So after reading several blog posts on this particular subject I’ve decided to make my own explaining why the season finale sucked, AND giving VALID justifications for my reasons.
Starlight Glimmer was first introduced in the season five premiere, in these two episodes we find out Starlight has forced her “Everypony should be equal” bullshit philosophe on a whole town of ponies. Speaking of being equal, how could she not see how flawed her plan was? There is no such thing as equal in any society, (even in her own utopia of equalness she was not equal, she took everypony’s cutie mark but her own. YET ANOTHER FLAW IN HER CHARACTER!) But back to the whole equalness thing, there is no society anywhere in existence where everyone is equal. It is simply not possible, there will always be someone who is determined to rise above everyone else. So her very actions for being a villain were completely flawed from the beginning.
Then we move into the fact that she FORCIBILY removed the mane sixes cutie marks. At least everypony int he town gave up their cutie marks on their own FREEWILL. So once again we see how hypercritical and illogical her grand scheme really is. (how did the writers not see this themselves?)
So after the season premiere where Starlight Glimmer has been defeated and the town has their cutie marks back Starlight has the entirety of SEASON FIVE to stew in her hatred and resent of Twilight and her friends. This is actually a HUGE POINT you have to take in consideration of the season five finale. (we’ll get to that later).
Right now let’s take a look at Starlight’s mentality.
We know in her youth she felt betrayed by Sunburst getting his cutie mark and just leaving her up and dry. (we’ll also get back to his point later.) and as a result she decided to take it upon herself to rid Equestria of cutie marks so everypony is equal. (Except herself of course. AND GOOD LUCK TRYING TO GET THAT PAST CELESTIA!) to do this we see she is willing to forcibly strip ponies of their cutie marks. This shows she has practically the same mentality as a sociopath.
A sociopath by definition is someone who is willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to achieve their goals. This includes lying, cheating, stealing, manipulating, and just a whole bunch of other unpleasant things. (I’ve actually studied up on sociopaths so I know what I’m talking about). And sociopaths are able to do all this because they have LIMITED EMPATHY. Empathy allows people have to be able to relate to other people. It also allows them to see and understand the other people’s perspective and points. As opposed to a sociopath who can only see that their views and beliefs are the right ones.
So after all this time during season five where Starlight’s hatred for Twilight and her friends only grows and grows, it finally comes to a climax when Starlight sends Twi into a time loop in order to stop the sonic rainbowboom.
There are several plot holes I have found with this. (we’ll also get to this later).
While Twilight is stuck in these time loops she sees many different ways Equestria is doomed, each one worse then the last. (again more plot holes in this bit which we’ll get to later) Eventually Twi stops going through the time loops long enough to start trying to talk some sense into Starlight. (Remember how I explained how she was a sociopath?) Well there is no way in hell Twi would have gotten through to her in that short amount of time. Starlight would have kept insisting Twi was lying, even going so far as to believing that Twi would show her illusions of Equestria’s destruction if sh stopped the rainboom.
So my question is this.
How in the world does a SOCIOPATH who hates Twi for DESTROYING her made up world of perfectness suddenly start caring about what Twilight says when she clearly did not believe the very proof of seeing Equestria’s destruction? How does she suddenly switch off and put aside A LIFETIME OF RESENTMENT towards cutie marks, and how does she suddenly ignore A WHOLE SEASON OF HATRED SHE FELT TWOWARDS TWILIGHT? The very fact she has a limited level of empathy would mean it is physically impossible for her to start being able to see and agree with Twi’s point of view. She even went as far as to start destroying the time traveling spell so the future could not be altered after she changed the past. There is no way someone with this much hatred and resent towards the world suddenly starts feeling remorse because of a heartfelt speech of remorse.
It even took Discord several days of being with Fluttershy to agree to become formed, and that was only after he tricked Fluttershy into not using her element of harmony against him and realized that he actually did like the friendship and kindness Fluttershy showed him. But even after all this he still tip toes the line between good and evil.
Starlight on the other hand is completely filled with malice and hate towards Twilight so there is no way she would suddenly change just because of a heartfelt speech of friendship.
Now it has been pointed out to me that Starlight would take into consideration that there was a POSIBILTY that Equestria would be destroyed if she continued with her plan, and not wanting to start Armageddon she accepts Twi’s offer of friendship and becomes reformed.
