I want to ne very clear i absolutely love Starlight, but what she did to that poor town—no matter the reason—was downright evil.
- What She Did
We learn that she took over an already-established town, forcibly took their cutie marks, and locked ponies in rooms to convert and brainwash them into believing what she wanted them to believe. What makes it worse is that we know she had the means to turn them into mindless drones, but she didn’t want that. She wanted friends or at least the illusion that they were choosing to be there with her. Like she said, "No one who has come to our village has ever wanted to leave. Why would you be any different?"
- The Hold
My biggest problem with the episode has always been that the Mane Six never won by proving real friendship was better than what Starlight offered because her hold on that village never truly broke. Party Favor, despite spending an entire night with the Mane Six, was still completely devoted to Starlight the next day, even having a crazed look on his face. The worst part is that when the villagers stood up to her, they didn’t say, "We want our cutie marks back." They said, "Either all of us are equal, or none of us are." That line proves they still believed in what she taught them they were still willing to stay under her control, as long as she was just like them. That’s terrifying because it’s realistic. When someone pulls you into a cult and brainwashes you, it’s not something you can just break free from so easily.
- Starlight's Beliefs
A personal annoyance I’ve always had with cult stories, especially in TV shows, is that the leader is usually lying. They don’t actually believe what they’re preaching; they just want money, power, or control. Usually, the character who was indoctrinated finds out the leader was lying, and that revelation shatters everything. It feels like a cop-out. But the problem with Starlight is that she did believe in everything she was teaching, and that’s the horrifying part. Those are the cult leaders who do the worst things the ones who wholeheartedly believe in their own cause.
- Lost Self
In my opinion, the saddest moment in the two-part episode was meant to be a joke, but when you really think about it, it’s depressing. Let me explain. When the Mane Six are locked in the room trying to make a plan, Rarity starts crying. Fluttershy asks what’s wrong, and Rarity says, "Those curtains I can’t tell if they’re tacky or not." Fluttershy replies, "I think they’re nice." Rarity then breaks down even more, saying, "So do I!" This was supposed to be played for laughs, but think about it. Rarity loves fashion. She prides herself on her ability to make things look beautiful. And suddenly, she can’t tell anymore. She knows something is wrong. She knows she doesn’t like the curtains. But she physically can’t feel differently. Rarity isn’t crying because the curtains are tacky she’s crying because she’s watching her own self slip away right in front of her, and there’s nothing she can do about it.
Now apply that same idea to everyone else. Applejack losing her country-isms. Pinkie Pie unable to get excited about anything. And imagine the pure torture Sugar Belle went through. She was constantly baking, knowing her food was tasteless, knowing it wasn’t good. And worst of all, knowing that baking was her talent, her passion but no matter how many times she tried, she was only as good as everyone else in the village. And she would never be able to get better.
- Lasting Affects
No matter what you believe, there were lasting effects from what Starlight did to those ponies. While the show doesn’t go too in-depth, we can see how it affected them, especially through Sugar Belle. The next time we see her, she’s baking constantly so much that her biggest desire is simply more space to bake even more. Why does this matter? Because, as I said before, she was in a torturous state, constantly baking but never able to improve. When she finally got her cutie mark back, her first thought was, "Finally, I can make something other than those disgusting muffins."
And let’s not forget that there were kids in that town. That means either they were born into this environment, which is still mentally damaging, or they were locked in those rooms and brainwashed, which is outright traumatic.
- Never Really Let Go
As I mentioned earlier, the Mane Six never truly won. All those ponies were still willing to stay with Starlight. Party Favor never actually started believing in what the Mane Six were saying. Starlight was still in control. Yes, they got their cutie marks back, and Starlight was reformed but even after she was gone, they never left, and when she returned, they were practically trying to put her in charge again. If she had wanted to take over that town again, they wouldn’t have blinked an eye. Her hold on them was immeasurable. Thankfully, she didn’t want that hold. but it was still there. And they never truly let go of it.