Sunset Shimmer

Sunset Shimmer is a female unicorn pony, the former student of Princess Celestia, and the main antagonist of My Little Pony Equestria Girls. She also appears in the IDW comics.

Development
Sunset Shimmer resembles the G3 Earth pony Sunshimmer in pony design and name.

An image of human Sunset Shimmer that appears on the back of the Equestria Girls Sunset Shimmer & Twilight Sparkle doll release's packaging was posted online in mid-March 2013.

On March 19, 2013, Meghan McCarthy was asked "Is Sunset Shimmer going to be a Season 4 storyline? The fact that her backstory seems like a show plot" and responded "Nope." On April 1, 2013, McCarthy wrote as part of an April Fools' Day joke that My Little Pony Friendship is Magic season four episode five would be titled "The Student Becomes the Teacher: The Return of Sunset Shimmer".

Depiction in the film
Sunset Shimmer appears as the main antagonist in My Little Pony Equestria Girls. She steals Twilight Sparkle's element of magic crown, and during a tussle with Twilight, the crown is thrown into a mirror which acts as a portal to another world. Sunset then follows the crown shortly after.

Princess Celestia reveals that Sunset was a former student of hers who began her studies not long before Twilight did. However, when she didn't get what she desired as quickly as she'd liked, she turned cruel and dishonest, eventually abandoning her studies to pursue her own path. In this other world, Sunset has been living as a human and student of Canterlot High for some time. She discovers that Fluttershy had found the crown and turned it over to Principal Celestia, much to Sunset's annoyance.

Upon learning that Twilight will be competing against her for the title of Princess of the Fall Formal, Sunset employs various ways to hinder and humiliate Twilight, such as having Snips and Snails record embarrassing videos of her struggling to get used to the human world and releasing the videos online, and doctoring photos to frame Twilight for ruining the dance decorations. But Twilight's friends help to counter these ploys by improving Twilight's reputation and Flash Sentry, Sunset's ex-boyfriend, helps prove Twilight's innocence.

At the Fall Formal, when Twilight is named Princess and given the crown, Sunset has Snips and Snails kidnap Spike, and threatens to destroy the portal to Equestria unless Twilight gives her the crown. Twilight refuses to give the crown up, stating that her being stuck in the human world would be worth stopping Sunset. As Twilight's friends commend her bravery and sacrifice, Sunset snaps and attacks her. Despite Twilight and her friends' efforts, Sunset succeeds in getting the crown and puts it on, causing her to transform into a demonic-looking creature. With her new powers, Sunset transforms Snips and Snails into similar-looking minions and brainwashes the other students at the school. She reveals that she never intended to destroy the portal, and plans to invade and conquer Equestria with her army of teenagers.

Twilight is able to evoke the powers of the Elements of Harmony when her friends move to protect her from Sunset Shimmer's attack. Temporarily given pony-like characteristics, they use the magic of friendship to defeat Sunset Shimmer and return Snips, Snails, and the rest of the students to normal.

As everyone recovers, a beaten and repentant Sunset is reduced to tears and apologizes to everyone she's hurt. She admits to not knowing anything about friendship, to which Twilight says her friends can teach her. Sunset, Snips, and Snails are later tasked by Vice Principal Luna with rebuilding the part of school they had destroyed during their attack.

Depiction in the comics
An eight-page featurette included with, titled "The Fall of Sunset Shimmer", details Sunset Shimmer's last days as Princess Celestia's student.

Like Twilight, Sunset is shown to be a magical prodigy. Unlike Twilight, however, she's quite boastful and condescending toward others, despite Celestia's lessons about humility. Celestia shows Sunset the magic mirror from the film; in it, Sunset sees herself as an all-powerful alicorn—one who could rule Equestria. Sunset briefly sees something else in the mirror, but Celestia guides her away from it before she gets too curious. During the weeks that follow, the mirror is all Sunset can think about, and Celestia repeatedly tells her that she'll learn about the mirror and other lessons "when [she's] ready".

An undeterred Sunset Shimmer begins researching the mirror behind Celestia's back, but is soon caught by the princess and her royal guards. Sunset berates her teacher for hiding such magic from her and demands to be made a princess. Celestia refuses, saying that being a princess must be earned, and removes Sunset from her position as her student. She has the royal guards escort Sunset out of the castle, but Sunset overpowers the guards and escapes through the mirror.

