Shallow15's Equestria Girls Timeline (Updated 6/4/19) · 5:29pm Jul 10th, 2018
The less rambly version of my timeline for Equestria Girls can be found below. Specific details as to why x or y decision was made can be found in the "Let's Talk Timelines!" blogs. Please note that as far as the comic stories or Equestria Girls novels are concerned, I consider what happens in the animated series to be the priority, with select elements from the comics and novels either included or ignored for the sake of clarity. My own stories are also included in this timeline for your convenience.
Please also note that I fully expect that as the series goes on, this timeline will be hopelessly ruined as I doubt we're ever going to get a graduation episode of the series and will instead see these girls in high school forever. As such, trying to break the entire series down into a solid 3-4 year high school timeline is probably going to be an exercise in futility until the series ends. Remember kids, cartoons with distinct beginnings, middles, and endings are only a recent development in TV. Back in my day, cartoon series just ended with a typical episode of the show, and didn't really bother with worrying about things like specific places and times of year.
Five Years Prior to Equestria Girls(EG1): "The Fall of Sunset Shimmer." Sunset Shimmer demands Celestia make her a princess and when she's refused, she runs away through the portal, winding up in the human world. The portal closes shortly afterward, stranding her on the other side. While she appears to be 10-11 years old on this side, her intellect is much more advanced than her body suggests. Somehow, she manages to survive in the new world long enough to wait for the portal to open again.
Two Years, Six Months Prior to EG1: The portal opens again and Sunset returns to Equestria. Upon her arrival, however, she learns that Celestia has taken on a new personal student, Twilight Sparkle, and worse yet, Twilight has somehow managed to find the lost Elements of Harmony and defeat Nightmare Moon. Angered by these revelations, and feeling Twilight has taken even more of what Sunset feels is rightfully hers, Sunset spends the three days the portal is open stealing books and other information on Twilight and the Elements, along with as much gold and gems as she can carry, and returns to the human world to plot her revenge. She gets her first idea when she finds a treatise on the Elements and how they may or may not work outside of the world of Equestria in one of the scrolls she stole. Sunset studies her stolen information for the next two and a half years.
She also manages to use several contacts she made during her first 2 years in the human world to convert her gold and gems into cash, and acquire fake documentation. This includes a fake birth certificate, social security card, and, most importantly, documentation making her an emancipated minor. This enables her to acquire an apartment. Her landlady, Miss Bookbinder, is suspicious, but decides to turn a blind eye, not wanting Sunset to live on the street. (More on this in a future story.)
One year Prior to EG1: Sunset Shimmer begins her freshman year at Canterlot High. Within the first semester, she has the student body in a grip of terror and has successfully ripped apart Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Applejack's friendship.
Five Months Prior to EG1: Spoiler for Repercussions: Sunset inadvertently outs Gardenia Glow as a lesbian in her campaign to beat her as Spring Fling Princess as seen in Repercussions.
Equestria Girls (September): With the portal open again, Sunset travels through to steal the Element of Magic. Upon initially going through she realizes the mirror has been moved to the Crystal Empire, however, overhearing the conversation of a couple of the guards reveals that Twilight and her friends are in attendance. She is also angered when she learns that Twilight is now a princess. Sunset steals the crown with the Element of Magic and dashes back through the portal. Twilight follows soon after leading to the events of EG 1. The Summertime Shorts "Make Up Shake Up," "A Photo Booth Story," and "Raise This Roof" happen here as well.
A Is For... (Two Weeks After EG1): Plagued with nightmares and self-loathing, Sunset has a week long series of sleepovers with her new friends as they try to help her cope with her guilt.
One Month After EG1: Rainbow Dash decides to form a band and asks her friends to join. (Rainbow Rocks prequel shorts)
Two Months After EG1: Sunset, still uneasy about her new friendships, helps support her friends as they form a band for the new musical showcase, and volunteers as a student aide for various things, including conducting tours for new students. The events of Rainbow Rocks happen here.
December (One month after Rainbow Rocks): The Anon-A-Miss social media account goes active, spilling secrets about the group that only they would know. Everyone assumes Sunset Shimmer is behind the account and is back to her old tricks, much to her dismay. She is later proven innocent. (EG Holiday Special Comic 2014.)
Late December-Late January (1-2 Months after Rainbow Rocks): Sunset Shimmer gets closer to her friends following the Anon-A-Miss incident and begins gaining her confidence back, changing her usual style to reflect her changes within. ("Friendship Through The Ages" & "My Past Is Not Today"). The human world Twilight Sparkle begins her research into the odd energy readings she's been detecting in town.
