister - hurt me. They tease me. They pushed me. And many other things I haven't shown the court yet. Ponyville was the schoolyard, and I was the kid everyone pointed their hooves at and laughed. I mean, look at them and look at me. If I was the bully, where are their scars? You know exactly what's that like, don't you?"
Scootaloo was hesitant a moment before continuing. "W-Well. You didn't have to make Applebloom--"
"I didn't. She did." Jason points to Applejack. "Alright, let's get down to the real thing bothering you. You're an intelligent filly. You know right from wrong, which is more than I can say for Ponyville. But here's why you acted out. It's not because I am a bully. Or I made your friend cry. It's because you are afraid. You're worried that your hero, Rainbow Dash, isn't who she said she was. You're so scared that I am right. Everything that you believe I am, Rainbow Dash is! You're afraid I'll ruin the image of your hero. And, you know what? You should be! The one thing the world loves more than a hero is to see a hero fail. Why do you think no one is defending her?"
"You're wrong!"
"Yeah, you don't know our daughter!" Windy said.
"We'll stand by her no matter what you try to say!" Bow said.
"By all means. Stand by the rotten mare you help create. I can see why she thinks she's god's greatest gift to the world. There's nothing I hate more than parents that excuse the fucked up behavior of their kids! But let's get started. We all know Rainbow Dash. Courageous. Heroic. Element of Loyalty. She's also reckless. Headstrong. Arrogant. Always the first pony to engage--"
"You forgot one hundred percent more awesome than you'll ever be!" Rainbow said proudly, but no one but her parents cheered for her.
"--And make everything worse."
"Indeed, this appears to be true. Your boastful pride will be the end of you!" Judge Zekia said.
"What? So, am I wrong for having confidence in myself? And tackling anything that would hurt my friends and Equestria?" Rainbow said.
"So, when you and your friends went to tackle Crimson, why did you think assaulting him and driving him into a rage was a good idea?"
"None of the other ideas was working. Get him out of the cave. Let Fluttershy work her magic."
"Right, because Fluttershy only responded to the imminent threat to all your lives. We wouldn't have had this conversation if she had not stepped up, which she wouldn't have needed to do if you and Rarity didn't make everything worse. But that's what you believe is a job well done. Was this the same mindset you had at the Gala? Where you knocked a stallion in the air to impress the Wonderbolts. Not to mention the statue you so bravely stopped from breaking until it smashed into the pillar that destroyed the ballroom,"
"The thing was too heavy. Yeah, I was trying to impress the Wonderbolts. But, I wasn't out there looking to hurt anypony. I was good enough and fast enough to make sure things went smoothly. Princess Celestia even said it was the best triple G she's had. That's why we have invited us!"
More murmurs went off as Celestia hid her hoof with a groan. "Mother of me..." She said.
"So, all that damage was blown over because the Princess knew you and your friends' penchant for causing disaster was just the thing to liven the party up. It's incredible how many things involving you girls are overlooked. But you contest that there is no fault on your part. Well, what about this?"
"There's a segment I want to court to see. This entire conflict between the Appleloosians and Buffalo tribe did not escalate with Pinkie's Pie's silly dance. It happens much earlier with you and Applejack,"
"We promised to get the buffalo a chance to talk," Rainbow said while pushing Little Strongheart to Bareburn.
Applejack walks up with a frown on her face. "Yeah, about what?"
"We brought our pal Little Strong Heart here to explain to the Appleloosian why they should leave Buffalo lands,"
"Why, thank you. That sounds helpful--"
Braeburn tries to say, but Applejack pushes him. "That's funny because cousin was about the buffalo and why the apple trees need to stay,"
"That will be a useful thing to--"
This time, Rainbow Dash cuts Little Strong Heart off. "The land is theirs. You planted the trees without knowing. Honest mistake. Now, you just got to move them, that's all,"
"They busted their rumps here. And now they're supposed to bust their rumps again because some buffalo won't stampede somewhere else?"
"Plant the trees somewhere else!" Rainbow inisited.
"Where? It's the only flatlands around these parts!" Applejack refuted.
"The Buffalo had it first!"
"The settler ponies need it to live!!!"
The memory ends with Applejack and Rainbow arguing. "What does that prove? That Applejack and I can disagree on something?"
"No, it proves that you could not keep impartial on an important matter that honestly did not concern you. If you had let Braeburn and Little Strongheart talk things out instead of walking over them, the fight in Appleloosa never would've come about."
"Or if the Appleloosians made sure there was nopony else on the land before planting trees, then none of that would've happened!"
"To settle on the land, the Appleloosian should've gone to the royal court for permission," Judge Luna said. Celestia nods in confirmation. "However, the responsibility over the land dispute lies with the settlers and buffalo tribe. What were the circumstances of the element's arrival?"
