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** [[spoiler:He has a bigger one in "Twilight's Kingdom" when Tirek tricks him into betraying Fluttershy and Equestria. While he shows signs of second thoughts the entire time, it truly hits home when [[FalseFriend Tirek]] stabs him in the back... just like he did to Fluttershy. As he puts it, he had both magic ''and'' friendship, and now has neither because he sold out his friendship.]]
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** [[spoiler:He has a bigger one in "Twilight's Kingdom" when Tirek tricks him into betraying Fluttershy and Equestria. While he shows signs of second thoughts the entire time, it truly hits home when [[FalseFriend Tirek]] stabs him in the back... just like he did to Fluttershy. As he puts it, he had both magic ''and'' friendship, and now has neither because he sold out his friendship. After Tirek is defeated, he gets both back.]]
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* TooPowerfulToLive: Given that [[StoryBreakerPower his]] [[RealityWarper powers]] make him [[TheOmnipotent stronger than every character in the series we've seen thus far]], there's no way that he could stick around without the series [[DownerEnding ending on a downbeat note]]. At least until his HeelFaceTurn, but even then his appearances in the show are sparringly at best. After all, the plot would end in seconds if he was free to run around.
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* TooPowerfulToLive: Given that [[StoryBreakerPower his]] [[RealityWarper powers]] make him [[TheOmnipotent stronger than every character in the series we've seen thus far]], there's no way that he could stick around without the series [[DownerEnding ending on a downbeat note]]. At least until his HeelFaceTurn, but even then his appearances in the show are sparringly sparingly at best. After all, the plot would end in seconds if he was free to run around.
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[[folder:Univeral Tropes]]
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* AdaptationalBadass: The G1 Tirek was no pushover, but his main threat came from his army, which he could mutate with the Rainbow of Darkness. This time around, Tirek has no army, but he's so powerful that he doesn't need one.
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* AdaptationalBadass: The G1 Tirek was no pushover, but his main threat came from his army, which he could mutate with the Rainbow of Darkness. This time around, Tirek has no army, but he's so powerful that he doesn't need one.is [[OneManArmy an army unto himself]].
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* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The amulet he gives Discord is passed on to Twilight when she demands Discord's freedom, turning it into the sixth key that unlocks the chest and destroys Tirek.]] Downplayed in that there is pretty much no way he could have seen this coming.
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* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The amulet He sets the stage for his own defeat when he gives [[spoiler:gives Discord his medallion, which is passed on to Twilight when she demands Discord's freedom, turning it into the sixth key that unlocks the Tree of Harmony chest and destroys Tirek.grants the Mane Six their Rainbow Power.]] Downplayed in that there is pretty much no way he one could have seen it coming and Tirek had no way to know this coming.would bite him in the flank.
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** Things not going as he planned in general. Every time there's been a hicup in his plans, he's responded by throwing what amounts to a tantrum. Even after his HeelFaceTurn, Discord STILL shows signs of this, as his plan to ruin Twilight and Cadence's day not going as planned resulted in his grumbling like an annoyed child.
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* PsychopathicManChild: While he's aware of his actions and [[MoreThanMindControl how]] [[DrivenToMadness horrific]] [[BreakTheCutie they are]], he has nothing better to do than have whimsical and nonsensical fun at the expense of other characters, no real business to take care of, and no compassion for the beings he's toying with to restrain him.
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* PsychopathicManChild: While he's aware of his actions and [[MoreThanMindControl how]] [[DrivenToMadness horrific]] [[BreakTheCutie they are]], he has nothing better to do than have whimsical and nonsensical fun at the expense of other characters, no real business to take care of, and no compassion for the beings he's toying with to restrain him. His reactions to not getting his way is normally quite childish, such as performing a RageQuit, pouting, or throwing a temper tantrum, depending on how bad he's been beaten that time.
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* SpoiledBrat: His words imply this is because he's so used to getting ''everything'' he wants due to his powers that he thinks he can get away with anything. Also shown in his reactions when things don't go his way: in ''Return of Harmony'' his response to Fluttershy beating his mind games is to basically RageQuit and he throws what amounts to temper tantrum at Fluttershy telling him off in ''Keep Calm and Flutter On''. He gets somewhat better after she befriends him though.
--> '''Discord''': You think you can boss Discord around?! You think I'm going to turn all this back just because ''you'' say so?!
--> '''Discord''': You think you can boss Discord around?! You think I'm going to turn all this back just because ''you'' say so?!
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* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: What makes the main villains so dangerous isn't just their powers, but they're smart too; just not quite smart enough. For instance, they're quite GenreBlind for not recognizing ThePowerOfFriendship in a show where it's practically in the title.
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* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: What makes the main villains so dangerous isn't just their powers, but they're smart too; just not quite smart enough. For instance, Discord and Sombra take measures to stop the cast from using the artifacts that can defeat them, and Chrysalis and Tirek understand how to emotionally manipulate their enemies. However, they're also quite GenreBlind for not recognizing ThePowerOfFriendship in a show where it's practically in the title.
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adding unified folder to group common tropes for the Arc Villains; adding folder for Sunset Shimmer and the Dazzlings since the Mane-iac is here with one.
[[folder:Univeral Tropes]]
* ArcVillain: They each act as the main antagonist of a particular story arc, variably at the end or beginning of a season.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: What makes the main villains so dangerous isn't just their powers, but they're smart too; just not quite smart enough. For instance, they're quite GenreBlind for not recognizing ThePowerOfFriendship in a show where it's practically in the title.
* DarkIsEvil: Aside from Discord, every villain incorporates black into their color schemes and otherwise has a dark appearance.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: No matter how close they come to victory, ThePowerOfFriendship (and occasionally ThePowerOfLove) blindsides them and spells their doom after they've written it off as empty hope.
* KnightOfCerebus: In the weekly SliceOfLife episodes, the typical villains the cast encounters are just {{Jerkass}}es who make their lives difficult for day or two. These characters on the other hand are powerful, menacing, and ambitious. When one of them shows up, the playing-around stops and the cast gets serious. Also note they manage to be this to each other; pretty much every new villain manages to top their predecessors for vileness.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The list goes: Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, and Lord Tirek.
* ObviouslyEvil: Scroll down the page; none of these characters could be mistaken for heroes.
* SealedEvilInACan: Save for Queen Chrysalis, every villain so far has been an old enemy of Celestia's that was defeated and sealed away years ago, and has now broken free. In the comics Chrysalis ends up applying anyway when she's defeated again and imprisoned.
* TakeOverTheWorld: While their motivations for doing so vary, inevitably their goals are to conquer Equestria and/or depose Celestia and Luna.
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: In most any other episode, you can settle in for a character-driven lighthearted SliceOfLife animated sitcom. Then these characters show up for the season premieres and finales, and things take a much darker and serious turn.
[[/folder]]
* ArcVillain: They each act as the main antagonist of a particular story arc, variably at the end or beginning of a season.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: What makes the main villains so dangerous isn't just their powers, but they're smart too; just not quite smart enough. For instance, they're quite GenreBlind for not recognizing ThePowerOfFriendship in a show where it's practically in the title.
* DarkIsEvil: Aside from Discord, every villain incorporates black into their color schemes and otherwise has a dark appearance.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: No matter how close they come to victory, ThePowerOfFriendship (and occasionally ThePowerOfLove) blindsides them and spells their doom after they've written it off as empty hope.
* KnightOfCerebus: In the weekly SliceOfLife episodes, the typical villains the cast encounters are just {{Jerkass}}es who make their lives difficult for day or two. These characters on the other hand are powerful, menacing, and ambitious. When one of them shows up, the playing-around stops and the cast gets serious. Also note they manage to be this to each other; pretty much every new villain manages to top their predecessors for vileness.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The list goes: Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, and Lord Tirek.
* ObviouslyEvil: Scroll down the page; none of these characters could be mistaken for heroes.
* SealedEvilInACan: Save for Queen Chrysalis, every villain so far has been an old enemy of Celestia's that was defeated and sealed away years ago, and has now broken free. In the comics Chrysalis ends up applying anyway when she's defeated again and imprisoned.
* TakeOverTheWorld: While their motivations for doing so vary, inevitably their goals are to conquer Equestria and/or depose Celestia and Luna.
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: In most any other episode, you can settle in for a character-driven lighthearted SliceOfLife animated sitcom. Then these characters show up for the season premieres and finales, and things take a much darker and serious turn.
[[/folder]]
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* KnightOfCerebus: Though he has many humorous qualities, there's a reason Celestia is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness serious around him]].
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* VileVillainSaccharineShow: They have none of Discord's wackiness, nor Nightmare Moon's backstory. Taken UpToEleven in the comics where Chrysalis and the Changelings are ''a lot'' more terrifying and viscious.
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* KnightOfCerebus: She has zero comedic quirks to her and is much more threatening than Nightmare Moon. The comics make her even ''more'' terrifying, though on the flipside also added a lot of humorous scenes with her.
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* KnightOfCerebus: More so than previous villains as he's never played for laughs and the mood immediately becomes grim at the slightest mention of him. He's also the first villain on the show to [[spoiler:be KilledOffForReal.]]
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* VileVillainSaccharineShow: Continues the tradition of a terrifyingly evil creature in a show that otherwise has simple {{Jerkass}}es.
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* KnightOfCerebus: As an AdaptationalBadass of the [[TropeCodifier original]] VileVillainSaccharineShow, this was to be expected. The other villains, who were already pretty nasty and were this trope themselves, look like child's play when Tirek starts showing what he can do.
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* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials original Tirek]] was a TropeCodifier. This one reclaims his title as a king of it -- G4 Tirek is easily the most powerful, dangerous, intimidating villain ever seen in the franchise, and the two-part season finale he features in has the most intense, frightening, dramatic scenes the show has produced yet.
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[[folder:The Mane-iac]]
See Characters/FriendshipIsMagicOthers (under ''Power Ponies'' Characters)
See Characters/FriendshipIsMagicOthers (under ''Power Ponies'' Characters)
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See
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[[folder:The Dazzlings]]
See Characters/FriendshipIsMagicExpandedUniverse (under ''Equestria Girls'' characters)
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Mane-iac]]
See Characters/FriendshipIsMagicOthers (under ''Power Ponies'' Characters)
[[/folder]]
See Characters/FriendshipIsMagicExpandedUniverse (under ''Equestria Girls'' characters)
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Mane-iac]]
See Characters/FriendshipIsMagicOthers (under ''Power Ponies'' Characters)
[[/folder]]
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** He also didn't recognize the Tatzlwurm in ''Three's a Crowd.''
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* IdiotBall: Picks up a big one when he [[spoiler:lets Twilight and her friends go after draining her of her magic]]. Though you could HandWave it's a case of EvenEvilHasStandards since he's keeping up his end of the deal, after everything else we see of him up to that point it seems out of character for him to start acting that way now.
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* MeaningfulName: The polar opposite of harmony, to be specific.
* MindScrew: How he corrupts four of the Elements; he messes with their heads.
* MindScrew: How he corrupts four of the Elements; he messes with their heads.
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* MeaningfulName: The Discord (chaos) is the polar opposite of harmony, to be specific.
harmony
*MindScrew: MindRape: How he corrupts four of the Elements; he messes with their heads.heads. The fifth he had to brute-force brainwash her.
*
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* NotSoAboveItAll: A throwaway gag in the ''Friends Forever'' comics shows that Chrysalis has started a petition to have herself added to a Mount Rushmore-esque sculpture featuring the princesses. She's the only one who's signed it.
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* BeePeople: Indicated to be this as they follow a single, larger queen without question, attack in a swarm formation, and encase ponies in a kind of mucus membrane.
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* BeePeople: Indicated to be They traits of this as they follow a single, larger queen without question, attack in a swarm formation, and encase ponies in a kind of mucus membrane.
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* AnimalisticAbomination: They look like a twisted insect/pony with hooves full of holes. Chrysalis specifically has an alicorn build to reflect her status.
* AlienInvasion: Their attack could be viewed as such: Nopony [[OutsideContextVillain saw it coming]] and they're different from the other threats faced so far. Chrysalis also mentions that "Equestria has the most love" of any place she's encountered, implying that they're [[HordeOfAlienLocusts migratory]].
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: As far as we know, the entire changeling civilization moves from country to country to impersonate and steal love from the local populace.
* BeePeople: Indicated to be this as they follow a single, larger queen without question, attack in a swarm, and encase ponies in a kind of mucus membrane.
* AlienInvasion: Their attack could be viewed as such: Nopony [[OutsideContextVillain saw it coming]] and they're different from the other threats faced so far. Chrysalis also mentions that "Equestria has the most love" of any place she's encountered, implying that they're [[HordeOfAlienLocusts migratory]].
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: As far as we know, the entire changeling civilization moves from country to country to impersonate and steal love from the local populace.
* BeePeople: Indicated to be this as they follow a single, larger queen without question, attack in a swarm, and encase ponies in a kind of mucus membrane.
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* AnimalisticAbomination: They look like a twisted insect/pony insect/pony/zombies with hooves full of holes. Chrysalis specifically has an alicorn build to reflect her status.
* AlienInvasion: Their attack could be viewed as such: Nopony [[OutsideContextVillain saw it coming]] and they're different from the other threats faced so far. Chrysalis also mentions that "Equestria has the most love" of any place she's encountered, implying that they're [[HordeOfAlienLocustsmigratory]].
migratory or conquered many lands]].
* AlwaysChaoticEvil:As This is a strong possibility since Chrysalis and her army are the only changelings so far as we know, the entire changeling civilization moves from country to country to impersonate and steal love from the local populace.
audience can reference to.
* BeePeople: Indicated to be this as they follow a single, larger queen without question, attack in aswarm, swarm formation, and encase ponies in a kind of mucus membrane.
