@Background Pony #A27C  
When where we discussing her being a character in the main show?
 
….Well now that you bring it up, from a marketing standpoint a good reason to put her into the show is simply she’s a popular character, it isn’t like Hasbro are shy about referencing stuff from their series. From a story standpoint, it would probably make for an interesting story having her come back to visit equestrian to you know, see the sights, catch up with the goings on, maybe talk to celestia about betraying her trust and planning a massive invasion by demonic teenagers (God that’s still silly) There’s also the benefit of her interacting with Sunset, and the two discussing their similarities and life choices. Really there is an idea here, potentially a really good one.

@Background Pony #F15F  
But here’s the question. Why would they include her?  
From a marketing prespective it makes no sense to include a main and key character from another franchise into the show. Not only that but it’s a character that has zero references in the show whatsoever. Even Flash has more credibility to be on the show than her.  
From what the story has told us it also makes zero sense because Sunset has never shown any desire to return and I doubt she would abandon her Canterlot High friends to go back to a place where she burned her bridges and has really nothing for her. And if we take into account the deleted scenes from Friendship Games, Sunset values her friends more than going back as told by the deleted ending.  
So Sunset being in the show would be even more shoehorned than Starlight and not only that but it would be bad writing just to score a few fan service points.

@Zeyon  
“Yeah, Twilight will do it too. Just look what happened to trixie.”  

@Vree  
What do you mean the opposite happened? She put on the crown, is clearly terrified during her transformation and upon her restoration desperately wants to change her ways. How is the trauma of becoming a monster not enough to make someone want to change?

@Mr grump  
“scared straight” -> the opposite happened
 
Quit making stuff up. end.

Heh, you could say that almost any arguement about the events of a movie, character or book are just two different interptations clashing and both sides saying the others is invalid.

@Vree  
There’s nothing in the script or the events of the movie that contradicts it either and it is a perfectly valid interpretation of sunsets motives and as good a reason for her reform as anyother.

Does Twilight have to put you both in time out in opposite corners?

@Vree  
drama art? I kinda agree with that

BFFs!  
would like more art like this please :)
 
@Mr grump  
Unfortunately your headcanon doesn’t agree with the actual script.

@VNagato  
Sometimes no backstory is better then a crap backstory that turns your villain from a menacing threat into a joke. I also agree that sunset was scared straight after she was unwillingly transformed into a demon rather then the human equivalent of an alicorn like she anticipated. Her entire goal was most likely to challenge twilight for her position as princess upon her alicornification and return to equestria but the crown responded badly to her hunger for power and magnified her worst traits and her goal changed to all out conquest.
 
Sunset never showed an interest in conquest untill she put on the crown and she even refused to hurt a dog she had just meant. The most she ever said was that twilight wouldnt be safe In equestria.

@Background Pony #F15F  
The way they presented Sunset Shimmer was the same as every one-dimensional bitch character whose out to get the protagonist because they’re simply in their way. We got no explanation why she started to act cruelly, but for some reason, at the very end, she realized how terrible she was and wanted to change and understand. For very little backstory and shown to have very little care for others in general, it’s pretty difficult to understand why she suddenly decided to accept the whole friendship idea.

@Digitalgame  
At least when sunset was at her worst she had the excuse of being corrupted by the crown she was wearing. When the corruption was purged by the power of rainbows and friendship She was scared straight when she realized she had become what she just moments prior insisted she wasnt, a monster and she understood how others saw her because of her cruelty.

@VNagato  
Oh no, its not that they screwed up her redemption, its that they overplayed it and presented the ponies as gullible idiots who will not only forgive an individual for potential genocide, but that said individual will suffer absolutely no repercussions save a guilty conscious. At least that’s the impression I got.
 
Frankly as a villain, Starlight has one of the worst motivations for her actions to date, and her turnaround is so forced that it makes Sunset shimmers look like a natural outcome.

@angrybrony  
Naw, I’ve just found that after doing this so many times trying to convince people is pointless. I swear since this season started I have actually become extremely bitter about Sunset because of all the stupid shit that always erupts around her regarding Starlight. You want an actual argument?
 
