Wardaddy

Don't bash me for this, but no. I can't tell if that mane style is worse than her frazzled style or if that is still her frazzled style just cleaned up and mashed about. No, I prefer Twi's original mane style. It relates to how I like my hair nice and simple.

I'm calling coincidence on this one. If Sugar Belle was related to Rarity in any sort of way, I think she'd know it, and so would the latter.

The scene should've been dragged out because we were looking at what was Twilight's home for four seasons. Now all that remains of it is a tree blown to hell, the front door and what I call the front lawn. However, I feel it wasn't much longer than the snap of a finger, and for me that's not on. Twilight should've at least wept for her former home, considering how much she didn't want to be in the castle at first. I can excuse Spike because he shed a tear, but Twilight didn't seem to care much. Oh, and did I forget to mention she just lost a lot of information when the library got destroyed? Books that dated back centuries were reduced to ashes and Twi didn't shed a tear. I get these were new writers but this was her home like, and for four seasons. Twi should've displayed a little emotion, if not even the bat of an eyelid.

The episode wasn't great, to be frank. Even when Twilight and Spike visited the ruins of the library there was no real sense of loss or heartache. It seemed very brief, almost rushed. This episode was good, but it missed something which could've made it great, something which didn't appear until the very end. A sense of nostalgia, not to mention the personal value Twi held for the late great Golden Oaks Library. Despite this, I think using the tree roots as a chandelier was an excellent tribute. With the episode over, the torch has now been passed to the castle to act as the bastion of Friendship and Magic, a place the ponies can retreat to whenever peace and harmony in Equestria is threatened, particularly by Starlight Glimmer. 4/5. Laughs, feels, touching and heartwarming, but something was missing. A good episode overall.

This is something I've been curious about for a long time now. Starlight does believe in the Magic of Friendship, which means she originally lived a good childhood. But something, God only knows what, must have happened to her that so drastically changed her outlook on harmony. My first guess? Bullies. The following is a theory I have expanded upon since first founding it. Starlight's power level was weak at first, compared to other fillies her age. It was because of this that the more macho colts thought it right to mock her and belittle her because of this power difference. How bad it got, I cannot say, but Starlight was left feeling inferior and rather insecure about her talent, so much so that she decided to reach Twilight-like levels of magic studying, in order to beef up her power. 5 seasons later, Starlight's power levels have increased, but obviously they are no match for the power levels of the Princess of Friendship, Miss Twilight Sparkle. As for her psychology, Starlight was convinced that her talents were the reason behind her being bullied, that her cutie mark was her downfall, and subsequently she developed a mindset that ponies with different talents were susceptible to conflict, but if they were equal, then there would be no conflict because there would be nothing to argue about, and thus equality was born! Starlight would later go on to find the village, preach to the townsponies that cutie marks are the triggers that spark conflict among others, and if they turned to her brand of equality, then they would experience a life twice as good as the one they were living at the time. Once they were convinced, she then set about removing their cutie marks using the Staff of Sameness. One by one, the ponies cutie marks were removed, with only a little pain felt. However, some were unsure about Starlight's philosophies, prompting the latter to lock them up and indoctrinate them. Once they were sufficiently brainwashed, she removed their cutie marks and claimed the town as hers, stating that this would be the start of a truly harmonious Equestria.

I took the liberty of drawing up a list of things in this episode that scares me, seeing as if I were in a totalitarian state at this time, I would probably be killed for writing this. Anyway, here we go. 1. The village and the villagers Being the history nerd I am, the village and it's people reeked of a likeness to a Nazi concentration camp, minus the barbed wire fences, brutality, starvation, cruel and unusual punishment and gassing. The village's simple design reminded me very much of the barracks that concentration camp inmates were made to live in. They lacked any color or vibrancy, denying the villagers even the tiniest glimpse of energy or difference, as per Glimmer's regime. However, the villagers seemed different. Rather than miserable, they were happy. They were content, which didn't sit right with me at all. If I lived in a village like that I'd go nuts within a week. Then there was the village anthem "In Our Town". "Doesn't this feel a bit Nazi-ish to you?" I wondered to myself. The marching in perfect step and order, the proud and rousing lyrics that Glimmer and her inmates villagers sang, the particular words that would arouse suspicion woven into the lyrics, all this culminated to give me a feeling of *this place is a trap that Twilight and friends should really be more careful in*. Oh, and the villager's smiles were downright creepy. 2. Starlight Glimmer Finally, after months of waiting I got to see what kind of a character Starlight was. Considering I knew about her already from the preview, it didn't take much for me to see through Glimmer's friendly and open facade. I knew she was the villain, but what I didn't predict was the level of villainy she would reach as the episode progressed. At first, when Glimmer removed the Mane 6's cutie marks and threw them in prison (with free brainwashing) I both hated and feared her. Feared because she wasn't a Changeling, nor a draconequus, nor a centaur, not even a minion of the Nightmare forces. She was a regular pony, like we had always wanted, and she was the bad guy. While I could see that she wasn't inherently evil, the way in which she was ruling her cult and assimilating others regardless of choice wasn't on. However, I also hated her because of this, but not nearly as much as when she revealed her true colors after Fluttershy exposed her cutie mark. Glimmer never believed in her own philosophy. It was just a front to gain the cutie mark of one of Equestria's princesses, which if advertised to the rest of the country would gain a huge victory for Glimmer. I believe that's why she tried to run off with the Mane 6's cutie marks, so she could show the rest of Equestria what had become of their heroes. There's no questioning that she'll return, but therein lies the danger that currently surrounds her. She is a talented unicorn, good with magic, but mentally unstable with nothing to lose. That can only mean bad news, but the question remains; what will happen next? God only knows, but I'll be watching, and I'll be waiting. 3. Starlight Glimmer (continued) I'm making this separate section for Starlight because of how dangerous she is, and the kind of threat she represents that the Mane 6 and Equestria now face. As I have already said, Starlight is much like Twilight. Intelligent, magically gifted, powerful, charismatic, but misguided. However, despite being defeated she stubbornly hangs on to her belief that she brought the villagers true friendship and harmony under the banner of equality, and having evaded capture she is now effectively a loose cannon on a mission. Personally, I fear that because I am terrified of Starlight, then she truly does represent a grave and dangerous threat to Equestria, and the harmony that holds its ponies together. I have never feared villains like Chrysalis or Tirek, because they were villains that were already well known and quickly dealt with, minimizing their fear factor. However, Starlight is a regular pony who believes she is doing Equestria justice by making everypony equal, however her motives, intentions and background are largely unknown. Personally, I believe she was bullied as a filly and made to feel inferior to her peers, leading to a severe case of malignant narcissism, but that is mere headcanon. Why she is doing this will probably not be known for a while, and even her next move is a mystery. All I can say is may the Creator preserve the Mane 6 and Equestria, because this is a test they will struggle to overcome.