* AlienInvasion: Their attack could be viewed as such: Nopony [[OutsideContextVillain saw it coming]] and they're different from the other threats faced so far. Chrysalis also mentions that "Equestria has the most love" of any place she's encountered, implying that they're [[HordeOfAlienLocusts
* AlwaysChaoticEvil:
* BeePeople: Indicated to be this as they follow a single, larger queen without question, attack in a
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* TheFairFolk: A whole race of ShapeShifting {{Emotion Eater}}s. Though departing from this trope, they're not dangerous individually.
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* TheFairFolk: A whole race of ShapeShifting {{Emotion Eater}}s. Though departing from this trope, they're not as dangerous individually.
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* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:They're imprisoned in their castle along with their queen at the end of their Arc of the comic. Though they have some fun with the animated Pinkie suit, much to Chrysalis' annoyance.]]
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* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:They're imprisoned in their castle along with their queen at [[spoiler:At the end of their Arc of the comic.comic, the Queen and her army are imprisoned in their castle. Though they have some fun with the animated Pinkie suit, much to Chrysalis' annoyance. However, recently, on page 11 of Friends Forever Issue #8, a sign under the Mount Monument observation deck reads "Sign the petition to add Queen Chrysalis to the monument" and bears Chrysalis' fresh signature, which in turn strongly suggests they have since recovered and are back to plotting and causing trouble for Equestria.]]
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Not true, Tirek\'s motivation is clear: greed and a desire to dominate all that oppose him. Tirek\'s motives are he\'s a glutton for power.
** DespotismJustifiesTheMeans: While his world ''would'' be a dystopia without a doubt, his 'everypony will bow to my will' comment implies Tirek's ultimate goal is a world were he has all the power and everyone else has none.
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* GenericDoomsdayVillain: In the end, Tirek has no complex motive for taking over Equestria beyond being evil. Though unlike Sombra, he's given a proper personality.
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re-working Physical God, and adding a Pet The Dog trope.
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* {{Physical God}}dess: Notably the first BigBad level villain to ''not'' be a god already, but becomes as powerful as one by the end of her first appearance. The comics indicate her base level is close to Twilight's level, which is still considerably powerful.
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* PetTheDog: In the comics, Queen Chrysalis seems to be on good terms with her Changeling subjects, and even shares a laugh with them (albeit at the misfortune of their enemies) now and then. Granted, these ''are'' her minions, who delight in preying on others as much as ''she'' does...
* {{Physical God}}dess: Notably the first BigBad level villain to ''not'' be a god already, but becomes as powerful as one by the end of her first appearance. The comics indicate herbase usual level of power is close to Twilight's level, Twilight's, which is still considerably powerful.rather formidable.
* {{Physical God}}dess: Notably the first BigBad level villain to ''not'' be a god already, but becomes as powerful as one by the end of her first appearance. The comics indicate her
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* PunchClockVillain: Played with. Chrysalis mentions that everything she has done is just part of her duty as Changeling Queen to feed her people. Still, she enjoys making others suffer and sacking Canterlot ''far'' too much. [[spoiler:The comics shows this isn't the case.]]
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* PunchClockVillain: Played with. Chrysalis mentions that everything she has done is just part of her duty as Changeling Queen to feed her people. Still, she enjoys making others suffer and sacking Canterlot ''far'' too much. [[spoiler:The comics shows further avert this isn't the case.trope, revealing that Queen Chrysalis has a vengeful and sadistic streak that has nothing to do with serving her subjects.]]
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* WeCanRuleTogether: Tries to pull this on Twilight in the comics. [[spoiler:It doesn't work. She planned to drain Twilight's love to make her more loyal which is more thought-out than most instances of the trope.]]
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* WeCanRuleTogether: Tries to pull this on Twilight in the comics. [[spoiler:It doesn't work. She It should be noted that Chrysalis planned to drain Twilight's love to make her more loyal a willing servant, which is more thought-out than most instances of the trope.]]
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** In the comics, she intended [[spoiler:to drain Twilight Sparkle of her magic once the supernatural-enhancing comet caused her powers to reach their peak.]] The thing is, [[spoiler:the comet bolstered Twilight as well, and she knew how to ''use'' it, bringing her power far beyond anything Chrysalis had ever expected...]]
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** In the comics, she intended [[spoiler:to drain Twilight Sparkle of her magic once the supernatural-enhancing comet Secretariat Comet caused her powers to reach their peak.]] The thing is, [[spoiler:the comet bolstered Twilight ''Twilight'' as well, and she knew how to ''use'' it, bringing her power far knows destructive spells beyond anything that Chrysalis had ever expected...]]
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%%* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Blue Mane]]
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* ShapeshiftingExcludesClothing: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. Those who mimic Applejack ''also'' copy her [[CoolHat iconic stetson]].
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* MorphicResonance: He can take many shapes on a whim, but he often retains some aspect of his true Draconequus form, notably his antlers, lopsided tooth and yellow/red eyes, or some aspect of his FashionableAsymmetry, if only with the color theme. In the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1"]], it is downplayed when turned into a stallion, as it would give him away, but he still keeps the overall color scheme of his head (including that of his blue antler for the unicorn horn).
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* MorphicResonance: He can take many shapes on a whim, but he often retains some aspect of his true Draconequus form, notably his antlers, lopsided tooth and yellow/red eyes, or some aspect of his FashionableAsymmetry, if only with the color theme. colors. In the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1"]], it is downplayed when turned into a stallion, as it would give him away, but he still keeps the overall color scheme of his head (including that of his mane, and of the blue antler for the an unicorn horn).
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* PhysicalGod: Is all but directly said to be one, only ever being referred to as a "spirit", but his incredible reality warping powers make him the most powerful force seen in the G4 franchise short of the Elements of Harmony. Among his other powers, he's strong enough to break Celestia's magical barriers, overrides both sisters to control the sun and moon himself, can shapeshift and teleport, can create copies of himself, can create impressive illusions, and based on a vision he shows Twilight of the previous episode in Part 2 of "The Return of Harmony", he may be able to time travel to a limited degree.
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* PhysicalGod: Is all but directly said to be one, only ever being referred to as a "spirit", but his incredible reality warping reality-warping powers make him the most powerful force seen in the G4 franchise short of the Elements of Harmony. Among his other powers, he's strong enough to break Celestia's magical barriers, overrides both sisters to control the sun and moon himself, can shapeshift and teleport, can create copies of himself, can create impressive illusions, and based on a vision he shows Twilight of the previous episode in Part 2 of "The Return of Harmony", he may be able to time travel to a limited degree.
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* RedEyesTakeWarning: His eyes are red, and there's hardly a minute goes by he's not doing something evil, or at least troublesome.
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* RedEyesTakeWarning: His eyes irises are red, and there's hardly a minute goes by he's not doing something evil, or at least troublesome.
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* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: He is part dragon after all. He also moves quite snakelike at times.
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* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: He is part dragon after all. He also moves quite snakelike snake-like at times.
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* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Is capable of transforming into anything he desires, though he seems incapable of hiding some of his traits such as his horns.
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* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Is capable of transforming into anything he desires, though he seems incapable of hiding some of his traits such as his horns. See MorphicResonance above.
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* PrehensileTail: He can pick up ponies with his draconic tail, growing it to a much greater length in the process.
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* BlingOfWar: Her helmet, gorget (collar), and boots.
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* BlingOfWar: Her Decked out in an elaborate helmet, gorget (collar), (collar) adorned with Luna's moon sigil, and boots.boots with a fleur-de-lis pattern.
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%%* TrapMaster
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* SpotTheImposter: They can copy a pony perfectly. Unfortunately their nasty personality and their change of magic color into green (assuming the copied pony didn't have a green magic color to begin with) will give them away.
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* SpotTheImposter: They can copy a pony perfectly. Unfortunately their nasty personality and their will give them away. Their change of magic color into green (assuming the copied pony didn't have a green magic color to begin with) will give them away.with), also provides a clue for the audience, even though ponies can't see it.
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* ArcVillain: Of "The Return of Harmony" two-parter and, to a lesser extent, the "Princess Twilight" two-parter. [[spoiler:In "Twilight's Kingdom" he's DemotedToDragon by Lord Tirek.]]
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* ArcVillain: Of "The Return of Harmony" two-parter and, to a lesser extent, the "Princess Twilight" Twilight Sparkle" two-parter. [[spoiler:In "Twilight's Kingdom" he's DemotedToDragon by Lord Tirek.]]
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* ArcVillain: Of "The Return of Harmony" two-parter, "Keep Calm and Flutter On", and retroactively, the "Princess Twilight" two-parter. [[spoiler:In "Twilight's Kingdom" he's DemotedToDragon by Lord Tirek.]]
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* ArcVillain: Of "The Return of Harmony" two-parter, "Keep Calm and Flutter On", and retroactively, two-parter and, to a lesser extent, the "Princess Twilight" two-parter. [[spoiler:In "Twilight's Kingdom" he's DemotedToDragon by Lord Tirek.]]
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* ArcVillain: Of "The Return of Harmony" two-parter, "Keep Calm and Flutter On", and retroactively, the "Princess Twilight" two-parter. [[On "Twilight's Kingdom" he's DemotedToDragon by Lord Tirek.]]
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* ArcVillain: Of "The Return of Harmony" two-parter, "Keep Calm and Flutter On", and retroactively, the "Princess Twilight" two-parter. [[On [[spoiler:In "Twilight's Kingdom" he's DemotedToDragon by Lord Tirek.]]
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* TokenEvilTeammate: Post HeelFaceTurn. He's not evil anymore, but he's still a mischievous {{Troll}} who only helps out when and if he feels like it, and the cast aside from Fluttershy don't trust him. [[spoiler:"Twilight's Kingdom" then deconstructs this -- turns out when you team up with a former villain with nothing to ensure his cooperation but the honor system, ThePowerOfFriendship can only do so much. Now that he's truly learned how valuable friendship has become to him, he seems to look at subverting this trope and becoming genuinely good]].
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* TokenEvilTeammate: Post HeelFaceTurn. He's not evil anymore, but he's still a mischievous {{Troll}} who only helps out when and if he feels like it, and the cast aside from Fluttershy don't trust him. [[spoiler:"Twilight's Kingdom" then deconstructs this -- turns out when you team up with a former villain with nothing to ensure his cooperation but the honor system, ThePowerOfFriendship can only do so much. Now that he's truly learned how valuable friendship has become to him, he seems to look at subverting this trope and becoming genuinely good]].good.]]
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* GenericDoomsdayVillain: In the end, Tirek has no complex motive for taking over Equestria beyond being evil. Though unlike Sombra, he's given a proper personality.
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They are ''the'' [[ArcVillain antagonists]] of the show. They actively[[note]][[SealedEvilInACan when they're not banished or turned into stone, that is]][[/note]] seek to conquer Equestria and bend its pony denizens to their will and eliminate those who stand in their way of WorldDomination such as [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicThePrincesses the Princesses]] and [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicTheManeCast the Elements of Harmony]].
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!!Arc Villains
[[folder:Nightmare Moon]]
[[quoteright:350:[[http://relaxingonthemoon.deviantart.com/art/Req-You-ve-Got-to-Be-Kidding-262944748 http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moon_264.png]]]]
->''"From this moment forth, the night will last FOREVER! [[EvilLaugh AHAHAHAHAHAAA]]!!"''
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon "Friendship Is Magic - Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TabithaStGermain
An evil and wicked creature born from dark magic fueling [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicThePrincesses Princess Luna]]'s jealously and bitterness. Her desire to create a never-ending night forced Princess Celestia to use the Elements of Harmony to imprison her in the moon, seemingly for eternity. However, after one thousand years, the stars help her to escape, and this time she attacks first, leaving Equestria stuck on night time. After a short rampage, she is defeated and purified of her darkness by Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
In the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW comics]], more about the origin of Nightmare Moon is revealed. It turns out that Nightmare Moon was the product of Luna being convinced by a group of shadow beings called The Nightmare Forces to become their queen. They took advantage of Luna by preying on her unhappiness in having her night ignored. The Nightmare Forces make a proper appearance in Issue #5, where they target the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. For more on the Nightmare Forces, see the [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe characters page]].
* AltoVillainess: Voiced with a low-pitched female voice.
* ArcVillain: The main antagonist of the opening two-parter.
* AndIMustScream: Luna herself was still stuck inside her SuperpoweredEvilSide for a thousand years, and was very aware about it.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Nightmare Moon is admittedly a pretty awesome name.
* {{Badass}}: A flashback to her first attempt at infinite night reveals that Nightmare Moon is a very dangerous powerhouse when she wants to be.
* BeamSpam: Her first act after transforming is to start randomly blasting everything in sight with her magic. It's also her main means of attack against Celestia.
* BeneathTheMask: The evil and confident Nightmare Moon was actually a scared pony who missed her sister.
* BigNo: She does this when she is blasted with the Elements of Harmony, twice.
* BlingOfWar: Her helmet, gorget (collar), and boots.
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to Celestia's Abel.
* ClassicVillain: Envy and Wrath.
* DarkIsEvil: In contrast to Luna being TheSacredDarkness.
* [[DarkMagicalGirl Dark Magical Mare]]: She is driven to evil by jealousy and eternal loneliness, gets a PlotRelevantAgeUp and [[GreenEyedMonster green eyes]], dons a [[EvilCostumeSwitch goth-esque outfit]], and is promptly [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away for a thousand years]]. When she escapes, she uses her powers to fight the even younger MagicalGirl sent unwittingly to redeem her, who defeats her with ThePowerOfFriendship and reunites her with her sister.
%% Deadpan Snarker does not apply to Nightmare Moon; she gets very few lines in her Nightmare Moon form, and most of them seem non-sarcastic. Also, she is the same character as Luna, whose later appearance in "Luna Eclipsed" also consists primarily of non-sarcastic lines. If you disagree, take it to the following thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1331473451059167100&page=7#173
* DemonicPossession: In the [[ExpandedUniverse comic]], She is the product of the Nightmare Forces possessing Luna. The cartoon presented her transformation as purely Luna's decision and power at work, and has yet to even imply that outside forces were involved.
