Behind the Laughter: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

by Smashology

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Crossover, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Princess Luna, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Comedy, Cutie Mark Crusaders
Length: 24666

This is the story they never wanted to tell you. This is the story about your favorite characters that has been kept secret. This is the story... behind the laughter.

This is the story they never wanted to tell you. This is the story about your favorite characters that has been kept secret. This is the story... behind the laughter. Inspired by The Simpsons' episode of the same name.

Ultimare Universe by Siden. Another Horse Universe by Xebck. Vectors by Xebck, Osipush, OinkTweetStudios and Flash Equestria Photography.

Character tags per season (Spoiler Alert!):

All: Twilight Sparkle (Stardust Nova), Fluttershy (Cottontail), Applejack (Sparkling Cider), Rarity (Ivory), Pinkie Pie (Ink Blot), Rainbow Dash (Prism Wing), Spike (Spyke), Apple Bloom (Apple Spritz), Sweetie Belle (Marble), Scootaloo (Plume), Celestia (Futas Le Rotcerid), Luna (Lunare Le Recudorp), The Creator (OC).
Season 1: Spitfire, Photo Finish, Trixie (Bellatrix Monolaul), Nurse Redheart, Diamond Tiara (Diamond Dazzle), Silver Spoon (Tin Shot), Vinyl Scratch, Octavia (Cameo from Mango Dash).
Season 2: Discord (Q), Big Mac (Mulled Cider), Cheerilee (Chirpy Tune), Fancy Pants, Derpy, Doctor Whooves, Shining Armor (Bolero), Cadance (Gleaming Shield), Chrysalis (Christine Allyster) (Cameos from Fleur Dis Lee and Fluffle Puff).
Season 3: Lightning Dust (Indigo Zap), Amethyst Star, Dinky, Gilda, Flash Sentry (Cameos from Dan and Pauly Sentry).
Season 4: Bulk Biceps, Suri Polomare (Shauna Tubleu), Coco Pommel (Gabrielle Chand de Lier), Lyra, Bon Bon, Cheese Sandwich (UHF), Maud Pie (Izzy Rock), Limestone Pie (Decibelle), Marble Pie (Cashmere).
Season 5: Sunset Shimmer (Evening Blaze), Starlight Glimmer (Nightfall Shine), Tree Hugger, Minuette, Moon Dancer (Majesty), Rara (Halle Nal).
Season 6: Flurry Heart, Sunburst, Ember (Amber), Zephyr Breeze, Gabby, Thorax (Crystal Hoof).
Season 7: Zecora, Soarin, Granny Smith (Madam Applecrest), Daring Do (Cameo from Pony Head).

Thanks to MrDerpface for helping me!

Featured on the popular stories list! (12/25/16-12/26/16)

Published 2016-12-25 16:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-12-25 17:13:56 UTC

New Blood, New Dawn (Season 1)

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Everyone Wants to Direct (Season 2)

Chaos. Acknowledgement. Censorship. Weddings.

Behind the Laughter

Against all odds, the crew of “My Little Pony” did it: they not only proved to be a popular product, but also became, alongside “Adventure Time” and “Regular Show”, one of the most revolutionary shows of the time. A new age was born, born inside the least suspected audience.

When it came out, fans were gathering us everywhere. An enormous, worldwide community.

And none of them were kids.

Yeah. Well, occasionally there was a little girl, but watching males of all species above twenty five years wanting my autograph was a big surprise.

When we began filming the first episodes, I wanted to create something unique and different, but nothing like this.

I was impressed by this. A kids-oriented TV show liked by people around our age? It’s surprising the large amount of men who liked the series.

Some of them send us letters, thankin’ us for creatin’ this TV program and, some of them even sayin’ we changed their perspective of life.

This wasn’t something any of us expected.

In 2011, Hasbro and DHX renewed the series for a second season and, noticing the attention the show was receiving from older fans, they decided to do something different.

They talked and requested us to hire someone who could attract older audiences to .

It was our big chance to give something a little more... adult-oriented stuff to the show. So we accepted.

Unlike the first season, this time we were looking for a real, professional actor who could bring something new to the table, someone who could deliver a big, BIG impression on the series.

But, among all the possible actors who could give a chance to a kid show, who was going to be the chosen one? The answer was given once the doors of the studio were opened. A veteran whose name can’t be remember, even by himself, and prefers to be referred as his most memorable role in history: Q, from the Star Trek series.

What else did you do?

Well... I appeared in “The Fisher King...”

Yeah... And why exactly did you say ‘yes’?

I had problems during the last decade. I barely got roles for some series and movies, even minor ones were almost difficult to get at times. I was yearning the old days so much that I eventually forgot to change clothes and began to wear this costume every single day. Appearing in a children show was the last thing I wanted to do. However, this was the best I could appeal towards more than other roles I’ve been offered over the years.

So, you basically accepted for money and recognition?

At first yes, even chaos spirits need to pay rent. I didn’t expect the impact this would actually have in my life.

Having a legend such as him in the cast was the best thing that happened to us back then. So much that we had to write an episode dedicated exclusively to him.

Called “The Return of Harmony”, it was the season opener and the most hardcore episode of the series. Q’s performance was acclaimed by critics and the writing was praised as well. Soon enough, conventions were founded and part of the cast went to them just to observe what went on and while they were at it, meet their fans face to face. The supporting ponies were getting as much attention as the main cast.

I knew the show was a hit when I walked into a store and Rainbow Dash T-shirts were being sold. Hasbro had an endless supply of clever slogans, all involving the ‘20% cooler’ joke.

Suddenly I was invited to every birthday party. Sometimes I’d have to read the cake just to know who I was singing to.

They gave our characters more screen time and more episodes focused on them. Of course my sister appeared almost in all of them, but I wasn’t worried about anything... aside from putting the camera out of my face when I didn’t want it.

The important thing is that they started to give recognition to some of our companions. To make understand they were as important as us.

Unfortunately, not everyone took this as a joke. I was searching for some images on Internet when I came up with some of our characters kissing each other.

Shipping is considered as “the art of pairing two characters and make them love each other, no matter how inconvenient and forced it is.” Some of them took this meaning a little too... serious.

Ah thought it would be fun to watch these... ideas the fans had. The impact it had on us made us discover what we really wanted. And after that, the rest of these ideas began to play out. But, Ah also just want it to be the case.

While all those shippings were just a fan pairing, we always shared and cared for one another. Not in a romantic way, though.

You could modify some of the material to have more interesting results such as shipping casted members.

That was a big mistake, considering this was the point where people started to do that.

Don’t worry, they didn’t mind it anyway. Ah saw some of them kissin’.

The episode “Heart and Hooves Day” had effect on the show, especially on the members known as Mulled Cider, Sparkling Cider’s brother in the show and real life, and Chirpy Tune.

Every day I thought about firing Chirpy. You know, just to shake things up.

Okay, the material was a little corny. But Mulled and I had real chemistry on screen.

How do you feel knowing the fans started to ship both of you, despite having not much in common?

Come on, it’s just a joke.

Love takes time and compromise, it’s not like you’re going to love somebody you just had seen for the first day, right? Nobody can take something as shipping so seriously.

I did... I mean, I know our characters are just characters and we have to keep a hoof on reality, but when you share time with your pals and companions in the project and you know them better over time, a feeling grows inside you and you want to hug them and kiss them in the–

Spyke... we’re filming right now.

Um... sorry about that... as I was saying, when that happens, you may understand the obsession some of us actually have.

But a more important, unexpected movement shocked everybody. One day, the executives, along with Futas and Lunare, came to inspect the principal headquarters of the show. They said they wanted to investigate the properties of the facilities and it was their way to make sure the staff and the equipment was ok.

Or at least that’s what they said to the team. What was really happening was that Discovery Kids, the channel in charge of transmitting the show, was being bought by Hasbro and they wanted changes.

That was the point where we started to film in real locations, the first season was filmed, for the most part, in build up sets.

With a bigger budget, the staff moved out of their trademark house and into a place, called Harmony Studios. This was going to be the new home for “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic”. One of the reasons for the purchase of Discovery Kids was an investment from a pony highly interested in properties. A business pony called Fancy Pants.

I had inverted in other properties over the years. Markets, aerodynamics firm, naval fleets, sportive teams and luxurious condos. A TV network was something I was never interested to begin with, but the executives from both companies gave me the contract which, I quote, it was going to expand the equipment and hire more personnel. I was negligent to the offer UNTIL they told me that I could rename the network and give me total creative freedom of the budget for the shows. So I firmed and everything had changed around there.

Discovery Kids was later renamed as The Hub Network and was intended to be a general, youth-oriented network with a diverse lineup, primarily featuring programming adapted from Hasbro franchises like “Transformers” and, of course, “My Little Pony”, along with other, family-oriented programs such as sitcom reruns and films such as “R. L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour” and “Dan Vs”.

While I was supervising the programming, both Hasbro and DHX were responsible for merchandise and marketing. I want to think it was the best investment of my life since it permitted me and my wife save enough money for our retirement. We even made some friends around, like Sparkling Cider who became our partner in the cosmetic industry. But with success, comes envy. Some rivals tried to do the unthinkable to us, from bribes to attempts of murder, we weren’t safe anywhere. That’s why I beg the staff to take care of Fleur, protect her with your life.

*Tap*

Thank you for bringing this recording to us, mademoiselle Dis Lee.

That’s all I have to say about that.

A bigger budget meant more quality on the show. We introduced more concepts and more partners all around, and we had more songs added.

One of them was very special for Prism Wing, so much that she originally wanted to sing. But, after reading the lyrics, I fell in love with it and I begged her to sing it, since I thought it summoned my purpose in life in a nutshell.

...Great choice.

Recreation

A recording studio, both Octavia and Vinyl are using headphones and are sit in front of a mixing board. Ink Blot in the recording booth. Vinyl and Octavia set up the correct configurations and give the signs. She starts singing.

When you see one of your biggest dreams come true, and many people around the world singing it... you know... your life... has changed fo-fo-forever.

Are you ok?

Ye-Ye-Ye-Yes... I-I-I... need a minute.

The crew was able to record some memorable episodes, such as Stardust becoming nuts, a sistership relationship between Marble and Ivory, Cottontail overcoming her fears and even a Halloween special and a Christmas special. However, and despite of these improvements, everything went down on a January-Saturday morning.

People wanted my autograph or told me to sign a muffin. From being a simple postmare to a star in a matter of seconds was unbelievable. It was like a Hollywoo film.

Yeah... she lost her mind in the sets. She got into a point where she thought everything we did was real. She still calls me Twilight to this day.

Ink Blot proposed to give dialogue to one of our companions who happened to become so popular among the fans. It was just a brief, harmless and inoffensive cameo.

But the response of the public was not the expected. While the fans praised this decision, the most conservatives were not as happy as them. They labeled this choice as, quoting, “...offensive to mentally disabled persons and contradicted the show’s lessons about friendship...” -unquote. Hasbro, DHX and The Hub took action on this matter and removed the episode from all media, from TV to Internet, for two whole years.

I just wanted to be generous and kind to our companions... I never expected to affect the show like this.

Then, another issue emerged: a video was uploaded to the Internet, blaming the crew for this decision.

After a lot of research, we met the pony who recorded the video and he decided to speak to us, on the condition of not revealing his identity.

Yes, I finked on them, but, you know, they deserved it. Treating a beautiful pony like her in that way is unacceptable. They should be ashamed of themselves! They deserve to die! Now, if you excuse me, I need to check my workstuff. Allons-y!

The companies were censoring us, just for pleasing our audience.

That... is so unfair in many levels. Honestly, I don’t have words to describe it.

We understood the problems surrounding this controversy, but we couldn’t dedicate time to it because of the filming on the season finale.

Inside the staff, the finale was a controversial episode. Hasbro wanted to start its strategy of merchandising from the inside out. And this had to begin with altering the basic script.

It was ironic how the company at first wanted to stay away from the project and then wanted to supervise an entire episode.

It was an episode about the wedding of Twilight’s brother, who was made up exclusively for that episode, and one added princess with so many unanswered questions. This time, the executives of both companies, leaded by Fancy Pants, chose the ponies who were going to play as these characters. The chosen ones were an officer called Bolero and a supermodel named Gleaming Shield.

You can argue everything you want about us, but this was our biggest challenge to date. How can you make the audience believe in a character who was never mentioned previously and forced them to believe in your existence? That is challenge.

That’s nothing. We used gallons of painting just to recolor ourselves like the other one because the executives didn’t wanted a pink stallion in front of the cameras. And the processes of makeup, hairstyling and dressing can take three or four hours. Oh, and if you’re wondering, the horn is false and the magic is added by CGI.

Despite all these issues, and knowing the material the writers were forced to work with, the episode was ingenious. The staff transformed a wedding into an enemy invasion, led by a new charismatic antagonist, played by veteran actress Christine Allyster.

I want to say, this was an out-of world experience, considering the race they created for this instance. Changelings were the equivalent to orcs from other mythologies and with a queen as a ruler... that was quite a change.

Did you have anything to do with your character’s design?

Actually, yes. You see, the design for Chrysalis was too similar to Celestia, so we repainted her in black. And, initially, that was it. Until one day, I accidentally poked a hole in one of the fake legs, and that’s where the gnarled look comes from. Also, the voice had to be added in after filming because the fangs were hard to talk through. That’s where the distorted echoed quality voice comes from.

So, you’re telling me that, in a sense, you were Chrysalis?

Yes. However, the true hero and the one who you have to thank for involving me in this series is my agent. Here’s a picture of her.

She is my true love.

Although the most skeptical labeled it as a, quoting, “40-minute Disney carbon copy”, the bullet was dodged and the episode received good reviews from the critics.

We only signed for that episode, but the executives wanted to keep in touch. Just in case they needed us for future entries.

At first, the rest of the cast disliked us because, unlike everybody else, we were added by more powerful forces than theirs to the show and winning their confidence was a hard way. Aside from that, we gained a lot in merchandise, although they could fix my shape and form in my dolls.

