Best Grimdark You've Ever Read?

[King_DeQuan 8]

I have only read a handful. Cupcakes, Rainbow Factory, Cheerilee's Garden, Scarlet's Harvest, and Sweet Apple Massacre. I don't personally think Cupcakes was THAT bad, and I don't think it deserves all the hate it gets. Sure, it was pretty gross, but I think Sweet Apple Massacre was creepier. But, my favorite of these would probably be Cheerilee's Garden/Scarlet's Harvest. They're interesting enough to make you want to keep you reading them, and dark enough to put you on the edge. What's your favorite Grimdark fanfic?

[Shift 4,272]

Hard Reset and the Immortal Game.

 

Note, the last one is an epic, but by god is it as grimdark as hell. Rainbow Dash and Twilight's perspective in the beginning is just... dark. You'll know why if you read it. I mean... it's just creepy.

[Espurr 449]

Cupcakes wasn't too bad. I actually read it on accident back when i was sort of a noob at my little pony. It was a total accident, i never even knew about cupcakes then. And it wasn't so bad. I also found out about sweet apple masscre then but i never read it.

[King_DeQuan 8]

Hard Reset and the Immortal Game.

 

Note, the last one is an epic, but by god is it as grimdark as hell. Rainbow Dash and Twilight's perspective in the beginning is just... dark. You'll know why if you read it. I mean... it's just creepy.

I am quite interested in reading these two. I have actually never heard of them, but the names seem pretty promising. Do you mind sharing some details?

 

What are the plots of these stories?

What are the conflicts of these stories?

Who are the main characters?

Are they completed stories?

If you had to rate the gore of these stories, what would you rate them?

 

I like gore, but I don't like too much of it. Especially if it's all gore and nothing else.

Edited June 26, 2014 by King_DeQuan

[PoisonClaw 8,166]

Fallout Equestria and The Immortal Game. One takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where it's kill or be killed and the other is dark to the point of straight up Nightmare Fuel. The second chapter alone has Rainbow Dash mind raped into a obedient servant by a demonically possessed Twilight, who was turned dark by have a shard of darkness forced through her eye.

[King_DeQuan 8]

Fallout Equestria and The Immortal Game. One takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where it's kill or be killed and the other is dark to the point of straight up Nightmare Fuel. The second chapter alone has Rainbow Dash mind raped into a obedient servant by a demonically possessed Twilight, who was turned dark by have a shard of darkness forced through her eye.

I've never read Fallout: Equestria, but everybody who has says it's really good. Right now, I'm actually reading another Grimdark fic called "The Experiments of Twilight Sparkle". Oh my God, this story is so creepy. I'm only on the third chapter, and I'm already debating on whether or not I should keep reading it.

[Freewave 1,145]

I've read  Cheerilee's Garden, Scarlet's Harvest and I think both were well written and the pony equivalent of the Saw movies movies in many ways. The first one being a bit better but each having good twists at the end too. The Time Loop Trilogy (Hard Reset and its 2 sequels) are less gore but straight up very dark epic time travelling adventure. Let's just say that Twilight becomes her own worst enemy in effort to defeat an invading Changeling swarm and become an abomination and that gets more attention in parts 2+3. It's not technically grimdark but it's a wonderful gutrenching story.

 

I guess I might have to check out The Immortal Game.

[BayoUni2847 528]

I don't read very many MLP grimdark fan fictions, but I did read Cupcakes many years ago and Cheerilee's Garden a couple months ago.

 

I thought Cheerilee's Garden was better since it had a little more suspense to it.

[SveciaDash 364]

My diary?

uheuheuhehueuheuhe

[Freewave 1,145]

 I'm actually reading another Grimdark fic called "The Experiments of Twilight Sparkle". Oh my God, this story is so creepy. I'm only on the third chapter, and I'm already debating on whether or not I should keep reading it.

 

I read that and was pretty disappointed. It's just not terribly well written and has practically no tension, surprises, or rationality to what happens. Definitely gorey.  

[King_DeQuan 8]

I read that and was pretty disappointed. It's just not terribly well written and has practically no tension, surprises, or rationality to what happens. Definitely gorey.

I agree so far. It is pretty straight forward on what happens. And the gore, oh my, the gore is pretty bad too.

The Time Loop Trilogy (Hard Reset and its 2 sequels) are less gore but straight up very dark epic time travelling adventure. Let's just say that Twilight becomes her own worst enemy in effort to defeat an invading Changeling swarm and become an abomination and that gets more attention in parts 2+3. It's not technically grimdark but it's a wonderful gutrenching story.