* TheDreaded: During her absence she has become ponykind's boogeyman. "Nightmare Night" is dedicated to how scary she is.
* EvilCounterpart:
** For both Celestia (sun/moon, day/night, etc.) and Luna (see TheSacredDarkness).
** Her Shadowbolts form is this to the Wonderbolts.
* EvilFormerFriend: Towards Princess Celestia. She used to be a co-ruler, prior to her FaceHeelTurn.
* EvilIsBigger: Turning into Nightmare Moon makes her about the same size as [[LargeAndInCharge Celestia]].
* EvilIsHammy: Averted. "Luna Eclipsed" shows that she was hammy before she was evil.
* EvilLaugh: A big fan of it; see her page quote.
* EvilPlan: [[TheNightThatNeverEnds Eternal Night]], with an [[WordOfGod era of evil]] [[http://comments.deviantart.com/4/1603670/2282739345 as a side dish]]! Not to mention it would've actually [[ApocalypseHow killed every living thing under the sky]].
* TheEvilPrincess: She is in a literal sense an "evil princess", but her position seems to ([[ExecutiveMeddling and was supposed to]]) be that of a queen. There isn't anyone higher in position than hers to overthrow with the exception of her equal and fellow princess, [[BigGood Celestia]].
* EvilSoundsDeep: Has a throaty, regal and commanding voice.
* ExoticEyeDesigns: Hers look more like dragon eyes than pony eyes.
* TheFairFolk: Nightmare Moon's legend post-Elements was told like this. Disguise yourself so she can’t recognize you, give her a candy offering so she could fill her stomach with that instead of you, and above all, '''never''' piss her off. Only then she may just ''might'' decide against devouring everyone on Equestria... until next year, that is.
* FangsAreEvil: Nightmare Moon's original design didn't have fangs, but the Nightmare Night portrayals of her do. In Season 4, during a flashback to Luna's transformation, her design was updated to include fangs.
* [[FisherKing Fisher Queen]]: Naturally, when she seizes control of Equestria, the land is plunged into never-ending darkness.
* FleurDeLis: Her boots and collar appear to have this integrated into their design.
* ForTheEvulz: Unless she was too self-absorbed to notice, eternal night would have made Nightmare Moon a [[OmnicidalManiac genocidal]] villain, albeit more [[NoEndorHolocaust indirectly]] than most. Without sunlight, plants cannot live, thus no food to eat. WordOfGod confirms that their food can't grow without sunlight.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Amongst the main villains (Discord, Chrysalis, King Sombra and herself) she's Melancholic.
* FusionDance: The fusion of Luna and the Nightmare Forces, as revealed in the comics.
* [[GodOfEvil Goddess of Evil]]: Downplayed; there is nothing ''evil'' about night or dreams (again see TheSacredDarkness) but she uses them for evil.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Even though she's called a princess, her power, as with Celestia, is that of a queen. WordOfGod states that it was due to ExecutiveMeddling to prevent this very trope from being {{invoked|Trope}} that Celestia and Luna were given the title of Princess. Nightmare Moon remains a straight example of this regardless of title change.
* GoneHorriblyWrong: She's essentially Princess Luna turned into an OmnicidalManiac out for {{revenge}}.
* GoodEyesEvilEyes, GlowingEyesOfDoom and HellishPupils: Has all three.
* GoodWingsEvilWings: Has feathery wings like any Pegasus, but they're drawn with a noticeably more bat-like outline.
* GreenEyedMonster: According to the CreationMyth, the problem started when she grew jealous of how their subjects went out and enjoyed the daytime but slept through her beautiful nights.
* HellishHorse: Unlike Luna, she's ''truly'' malevolent and frightening.
* HellishPupils: Has vertically slitted pupils.
* HotGoddess: For the same reason as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, considering that Nightmare Moon is their EvilCounterpart.
* LargeHam: Like most of the villains in this show, she loves to ham it up and particularly when making declarations of victory.
* [[WomanInBlack Mare in Black]]: She's even a significantly darker shade than her true self.
* MeaningfulName: She rules the moon and is most certainly a thing of nightmares. "Sleepless in Ponyville" revealed Luna has power over dreams, meaning her evil self can give others nightmares.
* [[MenacingStroll Menacing Trot]]: Performs a brief one towards Celestia shortly after her transformation.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: ''Nightmare'' is enough.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: When Twilight Sparkle sets off with her new friends to find the Elements of Harmony, they only have a partial idea of what they are looking for. Nightmare Moon's attempts to stop them provide the clues that are needed to figure out the rest of the missing information.
* TheNightThatNeverEnds: Her ultimate goal.
* OhCrap: When Twilight Sparkle discovers the sixth element of magic and the mane six proceed to use the Elements of Harmony to stop her.
* OneWingedAngel: Serves as this for Princess Luna.
* PowerOfHate: According to WordOfGod, she came to be because Princess Luna envied her sister to the point of irrational hatred.
* PrehensileHair: Her mane and tail are made up of the purple smoke stuff she's also capable of entirely transforming into; it can move as she pleases. She most notably uses her mane to flick Rarity on the chin when she makes her appearance in Ponyville.
* PsychoElectro: Her lightning powers accompany her hammy moments.
* PunnyName: Night''mare'' Moon.
** She went [[AxCrazy mad]] from jealousy and The Mare of the Moon was a lunatic.
** Also her change of name. ''Luna'' is Latin (and Spanish) for "moon".
** The dark areas or "seas" of our moon are all named "Mare something-or-other". It's too bad they're not pronounced the same[[note]]"mare" is Latin for "sea" and is pronounced "mah-ray"[[/note]].
* TheResenter: See above under GreenEyedMonster.
* SealedEvilInACan: She was sealed in the Moon for a thousand years as "The Mare in the Moon".
* SelfDuplication: Combined with VoluntaryShapeshifting. Nightmare Moon transforms into a fictional trio called the Shadowbolts based on Rainbow Dash's idols, the Wonderbolts, in order to distract her from helping her friends. However, only the female member speaks (in Nightmare Moon's voice), so it is also possible that the two male members are non-sentient dummies or she couldn't make a convincing ''male'' voice for them.
* ShadowArchetype: For both Celestia and Luna.
* ShockAndAwe: She uses lightning to escape the Summer Sun Celebration in the second episode.
* ShoutOut: To Maleficent. "[[Disney/SleepingBeauty STAND BACK, YOU FOALS!]] [[EvilLaugh BWA-HAHAHAHAHAHA!]]"
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: "Nightmare Moon" has been used by Hasbro and its toy line, by the trading cards, by Creator/TheHub, by [=WeLoveFine=], and by Creator/LaurenFaust, while "Night Mare Moon" has been used by Hasbro, by at least one episode synopsis, by Creator/LaurenFaust, and partially by the single-volume [[{{Novelization}} storybook adaptation]] of the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon pilot]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E2ElementsOfHarmony episodes]].
* StarterVillain: The first villain in the series, and one who pretty much kicks off the plot as a whole.
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: A literal case, as Nightmare Moon was born from evil magic taking over Luna.
* SuperSmoke: Can transform into smoke to move more rapidly and then reform.
* [[ThatManIsDead That Mare Is Dead]]: During their first confrontation, Celestia begs "Luna" to stop her rampage and lower the moon. Her sister responds with: "Luna? I am Nightmare Moon!"
* ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil: According to Lauren Faust, this is what Nightmare Moon's eternal night would have resulted in. Confirmed in the IDW comics as the goal of the Nightmare Forces.
* TranquilFury: Has a brief moment of this during her confrontation with Celestia, [[MenacingStroll striding calmly]] out of a cloud of smoke with sinister background music playing.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Could you believe someone as insane as she is used to be [[NiceGirl sweet]], [[SociallyAwkwardHero socially awkward]] Princess Luna?
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: An odd case as her introduction is the first episode before the SliceOfLife comedy format was set up.
* VocalEvolution: Her voice is somewhat deeper and more sinister in the pilot than she sounds as Princess Luna even after the princess returns to her full strength. In Nightmare Moon's other voiced appearances, her tone remains the same.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Takes on several different forms throughout the episode, including a thorn to enrage a Manticore and the Shadowbolts to tempt Rainbow Dash.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Was born from the jealousy and resentment Luna felt towards her sister when the ponies ignored her night and stayed awake during the day. Basically, she's driven by an urge to be as loved as her sister.
* YouDontLookLikeYou: Her official toy is relatively show-accurate, but she's given a purple mane. Justified, as a mane made of ''stars'' is pretty hard to translate into a RealLife sharable format.
* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Blue Mane]]: With a space pattern of stars flowing in it as well. Justified as she is a goddess.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Discord]]
[[quoteright:248:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/discord_by_bronyb34r-d4upxmc_-_copy_1744.png]]
[[caption-width-right:248:''"Priceless!"'']]
->''"[[EstablishingCharacterMoment 'Make sense'?]] [[WheresTheFunInThat Aww, what fun is there in making sense?]]"''
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 "The Return of Harmony - Part 1"]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JohnDeLancie
This dopey-looking but deceptively manipulative and sinister draconequus, a spirit of disharmony, once ruled Equestria in a reign of terror and chaos until Celestia and Luna discovered the Elements of Harmony and turned him into a statue for what they thought was forever. After 1000 years, he breaks free and sets out to tear the bonds of friendship between the Elements' new bearers to secure his eternal freedom. However, he underestimates the strength of their friendship and is promptly returned to his stony prison. He has since been freed and reformed by the Mane Cast (namely Fluttershy) after Princess Celestia found a more constructive use for his powers, but still manages to find ways to cause trouble.
* AchillesHeel: Only the Elements of Harmony are powerful enough to match him. In addition, his {{pride}} [[FatalFlaw can get the better of his judgment]] -- Discord is always convinced he's in complete control of a situation. For the most part he ''is'', but on the rare occasions when the situation proves him wrong, he's pretty easily toppled.
* TheAgeless: He states he's several eons old.
* AndIMustScream: According to him, he was fully aware of being a statue during his [[SealedEvilInACan imprisonment]]. This happens to him again after being beaten and resealed.
* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: The mane cast are given a big party in Canterlot celebrating his defeat, complete with a stained glass window depicting it.
* AnnoyingPatient: During most of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd "Three's a Crowd"]]. When he actually does become sick at the end he seems to be a bit less demanding, but that could either be because we don't see him that long, because he was intentionally being annoying as possible when faking it, or because Fluttershy is taking care of him now and he likes her enough that he doesn't want to drive her round the bend with unreasonable requests.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Discord is the spirit of chaos and disharmony. Fittingly enough, [[MixAndMatchCritters he is composed of bits and pieces from a lot of different creatures]].
* AntiHero: Has become this following his HeelFaceTurn. Most notably in the season four premiere, where he knows exactly what's going on but doesn't tell our heroes anything or help them. Then again, he doesn't hurt them, he points them in the right direction, and teaches ''Twilight'' a lesson about princesses and friendship, but he does it in the most offensive way possible. In short, he may be reformed, but he's still a {{Jerkass}}.
* ApologyGift: [[spoiler:When Twilight saves him from Tirek even after he betrayed them, Discord gives her the pendant Tirek tricked him with, but as a ''real'' sign of friendship this time. Him giving Princess Celestia flowers later on could also be this (and/or FlowersOfRomance for shippers).]]
* ArcVillain: Of "The Return of Harmony" two-parter, "Keep Calm and Flutter On", and retroactively, the "Princess Twilight" two-parter. [[On "Twilight's Kingdom" he's DemotedToDragon by Lord Tirek.]]
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking:
** He enjoys causing chaos in Equestria, {{Mind Rap|e}}ing the Mane Cast, and bringing chocolate rain to Ponyville.
** Brought up again in "Keep Calm and Flutter On" as the Mane Cast cite reasons to Celestia why they don't relish the idea of working with Discord, "Turning them into the opposite of their true nature", "Turning Ponyville into Chaos Central" and "Had Chocolate Rain with not a dollop of whipped cream to be found."
* {{Badass}}: Despite his [[EvilIsHammy flair for the dramatic]], and [[PsychopathicManchild extremely juvenile behavior]], he's an [[TheChessmaster incredibly competent schemer]], and easily [[TheOmnipotent one of the strongest characters that the show has seen thus far]].
* BadassFingerSnap: [[ActorAllusion Much like]] de Lancie's old role as [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]], he frequently snaps his fingers to appear nonchalant while [[RealityWarper warping reality]].
* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: He uses each of the Mane Cast's specific Element of Harmony against them: he tells Applejack the truth about them splitting up, but not how it happens; he laughs, first with, then at Pinkie Pie; he "generously" gives Rarity a giant (fake) diamond; he tries being overly kind to Fluttershy (but she's ''too'' nice -- he has to resort to MindRape); he tests Rainbow Dash's loyalty between home and the world; and, finally, breaks Twilight through her friends. However, ''both'' of his defeats are the result of being beaten using one of his own tactics (FlawExploitation in the first, [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation in his second]]).
* BecomingTheMask: Pretends to be reformed by Fluttershy to trick her, but after discovering she really ''does'' see him as her friend, he ultimately can't bring himself to do something that would destroy that friendship.
* BerserkButton: ''Winning'' against his mind games. In which case he will promptly [[MindControl cheat]] to win.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Discord might have a silly personality and appearance, but he's an extremely skilled ManipulativeBastard with [[RealityWarper reality-warping powers]] and is a ''lot'' more dangerous than said personality and appearance would imply. By the end of his ''first'' episode, he's done more damage than all the previously introduced villains combined. The Season 4 finale gives us a small glimpse of how he would handle a straight-up, (relatively) no-nonsense fight. [[spoiler:He has Tirek chained up in less than five seconds and would have solved the entire conflict had Tirek not been manipulative enough to (temporarily) persuade him to return to villainy.]]