But the damage was done. The alicorn race role in the show was questioned and two characters, who honestly don’t have too much to offer, were added. And, for the first time in the lifespan of the show, the top choices were made not by Prism Wing and Co., but by executives whose only interest was making money.

It was a sign, a premonition of what will happen next. But we ignored it and continued our lives. I did it as well, I was so ashamed of myself back then and I’m ashamed of myself now.

***

When we come back.

It was cute seeing dolls designed from our appearances in the stores. Mine flew off the shelves.

That’s what you say. With luck, I could barely find one, ONE in a store.

Don’t get mad with me, darlin’.

I know, but... why does nobody love me?!

...Ah do love ya.

Thank you.

When Behind the Laughter continues.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, it has been a difficult month.

Also, one more note: sadly not every character is going to have a vector. Sorry if you expected an alternate version of your favorite character.

Perchance to Dream (Season 3)

Agreements. Merchandise. Privacy. Sell-outs.

Behind the Laughter

Despite the controversy surrounding the season two finale, “A Canterlot Wedding” became the most viewed episode of the show and produced the highest rating in the history of the network. Ponies continued having success among the youngsters and the young adults. It spurred a wanting to have their own set of figures, dolls and everything in between of their favorite characters from the series.

It was cute seeing dolls designed from our appearances in the stores. Mine flew off the shelves.

That’s what you say. With luck, I could barely find one, ONE in a store.

Don’t get mad with me, darlin’.

I know, but... why does nobody love me?!

...Ah do love ya.

Thank you.

In 2012, Hasbro and DHX renewed the series for a third season. However, there was a drawback in their plans. One of the contracts signed by Fancy Pants stipulated that he could do whatever he wanted with the programming of The Hub, and one of the many employees of the network explained it to us.

One of the agreements they had was that, to prevent saturation of the shows, as well as to avoid them from getting lengthen for no reason other than milking money, they had to last three seasons or sixty-five episodes. But even after that I don’t get why some shows had preference over mine. I mean, my show was one of the flagships of the network. And it was pushed aside for giving space to colorful horses?! OH, YOU...!

Dan... are you ok?

BROOOOOOOOONIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

With this in mind, Hasbro and DHX had no choice but to abide by the agreement, having as a result of a season half the length of the previous ones.

This was a huge letdown for the team.

It was clearly a sign of limiting your own work. How could anyone agree with this?

I was in conflict with this new law. I mean, yes, I agree it is putting a stop signal to your own work. But at the same time, it’s a way to know when you need to move on and do other things. And for me, it was a good way to close this chapter in my life.

This came out with its problems, inside and outside the staff. Most of the episodes were done so quickly that the pacing and resolution of them were not the expected. Reception from the fans was highly underwhelming and not even the new, introduced characters could live up to the high. One of the few guests who made it was the Wonderbolt cadet Indigo Zap, who played Lightning Dust.

I was one of Prism Wing’s friends at Wonderbolts’ headquarters. And from time to time, I watched the show. So, when I got invited from her part to be in it, I guessed that could be called a unique life experience.

And how was your experience in the show?

Not what I expected. Everyone was coming in and out and some of the stunts were more dangerous than I thought, not to mention dye my coat and mane to fit my character. Not only that, but the two sisters constantly argued due to the limited time they had to finish what was, presumably at the time, the final season of the show.

Even the return of some loved guest stars was perceived as cheap fanservice.

To reprise your role after a lot of time is difficult, especially when you have to add more villainous elements to your character... Who am I kidding? It feels so good to be bad.

Honestly, I didn’t remember I was on the show when they called me back. I had to re-watch my own episode to get my memories back. But it was worth it because my character graduated from one-shot guest star to a recurrent member. I was now part of a family.

The staff decided to close as many narrative lines as they could, so they wrote about the Apple Family, Scootaloo being adopted by Rainbow Dash as her adoptive sister and the return of fan favorites like Trixie and Discord.

But my character was still the punching bag... I guess some things never change.

And then it arrived. 2013, also known as “the worst year.”

It was a normal year, for the most part. Nothing remarkable yet, but we were waiting for surprises to come. The sisters wrote an episode whose plot was specifically built for being the final episode in the series. No gimmicks whatsoever like last time.

But there were gimmicks in the end, all because of a leaked image.

I managed to convince everyone in the reunion to agree on that change. I mean, I was the main character after all and therefore, my merchandise should sell better than Prism Wing’s or Ink Blot’s.

It brought new material for fans to work with but, as far as I’m concerned, it was unnecessary.

They did what they wanted with this idea, it was like distorting the idea of someone else’s to fit into your own likes.

It has a nasty and rude amount of plot holes for a twenty minute episode.

The problem statement is weak and confusin’, not to mention the quick mcguffin out of nowhere at the end.

She was stealing the spotlight of everyone else... that’s my job!

Did I like it? ...Yes, I did.

Why? Everyone else says it was too modified.

Because we demonstrated that we could handle a spontaneous idea the best we could. And the answer was a musical episode, something we had never done before. That was the moment where our highlights worked at the best.

It was jumping the shark, that’s basically what you did. Anyone could become nuts.

Yes, and when the company doesn’t leave you many options and a horde is demanding your head, doing a risky movement like that and survive it deserves applause.

Explain yourself.

Well, the ending is already written, you have twenty minutes to propose the problem. So you solve it and reach the ending. Finally, you have to make everyone happy: your coworkers, your fans and the monetary interests of your company.

Wow... I mean, wow... with only half of that, honestly I’d shot myself.

We demonstrated that we were able to do anything Hasbro and DHX wanted with the show. And for me, it was the best way to end it up.

Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen. What a load of–!

Against all odds, “Magical Mystery Cure” became a hit around the world. Even if the future was uncertain for the series, for most fans it was a great ending. What nobody expected was some sabotages during the production of the episode... not from the main cast, but from the background one. The family responsible of demanding the show due to the controversy surrounding one of its members stroke back.

We were able to sneak mom in the episode, nobody noticed it until it aired.

Yeah, they deserved that for blaming mommy from all the problems in the world!

Not only that, we’re hoping for a rev to be formed. We demand equal rights to handicapped people. They are demanding our heads now, of course, but there’s nothing a good bribe can fix.

Yeah, like when I cut a class!

No Dinky, it’s not like... wait, what did you just say, young lady?

Eh... that I love you?

With the exception of Stardust Nova, every member of the Mane 6 continued looking each other from time to time, but everyone took their own path and did what they wanted with their gains. Ink Blot could cooperate in the design of other cartoons at the time.

I constantly broke the fourth wall in my drawings, and my style suited for other fantasy worlds, so I borrowed and designed some sketches used later in other shows, one of them was of a... kid with magic powers and has adventures with three humanoid rocks known as... The Crystal... something. I don’t know, I left after season one.

Ivory moved with Sparkling Cider to the big city, and they lost much of their fortune investing in an ambitious project.

It was supposed to be like a fightin’ videogame, but with the irony of a friendly and cute concept. Unfortunately, Hasbro sued the development team for ‘copyright claims’, and they won... It was a fan project, not profitable in our image and we supported it. Ah’m upset to this day.

We don’t know what has happened since then with the game, but I learned something. When ponies search for our images on the Internet, they don’t want to see my picture.

That didn’t affect their friendship but, strangely enough, we began to notice that our sisters were gettin’... eh... how can Ah say it delicately?

Sparkling Cider and Ivory sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.♪

Stop it!

But it’s true! Even an artist did an anthro recreation of our last Thanksgiving dinner.

The sisters Futas and Lunare invested their money adapting MLP-related works to the theater.

Looking for enough good and popular stories was the form of maintaining ourselves in the media. And the theater was an unexplored territory for us.

We did a poll about the most popular stories and the winners were Pinkie Pie killing a friend, our past sins, a filly being adopted by a human, a genderswap love, you name it.

I took advantage of their situation and mounted a theater play about me switching places with Princess Twilight Sparkle. I wrote it myself and it helped me to set apart from “My Little Pony.”

However, the biggest achievement was from Cottontail and Q.

It’s curious how we went from complete strangers to friends and finally, lovers.

What was initially an illusion and desire from fans became true behind the cameras. We usually went to amusement parks, conventions, her parents’ house... it was weird, but comforting.

We enjoyed causing so much chaos everywhere we went. We were so similar and we share many of our feelings, we were meant to each other.

The time we spent together inspired us to write a play, with our romance as the main focus. Both Futas and Lunare produced our work so it could have as many presentations as possible.

Inspired by “Beauty and the Beast” and keeping the same characters from “My Little Pony”, “Bride of Discord” became both critical and financial success. It made money enough to change their lives. The couple moved to a private residence in Vanhoover and prepared an unexpected surprise for the rest of their friends and family.

Recreation

A wedding at a cherry blossom garden, guests sat in lines, both Cottontail and Q at the altar with the priest at the front. They are about to exchange votes and trade glances. The priest proceeds.

Cottontail, do you take this chimera as your beloved husband, your partner in life and your one true love?

I, Cottontail, take you, Q, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.

Q, do you take this pony as your beloved wife, your partner in life and your one true love?

I, Q, take you, Cottontail, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part.

By the power that God has granted me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You can kiss the bride.

Q and Cottontail kiss. The crowd breaks out into cheers and sighs of relief as they run victoriously down the carpet.

I have records of you saying you might not approve her choice. Mind to explain?

Really? I mean, haven’t you noticed how old is he in comparison to hers? Besides, they got married just a few months after they started dating each other.

Love doesn’t know age restrictions.

That wasn’t a manakete marrying a human, at least in that case the difference isn’t noticeable until much, much later.

But, in the end, if she was happy, you were happy.

Very true.

The entire staff went to her wedding. It was more... different than we expected, too much madness rather than order. Too much emotions for my head, but the cake was soooooooooo delicious.

Honestly, we never thought she will be the first one of us to get married.

Yeah... I always thought it would be me.

We had tons of nights of passion, during our engagements, before the recordings, during the airing of the season and after our wedding.

And just when we thought our life was as perfect as it could be... a miracle happened.

Their daughter, Screwball, was born in August 2013. They kept their life as private as they could, unlike Prism Wing, whose dilemmas were unintentionally revealed.

I came back to the Wonderbolt Academy, thinking things would be different after my three-year absence... it wasn’t what I expected.

Why did you come back to the Academy if you left it in the first place?

I believed that my absence could bland the hearts of my coworkers and they will welcome me back, or at least hug me, when I step into it. However, it wasn’t like that.

Prism Wing herself refused to reveal more information, so we had to search in other sources. One of them was a close friend of the blue pony: a gryphon named Gilda.

Things didn’t change, nobody missed her, some of them even blame her for portraying them as douchebags and jerks in her show. I have nothing against her, I mean, she portrayed me as rude towards her other friend, which I haven’t met in person, but it was a fiction, it was not supposed to be taken seriously.

Many of the stories were based on real events. That should’ve been a huge problem.

You want to know what’s a real problem? Money. Prism Wing felt so depressed that she was spending money like an ATM. She bought me a Rolex and cashmere jeans. I felt kind of guilty because I was always trying to score with Soarin. So when do we start filming?

...

Oh, you–!

I watched the notices about her. I didn’t know how to react, so I went to her house to make her company.

But you didn’t know where she lived.

There’s nothing the Internet can’t do for you. Besides, I felt sorry about her. I have no idea if it was all the time we share together or the relationship our characters had and I don’t care, she needed someone to support her.

I have taken her under my wing since then. I believe I can make her a better pony.

Meanwhile Stardust Nova was the only one of the Mane 6 who stayed at Hasbro and DHX.

I couldn’t return to my old lifestyle. What was I supposed to do? Struggle again with debts? Come back with my parents to told me they were disappointed towards me? Steal to the mafia once more? No, no, no. I finally found a place where I could have everything I ever wanted.

One of the many choices she had to do was deciding which project should the executives approved.

They gave me my own office. It was similar to the one Prism Wing mentioned a while ago. I don’t understand her posture, honestly. I was becoming rich thanks to that. Then, one day an orange pegasus came into my office, saying he was a vivid fan of our show and that the magic shouldn’t end like that.

That fan responded to the name of Flash Sentry. His sister Pauly told us about him.

Nobody told me how tough it is to be a male and watch a girls-oriented TV show. That’s how I was raised, and now I am on TV. I wanted to go further, to create a similar concept to “My Little Pony”, but in a different environment.

I’d see him sitting on that couch all day long, just staring at that Canterlot Shit.

My favorite show was Canterlot Shit, but I also loved High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Camp Rock, you name it.

I loved his form of seeing the world, consumerism and loyalty to a show. He was going to be a visionary, one of the greatest of all time if I must say. So I talked with the superiors about it and they approved the project. The only thing missing was the name.

And that name was “Equestria Girls”. Hiring new staff for this concept, and under Stardust Nova’s supervision, this idea of setting the MLP universe in the human world, more specifically, in a scholar environment was interesting and it wanted to expand the horizons of the show, as well as maintaining the spirit of ponies alive. The movie finally premiered and... the results were not the expected in terms of quality.

Ah read reviews of this project and they were mixed to say the least. Some ideas and hints were here and there, but everythin’ became wasted potential.

As a marketer and artist myself, there’s an excellent reason why economy and art should never be together, because it’s extremely rare the case when a concept doesn’t finish as a sell-out. You have a product to sell and, no matter what you do, you will force it into the story.

What’s strange and worse about it is that the biggest criticism came from our own fans. They thought we sold our souls to the devil, when in reality not one of us was involved in the project. We were busy and happy doing other things in our lives.

None of us liked how our project was managed by executives.

So, you thought it was a failure?

In quality material yes. However, the film achieved much success among the children’s audience and at the box office, as well as in the promotional vintage, but nothing more.

