An Unforgiving Assignment
Twilight knew the Fall Formal was a bad plan that had gone well. Yes, she'd hopefully get her crown back in a matter of minutes. But she just knew that once she had some time to think over this whole interdimensional misadventure, she'd come up with four different ways she could have retrieved the Element of Magic more efficiently. Under another hoof (or, as was currently the case, on the other hand,) those more efficient solutions might not have reunited the local counterparts of her best friends.
Also, she wouldn't be slow dancing with Flash Sentry.
Intellectually, she knew that a good portion of her infatuation with the boy came down to pubescent ape hormones flooding her brain. Emotionally, she didn't give a flying feather right now. If anything, she could empathize with Sunset Shimmer a little. Bad enough to be trapped in a world without magic for so long. Having to go through puberty again was a fate Twilight wouldn't wish on her worst enemy.
As wonderful a time as she was having, Twilight could feel a bit of guilt twist in her gut. Especially when she thought of what her sister-in-law would think when she got home. Twilight looked into those innocent, unknowing eyes and took a step back from Flash.
"Twilight?"
"I'm..." The hurt in those eyes made her hesitate for a moment, but Twilight pressed on. "I'm sorry, Flash. I can't keep leading you on like this."
He frowned, confusion clear even with those tiny, paralyzed ears. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not who you think I am. I..." Twilight shook her head. Telling her friends was one thing. Magic ponies from another world weren't too great a leap for people who'd known Pinkie Pie for years. But Flash? "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Twilight..." Flash leaned in close. Twilight's breath caught as he almost brushed her ear. Then he whispered, "Is this about you being from Equestria?"
Twilight's breath stopped for a very different reason. "What."
Flash pulled back, letting Twilight see the lopsided grin on his face. "Because I suspected that when you first stumbled into me."
"You... How..." She struggled for words as she tried to pick the first question to ask. "What?" she blurted out in a strangled scream.
"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash barged onto the dance floor and grabbed Twilight by the wrist before Flash could answer. "Come on! They're gonna announce the princess of the Formal any second now!"
"But..." Twilight looked to Flash, pulling against Rainbow as best she could.
"I can give you all the details once you have the crown," said Flash. He shrugged. "Not like anything major will happen aside from that."
Twilight bit her lip, but eventually nodded. "Right. Of course."
Once the dust settled, the dance resumed with an almost Ponyvillian resilience in the face of magical havoc. And the first words out of Flash's mouth when Twilight saw him again were, "Okay, so I may have underestimated how badly Sunset wanted the crown."
Part of Twilight wanted to punch him in the shoulder, but it was thoroughly outvoted. "Are you feeling alright? Being used as the focus for that domination spell couldn't have been pleasant."
"Just a headache. And a little heartache." Flash looked in the direction of the front of the school before turning back to Twilight with an almost painfully fake smile. "But hey, the wings are new! Or is it old?"
Twilight felt the things flutter with the attention and managed to get them to fold on the second try. "No, I'm still getting used to them back home. But how did you know about any of that?"
Flash sighed and led them to one of the little tables scattered around the gym. "I've known Sunset for a while. Pretty much the whole time she's been here." He presented a fonder, more genuine grin. "You're not the first girl who's crashed into me while working out how to walk on two legs."
"Ah." Twilight cleared her throat. "I see. I did hear that the two of you were an item until a few weeks ago."
"More like a few months ago. She just never updated her MyStable status until September." Flash leaned back in his chair and let out a breath. "But we were close for a while. She trusted me, as much as she trusted anyone. And... well, she told me some things about her home."
"I see." Twilight didn't, not nearly enough anyway, but her curiosity wasn't the most important concern right now. "Was she any nicer when she let you get close? That rainbow works wonders, but there needs to be something for it to work with." She bit her lip. "I want to believe she was sincere when I helped her out of the crater, but..."