* BigNo: He does this after getting blasted with the Elements of Harmony.
* BigOlEyebrows: Part of his silly appearance.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality:
** What "makes sense" to him doesn't make sense which ''does'' make sense. Confused yet?
** He honestly doesn't get the whole friendship thing until Fluttershy makes the LastSecondChance work.
** He attempts to claim some moral high ground by saying that for all the terrible things he did, at least he never turned ponies to stone. This may sound hypocritical until you realize that for an embodiment of chaos, being denied the freedom to move and act, and being completely under someone else's control, would be the most terrible fate imaginable. Whatever he did to any pony, at least they were able to act on it.
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:The "Twilight's Kingdom" 2-parter hits him with this. After betraying the Mane Six to Tirek and thinking he's found a new friend and gained the freedom to cause chaos, Tirek reveals that he was just using him and promptly drains his magic. He then [[KickTheDog twists the knife further]] in by telling him that the medallion he gave him was his brother's and it was worthless. The perpetually snarky and seemingly unflappable Discord is so thoroughly broken that he can't bring himself to even look at the gang, knowing full well that he royally screwed up.]]
* BreakThemByTalking: Combines this and MindControlEyes to brainwash the Mane Cast. Worth noting is he doesn't have to do this, as his supernatural mind control works just as well without it; [[ItAmusedMe he just gets a sick kick out of it]].
* BreathWeapon: In Creator/TheHub's {{Web Game|s}} ''VideoGame/AdventurePonies''. Confirmed to be able to breathe fire in canon as of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd "Three's a Crowd"]].
* TheBully: Removing the Mane Six's wings and horns looks like a bully taking someone's lunch money.
* ChangingClothesIsAFreeAction: As shown in his second appearance, he can don outfits at will.
* TheCaligula: His [[TheDarkTimes reign over Equestria]] was a time of madness and suffering, and he causes incredible mayhem once he takes over again.
* CardCarryingVillain: "Perhaps we haven't met. I'm Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony. Helloooo?"
* ChaosIsEvil: The Spirit of Chaos and one of the most vile beings in the series. He also represents disharmony, which is played up in his more evil actions.
* TheChessmaster: He pulls several very successful {{plan}}s during his "game" with the group.
* ClassicVillain: Fits all of the criteria as a {{Wrath}} and {{Pride}} villain.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: [[UpToEleven He makes Pinkie Pie look like a dullard]].[[note]]Literally. He turns her into a complete dullard.[[/note]] Fitting, considering he's the spirit of chaos and discord.
* CoolShades: Has green-framed ones in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 "The Return of Harmony - Part 1"]] and red-framed ones in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 "The Return of Harmony - Part 2"]]. Would count as SinisterShades, but he doesn't do anything particularly sinister while wearing either pair. He's also seen with 3D glasses in "Princess Twilight Sparkle".
* ColorCodedWizardry: [[spoiler:As revealed in the season 4 finale, Discord's is apparently colored purple plaid.]]
* TheCorrupter: He emotionally breaks the Mane Six, then brainwashes them into jerks.
* CouldSayItBut: In the Season 4 premiere, after the girls tell Twilight to go back to Ponyville against her wishes out of concern for her safety, Discord convinces her to go back to help them in his own... special way.
* CreepyCircusMusic: His {{Leitmotif}} incorporates a particularly sinister version of this.
* CryCute: In "Keep Calm and Flutter On" He sheds a SingleTear with PuppyDogEyes when he learned that Fluttershy does genuinely care for him as a friend and that he almost destroyed their friendship.
* CurbStompBattle: He gets the better of the Mane Six numerous times before they finally return the favor.
* CuteLittleFangs: He has one next to his creepier body parts; all part of the "disharmony" affect.
* CuttingTheKnot: After trying and failing to break [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Fluttershy]], he opts to straight-up hypnotize her.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy:
** After he's freed, he steals the only things that can defeat him, forces the Mane Cast into a game on his terms, and, just in case, separates and manipulates (both verbally and magically) all of them into utter disunity, leaving him free to do whatever he darn well pleases. [[DeathByGenreSavvy It doesn't last when he thinks he's completely won and gets complacent by]] [[DeathByGenreSavvy letting the Mane Cast beat him]].
** He's still remarkably genre-savvy in "Keep Calm and Flutter On", when, knowing that Celestia has proofed the Elements of Harmony against his magicks, he instead removes all the "reformation spells" from the books in Twilight's library, because that those haven't been protected by Celestia's magic and eats them, much to Fluttershy's bemusement.
** But subverted in "Twilight's Kingdom" when [[spoiler:he doesn't see Tirek's betrayal coming at all]]. He ''does'' consider the possibility but [[spoiler:then mistakenly starts to invest his trust in Tirek after he's granted the medallion]].
* TheDarkTimes: His rule before the time of the show is referred to as a time of endless suffering by Celestia.
* DeadpanSnarker: The single biggest one in the entire show. Given he doesn't appear in a whole lot of episodes, that's saying a lot.
* [[DeathByIrony Defeat by Irony]]: He uses the group's personality flaws and his knowledge that the Elements of Harmony won't work if their friendship is destroyed to [[BreakTheCutie break them]]. In the end, it's his own personality flaw -- being too prideful to believe they're a genuine threat to him -- combined with that knowledge that renders him incapable of realizing that the Elements of Harmony are working for real until it's far too late. His FatalFlaw was also what defeated him the first time, as he was too prideful to realize until it was too late that Celestia and Luna could actually defeat him now.
* DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler:Sells out Equestria to Tirek in exchange for complete freedom to do what he wants. However, not only does his guilt keep bothering him, [[EvilerThanThou Tirek stabs him in the back]].]]
* DefeatMeansFriendship:
** {{Defied|Trope}}; he sarcastically tells the Mane Six to "friend" him before they turn him back to stone.
** A variation in "Keep Calm and Flutter On". There he's defeated ''by'' friendship.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:After Tirek turned on Discord, the poor thing is utterly devastated by the fact that he backstabbed all of Equestria and possibly destroyed his friendships for absolutely nothing. When Tirek attempts a HostageForMacGuffin gambit, Discord is the only one not telling Twilight to not to fork over the Alicorn powers because he's crossed this line.]]
* DevelopmentGag: His name was originally going to be used for Nightmare Moon.
* DidntSeeThatComing:
** In his first appearance he plans for everything except two things: first, that Celestia will send Twilight Sparkle her letters back, breaking her out of her HeroicBSOD and pulling her back from the DespairEventHorizon; second, that Twilight will somehow free and reunite her friends and wield the Elements of Harmony against him. The first he couldn't see coming at all; the second he doesn't even consider a possibility.
** It's shown in "Princess Twilight Sparkle" that he didn't see the existence of the Elements of Harmony coming either.
** In "Keep Calm and Flutter On", his plan is to take advantage of Fluttershy's hospitality and kindness to drive a wedge between her and her friends, thus rendering the Elements of Harmony ineffective against him. However, while he fully expected Fluttershy to put up with his antics, he never expected her to genuinely like him and consider him a friend.
** He did not expect [[spoiler:Lord Tirek's betrayal]] in "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2".
* TheDreaded: When [[PhysicalGod Princess Celestia]] is genuinely intimidated by someone, they're truly a force to be reckoned with.
* DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans: His goal is nothing less than plunging Equestria into never-ending chaos for his own amusement. He's done this before, and Celestia's words imply it was far from pretty. That and the cries of pain in the background as she gives his back story tell you all you need to know.
* EasilyForgiven:
** Downplayed. Nopony forgives him except Fluttershy, and he had earn that by toning down his chaos and fixing a mess he made. Furthermore, Celestia decided to leave the Elements with their bearers, "just in case".
** [[spoiler:Played a lot straighter in "Twilight's Kingdom Part 2" when Twilight and the others still considers him a friend despite helping Tirek. Tirek and even Discord himself lampshade this, both wondering how they could possibly forgive him after what he pulled]].
* EmotionEater: It's implied that the Cutie Mark Crusaders fighting in front of his statue prison (creating discord) gives him enough power to break free.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
** When he appears in the stained glass windows, he demonstrates a sense of humor and mystery, as well as great knowledge of the Mane Cast.
** Can also double for his first appearance in person which begins with ominous music, storm clouds, and an evil laugh before melting back into daylight and him laughing at the frightened ponies like his arrival was a good prank.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
** Despite his [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy savviness]] and knowledge that the Elements run on ThePowerOfFriendship, he doesn't seem to realize there's more to it than that and just how difficult a bond it is to truly break. He assumes ThePowerOfFriendship could never overcome his brainwashing, and that the Mane Cast's friendship is destroyed beyond repair. As such, the one thing he doesn't prepare for is the heroines breaking free of it and activating the Elements.
** Ironically, it's finally understanding friendship that results in him doing a HeelFaceTurn.
* EvilCounterpart: To Princess Celestia. She is the current ruler of Equestria, has great magical powers and takes the well-being of her subjects seriously and values good relationships between them, but isn't above a little mischief. Discord, on the other hand, is the former ruler of Equestria and uses his powers to torment the ponies and break their friendships.
* EvilIsHammy: It's Creator/JohnDeLancie playing a much more malicious version of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]] as a cartoon dragon.
* EvilLaugh: He often mixes it with or switches it to an "Oh; that's just hilarious!" kind of laugh, but it's still undeniably evil. He's also capable of producing a very menacing one if he feels like it, such as when he's freed from his prison.
* EvilOverlord: Ruled Equestria over 1000 years ago. Celestia implies [[TheDarkTimes his rule]] was far from pretty. He becomes this again during his brief reign over Equestria after being freed.
* EvilPlan: Return Equestria to its former state as a world of endless chaos.
* EvilSoundsDeep: {{Averted|Trope}}; while Creator/JohnDeLancie does have a deep voice, he doesn't give Discord a commanding, threatening tone, but a [[SoftSpokenSadist jovial]], [[LaughablyEvil excited]], and [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic]] one, suiting his [[FauxAffablyEvil deceptive characterization]]. De Lancie has said his recordings are sped up to make Discord talk faster, resulting in his natural bass being lost. In his first appearance, there are instances where his voice drops to a more threatening, ominous tone, usually when he's doing something particularly malicious. However, follow his [[HeelFaceTurn reformation]], this aspect mostly disappears.
* ExactWords: Twists and turns are indeed his master plan, but he never says the Elements are in the maze. They are, however, "back where you began." Twilight finds them in her book on the Elements. Take a guess what the very first frame of the very first episode shows.
* {{Expy}}: Of ''Franchise/StarTrek''[='=]s Q, and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'''s Tzeench, the former admitted by WordOfGod. In later seasons he starts shapeshifting himself more often, including into pop cultural figures, making him similar to [[Disney/{{Aladdin}} the Genie]].
* ExtremeOmnivore: When he got a glass of chocolate milk, he drank the glass, then threw away the milk. [[MadeOfExplodium Which exploded]]. Confirmed in "Keep Calm and Flutter On", when he foils Twilight's plan to magically reform him by eating the pages to her spell books.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:In "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1". He turns back to face by the end of part 2, though.]]
* TheFairFolk: He doesn't look much like an old-school fairy, but he definitely has a lot of their more malevolent features. Despite possessing RealityWarper powers, he delights in playing mind games with the ponies as well as manipulating them into his power, even though he can just hypnotize them right off the bat. [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem He's also not above ignoring the rules he sets for others or ruthlessly undermining his game to suit his own ends]].
* FairPlayVillain: Poses as one, but subverted -- he sets up a game where he claims he'll allow the ponies to search the maze for the Elements of Harmony, then {{Mind Rape}}s them to make them loose, also knowing the Elements were never there anyway. Lampshaded when Twilight tells him he didn't play fair, and Discord replies [[CardCarryingVillain she's obviously forgotten he's the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony]].
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: [[spoiler:Is on both the giving and receiving ends of this in "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2". Though ultimately subverted in that being betrayed after his own betrayal of the Mane Six ultimately leads to him finally understanding the meaning of friendship and finally cementing his HeelFaceTurn.]]
* FashionableAsymmetry: See MadEye and MixAndMatchCritters.
* FatalFlaw: {{Pride}} -- he can't see a threat when it's staring him in the face and is confident he's in control of the situation. He sits down and lets the Mane Six activate the Elements of Harmony to petrify him, not realizing until it's too late that it's actually going to work, and a flashback to how Luna and Celestia beat him shows he just stood there and mocked them, which is why his original pose as a statue was one of laughter. [[spoiler:Bites him yet again in the Season 4 finale, when Tirek provokes a FaceHeelTurn by playing to his ego, convincing him that becoming friends with ponies has tamed him and he's too powerful to be reigned in by their ways.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: Discord treats the ordeal as a "game" and seems good-natured... then we see the absolute joy he takes in [[MoreThanMindControl manipulating]] and [[BreakTheCutie breaking]] the Mane Cast.
* FinalBoss: He's the boss of Level 6 of Creator/TheHub's {{Web Game|s}} ''VideoGame/AdventurePonies''.
* FisherKing: {{Justified|Trope}}, as he is a RealityWarper; under his rule, [[WorldGoneMad Equestria is every bit as chaotic and twisted as he is]]. He even spends his time atop a creepy-looking throne after taking over. The moment he's vanquished, a WorldHealingWave returns it to normal.
* FlawExploitation: His MO for [[BreakTheCutie breaking ponies]]. He loses thanks to the heroes taking advantage of ''[[EvilCannotComprehendGood his]]'' [[SmugSuper flaws]].
* ForgivenButNotForgotten: The Mane Six don't hesitate a second to accuse him of being behind the Everfree Forest overtaking Ponyville in "Princess Twilight Sparkle". Even Fluttershy isn't entirely willing to take him on his word that he's not responsible.
