Malcontent

I'd vote they repurpose it. The lesson being don't let the past control your direction..in fact...one could say their past does not define them because. Well. Their past is not today. Hey..thats catchy..

I couldn't have said it better myself. The idea behind the mark and what one eventually becomes can in fact be different in some cases. We have no evidence to the contray. At that point in her life it made perfect sense. Then things..got a bit more complicated but still magic related.

Alas I think flash is stuck in the dreaded "friend zone"

No doubt she can't be the only one whose the unrelenting villain. I was quite pleased with that and let out a sigh of relief when she denied reform. There's hope yet for villainy in equestria n.n

I loved the premier of Starlight glimmer. They had worked their way into a bonefish villain after sunset and the dazzlings..then they took that villain and just ruined her. Finale? The Canterlot wedding where we learned we can't just do a captain planet everything we need to stop a big bad villain Though it loses some points for true love conquers all

Funny you should mention this idea. I was working on this when Rainbow rocks ended and it took form of Equestrian City. Once I get a proofreader or two more xD The endless possibilities for powers are the main reason I decided to explore this very question. For instance lightning dust would easily have super speed as a kind of reverse flash to Rainbow dash.

My personal favorite is in a cartman voice: "Go away, Flash. Nobody liked you." THE main issue I saw was that Flash was thrust upon us way too fast. Partially because they had no idea they'd be going back to the well this many times with that universe. I can forgive that. The other half is the perceived threat he presents to the fans who ship Twilight with others. Not to mention that there's a distinct issue with the fact his mlp is a newbie guard who we haven't seen since then even after we had a baby in the crystal empire xD You read alot about luna or Celestia having consorts that are guards but nothing official. For good reason I'll concede. But the stigma of royalty and a common guard never turns out well, and usually involves alot of heartache If they'd given time to introduce him and not have him come in and be a foil for a plot twist now and then we might be more receptive. But alas, he's just Flash now. :/

I think we established it was her own mind and self doubt as the issue. The real question is why? I have a sneaky suspicion that we may end up with a Dark Phoenix arc one fine day. This would lay the groundwork for that. That and we needed a lesson about believing in yourself or..something educational;)

I'd have to say Sunset Shimmer despite her an akin complex. She's got this wounded feel about her that we can relate to since we've seen her grow as a character. The others have pre established personalities we know already. Couple that with empathy that most people share and you've got the perfect package.

Starlight needs and probably will serve as a way to connect those just getting into the series. Similar to her MLP counterpart, she needs to help acclimate the new viewers in while reminding the old fans why they love the show The villain part..might be a bad idea as we've already seen that in the EqG world with sunset shimmer. After all, Sunset Shimmer was a prototype for Starlight (much to my dismay)

Sunset is unlikely to go anywhere serious in official canon. She's cursed with being a lead character, and as such, you can't have your leads shipped officially...lest you bring the ire of the fans.