Sunset Shimmer

== History ==
Sunset Shimmer is a female unicorn pony, a former student of Princess Celestia. She recently returned from the world beyond the mirror portal to seek reconciliation with her former mentor and re-integrate into Equestria... only to find that her old home has gone batshit insane during her absence. Worried and more than a little inquisitive about these changes, she moves from the Empire to Canterlot to confront her teacher.
During the ensuing heart-to-heart with the Princess, during which Twilight and Applejack are present, the two give one-another one more chance. But not one to repeat past mistake, Celestia pushes the responsibility of overseeing Sunset's development onto Princess Applejack.
In a bout of self-initiative, she has sets up an auxiliary desk in Applejack's office to assist her new teacher with her first and foremost duty and enemy. Paperwork.
When it came to a confrontation between Twilight Sparkle and her friends concerning a matter between trusting the Changelings to restock the royal guard with their numbers or using actual robots, Sunset belatedly sought her out to cheer her up after failing to reach Applejack. Both Twilight and Sunset promised to assist each other in helping the Changeling's lot within Equestria by trusting one-another with their findings.
Sadly, after being repeatedly denied access to Twilight's research, she accesses/hacked the terminal while she was out of Canterlot. This fact has been discovered by both Twilight and Chrysalis, the former promising the latter to take care of it. Chrysalis chose to trust her on that.
In an experiment that was meant to unlock the secrets of the Changeling's dreams from a gem - one that Sunset forged before her departure from Equestria and hid in the ballroom- she has been lethally struck by it right as it was infused with a mixture of Changeling magic, her arcane magic and chaos from Discord's random meddling.
When she awoke, she found herself linked to the Hivemind. Recently, Variolus revealed she has taken up residence in her mind and intends to cooperate with the unicorn. If Sunset enables Variolus to speak with Applejack 32, her heir, and Chitania, she would allow her to contact the other Queens if she wanted and hand over the secret of the Titan magic as the only other one besides Chitania to know how it works.
Over the course of a week, Variolus gained more and more power over Sunset's mind, moving from subtle coercion to fully taking over. To sustain herself in her new state, Sunset had to absorb love from others and thus flirted and knocked out several ponies.
The first confrontation, with 32, took place after she lured him into the palace under the pretense of getting to know him better while in disguise. When it came to Variolus revealing herself and her agenda, 32 took flight, thoroughly sickened by being used by Queens. His mother was not amused, mindzotzed him to seek out Chitania's daughter so she could pinpoint her location and sent him on his way.
Gradually losing control of her mind and body, Sunset was then confronted by Twilight, giving her a harsh but deserved verbal beating before encouraging her to admit everything she had done to Applejack, or else. For reasons unknown, Sunset didn't find the courage to admit her problems to the princess.
Some time later, after the Apple family invaded Canterlot, Sunset found and tried to confess to Applejack, who was far too drunk and delighted in celebration to really let her get a word in. At the end of her rope and trusting Applejack's coaxing of that she would take of it once they were done celebrating, she tried to loosen up. Moments later, the flaming ball of hate known as Chrysalis chased Applejack down for losing one of her Hive, 12.
The majority of both Canterlot's and the Crystal Empire's princesses and defenders left to free the captive 12, and Variolus chose that moment to completely take over Sunset's body while lulling the unicorn's mind to sleep. Sensing her son in the Crystal Empire, she crossed over, taking out the portal's guards on both sides.
When Sunset awoke next, Variolus unleashed her Titan form, allowing Sunset to know and learn everything about it. How to use it, how it worked and what its strength and weaknesses were. For the next several hours, she was forced into the backseat of her own mind, watching Variolus smash, rage and trample over everything. All Sunset had was the hope that Variolus would adhere to her promise not to kill anyone.
After several confrontations and battles, Chrysalis chose to take the field. Using Variolus split attention, she invaded the Queen's mind and intended to blast it into dysfunction. Variolus, desperate not to fail, shoved Sunset's mind in front of the anticipated attack.
"H-help me..."
Chrysalis was stunned into inaction, and surprisingly unwilling to just take Sunet's life, and thus ejected from Variolus mind. A second attack followed soon after, a ruse combiend with a deadly lance of energy the Queen launched, chipping the Gem keeping the Queen alive. Infuriated, she launched a massive attack to obliterate the Queen, Cadance, Shining Armor and anyone between them. Luckily, they were able to shield before it struck.
Struck with the realization that there was no way this couldn't end with casualties and no longer caring for any powers or the Queen's plans, Sunset bound her own soul to a chaining spell, locking Variolus into her mind, unable to do anything as Chitania took the field and started ripping their body limb from limb.