* ForTheEvulz: While he may do things because it amuses him, he's not above doing terrible things to achieve that goal. He clearly acknowledges morality as a thing, but true to the trope, he doesn't care about it in any way other than how he can exploit it for his own ends. [[spoiler:Subverted as of "Keep Calm and Flutter On", when he has a HeelRealization. After that, while still a {{Jerkass}}, his actions tend more towards ItAmusedMe than this trope.]]
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Among the four main antagonists, he's definitely the Sanguine.
* FriendlessBackground: Unsurprisingly, given his past as an EvilOverlord, but officially confirmed in his second appearance via FreudianSlip.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even after he claims to be reformed, no-one, [[FriendToAllLivingThings not even Fluttershy]], does more than tolerate him. This is because, even if he's not deliberately antagonistic anymore, he's still a mischievous {{Jerkass}}. In his case, he's kept around because he's too powerful for anyone to get rid of, and with maybe a little hope that he'll learn from everypony else's example and become less of a {{troll}}. As of the end of "Twilight's Kingdom", he seems to be gaining more acceptance.
* GodOfEvil: Closer to God of Chaos and Disharmony, but a much more literal example than Nightmare Moon. Not only is he truly evil, but [[RealityWarper his powers]] are far more god-like than hers were, and he claims to be several eons old.
* GodzillaThreshold: Celestia sends him, of all people, to recapture Tirek in the season 4 finale. [[spoiler:It backfires horribly, as not only does Discord betray them, but once Tirek has absorbed enough power even Discord is not immune to being drained of magic.]]
* GoodFeelsGood: Celestia tells him as much at the end of the second issue of ''Friends Forever'', which he spent trying to help the Cutie Mark Crusaders get their cutie marks.
* GoodIsBoring: Considers harmony and good to be no fun; disharmony and broken friendships are hilarious! Though he still seems to enjoy himself doing (somewhat) good deeds in "Princess Twilight Sparkle". [[spoiler:Tirek uses this to convince him to FaceHeelTurn.]]
* GoodIsNotNice: Yes, Discord is officially reformed, but he's still a bit of a jerk as he makes snide remarks at the oddest or most inappropriate times. Also, despite knowing full well the Everfree ordeal was his fault, he refuses to help and leaves the gang to figure it out for themselves. Spike sums him up best.
-->'''Spike:''' Discord's reformed, but he's not ''that'' reformed.
* GoodWingsEvilWings: Has mixed angelic (pegasus) and demonic (bat) wings, one of the more sinister types.
* GoOutWithASmile: Certainly did so when Celestia and Luna sealed him away a thousand years ago, as he's got a big open-mouthed smile when Cheerilee's class looks at the statue. Does not do so when the Mane Six seal him away. [[spoiler:We see this later on and find out he was laughing because [[DidntSeeThatComing he didn't realize they were a threat to him at all until the Elements had already turned him to stone.]]]]
* GracefulLoser: "Well played, Fluttershy. Well played."
* GreatGazoo: Has some features of a GreatGazoo and TheFairFolk (above). However, he is far more evil than the typical version of this trope.
* GreenThumb: [[spoiler:Has seeds called Plunderseeds that grow into large vines that feed on magic. They would end up causing trouble long after he was sealed.]]
* HatePlague: One of his abilities is breaking friendships.
* TheHedonist: He lives for self-gratifying pleasure. Kind of a given, since he embodies chaos.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: [[spoiler:Heel in the season 2 premiere, turns to Face in mid season 3. Fluctuates between heel and face throughout 4, goes to Heel in "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1" and goes back to and seems to stay at Face in Part 2.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: Undergoes one in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E11KeepCalmAndFlutterOn "Keep Calm and Flutter On"]], [[spoiler:and again in "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2"]]
* HeelRealization:
** "I guess when you're friends, you can't always have things exactly your way all of the time."
** [[spoiler:He has a bigger one in "Twilight's Kingdom" when Tirek tricks him into betraying Fluttershy and Equestria. While he shows signs of second thoughts the entire time, it truly hits home when [[FalseFriend Tirek]] stabs him in the back... just like he did to Fluttershy. As he puts it, he had both magic ''and'' friendship, and now has neither because he sold out his friendship.]]
* HeroWithBadPublicity: [[spoiler:Downplayed by the end of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E11KeepCalmAndFlutterOn "Keep Calm and Flutter On"]] in the sense that while he has ultimately pledged that he'll use his powers for good, everyone except Fluttershy is still understandably cautious toward him. Especially shown in "Princess Twilight Sparkle" where everyone but Fluttershy suspects that Discord had something to do with the Everfree Forest invading. Turns out they were right, just not in the way they were expecting.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
** He lets them find the Elements of Harmony, knowing they can't use them since he has destroyed their friendship at this point and allows them a "free shot" at him, aware it will fail. He tries to repeat this a second time, only to realize too late that their friendship is back together. Heck, Applejack tells him this, but since he turned her into a liar, he doesn't believe her because he thinks she's still lying.
** It happens again in "Three's a Crowd", when he gets Twilight and Cadance to travel to the edge of Equestria to fight a giant worm and get a magical flower to cure his sickness. [[spoiler:Turns out he was faking the sickness to mess with them, but mere moments after he reveals his ruse, the worm that Twilight and Cadance had fought re-emerges and sneezes on him, making him sick for real.]]
* HumiliationConga: After thinking he's attained total control of the world and considering the Mane Cast to be no more than an amusing distraction, he watches in shock as those same six completely obliterate his EvilPlan, [[WorldHealingWave return Ponyville to normal]], and [[TakenForGranite turn him back to stone]] with an OhCrap look frozen on his face -- all in the span of less than a minute.
* HypnoticEyes: What he uses to brainwash the Mane Six.
* IGaveMyWord: [[spoiler:Promised Fluttershy that he'd lay off the chaos for their friendship, and even once the Elements are gone, he keeps it.]]
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: He tries this on multiple occasions with the Mane Six, particularly Twilight Sparkle.
* IJustWantToHaveFriends:
** At the end of "Keep Calm and Flutter On" this is the main reason why he's upset when Fluttershy says that she doesn't want to be his friend. Luckily, he wins her over in the end but he didn't know or care he felt this way until he actually had a friend to lose.
** Seen even more in "Princess Twilight Sparkle," where Fluttershy is able to talk him out of his old tricks after the Elements are lost, meaning that losing her friendship is literally the ONLY thing keeping him in check.
* IMeantToDoThat: His TricksterMentor moments are plainly this. When the Mane Six learn friendship lessons, they do so in spite of Discord, not because of him, but he has no problem with taking credit for it.
* TheImp: Following his HeelFaceTurn. He's actually a lot like [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Mr. Mxyzptlk]] now as he is still quite the Troll, just no longer malicious thanks to a new sense of honor.
* IntergenerationalFriendship:
** [[spoiler:With Fluttershy by the end of his second appearance.]]
** And again with [[spoiler:Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo as of ''Friends Forever #2''.]]
* ItAmusedMe: The main reason he toys with the Mane Six before he corrupts them. Also, the chaos he spreads is less malicious than breaking their friendship.
* ItsAllAboutMe: "It's all about my lulz" is more accurate, but the principle is still the same. [[spoiler:The biggest part of his character development in his second appearance, is learning that having friends means it isn't always about himself.]]
* JackassGenie: His SadisticChoice to Rainbow Dash: either watch the foundations of her home crumble without her, or continue wandering aimlessly in his labyrinth. However, [[ExactWords he never says which choice is right, or that]] [[ExactWords Cloudsdale]] [[ExactWords is the home that would crumble without her]]. Rainbow goes to save Cloudsdale, letting Discord have his way with Equestria, paying special attention to Rainbow's new home of Ponyville, his "chaos capital of the world".
* {{Jerkass God|s}}: He's the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. However, he is more than a plain old {{Jerkass}}. [[spoiler:Even after reforming, he's mischievous at best.]]
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** {{Subverted|Trope}} when he tries to call Princess Celestia out on turning him into stone in front of the Mane Six. He only avoided things like that because it wouldn't be any fun for him.
** Played straight in the season 4 premiere, when Twilight has returned to Ponyville without her friends, because they feel that with Celestia and Luna gone, Equestria can't afford to lose another princess. Discord needles her about it, and Twilight runs off angrily to rejoin her friends.
** Shown again in "Three's a Crowd" after Twilight learns Discord faked his illness; he says he did that to test if she really saw him as a friend. Whether or not he lied about his reason, he's right that Twilight has never proved she sees him as a friend.
* JerkassRealization: In "Twilight's Kingdom" [[spoiler:he sells out all of Equestria to Tirek after being tempted with a promise of power and ruling over it. Unfortunately for Discord, Tirek, being a full-blown villain, betrays him and absorbs his magic once he felt the now fallen Chaos Lord outlived his usefulness. That made Discord realize how much of a jerkass he's been and that he betrayed his real friends for nothing]].
* {{Jerk with a|HeartOfGold}} HiddenHeartOfGold
** After his reformation, he still finds amusement in trolling the ponies. Though, he's also helpful in his own twisted way when he teases Twilight about her leaving her friends just because she's now a princess and not revealing until the end that he was the one behind the Plunder Seeds invading Ponyville.
** Likewise, though he is willing to play tricks on the other ponies, he still keeps his promise to Fluttershy not to cause too much trouble since he still values her friendship.
** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd "Three's a Crowd"]], he speaks highly of Fluttershy (when she's not around to hear it) and reveals that they've been writing letters to each other.
** [[spoiler:He has several flashes of guilt for his betrayal of the ponies in "Twilight's Kingdom" and is flat-out remorseful when he makes another HeelFaceTurn, not even believing he's worth being shown friendship anymore.]]
* JustToyingWithThem: Since he's more powerful than anyone else, obviously it would be boring to use those powers straightforwardly to beat them.
* KansasCityShuffle: The hint he gives is "Twists and turns are my master plan, then find the Elements back where you began", causing the Mane Cast to search the maze for them... [[ExactWords except he never says the Elements are in it]]; it's just a ploy to lure them into his trap.
* {{Keet}}: A more malevolent and manipulative example than most, but there's times where he lives up to this.
* KickTheDog: Often. The best example is in "The Return of Harmony - Part 2", when he gives a BigYes[=/=]VictoryPose after [[BreakTheCutie realizing he's broken Twilight Sparkle]].
* KickTheMoralityPet: [[spoiler:Fluttershy is saddened by his betrayal.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: Though he has many humorous qualities, there's a reason Celestia is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness serious around him]].
* KryptoniteFactor:
** The Elements of Harmony.
** Also, he's shown to be vulnerable to the Tatzlwurm's disease.
* LackOfEmpathy:
** His reaction to Twilight crossing the DespairEventHorizon? To give a BigYes and celebrate.
** Ultimately inverted during his second appearance, though it takes a lot for him to realize what it means to care for someone else.
* LaughablyEvil: He's fun to watch, that's for sure, but he's more like SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker in this respect, as it just makes him more creepy and disturbing.
* LeanAndMean: His main body is serpentine and he is jerkass.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: His riddle is "Twists and turns are my master plan; then find the Elements back where you began". Where do they find the Elements? In the reference guide which was the very first thing we saw in the very first episode, literally back where the series began.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6afMTdh8gs Can be heard here]].
* LightIsNotGood: Much of his reality warping and teleportation are accompanied by a bright light. Somewhat subverted when he turns good, but he's still a {{Jerkass}}.
* MadEye: One of them is sized differently and more deranged than the other.
* MadGod: He even provides the page image; did you expect the spirit of chaos to be sane?
* ManChild: After his HeelFaceTurn, the psychopathic part slowly fades away, but he's still dangerous and childish.
* ManipulativeBastard:
** Tricks the Mane Six to go on a (fruitless) search for the Elements of Harmony, separates them, and uses trickery and magic to turn them into the opposite of their personality, thus making the elements useless against him. Fortunately for everyone but him, he fails to account for [[SpannerInTheWorks Princess Celestia and Twilight's friendship letters]].
** In "Keep Calm and Flutter On", his new Master Plan is to pretend he's reforming so that Fluttershy wouldn't agree to use the Elements against him. At the end of the episode, he makes Fluttershy promise she wouldn't use her Element and drops all pretense entirely, certain that she will keep her word. Ironically, his new SpannerInTheWorks is... himself, as he realizes friendship is more important to him than he had given it credit for.
** [[spoiler:It gets inverted in "Twilight's Kingdom" where he's for once on the receiving end of this from Tirek.]]
* MasterOfIllusion: A rare example of this trope overlapping with RealityWarper; his method of corrupting Rarity is closer to an illusion than true RealityWarping.
* MeaningfulName: The polar opposite of harmony, to be specific.
* MindScrew: How he corrupts four of the Elements; he messes with their heads.
* MixAndMatchCritters: He is truly a chimera. To further cement that he is chaos incarnate, Discord looks generally like an Eastern dragon, but with the head of a goat (not a pony as Cheerilee would have you believe), one goat horn, one stag horn, one fang, the tongue of a snake, the mane of a horse, a snake-like torso covered with eagle feathers, one eagle talon, one lion paw, one bat wing, one bird wing, one green dragon leg, one horse leg, and a red dragon tail. Even his species name is a combination of "dragon" and "horse".[[note]]Presumably "draconequuscervuscaperleonaquilalacertavespertilioserpens" would have been a bit too long.[[/note]]
* MoralityPet: Fluttershy becomes this to him during his second appearance, by virtue of her being the first real friend he ever made. In the end, he can't bring himself to throw Equestria into chaos again knowing it'd cost him her friendship. At least, not until Tirek convinces Discord he can have it both ways by becoming friends with him.
* MoralityChain: In "Princess Twilight Sparkle" the Mane Six have to give up the Elements of Harmony to save the day. When Discord hears this, the tone of his voice implies "No one can stop me now..." Except Fluttershy. She immediately tells him to stop thinking like an EvilOverlord and help them clean up, which he does. [[spoiler:Although it ends up not being enough to stop him from being talked into aiding Tirek.]]