"We were delivering a tree from Applejack's to help out." Twilight informs. "We just stumbled across this problem."
"Then, I do not believe it is fair to place sole blame on this issue on any of the elements," Judge Luna said.
"If you merely stumble upon this incident, why did you not report to Celestia about the issue instead of injecting yourselves right in the middle? You had no diplomatic authority,"
"Well, if the elements attempted to use their status to promote themselves as diplomats, they would be guilty of any consequences for posing as them. They acted only as civilians helping their friends and relatives,"
"Hmm, I suppose I can concede this point to you," Rainbow smiles smugly at their first win. "However, I have to question why you switched loyalties and stood against your friends and the Appleloosians. This was not the first instance of this happening,"
"I've always been loyal to friends and Equestria. I never turned my back on them!!!"
"Oh, I can think of quite a few times you did. In fact, because I wanted to come at you especially as hard as possible, I took the liberty of asking a few of them to come here."
The door opens as several ponies and a griffin walk through them. Rainbow's eyes slam open at so many familiar faces. "Spitfire. Soarin. Fleetfoot? You're speaking against me?"
"We were invited here and only just arrived from Cloudsdale. Though after the case he built against your friends, I'm not too happy to be here." Spitfire explains.
"You should be worrying about us, Rainbow Crash!" A blond-maned and turquoise-furred pegasus said. She wore a black and green flight suit with a cocky grin.
"Huh? I used to call her Lame-bow Dash. Let's combine them. Lame-bow Crash. Ha, nice," The griffin laughed. She had white feathers with purple accents around her eyes with brown fur.
"Gilda? Lightning Dust?" Rainbow hollers.
"Hey, she remembers me," Lightning Dust snarks.
"How could you, Gilda? Lightning, I get it. But you? I thought we made up!"
"We did until I got his story through the mail, followed by these trials the entire world is seeing. And it fits so well with how you always treated me." Gilda said.
"Not to mention, you got me kicked out of the Wonderbolts!" Lightning added.
"You did that to yourself when you nearly got my friends killed. And you G were acting like a jerk at your welcome party!" Rainbow counters.
"Order! Order in the court! It seems you have a lot of disgruntled acquaintances, Miss Dash." Luna said.
"I can attest that Lightning Dust was kicked out of the Wonderbolts. Judge." Spitfire said.
"Then, I would say you tarnished the Wonderbolts' reputation." Jason calls out.
"Gah-- Oof!" Soarin nearly shouts out before Fleetfoot elbows him in the side.
"What makes you say that?" Spitfire asks.
"Before I answer that, could everyone here state their names and profession for the record?" Jason asked.
"Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts."
"First Lieutenant Soarin of the Wonderbolts."
"Second Lieutenant Fleetfoot of the Wonderbolts."
"Lightning Dust. Ex Wonderbolt cadet."
"Gilda Bronzetalons. Scones baker."
"How would you describe Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust during their time at the training academy?" Jason asks.
"Both mares are exceptional. However, Lightning pushed herself harder than Rainbow Dash. But therein lies her flaws. She went too far, and her extreme stunts were a danger to herself, her teammates, and bystanders."
"Tsk," Lightning sucks her teeth. Rainbow Dash shoots her a smug grin.
"But that isn't the full detail. As I understand, the training academy puts their cadets in pairs where one is the leader and the other is the second. You appointed Lightning Dust as the lead pony because she pushes herself harder than Rainbow Dash, correct?" Jason asks.
"Correct." Spitfire said. Lightning sends a grin right back at Rainbow.
"How would you describe Lightning and Rainbow as a duo team?"
"The two of them together were exemplary. They were breaking every academy record we had. Unfortunately, we had to scrub them when Lightning was expelled."
"What?! You mean you didn't keep my records?" Lightning shrieks.
"Why should she? You didn't deserve recognition for ignoring safety rules and putting ponies in danger." Rainbow taunts.
"Just like she did not deserve getting kicked out in the first place." Jason said. "Lightning, can you show the court the events leading up to your expulsion?"
"Just touch this horn thing, right?" Lightning asks while Jason nods.
The memory plays out at the dizzy Tron. Rainbow had the fastest recovery time from a spin-out, while Lightning Dust requested to do her test with the maximum settings. While she did not recover the most immediately, Spitfire commended the mare for going the extra mile. Thus, Spitfire made her lead pony. The next scene shows the cadets running obstacle courses. Lightning tells Rainbow to follow her lead. While Lightning had no trouble moving at her pace, Rainbow was struggling. They broke the course record by the end, but Rainbow clips her wing. The final exercise was cloudbusting. Lightning suggests the two form a tornado to pass the course quickly. The tactic was working; however, no one accounted for the elements to arrive and get swept up in the tornado. After being saved, Lightning goes to hoof bump Rainbow Dash, but she refuses. Sometime later, Lightning Dust was flanking behind Spitfire and two stallions as the elements sat at the runway.
