My unicorn parents called me a worthless mud pony. They pushed me every day to overcome my lowly status. When I woke up one morning with my cutie mark, I thought they would love me. I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

It was not destiny or enjoyment that led me to discover the cello and composing. My parents made that decision, deciding before I was born I would continue their family legacy of famous musicians.

They did not realize what that decision would cost them.

Special Thanks and Links:

Cover Art: Dreampaw. The inspiration for the story.
Dramatic reading of Act I-III by Malao567. June 2013
Reading with music by ObabScribbler. June 2014
Song: Hooks and Strings by Reverb Brony. May 2014

Style inspired by H.P. Lovecraft
TypeWriterError: Editor & Rating Board
Gage of Grandiloquence: Editor
The11thWonder: Pre-reader
Nharctic: Pre-reader
Breath of Plagues: My Pinch Editor.
ArgonMatrix: Bad Grammar Exterminator
Daemon of Decay: Advice, also inspired me to write fan fiction. Blame him!

Ugh... What do you want? Damn it, I don't want to be Pinkie Pie today...
This is an idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a while. I've always found the idea of 4th wall awareness in a character fascinating, as you can probably tell from my other stories.
This short story is a different take on how Pinkie Pie would react if she could truly see the 4th wall and beyond, her opinion on what exists beyond the binding texts of a story, and all from the perspective of Rainbow Dash.
Is the story sad? I don't know. Is it a comedy? I'm sure from some perspectives it'll be. Is is out of character? That really depends on how you interpret it.
Take from this what you will.

Without love, changlings cannot survive. They die off, one after the other, leaving the evil queen with only one option. She writes to Princess Celestia, praying she can save them. Praying she may see her changlings live another day. Praying she won't have to see the pain on their faces. Praying...for love...

Alone in the Everfree, it feels dark, even in the middle of a summer afternoon. Darker than the chitin on the Changeling that fell victim to such a predicament. Normally, he would fly home. Normally, he would give self-sufficiency a long study. The only problem is a fear passed down throughout the Changeling race, generation after generation, so ingrained within their DNA that even the Queen must have a companion at all times in order to not break down.

Autophobia.

Inspired by this song.

Now has a sequel!

[Psychological Grimdark]

This story was directly based off 'Awoken': Wooden Toaster and H8 seed's spirited successor to the Rainbow Factory.

Food for thought, folks. I wrote this story on my own time and Obab later added extra material, three years later, when she converted the story into her audio production. She did not participate in the original production (if that was not clear already). If you read the story below you'll see the original, untampered text!

***

The decline into darkness had been easy enough... but when a high ranking Rainbow Factory employee begins to loose faith in the program and attempts to leave, things get out of hoof.

Having lived the majority of his life in the twisted building known as the Rainbow Factory-climbing up the brutal ladder and eventually becoming an Orchestrator-a lone colt finds the atrocity's he's committed in his past coming back to haunt him in his waking hours.

Driven by the need to return to normal society and the thought of redemption, he devises a risky plan that will ultimately decide the very fate of the Rainbow Factory as it's come to be known.

***
A long list of special thanks and mentions...

Thanks to Aurora Dawn for essentially creating the world I based this story in.

Thanks to Wooden Toaster and H8 Seed for the awesome song
Thanks to Fiasko0 on Deviant art for making the picture for the song (which I snatched)
Thanks to xzenocrimzie (Starlight Sparkle) for working with me to get the story out and into public
Thanks to wandered D for the tech support (he knows what I'm talking about)
Thanks to SrPeachFuzz on YouTube for accidentally bringing the story to everyone's attention
Thanks to my brony friend Josh for helping me get the story from my head, and into an outline
Thanks to both Truesoul116 and OhOhJackarias on YouTube for their excellent readings
Most importantly, every brony out there that has read, liked, faved or commented! Without you all, this would of never happened!

*Audio books are up!

Another really great dramatic reading!

If you're looking for a dramatic reading

If you're looking for a clear and professional reading

All three of these readers were totally awesome! Thanks guys.

Now translated into:
Polish by Dolar84
Spanish by Moonlight Fan

Twilight Sparkle broke time when she got her cutie mark. Now Twilight and Sparkle are sisters from another time. Twilight is hailed as the potentially greatest light magician of all time, and already has a reputation as a hero by the time she goes to Ponyville. This isn't her story, not primarily.

Sparkle is an orphan - her dark magic killed her parents. She lives with her brother in Canterlot's industrial sector because they can't afford anything better. She can't leave either. She's a natural dark mage; while Sparkle won't go mad like Sombra, her reputation is hardly any better. Worse, the law doesn't see her as a good pony.

The fact that the dead don't stay dead around her, or that Thorn - Spike's double - is an undead, soul-eating abomination, are other matters altogether.

(Also has some Slice-of-Life, but fimfiction tags won't let me put it with Adventure.)

Has an ask blog to go with it: Ask Sparkle and Thorn.
Also has a TvTropes page: Split Second Tropes.

Featured on EQD.

Cover art by Swirling Line.

This story is a sequel to Autophobia

*It is recommended you read the previous story first*

Cadance has begun to spend more and more time in the Everfree. She has had a couple of surprises here and there, such as a flying squirrel leaping past her face, or meeting Twilight as the purple Alicorn took a trip to the Princesses' old castle.

However, one day when she was particularly angry, she stumbled upon a small, hallucinating Changeling. She had reacted with a blend of hate and indifference, not giving the Changeling a chance to justify his existence. She had threatened his life and left him, crying and fearful, in the dust.

Looking back now, Cadance wishes she hadn't said what she said. He was a Changeling, sure, but mocking him for seeing things and claiming she would kill him for that sole reason was uncalled for.

Now, however, Cadance has the chance to make up for it, when she has another run-in with Changelings, two this time, and one of them is mortally wounded.

Preread end edited by me.

Again.

“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”

Again.

“H-hello, you’ve reached Fluttershy. I’m sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you could leave a message I will get back as soon as possible. Thank you…”

Again.

Translated into Russian by Athlete.
Translated into French by BlackRockSparkle.

The war between Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia has destroyed Equestria, leaving the few survivors to struggle to survive in a dying world of eternal twilight. Fluttershy, twisted by the war, now ekes out an existence in Everfree forest, but even that life is under threat. Twilight Sparkle is coming, leading the last army of Dawn, and she will let nothing stop her from retrieving the Elements of Harmony and saving the world; not even old friends.

---

First Place in the Equestria Daily More Most Dangerous Game contest

With thanks to Luna-tic Scientist, Lord Of Dorkness, Nopony_Important and Monanniverse for their help in bringing this story to completion. Cover art is credit to 5kmoe.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/X4NpPxt.jpg[/img]

Prologue to Missed Calls.

Fluttershy is unable to move, and unable to feel anything that is going on around her. Her world is strange, and she doesn't really know what is going on. So, unable to move, she does the only thing that she can do.

She remembers.

Translated into Russian by Athlete.