Sunburst (My Little Pony)

"Like I'd ever lose touch with my oldest friend."

- Sunburst promising to stay in touch with Starlight

Sunburst is a male unicorn pony, the childhood friend of Starlight Glimmer, and royal crystaller to Flurry Heart. After saving Starlight from some falling books and earning his cutie mark, he left for Canterlot to become Princess Celestia's student. Years later, he resides in the Crystal Empire, and eventually rekindles his friendship with Starlight with the help of Twilight Sparkle and Spike.

He is voiced by Ian Hanlin.

Season 5
In The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2, Starlight Glimmer takes Twilight Sparkle and Spike back in time to her youth, where they witness a young Sunburst and Starlight playing a book-stacking game. When Starlight's move nearly causes the books to topple onto her, Sunburst saves her using telekinesis, earning him his cutie mark. Afterward, Starlight loses touch with Sunburst because he earned his cutie mark before her, and she starts believing that cutie marks ruin friendships.

Season 6
In The Crystalling - Part 1, Starlight says that Sunburst "knew everything there was to know about magic" when they were foals, contradicted in the flashbacks by Starlight being better at spells than him, and would occasionally help her along in her magic development. When Starlight later approaches him in the Crystal Empire to reconnect with him, he mainly acts awkward around her and purports to be an important wizard.

However, it is later revealed in The Crystalling - Part 2 that, although Sunburst is very knowledgeable about magic, he is untalented at casting it. Ashamed, he left Canterlot and resigns in the Crystal Empire. At first he refused to help Starlight save the crystal empire because he might fail, but when Starlight admits her past misdeeds, including her time travel, he was left amazed and when she mentions the crystaling, he gets an idea. He uses this knowledge of magic to help Starlight and her friends restore the Crystal Heart and complete the newborn baby Flurry Heart's Crystalling ceremony. Following this, Sunburst is appointed as Flurry Heart's "crystaller" and magic advisor, and he and Starlight promise to stay in touch.

Sunburst also appears in The Times They Are A Changeling, staying close to Flurry Heart during a suspected changeling incursion. In To Where and Back Again - Part 1, when Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart are captured by the changelings, Sunburst dispatches Thorax to help save Equestria. To Where and Back Again is the only episode where Sunburst is mentioned, but doesn't physically appear.

Season 7
Sunburst appears in the Season 7 premiere attending Starlight's graduation.