You didn't think we could go on for long without dragging out this little beauty now did you? The story that started it all: Cupcakes. This story is nothing short of a legend within our little dark community, so much so that even those who only wish to stay in a world of sunshine and pretty rainbows know of this gruesome tale.
With images numbering well over a thousand and countless spin-offs and re-tellings – not to mention prequels along with sequels – the story is a force all on its own. Take a moment to look into the origins of this story and how it has influenced and affected the fandom today.
Learn more after the break.
Chances are, if you are here, you have already read or at least heard of the piece of fanfiction known as "Cupcakes." The exact date that "Cupcakes" was posted is not known, only that with a canonical reference to episode 12, has placed the estimated date of posting around January 2011.
It first appeared on 4chan's imageboard /co/ and from there spread like wildfire. It was even featured on the well-known My Little Pony website, Equestria Daily and currently is the only piece of fiction to hold the tag [GRIMDARK AS FUCK].
It was at EQD that the author was revealed to be a "Sergeant Sprinkles".
The original version had quite a few spelling and grammatical errors and so, not too long afterwards, a second version of the fic was released with corrections. That version is the link below.
If one was to ask one about their opinions on the fanfic, several theories and feelings will emerge. Such as that the fanfic was only written to be nothing more than a shock or badfic, or that it stains the standard MLP community. Others will hold it aloft and spout praises about its originality and unashamed ability to take colorful pastel ponies into a direction that they were probably never intended.
Regardless of what people may think of it, "Cupcakes" started it all. Soon images were popping up everywhere with scenes from it. Images of Pinkie Pie in her coat of many ponies, or a dead or near dead Rainbow Dash on the steel table can be found throughout the internet with ease.
But it doesn't stop there.
With that story out, many people decided to try their own hand at this new direction that had been revealed. Dozens of authors put their minds to work writing about the "Cupcakeverse" as it become to be known, adding sequels, prequels and alternate version of it.
Some even took a step further and created a askblog with Cupcakes as the inspiration.
Crookedtrees' Ask Pinkamena Diane Pie, is nothing less than famous (or infamous, if you will) among Tumblrpon and the community in general.
Ask Pinkamena Diane Pie by CrookedTrees
(The above link leads to an archived version of the blog, as the original was deleted when the artist deleted all their work.)
This is considered the be the grimdark pony ask blog that started them all, and many of them will actually reference back to it periodically. CrookedTrees' art style was wholly unique and was extremely well-suited to (and specifically tailored for) the story they were telling. The distinct brush strokes are so well known that is it often commonplace for other artist within the community to frequently emulate the CrookedTrees style in one fashion or another.
Stories and images weren't the only types of art to come from Cupcakes. There is quite a bit of music and even some animation.
Cupcakes HD by MisterDavey
According to the creator of this video, he had never read "Cupcakes" and created the video based solely on what he heard about it. Its evident to see that he got the general idea of the story, but was off the mark at the same time.
There is also an entire music album inspired by the events of Cupcakes, titled
"Cupcakes" continues to be an inspiration to creators of all passions, and one doesn't have to look far to see the effects that this one fic has had on our community. Whether one loves or hates it, Cupcakes is basically the blood-splattered parent of the MLP grimdark community, and still continues to wield an impressive following, even two years after its creation.
It's kinda sad that most grimdark featuring Pinkie Pie is either based on or refers to Cupcakes.
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