I agree that Starlight is capable of seeing the threat to Equeastrian life, but I disagree she would suddenly switch her whole personality and mentality around just because of a heartfelt speech. SOCIOPATH, remember? So I believe Starlight would not take the chance of causing Equestria’s doom and instead look for other ways to hurt Twilight once she gets back to the real present.
This ending for the season would have been so much better for the finale. We would have had the promise of Starlight returning as a reoccurring villain throughout future seasons possibly mucking up their adventures and cuasing all kinds of mischief,
But nope, they just had to go reform her in a completely unrealistic way.
Reasons why Starlight is a sociopath part one
Reasons why Starlight is a sociopath.
Sociopaths are masters of influence and deception. Very little of what they say actually checks out in terms of truth and facts, but they are extremely skillful at making what they say SOUND believable.
In the season premiere we saw how Starlight had practically brainwashed an entire TOWN into giving up their cutie marks. This proves that she’s proficient at influencing, and deceiving ponies effectively. (I mean come on! If she used her sob story about how Sunburst dropped out of her life because he got his cutie mark she’d be laughed out of the town. Not to mention told to get the hell over it.) But, by blowing her experience out of earth shattering proportions she’d eventually get the sympathy of the towns ponies, thus using deception to get her own way. But first she would have had to use her influence, and to get influence she’d start by befriending the towns ponies, then once she sowed seeds of trust she would then continue to let them grow through MANIPULATION! And DECEPTION! Once she got enough influence she would use that influence to convince the towns ponies cutie marks were evil. Thus we have covered influence and deception.
Sociopaths are charming, and have high charisma and tend to attract a following just because people want to be around them.
Once again we saw in the season premiere that Starlight has these traits. When the mane six first cam into the town of cutie markless brainwashed ponies Starlight practically showed it off as a haven and utopia of equalness. She used her charisma and charm to portray the town as a blessed paradise. But when that didn’t work, she used more drastic means to achieve her goals of ridding everypony of their cutie marks. Which leads us into our next step.
Sociopaths don’t care what they have to do or who they have to hurt in order to achieve their goals.
Once the mane six showed an open rebellion to Starlight’s preaching she FORCIBLY AND WITHOUT CONSENT removed the mane sixes cutie marks. She then locked them in a room and began FORCE FEEDING the mane six and another pony her preachings of how cutie marks are evil and by her removing them she’ll make everypony equal. (Except herself of course. She gets to keep her cutie mark and then LIE about how she too is equal.) She DIDN’T CARE that the mane six didn’t want her teachings. She DIDN’T CARE that she had just STOLEN the MOST PRECIOUS THING THE MANE SIX HAD. She DIDN’T CARE how they felt. She only cared ABOUT HERSELF. She only cared about achieving HER OWN GOALS. And was willing TO DO ANYTHING to achieve them.
Sociopaths are more spontaneous and intense than other people. They tend to do bizarre, sometimes erratic tings that most REGULAR people wouldn’t do. They are unbound by normal social contracts. Their behaviour often seems irrational or extremely risky.
Would a NORMAL pony go out and brainwash an entire town of ponies about how cutie marks are evil and that they should be eradicated so all ponies could be equal. No they wouldn’t. I was going to save what I’m about to write for a future chapter but now seems like a perfect time to write this.
Things Starlight could have done instead of trying to remove everypony’s cutie marks and forcing them to be “equal”
Gone to Sunburst’s room before he left for Canterlot and established a line of communication.
The first chance she got she could have gone to Canterlot and confronted him about dropping out of her life, then ultimately talking about it and making up.
Sent letters herself, and if he didn’t reply go to Canterlot and demand an explanation.
I don’t care what other people say about this but if Starlight’s friendship with Sunburst was as important as she claims she would have moved heaven and earth to make sure their friendship stayed alive. Twilight herself exemplifies true friendship. She was always there for her friends, she has literally PUT HER LIFE ON THE LINE for her friend. She GAVE UP HER MAGIC for her friends. She ALWAYS MADE TIME FOR HER FRIENDS. I’m sure there is nothing Twilight wouldn’t give up if it meant the SAFETY AND SECRUTIY of her friends. Starlight on the other hand EXPECTED SUNBURST to keep their friendship alive, NOT HER. Starlight did nothing to save her friendship. Sure when she was just a foal it would have been hard to stay in touch. SO SEND A BUCKING LETTER! But nope, she just had to let her Sunburst’s so called betrayal of their friendship make her hate cutie marks. Seriously, if she put the same effort she put into brainwashing a town into tracking down Sunburst and keeping their friendship alive she wouldn’t have been so evil.
