"Go on, say it."

Reforming Discord had been the Mane 5's next challenge. They were originally supposed to go to the Crystal Empire for a visit, but after Twilight's banishment, they didn't want anything to do with Shining Armor and Cadence anymore. Due to that, Princess Celestia assigned them to reform Discord. Even though they didn't trust Princess Celestia anymore, they had to do the task they were assigned.

Celestia knew that if they reformed Discord, his magic could be used for good instead of evil, and she entrusted Fluttershy to help reform Discord.

Nopony except Fluttershy trusted Discord after what he had done before, but after Discord's chaotic antics, Angel warning everypony and Discord about the flood of Sweet Apple Acres, Fluttershy and Discord forming a friendship, and Discord using his powers for good by stopping the flood, he has now been reformed and was ready to be a good use for Equestria.

Now Discord was in front of Celestia. He took a few hesitant steps towards her, and then...

"Um, uh…all right, friendship is magic." admitted Discord.

"See?" said Fluttershy as she grasped his paw with a front hoof, "He can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him."

"Say," said Pinkie Pie, "why don't we have a hang-out with him to get to know him more?"

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Fluttershy, "what do you think?"

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Spike looked reluctant at first, but they knew that after Discord had stopped the flood and learned the value of friendship, they could trust him, "Alright, we'll hang out," said Rainbow Dash.

"Then it's settled!" said Pinkie. "Tomorrow, we'll have a hang-out with him by the lake!"

Things weren't going well for the other ponies. The Cakes were bullied and harassed by most of their customers, and Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake's aggressive sides began showing more. Whenever a pony who thought Twilight was guilty entered the bakery, they were met with toy blocks. The babies' parents tried to calm them down but to no avail.

The CMC were ignored at school by their classmates. Even Cheerilee wanted nothing to do with them either. The CMC wondered to each other why the grudge towards Twilight that the other ponies had was so bad they'd be rude to others just for defending her.

Flitter and Cloudchaser couldn't have even one minute without being mocked and bullied for believing that Twilight was innocent. At flying practice today, the other pegasi went too far with the name-calling. It got to a point that when Flitter was told that she would never have a good life in the future, Cloudchaser got so angry she gave a huge earful to all the pegasi. This ended with the two being kicked out of flying practice.

Trixie's stay was only temporary, but most of the ponies would throw trash at her and call her names. Trixie knew that her actions in the past were bad, but the ponies weren't being mean to her for just that, but also the fact that she regretted the way she treated Twilight, in which the other ponies still thought she had tried to kill Derpy, and hated her. Trixie hoped that one day, she would find Twilight and give out her most sincere apologies to the unicorn she had held a grudge towards.

As if the other ponies were being bad with their grudge towards Twilight, the mayor was surprisingly worse! She had given all the ponies tasks to place "Anti-Twilight" signs everywhere! The Mane 5, Spike, CMCs, Trixie, the Cakes, Flitter, Cloudchaser, Lightning Dust and Discord refused to do it, and ignored the mayor's threats to tell Celestia to banish them from Equestria as well. They just walked or flew away back to their homes, leaving only Trixie, Discord and Lightning Dust.

"I just wish I could apologize to her," moped Trixie, as she trotted through Ponyville, with Discord walking, and Lightning Dust flying. "I thought I was the Great and Powerful Trixie. Now I'm just the Useless and Pathetic Trixie."

"Trixie, we all do stupid things at some point in our lives," comforted Discord. "I took over Equestria many times in my life, before Fluttershy showed me friendship was magic."

"And I did a lot of reckless stunts at flight camp before I joined the Washouts," added Lightning Dust. "I was never allowed to try and join the Wonderbolts ever again after I knocked over several pegasi with my reckless flying and landed them in the hospital."

"Say, what's the Washouts?" asked Trixie curiously.

"It's my flying team I made," said Lightning Dust, "Ever since I got permanently banned from the Wonderbolts, I still wanted to achieve my dream somehow, so I found a couple of pegasi who couldn't join the Wonderbolts, and we made our own team of daredevils. I think I should introduce you to them right now, as I'm flying home anyway."

Rainbow Dash had just gotten a letter when she flew back to her home, and after she read it, she was very cross. The letter's message said that she would never be allowed to join the Wonderbolts.

"Those Wonderbolts!" she growled. "I'll never be allowed to pursue my lifelong dream, all over some silly grudge?!"

Rainbow Dash was so mad she flew out of her home, and kicked a cloud so hard, it burst into puffs!

