Sunset Shimmer

* Sunset Shimmer's unicorn form
* Sunset Shimmer as a villain
* Sunset Shimmer's demon form
* Blue dress outfit
* Curret outfit

**Sunset Shimmer** is the main antagonist of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, and a supporting character in the sequels, some of the short films, and web series. She also appeared in the IDW comics where her backstory is detailed.

She is voiced by Rebecca Shoichet, who also provided Twilight Sparkle's singing voice.

## Backstory

Sunset's backstory is explored deeper in the comics. Here, it is shown she had a very troubled and apprehensive relationship with her mentor Princess Celestia, which explains her descent into evil (though she was already extremely cynical, arrogant, traitorous, self-centered, manipulative, and antisocial, thus her mentor's short patience with her). Sunset had previously appeared in the form of a toy and as an NPC in the MLP Gameloft game. In both versions, she was merely a neutral character and not a truly evil one. Sunset's desire was to gain princess hood and have everyone in Equestria recognize her. However, she felt Celestia's tutelage wasn't getting her anywhere fast enough. During the night, she took it upon herself to do research on the crystal mirror Celestia had shown her some time ago. Just as she found information about the mirror, Celestia and two royal guards arrived on the scene. At first, Celestia tried to console Sunset, but Sunset retaliated by demanding to be crowned a princess. It was then Celestia saw that Sunset lacked all the qualities needed to be a true princess, and deemed the young unicorn unworthy of such a status. Celestia then expelled Sunset from the school, banished her from the castle, and had the guards escort Sunset out. Sunset told her former mentor that this would be the greatest mistake ever made, but of course, it was only one of many. When the chance came, Sunset took the guards by surprise and jumped through the mirror—emerging as a teenage girl on the other side.

Sunset Shimmer first appears as the main antagonist in the first film. She is a unicorn pony who steals Twilight Sparkle's element of harmony: her magic crown, and in a tussle with Twilight Sparkle, the crown is thrown into a mirror that acts as a portal to another world, which Sunset goes through to retrieve the crown. In this other world, she is depicted as a human who mocks Twilight Sparkle when they first encounter each other. They meet again in a dark hallway where Sunset bullies Twilight into being discouraged from retrieving her crown. Several years have passed since Sunset ran away from home. In the past, she drove the human counterparts of Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity apart, but Twilight reunites them. She tries to keep Twilight from becoming Princess of the Fall Formal, like humiliating her via internet video and implicating but Twilight Sparkle still easily beats her in the competition. When this attempt backfires, she makes her cronies, Snips and Snails vandalize the gymnasium and implicates Twilight for it via photoshopped photos. Vice-Principal Luna falls victim to this deception but Sunset's former beau, Flash Sentry, exonerates Twilight at the last second and Twilight is dubbed Fall Formal Princess after she and the student body clean and redecorate the gym. However, Sunset steals the crown from Twilight Sparkle, puts it on, and transforms into a demonic-looking winged humanoid. In this form, Sunset becomes purely evil. With her new powers, she plans to use them and her army of mind-controlled teenagers to conquer Equestria. Sunset attempts to kill Twilight, but Twilight and her friends use the power of the Elements of Harmony to return her to human form. She is reduced to tears and apologizes for everything that she has done and Twilight believes her friends can help teach her the magic of friendship. Afterward, the human counterpart of Princess Luna, Vice Principal Luna, hands her a masonry trowel to repair all the damage that she caused. The worst part is, Sunset now feels like a nobody.

### Personality

Throughout the first film, Sunset Shimmer is shown to be a bratty, arrogant, rebellious, manipulative, and traitorous individual. She also doesn't believe in friendship and is unwilling to open herself up for any personal relationships. She frequently insults and belittles others, and thinks little to nothing afterward. According to human Fluttershy, Sunset makes life miserable for "anyone who stands in her way". As a result, much of the Canterlot High student body is afraid of her. She is also shown to be mainly concerned with gaining power, desperately trying various attempts to get Twilight's crown in order to use its magic. However, she doesn't appear to be willing enough to inflict physical pain on others, or at least not upon small animals (i.e. Spike), claiming that she isn't a monster. She appears to be easily irritated and cantankerous when someone else is praised in her presence, to the point of being provoked into attacking them. When Sunset puts on the element of magic, she transforms into a demonic visage of herself. While in this form, she becomes more dangerous, as well as becoming more ruthless, vicious, sadistic, and power-hungry, and even goes so far as attempting to kill Twilight and take her place. After she is defeated by the Elements of Harmony, Sunset Shimmer becomes immediately repentant and apologizes for her actions, appearing to renounce her prior dishonest and unkind ways. However, she is also overcome with a great deal of despair and regret. Almost everyone now turns their back on her, further complicating her sadness. In the second film, Sunset Shimmer appears to have completely changed from her old self and started believing in friendship, becoming friends with her former enemies, even Twilight, and she is friendly, kind-hearted, rapturous, humble, graceful, helpful, sensitive, enthusiastic, delighted, caring, brave, selfless, and thoughtful. She also appears to be deeply repentant and remorseful for her actions made at the end of the first film, referring to her altered self as a "raging she-demon". But since that time, she has felt troubled and her mind has become clouded with uncertainty. And no one has yet forgiven or forgotten her past actions. At this point, she runs into her new archenemies, Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. Sunset digs up the journal Celestia had given her and uses it to send out a distress signal. By the end of Rainbow Rocks, Sunset starts writing friendship reports to Princess Twilight using the journal she once used to communicate with Princess Celestia. By the third film, while Sunset has managed to fully integrate herself into the group and able to take mentions of what she did in the past with good humor, she also harbors a fear of losing her school's newly gained trust, and she becomes deeply depressed when she believes she has let them down, despite their assurances. She also becomes increasingly exasperated by her struggles to understand how magic works in the human world, briefly snapping at her friends at one point. When the human Twilight Sparkle endangers her friends, Sunset's anger explodes as she berates Twilight for meddling with forces she doesn't understand, taking her own frustrations and self-doubt out on her. However, she immediately regrets her harsh words and reaches out to Twilight in friendship by the end of the film.

## Powers and Abilities

Throughout most of the film, Sunset Shimmer is in human form and devoid of magic, relying on manipulation and bullying to get her way.
Her abilities as a unicorn are never demonstrated, but since she was Princess Celestia's personal student, it can be assumed they would be approximately on the same level as Twilight Sparkle's (before the latter became a Princess). Because of her Cutie Mark and her color scheme, it can be theorized she has an affinity to fire magic.

When Sunset Shimmer used the Element of Magic, she turns into a powerful, winged demonic entity with a fiery look. In this form, has immense magical powers, despite being in a non-magical world. She is extremely proficient with both Dark and Fire spells. She is able to effortlessly destroy walls through the movement of objects, turn her associates into demons, brainwash large groups of people at once, and conjure powerful fireballs. Her only weakness in this form is that the Element is not "loyal" to her since she does not grasp the magic of Friendship. When she tried to destroy Twilight Sparkle and her friends rush to her rescue, the magic of the Element refuses to harm them, instead imbuing the friends with power, despite Sunset Shimmer still wearing the crown.

## Trivia

* Sunset Shimmer will become Thomas the Tank Engine's enemy in *Thomas' Adventures of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls*, but she reforms and becomes his ally.