- Alternate Character Interpretation: Did Spitfire actually care about the morality of Lightning Dust's actions, or was she only trying to keep a ringer like Rainbow Dash on her team? Notably, she not only didn't mind but actually encouraged Lightning Dust's behavior right up until Rainbow Dash quit The Wonderbolts because of it, and she let Rainbow Dash's equal involvement in the duo's behavior slide not only without consequences, but with a reward instead. Adding to this rather uncharitable interpretation is her being just as willing to ditch her long-time partner Soarin' to make a spot for Rainbow Dash, and her later admitting she's been waiting to make Rainbow Dash a full-fledged member of their team since she very first signed up.
- Base-Breaking Character:
- Some fans disliked Lightning Dust due to her attitude while others liked her for her coolness.
- Pinkie Pie is even more manic than her usual self in this episode, and it can be very annoying; you just wanna say "Pinkie, checking the mailbox every 3 seconds will not make the mail come faster." At the same time, though, you've gotta feel sorry for her and wonder just how freaking fragile her confidence in keeping her friends really is.
- Broken Base:
- Spitfire's demeanor. Some were turned off as it was a far cry from her friendly and laid back attitude from previous episodes while others felt it was justified as she was on duty and it was her job to weed out anyone who was incapable of being Wonderbolt material regardless of past interactions with her recruits. Having a different-sounding (initially misidentified as new) voice helped this prespective. On that note, some feel that Spitfire seems to have completely forgotten what Rainbow Dash is capable of, while the episode's defenders point out that Spitfire would logically be forbidden from showing Dash any favoritism.
- Pinkie's behavior in this episode. Either it's funny, sad, or annoying.
- This episode. It's either Merriwether's "best episode since Hearth's Warming Eve" or "So Okay, It's Average but least it's not Mare Do-Well since the whole episode is written better".
- The ending. While some like the actual one more there are many fans who would have prefered the original ending where Lightning Dust stayed in the academy as Rainbows wingpony and remained friends with her.
- Draco in Leather Pants: It didn't take long for Lightning to get several fans who feel she has a Freudian Excuse for her reckless nature such as a personal tragedy in her past. Other feel she is a reasonable pony that underestimated how much danger Rainbow's friends were in and would have been remorseful had the others explained it to her better. The fact that she was only partially to blame for the unfortunate accident and that Spitfire encouraged her recklessness all the time does not help. This isn't as extreme as some examples because the alternate ending to the episode gives her a Jerkass Realization and has her accept that Rainbow was right.
- Fanfic Fuel:
- It is a Top Gun homage, after all.
- Lightning Dust is effectively to Rainbow Dash what Trixie is to Twilight Sparkle... but unlike Trixie, Lightning Dust is canonically without remorsenote .
- Which could make her a prime candidate for a villain creating a real Shadowbolt squad.
- A brief shot of Rarity hugging Thunderlane after he saves her, as well as his delighted expression afterwards, are sure to inspire a mountain of ship fics.
- At the end of the episode, Rainbow Dash is shown "leading" a group of Wonderbolt Cadets through a set of drills, most of whom are well known in the fandom. Wonderbolt Squad Fanfics GO!!!!
- Rainbow reconciling with Lightning and helping her back into the academy as her wingpony.
- Fan-Preferred Cut Content: The original ending where Lightning Dust pulls a Heel–Face Turn has gained more popularity than the ending where she is thrown out of the academy due to giving her more potential screentime and how many villains and heroes got off easier than Lightning despite doing worse.
- Jerkass Woobie: Whether you see her punishment as deserved or excessive, it is impossible not to feel bad for Lightning Dust, who is crushed and devastated at having lost her shot with the Wonderbolts.
- Karmic Overkill: While Lightning Dust's behavior did place numerous ponies in danger, Spitfire had done nothing to discourage it until Rainbow Dash explained what had been going on (which she would have already known if the new recruits had been properly supervised during training), and after that she immediately gave Lightning the boot without giving her any chance to change her ways. As such, in the eyes of some fans being expelled from Wonderbolts Academy was needlessly harsh.
- Memetic Mutation: "That's an academy record!"
- Narm: The arguably jarring application of Never Say "Die" in the climax almost dampens the severity of the situation at hand. "Smashed to pieces"? "Demolished"? Your friends are pony beings, Rainbow Dash, not fine china.
- Ron the Death Eater: Spitfire gets this treatment from certain fans for her Drill Sergeant Nasty portrayal, conveniently ignoring how this was clearly her on duty persona in contrast to her laidback off duty persona.
- Unintentionally Sympathetic: Lightning Dust's recklessness and lack of regret for nearly killing Rainbow Dash's friends by accident led to her being booted from the team. But between Lightning's superiors encouraging this attitude prior, her not getting a chance to change her attitude after her superiors decided it was wrong, how "at fault" she was for the incident being debatable, Lightning's heartbroken reaction to being booted, and many other characters being Easily Forgiven for as bad or worse, she topped the poll for villain fans wanted redeemed
. This would have happened in the original ending where she merely got demoted to Rainbow's wingpony instead of being booted from the team entirely and stayed friends with her. Instead, by the time the show came to an end Lightning Dust remained one of the few antagonistic characters to go unredeemed, with her only other appearance emphasizing that she and Rainbow are "rivals for life". - Viewer Gender Confusion: The pink Palette Swap of Wild Fire, due to having a boyish voice. When she speaks a little quieter, it's more feminine.
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