@Twi_Clown  

 
 
Yeah, I was right to be afraid.

@Marble Didymus  
Whoa, man. No one is not liking anybody, okay? While it is humanly natural to despise fandoms and geeks, I’m pretty sure they keep it professional and neutral. Some little episode is no indication of anything.

@JwwProd  
Said it before, saying it again. The higher ups, and possibly some of the show staff, have never liked the adult fanbase, and ever since that book episode there has been no effort to hide it.

@JwwProd  
Uuuuhhhhh… Hasbro doesn’t make the show. They only publish it. And I don’t think the writers make decisions based on pols or whatever. The seasons are cooked up in advance.

See Nick and Hasbro! Look at this poll! People wanted Lightning Dust redeemed after all.
 
But you completely ignored it and only listened to idiots on Tweeter! >:(

@genervt  
I know I agreed to disagree, and I am not gonna argue about LD, but I do wanna say some things. I hated the way dash acted in Tanks for the Memories and Newbie Dash. She should have gotten a much harsher punishment for what she did. Heck, even in 28 Pranks Later she got off a little easy. I haven’t seen any of season 8, so I can’t say anything about Non-Compete Clause.

@TheSultanAkbar  
Hopefully.

@genervt  
Yeah, ok, whatever. I think you are reading too deep. She messed up, she might realise her mistakes and get better.

@Background Pony #832C  
I´m sorry, but I have to add a few points.  

 
If you mean that she bumped into the other cadets that was surely rude and not acceptable; however it was not endangering.
 
The problem is that Spitfire never even (before or after the tornado) tried to work with her to help her to improve herself (or at least talk to her before she made a decision); in other words she did not do her job.
 
What Dusty needed was some additional training, guidance and help, certainly not abashment and expulsion.
 
An expulsion is also not the first but the very last resort that is only used when everything else failed.  
Spitfire had plenty less severe options to punish her.
 
Furthermore Dashie commited several severe misdeeds (Tanks for the Memories, Newbie Dash; Non-Compete Clause) while being part of the Wonderbolts and got away scot-free or with a much more lenient punishment; therefore Dustys draconian punishment was disproportionately harsh and a clear case of double standards.
 
And even if the expulsion would have been justified there still was absolutely no need to make it even far more humiliating and hurtful by letting the whole academy watch her debasement (that was really a very low blow); it would have been bad enough if Spitfire did it in her bureau.
 
 
I´m staying with my opinion that Dustys treatment was an injustice.
 
 
We will have to agree to disagree.

@genervt  
With the way she was portrayed in the episode, it is easy for me to find other reasons for why she would make the faces she does. I will agree to disagree.
 
I never said that she was looking at her wing here. I am going to quote the last post I had made, which voices my opinion on the wave.
 
@Background Pony #832C  

 
I don’t think she was given an unfair punishment. She was reckelss and remorseless through the episode. She knowingly put other ponies in harms way and did not care(before the balloon aswell). If she would have said “I’m sorry” or showed more remorse, then it would be different. She was kicked out because she was a danger to herself and others, and she never really cared. I will agree to disagree here aswell.
 
 
@genervt  

 
I agree, and had agreed, with this. She fails in many other episodes aswell, which is a shame.

@Twi_Clown  
The infamous Anon-a-Miss.  
The first third of the comic was great (until after the first slumber), then everything went downhill.  
What were they thinking?

@genervt
 
Man, given that otherwise well liked characters like Radiant Hope suffered from questionable characterization as well, is a good thing IDW is not entirely canon. Same for the holyday 2014 and Fiendahip is magic #3 (althought I enjoyed the later in a “ so bad is good/you have to be kidding” way.)

@Background Pony #832C  
When she was confronted by Dashie she showed several signs of guilt like biting her lip and avoid to look Dashie in the eyes.  
Unfortunately she was to stubborn and proud to admit a mistake in front of everypony.
 
When she had some time to think about it she felt bad and showed regret.  

