I kind of expected backlash from the finale, but I had hope it wouldn’t happen. I was wrong.

OK, we get it, worst episode evar, Starlight Glimmer is literally worse than Hitler, yadayadayada.

@Alara Rogers  
Starlight Glimmer’s backstory is supposed to explain why she did evil things
 
I don’t think it was, actually, so much as intended to explain why those evil things were focused on cutie marks rather than world domination or whatever, and it’s only “weaksauce” if we first assume that this one thing is what flipped all her tables at once, then take her word for it that this was the only impetus for her lifelong digression into loony ideology; I think it makes a lot more sense to assume she was already kinda bent to begin with, and Sunburst’s level-up was only the first domino of many. People who aren’t psycho already don’t get magically turned psycho all at once just because they played one violent videogame; there was clearly a lot more going on in the space between Sad Lonely Kid and Vein-Bulgingly Deranged Local Tyrant than simply “had a bad day once”, we just didn’t get to see any of it because by the time the narrative caught up with her backstory there were only six minutes left before End Credits. I thought the pacing was pretty good in the rest of the Finale, but there was definitely room to trim some of the Cold Open and the alternate timeline sequences to free up airtime for a little more in the way of at least having her mention other waypoints in her personal journey into madness. As Evowizard25 points out:  
@Evowizard25  
Pinkie Pie went insane in the span of one afternoon  
…Which would have come across as a whole lot more of a rump-pull at the time if we hadn’t had Cutie Mark Chronicles two weeks earlier to show us in detail the GRIM DARKNESS OF THE FARM PAST that built Pinkie into the extremely neurotic and codependent mare we know and tolerate in the present.

@Embracethechaos  
Fluttershy is Discord’s friend, it’s just that Discord, outside of What About Discord, didn’t actively try to make friends with the others. As for Starlight, Twilight and her friends are trying to show Starlight a better path. She’s willing to change outright, while Discord {even with good intentions} likes being a bit of a jerk, a good jerk, but a jerk. He’s the Q, remember? He’s helpful when he wants to be, but everyone is a bit untrusting given his nature. He can’t help it.
 
Does this mean Starlight is going to go a one eighty? I don’t believe so, or at least not all the way. It’s a similar situation Sunset found herself in, although it will have a different outcome.

@Embracethechaos  
and that makes Equestria a very sexist place

@Background Pony #363E  
Yep. Discord sacrificed so much yet people still hate him. Starlight was given everything on a silver platter, yet still throws a hissy fit. Discord gave everything up and the group still spat upon him. Starlight stopped being a bipolar bitch and everyone on planet earth loves here

@Embracethechaos  
That’s not it at all. Most people love Discord for his depth after his reformation.
 
Starlight’s history hasn’t been fully explored yet, but the catylist is understandable, at least within pony society since they put more emphasis on friendship. {They are a herd species and thus need companionship a bit more than we do.} Not to mention people forget Pinkie went insane in the span of an afternoon because she thought her friends abandoned her.
 
Not to mention Twilight Sparkle mind raped children with a ‘Want It Need It’ spell, all thought out in one afternoon, because of a tardy friendship report. Twilight honestly scared me, especially since I have a little sister of my own and the thought of someone doing something like that just because they’re tardy with a report? I’m sorry, I’m going to be inclined to forgive Starlight.

@shadowfire  
THANK you. Discord: finally accepts that he’ll always be hated, but still does the right thing; Everyone: WHAT A BASTARD! Starlight: throws a hissy fit for no reason and ends the world; Everyone: Awwww, poor thing… REALLY PEOPLE????

@Evowizard25  
or parents to explain it, by the way she acted.

@Alara Rogers  
Starlight was a young child, raised in a society that examplifies cutie marks with active parties, passed down through generations, that view blank flanks as unachievers and now worth their time and to be mocked. Not to mention that ponies put a lot riding on friendships. Pinkie Pie went insane in the span of one afternoon and thought inanimate objects were talking to her because she thought her friends abandoned her. Ponies are a herd type species and Starlight didn’t have anyone to fall back on, especially since she didn’t have siblings.

There’s absolutely no implication that Discord rained chaos all over Equestria because he didn’t have a friend. Discord starts chaos because he likes chaos, because he is the Spirit of Chaos. The backstory we were given, that he never had a friend, is why he had any motivation whatsoever to change, not why he committed the evil acts he did.
 
Starlight Glimmer’s backstory is supposed to explain why she did evil things. It doesn’t do any such thing. I lost a hell of a lot more childhood friends than that to moving, and I haven’t gone on a crusade against moving vans.
 
