@Background Pony #0D99
I think Opaline works. The problem with G4’s two-part episodes was that a villain had very limited time to make an impression. They also suffered from spectacle creep.
What I like about Opaline is that the way she’s written follows the cycle of abuse. Chapter 2 starts with a few minor incidents. Then “The Traditional Unicorn Sleepover” implies that Misty isn’t getting enough to eat. Things culminated in
this scene, where we see just how unhinged and abusive Opaline can get.
Then, nothing. We don’t see her in Chapter 3, and she’s a bit of a joke in TYT. We let our guard down. Then Chapter 4 shows us how she gaslights Misty, and how even in a weakened state, she has the power to cut boulders in half. In “Missing the Mark”, we see that she’s willing to kill Sparky.
Then, in Chapter 5, she’s back to being not quite as threatening. In “Cutie Blossom Bash”, she gets bent out of shape over a hairbrush, and in “Mane Smelody”, we can see that her psychological grip on Misty is gone. In “Nightmare on Mane Street”, she isn’t taken seriously at all, and she goes home after stealing Posey’s cutie mark. If the pattern holds, we’re going to see the worst Opaline has to offer in Chapter 6.