Variolus tried pleading, explaining her plan, her motivations, but Sunset was unmoved. Finally, Variolus attacked the unicorn, intending to devour her soul and make them join into one. She almost suceeded, but that is when the corrupted Element of Magic, still stuck to Sunset's soul like a blemish lashed back and turned the tide.
Queen Variolus was devoured, her soul sent into the afterlife never to return, leaving Sunset with all of the Queen's memories, abilities and even some of her personality. Back in the material world, a triumphant Chitania was about to deliver the fishing blow when the demonic and titan-sized She-Demon version of Sunset Shimmer broke from the broken, mangled form of Variolus and launched a final, decisive strike. Weakening the Titan's chitin by sucking the love right out of it and blasting the hell out of it, Demon!Sunset managed to expose the Titan's heart.
Just before she could claim it as her own, Chitania's daughter, revealed to be the unlucky 13, exposed herself and revealed why Variolus dubbed her the 'Last Queen'. Despite being a mere drone, 13 possessed the mental powers of a Queen, a complete turn-around from her mother's physical prowess. Sinking into Sunset's splintered mind, she paralyzed and subdued the corrupted Element of Magic, causing the Titan form to become ash.
Sunset fell out of this crumbling form, just able to smile realizing she had at least done some good in all of this. Then she bounced off Chitania's now permanently scarred chest and dropped into the snow. Celestia and Shining Armor were swift to contain her through a stasis spell.
Some time later, she was left in a secure vault within the Crystal Empire, still in stasis, while Shining Armor had to decide what to do with her.
After a month of rest to regain her strength for the massive burnout she suffered defending from Variolus's ultimate attack, Chrysalis joined Cadence, Shining Armor, Celestia, Spike, 42 and the Elements as they went down to confront her. Chrysalis and Cadence alone went in first, with the Queen going into her mind to determine if it was Sunset or Variolus in control.
What she found is a twisted merger of the two, Sunset and Variolus, a result of both the Queen's memories and Susnet's becoming one. Quite cruel, yet wishing to 'help' others, Sunset mocked the other Queen, saying she would reveal her magics to the world and usher in a 'new era' where all changelings magics could be easily countered, and to prevent any other Queen from ever emerging.
Chrysalis, with help from Cadence to charge her to unstoppable levels, disagreed with this, broke into Sunset's mind, and carved out every trace of Variolus from her. After the unusually careful procedure, Sunset was left alive and whole, and free of Variolus's mind control. With that, Variolus's mind was contained in an orb, one which would grant her every memory to whomever held it. Chrysalis, believing Variolus had been in control, thought nothing more of Sunset.
Despite this, upon waking up Sunset retained her hatred for all Queens and Changelings due to what she had been put through, and when Cadence rushed over to help her up she drained the princess into unconsciousness. Enraged that Sunset had hurt her, Chrysalis and her began to battle for the orb, said orb influencing Chrysalis's mentality and making her more brutal, even wishing to kill Sunset.
Eventually, after some trickery left Chrysalis weakened, Shining Armor intervened and punched Sunset into the wall. During the fight, Chrysalis had lost the orb, which was found by Applejack.
After the others dealt with a possessed Applejack, Sunset stole back the orb, and resumed pleading to the others to let her keep it so she could protect them from the Changelings. While initially enraged with her for harming Cadence, Shining Armor became more sympathetic when she revealed how it had felt to be controlled, something he related with. After a discussion with Applejack, she gave up the orb, and allowed herself to be punished however they saw fit.
Following a debate with himself and others, Shining Armor decided, bringing her out to the Empire to see and passing judgement. Knowing she had not intended it to be so dire, and that she did have a drive to help, he decided to punish her as Twilight had been punished when she released Chitania. She would work to better the Empire and Equestria as a whole, and was not allowed near anything to do with Changelings until Chrysalis decided otherwise. She would be confined to only the Empire or Canterlot, and if she proved herself she could leave again.
Following this, Twilight, Celestia and Applejack added their own requirements and restrictions, with the latter accepting her back as her student.
Currently, Twilight and the others are working to restore her to 'life'.
=== Thread 257 ===
# [OOCO] Chitania states that she notices a pattern when Sunset and 13 get together. Sunset hazards a guess that it's "awesome things happen" with 13 pointing to their latest invention as proof. At Chitania's query about it, Sunset says they call it the "stiltmaster". When Chitania asks what it does, they activate it to reveal... that it makes them taller than her. Only slightly, but still. Teasing her, they say that it must really burn her up inside. Chitania points out that she can become taller than a skyscraper, so why would them "being an inch above my normal form bother me?" "Does it not?" Sunset asks. "Of course it fucking does but it shouldn’t."