"She's..." Flash trailed off, his face screwed up in thought for several seconds. "There's definitely something there. I stuck with her for longer than I should have 'cause I thought I could bring it out. But last spring... I think that was the truest she's ever been around me."
Twilight put her hand over his. Part of her worried she was violating some local taboo. Most was focused on helping however she could. "Could you tell me about it? I want to understand Sunset if I can, the better to help all of you, her included."
Flash snorted in a way that needed no cultural translation. "Good luck. But sure. Don't think I'll ever forget the day I broke up with her."
Flash Sentry all but stomped through the halls of Canterlot High, an atypical scowl on his face. It matched the expressions around him, something he hadn't noticed for so long. Too long. But now he understood what was going on, better than anyone else at CHS save for one.
He turned into a barely lit dead-end corridor and, spotting his quarry, said the words that he knew would mark the end of an era.
"Sunset. We need to talk."
"Sure. What's up?" She looked up and gave him a smile that almost, almost made him second guess his decision. Sunset's smiles were precious things, ones only he ever seemed to get, and they spoke of a buried sweetness that surely just a little more work could bring to the surface.
But then Flash thought of the Spring Fling, and any urge to return the smile fell silent.
Sunset shifted to a worried frown as she shut her locker. It had taken Flash far too long to understand why she'd wanted one in a hallway with infamously bad lighting. "Is... everything all right?" she said. "Didn't step on your toes too many times last night, did I?"
"It's over, Sunset."
Her eyes widened. Nerveless fingers dropped her backpack. "What?"
"I'm sorry, but—"
The next thing Flash knew, she had grabbed his jacket by the lapels, dragging him down so she could stare right into his eyes. "How?"
"How?" Flash had imagined a lot of responses, but not that. "What do you mean, 'how?'"
"I mean how could something be coming for us in this magical waste—" Sunset scowled as she released Flash. She began to pace, muttering half to herself. "I knew it. It's not that this world doesn't have magic, you apes are just blind to it. The monsters were always there, they just hid until they got an opportunity." She cracked her knuckles, one of the many things Flash had taught her. "Fine, what's going to flatten the school? I may be able to stop it."
Flash sighed as he straightened out his jacket. "Sunset, for the last time, there are no monsters. Squidicane was just a movie."
"Uh huh. Sure." Sunset glared at him, daring him to reveal the sordid truth, though she frequently broke the stare to give nervous glances at the walls and any tentacled death that might crash through them. After a few moments without verbal or cephalopodic response, she said, "You're sure there aren't any monsters?"
Flash caught himself smirking and forced the serious expression back on his face. Even if Sunset was adorable when she was worried about fictional horrors. "As sure as I am that the seasons change by themselves."
She flinched at that. "So weird. Okay, so if it isn't a monster, then—" She gasped and threw her back against the row of lockers, eyes darting about the hallway. "Assassins."
Flash groaned. "Sunset—"
"I knew it. I knew the Royal Assassinorum would find a way to bypass the lunar alignment. It was only a matter of time; there was no way the old nag would let a loose thread like me dangle forever."
"Sunset," Flash said in the serious, facts-about-Earth voice she had made him develop. "There are no magic horse assassins."
"How do you know?" She jabbed a finger at him. "You could be one of them!"
Flash rubbed his temples. "If they're anything like you, they'd spend a good ten minutes flailing in front of the Wondercolt statue. That's not exactly stealthy."
Sunset's pointing arm went limp as she considered that. "True. They would turn human in this world." She flashed a grin that always meant trouble for someone else. "We have a chance... if you really are Flash."
"That's what I wanted to talk about."
"I knew it!" Confusion played across Sunset's face. "Wait, no, you knew about the self-changing seasons..." She took a few more steps back into the shadows. "How long have you been tailing me, assass—"
"Sunset!" Flash shouted. Sunset fell silent, her jaw hanging open. It took Flash a moment to recover from his own shock. "There are no assassins, there are no monsters, and there's no 'us!' I am breaking up with you!"
Sunset blinked. Once, twice, thrice. She tilted her head to the side. "What?"