Discord has very little backstory but what he has makes sense. Lord of Chaos! Likes Chaos! Has no friends but doesn’t care because Chaos! Makes a friend, goes “wait what now? uh… I kinda like this” and decides to cause slightly less chaos so he can keep said friend. That’s it. There’s nothing about that that is incongruous. (Also, at the time, there was endless bitching about the idea that Discord could possibly want a friend, given that his name means disharmony and conflict. But to be fair, many drama queens who want attention and stir up conflict all the time have and want friends. “discord”, small d, doesn’t prevent you from having friends, it just means you fight with them.)
 
Whereas most of us have experience with losing a childhood friend, and it didn’t make us go crazy. So yeah. Starlight’s backstory is totally weaksauce and much, much worse than Discord’s, because Discord’s didn’t need to explain why he was a bad guy, only why he changed.

@shadowfire  
“wants to destroy everyone’s mark because of it.”  
Correction: Wants to create a world where ponies can be truly happy without differences causing pain. Mistakenly thinks Cutie Marks are the cause of suffering.

Discord: Wanted to be himself, constantly shunned; therefore surprised Fluttershy wanted to be friends  
Starlight: Loses a friend, becomes complete shut-in; wants to destroy everyone’s mark because of it.
 
 
Yeaaaaaaaaaah, not really the same.

@Background Pony #363E  
YES. Thank you.

@Jades  
Trust me, they did. A lot. About as much as is happening here, in fact.
 
People just don’t remember because:  
A: Keep Calm and Flutter On aired a long time ago. The dissenters have since either left the fandom or dealt with it.  
B: Discord’s redemption was just one piece of the massive clusterfuck that was Season 3. A piece whose drama is usually eclipsed by those of Twilicorn and Equestria Girls.
 
That’s my two bits, anyway. I don’t think lingering in this comments section will do anything but kill neurons.

ITT: everybody else’s $#!+ stinks!
 
It’s a kids’ cartoon about magic friendship horses, the whole bloody thing is ridiculous if you’re looking for an excuse to make it seem that way. Shockingly enough, it is entirely possible to like X without that also meaning that everyone who likes Y instead is an ignorant jerkbutt. Why is it so hard to assume that a show which is primarily focused on slice of life morality lessons might be kindasorta like real life itself, where hardly anyone ever has the whole story behind anything, and there’s almost always more going on behind the scenes than anyone lets on? Just because we don’t get every single moment of every single character’s life explained in excruciating detail doesn’t mean they don’t have any kind of life to explain; if a backstory is insufficiently complete for you, do what most people do and fill in the blanks with your own headcanon.
 
@Chapelseed  
she did NOT have ponies WILLINGLY join her

Buyer’s Remorse is a harsh mistress; there was the clear implication that the villagers were dissatisfied with their lives and followed Starlight because they thought she had all the answers, and only realized that they’d effed up after the fact.

@Jades  
I think I do remember that, in fact the little backstory they flipped over were the events of RoH, kinda like how people flipped out over knowing Starlight Glimmer better in her first debut in the show and didn’t like the idea of her being redeemed?
 
and in all seriousness, don’t worry, you can have this shitty platform if you want, I’m not interested in any ‘discussion’ here, I can see what constitutes for a discussion here.

@toxicitzi
 
I don’t remember people actually flipping out because of a backstory about him though.

OP doesn’t remember the drama over Discord being reformed?
 
alright then. I guess nobody ever flipped their shit when they’d heard Discord got reformed.

The difference is that Discord is a good character and Starlight is really boring

Twilight Sparkle is tardy with a friendship report, mind rapes children.
 
Pinkie Pie thinks she loses her friends, goes insane and believes inanimate objects are talking to her.
 
Rainbow Dash’s pet is hibernating, believes sabotaging the whole of Equestria’s winter is a great solution to the problem.
 
The animals of the Canterlot Gardens aren’t paying Fluttershy attention, she decides trapping them against their will and forcing them to love her is a good answer.
 
All of those were in the span of a few hours. Starlight had years, starting as a child.
 
Conclusion: All ponies are ticking time bombs.

As someone who thinks people are overreacting to Starlight Glimmer’s backstory and heel-face turn, I still have to say this image is simplifying and distorting matters.

sees comments  
Congratulations; this post shall be rewarded with that one tag.

@Background Pony #67AC  
Sorry but I’m level headed. Maybe you shouldn’t be trying to make all these leaps.

I hated her “backstory”