Instead she would still have her friend, possibly been enrolled in Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns and made MORE FRIENDS. (Seriously, if she had enough magical talent to take on A BUCKING ALICORN FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE WHY THE BUCK WOULDN’T SHE ENROLL IN THE SAME SCHOOL THAT HER FRIEND IS AT) I’ll tell you why, it’s because she let her initial feelings of hurt and betrayal completely go out of control. If she had thought calmly and rationally like a normal person she would have made an effort to kep their friendship alive. So ultimately it was HER FUALT that their friendship died. But to a SOCIOPATH nothing is THEIR FUALT, they also find somebody else to blame.
Sociopaths are incapable of feeling shame, guilt, or remorse.
Even when Starlight had been completely exposed THAT SHE WAS LYING THROUGH HER TEETH she didn’t say that she was sorry FOR DECIEVING AN ENTIRE TOWN OF PONIES. No she immediately casts THE BLAME ON ANOTHER PONY OTHER THAN HERSELF. The only remorse she felt was for herself, because she had been CUAGHT LYING.
Sociopaths invent outrageous lies about their experiences. They wildly exaggerate tings to the point of absurdity, but when they describe it to you it sound believable at the time.
I’ll once more mention how Starlight would have had to completely blow her story out of earth shattering proportions to gain sympathy and pity from the towns ponies.
Sociopaths seek to dominate others and win at all costs. They hate to lose any argument or fight and will viciously defend their web of lies, even to the point of logical absurdity.
When the mane six entered the town of brainwashed ponies they were immediately a threat to Starlight’s way of life. By entering the town Starlight would have immediately begun thinking of ways to brainwash these newcomers. And we saw the extent she was willing to go in order to do so. And when she lost she had to reassert her dominance and beat the mane six because they prevailed against her. So as soon as she found a way out of the caves she began her plan of HURTING twilight and her friends back. Her plan was cold cruel and intentional. She KNEW PERFECTLY WELL that her plan would hurt the mane six both physically and emotionally. She was filled with malicious intent to PURPOSEFULLY hurt them. There was no way she was going to let her hatred for Twilight go. She can not feel remorse for what she did. Even when Twilight showed Starlight the future equestria that was effected by the past Starlight still resisted the very truth SHE WAS SEEING WITH HER OWN EYES. If Twilight had the power to create a WORLD WIDE illusion, how the fuck did Starlight stand a chance against her. (something else I’ll be touching on in future chapters) So even when Starlight was seeing that Twilight was telling the truth, she actually said “I don’t belive you” THE TRUTH WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER EYES and she was still defending HER LIES!
I’ll be adding more to why Starlight is a sociopath in the next chapter, but there is something else I wanna write about.
The right and wrong in the eyes of the mane six, and the right and the wrong in the eyes of Starlight.
So some people have gone on about how Starlight was justified in going after the mane six in such an aggressive manner because they destroyed her utopia BUILT ON LIES! Well I call BULLSHIT!
The mane sixes’ point of view.
So the mane six were called to a town by the friendship map, and when they arrive all the ponies have the same cutie marks and are unrealistically happy. So of course they are going to suspect something. Then out of nowhere Starlight Steals their cutie marks. No at this point the mane six didn’t know any of her completely bullshit back story so this unicorn had just STOLEN the most PRECIOUS THING from them. Their cutie marks are what make them who are they are. Their cutie marks are their very essence and being. When Starlight stole their cutie marks she stole their very identity and their own unique talent. How would you feel if someone came up to you and stole the very thing that was most precious to you. So I can understand why Twilight is pissed and goes after Starlight, who not only messed with her, but she MESSED WITH HER FRIENDS!! And we know how much Twilight cares about her friends. So taking all this into consideration let’s look at Starlight’s sense of right and wrong.
Childhood friend gets cutie mark. After mentioned child hood friend goes to a school of magic. (A school of magic Starlight could have applied for.) what does Starlight do? She decides cutie marks are evil friend stealing bitches which nopony should have so she suppresses anypony who stands in her way and doesn’t give a fuck who she hurst to attain her dream of a world without cutie marks.
So comparing the two views of right and wrong above we see the mane six are completely justified in taking down Starlight.
