What does Sunset Shimmer's cutie mark represent?

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

This is something they need to explore more of in the movies. It can't be about magic, because even though Sunset herself is good at it, magic is Twilight's specialty. It can't be the sun, because Celestia practically controls the sun. So what is it? Setting things on fire? 

[ManaMinori 4,143]

it's a yin/ yang symbol surrounded by flames, to make it look likd a sun, which kind of represents how Celestia is seen as yin and Luna as Yang, and how they work in harmony balancing the sun and the moon, and (WARNING!!!! HEADCANON) how Sunset Shimmer could someday take the place of both, had she ascended to the throne.

 

Or, become Twilight's Yang, if she chose to go back to Equestria, and given a ruling position. But seeing as how her cutie mark is a yin yang sun, and when Celestia took her in as her apprentice, Sunset Shimmer was shown to be older than Twilight, Sunset could very well be Yin, and Twilight Yang- as Luna, because her cutie mark is a bunch of stars, and she has a darker coat and mane. So if Celestia did have plans for Sunset and Twilight to succeed her and Luna, eventually, both becoming alicorns, then yeah, that would definitely be the case. Twilight would be Sunset Shimmer's Luna, controlling the moon and stars, and being the younger of the two, and Sunset, controlling the sun and being the eldest.

[Unikitty 1,211]

This is something they need to explore more of in the movies. It can't be about magic, because even though Sunset herself is good at it, magic is Twilight's specialty. It can't be the sun, because Celestia practically controls the sun. So what is it? Setting things on fire? 

Why can't it represent magical prowess? Twilight may be the element of magic, but she's not the only magically gifted pony in Equestria. Don't forget that Sunset Shimmer was Celestia's pupil prior to Twilight Sparkle.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

it's a yin/ yang symbol surrounded by flames, to make it look likd a sun, which kind of represents how Celestia is seen as yin and Luna as Yang, and how they work in harmony balancing the sun and the moon, and (WARNING!!!! HEADCANON) how Sunset Shimmer could someday take the place of both, had she ascended to the throne.

 

Or, become Twilight's Yang, if she chose to go back to Equestria, and given a ruling position. But seeing as how her cutie mark is a yin yang sun, and when Celestia took her in as her apprentice, Sunset Shimmer was shown to be older than Twilight, Sunset could very well be Yin, and Twilight Yang- as Luna, because her cutie mark is a bunch of stars, and she has a darker coat and mane. So if Celestia did have plans for Sunset and Twilight to succeed her and Luna, eventually, both becoming alicorns, then yeah, that would definitely be the case. Twilight would be Sunset Shimmer's Luna, controlling the moon and stars, and being the younger of the two, and Sunset, controlling the sun and being the eldest.

That's an interesting theory, but Sunset was outright replaced by Twilight when she turned bad and decided to ditch her studies. They couldn't have been planned to fill complementary roles to one another as princesses. And there's nothing in the show that suggests either Celestia or Luna need a successor. We haven't even seen Twilight assume anything remotely close to Luna's responsibilities; controlling the night and consoling ponies in their dreams.

 

Why can't it represent magical prowess? Twilight may be the element of magic, but she's not the only magically gifted pony in Equestria. Don't forget that Sunset Shimmer was Celestia's pupil prior to Twilight Sparkle.

 

The unicorns that are gifted have all devoted their magic toward a specific purpose, like Trixie whose magic is about showmanship. Twilight's arguably the most powerful pony in Equestria because her talent is magic in its entirety. This can't be said about any other pony because the element of magic is hers and hers alone. And it keeps getting better the more she learns.

 

Sunset, despite being a parallel of sorts to Twilight in terms of character development, just isn't on her level. She's not actively seeking to improve her magic as much as she's learning more about friendship. And the fact she's not an element bearer, let alone a part of the Mane Six, is more or less indicative that her magic is preordained for one purpose.

 

That's what I'm trying to figure out. You can immediately tell that Twilight's cutie mark represents magic itself because of the multiple sparkles. Sunset's cutie mark is a yin/yang with the likeness of a fiery sun, which doesn't symbolize magic in any way.

[Malinter 3,064]

Cutie Mark related latents are not limited to single pony.