Flash took a deep breath. "Okay. What do you mean, 'what?'"
"I admit, I'm still working on some local idioms, but I thought that you had to be in a relationship with someone before you could break up with them."
"We..." Flash's mouth worked silently as he tried to process that. "We are in a relationship. Or were."
Sunset shook her head, looking even more confused than Flash felt. "What gave you that idea?"
"We've gone on dates. We've kissed."
"No, you paid for my food while I secured a source of local income, and I used you as a form of biological stress relief." Sunset's head fell back as she groaned. "Seriously, you have no idea how exhausting it is to drown in human hormones all day. You apes are constantly in heat."
Flash cast an arm in the direction of the gym. "We danced at the Spring Fling last night."
"Well, yeah. We've been helping each other boost our social status ever since we met." Sunset shrugged. "That was just the next step in the plan."
"I... thought you loved me." Even as he said the words, Flash couldn't help but feel ridiculous.
Sunset's pitying look didn't help. "I mean, you're a good friend, a very helpful tutor, and reasonably attractive based on my body's reactions. But stallions were never my first choice, and I'm still not completely used to flat faces, dead ears, and spiders on the ends of my hooves." She waved her hands for emphasis.
"But..." Flash trailed off, not sure what he was even going to say.
"So, what made you decide to cut ties with me anyway?" The worst part was how casually Sunset said that. Flash had managed to break his own heart and she hadn't even noticed. "Jokes aside, I thought we had a good time last night."
Flash stiffened and glared at that. "Rarity didn't."
"Rarity? What does she have to do with any of this?"
Flash shook his head. "Don't play dumb, Sunset. You don't think it's just a little suspicious that the straps on her dress came undone just before they announced the Queen of the Fling?"
Sunset just shrugged. "Hey, there's only one crown."
"I can't be with someone who's so willing to make others suffer. And that's what you do, Sunset. I don't know how I've missed it for so long, but this whole school is miserable because of you."
Sunset raised a single eyebrow. "Big claim. Let's see you back it up."
Flash just glared at her. He couldn't prove it. She knew he couldn't prove it. And the worst part was that both knew she was responsible anyway.
And then, of all things, Sunset walked up and patted Flash on the shoulder. "If it's any consolation, none of it is personal."
"Rarity hasn't even shown up for class today. I think she took it personally."
That just got Sunset to roll her eyes. "Flash, none of this is going to matter in five years, not to Rarity or anyone else. But for me? It's practice."
"Practice?"
"When I take my rightful place in Equestria, I won't be dividing and conquering teenagers. I'll have to pit entire countries against each other. There's a reason I keep expecting a cyclone full of tentacles to slam into the school. I come from a much more dangerous world than this one, and a ruler has to be willing to get her hooves dirty to keep her ponies safe." Sunset smacked a fist into her open palm for emphasis.
Flash shook his head. "That doesn't mean it should be your first choice."
"But it's still an option. You have to understand, I'm not even going to be here after next year's Fall Formal. I'm not exactly concerned about leaving a good impression on a world I never want to see again." Sunset flashed what part of Flash wanted to call an apologetic smile. "No offense; you've been the one not-terrible thing about this entire universe. But when all's said and done, I'll be in my rightful place and you can all say 'Good riddance' to the Queen Bitch of the school. Everyone wins."
Flash could almost feel the shift as his heart accepted what his mind had already known. It felt like a pit in his stomach swallowing the last bit of hope for Sunset he hadn't even known he still had. "You're heartless."
She just shrugged. "I'm pragmatic. Thirty moons of suffering for all of us—and I cannot emphasize enough how much that includes me—leads to uncounted centuries of prosperity for my world. Sure, some people here may need a few years of therapy, but that's a price I'm willing to pay."
"I should tell everyone about what you've done."
"But you won't, because you have no proof and no one would believe you." Sunset's smirk shifted to a sad smile. "And furthermore, in spite of all of that, you still love me."