When they announced the concept of “Equestria Girls” and what it pretended to be, I won’t deny it: I thought it was a stupid idea. And yet, I wanted to watch the final result. I wanted to see how the staff could handle this types of topics and themes, which were clichéd by nature. And without me and the rest of the original staff involved, it was the perfect challenge to make an extra effort, to demonstrate that “My Little Pony” was not a lab accident... I didn’t see that effort.

Which element you think was the weakest of “Equestria Girls”?

The biggest sin were the characters. They don’t have six or seven main characters, they have one main character and a ton of supporting characters with too many dialogues. They want every single one of them to share screen time and that sole main role. I don’t know how they do it, but the characters ended up as bland and pathetic. I mean, my characters were not that complex, but they were tridimensional in comparison.

After these letdowns, Prism Wing came back to Hasbro. Against the odds, the executives agreed, a new contract was signed and the original crew was back for one more round. But at what cost?

I wanted to save my creation from the corruption it suffered, but at the same time, I had nothing better to do. I was lost, without a course, I felt forced doing this. Perhaps, it was going to clear my mind and find the joy I lost time ago.

***

When we come back.

What made you quit at the top of the game?

You think I quit?

That’s what everybody says.

No... they quit on me.

When Behind the Laughter continues.

Author's Note

Season 3, as a whole, didn't give me too much to talk about. Perhaps it's its own nature (shorter than the rest of the seasons and with its own strengths and weaknesses), so I decided to focus more on other details and characters. Also, take into account that adding Equestria Girls to the story was much, much harder than I thought.

For those who are wondering, I know Sunset Shimmer is, technically, a Season 3 character. But I'm planning something special with her. You just have to wait and see

Finally, the story has been focusing on the comedy for the most part. Starting from the following season, the drama will be more present.

Confession (Season 4)

Renewal. Accidents. Guilt. Betrayal.

Behind the Laughter

The original staff came back for one more round, however the future was uncertain for them. Most of the members were uninspired and had to reprise roles they left months ago, which raised suspicions about the company’s intentions. 2014 was an important year indeed.

With only a few months to record and edit, the pressure was at the top for most of us. We had no choice but to look back and update some of our old stories and handle Princess Twilight the best we could.

The good news is that the studio gave us more budget, so we invested more in effects and we could hire more interns and technicians. I can say it was the best looking season of all.

I didn’t really mind walking around the set with prop wings glued to my back in recent episodes, but hanging from those wires when we shot flying scenes could be dangerous.

Many new elements were introduced in this season and used later in future entries, such as a story arc involving keys for a special chest and more presence for the background cast.

I was the first one of us who had more dialogue than just one catchphrase. And from that moment, the rest of us were given more screen time.

It was only the first step into our plan, they gave in to our demands and a new strike was being prepared.

Those executives will regret for trying to fade me and then we’d take all over the world!

Some of the producers and executives came into the studio and forced us to use ideas that were popular at the moment, such as superheroes, vampires, fairies called breezies and so on. It was too much insistence in themes and ideas we’re probably not going to use again.

Some of those ideas were good though, like pairin’ the characters in groups to see a more natural interaction between them and invitin’ guest stars accordin’ to our likes and the episodes we were recordin’.

I took advantage of the situation and invited my friend Gabrielle Chand de Lier, a famous designer.

However, nobody expected the troubles she bring to the table.

She brought her... ‘assistant’, Shauna Tubleu alongside her. She was mean and rude to most of the team, so we decided to do the most appropriate thing possible... portrayed her as the biggest bitch in the whole wide world in her own episode.

It was a funny experience, they captured the fashion world more realistically than I thought and how you have to achieve your own goals by doing the hard way. Although putting an actress to reprise me was ridiculous and portrayed me as the villain while the puppet was the innocent, cute little girl was the last straw. Don’t you think that too?

Yes.

I can’t hear you, puppet!

Yes, milady.

She clearly had dissociative identity disorder, not the safest thing in the world for the rest of us. Sometimes it gave me the creeps, to the point of me drawing an interpretation of her state. At first it was for fun, but now I feel sorry for her.

You and your husband do know you scare some of the cast, correct?

Yes, but we don’t talk with an inanimate object. Besides, we have a daughter now and that means having to control ourselves, even to the point of ignoring the rest of our friends.

Ignoring the friends, however, was not as bad as the expenses the team used. As time went by, most of the members were investing and spending their money on personal preferences.

I took some of my sister’s credit cards for skydiving, astonishing parties and expensive designer clothes. Not that it was necessary for my role or anything, I just wanted to have some action.

We promised not to speak ‘bout that again.

But look on the bright side. We’re young after all, we need our free time and it’s good for us to try new experiences.

I bought the first edition of the ‘Power Ponies’ comic book. My check bounced higher than a trampoline.

We got married in private and we needed more of the investments of the show to pay up for the ceremony.

Not only that, we had to call as much press conferences as we could to make sure we were still relevant.

Even Stardust Nova was throwing everything out the window.

She paid me and Bon Bon a thousand bits to kiss each other.

Hey, did we ever get that money?

Eh…

But reckless spending and lesbian eroticism was just the beginning of destruction.

The fourth season became too much focused on Twilight. I know Stardust Nova is extremely happy, but that was degrading the rest of us to supporting cast.

But even more harrowing, were the events of one February afternoon.

Everything began when we were writing an episode called “Pinkie Pride”. It was going to be musical, like “Magical Mystery Cure”, but more focused on the comedy, so we hired the famous comedian UHF to perform with Ink Blot in scene.

At first, she was doubtful about this new companion, but then they began to... become a little closer.

I was excited to be in the show. And yet, I wasn’t expecting to meet someone kind and pretty like her. It was notorious that she wasn’t used to be in company of strangers like me, so we started to meet each other slowly. However, none of us were expecting what happened that afternoon.

The script originally said it was Twilight’s birthday. But Stardust Nova was so busy paying the rest of the staff to kiss, so we changed to Rainbow Dash’s and Prism Wing accepted.

Everything was going great at first. We were enjoying the stunts and we were having fun. Even Ink Blot improvised and started to sing ‘Dale, dale, dale!’

But just right about there I realized something’s wrong.

The sequence became an instant comedy classic, the episode was praised by critics and fans alike and even some of them declared it as the best episode of the season. But what the audience didn’t see was the unfunny aftermath.

From that moment onwards, Ink Blot would never be the same.

She ended so traumatized that she declared guilty herself for the accident with the piñata. Sometimes, she was never seen in the set ‘cause she locked herself in her private room... in a fetal position.

That was not supposed to happen. I got worried about her sanity, from time to time I thought I was responsible for her actual state, so I decided to stay and keep her company. So I went from a guest star to a permanent member of the staff indirectly.

But none of the supports she had over the months really helped Ink Blot, her escapes became more frequent and the staff had more difficulty trying to handle her.

I remember one time when she replaced one of our choreographers to get out of the studio. Fortunately, she’s not very clever when it comes to having a plan. Everything she does is improvised.

Durin’ the production, she mentioned to have sisters, like her character. UHF was lucky enough to get their numbers and we contacted them. They were Izzy Rock, Decibelle and Cashmere.

We told them about what happened and in just one day they were in the doors of our studio. They told us they would stay with her... with just one condition.

We wanted to be on the show. Each of us had their own rock band and there’s no better way to promote ourselves than on a TV-show.

Besides, the times were hard for us during that period. We need a complementary sustention to survive.

However, we never lost our intention of helping our sister. Ink Blot knew, deeply inside her, that we were the only ones capable of assist her.

How exactly? The crew did everything to calm her down.

Not really. We checked the medical records and the results shocked us in the wrong way.

None of the main cast had the appropriate medical assistance and our sister was the biggest proof since nobody knew about her condition. If they did, she would never be in this show in the first place.

What condition? I don’t know either.

Well, the thing is... Ink Blot... suffers from depression and bipolar disorder.

Recreation

The studio. Ink Blot is surrounded by her sisters in a corner, she tries to get away.

Please, leave me alone!

Ink Blot please, let us help you!

No!

Ink Blot is able to sneak out of her sisters and she’s about to escape.

Now!

From nowhere Lyra, Bon Bon, Ivory, Sparkling Cider, UHF, Bulk Biceps, Cottontail and Q slam over Ink Blot, immobilizing her. She struggles, but it’s useless. Izzy Rock, Cashmere and Decibelle approach her with a jar on hooves. Izzy Rock and Cashmere open her mouth while Decibelle opens the jar and puts the content in her mouth.

This is for your own good.

No! No! Not the pills! Not the pills!

After a short moment of screaming and sputtering, she gives up and gulps.

Mmm.

She had to go through the same process every morning and every night every day since then.

Somehow, Ink Blot became addicted to anti-depressives. It was the only way she could perform the bone-cracking physical comedy scenes that made her a star.

I never wanted to take such punishment. Madness was like a drug, guilt was like a drug. And what was even more like a drug WERE the drugs.

But, if things for Ink Blot were bad, for Prism Wing... things were even worse.

Recreation

A hospital. Prism Wing, with the assistance of Nurse Redheart, tries her best to keep herself on hooves on a conveyor belt. The bones from her hind legs crack and she falls to the floor painfully. Nurse Redheart pulls out a jar with pills, similar to the ones Ink Blot consumes. She opens Prism Wing’s mouth and puts the content in it. After a short moment of screaming and sputtering, she gulps.

Mmm.

Due to the weight of the piñata and the height it was released, half of the spine, her hips, both wings and her hind legs were injured. Not only her physical health was damaged, her mind was altered for the accident, causing a loss of confidence with herself and the others. So I needed painkillers and anti-depressives to keep her active. Whether she liked it or not, she had to learn how to walk and fly again. It took her a long time before she was able to maintain herself again.

How long?

...Around six months of therapy. She practically missed the rest of the season.

Although the company payed all the medical expenses, the accident was kept in secret. Prism Wing couldn’t receive any visits and nobody could talk about what happened in public at the time. While she was in rehab, Rainbow Dash was played by her good friend Indigo Zap.

It was amazing how quickly I was called back. I thought it was supposed to be a unique experience, but I ended up being a member of what they called family. Not only that, I was planning to stay in the show for good, no matter what I had to do.

Although the problems inside the crew were noticeable and the controversy around them was unavoidable, the team had one more work to do and that was the season finale.

It was a simple idea, perhaps the most simple of all time. An idea I was sure everybody would like. Let me clear my throat a moment... “Dragon Ball Z” and “My Little Pony” combined. Try to imagine with me.

And?

That’s it!

That’s it?!

You need more?! What do you expect me to say? If you can’t enjoy the simplicity of that idea, your inner child has died completely, especially if you’re male, who have historically preferred violence.

I have no idea how this episode was designed.

I imagine it was something like this.

Recreation

Hasbro’s Board of Directors. Many executives form a semicircle around Stardust Nova, who’s sit in the middle. The room is dark and a solitary light above the pony illuminates her. She’s half nervous, half trusted. The executives wait for her to speak. She proceeds.

Enough tawdriness! You know what this series needs? Dragon Ball-like battles!

Stardust Nova, you’re insane! That doesn’t make sense in “My Little Pony”!

Since when do you care what makes sense in this show? We were forced to come back and since then the original vision of this series has long gone.

You won this time, girl. You won this time. Do whatever you want.

Fuck yeah!

It had its details like the Friendship Castle design... it needed more of my full self.

An obnoxious first song.

Very obvious and inevitable doll advertising.

I’ve ranted how Twilight being a princess made no sense, and it still doesn’t. However she is willing to take responsibility to do anything whether it’s giving her magic or just smiling, and she tries to figure out her place as a princess. That’s some pretty good character development. I won’t fail to mention that the fight scene is intense! How many of you want to bet someone’s going to make a video game just from that one scene?!

The only thing that can dethrone this episode is ponies riding motorcycles, with machine guns, cigarettes, chainsaws and more explosions! Extreme ponies rule!

Sadly, I got into intensive therapy shortly after finishing the recording. Drugs can make you ignore your surroundings. However, I can consider the last minutes as one of the best moments of the show.

Recreation

A recording studio, both Octavia and Vinyl are using headphones and are sit in front of a mixing board. The Mane 6 are in the recording booth. Vinyl and Octavia set up the correct configurations and give the signs. The Mane 6 start singing.

Octavia and Vinyl give the signs and stop recording. They open the mics.

“Twilight’s Kingdom” was a success, surpassing both “A Canterlot Wedding” and “Magical Mystery Cure”, produced a high amount of money, it was praised by fans and critics and it received the highest score of all the episodes in the entire show.

It was the first time since the beginnin’ that we felt like the most powerful ponies of the world.

We were earning millions and millions of bits per episode. And we even fixed the next entry of “Equestria Girls”, which was totally under our control, so double jackpot!

I managed to create a contract where our earnings were far more superior to our first seasons. With this, I could guarantee that nobody could leave the show and thus, we could have as many seasons as we wanted.

But there was one issue to be solved, an issue nobody noticed until much, much later.

What made you quit at the top of the game?

You think I quit?

That’s what everybody says.

No... they quit on me.

How’s that possible? More than coworkers, they were your friends, your family.

When I fully recovered, I went back expecting a big welcome. You know what they said? ‘You’re history, we don’t need you anymore.’ They move on to the next pony in line. And at first I thought, ‘Well, it’s just the executives. It’s not the first time they do something like that. I’m sure my friends will receive me with open arms.’

And they did?

...They didn’t. Nobody recognized me on the set, not even Cottontail and Ink Blot, my closest friends, or even Plum, my pupil. I was a stranger between ponies. Indigo Zap replaced me so well nobody noticed my absence. She betrayed me, she was a better Rainbow Dash than I was in their eyes. There was a lot left in me that I never got a chance to show. The truth is it’s no one’s business who I was. When you go through something like that, what with the media only caring about your fame not your true talent, that makes a setback. And basically, you’re done. It’s just very sad.

Come on, not everyone acts like that.