"Remember, ponies. While we're amazingly awesome, the Washouts are highly trained professionals in protective fire-proof flight suits! Do NOT try this at home!"

"Lightning Dust, who are you talking to?" asked Trixie.

"I was just practicing my warning announcement for our next show," said Lightning Dust. "We do our stunt shows all over Equestria. We're staying here for the week."

"So, this is your team?" asked Discord.

He pointed to two pegasi ponies in Washout uniforms. The red runt, Short Fuse with yellow hair, had a short mane/tail styled to resemble flames, and a turn of the head identified him as a stallion with light brown eyes. The tall purple mare with a white mane, Rolling Thunder, had her mane as a pile of curls, and she had an X-shaped scar intersecting her left eye socket.

"Yes, this is my team," said Lightning Dust, meet two of my friends, Discord and Trixie!

"Nice to meet you," said Discord.

"The Great and Apologetic Trixie is honored to meet the Washouts."

"Hello, join the club." came a voice from Rolling Thunder, who had an Australian accent. She was met with silence.

The pegasus then kicked a bucket of water, and it landed upside down. "No, I mean literally. Join the club," she said, as she sat on the bucket. "We’re called the Washouts because we all used to be Wonderbolts until we washed out."

She sighed. "Name’s Rolling Thunder. I got booted out of Wonderbolt Academy ’cause of flagrant disregard for hazardous weather. If doing barrel rolls through nine hundred million volts of electricity in a raging thunderstorm is wrong, then I don’t want to be right."

"The Great and Apologetic Trixie has only just met you, but she thinks that this team is cool!"

"Same here, especially since I was trapped in stone for a long time."

"Heh!" said Rolling Thunder, "This here’s Short Fuse."

The red pegasus set his bottle aside and walked to Trixie, and offered a hoof, as Trixie was not a pegasus. "Oh, nice to meet you," he said, as the two shook hooves.

"The Great and Apologetic Trixie wants to know, what’s your story?"

With no warning, Short Fuse hovered in the unicorn's face. "ANGER ISSUES!! GET OFF MY BACK!!" he yelled, jumping to the top of the shrillness and volume scales.

This left Trixie cowed and huddling on the grass. "Uh... okay?" said the unicorn, "So…I'm assuming that the leader is Lightning Dust?"

"Yes, I'm the leader of the team. Only the most reckless ex-Wonderbolt of all time." said Lightning Dust.

"Well, it was nice meeting your team," said Discord. "I know it'll be just as good as the Wonderbolts."

"Maybe even better."

Trixie, Discord, Lightning Dust, Short Fuse, and Rolling Thunder turned to see Rainbow Dash flying near them, and then she landed.

"Those Wonderbolts didn't let me join, all because they think Twilight was the one who committed a murder and they didn't accept the fact that I thought Twilight was framed!"

"So, that was her name?" said Short Fuse.

"Seems like it," said Rolling Thunder.

"Who are these two?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Allow me to introduce you to my teammates," said Lightning Dust, "their names are Short Fuse and Rolling Thunder."

"Well," said Rainbow Dash, "after being kicked out, I really feel like joining your team. What do you say?"

Lightning Dust though for a minute. "Sure, why not? After all, we're all a team of pegasi who got kicked out of the Wonderbolts."

"Cool!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Just don't hurt yourselves too bad, okay?"

"Um, sure?" said Lightning Dust.

"That's her way to show she cares," said Trixie.

"I guess we'll just leave then," said Discord, and he and Trixie left, but not without saying goodbye to the pegasi.

Lightning Dust then turned to Rainbow Dash. "Want to be roommates for the night?"

"Heck yeah!"

Author's Note

Before you comment stuff about RainbowDust, they're only going to be roommates as friends, not as a ship or have romantic feelings, okay???

The beginning references "Keep Calm and Flutter On". Basically, the events of that episode don't change that much, even without Twilight's presence. I also referenced "Games Ponies Play", where I mentioned the Mane 5 originally being supposed to go to the Crystal Empire.

I also expanded on this AU's version of Lightning Dust, and her team of Washouts a bit. Basically, the team is made up of ponies who failed to join the Wonderbolts, but still wanted to pursue their dreams. I kept their daredevil aspect from canon, but I didn't make them antagonists like in canon.

This chapter happens simultaneously with the events of The Bomb Goes Boom.
Next chapter will be happening simultaneously with the events of Not the Nuts!