"I did." Flash wasn't sure if he actually saw shock flash across Sunset's face, or if he just imagined it. "You know, I can't help but wonder what would have happened if you'd brought everyone together instead of tearing them apart."
She didn't say anything for a few moments. "I thought about it," she said quietly. "I really did. But I had no idea where to even begin." Sunset hefted her backpack onto her shoulders and walked past Flash, waving as she went. "See you around. It was fun while it lasted."
He turned, blinking in the brighter light. "Wait, where are you going?"
Sunset shrugged. "You said it yourself. There's no us. And it's not like I need to hold onto you. You've taught me everything I need to know, and next year I'll be able to get a few freshman to do what I want with these ridiculous, engorged chest-teats." Her smile came back as she spoke. She even nodded at a few of her own points. She shook his hand, grip firm like he'd taught her. "Thanks for everything. I wouldn't be where I am today without you." And with a wink, she added, "And if any monsters or assassins or trained assassin monsters do show up? Let me know."
And Flash watched her walk away, too stunned to speak.
"And... Yeah. That was it." Flash lay splayed across his chair, frowning in a way eerily similar to when Twilight saw Princess Celestia lost in old regrets. "Though her general bitchiness started skyrocketing after that. Not sure if it's because she was actually upset I left her or just because she didn't feel like she had to tone it down for me anymore."
Twilight tightened her grip on Flash's hand, which she hadn't released over the whole story. She smiled as he dragged his head back up to look at her. "Well, it's in the past now. We'll see how she can grow now that she sees how much better it is to build up those around her and not just tear them down."
Flash didn't say anything for a few moments. Finally, he shrugged, offered a half-smile, and said, "Yeah, we'll see." He got out of his chair and nodded towards the dance floor "So, one more dance before you go, or are we trying to keep the magic pony thing quiet?"
"Woooo!"
Both looked up to see Rainbow Dash giving a cheering Scootaloo a fly around the gym.
Twilight smiled and made for the dance floor. "I think that ship has sailed."
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Okay, that got a chuckle out of me.
Ha!
...Well, at least she was calm about it
Loved the story, feels almost show-like. Minus the comments about, uh, monkey teats.
Sciset sequel bait in 3.... 2....
This is a slightly horrifying story, IMO.
Sunset is so coldly sociopathic it's almost scary. "That relationship you thought we were in? I was using you for 'stress relief.' And I know I'm sexy, but I only use it to gain more minions. After all, this planet? It's just Princess Training Camp."
In the end--she's beautifully evil. Or, at least, amoral.
Well done, sir!
Wow, Sunset was legit crazy. And not because of horse assassins.
10430348
Hmmm... Given what she knew before. She might've been expecting to emerge into a wasteland or something, where Nightmare Moon rules and she has to form an army from scraps. Makes sense, and if she regards the Elements of Harmony as a myth... Or unusable... Etc...
And she didn't know enough about humanity to make a peaceful strat work?
Would Twilight have done any different if she were trapped in Canterlot High expecting to return to a Nightmare Moon world in 2 years?
----
Then again, she seems to expect that Celestia's still ruling post-Nightmare Moon's return...
----
Ref to today's Freefall? Link will be broke until next update or something. I dunno their process:
http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff3500/fc03487.htm
----
Interesting.
----
Typos:
Extra space at end! Nice funny description!
...
a few freshman > a few freshmen
Wow, Sunset is definitely amoral and borderline sociopathic here.
Man, you've written the best "evil" Sunset ever:
Delusional, paranoid, self-centered, promiscuous …
And yet, endearingly naïve about the human world.
I would love for you to write a novel-length story about this Sunset, because she's as good a character as "redeemed" Sunset.
I think you meant "hide".
10430348
I think the cherry on top is how...blunt she is about it.
It is both scary and hilarious.
Yeah, gonna second 10430473 here. This is one of the best 'Evil' Sunsets I've ever seen.