When was the last time you cared about something except yourself?! You may not want to tell anyone of your past fate with fame as a star because it creates bad memories of being quit on like I was. They won’t respect you for who you are nor your potential, but respect you for the fact that you’re famous. So I had no other choice but to cancel my contract and choose withdrawal. I let Plum to stay, however. I was free at last, but the executives had no problem in letting me go and nobody had the decency to say goodbye at least... The things that can happen by an accident.

Thanks for sharing this information, considering it should be hard to say and live with it.

No problem, it’s good to be helping.

For Equestria’s favorite ponies, everything was coming up roses. But those roses have thorns ready to puncture. The first sign was Prism Wing’s departure of the show. And like a prophecy, the future the series feared... had begun.

***

When we come back.

I want to set the record straight. I thought the prostitute was a cop.

When Behind the Laughter continues.

Author's Note

From now on, some of the Mane 6 won't appear in the next episodes. This will be for getting a better idea of the situation and giving more space to other characters.

It may take longer to write the next episode, but will be for the best. Some of you probably know who the ponies in the Board of Directors are, and I can guarantee they will play a big role next time.

We Need to Talk (Season 5)

Replacements. Controversy. Sex. Quit.

Behind the Laughter

By the end of their fourth season, “My Little Pony” was burning up Nielsen boxes in Equestria and creating a sensation overseas. Bathtubs of money, wheelbarrows of awards, fire hoses of respect. The Mane 6 had it all. But behind the streamers and confetti, storm clouds were gathering.

Figurative storm clouds. The period between seasons four and five was larger than any previous or future hiatus. This was due to the controversy surrounding Prism Wing’s withdrawal and changes occurred inside the offices of Hasbro and DHX. An executive under the name of Evening Shine, had the pleasure to contact us and talk about what happened.

Here we have two assistants who claim to be Evening Shine, but that would be nearly impossible.

Why do you think so?

Well... she’s one individual and... you’re two.

However, nobody said we could be the same pony. I’m Nightfall Shine and this is my sister, Evening Blaze.

We were Evening Shine.

How’s that possible?

We took turns, and nobody suspected.

But... that’s too simple, too easy to be believable!

No. Simple maybe, but not easy. It’s nothing easy that two ponies share one life.

Half of a life, because we didn’t have much as individuals, nor as sisters. And for a time, it was enough from us.

How do you two came up with this idea?

You don’t want to know... you really don’t want to know.

One goes through difficult times occasionally, but every so often also gets in on the action.

Right, so could you tell me more about Evening Shine?

Evening Shine was... among a selected group of ponies chosen by the executives and producers to be in the show. But not as ‘one more member’ as the rest could guess. It was more like a blend between a new group of writers and an ambassador. We checked the process of making the show; the difficulties they had and then we delivered our reports to the executives. And we took turns, like we said before.

We participated in the “Equestria Girls” movies, so we were familiar with the source material, just not as much as it concerned. Really, we were there, checking the rest and occasionally providing our services to the team.

We decided to write an episode for the show, which justified our presence. It was titled “The Cutie Map.” It became a great opener for the current season, probably the best of them all.

The sisters revealed information declared as, ‘classified’ during this period. The most important snippets were a leadership change and the background cast taking control of the network. Both affected the main crew permanently. In 2015, Fancy Pants left the job as executive producer and director due to an illness unknown at the time. Another pony replaced him almost immediately thus, as a result of the restructuring, production was hurried up to finish the following season as fast as possible. This posed a problem to the cast, so to show their disdain; they complained.

We didn’t know where Prism Wing was. She WAS the one who had things under control and, along with us, WAS the one who approved or disapproved which stories were worth it.

Stardust Nova took her place, but was notorious for being unprepared for the job and consequently, we had to shorten her character’s appearance in the show.

It was a good relief for us, finally... We had our own screen time and our characters started to have some good development.

During the production, the team noticed something in the schedule of the program.

Our hundredth episode! It was a reason to celebrate, and for that, we needed to create a special plot, one that commemorated all the things that made “My Little Pony” special.

It was supposed to be one of those specials where the characters discussed had some trouble, talked about their experiences, and then the cameras cut to past episodes in a flashback format. Everyone was excited, including us.

But we had a drawback in everythin’ comin’ from the executives who, once again, interfered with our plans and changed things around.

This time, the executives were innocent however. The real culprits were the background ponies. Those who only the fans claimed their names, those who the staff tended to ignore until they needed them for something, those who began to control the company from the inside out.

I can recall the leader coming to the main office and threatening the new director for signing a contract about having total creative control of the episodes and even renaming the network. With gun to the head included.

The Hub Network was renamed as Discovery Family, becoming more kid-friendly and as a result, most of the employees were fired and new blood was injected to the company.

The situation was out of control. Suddenly we were having ponies and other creatures we didn’t know about walking around the studios! Everywhere, posters of their leader, even their own national anthem were hailed to glory!

Our real savior is the almighty Lady Derpy. She was there when we needed her the most, she was the light who guide us in the darkness.

And she was there when we were crowned victorious. Lady Derpy is our one true Savior. That wannabe known as Princess Twilight is nothing more than a fraud and should be despised by all of us for her lies and deception.

Do not fall for hurdles, ponies. Remember, real leaders look like this, not this.

Good ponies, remember who your leader is. Twilight Sparkle will regret the day she vanished me from the show.

I never did that! I was not involved in any of that, so please stop staring at me with those cute wall-eyes you have!

The background cast began to speak and their demands were listened.

Low salary, few job offers in other places...

Being recognized only for a children show, limiting your potential...

Practical jokes from the rest of the members, including guest stars in some cases...

And the most important: being discriminated by the rest of the staff just because your role is ‘tree number five’.

And don’t get us wrong, we continue to work with both Hasbro and DHX and we LOVE the show as much as the rest, but…

Spill the beans, please.

Is it difficult to ask for respect just once?

This, as a result, ended up in the episode known as “Slice of Life”, where the background ponies were the stars of the show. However, and unexpectedly, not every fan was pleased with it. Some said it, “...would have actually nicely served as a fine final episode to the series”, while others declared it was, “a falsely advertised ratings trap without any originality.”

Once again, the controversy was around us. And again, the audience was not completely satisfied with the finish product. Sadly, there’s no way to make everyone happy. It’s like no matter what you do for them, they find fault.

Some of the invited guests took notes of the situation and tried their best to analyze both sides.

The episode where I debuted was released only a few weeks before “Slice of Life” was premiered. I can say the internal conflicts were constant, to the point of having more and more authoritarianism as the season progressed.

How could you describe these internal problems?

As a class struggle. You see, the commoners want to be at the same level as the royalty. That means more equality for all ponies around, and less right for the superior ranks.

You know? It’s funny and scary how fantasy mixes with reality over time.

Like all groups, not everyone was pleased with the method of extortion the background cast was using. Rebels from the inside were starting to emerge, with Minuette as the most notorious.

Like the main cast, most of us were chosen from the streets, with the difference that we didn’t have to do casting. We were normal ponies before the show was conceived. In my case, I was a dentist.

But things are different. All of you are all stars! You’re famous everywhere, people and ponies recognize your faces, you’re a doll for God’s sake!

But I don’t want to be famous like this! Sometimes you need to admit the truth… that you’re a background character in a kids show and yes, you can propose some ideas for the rest so your characters can be used in a more dynamic way. But we were only changing roles for our own like in this case. It was like creating a tournament where the children of the Capitol are murdered by other children of the Capitol for avenging the children of the rest of the population murdered in past tournaments.

Hey, calm down. There’s no need to do a tongue twister. So, what do you propose to do?

First, do your best in your current position, and then look for alternatives that can benefit you. Choose the best ones and sooner or later, you’ll have a starring role. Maybe you won’t like your first choices, but persevere and you can do whatever you want. I don’t support the rebels and I’m not in the show anymore. I’m pursuing my own dreams.

These preferences towards the support and background cast were astonishing for the company, which had more downgrades with the main roles.

Recreation

A wedding at the beach shore, guests sat in lines, both Ivory and Sparkling Cider at the altar with the priest at the front. They are about to exchange votes and trade glances.

By the power that God has granted me, I now pronounce you wife and... wife. You can kiss the bride.

Ivory and Sparkling Cider kiss. The crowd breaks out into cheers and sighs of relief as they run victoriously down the carpet.

That was a huge call of attention for us. I mean, just think about how bad the company’s reputation was going to be if parents knew that an ‘odd’ couple were starring in one of our shows. We did everything we could to cover them up in the past, but this was going too far.

They tried to sabotage us and sold many of our private secrets to the public. Ah felt ashamed and betrayed, darlin’.

And what was so strange about it was that the green unicorn and the two-color mane pony got married just a couple of months after our wedding, and NOBODY complained about it. It didn’t even appear on the news for Christ’s sake!

Everyone heard, about all the problems they were getting into… to the point that the executives began to offer the main roles to other ponies.

All while we were directing one of the most special episodes in the entire show.

Both Diamond Dazzle and Tin Shot got their cutie mark around the summer of that year, giving us the next step to do with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Crusaders of the Lost Mark” featured one of the biggest achievements for the three little fillies, the episode concluded a part of their life and opened new possibilities for them. It also premiered on the fifth anniversary of the series, giving it a more ‘special’ feeling. What the fans didn’t know was that this episode was the last time they were going to see them, literally and figuratively.

Apple Spritz’s brashness and how she treated the rest of ponies in general started to be notorious among the Internet and community. The executives involved into the problems and put restrictions to the fillies that they couldn’t handle. In the end, both Diamond Dazzle and Tin Shot took their places.

We felt guilty for them. After all, it wasn’t our fault and we were compliant with our current position.

Apple Spritz grew a grudge among us, although we were still able to talk with both Marble and Plum.

Since the controversy surrounding our big sisters affected us directly, they decided to quit. And that would’ve been fine if they didn’t take us with them!

Only Plum was allowed to stay for an unknown reason, while both of us were forced to say goodbye to the staff.

Every family member left with Sparkling Cider and Ivory. Some of us didn’t agree, like my little sister, but the media was putting their attention in our lives, and the last thing someone wants is their privacy becoming public.

All deposits were retired from all bank branches and invested somewhere else. Contracts were cancelled or burned and we left the country.

We wanted a life where we could do whatever we want wherever we want, where restriction weren’t a problem and freedom was supreme.

Ya can argue or disagree with our decision of leavin’, but ya have to understand us. We’re not allowed to tell ya where we are or what we are doin’ right now, but Ah can assure ya... we’re happier than ever.

And I’m sure you are, we just need to get used to it and accept the facts. Thanks for your contribution.

No problem.

It’s good to be helpin’.

All these facts had, as a result, created the first hiatus in between the season. There were others before, but not in the middle of an airing season, not lasting that long and not being too continuous. All these conflicts forced the executives to amend things between the background staff and to hire new members for replacing the absent Mane 6. Some of the invited guests like the student Majesty and the singer Halle Nal were involved in all these uncomfortable situations whether they liked them or not.

Schizophrenia, avoidant personality disorder, dementia, dissociative identity disorder, histrionic personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder. All of them were a nuthouse, I can’t remember a single sane pony there.

Constant arguments and lawsuits are not the best way to control a group. In the case of this show, they tried to implement some ideas that weren’t worthy.

The idea of the Cutie Map was great and a good way to explore the rest of Equestria. It helped to expand the idea of dividing the main cast in pairs, but the writers didn’t take advantage of the possibilities.

Once you admit to the whole world you’re a member of our glorious community, things can get strange. You get a lot of help when you’re in an emergency, from moral support to profit for a surgery, but they also want that tissue you used to clean your nose and sell it on EBay. Disgusting.

We had interviews during that hiatus about what was happening behind the scenes. Very few of us had the courage to talk about this encroachment. Those who did, paid the consequences.

How exactly? Got Fired?

Not necessarily. Payment reduction was more common since the company hadn’t the balls to see each of their employees leave one by one. I was one of those employees and only because I wanted more participation and respect, both in and out of the show. Although there was something more I wanted that I didn’t realize back then.

But there were bigger problems off-screen. During a trip back to their home in Vanhoover, Q created a ruckus on a public avenue, attacking several citizens.

Taking pictures of our little girl was the last straw when it comes to privacy.

I’ve heard commentaries about us taking her to school. They judged us and said things like, ‘They can live life like the rest of us?’

Cottontail outraged her inner fury on one of the citizens, it was a misunderstanding because she thought I was going to go to jail.

I want to set the record straight, I thought the prostitute was a cop.

The scandals raised like foam in a jar of cider. Suddenly, rumors began to spread everywhere.

We felt trapped in there. On the spur of the moment, there was no member in the entire cast who respected or cared for each other. I went to a trial after my incident and nobody stuck up for me!

Unlike the piñata accident, the company didn’t pay anything to take her out of prison. I spent the last bit and cent of our fortune to set her free. And to preserve our remaining fortune, I had no choice but to sell our house.

Not to mention, this incident affected our part in the show, since we only got a couple of starring roles and episodes with a serious lack of logic. Afraid of candy? Are you kidding me?!

With the team in disarray, episodes increasingly resorted to gimmicky premises and nonsensical plots.

I expect God to kill the idiot who came up with this shit.

Not everything was harsh though. Many episodes still hold true to this day and ideas were well executed, like old friends from the Mane 6 appearing during the season and finishing journeys for the main characters. Letters were sent to Hasbro and DHX, as a form of demand from the fans to appear in the show.

After my appearance, as well as the others, many began to adore us. We became ponies with a cult following. So much that I was waiting a response from the sisters to come back in another episode.

We had so much fun in the program. Crazy amounts of people wanted us to come back. However, that’s not our decision. As much as we love the show and the staff, it’s the choices of the sisters and executives. For now, I’m busy with another album recording.

One begins to wonder when things started to go wrong. Not satisfied with drugging me every day, my sisters overprotected me during production. They even got their own episode ‘just for me to be safe.’ Although I appreciate that UHF was alongside me all the time.

