Faded Colors (Hell and High Water) · 5:38am Jun 2nd, 2017
For everyone who doesn't like Accusation Fics on principle, or who doesn't like dark scenes in stories: move along now, nothing to see here.
For everyone else I would like to promote a story I have found a week ago and already read through three times: Hell and High Water, by Uria the Sacred Beast and SunnyDays. It's written by two authors who are both great people and great writers, and it's so good that I've already written a song for it, which you can find after the break (heavy spoiler warning for the story).
The story does a great job balancing the dark points with light or sometimes morbid humor, a feeling of righteous anger at some of the cast and a deep and inspired lore about the early days of Equestria. Every part of it is vivid and believable (aside from maybe the parts taken directly from the IDW comic it is based on) and the writing is solid without any typos or mistakes getting in the way.
They're about to finish up the next chapter, so now's your time to go over and give the story some love. Reading IDW's comic might help, but is in no way required to understand and enjoy the story.
Now as promised here's the song, sung to the tune of this one by Sarah Connor (my personal source for Sunset Shimmer songs):
[Rainbow Dash]
Now that everyone is gone
And we're out here all alone
You're already cold as ice
Just hang on, don't close your eyes
You look beat-up and so pale
Has our friendship really failed
Their betrayal cut us deep
Just hang on, don't go to sleep
How can this be
Why can I see…
I see them
Your colors fading
From all this hating
Out in the darkness
I still see you
Don't let them break you
Don't let me break, too
We can get through this…
Just hang on
And I remember sunny days
Full of laughter and of play
You were stronger than us all
How could they just let you fall
Now there's only pain and hate
Brought with fire and with blades
Were they ever our friends
Is this really how it ends
Why did they leave
You to your grief…
Screw them
Now your color's fading
Can we really hate them
Tossed into darkness
I say screw them
Don't let them break you
I will not break, too
We can get through this…
Just hang on
Every mark they left on us
Every insult, every cuss
How could they turn on us so fast
[Queen Crescendo]
I can see your fire wane
I can send you back again
I won't let this be the end
[Sunset]
With our colors faded
Their perspective jaded
Let them bring their hatred
We won't die
Though our color's faded
From all their hatred
We won't die
We'll get by
No we won't die
For anyone getting a "Video not available in your country" error, the song is "Wie schön Du bist" and searching for that with the singer's name (Sarah Connor) should, hopefully, let you find one that is available in your country. (It worked for me.)
I note also that Sarah Connor will prove invaluable in the coming war against the machines. Don't believe the war is coming? Cyberdyne has existed in the real world since 2004.
(Yes, that was shameless Terminator referencing. From someone who hasn't seen a single Terminator thing in a decade.)