Sunset Shimmer counter claim

[ManaMinori 4,143]

I recently found myself watching a video published on YouTube by an analyst who goes by the name of Sawtooth Waves. I have been subscribed to his content for many years and have always enjoyed a lot of the speculation that he makes regarding FiM content. However, I found myself disagreeing with one of his more recent theories that he had tried to explain. In the video entitled “The Other Sunset Shimmer”, he presents the assumption that the Sunset Shimmer from Equestria is the only Sunset that exists, and that a human reflection of her just doesn’t exist within the world of Equestria Girls, and never has. The reason for this, apparently, is that fate decided that pony Sunset be the one to unify the pony and human worlds- as this can be seen in the yin/yang cutie mark on her flank. Sunset has brought over humans into Equestria (to become ponies), and ponies (and non pony creatures (Sirens, Dragons) have also made their way into the human world, and brought magic over into the world with them, where it originally didn’t exist (although it can be argued that is shouldn’t have been there in the first place…). 

But here’s my beef with this theory. If Sunset Shimmer was truly meant to be a unifier of worlds, as her cutie mark depicts in its yin/yang motif, then this would automatically fly in the face of established cutie mark lore. Isn’t it understood that once a pony understands what their life’s purpose or special talent is, then the cutie mark will manifest? Sunset had her cutie mark long before she had ever found out about the portal and it leading to other worlds, that Celestia showed her back as a filly and while Sunset was still her personal student. So if she had not yet learned about the portal and other worlds, or the fact that she was meant to unify them, only in the  second Equestria Girls movie (Rainbow Rocks), onward, then how would she have gotten her cutie mark and understood it, long before these events? 

It doesn’t make sense. 

[SharpWit 2,472]

I don't agree with Sawtooth on that either, but at the very least we've been shown that cutie marks can be misunderstood thanks to Trouble Shoes.

Sometimes cutie marks are straight forward, other times they're vague at best. This possibly can't be better illustrated than by our own fandom's attempts to create marks for our own ponysonas. It's can be difficult even with limitless creative freedom. I can't imagine how that would go if it truly applied to our personal everyday lives.

Edited August 28, 2021 by SharpWit

[Justin_Case001 4,857]

On 2021-08-27 at 1:53 PM, ManaMinori said:

Isn’t it understood that once a pony understands what their life’s purpose or special talent is, then the cutie mark will manifest?

That's absolutely right.  Sunset could not possibly have gotten a worlds-unifying mark before even knowing that the alternate world existed.  It's been conclusively proven on the show that marks appear as a direct result of the pony making a conscious decision about their life's passion.  Sawtooth's theory is dead wrong. 

On 2021-08-27 at 7:02 PM, SharpWit said:

but at the very least we've been shown that cutie marks can be misunderstood thanks to Trouble Shoes.

I argue that he never really misunderstood it.  His passion was the rodeo, and he knew he was meant to be there, but he sucked at it.  But that never dampened his passion for it.  He never stopped believing that he was meant to be in the rodeo, and that was all that the mark meant.  The CMC simply helped him find a path into the rodeo with the "talents" that he had.  I argue that his mark would have been exactly the same had he been as good at rodeo events as Applejack.

Back on point, the question of where the human world's Sunset is and what she's up to remains one of the greatest unanswered mysteries of the G4 multiverse.  In actuality, the answer is probably somewhat underwhelming.  I did some math and worked out that the ponies are a few years older than their human counterparts, so human Sunset probably just attended a different high school, graduated shortly before the events of EG1, then just moved away somewhere and got a normal job.  Pony Sunset is saving the world, and human Sunset is probably just working at a Clinique counter at the mall.

[SharpWit 2,472]

2 hours ago, Justin_Case001 said:

His passion was the rodeo, and he knew he was meant to be there, but he sucked at it.  But that never dampened his passion for it. 

I'm not sure what to think on that. I'm not entirely against cutie marks indicating that somepony is good at something generally regarded as bad because not every corner of the world can be jam packed with happiness and rainbows, but for your destiny to be passionate for something you're terrible at? That's really sad, like a whole new level of low.

[Justin_Case001 4,857]

On 2022-01-07 at 1:32 PM, SharpWit said:

but for your destiny to be passionate for something you're terrible at? That's really sad, like a whole new level of low.

Well, the catch is not to think of it as a "destiny".  Cutie marks only represent what the pony wants to do with their life.  They're a visual representation of the pony's own inner belief and desire for their life.  Nothing more.  If the pony's mark represents something they're terrible at, it's because that's truly what the pony wants to do, regardless of their lack of skill.  It's their choice.  The pony makes the mark, not vice versa.  If the pony didn't want to do that thing, then they wouldn't have that mark.  Simple as that.  Imagine if you decided to get a tattoo of the thing in life that you love the most, that you're most passionate about.  A cutie mark is just that, but it appears magically.

I absolutely love cutie mark lore.  Check out my blog entry, On Cutie Marks and Pear Butter, if you want more detail.