The season finale was built up with expectations and, although it had many new idea plus new possibilities, with a concept not explored in the show and a new character introduced.... it couldn’t show it’s true colors.

What better way to enjoy the finale than time travel? It’s always good to see a ‘What if?’ scenario.

Like what?

What if the Mane 6 never met? What if Nightmare Moon actually won? Watching ponies in a war against King Sombra with mechanical prosthesis is something you normally don’t expect from a series with colorful horses as the main characters. Not to mention the difficulties of shooting some scenes like this one.

We shoot this scene at three in the morning on location at a quarry and we had to shoot it about fifteen takes since Spyke kept flubbing his lines when he got dust in his mouth.

Unfortunately, the company had other plans, among which are not only the cuts and the restrictions. It was so the final version of the episode was understandable and acceptable enough to those who don’t go deep into details. Like how time travel works. Seriously, there’s so many plot holes in every timeline. And the inclusion of Starlight Glimmer in the final cut was the nail in the coffin since her reformation was so poorly developed; that she practically went from being the best villain in the series to the most controversial character.

The saddest part about Starlight is that she could’ve actually worked as a character. She was portrayed in a nice way in “The Cutie Map” and we looked forward to how she would’ve been utilized in the finale. Just watching this ultimate big villain becoming a childish brat upsets me in so many ways. It was handled so poorly that it ended up taking us two whole seasons to fix her character.

As you can tell, I’m angry with how this episode has had a hugely negative effect on the show. It made me realize that the project we were working on for five years was anything but infallible. And it wasn’t immune to seasonal rot after all. The worst of all? It proved, that submitting to the company’s intentions is wrong, but so is submitting to the fans because they want to change your vision too. Suddenly, the ponies and people who admired our job were also a danger.

We realized that everything has its limits, so Cottontail chose withdrawal and to not perform again on TV. I wanted to leave as well, but I needed money to support my family and despite having some appearances outside of the show, the truth was that nobody wanted me. So I had to stay against my will.

I can’t imagine how that feels. Since then, I did everything I could to get him out of there. That's no problem for me, it’s good to be helping.

After a trial and a long process of reconciliation, Cottontail became the fourth member of the Mane 6 who left the show. The sisters had no choice but to recast these characters so that nobody noticed the difference. The replacements were an earth pony called Sour Sweet, a pegasus named Sugarcoat and a unicorn called Lemon Zest. As for the finale... it had good reception when it first came out, later years demonstrated that the changes had demerited the final product overall.

True, “The Cutie Re-Mark” became the first finale where not everyone was completely satisfied, but on the other hand, the previous entry was so good that it was almost impossible to surpass it.

Most of us had new ideas waiting to be used in future installments. All of us were excited on how we could get better this franchise.

Although I didn’t appear as often as previous seasons, I didn’t care that much because my life was just getting better and better. Me and Flash were starting to date and I gained enough cash to buy a glamorous mansion in one of the most exclusive areas in the world. I was the most loved pony in Equestria and beyond.

With mixed results, more positives overall, season five was perceived as the point where new staff was ready to bring new life into the show. Despite a few misses and withdrawals, the show gained new material to work with. Despite the over reactive and possessive fans, more people were falling in love with these ponies, to the point that now famous celebrities admitted they were one more member of the community. Things occurred as the members were meant to be... or so they thought.

***

When we come back.

I didn’t realize I was becoming a different pony. I believed I was possessed by a spirit or something. Then, everything made sense... I became Twilight... I became Twilight.

When Behind the Laughter continues.

Author's Note

I'm going to take a rest for a while, since this chapter was hard to write due to lack of time and inspiration. I hope you understand and I expect the next chapter came to me more easily. Thanks for your patience guys.

Welcome to the Dark Tomorrow (Season 6)

Lawsuits. Redemption. Hormones. Graphics.

Behind the Laughter

Like a bubble, “Friendship is Magic” blows up more and more with its hits. But beware, because the bubble can burst and never inflate again. The first signs showed up in 2016, both a premature launch date and a notice that traveled all around the world.

Recreation

The set for “The Crystalling.” Gleaming Shield and Bolero wait instructions for their roles, when Evening Blaze comes and delivers a notice to them.

What’s going on here?

Ah, your highness. On behalf of the production, I’m here to deliver your baby.

Deliver? But... I’m not even due yet! I still have the bun in my oven.

There was no pregnancy, girl.

That’s crazy! I know me and Bolero had that wonderful evening…

And that thing where we surprised Stardust Nova.

That was just work of the marketing team. They only said you were going to have a baby, they didn’t say that you actually had one. And the legal team helped to speed up the process in time for spring.

But that doesn’t make sense–

Oh! Here she is now!

Nightfall Shine, disguised as another pony, gives the unicorn baby to Evening Blaze and she delivers them to her new ‘parents.’

May I present to you Princess Flurry Heart.

She’s... our daughter?

Yes! Congratulations! Happy parenting!

Evening Blaze leaves the set. Both Bolero and Gleaming Shield stare at Flurry Heart.

Hi there, cutie.

Greetings, father.

Both Bolero and Gleaming Shield gasp in surprise and shock.

I have soiled myself. You will change me at once.

Flurry Heart does an evil laugh.

When you’re born with systemic hypoplasia, you don’t have much choice in career options. Could be worse, I used to do diaper commercials.

After what happened at the end of the previous, we saw ourselves in need of searching somebody who could play as my childhood friend in the show. We did auditions and he was the best of all choices.

The idea of having a baby alicorn, caught the attention of media and fans alike. Some of them have theories about her purpose and which role she could fill.

And I’m sure you did a perfect job, did you?

The truth is... it was very notorious that the team didn’t know what to do with her, since they had limited time to film and she barely appeared during the season. Not even I could escape for said destiny.

Another member who had such a cruel destiny was Ink Blot. After years and years of drug inducing and overprotection of her sisters, she needed to stop.

I didn’t feel the sickness yet, but it’s in the post. That’s for sure. You feel strange around all the effects of your therapy. Too ill to sleep, too tired to stay awake, but the sickness is on its way. Sweat, chills, nausea, pain and craving.

The only day I saw her happy, and I mean actually happy, was during our wedding–

Wait a minute?! You two got married?!

Yes. After witnessing the ones from the majority of her friends, she decided she wanted to share her life with someone else for the remaining time she had.

Why didn’t anybody know about your wedding?

Because we wanted it to be private. After all the scandals surrounding the rest of her friends, do you really thought we would go through the same path?

One certain downside to playing a character like Pinkie Pie, as you can probably guess, is when fans can’t separate you from the character you play. Many fans told me to do something silly just for entertainment. In my wedding, my sisters gave me dignity for once. The only thing missing were my friends. I don’t remember if they were there. You see this place right here? This skull between my ears?

Yes.

That’s a bad neighborhood and I should not be in there alone. I can’t be there by myself... It’s a bad place to be by myself. When I’m in said place, my whole life gets thrown off. For example, I don’t say nice things to myself. It’s almost like there’s another Ink Blot in there that wants to take me down. And I believe that if I don’t get out of myself and mingle with other ponies, be a sister, be a wife, be a friend, be a mother…

Don’t worry, nobody can hear us.

If I’m out of myself I’m great. If I’m inside, I’m a horrible mess. I don’t like my mind right now. I mean, I really try to communicate my struggles to other ponies, even in my public appearances. But it looks like everyone ignores my cries for help. Even the ones I love.

Health issues and lack of self-control were the reasons why Ink Blot wanted to leave. Her sisters, instead of acting against her, support this decision. But she couldn’t.

It was difficult for her to leave the place where she made new friends. She wanted to improve upon herself.

We felt… pity for her. She constantly came to the studio exhausted, unfocused and depressed. It was one of the few occasions where we wanted some member of the staff to leave. No matter how hard we tried, she remained. She didn’t care if almost all of her friends were no longer in the show, it was impossible for her to abandon the rest of us.

The solution to her problems came in form of a species not very well known in the series, though it was present during the recording of all previous seasons.

It’s not easy representing someone, let alone their work.

So, years after years and writing after writing, and demands of our fans after demands of our fans, we finally had no choice but to write an episode based on ‘dragon culture’. The irony is that... we didn’t know anything about it, so we hired an expert named Amber to helped us out.

I watched their previous attempt to represent our kind and not only it was misleading and boring, it reached unexpected levels of racism. Therefore, as my duty, the sisters and I wrote the closest script we could to a perfect episode.

Your duty? What’s your job?

I work as lawyer and historian. Anyway, while the script was nearly finished, I recall someone walking back and forth unwittingly throughout the entire studio. He was a dragon like me, but younger. When I asked him what was happening to him, he said that he didn’t want to record the episode.

Why would I want to? To be the punching bag again?! Nobody respected me or took me seriously. Not only was my character in the show a joke, but the rest of the staff, the executives AND the fans mocked me. I realized I was going to do the same parody I’ve been doing in the entire lifespan of the show.

What happened?

My mind wasn’t inspired that day. We were kind of going through the motions. So I decided to go around the city and clear my head. I tried to get my mind off how I was feeling, but I just felt stuck. Then, I began to realize that all the ponies in the show, no matter if they were current or gone, main or background, had something I didn’t and I desperately wanted.

And what was that?

Choice. Since I joined the show, I’ve always had to be what the ponies wanted me to be, what the executives wanted me to be, what the fans wanted me to be. But what about what I wanted to be? Then Amber helped me and the idea hit me.

Which idea? It must’ve been a great one to follow it.

I DID have a choice! I could be whatever I wanted to be! No one said being in “My Little Pony” had to be a lifetime gig. But I couldn’t quit either.

He told me that maybe the contract about being with Hasbro and DHX had a loophole or something similar. With that, he could finally get out of the company and have freedom. I supposed he only said that because of the stress of the job... but he was going to pay me anyway, so I did.

What were the results?

Miraculously... there was a loophole. Let me read it for you... ‘Friendship is Magic will be safe and fine as the crew defines what happiness, joy and ease are for every single one of them.’

Once she told me about that loophole, I’d never felt so alive.

It must have been Prism Wing. I never wrote that, surely she had planned this long ago to make me look bad. It’s amazing how everything can backfire just for a foreigner you hired to write only one episode.

“Gauntlet of Fire” received critical acclaim and gave Spyke’s character the respect he deserved, but it was too late. This loophole permitted many of the staff to leave, because they thought both Stardust Nova and the executives were getting out of hands with their demands. A strike occurred for a whole week, causing the team to put a brief hiatus while things were solved.

Many chose me to be the first one to leave after the last day of strike. However, by looking with my partner, I preferred to be the second one and gave my place to a friend more desperate than me.

We left with her and, as much as painful as it was in the inside for us, we knew we did the right thing.

However, we still needed income to sustain ourselves. We didn’t know who was going to be the main supplier and, considering that Ink Blot ended up with diabetes due to the sugar diet of her character, ours plans had to be more precarious.

I left Decibelle and Cashmere to get back to scenarios while I stayed at home with UHF helping Ink Blot. Because it’s hard to be mother of triplets.

Oddly enough, they had a replacement for her instantaneously and she took her role in the show just a couple of days after she left. It was an earth pony named Sunny Flare.

...It’s good to be helping.

Sure it does.

Despite the strikes and personal problems, the stars of the show continued to rise, like a millionaire climbing an underground prison from the bottom.

It was such an honor to be on the Walk of Fame. I mean, we were there with the animation royalty, like Homer J. Simpson and Bruce Wayne.

And just a few stars down from Fred’s Head.

Awards and honors are great, but they don’t pay the pickle man.

We were earning millions, but we were always strapped for cash.

To make things worse, the ratings were going down for the first time in the history of the show. The red alarm was turned on. Concepts and ideas used in previous seasons and sometimes from other shows began to make their presence. Trendy guest stars were shamelessly trot out to grab ratings. Even characters that had appeared in previous years were downgraded and the audience had to watch with their eyes how their favorite characters were destroyed on screen.

However, for every episode done poorly, a good one appeared and, although it followed the same formula with interesting ideas, these were well used. Some invited guest stars achieved popularity among the fanbase and some concepts actually worked, such as the re-use of the Cutie Map and a parody of the show itself, perhaps the most important episode of the season.

You see that pony right there? Well, that pony is actually me. Applying all that hair dye every time is a pain in the ass! Who even came up with a silly hairstyle like that?!

As the ponies’ money dwindled, their expenses soared. From the original group of seven, the cast ballooned to dozens and then hundreds. The sixth season became the one that introduced more characters than any previous season.

I’d never acted before in my life, but, if the music composers could be in the show, why not me?

Because they have been in the show for five years and you got in for a couple of weeks and only for one episode?

Come on man, I even have a catchphrase. Nyah! Whaa! Whaa, whaa, whaa! Now I lost it.

Then, another bombshell. An anonymous tipster alerted the government that Stardust Nova was evading her income taxes.

Recreation

A gray hoof is observed making a call. Cut to an office where a gray gryphon answers the call while she refreshes herself with a fan.

Snark & Bark, where we make you the best by making the rest worse. What can I do for you?

Gibberish is hear on the phone. Gabby listens and then proceeds to call back.

Sorry, I can’t divulge information about a customer’s secret, illegal account.

Gabby hangs up the phone, then realizes her mistake.

Oh crap! I shouldn’t have said she was a customer. Oh shit! I shouldn’t have said it was a secret. Oh fuck! I certainly shouldn’t have said it was illegal.

Gabby sighs and continues to fan herself.

It’s too hot today.

The guards were merciless.

Recreation

Stardust Nova and Flash Sentry are stopped by a group of guards, one of them has a vacuum. The one with the vacuum takes off their elegant clothes, jewelry and other luxurious accessories. Whether is for anger, embarrassment, surprise or pain, Stardust Nova yells. She remains on the floor, while he helps her to stand up. Once all their things have been sucked, a guard makes an indication and a giant helicopter plucks off their mansion from the ground. Stardust Nova watches the action.

Hey! You can’t take our house! My poor piggy banks are in there!