 
We can agree to disagree on that part.
 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
However this is clearly a farewell.  
 
Dusty is looking back at her partner, not at her wing.
 
And she was treated unfairly by Spitfire.  
Spitfire could have talked to her, give her a chance to explain herself, put her on probation, give her additional training and guidance, made her Dashies wingpony so she could have a positive influence and learn from her and so on.  
She did nothing of that.  
Instead she publicly humiliated her and kicked her out for her first offence without even a warning or a chance to improve or redeem herself.  
I must say that she completely failed as a captain.  
Wonderbolt Academy was a total mess and it is about time that this mistakes will be corrected.
 
 
@TheSultanAkbar  
Indeed.  
Dusty is neither the first nor the last pony that got carried away.  
But please don´t mention Siege of the Crystal Empire.  
They didn´t only ruined Dustys character but also everyone else (especially Iron Will).

@Background Pony #832C  
Well she was quite a bit younger and eager in that episode, so it makes sense that she was so ambitious it drove her to recklesness (you can count her revenge in the comics too).

@Background Pony #832C  
Even if she was reformed at the end, it was easy to miss. She didn’t care throughout the rest of the episode, and the waving bit could easily be missed or misconstrued as just feather ruffling or something else. She could even be waving to dash as a good-bye to a friend, and still not be sorry for her actions(cause she was never sorry for what she did during the episode, even though she knew what she was doing). The show would have to do more for me to say that she was genuinely sorry/remorsefull for her actions, which it just kinda portrayed her as uncarring and reckless the entire episode.

@genervt  
I don’t have questions, and never did.
 
I read your arguments, and I can’t say that I agree with all of them. She never showed remorse, infact she got angry when confronted(or just brushed it off). You can interpret it however you want, but the way it was written showed that she did not care. She could have said im sorry while being taken away, though. But she didn’t. I’m going to interpret her how she was written and portrayed in the show, and unfortunately, they did not do a good job of making her look or seem remorsefull.
 
I watched that scene where dash confronted her, and she was angry through most of it. Even if she was saving face, she still wasn’t very remorsefull about it. In fact, saving face is hardly what any remorsefull person would do, especially in a situation like that.
 
Honestly, that wave seemed like ruffling her feathers when I watched it. Maybe she did wave, but she wasn’t remorsefull during the other parts of the show so ehhh.
 
You also kept saying that she did not know what she was doing, which is blatantly false.
 
That said, you may interpret the character any way you want, I’m just going stricktly off what was portrayed and written in the show. I would like for her to get some real character developement, and even a redemption. At the moment, she just seems like a background character/plot device to make RD look better, or have her learn a lesson. Which brings me to this: I actually agree that she was treated unfairly, but not in the way you might think. I think she was written/handled fairly poorly in WA, and could have been a much better character if they took her in a different direction.

@Background Pony #832C  
I think my comments under this picture should answer your questions.
 
And Dusty showed regret even before Spitfire made a humiliating public spectacle out of her expulsion.
 
She never got the chance to apologize as she was led away immediately afterwards.
 
Despite being completely heartbroken and devastated she still waved Dashie goodbye.

@genervt  
I just re-watched the episode(after having to do stuff, cause life waits for no one). Long post incomming.
 
What is shown in the show is canon, and that is what I’m going off of. They could have done more with her character(like that alternate ending), but unfortunately this is what we got.
 
Here are some of the quotes and situations that I jotted down while watching, re-winding to ensure accuracy.
 
~11:30  
RD: “we should slow down, it doesn’t look like both of us could make it at this speed.”
 
LD: “Peh” *speeds up
 
~11:40 - 12:00  
RD clips wing from aforementioned stunt. After turning in flag:
 
LD: “Come on, let’s find some more.”  
RD:“Uhh, shure, just give me a second.”  
LD:(looks at RD’s hurt wing as she takes off(RD was fidgeting with her wing which very noticeably has a problem.)) “Oh you’re fine.”  
Spitfire notices all of this conversation and looks on as rainbow flies with a limpish wing(it flaps noticeably slower).
 
