History WesternAnimation / MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsSunsetsBackstagePass

* {{Determinator}}: K-Lo. In order to put on a great performance, she rewinds the day several times to try and do it completely perfectly, and she tells Sunset she'll rewind the day and try again as many times as it takes to get it perfect.

* AnAesop: PerfectionIsImpossible. Things will never go exactly the way you want them to. You have to learn to adapt and make changes, especially if your friends are involved.

* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Played for drama. Because Pinkie can't stop being distracted by the festival attractions, she and Sunset fall behind schedule. Then, just before the show starts, Pinkie gets a craving for churros and charges into the stand, bowling it over and getting herself and Sunset get kicked out of the festival, unable to see [=PostCrush=]. During the GroundhogDayLoop, Pinkie's lack of focus only hampers Sunset's investigations as to what's really going on, making Sunset more and more frustrated until she finally hits a RageBreakingPoint and screams at Pinkie.

* AllPartOfTheShow: When Sunset and Pinkie fight [=PostCrush=] over the Time Twirler, the brawl is accidentally moved onto the stage where [=PostCrush=] is supposed to be performing. All four of the girls stop awkwardly when they realize they are being watched, until Sunset smashes the Time Twirler, causing a magical explosion. The audience begins cheering, apparently thinking that this was an opening act to the show.

* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Played for drama. Because Pinkie can't stop being distracted by the festival attractions, she and Sunset fall behind schedule. Then, when Pinkie gets a churro stand knocked over, she and Sunset get kicked out of the festival, unable to see [=PostCrush=]. During the GroundhogDayLoop, Pinkie's lack of focus only hampers Sunset's investigations as to what's really going on, making Sunset more and more frustrated until she finally hits a RageBreakingPoint and screams at Pinkie.

* ForWantOfANail: If Sunset allowed Pinkie to get those churros, she would've figured things out sooner.

* IndestructibleEdible: The churros Pinkie wants are hard as a rock. Sunset compares eating them to trying to chew on a crowbar.

-->'''Applejack:''' So, I says to Big Mac, "Get your own chicken coop!"

* LiteralAssKicking: At the beginning of each time loop, Rainbow Dash accidentally hits Sunset in the butt with a paddle, to which Sunset mentions "intense pain" the first time. On the final day, Sunset avoids this by dodging out of the way of Rainbow's paddle.

** At the end of Summer's confrontation with the Dazzlings, Adagio remarks, "If the day's always the same, maybe ''you're'' the one who needs to change." before they pack up and leave. Summer can't argue with this, especially after [[JerkassRealization seeing she hurt her friend Pinkie]] by badmouthing her to the Dazzlings, and starts making an effort to be kinder to her in the next loop. Ultimately this helps them break the loop.

* RetiredMonster: The Dazzlings are just as mean as ever, and show no remorse for their actions, only expressing regret for them due to [[BroughtDownToNormal the consequences it brought them]] rather than how it hurt others... but with no way back to Equestria, no magic necklaces to hypnotise people with and no other Equestrian magic to cut corners with, [[PragmaticVillainy they've been forced to cleave to the practical and earn an honest living so they can get by]]. They're now going around as a normal band grinding the festival/concert circuit, using musical post-production to hide their [[HollywoodToneDeaf singing inadequacies]]. Sunset suspects them of causing the loop, [[NotMeThisTime but they had nothing to do with that]]; Adagio remarks all they care about now is living their lives one day at a time.

* TheBusCameBack: The Dazzlings return, having last been seen in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks Rainbow Rocks]]''. They're shown as doing concerts to get by, although [[RetiredMonster they're just as mean and nasty as they ever were]].

* JerkassHasAPoint: Sunset hits a RageBreakingPoint after being caught by the Dazzlings, yelling about how Pinkie can't control her impulses. Pinkie overhears this, causing her to cry. But the straw that broke the camel's back was Pinkie leaving to get some churros while she was supposed to be standing watch to keep an eye out for the Dazzlings. Pinkie admits that it's understandable why Sunset would be frustrated and that she deserves to have a good time.

* RageBreakingPoint: Being trapped in the loops slowly starts to get on Sunset's nerves. She becomes more sarcastic and gives deadpan responses to those around her and lashes out at her friends over various annoyances, which they don't understand because they do not remember the loops like she does. The final straw is when Pinkie Pie abandons her guard duty of watching for the Dazzlings to go get churros, and Sunset rants about how Pinkie keeps ruining her various loops and screams she hates churros, which Pinkie overhears.

* RetiredMonster: The Dazzlings have given up their villainy after losing their magic, and are now going around as a normal band playing music to earn money so they can get by. They are still just as mean as ever, and show no remorse for their actions, only expressing regret for them due to [[BroughtDownToNormal the consequences it brought them]] rather than how it hurt others. The Dazzlings leave after giving Sunset a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, showing that they haven't changed and never will.

* BareYourMidriff: A light-green female background character can be seen wearing a brown midriff-baring top.

* SneezeOfDoom: Among the flashback montage of all the mishaps that happened during [=PostCrush=]'s concert, convincing K-Lo they need to try again, there is a shot of Su-Z violently sneezing mid-song.