Stardust Nova begins to cry for real and puts herself into a fetal position.

Poor Squealer! Poor Miss Piggy! Noooooooooooooooooo!

Her sobbing became stronger with every breath of air. Flash Sentry doesn’t know how to react.

Inevitably, the real life turmoil took its toll on the TV series.

Recreation

CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!

The team have finally finish the sequence, but Nightfall Shine is not happy about what Stardust Nova has done. Sunburst forgets to turn off the camera.

That rant wasn’t on the original script, Stardust Nova. You can’t change the written words to your convenience.

DON’T INTERRUPT ME! I’M THE STAR!

Plum makes sure the light is okay, then the camera falls.

PLUM, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! I WANT YOU OFF THE SET!

Sorry, Stardust Nova.

Doctor Whooves places muffins on a tray while Derpy eats them pleasantly. Futas, Lunare, Nightfall Shine, Evening Blaze, the new Mane 6 and Bellatrix look horrified at Stardust Nova’s rant. Sunburst is recording everyone’s reaction but the rant itself is off-screen.

DON’T BE SORRY! THINK FOR ONE FUCKING SECOND! ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL, OR NOT?! WHAT DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?! THAT’S DISTRACTING! WHAT DON’T YOU GET ABOUT THAT?! GIVE ME AN ANSWER!

...I was looking at the light, Stardust Nova.

OH, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD FOR YOU!

Nigthfall Shine, Evening Blaze and the new Mane 6 walk off the set.

YOU’RE AN AMATEUR! MY MIND IS NOT IN THE SCENE, AND YOU’RE DOING THAT! DO YOU WANT ME TO TRASH YOUR LIGHTS?!

Lights are heard being smash.

YOU AND ME PLUM? WE ARE DONE PROFESSIONALLY!

Plum remains speechless. Stardust Nova appears onscreen and is about to leave the studio when Lunare interrupts her.

Look Stardust Nova, we understand that you lost your house and you’re bankrupt, but there’s no need to yell at us. Whether you like it or not, we’re your family–

No! You don’t understand what I am going through! You’re not my family! I don’t want to be part of your ‘family’! I hate all of you! You’re a bunch of losers! A bunch of fucking losers!

Stardust Nova slams the door before leaving the studio. Sunburst turns off the camera. Uncomfortable silence surrounds the studio.

Has anybody seen my glasses?

To make things worse, the video was accidentally uploaded to the Internet.

Right from the start, I had a bad feeling about that video. I firmly believe someone uploaded that video on purpose to harm her image.

Wait a minute, how did you weren’t as affected as Stardust Nova by the video? I never heard any rumors or scandals about you in all that time.

I took refuge in my sister’s house at the time and she agreed to help me overcome this scandal and avoid spread rumors. But since Pauly never liked Stardust Nova, she put me one condition: I had to break up with her. And I had no choice back then, just told her we needed some time apart.

Fans reacted to these episodes with yawns. Angry yawns. Desperate to polish her tarnished image, Stardust Nova made one difficult decision.

I agreed to do a live appearance at one of the many Bronycons back then, just to apologize. That got me a lot of booing and insults. I was miserable, in every meaning of the word. And in the studio, things weren’t better. After my rant I just went there because it was my obligation and, since I needed money to recover my house, I couldn’t leave. However, nobody wanted to work with me and because of that I didn’t gain anything. No job, no home, no money, no support, nowhere to go. I was all alone.

You know what? They’re wrong, you’re the victim. I mean, you did nothing to them to ruin your life and take away everything you had.

Please, shut up.

What? I’m just telling what happened.

Don’t fool yourself, everyone watched everything, they know what happened.

Well, yeah but–

Leave me alone.

I know you’re upset and pissed off and I understand if you don’t want to talk about this but, before leaving you alone, could you please tell us what motivated you to change the way you see life?

I was looking for a role in other shows, just to set me apart from here... It was hard for me out there. I studied and trained and auditioned, but nobody wanted me. I only had a choice, the most logical choice of all. Do what most of us do to kill time.

Search for a job and, consequently, choose life like the rest of your partners and many ponies did in the previous years?

No... Watching old TV shows on a computer. I spent most of my time in the studio locked in my dressing room watching them. When those were over, I decided to watch old episodes from the show. And something hit me.

Something?

Suddenly, something strange started to happen to me. Something I thought would happen to me after all the hate, all the wasted time and all the memories... I started to laugh... then to cry and finally to laugh and cry at the same time. I watch all previous seasons, one after another, and when I finished I wasn’t the same.

What are you trying to say?

I didn’t realize I was becoming a different pony. I believed I was possessed by a spirit or something. Then, everything made sense... I became Twilight... I became Twilight.

But you play Twilight.

Not in that way. You see, over the days and weeks, I remembered how happy I was with all of them around me. I realized I missed my companions, which now I have to recognize as friends. Twilight Sparkle was now more than a character, she was my role model and I decided to do the same as her. So I began to be nice to the remaining staff. I prepared myself for multiple eventualities that happened in the studio, such as diapers for one of the coworkers’ babies or coffee for one of the actors. The few money I received from these actions was used for other similar situations inside the studio. Over time, I slowly regained everyone’s trust.

So you had a new perspective and a new purpose.

Yes. I was a new Stardust Nova. And as a new Stardust Nova, I knew the show was not fulfilling me anymore, it wasn’t the same without them. So I made a choice that was hard for me. It was an evening I would not ever forget... It’s good to be helping.

Without Stardust Nova, the show didn’t have a main star anymore. None of the remaining cast was good enough to be with the sisters, which wouldn’t be bad if it wasn’t that the absence of a third caused that many episodes from varying quality were approved. It didn’t matter if those episodes were good or bad, once approved there was no turning page.

So, they approved everything regardless of the quality?

Yes, for good reasons, however. We were under a time limit and most of us didn’t know how to write. This was noticeable during the year and, with less good episodes, finances were going down, not even the finale saved from this effect. Hasbro, DHX, pretty much everyone was in a crisis.

Stardust Nova’s withdrawal and the worst finale in the entire series. Both were consequences of these decisions and the final nail in the coffin. After all the changes occurred in the last year, it was inevitable to question if “My Little Pony” had still something to offer or if it was better to say goodbye for goods and all. The dream was over... or was it?

***

When we come back.

It was amazing that they had a plan for all of us, committed to an ambitious project. However, disagreement and resentment, paranoia and doubt were present in the air.

When Behind the Laughter continues.

Author's Note

I know many of you expected a big rant for this season, but I preferred to do something different and not that repetitive per se.

Officially, Behind the Laughter is on hiatus and will be continued once both season 7 is over and the movie premieres. All I can guarantee is that the next season will have a more than special cameo from a character who's also a pony but doesn't belong to the series.

Wild Horses (Season 7+The Movie)

Reunion. Ratings. Movie. Forgiveness.

Behind the Laughter

The seventh season started out on a wing and a prayer. But now the wing was on fire, and the prayer had been answered by Satan. After the fiasco of season six, the show was in trouble: the ratings were the lowest in the history of the TV program and everything around it changed, from the general tone to the spoken topics, even the main cast was different.

Some of them were nervous because they thought they couldn’t reach the gloriousness of the previous performers. However, like humans with the bison crisis, the executives, producers and writers realized in time the tragedy they had caused and decided to remedy.

We did a purge after the results of the previous seasons. We limited to only retain certain writers and hire some newcomers with the best curriculum.

With this in mind, we only wanted to accomplish one goal: surpass ourselves. To create the best season of the show, better than all previous attempts.

Some of the most veterans, like myself here, attempted to take the next step into production and began to write our own scripts.

I assume you were chosen among many writers.

Yes, around three thousand ponies and other creatures got in just to see their stories coming to life on TV. After what happened to my character in the last season, I guessed that my role in the show was over and it was time to move into another direction. After all, going from player to trainer is not easy.

With all this in mind, the team started to check all topics that they’ve never done in the show, such as finally giving Celestia her own episodes.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Expand the Equestrian Lore, use past characters in more prominent roles and fortify the dynamics between the characters, both main and support.

After many years, my character came back to the spotlight. You have a pretty good guess to my reaction for such an event.

Part of our duty was to show the rest of the family for the Mane 6 and to show more of Equestria after two seasons of promises.

Switching from places and maintaining now three different identities was getting too complicated for my sister and me. So, during the middle year hiatus, we spoke out to everyone involved and finally revealed our secret.

How did they take the news?

Strangely normal. I mean, they were astonished at first. However, you never forget your first reaction.

The good news was that, now that we had our own lives, we could do whatever we wanted. Until we remembered that, since we shared one life, we didn’t have much uniqueness compared to the rest. It was hard to start speaking to someone we loved. I had to be brave just to talk with Sunburst.

Both of you started a relationship?

Only her. I… haven’t found someone I can call my true love.

We’re planning our wedding next year.

The ratings came near the end of the year, with surprising results. The team surpassed the expectations, to the point that they wouldn’t believe it.

Season seven became the most watched season of the entire series, the best results we had since seasons two and four. All of us were caught by surprise.

We wanted to replicate this success in other stuff, such as Equestria Girls.

It was so nice to finally have a mini-series exclusively focused on the adventures of our main characters in another dimension.

The most watched episode not only from the season, but from the entire series, was a concept by story fans, whom were desperate to watch. Thankfully the writers listened to their petitions.

I was a longtime fan of the show since the second season. I only watched it for Prism Wing. She was the love of my life since the first time I saw her. I know it may sound cliché, but there’s no other way I can describe it.

What does that have to do with the most watched episode ever?

I wrote it... all romantic issues and moments were more of a personal perspective and, with a little help from Romeo and Juliet, I answered years and years of requests about Applejack’s parents. However... I only got in because I thought she would see me.

Season seven was a huge step up from the previous one. The writing was great, the characters were at one of their bests, the story arcs were engaging and did not disappoint, and the finale was very spot on. The ratings were the best of the show in its entire lifespan, popularity came back, the fans were happy as well as the executives. Everything was going according to plan. But something strange and unusual happened during this season.

Most of us were conscious about our impact in the show and the reception the fans had around us. The majority of them liked us, however, even we knew we couldn’t replace them. Some of the staff members missed their presence in the set.

I think most of the staff who worked on the show before loved to work on what they did. Without restrictions, without canned ideas, with desire to do things well. More than a team, we were all a very close family, so it was a shock to have a different team working on it overnight.

As time passed and with the changes in the staff, along with the departure of our main stars, the culture changed and we started to feel more like any other show.

We got in to change things, to have a different method of process and work. We didn’t expected the show to be surrounded in a melancholic tone.

Like a birthday surprise shouting, a miracle happened during the hiatus between the sixth and seventh season.

While I was searching for some document that could inform me about Prism Wing’s whereabouts, I found something interesting for eyes. It was a file with hundreds of papers and they had written a notice that took us by surprise. These papers talked about plans for a project simply titled as ‘The Movie.’

I dreamed for many nights that they would meet and form a new team, come back here and tell Hasbro and DHX that they fixed their differences and were willing to go back to work together as before. Suddenly, this little pegasus, close to my dear love, gave me the motivation I needed to pursue this dream.

However, having the courage to start the quest wasn’t going to be easy. ALL the team had to agree, including the executives.

Since our former main cast was gone, both companies put more pressure on us. They gave us more creative freedom, but at the cost of less time. So, for us to convince them to use the original team, they put us on a fiery condition.

And which condition was it?

The movie had to be a box office success, to triple the tight budget they gave us to create it from zero and we only had a year for production before the release date in October. I can’t tell you how much they gave us exactly, but it was a very limited budget.

There were reports of this film being conceived since 2014. Hasbro and DHX were doing this step without consulting us. It felt like a knife in the back.

Considering the situation the show was back then, the success of the film could meant continuing the show or cancelling it. The setting was dangerously precarious.

With this in mind, Soarin and Plum alongside Futas and Lunare embarked on their journey to find the former Mane 6 and reunite them for the big screen. While they were outside, both Evening Blaze and Nightfall Shine took the roles Futas and Lunare left and supervised the seventh season in its whole. After weeks and weeks of search by Internet, phone calling with the yellow pages and talking to ponies and persons who may have seen them, they finally found them in different locations and enjoying their own separate lives.

Leaving the show was really a blessing. It gave us a chance to pursue solo projects. I returned to my first love: the musical theater. I literally kicked the scenery, but I was still resentful towards the show wherever my dear Q came back home when he had a call.

The rest of the former Mane 6 were also spreading their creative wings. Sparkling Cider and Ivory created a new cologne with a blend between apples and diamonds... I know, it’s kind of weird.

We’re conscious it was a bizarre concept to begin with, but we needed a new form of making money.

It didn’t go well as we expected, so we started to makin’ inversions around the world and finally we were able to buy a piece of land when we could raise our children.

Spyke started a career in advocacy.

I wanted to be like my lovely lady. The first months were hard and Amber had difficulties to support both of us, but it was worth it. When they found me, I was just a step away from finishing the career.

Stardust Nova had a new job as a psychologist.

After I decided to be like my character, I chose a life where I could guide other people to be happier with themselves and to be happier with others. I was a princess in certain way, the princess of psyche. However, during nighttime, I had sleeping problems, yearning the old times with my friends.

Prism Wing was the most isolated of them. Alone in an apartment, with simple possessions and little to no contact with anybody else. She found a new passion: dusting and polishing mixing boards.

I was no longer interested in acting or the Wonderbolts. I played the organ and I went fishing. I had a pacific life, dedicated to God.

Ink Blot was like before: guarded by her sisters and husband and dealing with her addictions. She wrote a book about her experience in the show.

I wanted to find them because I wanted to be with them, but I was locked in my house with no permission to go outside, not even for a drink. I tried so hard to convince them just to open the door for unexpected visits.

It was somewhat romantic when Soarin expressed his feelings towards me. But wanting to marry me? That’s a whole different story. Anyway, when they told us about why they wanted to bring us back, it was like going back to smoking. You know it’s going to be bad, but you miss the sensations and you do it anyway because ‘it’s just one last time. What could possibly go wrong?’