Late February-Early March ( Three Months after Rainbow Rocks): The Friendship Games are announced. Tryouts for the teams happen. Rainbow Dash goes to spy on the Crystal Prep team. Not really concerned with all this, Sunset Shimmer decides to figure out how magic works in the human world. (Friendship Games prequel shorts.)
Friendship Games (Mid-March): The Friendship Games happen. The girls' magic becomes more powerful and is collected by Twilight. Principal Cinch convinces Twilight to release it, causing Twilight to become Midnight Sparkle and nearly destroy reality until Sunset manages to stop her.
Late March-Early April (Two to Three Weeks after Friendship Games): Twilight Sparkle transfers from Crystal Prep to Canterlot High.
Mid-April (One Month after Friendship Games): Principal Cinch either retires or is forced out of her position at Crystal Prep, replaced by Dean Cadance. The details are sketchy, with most people assuming she retired. Additionally, the majority of the school set "Summertime Shorts" happen during this period, with Sunset occasionally wearing her old outfit from time to time, and acquiring her pet leopard gecko, Ray. ("Steps of Pep," "Pet Project," "Subs Rock," "The Art of Friendship," & "Epic Fails." )
Legend of Everfree (Late April-Early May) For Spring Break, Canterlot High arranges a school trip to Camp Everfree. The girls stop a magically overcharged Gloriosa Daisy from imprisoning the students at the camp forever. The girls receive their new magic powers and geode pendants. After the trip, the events of "Monday Blues" and "Mad Twience" happen here.
Dance Magic (Mid May): With Camp Everfree needing additional funds to stay open, the girls enter the "Chance to Prance" music video contest, eventually teaming up with their Crystal Prep rivals. They win the contest and split the prize money for their various causes.
Movie Magic (Late May): As a thank you for helping save Camp Everfree, the girls get a chance to visit the set of the latest Daring Do movie and recover the props stolen by Juniper Montage and are given extras roles in the movie as a reward.
June: With school out for the summer the girls get part-time jobs ("Shake Things Up," "Good Vibes," "Coinky-Dink World") and manage to find the time to refurbish an old school bus into their new Rainbooms tour bus. ("Get the Show On the Road.")
Mirror Magic ( Early July): In defiance of all known logic when it comes to the time needed to edit a major motion picture, the Daring Do movie is scheduled to premiere. Juniper Montage encounters the magic infected mirror and uses it to get rid of anything that prevents her from staring into it and seeing the life she wants. Sunset runs out of pages in her journal to Princess Twilight, journeying back to Equestria to get a new one, and bringing Starlight Glimmer back with her. The magic corrupts Juniper and Starlight is able to talk her into giving up the magic.
Late July: The Canterlot Movie Club sees the Daring Do movie a ridiculous amount of times ("The Canterlot Movie Club") while Rainbow Dash loses herself in re-reading the series of books. ("Leaping Off the Page")
Late August-Early September: School is back in session.
Repercussions (Late September): After work one night, Sunset Shimmer is attacked by a magic wielding woman in a black overcoat and hat. The woman manages to put Sunset into a coma. The other girls investigate who it could be. Sunset has a revelation about how she feels about herself and reclaims her cutie mark after realizing that ever since Rainbow Rocks, she's been subconsciously denying part of herself. Eventually Sunset is revived and the girls manage to defeat the woman. Unfortunately, their adversary is killed by an out of control magical backlash.
Sunset Shimmer is released from the hospital on the Monday following their confrontation with their enemy. Rarity is released the next day.
In the Days That Followed (The Wednesday after the "End Game" chapter of Repercussions - the following Monday. Last days of Sept. leading into the beginning of Oct.): Sunset and her friends deal with the fallout from Repercussions.
Consequences (Begins the Thursday after the end of In the Days That Followed): The events of Repercussions bring the girls some unwanted official attention and something angry lurking in the woods outside the city.
Mid-October: Things finally get back to normal for the girls. They also discover that if one of them uses their powers for too long a time, the other geodes will become overcharged causing the other girls' powers to activate at random. Twilight goes on her first real date with Timber Spruce. Rogue magic continues to be a problem. Rarity discovers Sunset is the mysterious street artist "Flanksy." (A Fine Line, School of Rock, Pinkie Sitting, Overpowered, Star-Crossed, My Little Shop of Horrors, A Little Birdie Told Me, Display of Affection)
A Matter of Credit: Later in the day, After Rarity makes her discovery, she asks Sunset why she wants to remain anonymous.