 

Rainbow Dash shares her need for speed with Lightning Dust and they don't have the same cutie marks.

Rarity isn't the only fashionista pony with others also in the business like Coco Pommel, Suri Polomare and Hoity Toity.

Pinkie Pie shares her party talents with Cheese Sandwich.

 

Twilight won't be the only pony with a cutie mark devoted to magic, others will appear

[KatonRyu 1,026]

I believe her cutie mark represents that she is the pony who was destined to become Celestia's successor, and that the image she saw in the mirror was the truth. However, due to seeing it before she was ready her greed overcame her and the thread of destiny was cut. Maybe one day, she'll still be able to claim her position.

 

On a side note, I think Twilight's role is unique and that she represents the stars in the sky because she ascended from being a regular pony, through friendship, thus connecting everyone.

[TerminalObsession 250]

I prefer the theory that the dual colors of Sunset's cutie mark represent her ability to do opposite types of magic, such as fire and ice. The sun represents a particular affinity with fire magic.

[DeadAccount 4,603]

Sunset's own kind of magic nothing about ruling in Equestria but perhaps something to do with a Phoenix

[cmarston1 5,951]

I am pretty sure that just like Twilight's it also represents magical talent.

[LunaDream 331]

it's a yin/ yang symbol surrounded by flames, to make it look likd a sun, which kind of represents how Celestia is seen as yin and Luna as Yang, and how they work in harmony balancing the sun and the moon, and (WARNING!!!! HEADCANON) how Sunset Shimmer could someday take the place of both, had she ascended to the throne.

 

Or, become Twilight's Yang, if she chose to go back to Equestria, and given a ruling position. But seeing as how her cutie mark is a yin yang sun, and when Celestia took her in as her apprentice, Sunset Shimmer was shown to be older than Twilight, Sunset could very well be Yin, and Twilight Yang- as Luna, because her cutie mark is a bunch of stars, and she has a darker coat and mane. So if Celestia did have plans for Sunset and Twilight to succeed her and Luna, eventually, both becoming alicorns, then yeah, that would definitely be the case. Twilight would be Sunset Shimmer's Luna, controlling the moon and stars, and being the younger of the two, and Sunset, controlling the sun and being the eldest.

I was about to comment on the ying and yang aspect of her cutie mark. I think the ying and yang aspect could also symbolize a duality of nature. It could symbolize that she has two very different sides of herself. I think the sun represents a fire that burns within her, think of " My Past is Not Today". She describes herself as a " phoenix burning bright", of course she is referring to the fire within herself.

 

Just some thoughts.

 

Edited November 22, 2015 by LunaDream

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

Okay so here's my take on her cutie mark:

 

The sun shape represents her magical potential. Celestia's in in the shape of a sun as well and for Sunset it instead shows how powerful she is able to become, ie on Celestia's level of magic.  The yin-yang symbol in the middle, to piggyback off of what Nightmare Muffin and Luna Dream said, represents the her dual nature, that she had both her good (represented by the yellow ie Daydream Shimmer) and her bad (represented by the red) that in the end she has both and it's her choice to follow whichever one she chooses to. Then the flames surrounding the symbol represent her passion and drive to achieve.   At least that's my take on it.  

[Marimo 555]

 

 

The unicorns that are gifted have all devoted their magic toward a specific purpose, like Trixie whose magic is about showmanship. Twilight's arguably the most powerful pony in Equestria because her talent is magic in its entirety. This can't be said about any other pony because the element of magic is hers and hers alone. And it keeps getting better the more she learns.

So what? A pony doesn't have to be the only or even the best to still specialize in magic in general. And so what if Twilight's the Element of Magic, that doesn't mean the other members of the mane six can be the only ones who are really honest, loyal, generous, kind, or make others laugh.

 

 

 

Sunset, despite being a parallel of sorts to Twilight in terms of character development, just isn't on her level. She's not actively seeking to improve her magic as much as she's learning more about friendship. And the fact she's not an element bearer, let alone a part of the Mane Six, is more or less indicative that her magic is preordained for one purpose.

She has been studying how the magic in the EqG world works. 