"Rainbow Dash. How dare you leave my office without me saying a word back! You were right. The Wonderbolts accept only the best. But being the best should never come at the expense of our fellow pony. We should strive to push ourselves in the right direction. You've shown that you can do that," Spitfire motions for Lightning to come forward before she rips the medal off her uniform and sends her away.
Lightning pulls her hoof away in a huff. "Ha. Thanks for the reminder. If you wanted to make me look bad, you're doing a sorry job." Rainbow taunts.
"Rainbow Dash, could you show the court when you told Spitfire you'd quit the Wonderbolts?" Jason asks, undeterred by the taunting.
"Pfft, fine, make me look better." Rainbow Dash said.
Touching the Gjallarhorn, Spitfire's office came into view. "This better be important. You're supposed to be out there busting clouds with your partner,"
"We're done with that, ma'am," Rainbow saluted.
"Already? That's an academy record. Explain your methods,"
"That's why I'm here, ma'am. Lightning Dust decided to use a tornado,"
"A bit excessive for cloudbusting. But, judging by your time, it was an effective tactic,"
"Yeah, well, that effective tactic nearly took out my friends! There's a big difference between pushing yourself as hard as possible and being reckless. And if being reckless is award around here, then I don't want any part of it!" The memory ends with Rainbow taking off her wing pony medal.
"Whoo! Way to go, Rainbow!" Scootaloo cheers.
"That's my girl!" Bow said.
"You're an inspiration." Windy said.
Suddenly, the sound of uncontrollable laughter goes off. Gilda was on the ground, holding her belly as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "S-Seriously? Are you plucking kidding, Dashie? Are you trying to act like you are the humble, upstanding type? You're the most reckless pony I know. I got more than a few stories to prove it."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Gilda!" Rainbow sneers.
"You will have your chance, Glida." Jason interrupts.
"So, what was the point of showing us this?" Cadance asks. "This only works in favor of Rainbow Dash,"
"The point is to highlight the rampant hypocrisy the Element Bearer of Loyalty exudes. Rainbow has the nerve to lecture Lightning Dust about recklessness when we have seen time and again her doing arguably worse with her recklessness. And she, ironically, is rewarded for said behavior that she abolishes. Where was the integrity for all the other times? Now, I know what you're going to say. It was all in the past. Rainbow has changed. Yet, in this same court, in the present time, Rainbow Dash tried to attack me twice and received multiple warnings. Despite this fact, the Gjallarhorn would reflect that damage. Is that not reckless? In truth, I do not believe Lightning Dust should've been expelled from the Wonderbolts."
"Are you saying that her behavior was acceptable?" Spitfire said, stunned.
"No, I am saying that Rainbow Dash and Lighting Dust should've been expelled!" He clarified.
"Both Rainbow and Lightning made that tornado together. Both Rainbow and Lightning made their classmates spin out on the course. A wing pony doesn't just follow their leader. They can tell their leader when they disagree with a course of action."
"Are you kidding? Lightning wouldn't listen to anything I said. She's too full of herself!" Rainbow said.
"Hello, pot. Have you met my friend, kettle?" That simple phrase made Rainbow Dash lose steam. "Why else were you so quick to be her friend initially? Regardless, you could've informed Spitfire of Lightning Dust's actions earlier. But you still aided her."
Spitfire signs as she speaks up. "Okay, I may have given the wrong impression of what the Wonderbolts wanted from our cadets. But I am a big enough mare to admit I am wrong. Rainbow showed me that. So, I let her stay."
"But that is not the only reason. Let me ask you this; are civilians allowed on military grounds?"
"No, we have specially assigned dates where civilians come tour the grounds."
"And why is that?"
"We run dangerous drills that can be detrimental to inexperience flyers and non-winged creatures." Fleetfoot said.
"Then, is it safe to assume that Rainbow's friends were punished accordingly for trespassing on military ground unannounced?" Jason asked.
Spitfire's eyes go wide at the question. "I am afraid I don't understand your meaning." She winces slightly and rubs her ear as the Gjallarhorn emits a low hum.
"It's a simple question. I am sure you have a procedure - Laws even - for illegally entering military buildings. What was the punishment for the elements interrupting a training drill?"
"W-Well, you see. It was an honest case of wrong place, wrong time. We can't punish everypony too harshly." The hum grew louder as Spitfire grunted in discomfort.
