This story is a sequel to Sunset Shimmer - Six Friends One Heart

Two souls separated by tragedy but forever bound by destiny.

Sunset was conceived, loved and wanted by the mother who bore her. By an accident of conception, both she and her beloved twin sister joyfully waited for the day of their births, two souls bound by the twine of destiny.

Then the unthinkable happened, and her mother and sister were left to survive alone.

A prequel to Sunset Shimmer - Six Friends One Heart by BABroniedad.

Featured January 25, 2024 - Thank you so much!

*Note: Takes place after season two, but before season three.*

The main six have very complicated lives. On top of their everyday tasks, and dealing with the problems of living in a town near The Everfree Forest, they also have the weight of the world on their shoulders. This can cause a lot of problems and stress for the main six, each one having their own ways to cope.

Now with a sequel! https://www.fimfiction.net/story/473891/fake-smiles-fluttershys-lament

Applejack has her farm and family, Fluttershy has her animals, Rainbow Dash has her clouds, Twilight has her work, and Rarity has her dresses. But Pinkie?

Pinkie chose alcohol.

Pinkie Pie. The ultimate party pony. Loved by all, and loves in return.

But sometimes...sometimes, in the dead of night, after all the decorations are taken down, she feels a darkness welling up inside her. A darkness that threatens to overwhelm her in the form of a voice that whispers unspeakable things.

Pathetic. Loser. Let me out.

Let me hurt them

Let me hurt you

Written for a beautiful friend who is having a rough time.

This story is a sequel to Fake Smiles

Pinkie was not the happy pony she pretends to be, nor does she actually enjoy throwing parties or pranking, it's simply all she knows how to do. She was really terribly miserable, a result of her traumatizing home life and the lie she was forced to live. Ever since Rainbow stumbled across her and learned the truth, staying her friend regardless, she felt for the first time in a long time she could be happy.

Sadly, there is another who suffers the same way she does, and it's a pony she can't make happy, no matter how much she may want to or try.

Note: It isn't entirely necessary to read the first one to understand what's going on here, there is enough context and details given to get the gist, but I still highly recommend reading Fake Smiles first.

Now with a reading by Lotus Moon

I really wanted to write a heartfelt Pinkie fic, since she is my favorite pony. So I thought of this.

Ratted Teen for mentions of self harm.

My editor, Griphongirl_Ellie and I wrote this together. I may know Pinkie Pie, but nobody knows her like she does. She helped me add some really good parts that really helped the story come to life.

Dedicated to my friends Sketch, Tomohiro, Bookie, Ellie, Mom, Fire Bloom, and Lotus Moon. You've seen me at my worst, but still love me despite me feeling like I'm not worth it.

Another thank you to Ellie for helping me write and edit this, along with adding the shading to the cover art. Love ya, girlfriend!

Original art

Cutting myself is the only way I can express my frustration and anger. The only way to say how I feel. It also feels like an addiction. The adrenaline is like a high so I just keep doing it, because the low feels unbearable.

Pinkie wasn’t stupid. She knew a lot of things about her friends, sometimes she pretended not to so that they wouldn’t be hurt, but this thing was hurting because she couldn’t bring it up without hurting her friend.

Two friends, one problem, and it seems the only solution is a hug.

EDIT 8-21: Thank you SO much everyone for all the positive feedback on this, it really means a lot to me, and it makes me so happy to see how far the story has come in the past few days. THANK YOU!!!

We are not owed anything. On a hill overlooking Ponyville, a small scene plays out.

2013

ShadowLegacy13 did a read of this story on youtube that you can find here

Spotify alternate link.

Twilight has had a long reign. She has watched ponies develop technologies that those of the past considered mere mythology. She has watched them scour the world and discover continents that were hidden from view or simply lost beneath the waves. Many creatures and tribes of ponies have come and gone, and the sea of stars is where they went last.

The alicorn accompanied them and acted as a figurehead and council before retreating back to Equestria. Now she is crumbling apart in the final years of her life as her magic consumes her body and the ponies are on the verge of dying out. As she watches the sky, engulfed by a black hole crowned in light, Twilight is approached by a still young mare, unfortunately born in an age where she will be all that's left of her people in just a few years.

She asks Twilight a question not about herself or her future, but about the alicorn herself: How does a god die?

Hover over the image to find the source.

Following a superbly successful fashion show, Rarity and her model, Anon, are invited to a night of celebration at a supremely exclusive establishment in the skyline of Manehattan. As it's usually open only to elites and celebrities, the two upstarts feel hopelessly out of depth, but they press on together; after all, no matter how much one's worries may weigh them down, they're bound to drift away in the Cosmos.

Tagged T for profanity, alcohol, and one passing allusion to intimacy.
Originally found here: https://ponepaste.org/8096
Cover image artist unknown, found here: https://derpibooru.org/images/213941

Princess Nightmare Moon has it all. Socially awkward shut-in Twilight Sparkle has nothing of worth. Princess Nightmare Moon can acquire anything she desires. Twilight Sparkle can't seem to catch a break. Two polar opposites from completely different worlds. Yet amidst her dominant rule, Princess Nightmare Moon feels she's missing something. A certain day from her memory has been wiped... and none of her common materialistic desires can sate her quench for answers. That is until she encounters a certain young unicorn mare, who she can't seem to get off her mind.

Twilight Sparkle's dull and downtrodden life is about to get much more interesting.

[Inspired by S5 - Nightmare Moon AU: Thank you for your support!]

The Oldest and Strongest Emotion is Fear
-Lovecraft

The town is engulfed in fog. A pony sits in his cabin, fearful of what lurks outside. It wants inside, and it scratches at his door.