October 26th, 2023 update: This story's going back in the oven. There's some changes I want to make. Details here.

Sunset Shimmer lived a perfect life: an aspiring career as Princess Celestia’s star pupil, a budding romance, and the perfect best friend to discover the wonders of the world that made life worth living.  But under the guise of a new friend Sunset met in her dreams, Nightmare Moon sought to upend everything in the name of vengeance, and the powers that be demanded their pound of flesh.

Years later, long after the dust had settled, Sunset found her home beyond the portal. Life was good, if a little strange.  But when Princess Luna comes seeking to quell the nightmares of a past that still haunt her, those nightmares rapidly spiral out of control, and Sunset is faced with the impossible decision of allying herself with the very individual who had destroyed her life.

With little choice, they strike a tentative partnership, and as past and present converge to threaten all that Sunset holds dear, she is left standing at the precarious ledge of a question that may very well have no answer:

Is there a limit to forgiveness?

[Non-con] tag for story elements, not on-page events.
Edited by RBDash47.
Cover art by Ventious.
Chapter header art by Smeows_isgood.

Magic isn’t real. Twilight Sparkle abandoned that fantasy in her childhood, along with nonsense like pony princesses and myths of a monster in the moon. The only thing worth believing in is that which can be proved—scientifically, of course.

But then a series of un-scientific phenomena starts happening at Canterlot High. The magic-obsessed transfer student won’t leave her alone, a vivid nightmare haunts her dreams with increasing intensity, and her benevolent mentor-slash-principal is clearly hiding something big. Everywhere she turns there’s talk and sight of magic; rumours of a thousand-year old prophecy and a monster returning to seek revenge. And worst of all? Twilight finds herself almost willing to believe it.

Almost. Good thing she’s smart enough not to, right?

An EQG-adjacent retelling of the season one opener. Sciset. Animated trailer. Reviewed by PaulAsaran. Art by me!

There was only one explanation. For all of it. All of the strange, erratic behavior. Her irrational fear of the sun. Her nocturnal habits of locking herself in in the dark and closing all the blinds. Wearing her sunglasses everywhere, even inside! It was time to invest in some silver, garlic, and a wooden stake.

(Cover art by Weird Alicorn)

(NOTICE: As of 5/22/21, Special Chapters have been added to the story! They are denoted with SP and a number. They are best understood after having read the entire story, but have been written to fit their place in the narrative.)

"You've heard of it, haven't you? The Legend of the Two Sisters?"

Two thousand years ago, two sisters sealed away the world of demons by wielding its own infernal power against it. One thousand years ago, one of them was corrupted by her power and banished to the demon realm by the other. With the demon realm sealed away, the remaining sister faded into history, deciding to leave humanity free of their immense powers.

But with her virtuous sister long since a myth, the Dark Sister plots to return and conquer the land of mortals once more.

Standing in her way in the present day is Sunset Shimmer, a legendary demon hunter who was once a lowly high-school bully, but trained in the ways of the Light Sister to redeem herself. Half-human, half-demon; fully loaded with twin pistols and a huge sword, she runs a demon hunting service called "Sun Never Sets". Despite her history as a bad girl, she now uses her demonic abilities to challenge the forces of darkness with wit and style.

But also chasing the Dark Sister is her long-standing best friend Twilight Sparkle, another half-demon demon hunter trained in the light, but fallen to the darkness within herself. She's willing to sacrifice everything to stop the Dark Sister's return- even the rest of their friends. An unresolved rivalry stands between the two of them, and by facing her Sunset must learn what it means to carry the legacy of the Sister of Light.

Between the Dark Sister, Twilight, and all of the underworld being unleashed, Sunset has her work cut out for her.

But for her, the Sun Never Sets.

This story is mainly for people who want to watch the girls fight bad guys with big swords. 

This story is a re-invention of the world of FiM and EQG by a fangirl of games like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and Resident Evil. A crossover in spirit, this story sees the MLP cast re-imagined as various kinds of demon slayers, with focus on mechanically intricate fight scenes and wild over-the-top action while still adhering to the cheesiness of both MLP and DMC's 
Power of Friendship and Family themes.

It's action heavy, leans way too hard on it's melodrama, and often references and recreates scenes from it's component games, so it definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea. That being said, I've attempted to make it as reader friendly as possible, so it's still understandable if you aren't familiar with Devil May Cry or related games.

In short, this story is about recreating MLP and its lore in a campy, action focused manner.

The violence is all video game-esque, written to be entertaining instead of graphic, and the gore attempts to be "soft gore", where grievous injuries are described in broad strokes and spectacle rather than in gritty detail. Mild language, suggestive themes, and slight horror aspects at times.

If this sounds like something for you, have fun! If not, have a nice day.

Takes place during the Season 5 Finale. (And hints of EqG: Friendship Games)

Sunset Shimmer is out of space in her journal for communicating with Princess Twilight. On a whim, she decides to return to her homeland for a replacement. Unfortunately for Sunset, a pony named Starlight Glimmer was busy enacting revenge, catching Sunset in the crossfire and placing her in a different timeline than she expected. With no Elements of Harmony, no Princess Twilight, and no clue, Sunset must reunite the main six, save the timeline, and find a way home... eventually.

Check out the trailer!~

It's strange how a single change can create a massive difference in somepony's life.

Somewhere in a different world, Twilight Sparkle is thrust into an unforeseen destiny with the most unlikely (and possibly unstable) group of friends to fight the forces of darkness and bring the magic of friendship back to Equestria.

That's if they don't kill each other first.

Inspired by Lets Do This’ “Not Exactly Friends” series

Cover art done by Kids-In-The-Corner

Check out the rest of the series here:

Part 2: Pony Tails

It's been almost a decade since the Battle of the Bands and Sunset Shimmer has been trying to clean up the mess she made. After series of unrelated crimes, Sunset, now known as The Phoenix, may need to finally ask for help.