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

So what? A pony doesn't have to be the only or even the best to still specialize in magic in general. And so what if Twilight's the Element of Magic, that doesn't mean the other members of the mane six can be the only ones who are really honest, loyal, generous, kind, or make others laugh.

 

 

 

She has been studying how the magic in the EqG world works. 

Tons of ponies seem to specialize in magic like Trixie, Starlight and of course Sunset.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

So what? A pony doesn't have to be the only or even the best to still specialize in magic in general. And so what if Twilight's the Element of Magic, that doesn't mean the other members of the mane six can be the only ones who are really honest, loyal, generous, kind, or make others laugh.

You're missing the point. What do apples have to do with honesty? What do butterflies have to do with kindness? Nothing. Of all the Mane Six, Twilight is the only one whose special talent is directly aligned with her element, hence the sparkles for her cutie mark.

 

All the other ponies specializing in magic have marks that tell you specifically what their magic is being applied to. Trixie is a show pony. Her mark is a wand with a cape curved like a moon. Starlight Glimmer is a dictator. Hers is a spark with a trail of energy resembling the magic she uses to take cutie marks from others.

 

So what is Sunset's cutie mark supposed to represent? If her talent is simply magic, then what kind of magic is it? Because her cutie mark is completely ambiguous. Flames and a yinyang are not things associated with magic. 

 

She has been studying how the magic in the EqG world works.

 

Yeah, for the sake of knowledge, not learning new spells.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Lord-Pomegranate

[Marimo 555]

So what is Sunset's cutie mark supposed to represent? If her talent is simply magic, then what kind of magic is it? Because her cutie mark is completely ambiguous. Flames and a yinyang are not things associated with magic.

There's till no reason why magic itself can't be it even if Twilight also has magic in general. And the yin yang symbol might not actually be related to her talent so much as just something unique about its design that also applies to her personality. That she has the potential for great good and evil, and has wielded great magic for both reasons.

 

 

 

Yeah, for the sake of knowledge, not learning new spells.

It was also for better understanding it and knowing how to use and not use it. 

[Prince Firemane 309]

I believe her cutie mark is one of those that's metaphorical rather than literal; like Cherilee's. I, like others, noticed the Yin/Yang motif, showing opposites in a duality. I think this reflects the opposite sides of herself, both good and bad. I've also noticed that her cutie mark has one shade of red while having two shades of yellow. Also, the yellow side of the sun symbol is outlined while the red is not, showing that the light side has more detail than the darker side while maintaining the minimalist style of cutie marks. I think this is a reflection of her character progression. As a villian, she was one-dimensional and just plain unbelievable. But when she reformed, she became much deeper, revealing strengths and weaknesses that greatly rounded her out.

 

I also noticed that the Yin/Yang symbol in the center is outlined in orange, a combination of red and yellow. The line is also very thin, showing that Sunset Shimmer walks in thin line that others have done as well by being both good and bad. Then the solar motif I think is an Icarus metaphor. On both of her sides, she has been close to great power. When she was evil, she was close to Princess Celestia. As good, she's close to Princess Twilight. However, when she tries to take power for her own benefit, she gets burned. Attempting to take power the first time got her expelled from being Celestia's student. Attempting to do so the second time turned her into a raging she-demon. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and Sunset Shimmer is especially vulnerable to it due to her nature. However, she's not corrupted by power that she uses to help someone else. She literally and metaphorically becomes a phoenix, a living flame.

 

I think that ties into the more literal aspect of Sunset Shimmer's cutie mark. Her natural magic seems to be flame-based. That makes sense to me. Fire walks the same thin line she does. Fire has two sides; It can be overwhelmingly devistating, wiping whole lands clean of life. However, life cannot live without the heat it provides and truly, many seeds from trees cannot be released from their pods unless the pods are broiled and explode and can only do so under the intense heat that a forest fire creates. As such, fire is a force capable of both great destruction and beautiful creation; just like Sunset Shimmer is capable of great good and evil.

 

As such, I believe that it is her special talent to help others caught in the middle of a difficult situation, to help them based on what she learned from her own experiences.

[Jinxie Umbra 149]

Yin-Yang. Positive and Negative. She was a villain, but was reformed and is now a hero. I thought 'twas rather simple.