* MoralMyopia: Has absolutely no qualms about sadistically torturing innocent ponies mentally and physically, turning all of Equestria into a WorldGoneMad, [[DrivenToMadness driving everypony insane]], and generally doing whatever [[ItAmusedMe he wants to for his own amusement]] with no sense of morality... but gives Celestia a WhatTheHellHero for turning him to stone for the aforementioned acts.
* MorphicResonance: He can take many shapes on a whim, but he often retains some aspect of his true Draconequus form, notably his antlers, lopsided tooth and yellow/red eyes, or some aspect of his FashionableAsymmetry, if only with the color theme. In the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1"]], it is downplayed when turned into a stallion, as it would give him away, but he still keeps the overall color scheme of his head (including that of his blue antler for the unicorn horn).
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** When he realizes he truly does value Fluttershy as his friend and just alienated her with his actions.
** [[spoiler: Ultimately feels this way about betraying Equestria to Tirek, when he realizes that Tirek was never really his friend at all.]]
* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: He has the power to sense magical disturbances in Equestria.
* {{Narcissist}}: He seems to love his own image, as seen with the "repaired" lamp or the altered glass windows.
-->'''Discord:''' Congratulations. You've found the one thing in Equestria that can match my face for sheer beauty.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: When Twilight Sparkle complains about the hedge maze being taken away, he corrects her error in reasoning by proving he never said the Elements were in the maze, instead of keeping quiet and letting her continue to believe they've already lost because of his cheating. He is completely aware of this and never lets Twilight know that the Elements won't work if the team isn't completely united. In fact, he was banking on their failure increasing their despair to the point where it will drive them apart permanently, thus granting him long-term security from the only viable threat to his power. [[ZigZaggedTrope It still comes back to bite him]], as the Elements are ultimately used to defeat him later on.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Tends to often slither up against the Mane Six and press his face against theirs, and also tends to caress their muzzles and sometimes wraps his body around them.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: At first, he only seems mischievous by doing things like making cotton candy clouds that produce chocolate rain. Then he steals the Elements of Harmony, and things [[FromBadToWorse just get worse from there]].
* NotMeThisTime: In "Princess Twilight Sparkle", everyone but Fluttershy immediately suspects that he was behind the Everfree ordeal. Discord immediately denies having anything to do with it. [[spoiler:This is ultimately subverted at the end when he accidentally reveals that he was the cause of it... [[UnintentionalBackupPlan just much later than intended]].]]
* OddFriendship:
** The first pony he ever befriends? Fluttershy.
** Has this with the CMC in the comics, although he acts like a child and they can cause a lot of chaos.
* OddNameOut: Of the BigBad level villains, he's the only one with a one-word name.
* OhCrap: He gets that very look just before the Elements of Harmony hit him full force.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler:After going through a ''brutal'' BreakTheHaughty moment by Tirek's betrayal, Discord's tone of voice loses the snide haughtiness it once held, showing that he's genuinely remorseful for his actions this time.]]
* OrderVsChaos: This is his conflict with the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. However, it's more Harmony vs. Disharmony, harmony in this case being more compromise and working together while disharmony is self-centered and breeds strife and hatred between them. Discord, obviously, is disharmony incarnate.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: His species name is draconequus and, while he's more of a chimera, he seems to be at least partly modeled off an eastern dragon. His left leg and part of his tail also seem to be those of a dragon.
* PassThePopcorn: At the beginning of "The Return of Harmony - Part 2", he finds the sight of Twilight's bickering friends to be so entertaining that he gets a movie theater seat with a bag of popcorn to properly enjoy the show. He does it again during the season 4 premiere while Ponyville is being overrun by the Everfree Forest.
* PhysicalGod: Is all but directly said to be one, only ever being referred to as a "spirit", but his incredible reality warping powers make him the most powerful force seen in the G4 franchise short of the Elements of Harmony. Among his other powers, he's strong enough to break Celestia's magical barriers, overrides both sisters to control the sun and moon himself, can shapeshift and teleport, can create copies of himself, can create impressive illusions, and based on a vision he shows Twilight of the previous episode in Part 2 of "The Return of Harmony", he may be able to time travel to a limited degree.
* PlayingSick: During [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd "Three's a Crowd"]]; he was faking to "test" Twilight's friendship.
* PlayingWithPuppets: Discord's favorite trick. If you look at the windows in the Equestrian palace as Princess Celestia talks about Discord, Fluttershy sees one of them with an image of Discord [[PeoplePuppets holding ponies up with puppet strings screaming over a pit of fire.]] [[spoiler:Look at the same window after he's helped Tirek banish the first three alicorn princesses and has begun re-making the windows. The "three tribe" ponies have been replaced with the three alicorn princesses.]]
* PokeThePoodle: In comparison to all the harm he inflicted on the Mane Six in "The Return of Harmony", his actions in "Keep Calm and Flutter On" are somewhat tame. Justified because if he went to the big stuff the Mane Six would petrify him again. Also, if he did any ''major'' puppy-kicking, he probably would have come off as too EasilyForgiven at the end.
* PowerOfHate: He is pretty much the antithesis of the Elements of Harmony, which run on the PowerOfFriendship. As such, he's able to get stronger from strife and fighting between ponies. The Cutie Mark Crusaders getting into a fight in front of him is what grants him enough strength to break free from his weakening stone prison. Though some have theorized that the Crusaders' fight was not a cause but a consequence of Discord's impending breakout, and that they were in truth his first victims. Whatever the case, Discord thrives off hate magic, using it to undermine ThePowerOfFriendship.
* PragmaticVillainy: Unlike a certain princess, he doesn't turn ponies into stone! This has nothing to do with morals; he's "chaos", and chaos is "active", so turning ponies to stone is just too boring.
* ThePrankster: When he's not [[BreakTheCutie breaking ponies]] or [[DrivenToMadness driving them insane]] he's making unruly clouds and chocolate rain.
* {{Pride}}: His FatalFlaw; see DeathByIrony.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Very very sneaky, but check the window of Fluttershy's cottage during her "Sharing Kindness" line in the theme song of the Season 4 opening.
* PsychopathicManChild: While he's aware of his actions and [[MoreThanMindControl how]] [[DrivenToMadness horrific]] [[BreakTheCutie they are]], he has nothing better to do than have whimsical and nonsensical fun at the expense of other characters, no real business to take care of, and no compassion for the beings he's toying with to restrain him.
* PsychoticSmirk: His default expression.
* PuppyDogEyes: His use is split evenly between sarcastic and genuine.
* RageQuit: His reaction to Fluttershy beating his mind games is cease the mind games and outright brainwash her.
* RealityWarper: He can do just about anything. For instance, he holds out a glass under a [[ItMakesSenseInContext cotton-candy cloud that rains chocolate milk]], and it fills up from [[ToonPhysics top to bottom]] rather than bottom to top. He then proceeds to drink the glass. Not the milk; [[SurrealHumor the glass itself]]. He then throws the milk over his shoulder and it [[StuffBlowingUp explodes]]. He's a crazy one, that Discord.
* RealMenWearPink: He carries a pink umbrella and at one point wears a pink robe. There's also his pink cotton candy clouds. Plus when he remakes a broken lamp in his image, it's wearing a pink tutu.
* RecruitingTheCriminal: See GodzillaThreshold.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: His eyes are red, and there's hardly a minute goes by he's not doing something evil, or at least troublesome.
* ReformedButNotTamed: Despite his HeelFaceTurn at the end of "Keep Calm and Flutter On", his mischievous streak is still intact, and he's not above pulling the occasional prank or voicing his amusement at whatever chaos befalls Ponyville without his direct input.
* RedRightHand: Anyone made up of [[ThirteenIsUnlucky thirteen different]] [[MixAndMatchCritter creatures]] has to be evil.
* RememberTheNewGuy: {{Inverted|Trope}}. Because his [[TheDarkTimes reign]] over Equestria was such a time of suffering, and Celestia and Luna battled him to become rulers themselves, there is no reason that the general Equestrian public shouldn't have a basic idea of him, but nopony except Celestia and Luna have any idea of his existence, not even Twilight, who is very well-versed in history. This is most likely a case of LegendFadesToMyth since his reign was both very long ago and he himself is more of a primal force of nature than even Celestia and Luna.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: He is part dragon after all. He also moves quite snakelike at times.
* RhymesOnADime: Not as often as Zecora, mind you, but loves handing out torturous riddles. He normally sounds far more menacing while doing so as well.
* RiddleMeThis: Varies between this and conventional challenges.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: He's right for calling out Princess Celestia for turning him to stone, considering that he had never done that to anypony in the past, but it isn't because he was a decent ruler or even because he thinks it's cruel; it's because having a kingdom of stone subjects would be too boring for him.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers / ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: See BerserkButton and VillainousBreakdown.
-->''Discord:''' [[SarcasmMode I'm not playing fair? Perhaps we haven't met]]. [[LampshadeHanging I'm Discord: spirit of chaos and disharmony. Helloooooooo!]]
* SealedEvilInACan: Discord had been [[TakenForGranite imprisoned in a stone statue]] by Celestia and Luna since ancient times for the suffering his rule brought everyone in Equestria. The Cutie Mark Crusaders release him by [[NiceJobBreakingItHero creating discord (fighting) in front of it]], giving him the power to break free from his weakened prison. He's put back in his can at the end of Part 2. The Mane Six eventually release him and [[HeelFaceTurn reform him]].
* ShutUpKirk: Right after Celestia has explained how horrible things used to be thanks to Discord, he reveals himself and they have this little exchange:
-->'''Celestia:''' Discord! Show yourself!\\
'''Discord:''' (''chuckling'') Did you miss me, Celestia? I missed you. It's quite lonely being encased in stone. But you wouldn't know that, would you, because I don't turn ponies into stone!
* ASinisterClue: He tends to favor the eagle talon he has for a left arm when snapping or holding things.
* SissyVillain: He shows some feminine traits, such as crossdressing.
* SlasherSmile: He briefly sports one when he finally decides to directly engage the newly bonded Mane Cast with his magic.
* SmugSnake: Zig-zags between this and MagnificentBastard. Granted, his plan to deal with the Elements of Harmony is a genuinely well thought-out one, and he's quite effective and cunning in achieving his goal. However, he quickly grows complacent as soon as he thinks he's won, and refuses to take Twilight and her friends seriously until it's too late for him.
* SmugSmiler:
** Outside of his [[RageQuit reaction to Fluttershy withstanding his taunts]] and his [[OhCrap reaction to the Mane Six reactivating the Elements of Harmony]], Discord has two smiles that function as his standard facial expressions: the first is the aforementioned "psychotic" one that appears anytime he [[MagnificentBastard successfully tricks someone into doing something]]; the second is the silly grin that appears anytime he [[LaughablyEvil does something particularly outlandish]]. The contrast between the two is quite unsettling.
** "Keep Calm and Flutter On" features him finally giving a genuine, non-malicious smile. It's [[WhenSheSmiles adorable]].
* SmugSuper: Since he's [[TheOmnipotent far more powerful than anyone in the series]], he doesn't see anyone as a threat and tends to see everything as a game. The fact that he he never takes Twilight and her friends seriously eventually leads to his undoing. It also lead to his defeat in ancient times. He was so sure of himself he didn't even make a move to fight Celestia and Luna when they showed up, resulting in them turning him to stone with the Elements.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The spelling of the name of his species, draconequus, has been mangled by both Creator/TheHub's web site (Dragonokis) and the closed captioning (draconequis). WordOfGod is [[http://comments.deviantart.com/4/1603670/2203256913 clear on the subject]], though, and his [[http://chimicherrychanga.com/img/tc/32b.jpg trading card]] and a [[https://twitter.com/MyLittlePony/status/270990341333725184 tweet]] by Hasbro's ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' Website/{{Twitter}} account both use the correct spelling.
* TheSociopath: He doesn't care who or what he hurts so long as it's entertaining to him. He's also sadistic and quite the ManipulativeBastard. Although he dials it down after Fluttershy befriends him.
* StalkerWithoutACrush: Towards the Mane Six themselves, but more so towards Twilight.
* SuperpowerLottery: He takes home the [[RealityWarper grand]] [[TheOmnipotent prize]] as far as characters in this show go.
* SuperStrength: At one point, he uproots a tree with his bare claws like it was nothing. (While pretending to be ill and [[HypocriticalHumor "unable to lift a spoon"]].)
* SurrealHumor: Thrives on it. This is why he turns Ponyville into Wonderland.
* SweetTooth: He sure likes to make sweet and tasty food while he's causing chaos.
* SympathyForTheDevil: [[spoiler:The Mane Six are genuinely horrified when Tirek betrays Discord and drains his magic. Even Applejack, who had the most reason to want to punch the guy for the crap he pulled, had no biting sarcasm when she asked him if he saw that coming.]]
* TakenForGranite: What the power of the Elements of Harmony does to him.
* TarotMotifs: A stained-glass window of Discord has him hanging tied-up ponies over a pit of fire, bringing to mind the Devil card.
* ThisCannotBe: His reaction when the Elements of Harmony are activated after being so certain he's completely broken the Mane Six's friendship.
* TimeAbyss: Possibly. All we know is that he was imprisoned by the Elements of Harmony some time before Nightmare Moon appeared a thousand years ago. He states that he's "eons" old; in astronomy and geology, an eon is half a billion years or more, but immortal beings in fiction use the word much more loosely.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Post HeelFaceTurn. He's not evil anymore, but he's still a mischievous {{Troll}} who only helps out when and if he feels like it, and the cast aside from Fluttershy don't trust him. [[spoiler:"Twilight's Kingdom" then deconstructs this -- turns out when you team up with a former villain with nothing to ensure his cooperation but the honor system, ThePowerOfFriendship can only do so much. Now that he's truly learned how valuable friendship has become to him, he seems to look at subverting this trope and becoming genuinely good]].
