Lightning Dust

Lightning Dust is a female Pegasus pony who appears in the episode Wonderbolts Academy and in the IDW comics' Friendship is Magic Issue #8 and Siege of the Crystal Empire. Her cutie mark consists of a lightning bolt and three stars. She leaves a blue and yellow thunderbolt streak behind her when she flies, similar to Rainbow Dash's rainbow streak and the Wonderbolts' trail of lightning clouds.

Development and design
Lightning Dust shares her eye color and rarely her cutie mark with Sassaflash, whose coat and mane colors are vaguely similar to hers. She also resembles Indigo Zap, who has a similar hairstyle, wears the same goggles, and has the same eye color, and she slightly resembles "Whoa Nelly", being similar in coat and iris colors and partly-stars cutie mark.

According to the My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games DVD/Blu-ray audio commentary, Lightning Dust was originally going to appear in film, but she was replaced by Indigo Zap.

On Twitter in mid-December 2015, IDW comics writer Jeremy Whitley was asked, "Was there meant to be more done with Flim, Flam, Iron Will, and Lightning Dust that got cut? They just kinda...disappeared.", and replied, "I'd actually like to do a ff [sic] with LD and IW. I stand by Flim and Flam as unrepentant opportunists".

According to a Twitter conversation with Jim Miller, Lightning Dust is not in season 6.

Depiction in the series
Lightning Dust is shown to be a vigorous and highly competitive flyer who loves to test her limits. With her strong attitude, speed, and love for flying, she quickly forms a friendship with Rainbow Dash.

However, because of her competitive spirit, Lightning Dust is also very reckless and shows little concern for anyone who becomes a victim of her actions. This is shown when she ignores Rainbow Dash's injury during a team exercise and again when she brushes off the fact that her tornado put Rainbow Dash's friends in danger. She also appears to have a bigger ego than Rainbow Dash.

Lightning Dust's recklessness and utter disregard for the safety of others eventually lead to her team leader status being taken away and given to Rainbow Dash.

In the episode Top Bolt, Lightning Dust appears as a baby and sibling to Sky Stinger in Vapor Trails flash back.

Other depictions
In the IDW comics', Lightning Dust appears on page 16 and cover A, in both appearances behind Princess Luna and multiple other characters in Ponyville. She also appears in being recruited by Radiant Hope to attack the Crystal Empire. During the attack, she antagonizes Rainbow Dash and Rarity with water balloons, but she is eventually captured. King Sombra frees her in, and she and the other recruited villains defeat the Mane Six, but she harbors second thoughts about her actions by.

Lightning Dust is an available character in Gameloft's mobile game. She was added to the iOS version of the game on December 9, 2013 and on the Android version on December 17, 2013.

Lightning Dust is mentioned in the chapter books Applejack and the Honest-to-Goodness Switcheroo and Fluttershy and the Fine Furry Friends Fair.

Merchandise
A mini-figure toy of Lightning Dust has been displayed at the 2014 American International Toy Fair.

On pages 20-21 of the upcoming book Winning Style, "Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust can't wait for the flying competition at the Equestria Games. They work on their speed and agility while flying through the clouds."

Lightning Dust is shown on Acidfree's first art print.

Quotes
"Let me show you what I've got, ma'am."

- To Spitfire, Wonderbolts Academy

"Ma'am, can you put the Dizzitron on maximum speed? I wanna push my limits."

- To Spitfire, Wonderbolts Academy

"They should make us Wonderbolts right now."

- Wonderbolts Academy

"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?"

- To Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolts Academy

"Kicking all that tail has made me hungry."

- Wonderbolts Academy