As Celestia has the mirror moved to her throne room hoping that she'll return back to Equestria, Sunset Shimmer emerges in the human world as a teenage girl.

In IDW's My Little Pony Annual 2013, Sunset Shimmer interviews the human counterparts of Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack for a story for the school paper, but her expression at the end of the comic suggests a far more sinister motive.

Hasbro.com Equestria Girls description
''Sunset Shimmer rules Canterlot high with an iron hoof...uhh hand. There’s no one in the school more feared, manipulative and dishonest than her. And she doesn’t care who she has to intimidate, frighten, or push around to keep it that way. But this year, there’s a new challenger, and Twilight Sparkle might be the one who finally dethrones her.''

Personality
Throughout the film, Sunset Shimmer is shown to be egotistical, cruel, condescending, and manipulative. She frequently insults and belittles others, and thinks little of it. According to Fluttershy, Sunset makes life miserable for "anyone who stands in her way". As a result, much of the Canterlot High student body is afraid of her. When Sunset puts on the element of magic, she transforms into a demonic visage of herself. While in this form, she goes so far as attempting to kill Twilight. After she is defeated by the Elements of Harmony, Sunset Shimmer becomes immediately repentant and apologizes for her actions, appearing to renounce her prior sadistic ways.

My Little Pony (mobile game)
Sunset Shimmer is one of the available playable characters in Gameloft's mobile game. She was added to the game on June 13, 2013. According to her in-game description, "Sunset Shimmer is one of the most promising students at Princess Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. Her cutie mark is a shimmering sun." In the first week of June 2013, Hasbro's My Little Pony Facebook page and the official Facebook page of the game posted the clues "The path to a new adventure is magical...", "Everyone will love me now!", "Beware, Equestria!", "A beautiful pony that has nothing but power and potential", "I'm better than all of you!", and "Magical mirrors shimmer".

Merchandise
A Playful Ponies toy of Sunset Shimmer was displayed wearing a masquerade mask at the 2013 New York Toy Fair, and was released with the mask and a comb as part of the Crystal Princess Celebration line. The back of the release's packaging bears the general statement "The ponies wear beautiful masks to dress up for a special celebration!" and the specific statement "Sunset Shimmer knows a magical path to faraway adventures! Years ago, she was also a student of Princess Celestia."

An Equestria Girls human doll of Sunset Shimmer was released with another such doll of Twilight Sparkle and other items, including an element of magic crown accessory. Sunset Shimmer's description on the back of the release's packaging reads, "Her striking sense of fashion steals a lot of attention!"

A mini-figure pony toy of Sunset Shimmer has been displayed at the 2014 American International Toy Fair.

Quotes
"Sorry it had to be this way... Princess!"

- To Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"You really are pathetic. It's no wonder your best friends are all stray animals."

- To Fluttershy, My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"You must be new here. I can speak to anyone any way I want."

- My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"This looks terrible! There should be more streamers near the stage and fewer balloons."

- To Pinkie Pie, My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"You country folk really aren't that bright. Must be why the other students say such awful things about you."

- To Applejack, My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"Where is this Twilight Sparkle?"

- My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"Twilight Sparkle wants to be your Fall Formal Princess. What does it say about our school if we give someone like this... such an important honor?"

- Voiceover in an anti-Twilight Sparkle video, My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"Take those off! I have something I need you to do."

- To Snips and Snails, My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"Spoiler alert: I was bluffing when I said I was going to destroy the portal. I don't want to rule this pathetic little high school; I want Equestria! And with my own little teenage army behind me, I am going to get it!"

- My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know there was another way."

- After being defeated by Twilight and her friends, My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"But... but all I've ever done since being here is drive everyone apart. I don't know the first thing about friendship."

- My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"Hmpf. I have better things to do than socialize. I'm going to re-read 'Advanced Elemental Magical Practices' and then practice for my advanced summoning spells exam. What are you studying for? Nothing, that's what."

- The Fall of Sunset Shimmer

"I deserve to stand beside you and be your equal... if not your better. Make me a princess."

- To Princess Celestia, The Fall of Sunset Shimmer

"Well, well, this is an interesting development."

- Upon arriving in the human world, The Fall of Sunset Shimmer

"Believe me... I've got everything I need to know about you."

- My Little Pony October 2013 annual

"Twilight Sparkle thinks she can win Fall Formal Princess over me? HA! I'm going to rule this school once I get that crown!"

- Thought, Sunset Shimmer & Twilight Sparkle doll packaging