=== Thread 261 ===
# Back in her Baltimare hideout, Sunset is working on her portal when a sudden surge of magic activates it. Horrified, Sunset attempts to draw closer to it in an attempt to shut it down, but the wave of magic is too strong and she can barely move an inch as Sweet Note, Changeling 13, and Fizzle call for her to stop. Letting despair overtake her, she accepts that her work might be destroyed for good this time and doesn’t even look to see if it was when the surge finally subsides. Until a very familiar voice calls out her name, dispelling her despair. The voice (presumably belonging to Alter-Twilight)  states that Sunset doesn’t know her, but she knows Sunset and is a big fan of her work looking to engage in a collaboration. Feeling a gentle force take hold of her, Sunset looks into the mare’s eyes, eyes that held a burning drive that she knew she would follow before the mare even stated what her goal was: the end of Princess Applejack.
# Presumably no longer at her Baltimare hideout, Sunset Shimmer gazes in wonder and can’t help but smile at the magical technology [her unknown guest] has shown her. Wonder, a feeling she’d not felt since Chitania told her the wonders of the earth. Her guest tells her to get comfortable for the work they’ll need done, but that it at least shouldn’t take long once their backup arrives. Sunset asks when that is, with her guest saying that “she” shouldn’t be long, but “that little pony is not very predictable”. Still, she promises that Sunset will have the power she needs soon enough, and Sunset can feel more magical power than what she felt since she became one with “the tower of magical might so very long ago” irradiating from the mare’s horn. This is followed by the appearance of what’s presumed to be the Variolous Orb, with the unknown mare saying that as long as Sunset keeps up her work, that she’ll see “her” soon.
== First appearance ==
Thread #62. https://archive.moe/mlp/thread/21945390
== Trivia ==
* She seems to have picked up the habit of smoking, carrying a bit of loose tabacco, papers and filters with her, and the scent of smoke following her everywhere.
* Applejack's first lesson to her was the suggestion to find and indulge in a vice whenever she feels stressed by the insanity around her.
* She seems to fall into the category of an 'Undead', as of Thread 70, if Variolus is to believed. Only the gem now in her heart and love magic keeping her alive. Hard to trust Variolus on anything, though.
* Her body's new state does allow her to use Changeling magic, something that would be inherently lethal to most living beings due to the changes made crushing inner organs.
IMG 0126.png|Eyes so wide and full of wonder. She has no idea.
IMG 0063.jpg|What? Psycho mare can't love some doughnuts? They're universal!
Suneye.jpg|Don't make her angry, you wouldn't like her when-no let me clarif do not make her angry!
Sunset expreesions.png|The many faces of silly!
AJSunsethug.png|What could have been, or what will be? There are many ways to go.
FaustSunset.jpg|"There, now you're better." "But I don't feel" "Look I have one trick don't make this a problem."
Sunset coat.png|B-b-baaaad, bad to-well to her eyes to be honest, that looks infected.
1487980810998.png|Her supermode looks a little different when she's not a person.
1487914354269.png|"Duhhh, what we gonna do ta'day Sunset?" "The same thing we do ever day, you fool! Try to punch god!" They're punchy and the brain!
1487410577109.png|Take her leg? She'll build another one and kick your ass with it!
Sunset Hoofing.png|This way, where death is not!
Sunnydance.png|Even when the world burns, she's gotta dance.
Sunset Lick.png|There are times in life you need to ask yourself "Will I die regretful if I do not do this?" Well, my friends, Sunset will not die with regrets, what about you?
Sunn.png|Peekaboo
Hug pony.png|Well? You heard her!
Sunset Fired.png|Oh, so that's why she needed the hugs.
Angry Sunset.png|Her response to recent events were measured and fair.
Sunset Supermode Color.png|Supermode, in color!
Ragged Sunset.png|"If you think this is bad, wait till you see me without my coffee! Ha haaa, but seriously I'm in pain."
Sunset MIB.png|What, you didn't think she just figured that all out via magic right?
Sunset Rock.png|You know the best part about fingers? You can use them to ROCK
Sunny Holidays.png|Applejack laughed at her words about appeasing the bunny now, but she would come to regret it.
Category:Canterlot
Category:Antagonists
Category:Canon Character
Category:Female
Category:Unicorn