Fanfic / Post Traumatic

A My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic short novel by Jordan179 set in early Season 5 right after "The Cutie Map — Parts 1 and 2".

The Mane Six have defeated Starlight Glimmer, but failed to capture, destroy or reform her. Returning to Ponyville, they must deal with the knowledge that she is out there somewhere, doubtless thirsting for revenge. And they must deal with the psychological damage inflicted on them by the warlock.

May be found here.

Not to be confused with a 2018 EP released by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and Fort Minor and the full-length album released that same year also by Shinoda.

Tropes which must begin to recover from their previous abuse in this story include:

• A Million Is a Statistic: Lampshaded by Twilight Sparkle, who is entirely aware of her personal prejudice in the matter regarding a comparison between the massive death and destruction Tirek the Undying has wreaked throughout history, with her own loss of the Golden Oak Library:
  Twilight knew something of the bloody history of Tirek; she had heard it from the Royal Pony Sisters, who had in turn heard it from Wind Whistler and Firefly, who had fought the hosts of the demon centaur in a lost age six thousand years ago, when only the coming of The Megan had saved Ponykind from extermination at the monster's hooves. In his time Tirek had destroyed cities, nations, whole species. Compared to that, what was one single suburban library?

  That day, Twilight Sparkle had truly learned the lesson which Princess Luna had once tried to teach her, regarding the difference between statistics and tragedies. All that vast suffering, far crueller though it had assuredly been to the actual victims at the time, was emotionally as nothing to Twilight Sparkle compared to the destruction of her own library, her own home. Sometimes she felt ridiculous for this reason, but it was nothing more than the truth.

• Anxiety Dreams: Twilight Sparkle has one regarding Starlight Glimmer.
  On the train ride back, Twilight had a nightmare of coming to Canterlot to find Celestia and Luna helpless victims of the Spell of Sameness, while a smirking Starlight sat on Celestia's throne, declaring herself to be the new rightful ruler of all Equestria.
• Anywhere but Their Lips: Rarity strongly believes that her first real kiss on the lips with Spike must be True Love's Kiss. This is not so much Equestrian morality as the fact that Rarity Thinks Like a Romance Novel. As a result, when she almost does this out of desperate happiness at being back safe in Ponyville and able to sense beauty again, she is horribly embarrassed and flees the situation.
• Eating the Eye Candy: On her return to Ponyville, Rarity obsessively gazes at Spike. She normally likes him and finds his appearance attractive, but she quickly becomes so effusive towards Spike that it actually creeps him out.
• Flanderization: Happens in-story to all six members of the Mane Six and manifests as soon as they get off the train in the first chapter, in direct reaction to the time they spent unable to express their true personalities due to the Sameness.
  • Twilight Sparkle becomes even more obsessed with writing her report to Celestia than would normally be the case.
  • Rarity first becomes a Sense Freak, then becomes feverishly romantic toward Spike, then has a minor nervous breakdown and runs off to hide in the Carousel Boutique.
  • Rainbow Dash loses no opportunity to zip around through the air.
  • Fluttershy seeks out her animals for comfort, preferring to do this first rather than check on Rarity.
  • Pinkie Pie is even more manically-cheerful than usual.
  • Applejack's accent thickens and she employs more rustic analogies than usual.
• The Glomp: Happens three times in-story.
  • Rarity does this to Spike when she first sees him again upon her return to Ponyville. She is so aggressive that she rather alarms him.
  • Spike later does this to Rarity when he comes to check on her at the Carousel Boutique. Since she was afraid she'd scared him away earlier, she was very glad to be the recipient of the hug.
  • Twilight finally does this to Luna when she finally breaks down and admits that she's suffered psychological damage as well, and been suppressing it in front of everypony else because they look to her for leadership. As Luna is larger than Twilight, and loves her, the Moon Princess doesn't mind this at all.
• Innocent Innuendo: Spike does this accidentally to Applejack when he catches an umbrella tossed by Rainbow Dash.
  "Mac and I have been practicing," Spike informed Rainbow Dash. He looked at Applejack. "Your brother can sure throw some hard passes."

  Applejack smiled, and Rainbow Dash got a mischevious expression. Pinkie grinned, then glanced away as if at some imaginary audience and said "Meh. Too easy."

• It's All My Fault: Three members of the Mane Six blame themselves the most for the sufferings of their friends.
  • Rarity sensed something was wrong with the social pattern in Our Town, but didn't want to complain too much about the dreariness of the place and thus remained mum.
    Rarity remembered those hideous sacklike cloaks at Our Town, and shuddered. When she'd first seen those, she'd known deep in her soul that there was something very wrong with the place. Her rational mAind had told her that it was just a little, out-of-the-way village, which couldn't attract a competent clothier. She really should have paid more attention to her instincts about the clothes, and the still, small voice within her that had been telling her that the social pattern of the place was all wrong.

    She should have warned Twilight. But she hadn't wanted to be too finicky. Rarity had a strong sense of beauty, was easily repulsed by rather minor squalor, and when she went on missions with Twilight Sparkle, often found herself in places which were far from ideal. Rarity was an aesthete, but no coward: she would not let her friends down because the surroundings she had to enter were unpleasant. Everything couldn't be pleasant summer picnics in White Tail Park, or garden parties at the Palace at Canterlot.

  • Pinkie's precognition warned her that they were going to be attacked, but also told her that they would emerge from the attack without being severely hurt, so she didn't act for fear that action would change the outcome to a worse one.
  • Finally, Twilight Sparkle was in command and hence responsible for the safety of her followers. She blames herself for missing the clues that Starlight Glimmer was crazier and more dangerous than she appeared at first glance.

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Discord (who had previously aided Tirek and was thus partly responsible for the destruction), also helped Pinkie Pie retrieve Twilight Sparkle's most treasured possessions from the destruction of the Golden Oak Library, via potentially-dangerous time travel, thus doing Twilight a considerable favor at personal risk. It's unsurprising Pinkie would do this, but it is surprising that Discord would.
• Sanity Slippage: The general effect of being psychologically-tortured by Starlight Glimmer on all six members of the Mane Six, to varying degrees. The most severely affected is Rarity, the least severely affected Applejack, but none have been unscathed. (And, as we see in the last chapter, Starlight Glimmer has also been badly-affected, in her case by her defeat.)
• Sense Freak: After having lost her aesthetic sense at Our Town, and regained it, Rarity becomes obsessed by the sheer beauty of Ponyville. In an evening mist.
• True Companions: The case for the Mane Six in general, but particularly applicable in-story to Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who invoke competing on / helping Applejack do a chore on the Acres to have an excuse to avoid going their separate ways. They recover from their ordeal in Our Town in part simply by hanging out together and talking about stuff.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Princess Luna, for once, is more the giver than recipient in this story. She says this twice, in immediate succession, first to Rarity in her nightmare; and then to Twilight Sparkle at the Friendship Castle.