Perhaps the most affected by the constant mistrustfulness were their long time collaborators and their relatives. Spyke and Madam Applecrest told us about it.

It was amazing that they had a plan for all of us, committed to an ambitious project. However, disagreement and resentment, paranoia and doubt were present in the air.

I was with Sparkling Cider and Ivory during the production of the movie, everyone did their best effort to get along. They rolled the film like before, like if it was an episode in their glory days. But once they turned off the camera, everybody began to argue for no reason. They didn’t behave like friends anymore, the rest of us had to constantly get into their discussions to stop them.

It was as if you were trying to survive just to see the light of the next day.

Yes, the worst part was that in that family, nobody trusted nobody. They even brought their lawyers to Christmas dinner.

Recreation

Christmas dinner. Stardust Nova, Prism Wing, Sparkling Cider, Ivory, Cottontail, Ink Blot and Spyke are sitting around the main table at the center of the dining room, each one with their respective lawyers and couples. The table has plenty types of food. Meanwhile Madam Applecrest, Apple Spritz, Marble, Plum, Mulled Cider, Chirpy Tune, Screwball, Futas and Lunare are sitting down on a smaller table next to the big one. Everyone stays silent.

So, uh, how’s everybody doing?

You don’t have to answer that.

Shut up, all of you, or I’ll sue!

No, you shut up you shoutin’ party clown!

That’s the mare I married!

Sparkling Cider and Ivory fist pump.

We couldn’t expect any less from the magical lesbian spawn.

Spyke accidentally touches Cottontail’s hoof.

Don’t touch me motherfucker and get out!

What does that mean?!

You know what it means you little snitch!

Amber stands up, follow by Prism Wing who points out Stardust Nova.

That’s assault! That is assault!

You’re so wrong! Assault is being here, dining with the ones who betrayed me, especially the one right there!

You had a mischievous plan so the rest could fire me from the show!

Liar!

Besides, I already changed. I’m a different pony, why can’t you accept that?! Why can’t you forgive me?!

Because I know you! You’re an egotistical bitch who doesn’t care about anyone else but herself!

That’s true! You’d probably sleep a lot better if you just admit it to yourself that you’re a selfish slut who takes whatever she wants and doesn’t bother about who she hurts!

Don’t raise your voices, please!

Who told you could be leader?!

That aggressive punk rocker ya shall call ‘sister’?!

Decibelle starts to pump up, trying to contain her rage. Cashmere tries to keep her calm.

Sister, calm down.

Too late!

A physical fight starts. There’s punches, kicks, head-butts, food throwing and wrestling over the table. Soarin tries desperately to set Prism Wing apart from the fight while Izzy Rock and UHF comfort Ink Blot, who is the only pony that continues eating.

It’s so nice to have the family together for dinner.

Suddenly, many infant cries sound and interrupt the fight. Everyone stays in their place and keep silence.

Just perfect. You woke up all the children.

The Apple family and Ink Blot’s sisters stand up and go upstairs to make the babies fall asleep again. Everybody shuts up and the environment is like it was before: quiet.

So, uh, how’s everybody doing?

It was the best Christmas ever. I mean, emotionally it was terrible, but the turkey was sooooo moist.

The carcass of the pony empire had been picked clean. But then came help from an unexpected source.

I borrowed the rights of my books so the audiences could know more about Daring Do. I’m conscious that it was advertising for them, but parts of my earning were donated to the show. They did so much for me, so it was time to pay the favor.

What did you do, Ms. Yearling?

When I got the notices about a movie and the problems the team was having, I went into production and contributed with my own money. However, when it came to the cast, I knew there was only one pony who could reunite this troubled clan: my old fraternity sister and friendly rival, Lilacia Pony Head.

I’d do anything for mademoiselle Yearling. So, with her help, I went to the main set for the movie and–

What’s that alarm?

This stupid hair machine. Oh, not again. Come here and fix this gadget, Earth Turd!

Things were tense and delicate when they arrived. That night, fate wore a cummerbund of suspense.

The production was messed up and covered in constant squalls between the main cast. I’ve heard rumors that Prism Wing broke one of Stardust Nova’s legs.

They spent much of their budget in a new animation style that was unknown at the time. It was call Harmony and it was relatively unknown for most of us.

I checked and talked with Futas and Lunare about the screenplay and how they’re were doing it. They wanted to expand and explore Equestria, something they never did before.

Nine months of production are stressing and exhausting after a while. I had to do a balance between stopping their conflicts and programming my appearances in my own show.

Part of our construction was to integrate new races into the world, so we opened casting for those interested in being part of the show.

Even better, we invited many of the former cast members to do cameos in the movie!

Sometimes, it looked like the real Mane 6 took their own personalities to the big screen, since there were moments you wouldn’t expect to happen in the series.

I began to ask them about how these sudden changes and this movie were affecting their personal lives. It wasn’t worth it... They only said what they thought would keep me happy.

Everything from my time, energy, resources... was spent working on my project. I appreciate what Soarin tried to do, but those ponies were NOT my friends anymore.

No matter how good the product is, obsession can help it in the end. For a project like this, you only need a good merchandising team and some people that spread the idea.

Ya have to devote every time ya can spend. And when things aren’t lookin’ good, ya have to spend yer break hours that are supposed to be used in relaxin’ and/or restin’ in order to work more on the project.

There were times where I felt useless, that all of my struggles were all for naught. Mistakes that made me want to run away. There were times where I just stayed up for days thinking on what to do.

Am I the only one who had fun while recording? Yes, I had the most screen time, but I was genuinely happy for being together like before. I know what others were thinking. But, you know, that really isn’t important. Just sharing my experience.

These ponies... are very dear to me. We promised to look forward and call each other often, at least once a month. But I always thought that this would never have happened. They only remember you when you’re gone.

I concluded that they will reunite and befriend one another again only, and just only, after something similar to a tragedy happened to their lives.

After completing the movie, the team was nervous. They never did anything like this before and everyone was conscious about what would happened if the film failed. The only thing we could do was pretend to cross fingers and wait.

And in the end, what were the consequences of the movie? It officially surpassed fifty million in total worldwide box office revenue. While not as high as expected, this showing still beats out other feature films released that same year and for a movie that was, as Hasbro put it in their recent investor call, a “modest” budget, that’s a pretty impressive number. However, it disappears quickly in some regions, receives no awards or nominations from critical circles, critics and reviewers are divided in opinions, the Mane 6 dissolved. The only ones who remained happy were the fans.

I don’t know. A lot of people said I was out of character, but what can I do? That’s how the writers wrote me in this movie.

I think there was a bunch of new characters in the movie? I don’t know, I was AWESOME in it.

I loved our seapony costumes! So gorgeous! Magnificent! Spectacular! Exquisite! And yes, I designed them.

I took most of the screen time!

I was useful in this movie. PERIOD.

Nobody said anything about me.

Don’t feel bad, darlin’. Mah girl is in the same league as ya.

After almost ten years in this show and help many people to redefine a concept as simple as ponies who learn about friendship, we thought it was time to leave it. After all, both Evening Blaze and Nightfall Shine were great substitutes for our positions.

Right now, we put our own journey with this show behind us and look forward to our next adventure, we will always look back and feel proud that for some people, this little show about colorful ponies and their lessons in friendship was a life-changing experience. It certainly has been for us.

While the show recovered its status, the Mane 6 returned to their previous lives. It could’ve been the easiest, non-difficult thing in the world that everyone could take the simple route and solve this problem, like they would normally do, through words, affection and love. It would’ve been like in the show.

...But real life is not that easy.

Drama... Draaamaaa... Dramadramadramadramadrama–

No drama this year.

We know two types of drama: The one that makes us laugh on TV and on the Internet, which brings us fun and entertainment. Then the other, which saddens us. Because in real life the drama is bitter, depressing and sad. And in this case, also unexpected.

Actual Footage

“We have breaking news about this. This is something that nobody expected. The cartoonist and actress Ink Blot, better known for playing Pinkie Pie in the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, has been found unconscious in her house near Seaward Shoals.”

“We’re being informed that she might have committed suicide, but detectives, medics and traumatologists are investigating the case thoroughly.”

“The medics have declared she’s not dead, but into a coma. The causes are unknown. Her family didn’t want to comment on it.”

When I saw the announcement of her case, I thought it was a joke, a very bad one. But as I saw more messages, among them, companions of her work, I began to doubt until finally, when I saw the plight of her relatives, I discovered then that it was not a joke.

Just hearing in the news those words... you know something’s wrong with the world when a comedian tries to take her own life.

I was so happy when we were together again. The show is awful, my life’s awful, being here’s awful, everyone been acting awful too! I don’t understand! Was it my fault?

Mah heart stopped. How could that thought be in her mind all this time?

I wanted to be a lie. Nothing like this ever happened before.

I know this might sound weird, but it’s hard for me to accept that this is reality, that she’s no longer with us anymore.

But she’s not dead.

With all due respect and, seeing things from her perspective, she is.

In her room, she left a note. It had the following sentence: Let us never leave the magic, the charm of fun, fun for a program, in this case and connection that joy into our life.

Author's Note

Thanks to Zeprto678 and mbpony512 for bringing some of the ideas for this chapter.

Finally, I have to say that, thanks to all the people who leaked the season finale of this season, I finally watched the entire season 8. Yeah, I said it, I watched it completely! I won't say anything to not ruin your surprise (like what they did to me), but if you want to know more about it, stay tune for the next chapter.

By the way, I'm only going to cover season 8 as the last chapter of the story. If the series continues afterwards, I'm jumping out of the hype train. Please understand.

Meanwhile (Season 8)

Well... Season eight is over and it was a hell of a ride. Even though you didn’t take part of it directly, it was exciting to watch the end of this journey. So, with this in mind, what do you think about the entire series?

It’s only an excuse to sell more toys. An adorable little one.

It’s embarrassin’, Ah feel dirty around it.

I’m tired of just hearing its name!

It’s junk, first class junk.

It’s a show that makes me cringe, even when I’m sitting here thinking about it.

But it was a great season. I know is not perfect and has some missteps, but it’s still a good show overall. After all the experiences, all the emotions, all those great moments, you think it’s terrible?

You don’t understand us. This show has tortured us in many unimaginable ways.

After years being there, I can say it could have given more, much more.

I sold my genius and trade to the highest bidder; I saw my best years go by.

You haven’t changed your mind in all these years, not even after what happened to one of your friends?!

So, this was another trick to try to reunite us?

Maybe, but the important thing is that you should forget this conflict, right? It could be like in the show.

Guess what? This isn’t a kids TV-show, this is real life! Feelings and emotions doesn’t work here! Nobody forgets what others did to ya!

What do you know for sure? In fact, who are you to say us that?

I’m glad you ask.

The Creator claps twice and suddenly, light bulbs illuminate the scenario, the ponies cover their eyes. Once the light is moderated, the ponies uncover their faces. They’re on a theater main stage, with The Creator at the base and thousands of ponies and persons on the seats, including members from the show staff.

Where are we?

What’s going to happen to us?

It’ll be our end?

I don’t know, this is the first time this has ever happened to us. What are going to do?

Will all this be over?

Calm down, let me explain.

The ponies sit down and listen.

I may not be the most indicated to talk about it, but look at your surroundings. It’s not about you or us, it’s about all the people and ponies who have worked with you all these years and have been your fans for years. Maybe they know more about the impact you have had on all of us. So tell me people and ponies, which impact has left this show on you? How it has influenced you? It has helped you in something? It has changed your life perception? It helped you making friends or perhaps you found the love of your life? Or maybe just a sentence you want to quote? Don’t be afraid, say it.

One by one, some individuals stand up and say aloud their experiences.

I learned about staying positive and what it takes to be a leader.

It taught me to be a bit more honest, to smile more, to believe in bettering myself, to be brave.

Would I say it has changed my life? Not particularly. It has, however changed me as a person, for the better, and for that, I am forever grateful to the show and the creators of said show.

I’ve learned to have a little more faith in people and to try and make friends with people I before never would have associated with for one reason or another. I’ve learned that even something as inconsequential as a shared appreciation for a children’s cartoon is enough to form strong bonds.

I think it’s shown me a lot about what can be done with creative content. There are many decisions that were made in both the running of the franchise and the fandom which were incredibly right.

Change is always possible when friends are by your side to remind you that the bond we forge together from friends, family, relatives, loved ones, etc. can never be severed for friendship carries on through the ages.

I didn’t learn anything.

The mares laugh.

It has helped me stave off my more depressing and suicidal thoughts and has changed a lot of my extremely cynical and misanthropic thoughts. It has also aided me greatly in making friends; before the fandom, I would have only counted maybe two people as good friends but the number has since jumped to five, a substantial feat given my extremely antisocial tendencies.

The mares are speechless.

If these perspectives haven’t convince you yet, I have a last, special surprise for you. You can come in now.

Ink Blot’s family stand up from their corresponding seats, each one in the last row. They approach slowly to the center. Each of the sisters carries one of Ink Blot’s daughters, while UHF carries a projector and a disc.

Proceed.

UHF plugs in the projector and inserts the disc. The main screen is shown on the wall behind the stage. The image shows Ink Blot in bed with a medical ventilator, she has difficulty to speak. The date of the video shows it was recorded months after her incident. The mares, surprised and speechless, turn around to watch it.