For me, it's quite surreal to know that past villains such as Chrysalis and Tirek have failed to scare me despite their appearance and general threat level, but I suppose it's because their backgrounds were already known, and as a result their fear factor was minimized. However, this Starlight Glimmer person actually terrifies me. This is the first time a cartoon character, particularly one from My Little Pony, has ever scared me. There's no doubt in my mind; she will return with a vengeance, incensed by the Mane 6 for exposing her cover and ending her control of the village. For now she will bide her time, planning a revenge most diabolical, waiting for the opportune moment to strike back.

I've been thinking the same thing for a while now. Twilight, Sunset and Starlight may not be related, but the Creator (MLP's version of God in my headcanon) made a plan for those whose names correlated to a shining light (Sparkle/Shimmer/Glimmer) and tasked them with the life mission to individually discover the aforementioned nuances of friendship and teach it to others accordingly. However, in relation with something very common in life, they each went about it in different ways based on their experiences. I imagine Starlight lived a hard life as a filly. A life where she tried to make friends, but was forced to endure bullying not for the lack of a cutie mark, but rather for a cutie mark that her bullies believed would not serve her well in the future, bragging and boasting about how theirs were superior to hers. This left Starlight scarred with the belief that if ponies were different, some would be better than others, giving rise to the philosophy that she would only find proper friendship if everypony was equal. Thus when she became a pony of Twilight's age, she ran away to Nonameville (the town in the episode) and convinced the villagers that if they were equal and worked together, their town would prosper and enjoy a peaceful existence. Sunset, meanwhile, lived a normal life as a filly. i assume before she became Celestia's student, she was a good pony, kind and friendly to others, and equally as talented in the arcane as Twilight, which obviously caught Celestia's attention. However, she became overly confident, to the point of being brash, egotistical, condescending and just plain bad, not to mention gaining a lust for power. Cue the comics, when her personality takes control. Personally, I would chalk her up to being impatient. As for Twilight, well, she did everything right. She became Celestia's student, succeeded where Sunset failed, defeated Nightmare Moon, repelled Discord and assisted in the victory over the Changelings. She would then go on to fix the spell Starswirl couldn't, becoming an alicorn and princess, thereby fulfilling her destiny. Before long, she would go head-to-head against the fearsome Tirek and put an end to Starlight's rule over Nonameville. Besides all that, she learned some very important lessons about friendship, while in the process forming a circle of five very trustworthy ponies and never giving up, even when things looked bleak. Of course, that can't be all of them. Perhaps the Creator intended to make some disciples of Starswirl? Who knows for sure. All I know is that Twilight may have found herself a rival in Starlight, and this season will finish with a battle between the two ponies with their respective philosophies at stake.

Ok, now that really terrifies me. Whatever Starlight wants with those cutie marks, I fear it will be beyond anything we've seen so far from MLP. Something so evil and sinister it will make Starlight one of the most hated and feared villains of the series by far and away.

Thereby, in effect, declaring war on Twilight and the Mane 6 with the intent to erase their philosophy on friendship and replace it with her own. I'm getting the feeling Starlight will turn sadistic to the point where she will be self-proclaiming herself as the true Princess of Friendship. I mean, if she's going to be a reoccurring antagonist, then there's no doubt in my mind she will be angry at Twilight and the Mane 6 for usurping her position and threatening her philosophy. She'll return alright, and with a vengeance to boot.

Goddammit I missed part two! Please let there be an upload soon.

For some reason, that terrifies me. Maybe it's because Starlight is fast becoming the most threatening villain to Equestria since Tirek. I theorized she would brainwash Twilight, obviously because she would be the first one to attempt a cutie mark rescue and then a breakout, but what you've theorized is twice as unnerving.

I'm getting a bad feeling Starlight's contingency plan will involve something along the lines of mind control. It only seems logical for a villain of her type. She wants her village to thrive under a united banner of communism equality, but what happens when somepony steps out of line? Take away their free will as a warning to others. I mean, look at the other ponies in the town. Either they were frightened into submission, or they were brainwashed. What Starlight has going on here is very sinister, and I fear that this is only the beginning.

Sweet Celestia, that escalated quickly. Am I the only one who really hates Starlight now?