This bite-sized
Rock Opera is a
Recursive Fanfiction based on the
infamously terrifying My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfiction,
Cupcakes. It takes place during and after
a few episodes. It
expands upon several ideas that weren't in the original fic, like how
Pinkie's father abused her as a filly.
It can be found on Bandcamp
here,
and on Soundcloud
here.
According to creator George DesRoches (better known as Tarby), the story of
Something Broke is far from over. A redux of the song is planned as the opening track of his upcoming
Rock Opera Forever Broken, which will expand on the original story even more.
Something Broke contains examples of:
- Adaptation Expansion: The song weaves two episodes from the actual show into its storyline, and it works surprisingly well.
- Abusive Parents: Pinkie's father, assuming her cutie mark story wasn't all true.
- Book Ends / Dark Reprise: The first and last songs (after "Let's Begin, which was a preface) have the same beginnings and middles, with similar titles.
- Careful With That Axe: The ending is a textbook example (see Last Note Nightmare below for details).
- Creator Backlash: Tarby doesn't hate the song, but he's somewhat annoyed that it overshadows his other work.
- Dark Reprise: "Hide the Body" is a slow, melancholy version of "Art of the Dress" whose ending reprises "Cupcakes". The album's final track combines this with Lyrical Dissonance.
- Freudian Excuse: Pinkie has one now, in that her dad took advantage of her when she was young.
- Last Note Nightmare: At the end of the final track, Tarby goes from singing to screaming on a dime and the music suddenly becomes loud, dissonant, and abrasive, before cutting into a series of dissonant, lonely guitar notes.
- I'm a Humanitarian: In this adaptation, Pinkie sells the cupcakes.
- Mood Whiplash: Once again, the ending.
- Sampling: The Skull Kid's scream can be heard towards the end of "Late-Night Accident."
- Spiritual Successor: It's like The Wall written for ponies.
- Split Personality Takeover: Pinkamena takes over, starting during Awakening, and finishing during Hide The Body.