Hiya, lovely peeps!

You read the title; you know what we’re talking about.

In the original Equestria Girls movie, Sunset Shimmer was hit by the Magic of Friendship^TM. This blast undemoned Snips and Snails, broke the students free of the mind control and ponied up the six girls. But the part we’re talking about today is Sunset herself. This blast purified the demon out of her, which left her battered and smoking at the bottom of a crater, tearful and remorseful.

But that’s just it. What exactly did the Elements of Harmony do to her? What made her do a complete 180? What transpired during those few seconds? I’ve read plenty of stories, with plenty of ideas.

And now I wanna hear your thoughts.

Imma bw honest, i think they just showed her how the shitshow would have ended if she got her way.

or maybe made her expeiance everything she'd done to others as if it had been done to her

7636414
My personal opinion?

Threw everything wrong she did back in her face, but from her victims' perspectives. Every harsh word, every prank, every last little thing to make people miserable the Elements forced her to feel and not only did it make her realize what a horrible person/pony she'd been, it also broke her a little. In Rainbow Rocks she tries to be threatening to the sirens but doesn't have the venom to back it up, even wilting when they intimidate her back and she almost gives up when the others start fighting under the stage. By Friendship Games, she has more of the confidence back, but then gets protective over what could have happened to her friends and snaps at SciTwi a bit too harshly, which she immediately regrets. It's by Everfree that we finally get a more stable Sunset.

Overall it was a harsh lesson, but probably the only way to actually turn her around (outside of doing what Long Road to Friendship did) for the next movie.

My head canon is elements changed her mind. Literally destroying part of her on a deep mental level. Either editing or removing memories that made her 'unharmonious'. Bit chilling to be honest, but explains why she seems like a different person. She is.

7636427
Well the friendship games twilight deserved it. If someone is doing something dangerous and possibly harmful to others and almost got a lot of folks hurt you are saying you would be nice about it. Twilight could see that the experiment was going off the rails but chose to ignore it until she had no choice and she still listen to someone who even less than the girls about magic.

7636438
True, but I was using the mood-swing as evidence for my hypothesis. I completely agree that SciTwi was in the wrong and needed the yelling at.

7636416
7636421
I like those ideas.

7636427
Nice breakdown of Sunset’s character throughout the movies. And you’re right. It’s only by Legend of Everfree that we get the, um, best version of Sunset: snarky, witty, confident, yet kind and gentle. Knowing her boundaries and pressing only when she needs to. For instance, insisting that Twilight deals with her magic (which is important), yet telling her friends to reel back on the Friendship Games mention.

7636434
That’s... chilling. And holy crap, that got real dark.

7636443
I wouldn’t call Sunset’s lashing out a mood swing, though. Her temper and outbursts are essential parts of her personality. She still gets mad and explodes at people post-Friendship Games. Take Forgotten Friendship and Sunset’s Backstage Pass, where she spends a good chunk of both specials angry and frustrated.

7636443
I think before they won against the sirens she had lost a lot of confidence and the no offense stuff didn't help Plus being public enemy number 1 at the school didn't help. When twilight came for the games she was treating it like any other game despite the school treating as more. Now when twilight almost got everyone killed especially her friends sunset was upset and lost her cool and personally I think her friends were a little too easy on her sunset knows more about magic than they do and even if she doesn't get how it works in that world she knows better than open portals without knowing where they go.

7636414
I dont like the external character development idea with the elements personally. It feels rather weak and unachieved. I say the elements only ripped her dark magic away and left her powerless. Whatever else that happened, was Sunset trying to be better and succeeding.

7636488
I see. That’s an interesting take on things. I’m not sure I agree with you, but I can see your point.

A very compressed spiritual detox/purge, along with shoving what she'd become in her face. Even before Sunset started transforming, she seemed afraid of what was happening, and while she would only pretend to threaten a dog, her demon form outright attempted murder. So she pushed away her darkness at the first chance - and guilt rushed in to fill the hole.

7636521
Yeah. I like that theory.

We sometimes tunnel when it comes to certain problems or opinions and don't see it from a more open view. What could have happened was that Sunset was so deadset on achieving what she wanted to achieve and tunneling on the idea that she needed to do whatever it took, that when the elements took effect they allowed her to see from a whole new perspective and open her eyes to the situation. Pretty much 'waking' her up.

Earlier I asked a question more directly related to her demon transformation and they're sure Demon Sunset is a separate entity from Sunset. (Meaning that one tail motion we see Demon Sunset do, is not Sunset herself, so she never does anything with her tail. If you don't get the context, I love tails and Sunset is one of my favorite characters) But still manifested from part of her though, given how she spoke, and considering herself Sunset.

So, by that theory, I think her evil side - while not powerful enough to be all or 99% of her as it is with someone like Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, the Storm King, or Cozy Glow - was magnified and became an entity of its own, Demon Sunset. And the Elements destroyed that demon (though we don't see her laying in pieces around Sunset like we did with Nightmare Moon), it purified her.

I know some would argue that to completely destroy one's evil side would not work (that one episode of Star Trek) but she could still contain the capacity for it IF she wanted to, similar to if Luna got bitter enough again. (Like Dr. Jekyll in Once Upon A Time) The cruelty and dishonesty accumulated in her heart from whatever disappointment at Celestia's school, brought to the surface and manifested into a demon, and that demon destroyed, leaving Sunset the way she was BEFORE turning evil (or semi-evil, she wouldn't hurt Spike). Except, being horrified by what her demon half had tried to do, she is motivated to not let something like that happen again, and with the evil in her heart lifted, she doesn't want to become like she was throughout the first film again either.

In other words, pretty much the same thing as Nightmare Moon. At least that's how I see it.

Nothing, Unless you count taking her ill-gotten powers from her. You see her crying mid-transformation, and she even has a small face of panic very shortly after putting on the crown. The simple answer? Turning into a demon really fucking sucked and made her realize that maybe the way she's going about her life is the wrong way. Scared straight basically.