im sorry but starlight can not be used as a example or reasoning to show the above statements are true.
the thing is that starlight’s backstory is neither understandable for her actions or sympathetic even for a villain. A backstory like that in fact is often used to make a villain look worse. As if there backstory is be a petty reason for being evil, its usually used in storytelling to show that there irredeemable and won’t change.
opaline frediuan excuse for ex is ridiculously petty. As a filly, Opaline was overshadowed by Celestia and Luna, who supposedly ignored her when she tried to befriend them. This led Opaline to vow to more powerful than anypony else (like it came from ego). Notably when she gets a Flashback claiming her Freudian Excuse of Celestia and Luna being favored over her, what’s shown make it look like it was jealousy of their friendship
(this shows how petty, jealous and egotistical she is)
There’s some vital context being ignored about Opaline. The biggest part about it was that she was already an extremely unreliable expositor, being cast in the context of manipulating her abused adoptee for sympathy, and it’s even further emphasized by how she conveniently excludes the detail of, say, the fact she was banished from Skyros, not just “overlooked.”
There’s inherently more emotional vulnerability attached to Starlight being on the verge of a mental breakdown, because her mindset was much more volatile under those circumstances.
Because she shouldn’t have even been a villain in the first place for that reason.
Her psychological hangups are the fact that she has abandonment issues, and it spiraled from there. Is it entirely rational? No, but she’s prone to using emotional logic, as shown by numerous episodes after the fact, also more than once related to “abandonment issues.” Is it not explored with less depth than it could’ve been? Admittedly, yes, in regards to her backstory.
Twilight Sparkle: This is exactly why I didn’t want you to make friends with Trixie.
Trixie: A-ha! You still don’t trust me! But guess what, princess? It doesn’t matter if you want to give me a second chance or not. Starlight had to choose between you and me, and she chose me! Your pupil chose me, so ha! I win!
Starlight Glimmer: You win? That sounds like you just made friends with me to beat Twilight.
Trixie: Exactly! [beat] Wait! I mean, no! I got caught up in the moment. I like you. Beating Twilight is just a bonus. [gasps] Saying that didn’t help, did it?
Starlight Glimmer: I should’ve known. Nopony else in Ponyville wanted to be my friend. Why would you? [controlled sobbing]
The only reason there was even a friendship after Starlight ran off from that is because Twilight, seeing that Trixie actually cared about her, vouched for her. Twilight could’ve easily let Trixie either die or fail her magic show in shame, and Starlight would’ve had to live with the fact that someone she thought was a friend used her just to one-up Twilight.
…and in any case, there’s practically no hostility between Twilight and Trixie past S6, in their interactions.
