Words and actions can sometimes hurt more than we know, sowing betrayal and hatred where friendship and innocence lies. A single thoughtless action can be a tipping point, one fallen domino setting off hundreds. Look back, and answer me. What have you done?
What Have You Done
is a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Fanfic by Clouded Guardian. It is an Alternate Universe Fic surrounding the events of A Canterlot Wedding, so beware spoilers for that episode. It imagines what would happen if Queen Chrysalis had not sent Twilight to the caves after Twilight was rebuked by her friends and family. It is presently completed.
A sequel, "Even As...", has been posted and can be viewed here. Tropes for that story go on this page as well.
Tropes for "What Have You Done" are:
- Accusation Fic: Specifically, an accusation of Twilight's abandonment in the season 2 finale.
- Action Mom: Twilight Velvet, who, aside from the Mama Bear moment, is highly trained in emphatic spells and uses them quite effectively against some changelings.
- Despair Event Horizon: Because Twilight wasn't imprisoned in the caves by Chrysalis, she crosses this when she thinks her friends and family have abandoned her. She ends up freeing Discord now seeing him as another abandoned creature. When the rest of the Mane 6, Celestia, and Twilight's mom enter the safe containing the Elements of Harmony, her element has become pitch black and crying in despair.
- Downer Ending: The fic ends with the Changelings overrunning Canterlot, Twilight missing, Discord free, and the Bearers being rejected by the Elements of Harmony.
- Jerkass Realization: Pinkie gets this (with the help of Pinkamena) when she realizes that Twilight's never been in a fight with her friends and family, and doesn't know how to deal with it. But by the time she rushes back to the throne rooms, Twilight already left.
- Mama Bear: Twilight Velvet demonstrates this when Princess Celestia tries to block her from looking for Twilight, and orders her, not requests her, to stand aside. Even the guards were impressed.Princess Celestia: Twilight Velvet. Your daughter is fine. I assure you. I know my student just as well as you know your daughter and we both know that she's-
Twilight Velvet: Most definitely not fine.
Twilight Velvet: I do ever so apologize, Princess, but I must correct you on one little thing. Twilight may be your student, but she is my daughter. And she will always be my daughter. I know Twilight. I've known her for far longer than you have, and I know her far better than you ever can, because there are things she would never bare to you. I know her pain, I know her fears, things that you could never understand, because you are a goddess. A being above us. And I respect that. I honor you as my ruler, but I will never honor you as my sister, or as a fellow mother. Now, move aside, so I can save the mare that you helped break. - No Ending: The story ends quite abruptly after the Elements of Harmony reject their Bearers.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Velvet realizes something is very wrong when she can't find Twilight in any of the libraries or bookstores in town. When none of the Mane 6 knows where she is, she starts panicking.
- Point of Divergence: Chrysalis doesn't imprison Twilight in the caverns, instead leaving her in despair.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Chrysalis does not imprison Twilight beneath the mines when she realizes Twilight is too broken to be a threat to her.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: The Mane 5 (sans Twilight) get this from their own Elements of Harmony, stating that how they treated Twilight means they are no longer worthy as bearers. Unfortunately(?), only the part from Loyalty to Rainbow Dash is given in full.
- Split Personality: Pinkie's mind is divided between her normal cheery self, and Pinkamena who is was created to carry her negative feelings. Unlike most portrayals of split personalities, Pinkamena is not evil, just pretty rough, and reminds Pinkie that her job is to bring joy, and helps her realize (not-too-nicely) how broken Twilight is.
- Title Drop: In the last line of the story, Velvet asks this question to the Bearers and Celestia when she sees the now black and inert Element of Magic.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Pinkie Pie gets this from Pinkamena, her split personality, who calls her out for basically abandoning Twilight. The Mane 6 get this from the Elements of Harmony themselves when they enter the chamber holding them, accusing them of betraying their respective elements for leaving Twilight alone in despair. The Elements finish by rejecting them as Bearers. It is especially hard on Pinkie when her Element now sounds like Pinkamena.
Tropes for Even As... are:
- At Least I Admit It: Discord says that while he messes with ponies, at least he's upfront about it, as opposed to Celestia, who manipulates ponies for the greater good.
- Call-Back: Twilight learned a stone reversal spell after her petrification by a cockatrice. She uses this spell to free Discord.
- Dead Fic: Seeing as the last update was from 2014, and the author hasn't even been on their account since 2016, this fic sadly seems to be dead in the water.
- Downer Beginning: The fic begins with Twilight in despair over her abandonment by her friends and her freeing Discord.
- Driven to Suicide: Twilight comes this close to stepping off a ledge after being abandoned by her friends. She only pulls back from it after her epiphany about Discord.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Twilight takes all of her friends leaving her hard, but Spike's and Applejack's hit the hardest, because they're the only ones she can't rationalize.
- Evil Mentor: Discord quickly takes Twilight under his wing and turning her against everything Celestia taught her.
- Hearing Voices: Twilight starts to after her friends leave.
- Heroic BSoD:
- After her friends leave, Twilight is described as feeling hollow and empty.
- Celestia and the rest of the Mane Six are left like this after the Elements rejected them. Fortunately, Velvet convinces them to not give up.
- Once More, with Clarity: The first chapter revisits the first two from the previous story, showing Twilight's Heroic BSoD after her friends leave, and her freeing Discord, from her point of view.
- Rousing Speech: Velvet gives one to snap the rest of the Mane Six and Celestia out of their collective Heroic BSoD after the Elements reject them, telling them that while they made mistakes, they can make up for them, but only if they don't give up and keep fighting.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Twilight in her depressed state gains some sympathy for Discord, thinking he was just another abandoned misunderstood creature like herself. She ends up freeing him from his stone prison.
- Unreliable Narrator: The author is quick to admit to this about the perspective from the various characters.
