In this AU, Sunset is still recovering not only from the trauma she suffered from being accused of posting the students' secrets, but also from her breakup with her now ex-boyfriend Flash Sentry; she decides to move to another city as a result.

Five years later, Sunset is attempting to make ends' meet when she spots a job hiring at a mall for a spot as one of Santa's Little Helpers. Enter (quite literally) a young man named Bobby, who works as a security guard at the mall that the Santa Meetup is taking place in order to help his family make ends' meet themselves; he himself is recovering from a nasty breakup sometime ago.

Sunset and Bobby hit it off quite well, despite their repeated insistence that they have a complete lack of chemistry. Of course, this isn't completely true, but for different reasons. Bobby thinks himself as unworthy for the love of a beautiful girl like her, while Sunset believes that this new love interest is too good to be true and is unwilling to open up to him...like those totally clichéd holiday romantic comedies that they both know and hate (and love at the same time).

A retelling of my first (failed) attempt at a Canterlot Wedding AU known as Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, this new story combines the narrative and thematic elements of The Power of the Equinox by Shaded Blood, The Forgotten and Exiled by Slice141, and The Twilight Citadel by Pyrestrike. The main story is akin to The Magnificent Seven (1960), while the sense of scope is reminiscent of Star Wars (1977) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962).

When Twilight is banished from the wedding, she discovers an even bigger threat approaching on the horizon known only as The Storm King. Because her friends and family don't believe it her in the slightest, she decides to unite an alliance to fight the threat before it even arrives. However, they are eventually forced to travel beyond Equestria in search of aid. So, A Canterlot Wedding Meets My Little Pony: The Movie (2017).

The central cast is listed below:
― "The Team":
• Twilight Sparkle (voiced by Tara Strong): The leader of the group, Twilight Sparkle is the (former) apprentice of Princess Celestia who attempts to save Equestria from the forces of evil.
• Sunset Shimmer (voiced by Rebecca Shoichet): The second-in-command, Sunset Shimmer is the first (former) apprentice of Princess Celestia who is forced to assist her former master's current apprentice save the world.
• Starlight Glimmer (voiced by Kelly Sheridan): A pony who strives for conformity over individualism, Starlight Glimmer decides to help Twilight in hopes of stealing her cutie mark.
• Trixie Lulamoon (voiced by Kathleen Barr): A street magician whose tricks may seem more cunning than they appear, Trixie seeks fame and joins Twilight's team in order to do so. Of course, fate is a harsh mistress; when she meets Starlight, she must chose fame...or friendship.
• Photo Finish (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain): A famous photographer from Manehattan,
Photo Finish, much like Trixie before her, seeks to elevate her fame, but she soon gets more than she bargained for.
• Lightning Dust (voiced by Britt Irvin): An aspiring Wonderbolt with a penchant for competition and recklessness, Lightning Dust seeks not only to send her fame skyrocketing, but to become the strongest pony of them all. Of course, this proves easier said than done.
• Apple Cobbler (voiced by Ashleigh Ball): A baker and former cater for the wedding reception alongside Applejack, Apple Cobbler is the only pony who genuinely accepts Twilight's call for help.
― "The Supporting Cast":
• Tempest Shadow (voiced by Emily Blunt): The loyal and fierce henchman to the Storm King, Tempest Shadow stands beside and serves him in the hopes of repairing her broken horn.
• Grubber (voiced by Michael Peña): A wisecracking hedgehog-like creature, Grubber serves as the cohort of Tempest Shadow, bowing to her every whim.
• The Storm King (voiced by Liev Schreiber): The absolutist, satyr-like creature who can control the weather with his staff, The Storm King is not the main antagonist of the story, but instead the Greater Scope Villain of the saga.
• Dusk Shine (voiced by Tom Holland): A young unicorn who is mysteriously granted with Pegasus wings, Dusk Shine is a crew member of Captain Celaeno after his family disowns him.
• Dawn Cracker (voiced by Olivia Holt): A young unicorn who is a big fan of Twilight Sparkle, Dawn Cracker bears an uncanny resemblance to her idol and is more than happy when she requests her assistance on saving the world.
• Captain Colleen Celaeno (voiced by Karen Gillan): A humanoid parrot and the apathetic captain of a band of pirate misfits, Captain Colleen Celaeno may be much more jaded than her older sister Cataleya...explaining her refusal to help Twilight Sparkle at first glance.
• Catrina (voiced by Judy Greer): An anthropomorphic alley cat and cunning yet goodhearted con artist, Catrina has trouble stepping away from her criminal influence. She partially (and we mean mostly) blames her problem on her former flame Nick.

Yes, some of the characters from the movie don't actually appear, but they are mentioned and will in later installments. Also, fair warning: some of the characters may use firearms.

"There was a time. A time before...there were perfect things. A time where the line between good and evil existed. That time has past. That was then... This is now."

In an Anon-A-Miss AU where Sunset has gone missing and presumed dead, she has actually been secretly transported to a world where true magic exists and anything – no matter how impossible – is possible. However, this magical realm is in danger from being under siege from an old nemesis who was defeated long ago. In order to save the kingdom, Sunset must learn to trust her new friends and forgive her old ones.

• Sunset Shimmer (voiced by Rebecca Shoichet): A teenage girl who is thrust into a conflict between the good, the bad, and the ugly. She has trouble identifying which is which.

• Sweetie Belle (voiced by Claire Corlett): A young china girl who holds a strong desire to save her family from the forces of evil. Of course, this proves easier said than done, but this doesn't stop her.

• Glinda (voiced by Michelle Williams): The kindhearted daughter of the deceased king of Oz, Glinda's unnatural desire of vengeance over her father's death at the hands of the Wicked Witch of the East has reached an all-time high.

• The Jester (voiced by Martin Short): The pompous and manipulative magician of the Quadling Country, The Jester seeks revenge against Emerald City for turning against him.

• Oscar Diggs / Oz (voiced by James Franco): The benevolent ruler of the Land of Oz, Oscar assists Sunset in her journey to save the land. He eventually sees her as a daughter to him.

The story and style inevitably draw inspirations from any film adaptations of the Oz book series, but it is also influenced by The Guns of Navarone (1961), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and Sergio Leone's Western films. Ironically, these films also influenced the fantasy adventure known as Gods of Egypt (2016), but I'll try to improve upon that film.

In "A Canterlot Wedding", Twilight just wanted to protect her brother from the Cadance imposter who was Queen Chrysalis. However, he didn't believe her and was subsequently barred from the wedding; this left a heartbroken mare in his wake. Enter BLANK, a Changeling who seems to mean both good and bad.

BLANK manipulates Twilight into reaching a bargain: if she helps him get his revenge on Princess Celestia, he will help her get her revenge on Queen Chrysalis. Twilight agrees, unaware of the madness behind the mask of a charming Changeling, who seems to develop an interest in the young mare as well.

Revenge is the purest emotion a person could feel... It is sweet as it is bitter. A young high school girl named Sunset Shimmer learns this the hard way when she desires and decides to get revenge on her former friends and classmates who accuse her of being "Anon-a-Miss".