And yet... while I'd love to see a whole story on her... I'd also kill to see how this Sunset transitions into the one we know. How does her relationship with Flash change and evolve with all that in their past? It'd be awesome to see.
"There's a reason I keep expecting a cyclone full of tentacles to slam into the school"
Wait until they find out Equestria Girls-Earth does have it's own sort of magic, but it's all Lovecraftian Horror and making deals with Eldritch Abominations.
While it's interesting to examine what Sunset's personality would have been like before the movie (and the portrayal in this story is completely believable), it has the unfortunate side effect of forcing us to actually think about the logistics of her plan. Which I suspect is something the movie would rather not have us do.
Regarding the quote above: Sunset's plan involved brainwashing the entire Canterlot High student body so she'd have an army for her glorious return to Equestria. It stands to reason that even if she had been successful, some of those students would have not been in a position to continue on with their inconsequential human lives afterward. And while Sunset would undoubtedly write that off as a necessary price to pay to achieve her long-term goals, it sure makes her less sympathetic.
Cheesy, made-for-TV movie in the human world; horrific potential history documentary in Equestria. And the pun of the main character's name already sounds like a reasonable moniker for a pony.
I for one quite liked Squidicane 3: Squidicane vs bearquake.
A space too much there.
Missing a 'was' I would assume.
I enjoyed that. I might recycle parts of this Sunset's personality in my own work at some point.
10430622
That was not actually her plan. It's what she did once she went crazy and turned into a demon after losing control of the Element of Magic, because human bodies and horse magic don't mix well if there's no Harmony to stabilise them. We'll never know what her original plan actually was, though it presumably involved getting enough power to overthrow Celestia.
10430473
All the traits of a textbook narcissist.
10430473
Pony way: setting a town next to a forest full of dangerous beasts. Keep it like that because Nature, just driving the monsters away once a while.
Human way: raze the damn forest for its wood, hunt or drive away the beasts to near extinction and keep the survivors in zoos or reservations.
That's why Equestria is more dangerous, Sunset. Even the monsters in Earth are hiding for a reason, after all. Then again your only record is to manipulate and bully teenagers in a high school.
Imagine an alternate EG where the guys in charge of keeping the supernatural at bay (Buffy, the Winchester Brothers, etc..) catch Sunset doing the demon stuff and decide to show her how evil witches are dealt the human way.
10430827
Well, she is smug enough to anger a pony goddess, so yeah.
I think Earth is more dangerous, because of the ruthlessness of the dominant species there.
I had an idea for a Dresden Files crossover: Sunset has gotten her life together, only for Morgan to come after her for her violation of the Laws of Magic, ready and willing to chop her head off for the greater good.
10430865
Too late. Desden got her first.
Sunset isn't really human so the laws technically don't apply to her. Again, if Morgan or the Council deem her a threat they may choose to ignore that technicality.
10430871
I read that story. I'm thinking of a much different one, where Dresden's Chicago and Canterlot are in the same universe.
These council members are paranoid jerks who look for any excuse to behead someone. They'd be all to eager to do it, even if Sunset had already turned her life around.
Hah, nice. Sunset really did behave like a spoiled brat when she got to humanworld. It's no wonder she fit in perfectly at high school - she was practically born for the role. The believability of the characters is what I love about your fics, in the end. They feel human. Or horse, I suppose. They feel real. Makes for a good read.
Hee hee hee...
I would specifically call out my favorite funny parts in this story, but that would take a long time because there are so many of them.
10430181
Would you?
10430327
All part of Sunset's ongoing efforts not to go native. If she actually called them breasts, that would be normalizing something she didn't plan on having in a few moons. But yeah, I do enjoy the occasional opportunity to have EqG character sound a bit more like actual teenagers.
As for the inevitable Sciset sequel... Yeah, probably, knowing me.
10430591
"I knew I should've checked that Call of Cthulhu sourcebook for magic."
"I knew it!"