Mid-to-Late October: Sunset starts making her own comic book based on her and her friends. She also gets her driver's license. Twilight tries to decode an emoji only message from Timber. Rarity causes unintended chaos when she has to scramble for the latest trend for the school's video new program. The Rainbooms play a gig at Goldie Delicious's house. (Super Squad Goals, Text Support, Driving Miss Shimmer, Best Trends Forever,
Road Trippin')
November: Auditions, rehearsals and performances of the school play "Dazzled" happen. (Fluttershy's Butterflies, Stressed In Show,Rarity Investigates: The Case of the Bedazzled Boot, Constructive Criticism, All the World's Off Stage, Opening Night, Happily Ever After Party)
December-March: This section of the timeline is currently open to interpretation. At some point, Sunset and Rarity become the President and Vice President of the Yearbook Committee.
Early April: Rainbow Dash and Applejack get into a competition over who can join the most clubs, and thus, get in the most pictures in the yearbook. (First part of Queen of Clubs.) Wallflower Blush discovers the Memory Stone buried behind Canterlot High and starts using it.
Late May: The weather changes, and the school year starts to come to a close. Pinkie Pie helps solve problems for the customers at the Sweet Snacks Diner. Sunset Shimmer discovers everyone at school, including her friends, have forgotten about her reformation and she sets out to discover why, returning to Equestria and reconciling with Princess Celestia in the process. She makes amends with Wallflower Blush after the Memory Stone is destroyed. Finals happen. Yearbooks arrive, and the school year comes to a close. ( Pinkie Pie: Snack Psychic, Forgotten Friendship, The Finals Countdown, Yearbook arrivals seen at the end of "Forgotten Friendship" and "Queen of Clubs" happen here,
The Last Day of School)
First week of June: With school out, the girls spend a few days at the beach. Fluttershy puts together an adoption video for the animal shelter and fantasizes about singing karaoke, Applejack throws a hootenanny. (X Marks the Spot, The Salty Sails, Aw... Baby Turtles (End of Day 1 at the Beach), Too Hot to Handle, Blue Crushed, Unsolved Selfie Mysteries (Takes place at the same time as Lost and Found), Lost and Found (End of Day 2 at the beach), Turf War (Beginning of Day 3 at the beach. Applejack works as a substitute lifeguard in this short), Friendship Math, Outtakes, So Much More to Me, Five to Nine)
Second week of June: Applejack and Rarity hear back about their applications at the new EquestriaLand theme park. Applejack is rejected, and Rarity gets a job overseeing the new parade on opening day. The girls have adventures during opening day at the park, and encounter Vingette Valencia, social media maven, whose phone is infected by rogue magic, causing more problems on top of Rarity and Applejack having a falling out. Eventually things are resolved and the rogue magic dealt with. (Rollercoaster of Friendship)
Throughout the Summer/Beginning of Fall: The girls (and others) indulge in making online video. (Reboxing w/Spike, DIY w/ Applejack, The Craft of Cookies, Street Magic w/Trixie, Street Chic, Sic Skateboard, Game Stream) The first Canterlot Pet Show is held. (Best in Show pts. 1 & 2)
Late August/Early September: School is back in session. (Schedule Swap) Twilight gets a chance to meet one of her scientific idols (Twilight Under the Stars), Pinkie worries about the Sweet Snacks Diner's Skreech review scores (Five Stars).
September The girls throw a surprise birthday party for Rarity. (FOMO)
Late September-Spring: [TIMELINE CURRENTLY OPEN. EVENTS WILL BE FILLED IN AS FURTHER EPISODES COME OUT.]
Spring. (Probably Mid-March to Mid-April): Twilight organizes a Spring Break cruise for the school. Rainbow Dash is convinced some calamity involving Equestrian magic will happen, and her paranoia ruins everybody else's fun in the process. Turns out leftover magic from the Storm King somehow found it's way through another portal to Equestria and runs rampant. Rainbow, Sunset, and Twilight take a trip to Equestria and put a stop to it with the Staff of Sacanas. (Spring Breakdown, I'm On a Yacht)
The timeline will be updated with additional events from upcoming Equestria Girls media and my own stories as needed. Also note I have ZERO problems with moving the various shorts around to fit the timeline. For all we know, a bunch of the shorts could be happening simultaneously.
Sunset Sexytimes, The Green Room stories, Stupid Sexy Stereotypes and all my contributions to the Beanis Cinematic Universe are not part of this timeline for what I hope are obvious reasons.
FYI, the producer of Rainbow Rocks said in its audio commentary that it takes place six moons after the first film. I assume it's to late to effect your works timeline, but how would that effect your headcanon on things?
This suggests moons could be much shorter than months.
Still, great work on all this timeline stuff and all the reason and work you put into your posts. I'm impressed.
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Until they're willing to define exactly how long a moon is, I'm disregarding it.