“If I ever see you near my children again…”
 
The once well lit and homely kitchen darkened around the unicorn, his horn swallowing the light as a black hole swallows all existence and meaning. He stared down at her with such an incomprehensible rage that Starlight Glimmer felt herself crouch before him. In an equally terrifying voice he whispered:
 
“…I’ll kill you.”
 
—–  
I can’t stress enough how horrifying Starlight’s cult is in concept, nor how laughably downplayed it was. Yes it is a children’s show, but it was a children’s show that chose to discuss the death of identity, the value of community and the abusive and manipulative tactics of a malevolent cult.
 
There are many things I loved about Season Five’s two part opener. And many things I hate, and those things mostly revolve around what they did to Starlight as a character. When Starlight was introduced I was like, daaaamnnn this shit is getting interesting. She was no Discord or Chrysalis, but she stood out so much as the only truly threatening presence. Starlight was genuinely creepy and such a clash of tone compared to our other villains. I liked all of this stuff.
 
But then she became a main character. A good guy. How is this possible? After everything she had done to innocent, probably vulnerable ponies, she was welcome among our main cast. How is Discord, a far less malignant and nasty villain, treated with suspicion despite his genuine motivation to be good? Why was Starlight given so much after hurting so many?
 
She just kept doing what she was good at: manipulating ponies.
 
Starlight won’t have a big role to play in my verse (at least I don’t have a plan for her yet) but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t affected it. Scraps is one of those she has affected, and one of those that rightfully refuses to let her get away with it.
 
also as a side note I think it’d be super interesting if unicorns could cast darkening spells as well as light spells. Scraps has that particular magic; he can absorb all surrounding light if he chooses. Which makes intimidation a breeze.