10430622
I go with 10430723's interpretation. The teenage army was the ill-gotten magic talking; goodness knows too much of the stuff makes humans irrational. If I had to guess, I'd say Sunset's plan began and ended with using the jailbroken Element of Magic to make herself an alicorn, thus forcing Celetia to acknowledge her as worthy to rule Equestria alongside her. In hindsight, I'm pretty sure Sunset went through the same thing Cozy Glow did in the series finale: It actually worked, but she didn't get to keep that power, because she hadn't earned it.
10430348 10430351 10430462 10430473 10430573
The thing about preredemption Sunset is that every Bearer has just as much potential for the vice that opposes her virtue. Rarity can be so selfish that she'll guilt her friends into staffing a hotel room-turned-sweatshop. Pinkie's depression can hit her as hard as her mania. Twilight has an unfortunate habit of isolating herself when she most needs friends. And for Sunset, honorary Bearer of Empathy? A blend of compartmentalization, confidence, and perceived grim necessity that let her tell herself humans aren't "real" people, and even if they were, she'd only be a temporary presence in their lives. Heck, her ego never really goes away even after taking a rainbow to the face; it just shifts into a martyr complex as she takes total responsibility for all magic in the human world, even the stuff she wasn't remotely responsible for.
The first thing she said after getting de-demonized always stuck with me: "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know there was another way." It really says a lot about the thought process that made her flee Equestria and rule CHS with an iron fist.
10431216
That's precisely why "good" Sunset is also a compelling character. She's the most realistic depiction of redemption in MLP: she's still disliked by everyone, she struggles with her bad behavior, and she can still be dismissive of others as well.
Pride and the urge for power can drive a person to do incredibly horrible things.
Read about Alabama Governor George Wallace: he started out being a moderate on issues of race. But his desire for political power made him into the most openly racist politician ever. But like Sunset, he also woke up to the things he did, and used his last term as Alabama Governor to apologize to the black community.
Never underestimate man's capacity to rationalize the most heinous things.
This is a surprisingly simple and plausible explanation of why she did everything she did. I really wish I had caught onto this earlier.
Sunset's monster paranoia did make me chuckle, but I came away more sad than anything from Sunset's casual dismissal of her relationship with Flash. Poor guy was used in every sense of the word.
10431247
How being a Queen Bitch in a high school can prepare anyone to rule an actual country?
10431389
It probably can't. But I think it's a good Freudian excuse for a delusional and power hungry Sunset.
"No offense; you've been the one not-terrible thing about this entire universe."
Aww, she's in love!
Interesting.
I have an unfinished story on a similar topic, and my Sunset is both less and more evil in my tale. Less, because my Sunset actually did love Flash; more, because despite this love (which went so far as leading her to consider abandoning her main plan), she decides in the end ... well, we all know.
One difference is that my Sunset is straight. Another that she (originally) really despises the Humans (partly their culture, but it does include mild racism). At a minimum, she sees them as the "alien barbarians" of the title.
Your version may be closer to Show canon.
Show Canon Sunset Shimmer seems almost aromantic and mostly asexual -- though a lot of this may be unwillingness to mate outside of species). In canon her only known romantic connection is Flash Sentry -- which makes it odd that she never displays any emotion regarding him stronger than moderate shame and guilt at having led him on, in the later movies.
This may also simply be bad writing. The series writers clearly didn't like doing Equestria Girls, and especially disliked Flash Sentry, who was obviously an afterthought character in the original movie. When the fans hated him too, he was relegated to Butt Monkey status.
It's a shame, though, that they never gave Sunset Shimmer any romantic interest in anyone, though, as she's a strongly fire-aspected character -- and Fire is normally passionate.
Though they probably would have botched it had they tried. So perhaps we're lucky they didn't.
10430348
To be fair, it's just one school, and her original plan probably didn't include mind-controlled minions. She also didn't expect to (in my version's terms) be ridden by a Night Shadow.
Come to think of it, for all her scheming, Sunset Shimmer missed a LOT of flaws in her plan!