* TooCleverByHalf: He is well aware he's an omnipotent RealityWarper and never views anyone as much of a threat to him as a result, not even the Mane Cast. This is ultimately his downfall. He's so confident he's broken up the Mane Cast, he never considers they'd be able to regroup and truly use the Elements of Harmony against him.
* TookALevelInKindness: By the end of his second appearance, he finally realizes what it means to care about someone else. [[spoiler:Takes another one at the end of "Twilight's Kingdom", having learned an even bigger lesson in friendship.]]
* TooPowerfulToLive: Given that [[StoryBreakerPower his]] [[RealityWarper powers]] make him [[TheOmnipotent stronger than every character in the series we've seen thus far]], there's no way that he could stick around without the series [[DownerEnding ending on a downbeat note]]. At least until his HeelFaceTurn, but even then his appearances in the show are sparringly at best. After all, the plot would end in seconds if he was free to run around.
* {{Touche}}: "Well played, Fluttershy, well played."
* TheTrickster: Discord treats his fight with the Mane Cast as a game and enjoys messing with their heads. He laughs at the shock [[BroughtDownToNormal taking away their wings and horns]] causes them. Unlike some other tricksters, he also has a more malicious aspect which is barely hidden beneath the surface.
* TricksterMentor: Seems to fancy himself something like this by the end of the season 4 premiere: He knew all along what was causing the Everfree Forest to run wild, but kept silent because he didn't want to "rob Twilight of an important lesson about being a princess." He is also the one who suggests they speak to Zecora for guidance, and convinces Twilight to return to her friends, albeit by insinuating her new title has gone to her head; see JerkassHasAPoint above. [[spoiler:He also guides Twilight to focus on opening the Tree of Harmony chest while at the same time, bookmarks certain sections of the Mane Six's Friendship Journal pertaining to five of the keys]].
* {{Troll}}: From the first line of dialogue he speaks, he makes it clear that he has fun messing with ponies just for the fun of doing it. In Season 4, even when he's on their side, he still goes out of his way to annoy them for the lulz.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Due to [[RealityWarper his power]], he views everyone as amusing distractions at best, blinding him to the fact they potentially could beat him. This becomes his undoing, as he counts Celestia and the Mane Six out far too early and refuses to treat them as a threat afterwards. He also [[spoiler:seriously underestimated what Tirek was capable of.]]
* VillainDecay: While he is still as powerful as he was in his premiere, Discord's evil has been downplayed since season 3 because of his MoralityChain. [[spoiler:Tirek pointing this out to him is the motivation for Discord's FaceHeelTurn to try and reclaim his former glory, but he has reformed more than he realizes and just doesn't have it in him anymore.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: Twice. First he throws a hissy fit when Fluttershy doesn't give into his mind games. [[OhCrap Then he goes from cocky to terrified when he realizes the Elements of Harmony are working again]] after he becomes so certain he's broken the Mane Six's bond.
* VillainousBSOD: Undergoes a brief one in "Keep Calm and Flutter On" after realizing how much he's come to care about having a friend.
* VillainTeleportation: Utilizes this more often than walking; it goes well with his lack of personal space to teleport in someone's face.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Is capable of transforming into anything he desires, though he seems incapable of hiding some of his traits such as his horns.
* WackyGuy: Albeit one [[{{Jerkass}} more actively malicious]] than most, but he's certainly wacky.
* WasItReallyWorthIt:
** Does this to ''himself'' by asking Fluttershy if she thought he'd think his WorldOfChaos wasn't worth losing their friendship. To everyone's surprise, including his own, he discovers it really wasn't.
** Happens again in "Twilight's Kingdom." His expressions constantly show that [[spoiler:he's not sure whether selling out Equestria to Tirek to be fully free was actually worth it or not.]] In the end [[spoiler:he decides it ''wasn't'' worth it. At ALL. And now his mistake has cost him everything he had.]]
* [[WhenSheSmiles When He Smiles]]: Normally he's a creepy unnatural MadGod, but when he honestly smiles at the end of "Keep Calm and Flutter On" and "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2" he suddenly turns into an adorable UglyCute puppy.
* WheresTheFunInThat: "What fun is there in making sense?"
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: He's a JerkassGod with white hair. Eventually the ponies find there's [[HiddenHeartOfGold there's some gold buried in that black heart of his]].
* WingsDoNothing: Although he does flap his mismatched wings when flying, they are ridiculously small compared to his body mass, and it's likely he couldn't fly at all without his RealityWarper powers. [[spoiler:Indeed, once drained of magic by Tirek, he keeps to the ground.]]
* WorldGoneMad / WorldOfChaos: He's the Spirit of Disharmony; what else would he turn Equestria into?
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Gives one to Fluttershy and the others in "Twilight's Kingdom" after [[spoiler: being betrayed by Tirek and rescued by Twilight.]]
-->'''Discord:''' [[spoiler:Oh but you are, Fluttershy. You're the pony that taught me that Friendship is Magic. I had friendship ''and'' magic, but now I don't have either.]]
* [[WouldHitAGirl Would Hit a Mare]]: He has no problem picking up Twilight Sparkle and dropping her, or abrasively tapping Fluttershy on the head when she resists his taunts to make her angry.
* YellowEyesOfSneakiness: Combined with his [[RedEyesTakeWarning red irises]], this marks him as particularly mischievous.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Queen Chrysalis and the Changelings]]
!!Shared Tropes:
* AnimalisticAbomination: They look like a twisted insect/pony with hooves full of holes. Chrysalis specifically has an alicorn build to reflect her status.
* AlienInvasion: Their attack could be viewed as such: Nopony [[OutsideContextVillain saw it coming]] and they're different from the other threats faced so far. Chrysalis also mentions that "Equestria has the most love" of any place she's encountered, implying that they're [[HordeOfAlienLocusts migratory]].
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: As far as we know, the entire changeling civilization moves from country to country to impersonate and steal love from the local populace.
* BeePeople: Indicated to be this as they follow a single, larger queen without question, attack in a swarm, and encase ponies in a kind of mucus membrane.
* BodyHorror: They have holes all over their body, giving them a kind of a moth-eaten appearance. There is no blood, just... holes... like partially decomposed corpses.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: They view love as nothing more than a source of nourishment and power.
* BugBuzz: Emitted when they fly. It's unnerving.
* ColorCodedWizardry: Whenever they use magic or shapeshift, it's always green.
* DarkIsEvil: They have black bodies and plain old evil.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Some fans have drawn comparisons between the changelings and the Borg of ''Series/{{Star Trek|TheNextGeneration}}'' fame. Similarities include their black/sickly green color scheme, invading en-masse, and being led by a single queen.
* EmotionEater: They feed off of love which makes it difficult for them to genuinely attain since they look monsterous and are evil at heart. Fortunately they can shapeshift so they can just steal the love that was original intended for the one they are mimicking.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Love especially. They see it merely as food.
* EvilIsBurningHot: Whenever they shapeshift their bodies are immolated in green flames, burning off their original form to that of the pony they are attempting to mimic and vice versa.
* TheFairFolk: A whole race of ShapeShifting {{Emotion Eater}}s. Though departing from this trope, they're not dangerous individually.
* FangsAreEvil: Goes with the vampiric theme the Changelings have going on.
* {{Flight}}: With their insectile wings. They can also still fly when changed into pegasus or alicorn.
* FourLeggedInsect: Just so that they retain their pony-like appearance.
* GoodPowersBadPeople: For a race whose powers are fueled by love, they're pretty callous towards others.
* HornyDevils: They're G-rated versions of the classical incubi and succubi, grotesque monsters that impersonate a pony's loved ones in order to feed on their life force.
* LackOfEmpathy: For beings that [[EmotionEater feeds off of]] [[ThePowerOfLove love]], they have a major lack of compassion. [[BlueAndOrangeMorality To them, compassion is food]].
* MasterOfIllusion: You won't be able to spot them by appearance alone since they can mimic a pony's appearance perfectly.
* MixAndMatchCritters: They are a mix of a winged insect (specifically a fly and/or a beetle) and an alicorn pony.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: They are a [[EmotionEater love]]-[[VampiricDraining sucking]], ShapeShifting, insectoid, alicorn incubi/succubi.
* ObviouslyEvil: Let's see, [[DarkIsEvil dark coloring]], [[FangsAreEvil fangs]], [[BodyHorror holes everywhere]], [[LeanAndMean very skinny]], [[SicklyGreenGlow sickly green magic]] and [[GoodEyesEvilEyes creepy eyes]] and they have a ''[[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queen]]'' [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking to boot]]!
* PlayingWithFire: Their magic usually involves green flames if not green glows or energy beams.
* [[HumanShifting Pony Shifting]]: So far they seem to be only able to copy ponies.
* ThePowerOfLove: The more love they devour, the more powerful they become. Powerful enough to overpower even Princess Celestia herself.
* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:They're imprisoned in their castle along with their queen at the end of their Arc of the comic. Though they have some fun with the animated Pinkie suit, much to Chrysalis' annoyance.]]
* [[ToServeMan To Serve Ponies]]: They don't actually ''eat'' their prey per se but they do get their nourishment from them.
* SicklyGreenGlow: It's their signature color of choice.
* SpotTheImposter: They can copy a pony perfectly. Unfortunately their nasty personality and their change of magic color into green (assuming the copied pony didn't have a green magic color to begin with) will give them away.
* StealthPun: They are a pony/bug creature that sucks out the love of their prey. In other words, they are ''"[[FridgeBrilliance horseflies]]"''.
* TheSwarm: They are not too tough but there are countless of them leading to the ZergRush tactic.
* TakeOverTheWorld: They want to take over Equestria so that they can feed off of its denizen's love.
* TheyLookLikeUsNow: They ''have to'' if they want to eat.
* ThisWasTheirTrueForm: If they've transformed into somepony, knocking them out causes them to revert to their true form.
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:Shining Armor and Princess Cadance use the power of their love to send Chrysalis and her entire army flying over the edge of Canterlot, which is a long way to fall, and seemingly unable to use their wings. However, she returns in the comics via JokerImmunity.]]
* VampiricDraining: The result of their EmotionEater powers. This is depicted as a mist of green haze coming out of their victim's bodies and then sucking those up through their mouths.
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: They have none of Discord's wackiness, nor Nightmare Moon's backstory. Taken UpToEleven in the comics where Chrysalis and the Changelings are ''a lot'' more terrifying and viscious.
* VillainousGlutton: Their whole point is to suck out the love out of you.
* VillainsBlendInBetter: Comes with being a changeling.
* WingedUnicorn: All of them, though Queen Chrysalis is much closer to the original alicorn build.
!!Queen Chrysalis
[[quoteright:280:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/queen_chrysalis_by_90sigma-d4xm1q62_3511.png]]
[[caption-width-right:280:[[VillainSong This day is going to be perfect~]]]]
->''[[TodayXTomorrowTheWorld "First, we take Canterlot! And then, all of Equestria!"]]''
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 "A Canterlot]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 Wedding"]][[note]]She appears in Part 1 masquerading as Princess Cadance. She makes her full physical debut in Part 2.[[/note]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Kathleen Barr[[note]]according to [[https://twitter.com/#!/goldenrusset/status/194118341235965952 this]] tweet by Jayson Thiessen[[/note]]
The Queen of the changelings, bug-like pony-shaped creatures that can transform into those that you love. She masquerades as Princess Cadance during the Season 2 finale in a bid to conquer Equestria. She also appears in [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW IDW's comic books]] as the main antagonist through the first four-issue StoryArc.
* HundredPercentAdorationRating: The comic book made obvious that her Changelings are ''very'' content with her as their ruler because Chrysalis is an effective leader and takes on herself the duty to provide food for her subjects. They are close enough as to joke and share a few laughs together with their Queen.
* AllThereInTheScript: Her name isn't mentioned in her debut episode and was initially revealed by WordOfGod. The comics have since used it.
* ArcVillain: Of the second season's finale and the first arc of the IDW comics.
* BeamOWar: Chrysalis is able to cast an offensive magical beam, and thanks to Shining Armor's [[ThePowerOfLove love]] she can overpower even [[PhysicalGod Princess Celestia]]!
* BigBadFriend: [[spoiler:Towards the Mane six and Princess Celestia when she's disguised as Cadance.]]
* BigNo: In classic villain tradition, she gives one just before [[spoiler:her defeat by the real Cadance and Shining Armor.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:As the Fake Cadance]] she acts snotty and unpleasable.
* {{Brainwashed}}: She magically brainwashes Shining Armor to feed off his love for Cadance and prevent him from maintaining the [[DeflectorShields force field]] stopping her minions from invading Canterlot.
* TheChessmaster: As she points out, she outsmarted ''everyone'', even Celestia. The Mane Six are a little more GenreSavvy about this in the comic, but she still leaves them with no choice but to play into her hands.
* ClassicVillain: Pride and Ambition.
* ControlFreak: Seen mainly when [[spoiler:she's disguised as Cadance]], but given how her insectoid appearance and control of an insectoid pony army both strike similarity to that of a Bee Queen, this can be seen as justified.
* CrocodileTears: Whenever someone calls Chrysalis [[spoiler:(as Cadance)]] out on her questionable ways, she bursts into fake tears and accuses that they "just want to ruin her special day". [[spoiler:Fools everypony, even Princess Celestia. [[ProperlyParanoid Except Twilight Sparkle]].]]
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy:
** Twilight is the only one to catch onto her scheme, so she uses emotional guilt to trick everyone else into turning their backs on her. [[spoiler:Then, when Twilight feels she has made a terrible mistake, Chrysalis sends Twilight down into the forgotten catacombs underneath Canterlot to trap her and, just under the possibility she '''might''' escape, has her old brainwashed bridesmaids guard the exit]].