~14:00  
Spitfire:“And don’t worry about winning, its not a race.”
 
~15:12  
LD:“now’s our chance to pass these slow-pokes” *her and RD then slam through the pair that was infront of her, destabilising them and sending them crashing into the teams behind, and then sending that massive collision into a cloud(think like a pile on trafic collision, but not as deadly/violent). The other teams had to be dragged out of said cloud.
 
~15:45  
RD: “Hey next time, maybe we don’t cut the other teams off like that.”  
LD:“Hey, you snooze, you lose! Besides, Wonderbolts are supposed to be able to recover from a spinout. You saw them on the Dizzitron. They could use the practice. I mean, it’s not our fault we’re so much better than those other guys. Not every pony is destined to become a Wonderbolt. Only the best of the best, right?”
 
~16:55  
LD: “I have an idea about how we can litteraly blow away our competition” (LD and RD look at the other teams biting, stomping, etc trying to clear some clouds)
 
They then make a tornado that neither can control, and puts some ponies in harms way/danger(the score-keeper and the main six).
 
After that, LD:“That. Was. Awesome.”  
RD:“Awesome? My friends could have been smashed to pieces.”  
LD:“Yeah, but they weren’t right? Can’t say the same for the clouds, we totally wiped them out with that tornado. The other cadets will have to be up there for days to bust as many as we did.”  
LD extends a hoof for hoof bump  
RD:“A hoof bump? Seriously? You made me clip my wing, you sent half of our class into serious tail-spins on the obsticle course, you unleashed a tornado that nearly demolished my friends!”  
LD:“Yeah, and?”
 
Lightning dust knew exactly what she was doing to the ponies around her. She even slammed through a team, and when confronted basically said: “And? They should fly better and need the experience.” Worse yet, she did not have much remorse about it. The show doesn’t portray her having remorse at any point from her actions. At the very end, she is seen trotting in-between some security personnel looking kinda worried, but never says anything. This was right after RD had quit the wonderbolts. She was sad at the very end, but that was because she was just kicked out. The show never shows her being remorsefull about her actions, which is a bit of a missed opportunity. You may infer that she was remorsefull, but why would she just keep quiet instead of atleast saying “I’m sorry”. Especially to the ponies she very well could have(and nearly) killed. Spitfire should also shoulder some blame, as she watched most of these things happen and said nothing. But thats another discussion entirely.
 
 
TL;DR: She knew exactly what she was doing and had little to no remorse.
 
Using the Shout! Factory DVD  
~ means about. ~15:20 means about 15 minutes and 20 seconds into the episode.  
There may be grammar problems and spelling problems, but I can’t edit W/O an account.

@Twi_Clown  
Maybe.  
But I have hope for The Washouts (or season 9).

@genervt
 
Aren’t you a bit afraid that we might be overhyping ourselves?

@Twi_Clown  
Indeed.  
Rivals, partners and friends.
 
Hopefully soon.

@genervt
 
And having a friendly recurring rival because why the fuck no? :D

@Twi_Clown  
I completely agree with you on that.  
So does the original ending.  

 
 
It is about time that she and Dashie finally reconcile and that Dashie helps her back into the academy as her friend and wingpony.

@genervt
 
I agree, I know it wasn’t intentional, but neither was Luna(Nightmare Moon)’s (retconed, but was the original idea) attempt of almost destroying Equestria by bringing the endless night, nor Sunset’s transformation in a demon.
 
I’m not saying she went to such extreme lenghts nor that I want her to be outright shunned and martirized, I just want her to have a redemption that aknowledges her mistakes and helps her to move on.

@Twi_Clown  
She did not intent to lose control of the tornado and she could impossibly know about the balloon.  
She never endangered anypony knowingly or willingly.  
Dusty is a good pony that just got carried away.  
There is nothing wrong with her that some guidance and additional training couldn´t fix.