What have I learned from MLP? This might sound like a joke, but I’ve learned that friendship truly is magic, especially in a world that has no magic. The show has shown us all how to be better ponies, and it’s united hundreds of thousands, if not a million or more, ponies from all around the world, from all walks of life, both shy and outgoing. The show has pushed people to be generous and kind, to give those a friend when they would otherwise have none. The show has inspired so many to be creative, when they otherwise wouldn’t have been. I think one of my biggest issues I tried to fit in with other ponies just to hang with them. Pretty much I was living a lie for so long and it was easy to mask my emotions. But this show taught me we all have true emotions. But mine are volatile and erratic, I had so much pain and anger and frustration. I remembered how I had to forgive myself for being such a monster. But in the end I have very few friends but they’re close and I’m friends with them because they love me and I love them back. Not because of petty ideals or me trying to pretend just so I can hang around. They are ponies you can count on and they’ll count on you. Maybe I finally have found true friendship. If we take our time, stick together, everything we do will go our way, and if we try, now and forever, no matter what comes next, we’ll be okay.

The disc stops and the screen goes white. The mares look at each other and think about it for a moment, then to the audience.

We understand what are you trying to do, but nothing like this ever happened before. Nobody knows how to take measure to solve this problem. It’s a very delicate matter.

So tell me something, you all knew what to do with your life before joining this show, did you?

The mares don’t speak at all and look at the audience, confused and doubtful. The Creator proceed to snap them out.

In every adventure, you experience new things. None of you knew the answers to the problems you dealt with, don’t you remember?

That’s true! Since we came to this show we knew nothing, so many things happened to us that our hearts beat to their full potential. But because we were in this together, we overcome all types of challenges. At first we wanted to get out of there or do only what we supposed to do, but thanks to that, I got many experiences that don’t come in an admission test.

We also got into many things that made us cry. I’ve become stronger since we first met.

Ah thought awareness wasn’t important until Ah met ya. Ah learn that everythin’ worth its value.

I’m an invincible warrior wherever I’m with you.

I cannot desert after all we’ve been going through because my purpose would be in vain. I waited for all of you day after day, to protect you, to know you, to have a friendship.

If Ah hadn’t met ya.

If I hadn’t come here.

If I hadn’t start this trip with all of you.

We wouldn’t have come who we are now.

We fought to look for us, because that was the most important.

The Mane 6 hug each other, while the crowd stand up, cheer and clap to them.

The ponies’ bitter past has been forgotten and now the future looks brighter than ever for this group of friends. So, whether they make us laugh or make us cry, singing an upbeat song or poking some fun, will keep on gagging for years to come.

While the spectacle continues, The Creator leaves the event in silence unnoticed.

These ponies have seen so much more than me, so many things that I still want to see. So I took my Twilight Sparkle backpack and filled it with memories. My comics, my Pinkie Pie plushie, my Rainbow Dash shirt, my Fluttershy keychain, my Applejack hat, my Rarity wristband. Though sometimes I got sad, and almost cried, you were always with me, by my side. I knew that we are friends to the core, but maybe it was something more, together we walked that road for so long, we laughed, we played, we got hurt, and we grew strong. Taking shortcuts, and getting lost, I learned what I’d known all along: just by being there, you see, just by being who you’d always be, you helped me grow, you helped me to know the stronger, happier me. Like a gentle breeze, through grass and trees, you always carried a smile. Yes we, who shared our smiles and our tears... we are now... far apart. It’s my time to go, but you’ll always have a special place in my heart.

Next week on Behind the Laughter.

I was so mean, racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, perverted, drug addict, alcoholic, sadistic, back stabber, heartless, dickless, uncircumcised, douchebag, asshole, homophobic and, most importantly, gay. But I couldn’t tell anyone.

Author's Note

Some time ago, I posted on a forum what kind of impact MLP has left on people, so the answers the fans say are true, I chose the best ones to have a better idea of what the series has left to you. I want to give a very special thanks to Your Opponent, FamousLastWords, Sipioc, Cinder, Vel, Captain_Hairball, Sober, The Castaway Pariah, EverfreePony, ToXikyogHurt, hawthornbunny, CrimmarJimmy, Hook19, EverfreeSparkle, Norwegian boy, The Abyss, Wise Cracker, Foal Star, TheJediMasterEd and Fervidor for your contributions to the story (congratulations to The Abyss and Foal Star, your answers were the best, so they became Ink Blot's dialogue). If any of you want to talk about your experiences watching the show or what impact has left you, you can do it in the comments. And since many of you already told me yours, it's only fair I share you mine. It may sound cliché. but it's the only way I can tell it:

As we all know, Adventure Time changed animation when it first came out in 2010. But back then, my way of thinking was very different. I was the typical guy who said that the animation from before was better and the new was shit. I came to think that the cartoons were for children. And, although Regular Show changed that way of thinking, a prejudice lasted inside me: I still thought girls-oriented TV shows were awful, that because I'm a man I was not supposed to watch them (to the point that I forgot I watched The Powerpuff Girls when I was a child). One day, while I was watching Courage, the Cowardly Dog, I found a parody of "Freaky Fred" using a crazy, purple pony as said character. That pony was Twilight Sparkle and the used clips were from "Lesson Zero". After that, I gave a chance to the show and... it changed my life. It taught me to be more open, to be more sincere with my emotions and feelings and to not hide them, to not be ashamed of watching shows that weren't supposed to be for me. Before, it was weird to have feminine characters who had personality or were a positive model for girls to follow and even weirder to have a good plot. Since then, everyone is trying hard to create a good girls-oriented TV show, I bet shows like Star vs the Forces of Evil and Tangled Forever owe their existence to these ponies. I learned to appreciate animation more, I reconnected with the Powerpuff Girls, I gave a chance to Star and Rapunzel and a long domino effect. Personally, it gave me a message: to never leave the fun, the magic and to canalize them into our lives. Me, a man who is supposed to think only about the accounts, watching the news or drinking and complaining about the government and things like that! And for the answers I received, I'm not the only one who appreciates this from My Little Pony. We all have a story to tell thanks to this show. Yes, the show isn't perfect, but it created a change.

Finally, the last dialogue is meant to be taken as a joke, so please no offensive comments about it.

Epilogue

• My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic lasted nine seasons and it marked a before and after in TV animation. The rest of the Mane 6 came back to the show in production and finally noticed the influence they had on other shows.

• Pony Head continues acting in Star vs the Forces of Evil. She’s grateful with the impact the show had on hers that she’s working closely with Hasbro for another project.

• A.K. Yearling is currently negotiating film rights for her first book, Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.

• Madam Applecrest continued to manage the family business until the day she retired. Because of Sparkling Cider’s retirement of the industry, she gave the leadership to Mulled Cider.

• Soarin left the Wonderbolt Academy to pursue his new career: novel writer. His placid nature and scatterbrained charm made him a favorite among people and ponies.

• Zecora continues writing scripts for other shows. She’s currently working on We Bare Bears and One-Punch Man.

• Crystal Hoof worked for Hasbro until the show ended. Then he moved on to Disney, where he’s working now as a consultant.

• Gabby doesn’t work for Snark & Bark anymore.

• Zephyr Breeze soon sank into a life of excess, when he ran out of money; he got a job as a hairdresser, like his character.

• Amber became a magistrate thanks to her involvement in the show and demanded equal justice for all species alike.

• Sunburst got a job as a librarian and investigator. He’s currently building his home for his new family.

• Flurry Heart auditioned for a Macbeth play. Some say she lost her mind because of her role, while others speculate she missed her baby days in the show.

• Halle Nal was nominated for a Grammy Award and starred in the play “How to Transcend a Happy Marriage”. She’s currently recording another album.

• Majesty came back to college to finish her studies in physics and chemistry. She’s getting a job in Ultratech Corporation next month.

• Minuette wrote a book about her experiences in the show and came back to be a dentist. She’s demanding equal rights for main and supporting actors in her spare time.

• Tree Hugger returned to her free-spirited merchant life. She works in a rehabilitation center for addicts nowadays.

• Nightfall Shine married Sunburst and continues producing TV shows. They’re currently taking care of their son, Striker Stream.

• Evening Blaze retired from the media and began working as a scientist to study the sun. In her new life, she met her future husband, Comet Tail, and both had a daughter, Solar Eclipse.

• Decibelle and Cashmere returned to their rock-style life, occasionally accepting minor roles in films and TV. Meanwhile, Izzy Rock left her luxurious life to take care of her nieces.

• UHF realized how impactful his actions in the show had been over the years and, after dueling with himself, he completed the last petition of his wife, Ink Blot. Nowadays, he’s searching for a new job.

• Lyra and Bon Bon got into a big discussion about how they were getting a divorce. Although they never sealed the deal, their quarrel traumatized their daughter, Sweet Song, for life.

• Gabrielle Chand de Lier is currently interned in Arkham Asylum for her own good. She says her roommate, Shauna Tubleu, is convincing her to escape and become the next mafia boss.

• Bulk Biceps got divorced and shaved his mane. Now he’s an action movie star and acts in theater plays.

• Pauly Sentry became a successful film director. She’s currently working on her most challenging project yet: “Twilight: the good version.”

• Dan continues planning his revenge against every little thing in the universe. He’s working on a plan to get rid of Discovery Family for cancelling his show.

• Flash Sentry reconciled with Stardust Nova and said he was thinking in getting a job. His sister Pauly bears a grudge against him for getting in touch with his new marefriend at every family reunion.

• Gilda wrote a book about a paranormal experience she had about going to a limbo-like place and knowing the end of the world. Prism Wing doesn’t hold a grudge against her for the statements she said in this documentary.

• Amethyst Star penalized Dinky for cutting a class. The little filly never came back to act, meanwhile her older sister works as a secretary to the CEO in Hasbro.

• Indigo Zap and the rest of the “Shadowbolts” continued portraying the Mane 6 for the rest of the show’s lifespan, then they moved on to different paths. Indigo Zap continues her acting career in Hollywoo movies, hoping to win an Academy Award someday.

• Christine Allyster won a Golden Globe and decided to prove her luck in directing. Fluffle Puff helps her in every aspect because of her insane love towards her.

• Gleaming Shield got divorced of Bolero because he confused her for a changeling. He still believes to not knowing what happened that day, while she returned to her model career.

• Doctor Whooves got into many conspiracies about time travel and changing history so his family could control the universe. He always denied it, but many believed he worked on something secret related to this day.

• Derpy continues being the CEO of Hasbro and she continues planning on taking over the world. She’s working on the next Gen of MLP.

• Fancy Pants passed away on February 16th, 2016 due to lung cancer. His wife, Fleur Dis Lee, took charge of his businesses and possessions. She still misses him to this day.

• Mulled Cider and Chirpy Tune expanded their ambition to other markets to meet success. According to their words, they’re working on a product that will revolutionize the industry.

• Q created his own syndicate for rejected veterans and newcomers of the entertainment industry to boycott big corporations. However, he always found space to accompany his wife and daughter everywhere they wanted.

• Vinyl Scratch and Octavia finally got the recognition they’ve been waiting for since they got into the show. Both won an Academy Award for best original score.

• Diamond Dazzle and Tin Shot retired from acting after their presence in the show, they’re planning to pursue a career in masters in college.

• Mango Dash found her place in the media as a stunt double.

• Nurse Redheart began to work as psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum. She’s dealing with mademoiselle Chand de Lier’s case.

• Bellatrix Monolaul was complexed about her appearance that she started wearing contact lenses and changed her manestyle. She was considered one of the most beautiful mares of the world. Her play, “Princess Trixie Sparkle”, became a critical and commercial success.

• Photo Finish did a fortune writing three books about the impact the show had on media in general.

• Spitfire continues managing the Wonderbolt Academy. Although she never approved Prism Wing’s choices, she wished her luck wherever she went.

• Futas Le Rotcerid and Lunare Le Recudorp continued working on every media they could: film, TV, theater, etc., as writers, producers or directors. Occasionally, they visited the remaining staff at Harmony Studios.

• Apple Spritz, Marble and Plum used their money to travel around the world, giving conferences to make aware about being a child actor.

• Spyke finished his career as a lawyer and joined Q’s syndicate. He and Amber got married and had a son, Char.

• Sparkling Cider and Ivory retired from spectacle and media in general. They now live in the rural area of Baltimare with their children, Magnolia May and Domino Mask.

• Cottontail lives now as homemaker with her husband Q and her daughter Screwball. She occasionally does stand ups in bars and nightclubs.

• Ink Blot’s last petition was to end her suffering and, although her sisters disagreed and were against her choice, UHF fulfilled her promise. She passed away a month after the show ended due to potassium cyanide poisoning. Blueberry, Raspberry and Cherry, her three daughters, carry her legacy.

• Stardust Nova continued her job as psychologist, where she treated everyone with kindness and respect, like her character. After two hundred dates, she accepted Flash’s proposal and had two children, Dusk Warden and Starburst.

• Prism Wing inaugurated her own company to distribute and produce cinema and television. She settled down with Soarin and had a son, Ray Sonic.

• ...They remained friends for the rest of their lives.

Author's Note

After a year working on this story... It's finally done.

I want to thank all those who followed this project during its development, to continue reading this story until the last moment. Without you, it would not have been the same, because you have been the ones who have encouraged me to continue despite the difficulties. You're the real heroes here!

And finally, I want to thank my friends Opium4TmassS, Sparkletop Rainbows, Silver Malice and especially my editor MrDerpface who have been helping and supporting me throughout this time. I'll always appreciate you forever and ever.

Prologue

Author's Note

This is going to be my most ambitious project. This is more than a story. It's a parody, a criticism, an homage and more importantly: a love letter to this TV show that will accompany me for the rest of my life.

Please, sit and enjoy.

Prologue

They were the characters who changed the world, they changed people’s perspective on shows for girls, gliding a tidal air current of hilarity onto the gates of heaven. But behind the cameras, this funny sextet was trapped in its private hell.

Everybody wanted a piece of us.

They told us what to say, how to speak, which dialogues we should tell.

They found us gettin’ drunk on the sidewalks.

They even banned us from some nightclubs and galas because of that.

My addictions destroyed my personal relationships.

I ended up hating what I had created. Now I know how God feels.

A spear crashes against a heart-shaped ice figure, which falls from a dinner table and breaks into pieces. The crash is strong.

Tonight, “My Little Pony” as you’ve never seen it before on Behind the Laughter.