 

Woah, sounds pretty alright, definitely gonna have to check this one out later

[Shift 4,272]

@@King_DeQuan,

What are the plots of these stories?

Here are the summaries.

 

Hard Reset: Twilight isn't having a very good day. An experimental spell blew up in her face, an army of changelings is attacking Canterlot, and she just died. Yet somehow, it looks like it's going to keep going downhill from here.

 

Given the chance to correct what's gone wrong, Twilight swears she's going to fix all this even if it kills her. Which it will. Frequently.

 

The Immortal Game: Long ago, in the magical land of Equestria, there lived a powerful King and his dark Queen. Immortal and ignorant, their end came at the hooves of their daughters, Celestia and Luna, who sought to build a better future for ponykind.

 

Now ponykind’s old gods have returned.

Twilight Sparkle is trapped inside her own mind, slave to a cruel and impulsive consciousness built from everything she is not. Powerless and voiceless, she must find a way to stop the being that calls itself Nihilus from destroying everything she holds dear.

Luna is tasked with assembling the remaining Elements of Harmony in hopes of freeing their leader. For if ponykind is to have any hope, it is in Twilight Sparkle. And if Twilight Sparkle is to have any hope, it is in her five friends.

Facing her father in mortal combat, Celestia must do everything she can to ensure that ponykind has the tools to survive before she falls. With inevitable defeat bearing down upon her, she makes the first move in the oldest and deadliest game known to creation.

 

What are the conflicts of these stories?

Hard Reset: Twilight is fighting another changeling invasion, except she's caught in a time loop and keeps dying.

The Immortal Game: In the beginning, a pony called Nihilus Nix Naught is in Twilight's body and killing everyone, and mindf$%^ing Rainbow Dash. At the end, Equestria gets caught up in a completely massive war against Celestia and Luna's mother and father.

 

Who are the main characters?

Hard Reset is Twilight Sparkle, and The Immortal Game is told from various different perspectives, but at the start the main character is Nihilus Nix Naught (She's pretty awesome, and isn't exactly an OC, but she's as creepy as hell) and at the end it's Twilight Sparkle

 

Are they completed stories?

Yes, both of them are.

 

If you had to rate the gore of these stories, what would you rate them?

Both aren't too gory, but they do have violence and a bit of gore. It's not cupcakes or Rainbow Factory level, but perhaps a bit below Fallout Equestria level.

[King_DeQuan 8]

@@King_DeQuan,

What are the plots of these stories?

Here are the summaries.

 

Hard Reset: Twilight isn't having a very good day. An experimental spell blew up in her face, an army of changelings is attacking Canterlot, and she just died. Yet somehow, it looks like it's going to keep going downhill from here.

 

Given the chance to correct what's gone wrong, Twilight swears she's going to fix all this even if it kills her. Which it will. Frequently.

 

The Immortal Game: Long ago, in the magical land of Equestria, there lived a powerful King and his dark Queen. Immortal and ignorant, their end came at the hooves of their daughters, Celestia and Luna, who sought to build a better future for ponykind.

 

Now ponykind’s old gods have returned.

 

Twilight Sparkle is trapped inside her own mind, slave to a cruel and impulsive consciousness built from everything she is not. Powerless and voiceless, she must find a way to stop the being that calls itself Nihilus from destroying everything she holds dear.

 

Luna is tasked with assembling the remaining Elements of Harmony in hopes of freeing their leader. For if ponykind is to have any hope, it is in Twilight Sparkle. And if Twilight Sparkle is to have any hope, it is in her five friends.

 

Facing her father in mortal combat, Celestia must do everything she can to ensure that ponykind has the tools to survive before she falls. With inevitable defeat bearing down upon her, she makes the first move in the oldest and deadliest game known to creation.

 

What are the conflicts of these stories?

Hard Reset: Twilight is fighting another changeling invasion, except she's caught in a time loop and keeps dying.

The Immortal Game: In the beginning, a pony called Nihilus Nix Naught is in Twilight's body and killing everyone, and mindf$%^ing Rainbow Dash. At the end, Equestria gets caught up in a completely massive war against Celestia and Luna's mother and father.

 

Who are the main characters?

Hard Reset is Twilight Sparkle, and The Immortal Game is told from various different perspectives, but at the start the main character is Nihilus Nix Naught (She's pretty awesome, and isn't exactly an OC, but she's as creepy as hell) and at the end it's Twilight Sparkle

 

Are they completed stories?

Yes, both of them are.

