Severing and Reconnection

The Elements of Harmony are meant to be a blessing. A force for the greater good. But What If one of the bearers decided that wasn't enough? What If they wanted more...?

Yet another GrimDark Fic based off the world of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Severing explores a world where Twilight Sparkle is ordered by Princess Celestia to collect the Elements of Harmony for herself. According to her research, the best way to do this is to perform an act that is the complete antithesis of that element, severing it... right at the moment of its current bearer's death. Thus, she sets out to betray each of her 'friends', amping up the sheer cruelty of each act as she works towards the one she thinks will be the easiest to claim...

Its sequel, Reconnection, brings a Peggy Sue-style spin to the table: when an Element is tampered with and Its current bearer murdered, It can return that bearer to a point in the past, allowing them to relive their life... and, perhaps, Set Right What Once Went Wrong. Unfortunately, they all arrive at different points of time, and Twilight still has Celestia's orders to follow...

For the curious, Severing and Reconnection can be found via those links. Reconnection's page also includes its Alternate Ending and yet another sequel, Breaking the Circle.

":''' Now, do you know what those barbarians do to poor lame ponies who have broken their leg?
 * All the Myriad Ways: The world of Reconnection isn't quite how those killed in Severing remember it.
 * : Hinted at in Reconnection, and confirmed in Breaking the Circle.
 * Alternate Ending: As is common for grimdark FiM stories, Reconnection has an alternate ending wherein Rainbow Dash Puts Her Hoof Down and protests ..
 * Batman Gambit: At the climax of Severing,  pull one off:  . As pointed out afterward, had.
 * Bittersweet Ending: Every single story. Reconnection's Epilogue focuses mainly on making it a little sweeter.
 * "Close Enough" Timeline: While the differences in the Reconnection timeline throw off the rewound ponies at first, in the end, the survivors adapt.
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: In Reconnection,.
 * Cruel Mercy: In Severing, just before her defeat, Twilight is informed that  is considered a form of kindness.
 * Darker and Edgier
 * Deadpan Snarker: Magic doesn't like Twilight much.
 * Death by Childbirth: The fate of  in Severing.
 * Death by Origin Story: In Severing,.
 * Death Glare
 * Earn Your Happy Ending: Reconnection.
 * Rainbow Dash Puts Her Hoof Down implies this, though.
 * Breaking the Circle sees.
 * Elemental Embodiment: Each of the Elements of Harmony has one, most of which get to speak directly to their current bearers in Reconnection.
 * Everything's Better with Princesses: Subverted here, as Princess Celestia is The Mare Behind The Mare, and the whole reason she came up with the plot was.
 * Evil Gloating: Twilight engages in this a few times.
 * GrimDark Fic
 * Hoist By Her Own Petard: Twilight never considered that  Or, for that matter,.
 * Ignored Epiphany: In Reconnection, Twilight completly ignores the implications of.
 * In Spite of a Nail: Reconnection's Epilogue reveals that . The very last scene also reveals that.
 * Just Between You and Me: As part of her later betrayals in Severing, Twilight tells her victims exactly what she's done/is about to do.
 * Lack of Empathy: This Twilight doesn't give a damn about her friends. All she cares about is what she can get from them.
 * Meaningful Rename: After marrying, Applejack changed her name to Applerush.
 * Mercy Kill: Key to the finale of Severing, as  claims to have done this, and   actually did. Also:
 * ''' No! No, please...!
 * ''' Don't worry. They consider it a form of kindness."


 * Never Mess with Granny: By the end of Severing, Twilight and her final target have gotten very old, but are still capable of.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The end result of.
 * Pay Evil Unto Evil: Explored as one of the main themes of Reconnection, as the reborn victims of Twilight's betrayal grapple with whether or not they should seek vengance upon her.
 * Peggy Sue: Reconnection.
 * Power Makeover: At the end of, this happens to.
 * Put on a Bus: Done deliberately by Twilight in Reconnection; since . Played with, however, in that.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge
 * Shoot the Dog: To stop Twilight's evil plot in Severing,.
 * Sour Supporter: Played with:.
 * The Sociopath: Twilight.
 * : Twilight is the result of one.
 * Time Skip: Twilight takes her time with each of her betrayals in Severing.
 * Tyke Bomb: Severing's Epilogue makes clear that Twilight was deliberately raised as one of these as part of Celestia's Vessel Project.
 * Took a Level in Badass: By Severing's climax,.
 * Villainous Breakdown: Twilight doesn't take having her plots foiled well.
 * X Meets Y: Reconnection and Breaking the Circle are basically My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic meets.
 * Where Are They Now? Epilogue: Reconnection uses one to explore the aftermath.
 * You Can't Thwart Stage One: In Severing, Twilight succeeds in betraying and murdering  of the other Element holders before.