still better than my guidance counselors.

@darknessRising24  
I swear I bet Starlight wrote at least two letters during her emotional-teen phase that goes:
 
“I miss you, come over”  
no reply  
“My dad isn’t home”  
no reply  
“We’ll play Dragon’s Pit, I’ll even let you trap my dragon.”

Just putting it out there, here’s an interesting thought user “AC97” brought up:
 
Sunburst, after leaving town, his mother would write him letters every other day or so, and he, getting sick of it, started throwing them out. Starlight, let’s say she didn’t muster up the resolve to try writing until say, weeks or months down the line (believe it or not, that sounds like something I could definitely see myself doing.), but at that point, Sunburst was routinely throwing out letters that came from that place, automatically presuming they came from Stellar Flare.
 
And that is why Starlight writing to Sunburst didn’t end up working out.

@TexasUberAlles  
You should probably update that.
 
If anything, her dad cares too much.

I ‘texted’ something, too! I call it ‘villains’!  
Sunset Shimmer: “I travelled to a paradoxical dimension where teenagers rule for some reason then bullied everyone to win some dumb contest. After that I robbed Twilight’s crown and turned into a demon to make an army of zombie teenagers to attack a completely magical land and then tried to kill Twilight all because I wanted to rule said land. Now I am the leader of the Equestria Girls and everybody loves me!”  
Nightmare Moon/Princess Luna: “I turned to the dark side and tried to kill my own sister twice because ponies slept in my hour to watch over them. Now I am loved by my sister and sometimes I am even called best princess!”  
Tempest Shadow/Fizzlepop Berrytwist: “I destroyed many dreams, ruled with an ironhoof, and almost let a power-hungry maniac conquer all lands because a giant bear almost killed me. Now I gain a lot of fanarts and fanfics!”  
Lightning Dust: “I don’t care if somepony gets really hurt or almost dies. I only care for the ‘show’. But I deserve to be redeemed because some ponies say so!”

Can you read? If you do, please read this:  
Starlight (S05E25): Touching it triggered the map to whisk you here and watch me erase the one thing that link you with your friends! My village was a sanctuary of equality, where nopony’s cutie mark allowed them to feel superior! It was a special place, and you and your friends took it away!  
Starlight Glimmer: Now it’s my turn to take something special from you! Without the rainboom, you and your friends will never form your special cutie mark bonds! Cutie marks for cutie marks! Sounds like a fair trade to me!  
If you still think that she time travelled ’cause of her boyfriend, I feel sorry for you.

Well, when you put it like that, it sounds stupid.

@Cryosite  
…you know, I would like to think that OP made this picture as a JOKE, directed exactly towards the people who doesn’t see the nuance.
 
ALSO, I think this picture is a GREAT testimony of how far Starlight Glimmer has grown! Do you know those ads about people who did their sales pitch like this:
 
“I was broke, jobless, homeless, would sleep in my car and would travel to anyplace willing to take me in for a couple nights. Now I own a company who makes 20 million dollars annually. Let me tell you how I did it–(and then it goes on for fifty minutes on tangent, never getting to the part we actually want to hear, but finally ends it with) if you want to know in full detail, step by step, the key to the secrets of my success, you can click the button on the right for a FREE book that is useless on its own, but I have its complimentary book just for 20 dollars. Normally I would charge a course like this for 500 dollars every session, but I understand the importance of spreading this message to everybody. So don’t waste any more time, take this chance to really change yourself for the better. Hit that button, sign up and I’ll see you on the road to success.”

@transblitz1  
Well, first lie is that her only reason was “because my friend hit puberty and moved away.” It’s the same old tired argument folks have been whining about since before S6, “omg, terrible backstory.” It’s like they can’t think for themselves and realize that there is clearly more to that story. “She was a filly with no cutie mark, but has one as an adult. Even though she hates cutie marks. Nope, no story there.” Just imagine if this is how we thought of everything?
 
No, really. She had a full childhood and some amount of adulthood between Sunburst moving away, and her founding her little community. That she was only able to think of the one event in the heat of the moment in the S5 finale, instead of being able to sit down and have a full on “tell me everything” therapy session doesn’t mean the other events didn’t happen and contribute. We don’t (yet) know what all those events were. But they clearly did happen. And with newer episodes out like The Parent Map, we see that her father was clearly affected by Starlight’s troubled childhood, and his relationship with her was also damaged. He tries to do what he thinks is right, but ends up being smothering.
 
Starlight had many problems. What those problems all are in detail may be a thing we never get to find out from canon. But to say they don’t exist at all is simply turning a blind eye to the details.
 
Second point, not brought up by the OP thankfully, but still brought up in the comments, is the “brainwashed cult.” I guess they missed the part where Sugar Belle described how she got to that place. She had her own troubles, doubted her cutie mark, and was convinced by Starlight that getting rid of it was a good thing. She had her doubts after making that choice, hence the episode. But just because the “brainwashing room” exists and was used on the M6 doesn’t mean every pony in the town was locked into it at one point and forced to convert. Indeed it seems like quite a few joined willingly. It would be fascinating to explore how the town faired after Starlight left, to see if any missed their equal states as they lacked any sort of guidance (that we know of) to fix whatever problems brought them there in the first place. Most probably learned from their time without their mark and came to appreciate it having back. Again, canon may never explore those stories and let us see them.
 
The last point is that, as usual, the “anti-glimmer” folks turn a blind eye to the growth she’s had through the seasons. Apparently, they’re of the mindset that at the end of S5, she should have been tossed in a dungeon (or Tartarus, or petrified) forever. They miss the fact that becoming Twilight’s student and being taught friendship wasn’t a reward, it was the rehabilitation. It didn’t just immediately and magically fix her (like the shitty storytelling for Luna). She continued to make mistakes and learn from them. She gradually became a better person. She’s earned her trusted position far more than the likes of Luna or Sunset Shimmer.
 
Yet, despite the much better storytelling and progression on display, they’ll still try to simplify things down. Sure. Sunburst moved away, then Starlight immediately went around brainwashing and mind-controlling random ponies, screwed up time, then the very next day she became the guidance counselor at the School of Friendship. Not a thing happened in between. Her story is exactly as if we pulled Charles Manson out of prison and made him the president.
 
The lie is the reductio ad absurdum and the omission of the other important parts.

The pay must be good then

Because that’s only logical. Put the known cultist in a position of power over young minds that trust in her.

Then you’re in good company, because none of us are perfect.

Yes you are, and you are the best unqualified guidance counselor ever. I love you Starlight.

Not the worst resume, Miss Glimmer.

Well, it’s true
 
What that says about her and Twilight, I’m not sure.

Sounds to me like Glimmer learned from her own mistakes, and is in a great position to help others with theirs.

I mean, where’s the lie?

Can’t tell if this is inspirational or is trying to start shit.  
Proceed to upvote anyway.

don’t forget she also invented communism.