 

If you had to rate the gore of these stories, what would you rate them?

Both aren't too gory, but they do have violence and a bit of gore. It's not cupcakes or Rainbow Factory level, but perhaps a bit below Fallout Equestria level.

Thanks so much for all the info! Looks like I've got some reading to do

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,162]

It has been a LONG time since I last read a fanfic, but my favorite of the grimdarks was called....I think "The Cough" or something like that.

 

I believe it deals with some sort of epidemic that hit Equestria hard and the Mane 6 are in Twilight's home. It's highly contagious and they cannot leave the library at all. Everyone is down and depressed and it gets worse when Fluttershy coughs a little.

 

It's a short story, but it is VERY good, but also very tragic.

[Magical Anarchy 177]

FoE, Rainbow Factory, Cupcakes, Cheerilee's Garden. A Fun Day, My Little Human, Hard Reset etc.,

[DoubleRainbow_Dash 317]

I don't always read grimdark fics, but when I do I choose Rainbow Factory..... 

[Standard User 2,127]

Anyone who doesn't say Fallout: Equestria or Project Horizons is lying to themselves and needs to take a trip into the Ministry of Love.

[Freewave 1,145]

Anyone who doesn't say Fallout: Equestria or Project Horizons is lying to themselves and needs to take a trip into the Ministry of Love.

 

OR is sacred to dedicate weeks of reading.

 

I just read "Our Love Eternal" which is grimdark/bdsm Appledash fic where the couple's kinks end up taking a tragic downturn. Scary thing is in some ways it ends on happy ending which is even more disturbing. Either way it was just really well written and thought out from Aj's pov and frankly pretty touching and sad. .  

 

Currently reading The Secret Life of Rarity about her being a serial killer and I have to say its pretty well done. The fact that it fits nicely into cannon and she hasn't offed anyone yet that would break from that is keeping me reading it. Think of it as Dexter meets Hannibal meets Bates Motel with an antihero that is both detestable and yet has some morals and a flair for her passions.  It's LONG and multi chapter but i think ill keep reading it as long at stay consistently well written.

Edited June 26, 2014 by Freewave

[K.K. Slider 391]

The Last Tears in Tartarus by shortskirtsandexplosions. To this day still the best OC story I've ever read. Short and sweet, incredibly dark setting, and delicious world building.

[Mand'alor Dash 2,224]

Anyone who doesn't say Fallout: Equestria or Project Horizons is lying to themselves and needs to take a trip into the Ministry of Love.

 

Sorry but, coming from a self-identifying FOE fanboy, Project Horizons is pretty terribad. Even without getting into Somber's sickening misogyny, the fic is a structural trainwreck.

 

Anywho, I have audiobook'd the original FOE, some of Project Horizons, and Cupcakes. I have also Eye-read about 7 chapters of Pink Eyes so far, and plan to read more soon because it is really good. It goes without saying that FOE is my favorite of the bunch, but I certainly didn't hate Cupcakes. Cupcakes may be a gorefest for its own sake, but it stood strong thanks to Pinkie Pie's genuinely creepy characterization. It was enough to make the story more than just a typical shock fic.

[Shanks 10,816]

Cupcakes and Ponyville Swat, Cupcakes is so over the top and ridiculously out of character that I couldn't help but laugh and Ponyville Swat is a great example of a random fic done right. It is all kinds of WTF and full of hilarious parodies and references to cop dramas and a rather interesting satire on the stupidity and futility of the drug war.

[Freewave 1,145]

Well Secret Life of Rarity i think will go down as my fav. Enought gore to be brutal but it much more about descent of someone who went down a terrible path and never recovered. REally well written, very engaging, long, and quite emotional. Looks like there's 2 sequels dealinig with the after effects of the first story and I'm continuing on just to see what happens. The story maybe a little stiff for the first couple of chapters and some dialogue is taken word for word out of a few of the episodes and didnt need to be retold but dang if it doesn't get better and better as it progresses to its logical conclusion.

[Celli 4,339]

I'll be honest, I don't care for grimdarks, not because of the gore parts, but because it makes me feel... uncomfortable when the characters have drastically different personalities. 

[Lostfilly2004 0]

My favourite grimdark stories are: "Awoken", "Cupcakes", "Something sweet to bite" etc... We all have skeltons in  the closet by the way   

[Radiant Melancholy 27]

I know this is not a grimdark story, but it's worth the read. And no I just don't like grimdark stories, it's too dark for Me.

The Well

Edited July 24, 2021 by RarityEQG