Sunset Shimmer is having the worst day of her life. She used to be important. She was the personal student of Princess Celestia. She was a future leader of Equestria. She was the kind of mare that everypony envied.

Today, it's all crashing down around her.

Alternate Universe: What if Sunset Shimmer hadn't gone through the mirror?

While relaxing after a performance, the Rainbooms discover Sunset has scars that she definitely didn't have before the Fall Formal.

As of 9/14/2015, this story has a dramatic reading by Goombasa. Give it a listen!

7/7/2016: Now with cover art designed by the very generous Novel-Idea! Thank you so much!

7/23/2016: This story has a reading by Gabriel C Media. Give it a listen!

When trying to focus on her studies, Sunset Shimmer is stuck watching an annoying little filly who just won't let her study.

Original Art by Baekgup

Cover image by Novel-Idea

Now with Reading by Wubcake

Sunset was expecting Princess Twilight Sparkle to be the one to come through the portal on a day when the holidays line up between the two worlds. Instead, her care package of Equestrian Hearth's Warming decorations is brought over by a student from the school of friendship, Gallus.

This unexpected encounter will lead to a holiday lesson that resonates with both of them.

Written for Jinglemas 2019 [Run by the Jinglemas Group]
Written for Wanderer D

"If you ever need anything, come see me, okay?"

When Fluttershy said those words, Sunset had not really believed her. Just last week, Sunset had been a tyrant, a bully. Surely the girl was just being nice. They weren't really friends.

But as her emotions rage inside, Sunset begins to wonder if, perhaps, those words meant something. Perhaps she really could go to Fluttershy for something. Something only a friend can provide...

Now with a reading by Fire Rain

Another reading by Pony&Wolf Productions

Chinese translation by studyb (学习b) is available on fimtale

This story was Featured on April 24, 2019

This story was featured on Equestria Daily as part of a best fanfics round-up for Sunset Day 2020.

After her little magic trick at the Fall Formal, Sunset Shimmer is not having the best night, and it's about to get worse: Principal Celestia just found out that Sunset has been living in the school clock tower. Now she has nowhere to live, and who's going to take in a teenager with personal issues that include recent demonic possession? No one normal, obviously.

But... maybe someone with a mohawk, a house full of creepy masks, and blue eyes that seem to see more than words -- or rhymes-- can say.

Winner of the Writeoff Association's February WriteOff, "Look, I Can Explain."

Sunset Shimmer's life was good, she had plenty of friends and greatly enjoyed where she had eventually ended up in life. It's a shame then that reality had a different opinion on where she belonged. Now stuck in the past prior to first leaving for the human world, Sunset will have to figure out what kind of direction she wants to take in life this time around.

After all, the future she herself lived with her friends was not reachable without doing things that she now found appalling. Even so, she knows that staying in Equestria could very well doom the world to a much darker future. If she had time to draft a plan she could probably figure out something that would keep herself out of the way while also not affecting the timeline, it's a shame then that the two princesses of Canterlot would just not leave her alone!

Apparently this thing got feature mere days after publishing... somehow.

Sunset Shimmer is well respected, and has gained a lot of trust over the past year. So when Princess Twilight entrusted her with watching over her one and only niece, she was thrilled.

But one slip of the tongue around the toddler could break that trust.

Now with Reading by Mindlessgonzo

Sunset's favorite jacket is looking pretty beaten up after that whole rainbow laser explosion, and she doesn't know the first thing about fixing leather. Obviously she knows someone who could help her, someone who's already agreed to be her friend. But after everything she's done, she doesn't really think she's in a position to be asking favors. She hasn't earned anyone's friendship yet, and she certainly doesn't deserve anyone's help. Still, she's got no other options. So she'll just have to swallow her pride and beg Rarity to take some pity on her.
Rarity certainly has her work cut out explaining to her how friendship works.

Set after Equestria Girls, but before Rainbow Rocks. No shipping. Just awkward, self-loathing Sunset and generous, understanding Rarity.

During a routine visit to Equestria to see Princess Twilight, Sunset decides to bring her pet Ray along with her. Only... she wasn't quite expecting what he would turn into on the other side of the portal...