* WhyDidntIThinkOfThat: After the loop is resolved, Pinkie Pie asks Sunset (under the impression that she may have said this before) what Princess Twilight thought when Sunset told her about it. Sunset is completely flabbergasted that she [[CouldveAvoidedThisPlot didn't think to write to her weeks ago]].

* WhyDidntIThinkOfThat: After the loop is resolved, Pinkie Pie asks Sunset (under the impression that she may have said this before) what Princess Twilight thought when Sunset told her about it. Sunset is completely flabbergasted that she [[CouldveAvoidedThisWholePlot didn't think to write to her weeks ago]].

* CallBack: [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls1 Once again]], the climax centers around Sunset [[MacGuffinMelee struggling for possession of a magical Equestrian artifact]] as it bounces from person to person. As before, she gets it.

* CutenessProximity: Invoked. When Sunset learns that the huge security guard once worked a cat food convention, she shows up with a [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter very cute kitty cat]] to get on his good side. It works.

->''Anyone else having serious DejaVu?''

* {{Bathos}}: After Pinkie overhears Sunset's rant about how Pinkie keeps screwing things up, Pinkie starts to cry. But before she runs off weeping, she tells the Dazzlings that they have cool costumes.

* KinkySpanking: Alluded to -- one of the repeated events Sunset goes through is Rainbow accidentally smacking her in the butt with a paddle. On the third instance of the time loop, as Sunset happily realizes it's happening again, she grins and yells "Thank you!" when Rainbow hits her. Rainbow looks mildly weirded out seeing Sunset's excited reaction and scurries out of the scene while clearly blushing, meaning Rainbow might have gotten the wrong idea.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Sunset and Pinkie never seem to realize that the root of the problem is that they're not paying attention to what the other wants. Even when Twilight all but spells it out for them, Sunset and Pinkie don't get the hint.

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Sunset, when she tries to flee the festival site in the middle of the night. Her terrible driving ruins the RV's transmission, strands the group by the roadside, and fails to break the time loop.

** Sunset double subverts this. After two loops, Sunset just ditches Pinkie Pie entirely to see [=PostCrush=] on her own. When Sunset gets back to camp, the others throw shade at Sunset for it, but Sunset doesn't notice. A few time loops later, Sunset ends up ranting about her frustrations with Pinkie's attitude to the Dazzlings. This rant ends up overheard by Pinkie, who runs off crying as a result. Only then does Sunset realize that she's been a bad friend, time loops or otherwise.
* KarmicJackpot: Because Sunset mends fences with Pinkie for the final loop, the time loop is stopped and she and Pinkie get to join [=PostCrush=] on stage.

* LethalChef: Puffed Pastry (in contrast to her previous appearance). Her churros are as hard as rocks. Pinkie later uses one as a boomerang to knock the Time Twirler off of K-Lo's hair.
* LiteralAssKicking: At the beginning of each time loop, Rainbow Dash accidentally hits Sunset in the butt with a paddle, to which Sunset mentions "intense pain" the first time. On the final day, Sunset avoids this by dodging out of the way.

* MundaneSolution: Deprived of their auto-tuning magic necklaces, the Dazzlings have taken to using a looped vocal track as a substitute.

* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Played for drama. Because Pinkie can't stop being distracted by the festival attractions, she and Sunset fall behind schedule. Then, when Pinkie gets a churro stand knocked over, she and Sunset get kicked out of the festival, unable to see [=PostCrush=]. During the GroundhogDayLoop, Pinkie's lack of focus only hampers Sunset's investigations, making Sunset more and more frustrated until she finally hits a RageBreakingPoint.

* BeQuietNudge: When Sunset and Pinkie brings the churros to [=PostCrush=], Su-Z comments that "The usual delivery guy looks like two girls today..." and K-Lo elbows her (too late, though), since she just blew up that they were aware of the time loop.

** The first scene with the Dazzlings shows they're just as nasty as they ever were. They've learned to hide their nastiness a little better while they're onstage, but that's it.
--->'''Adagio Dazzle:''' That song's called "Find the Magic". ''[under her breath]'' [-Human scum.-] ''[[[MicDrop drops the microphone]], puts on a fake smile]''

* BoringButPractical: How do K-Lo and Su-Z plan to ensure Sunset and Pinkie can never stop their plan to keep resetting the day until they finally do the perfect show? By drawing their faces and informing security to not let them pass the gate every time they reset the day. Of course, [[TerribleArtist that plan hinges on Su-Z's drawing actually looking like Sunset and Pinkie]].

* TheBusCameBack: The Dazzlings return, having last been seen in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks Rainbow Rocks]]''.

* RetiredMonster: The Dazzlings have given up their villainy after losing their magic, and are now going around as a normal band playing music to earn money so they can get by. They are still just as mean as ever though, and show no remorse for their actions, only expressing regret for them due to [[BroughtDownToNormal the consequences it brought them]] rather than how it hurt others.

* CallBack: [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls1 Once again]], the climax centers around Sunset struggling for possession of a magical Equestrian artifact as it bounces from person to person. As before, she gets it.

* YouWereTryingTooHard: [=PostCrush=] go through countless loops trying to do their concert flawlessly, each time foiled by one mistake or another. When the Time Twirler is destroyed and Sunset convinces them to just do it without worrying about getting it perfect, they go through the whole routine and even improvise a little without any mistakes.