The Longingverse is an ongoing series of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfics written by The Myth in collaboration with Darth Link 22, author of The Nuptialverse.
The series had its start with Longing
set sometime after the season 2 episode Dragon Quest. After returning from the Dragon Migration, Spike begins to feel even lonelier with an empty space inside him (even though he proclaimed the ponies as his family)... All he wants is one thing really and the only pony who can give him that is a certain lavender unicorn. It is a feel good fic, filled to the brim with Warm and Fuzzy Feeling. It is complete.
Since its completion, Longing has been given a sequel, Project Ascension, which is set six months after the original story. Scootaloo's tenth birthday party is coming up. It should be a happy occasion. But she still can't fly, and she doesn't have her cutie mark yet. But that's the least of her problems...Is she a runaway? An orphan? Stuck in an abusive home? She wishes. Nothing could be worse than what's really going on.. This story is Darker and Edgier than its previous installment. It is complete.
A second sequel, Halcyon Hearts, was posted after the completion of Project Ascension. After going through so much, it's nice to have some quiet times. But quiet does not mean uneventful. Even in times of peace, ponies change, ponies grow, and ponies learn... It serves as a breather to the dark themes of Project Ascension. Is is complete.
A third sequel, The Last Crystal Unicorn was posted after Halcyon Hearts. Rarity goes out to find gems in the wastelands again, but when she finds a giant crystal with her magic... she finds something that has no earthly business inside of it. Another feel good fic with a touch of Darker and Edgier. It has been completed.
This series provides examples of:
- Acceptable Breaks from Canon: Like The Nuptialverse, some elements of season 3 are altered (Games Ponies Play) or ignored (Alicorn Twilight).
- Anti-Villain: Red/Blaze Stream. The poor guy was forced to work for Bloodwing against his will and only did so to protect his brother/son figure Light Stream.
- Big Bad: Dr. Bloodwing in Project Ascension and Shimmering Ruby in The Last Crystal Unicorn.
- Big Damn Heroes: Spike saves the Mane Six from a pack of Timberwolves.
- Cassandra Truth: Scootaloo tries, unsuccessfully, to warn Rainbow Dash about Dr. Bloodwing.
- Cast from Lifespan: The Elemental Powers of Bloodwing's minions shorten their lifespan (as revealed by Blaze in a later story), and overuse will cause them to die.
- Cerebus Rollercoaster: The stories alternate between Lighter and Softer and Darker and Edgier.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon mellow out by The Last Crystal Unicorn.
- Exiled to the Couch: Cadence is able to do this to Shining Armor. He ends up wondering why he complied since there were other bedrooms in the castle.
- Flat "What": Uttered by Shimmering Ruby when her Evil Plan to revive King Sombra yields no results.
- Forceful Kiss: When Twilight and Cadance interrupt Shining and Blaze's sparing fight and begin to chew both of them out for fighting, Shining cuts Cadance short by grabbing her and pulling her into a passionate kiss, which she quickly returns. Twilight is shocked that Cadance would allow this, and is quickly pulled into a passionate kiss herself by Blaze, only to slap him for it instead. Ironically, Twilight ends up being the more forgiving party, with her and Blaze sharing a second heartfelt kiss together after he apologizes, while Cadance simply tells Shining he's in trouble and that he's sleeping on the couch tonight.
- Heel–Face Turn: Red/Blaze (although he wasn't ever evil in the first place), Silver Spoon, and Diamond Tiara.
- If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: When Princess Celestia meets Twilight's boyfriend, a recently paroled convict named Blaze, she takes him outside and tells him about the "Sun Run", a now defunct method of execution.Celestia: Now, obviously, we don’t practice such barbaric tactics in modern times. But if, say, somepony were to get me angry enough, through, let’s say, upsetting a pony I love like she was my own child, I might be tempted, in a moment of irrational thought, to revive the punishment. Do we understand each other?Blaze, (in a tiny voice): Yes.
- Last of His Kind: Amethyst Craft is a Crystal Unicorn. The only one to survive King Sombra's culling.
- Mama Bear: The Mane Six. More so Twilight and Rainbow Dash.
- Motor Mouth: Spitfire turns into one briefly when she first meets Rainbow Spectrum. She goes on and on about how he inspired her, how she's always wanted to meet him, and how he's so awesome, all in one breath with no spaces in-between her words.
- Orwellian Retcon: In Chapter 7 of The last crystal unicorn, Shimmering Ruby insults Shining Armor, calling him "retarded" behind his back. This was found to be offensive by many, so the insult was changed to "pitiful".
- Parental Abandonment: Pipsqueak's parents abandoned him on the Summer Sun Celebration. Fluttershy ends up adopting him.
- Really 700 Years Old: Amethyst Craft is technically over a thousand years old due to being trapped in a crystal for that long. Shimmering Ruby has somehow been alive since King Sombra's reign, thus making her over a thousand years old as well.
- Self-Made Man: Spitfire said she grew up in the slums of Manehattan and didn't fly for the first time until she was older than some of the CMC. She was inspired to be a Wonderbolt by a previous captain, Rainbow Spectrum, eventually became a police pony, and then became captain of the Wonderbolts herself. She always promised one day she would help foals who were in her situation when she made it big. She eventually does this by helping the CMC branch out to other towns and help foals who don't know their talents yet.
- Shout-Out: Apparently, a few members of Organization XIII got reincarnated as Bloodwing's Minions. Right down to the one who pulled a Heel–Face Turn.
- The Reveal: To Amethyst Craft's horror, King Sombra is his father. Ouch.
- The Talk: Twilight has this with Spike when she finds out that Spike is in love with Sweetie Belle. Spike freaks out partway through a slideshow and begs Twilight to stop. According to Twilight, her parents were even worse when they gave gave her the talk, including showing her pictures of her own birth.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: After being transformed into a pony, it's mentioned that Spike may also have the ability to change into others creatures. However, it's more of an Informed Ability, since he has, so far, only tried to change his hoof back into a claw, and even then it was only for a few seconds.
- Was Too Hard on Him: Rainbow Spectrum wonders this after he tells Rainbow Dash that she will never become a Wonderbolt. By the time he goes to apologize, she had ran away to Cloudsdale.
- Wham Line: In Project Ascension, while discussing Spike:Celestia: Do you know what was different about your test, as opposed to the others I have given?Twilight: Yes, you used a real egg instead of a fake one.Celestia: No Twilight... The truth is that there was no difference.
- Wham Episode: Spike nearly dies in "Project Ascension", but when Twilight helps him remembers his true form, instead of turning back into a dragon, he turned into a pony.
- In the Epilogue for "The Last Crystal Unicorn", we get a doozy: King Sombra Was Once An Alicorn named Sol. The Alicorn who broke Black out of prison is his father. Wow.
- Wingding Eyes: Spitfire gains hearts in her eyes after Rainbow Spectrum, a previous captain of the Wonderbolts who Spitfire idolizes, playfully blows her a kiss.
- Would Hit a Girl: Pony!Spike attempts to shoot out a spell at Diamond Tiara.
- You Are Number 6: Bloodwing constantly refers to Scootaloo as "Subject Ten", because she is the tenth attempt at creating an Alicorn.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: As soon as Bloodwing becomes an Alicorn, he steals Black's energy. He got better... In a manner of speaking...