Kay. Sunset was a former student of celestia disenchanted with her teachings and looking for a quick path to power. She got a taste of true power which corrupted her and that left a lasting effect on her. A major motivator of hers is that taste of power and largely the goal of her character is to make up for all the wrongs and evil acts she committed while she was still under the assumption that she had to control others with power in order to get what she wants. Her friends in EQG are basically the most important thing to her and she gets extremely defensive of them. The movies expanded her into a top notch character, but let’s not forget she’s had 3 movies which require a different more concise style of script whereas episodes for broadcast are handled much differently and we’ve only had 2 episodes of Starlight total
 
Starlight on the otherhand was abandoned by a friend at an early age and holed herself in a bubble, we don’t know if she had parents, but it’s implied she developed those bad ideas in her loneliness. She’s a broken person from the getgo Try explaining a simple concept to a child, it’s a lot harder than it sounds and that’s basically what Starlight is. It’s stupid but that’s how broken people are developed. She surrounded herself with false “friends” and tried to create a utopian world in which she thought. And she was also a huge hypocrite, and was worse in many ways. But based on the way she interacted with children you can see that she thought she was doing it out a good place. The fact that she thought this made her worse in some ways
 
She’s also an extremely powerful unicorn who can stand on her own with twilight. Her knowledge is likely due to her studies with her childhood friend but she’s much more trained and powerful in magic than Sunset is. And so the Mane 6 chose to try and reform her rather than punish her (a decision lots of people seem to be upset with) Then we get to her redemption arc. Most people were upset with the way the season ended because it looked too quick, but if we’re going by Sunset logic then you have to acknowledge that she’s only really friends with 3 ponies (Spike, Twilight, and Sunburst) Starlight is never really interacting with the mane 6 outside of discussions and despite the season finale, i didn’t really get the impression that she seemed like a member of the group and I suspect that. Most of her interactions are based on her self doubt in her ability to learn friendship and she’s taking a more direct approach to a student teacher dynamic. It’s much harder to accomplish episode by episode from another world. She hasn’t quite gotten past what she did either and she’s still a bit conniving. Y’know I get it, I really do, even though I was being a dick in my last post. Starlight has only had like 2 episodes though and this sort of drama has blown up like how many times in this fandom? It’s simply untrue to say they’re exactly the same and I actually think there will be more of a clarification in a movie or something. Was Starlight a much better villain? yes. Was her old mane better? yes. They both have redemption arcs, magic skill sets, and have central roles in their own stories.
 
But if you’re going to make the same argument for Sunset and include the later movies in which she’s fully developed, then you must allow starlight the same opportunity otherwise that argument holds no water. If by the end of the season she’s in the exact same place as Sunset then I will eat my own words.
 
And it’s only plot armor if it’s based on dumb luck or it’s external/ outside forces controlled by the narrative (Ex: Jar Jar Binks). It’s not the same thing when it’s acknowledged.
 
 
@SSJWolverine  
I apologize for my outburst there, I’m just very frustrated by this entire drama and wish it didn’t exist. Sorry. I wasn’t helping there either.

Holy shit, this ain’t even that old. XD

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh shit!

Keep it civil, guys.

@Mr grump  
Ugh, kill me now. Starlight deserves character development, but I don’t like the idea of her being in the main cast

@Thrond  

 

@Mr grump  
Good god, I hope that’s not the case!

@VNagato  
Agreed. What’s worse is that all of twilights episodes will most likely revolve around starlight for the entire season. Starlight will be getting all the character progression and focus while twilight will be ruduced to a mother hen type figure who is constantly thinking or worrying about starlight.

@angrybrony  
Heh, plot armour.
 
Because if you put an armoured plate on a pony’s butt then you are literally creating plo- nevermind.

@Mr grump  
I haven’t finished season 5, but as a villain, Starlight seems much better, she has a specific goal, and believing that achieving it would be the best for everyone, despite the consequences. I heard how they screwed up her redemption, and frankly I’m upset on the fact that she’s technically the new Twilight. First they reuse the exact same idea of redemption for character that they used for Sunset (except done worse), and try to define her new self with another existing character who also happens to be the protagonist.  
It’d be nice if they tried to make her, her own character, rather than sew old threads together.

@Background Pony #F15F  
Ooh. Didn’t consider that. Although if she used her Rainbow Power form, I betcha things would’ve gone down differently.