10432099
How much of the Equestria Girls franchise have you actually seen?
10431887
Well I think the Show makes it obvious that she liked Flash.
10431389
Her training at Celestia's court and school were probably the real basis of her knowledge -- and, also, why she could so easily take over the school.
10430327
And it's a very strange human feature from the POV of an Equestrian mare, as it would normally indicate motherhood. I have both my Sunset Shimmer and my Princess Twilight Sparkle comment on this, even weirder for them because they are both VIRGIN!
10430422
Florence, being Florence, is of course nicer when she makes the same point.
10432107
All of it, including the shorts, unless some new stuff came out recently.
10432099
I vaguely remember the story, and the irony that their love had actually more chances to help her ascend than any of her plans.
Did Sunset and Flash reconciled after her reformation?
10431231
And she never quite loses her bad temper, especially in the face of stupidity.
10432120
An Equestrian Gentlemare ... was going to end before the Fall Formal, and I never decided. I kept waiting for Show to decide on Flash's fate: Show never did.
I might just pair Flash up with Derpy; she certainly cared more about him than the writers. My Humanoid Derpy, like my Pony one, has Wind Whistler reflexes and is able to accomplish anything she possibly can -- but the Luck required to do the latter causes her backlash, often to the point of physical injury.
So she's got an interesting Talent.
Unlike Pony Derpy, she's not Night Watch. Though VP Luna is thinking of recruiting her when she graduates.
10432142
While Canon Sunset shows kindness to Flash from time to time (the mall), she pretty much turns her back on him the moment she has something in her hands (Camp Everfree, Snow ball). Flash making a song in honor of EG or helping them during a robot attack didn't change that.
I think Flash deserves to have a live beyond orbiting around magical girls. In fact, shortskirtsandexplosions has written two stories dealing with that theme.
10432115
Gee, well, those two could fix that for each other.
Dude, this is the best evil Sunset I've ever seen!
Actually, I don't think Sunset's redemption was all that impressive. Sunset Shimmer is overrated.
10432282
Bite your tongue, heretic!
10432523
That's my opinion, dude.
Can I explain why I think Sunset is overrated?
10431247
If you assume everything Sunset does before the Fall Formal is for the sake of Equestria (and, more importantly, her role in ruling it,) it all comes together.
Yeah, this was very much a sad moment wrapped in absurdity. The only reason I didn't add the Tragedy tag is because we know it ends well for everyone involved... with the possible exception of Flash. Still, I like to think he gets a win in the end, especially in a timeline where he actually understood what was going on the whole time.
10432099
I really should've credited An Equestrian Gentlemare for the inspiration it provided, and I apologize for not doing so until now. Your Sunset provided so much for this one, from depersonifying humans to justify her divide-and-conquer tactics to Flash being a potential source of non-Elemental redemption and ascension that she spurned in the name of The Plan. But yeah, this Sunset is definitely colder than your take (and never set her apartment on fire with a guitar solo.) In my usual magic system, Sunset is this stage of life was less passionate red and more white-black, willing and more than able to manipulate society for her personal gain.
On a related note, I do hope to see more from you. I miss the SWSV.
10432282
I respectfully disagree on Sunset being overrated. Bacon Horse provides an incredible wealth of narrative potential in either world, and as both a hero and a villain. Mind you, the same is true for Twilight Sparkle. (Pony or human? Yes.)
Also, sorry for ganging up on you; I missed Eroraf's reply while writing this post.
10432529
Well, I respect your opinion. It's just that when I started watching EG, I didn't like Sunset, and then her fans started insulting me, so I'm starting to hate them. Because of this, I left the fandom once.
Can I explain why I think Sunset is overrated?
10432538
By all means. Just because I disagree doesn't mean I'll shut you down.
10432553
I can dislike her fans sometimes. I seriously think she's really overrated at she just comes out of nowhere in the EQ franchise as far as main characters. She's now considered the leader even though she shouldn't be. To me, her becoming a lead characters just like that seems off a lot.