"Is it that everypony gets a pass for an honest mistake? Or does it have to do with those ponies and their connections? I want to know why only Lightning Dust was punished when you praised her behavior multiple times. Why was she kicked out for nearly smashing Rainbow Dash's friends when none of them had the authority to be there? Lightning could not have known that would happen since only cadets and experienced members were allowed there." He continued calmly, unsettling her even more.
The humming was loud enough for everyone to hear. Yet, strangely, only Spitfire was showing signs of visible discomfort. "Stop! Stop that humming!"
"You cannot lie in the presence of the Gjallarhorn. All you have to do is answer truthfully, and the humming stops."
With sweat pouring down her brow, Spitfire screams out. "ALRIGHT! Alright. Here's the truth; I didn't want to expel Rainbow because of her status as the Element of Loyalty..." Several gasps went out from this confession. "Neither did I want to punish her fellow elements. The news headlines would tear us apart if I punished Celestia's student and the mares that saved Equestria. The Wonderbolts would lose our credibility!"
"You admit to playing favorites? Rainbow gets to live her dream not because of her talent or 'good qualities', but because she was an Element Bearer and in good with all members of royalty? You just implied that you wouldn't have taken any disciplinary action against Lightning had it been actual civilians instead of royalty and national heroes. Maybe if you actually did your job and corrected her the first several times, and if you were paying attention to who wanders up there like you were supposed to, that could've been avoided." Jason criticized Spitfire.
"You're supposed to be a branch of the military and you can't even spot a hot air balloon in broad daylight that's not even trying to be subtle? You encouraged that kind of behavior from Lightning, you allowed Twilight and her friends to create that situation, and you basically just admitted she was kicked out not because of her recklessness that you encouraged, but because a few specific ponies were illegally in the worst possible location at the worst possible time? That's no different than wrongful termination."
"You were worried about your credibility then? How about now after you've been proven to lie about your records, proven of incompetence unfitting someone in your profession on top of criminal negligence and reckless endangerment? Like I'm fully expecting of Rainbow soon enough, you can say goodbye to your position and everything you tried to use Lightning as a scapegoat for. I hope it was worth it." He finished with Spitfire as the courtroom glared down at her.
"Ugh! I don't believe this!" Lightning screams as she gets in Spitfire's face. "Do you know what I faced getting kicked out of the bolts? I was a laughingstock in my hometown. A failure! Some losers could not bring their A-game to be a wonder bolt, but I am the one thrown away because I'm not buddy-buddy with the Princess. Well, forget that! I'm starting a group of my own. The Washouts! We'll be better than any show and member your cheap organization puts out!"
"For what it is worth, Lightning Dust, Rainbow Dash never wanted to play second to you." Jason touches the horn again to show Rainbow going into Spitfire's office again.
"Permission to enter, ma'am," Rainbow said.
"What is it, Rainbow Dash?" Spitfire asks.
"I had the best time on the Dizzy-Tron. Only six seconds!"
"And?"
"And you made me a wing pony!"
Spitfire slowly takes off her glasses. "Because I believe you and Lightning Dust will be an unstoppable time. Do you not think you will be an unstoppable team?"
"Yes, ma'am. I mean, no, ma'am. We'll be an unstoppable team, ma'am!"
"Then, what's the problem?"
Rainbow puffs out her chest as she speaks with conviction. "I think I should be lead pony, ma'am!"
"And I think Lightning Dust likes to push herself harder than you do. That's why I made her lead pony, got it?"
Rainbow's expression visibly deflates as she sulks out of Spitfire's office. "...Yes, Ma'am..."
As the memory ends, Lightning turns to Rainbow with a snarl. "Well, would you look at that? I always knew I was better than you. But you couldn't stand it. How do we know you weren't trying to sabotage me?"
"Please! Even if I was a little bummed about being a wing pony, it doesn't change that you would've hurt somepony eventually." Rainbow said.
"You have no room to talk there considering the MANY times you've acted the same way and nearly gotten yourself or others hurt or worse for reasons just as petty. The dragon, case in point being among the earliest examples since you obtained your Element." Jason criticized her.
"I bet your ego couldn't stand that there was a pony better than, huh, Dashie?" Gilda taunted.
Rainbow grit her teeth in response. "Shut. Up!"
"You deserve everything this guy has in store for you. And I can't wait for you to be the one that's rejected!" Lightning turns with a flock to her tail as she moves to the prosecution side.
"Miss Gilda. How long would you say you've to know Rainbow Dash?" Jason asks.
"We've known each other since we were fledglings. We both met at the Junior Speedster Flight Camp," Gilda explains.
"And how would you describe your friendship from then until now?"
"Looking back? We weren't friends."