I also think she takes a lot of spotlight from other characters. I also dislike how everyone thinks that the whole Equestria Girls franchise is about her when it's not. It's about her, the mane 6 and other characters too!
I still have problem with her toxic fans, who are for some goddamn reason, always mock Trixie, Tempest, and especially Starlight. What can really piss me off, because of the pure irony, when a Sunset fan calls Starlight as a Mary Sue character. When in fact, Sunset actually take over the lead role from Twilight in Equestria Girls. And also, she have a tons of talents, and good traits, while she lacks of any real character flaw. She is beautiful, smart, strong, and good in magic. She is good at various sports, like athletics, and archery. She can drive a motorcycle like a motocross racer. She can play on a guitar like a pro, and sings.
Most of these rabid fans just can't stand the other's opinion, and they take it as a personal insult, if you disagree with them.
The most annoying thing about them, is they constantly compare every character who was redeemed to Sunset, and at the same time, they harrass their fans too. First, they harassed the Trixie fans, then the Glimmer fans, and they did the same, with the Tempest fans. They like to label these characters as "mary sues". While they ignore the fact, that Sunset redemption was actually pretty flat, and she is the one, who take over the lead role, which is actually, the biggest mary sue trait.
Also, her redemption isn't as prefect as everyone makes it out to be. I just don't like people justifying EVERYTHING she does and see her as a prefect angel all the time. I also dislike it when people act like Sunset redeemed all by herself without the help of no one. Guys, she wouldn't of gotten to where she was without the mane 5's help and support?
I find it REAL funny how fans want Sunset Shimmer to have “more screen time” even though she basically had all the spotlight 4 movies in the row and had more than enough development, but then people keep complaining about the other girls not having enough development to be considered main characters like Sunset. Now that the digital series is out and finally focusing on the other girls too, people are mad/sad/disappointed, since Sunset is supposed to be the main character? What do people want? How are you going to complain about characters not getting enough development or being bland when you won’t allow them to have development and want Sunset Shimmer all the time 24/7?
I think people just want EG for Sunset Shimmer and for it to be only about Sunset Shimmer. No friends, no love interest, no nothing. But that’s not going to happen. The series is about the main 7, not only one person. I like Sunset Shimmer a lot more now, but she still kind of irritates me and I still think she's overrated. I'm tired of the bias behavior and hypocrisy that her fans show with her and other characters.
The constant praising and comparisons can get tiring and irritating at times.
Don't hate me, please.
Hmm... well now, this is an interesting curiosity - a non-shipping Romance story.
Admittedly, it's possible I'm simply missing the shipping due to cluelessness or disinterest, but it does seem like that's not what the Romance tag is there for. Because, as synonymous as they usually seem, they're not necessarily the same thing. All 'Romance' implies is that the story, well, deals with romance. And that doesn't have to be actual shipping - that is, putting characters into a relationship and/or portraying that relationship. It can, as this story does, delve into the darker side of the topic with asymmetical attitudes, break-ups and the general heartache and break that real relationships often involve.
So thank you for an intriguing little novelty.
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Sounds like you have at least as much of a beef with toxic Sunset fans as the character herself. I am sorry to hear that. As for the heavy focus EqG puts on her, bear in mind that Sunset is one of the spinoff's main unique selling points, right up there with a higher tech level and thumbs. It's the only place where canon can explore her character and her interactions with others, so naturally most EqG stuff focuses on her as a result.
I don't agree with some of your points, but given the state of the world, arguing about the relative merits of a cartoon unicorn is low on anyone's priority list. That being said, I do agree that they went overboard in just how multitalented she is. Yes, Sunset was Celestia's personal student before Twilight and is both a fast learner and incredibly driven, but there's a point where it strains credulity.
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I agree. Arguing over a unicorn is stupid. The only thing I want is for my opinion to be respected. Thank you for listening. It was nice talking to you.