** Her plan in the comics where she kidnaps the Cutie Mark Crusaders to lure in the Mane Six into a trap and sends out changelings to disguise themselves as the Mane Six to break them up. [[spoiler:She knew that they would overcome that; the whole thing was just to increase ThePowerOfFriendship between them so she'd be able to get even power when they got to her.]]
* DarkActionGirl: Is notably the first villain to win a straight-up fight.
* DevilInPlainSight: Not the most obvious example, but the very first time we see her in disguise, she smiles wickedly, and then proceeds to treat everypony around her like crap. Thankfully for her, [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter everypony readily writes it off]] due to the circumstances [[spoiler:except Twilight Sparkle]].
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: She won a BeamOWar with Princess Celestia after absorbing enough of Shining Armor's love. Even ''she'' was shocked at her victory. Unfortunately for her, the exact same love is used by Cadance and Shining Armor to return the favor.
* EnfantTerrible: While we don't ''see'' her as a child, she admits she's dreamed of watching her minions ransack a city, causing mass panic and suffering, since she was small.
* [[EtTuBrute Et Tu, Twilight?]]: Completely beating the one pulled by Twilight's brother, friends, and mentor when Twilight straight out accuses her of being evil while she [[spoiler:masquerades as Princess Cadance]], after she [[spoiler:pulls a WoundedGazelleGambit to alienate Twilight from them]], she returns and imprisons Twilight underground, ultimately confirming her suspicions. Lampshaded later on when she takes pleasure in gloating about how Twilight's peers were too caught up in their wedding planning to give Twilight's suspicions any consideration, thus allowing her plan to carry on smoothly.
* EvilCounterpart: To both Princess Cadance (both empowered by love) and Princess Celestia (tall and powerful queen).
* EvilGloating: She saves ''most'' of it for when she's alone or when it's GenreSavvy to do so.
* EvilLaugh: Has a pretty good one.
* EvilPlan: Invade Canderlot and uses it to invade the rest of Esqueria and transform the country in a love buffet for herself and her subjects.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper:
** Issue #3 of the comic shows that [[spoiler:Chrysalis and her changelings landed in a village of happy kittens who welcome them with open arms, and they conquer it and drain the love from them, turning them into husks.]]
** Also, in her appearance during the cartoon's second season finale, [[spoiler:Twilight's friends [[NiceJobBreakingItHero learned the hard way]] that being nice to a Doppelganger bride won't change her heart.]]
* TheFightingNarcissist: Very haughy, but it's not about her apperance. In her VillainSong she declares "I could care less about the dress!"
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Chrysalis is the resident Choleric amongst the four main villains.
* GenreBlindness: [[spoiler:Succumbs to this at the last moment, as she doesn't expect ThePowerOfLove to be used against her]].
* GigglingVillain: She giggles rather menacingly when she's overlooking her handywork.
* GlamourFailure: When posing as [[spoiler:Cadance]], her eyes briefly flash to their [[HellishPupils true form]].
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: The first sign something is off with [[spoiler:Cadance]] is her eyes lighting up green.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Celestia tries. However, Chrysalis had absorbed enough of Shining Armor's love to defeat Celestia at that point. She's the first villain ever to physically defeat Celestia (though it's implied Discord could do so if wanted to).
* GoodEyesEvilEyes: Her eyes are more reptilian-like than pony-like.
* HarmfulToMinors: [[spoiler:Kills a Luvcat in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the comics.]]
* HellishPupils: They're almost reptilian.
* HoistByHerOwnPetard:
** [[spoiler:Became as powerful as she did from Shining Armor's love for Princess Cadance, which she notes is stronger than she imagined. In the end, Cadance and Shining Armor [[HeartBeatdown let her have it with that same love]].]]
** In the comics, she intended [[spoiler:to drain Twilight Sparkle of her magic once the supernatural-enhancing comet caused her powers to reach their peak.]] The thing is, [[spoiler:the comet bolstered Twilight as well, and she knew how to ''use'' it, bringing her power far beyond anything Chrysalis had ever expected...]]
* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler:Her defeat at the end of the comics. While she clearly survived, she and the rest of her changelings are also trapped inside of the very castle they were using as their evil lair.]]
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: [[spoiler:As Fake!Cadance, she nuzzles, clings to, and otherwise gets ''really'' close to Shining Armor. Just her keeping up the pretense of being a bride-to-be, right? Nope! She also does the same to the mannequin serving as her surrogate groom during her VillainSong (where there is nobody around to fool) and indulges in a little privacy invasion towards Shining Armor after she's transformed and revealed herself, though she probably did it to mock the real Cadance.]]
* IHaveYourWife: In the comic, she ensures that the Mane Six will obey her orders by holding [[spoiler:the Cutie Mark Crusaders]] hostage.
* ImposterForgotOneDetail: [[spoiler:She doesn't understand Twilight's Sunshine rhyme that she used to sing with the real Cadance, which results in the latter being suspicious of her.]]
* InsectQueen: Queen Chrysalis is the leader of the insectoid/equinoids called Changelings, who imitate other ponies and [[EmotionEater feed on their love]]. Her goal is to take over Equestria and use the land as a virtually infinite food source for her colony.
* {{Irony}}: [[spoiler:She is powered by love, yet she is defeated by it.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: She has zero comedic quirks to her and is much more threatening than Nightmare Moon. The comics make her even ''more'' terrifying, though on the flipside also added a lot of humorous scenes with her.
* LadyOfWar: She has no problem getting into combat with [[spoiler:Princess Celestia]] to feed her changeling army.
* LargeAndInCharge: The normal changelings are the size the rest of the ponies in the show; she's as a big as Celestia.
* LargeHam: Par for the course of big-name villains in this show. She even gets a VillainSong!
* LaughingMad: Has a crazy sounding laugh.
* LeanAndMean: Is considerably more spindly than a normal Alicorn.
* [[LetsYouAndHimFight Let's You and Her Fight]]: This is the main reason she taunts Twilight Sparkle right after she imprisons her in the Canterlot Caves [[spoiler:right next to the ''real'' Princess Cadance.]]
* ManipulativeBitch: She gleefully points out in her VillainSong that she fooled ''everyone''.
* MeaningfulName: A chrysalis is the hard shell that envelops a caterpillar before they become a butterfly and Chrysalis, like all the other Changelings, is a bug-like pony creature. On top of that, [[spoiler:the fake Cadance is exactly that: the shell that hides her true form]]. She and her subjects also imprison ponies in giant green cocoons.
* MorphicResonance: Even when in a shapeshifted form, she seems to keep the SicklyGreenGlow of her magic.
* MusicalSpoiler: Very, very subtle one only a trained ear could catch. [[spoiler:The song "B.B.B.B.F. Reprise" ends in a deceptive cadence. The moment the song ends, "Cadance" walks over and appears to comfort Twilight before showing her true colors. The original song ends in a normal cadence.]]
* OhCrap:
** Her reaction to realizing that [[spoiler:a HeartBeatDown is about to hit her head on.]]
** Gets this again in the comics [[spoiler:once she realizes that Twilight is just as empowered by the comet as she herself is.]]
* OutsideContextVillain: It seems that no-one even knew she ''existed'' besides Cadance, [[spoiler:who probably only knew it from Chrysalis kidnapping her]]. She was DangerouslyGenreSavvy enough to take full advantage of this fact.
* {{Physical God}}dess: Notably the first BigBad level villain to ''not'' be a god already, but becomes as powerful as one by the end of her first appearance. The comics indicate her base level is close to Twilight's level, which is still considerably powerful.
* PityTheKidnapper: In the comics, she kidnaps [[spoiler:the Cutie Mark Crusaders]] in order to lure the Mane Cast into her trap. In response, [[spoiler:the CMC]] proceed to annoy the ''hell'' out of Chrysalis, and she uses that as prompt to get the Mane Cast to hurry because she doesn't know how much more she can take. By the time they reach her, she's near her breaking point.
* PowerEchoes: After assuming her true form.
* PragmaticVillainy: [[spoiler:It's implied that she didn't outright kill Cadance or Twilight because she still needed their love to feed on.]]
* PunchClockVillain: Played with. Chrysalis mentions that everything she has done is just part of her duty as Changeling Queen to feed her people. Still, she enjoys making others suffer and sacking Canterlot ''far'' too much. [[spoiler:The comics shows this isn't the case.]]
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: It's her duty to provide [[EmotionEater food sources]] for her people, and she single-handedly makes it possible for the changelings to invade Equestria.
* {{Sadist}}: While she has some degree of responsibility for her swarm, she ''clearly'' gets a kick out of the suffering she causes, to the point of looking at her army attacking Canterlot and stating it's something she's ''dreamed'' of (since she was a child, no less).
* ShadowArchetype:
** To Princess Cadance. One's a cold-hearted, manipulative, [[MindControlEyes brainwashing]] [[EmotionEater love vampire]] and the other us a genuinely kind and caring LoveGoddess (whether one wants to take the "goddess" part literally or not). Suddenly [[spoiler:the former impersonating the latter]] makes more than a little twisted sense.
** A tall, slender, winged magic-using ruler who towers over her subjects and wields tremendous power, who displays [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] capabilities and works to give her subjects what they want and need -- are we talking about Chrysalis, or ''Celestia''?
* ShowAccuracyToyAccuracy: While her brushable toy does have a crooked horn and transparent wings, she has the wings of a bird instead of the wings of an insect. Her smaller toy uses the correct wing shape. Both toys manage to have some form of holes, the brushable using paint applications and the smaller having notches. Given that the character was designed for the TV show, that level of accuracy is impressive.
* SmugSnake: Like Discord, she zig-zags between this and MagnificentBastard. Her plan is certainly a good one and she competently carries it out. Still, her impatience and vanity are established early on. She is too distracted by the sight of her victorious forces to care about the heroes she feels are already beaten. [[HeroicSecondWind She's]] [[HeartBeatdown wrong]]. She also messes up when she sends Twilight Sparkle to the same caverns where she imprisoned Cadance (allowing the former to rescue the latter). To top that, she retains her arrogant mannerisms even when impersonating Cadance, which is what tips Twilight off in the first place. In the comics, for all of her planning, she didn't bother to consider [[spoiler:that Twilight's magic would be powered up by the comet just like her own... or that Twilight's ensuing destructive potential could exceed her own. ]]
* TheSociopath: Implied in the comics. While she can feed off of love, she herself seems incapable of feeling it and outright admits there's no love in her heart (something she'd also said in her VillainSong). She's also a ManipulativeBitch and impatient and narcissistic.
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: When she gets into a BeamOWar with [[spoiler:Celestia]], she cringes in preparation of being fried, and is just as surprised as everpony else when she wins.
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:Shining Armor and Princess Cadance use the power of their love to send Chrysalis and her entire army flying over the edge of Canterlot, which is a long way to fall, and seemingly unable to use their wings. However, she returns in the comics via JokerImmunity.]]
* TheVamp: [[spoiler:Poor Shining Armor was wrapped around her hoof because of brainwashing.]]
* VampireMonarch: Queen of a race of [[EmotionEater Emotion Eaters]] who specialize in VampiricDraining.
* VerbalTic: [[spoiler:When disguised as Cadance]], she tends to give an "Ah-huh" when annoyed or unimpressed.
* VillainBall:
** If she had put a token effort into deceiving Twilight Sparkle, her plan would have gone off without a hitch. Instead she acts snotty, which does not fit with Twilight's memory of her as "gentle, kind and caring".
** Kidnapping Twilight at the end of part 1 is more complicated. [[spoiler:On one hand it justifies Twilight's "you're evil" suspicions and allows her to find the real Cadance. On the other hand, it's implied she wanted Twilight to kill the real Cadance or for them to kill each other/keep each other busy. At the very least, it kept a powerful enemy out of her hair.]] Either way, it's still the villainous thing to do and she would have been better served by pretending niceness.
* VillainousBreakdown: In the comics. When being overwhelmed [[spoiler:by Twilight Sparkle's comet-enhanced powers]], she's [[spoiler:reduced to a dazed, stammering wreck who's trying desperately to [[BreakThemByTalking convince her foe that she's unbeatable.]] To add insult to injury, she's practically on the verge of defeat, so said argument has been proven invalid by this point. ]]
* VillainSong / DarkReprise: Her half of "This Day Aria" and a brief reprise.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: Her voice is underscored by a subtle, insectoid buzzing.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Like all Changelings, but she comes with a dramatic TransformationSequence.
* WeCanRuleTogether: Tries to pull this on Twilight in the comics. [[spoiler:It doesn't work. She planned to drain Twilight's love to make her more loyal which is more thought-out than most instances of the trope.]]
* [[WouldHurtAChild Would Hurt a Filly]]: In the comics, she makes it very clear that [[spoiler:once she doesn't need the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore, she does NOT plan on letting them go...]]
* XanatosSpeedChess: While most of her plan was likely formulated from the get go, she's able to work things she didn't expect (such as [[spoiler:Twilight catching on and accusing her]]) into it and twist them to her advantage ([[spoiler:use a WoundedGazelleGambit to turn ''everyone'' against Twilight in a single move]]).
%%* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Blue Mane]]
!!The Changelings
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/changelingbrigade_5147.png]]
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2"]]
As Princess Celestia has her little ponies, Queen Chrysalis has her changelings, a race of shapeshifters that feed off of love by taking the shape of your loved ones. For the changeling commanders who appear in [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW IDW's comic books]], see the [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe page]].
* AdorableEvilMinions: Unlike their queen, these guys have an UglyCute thing going for them.
* AmbiguousGender: They have feminine snouts but lack eyelashes and have non-specific bodies, and they never speak in their own forms, so good luck figuring out what gender they are, or if they even [[NoBiologicalSex have a]] [[OneGenderRace gender]] in their true forms.
* AscendedGlitch: In Creator/{{Gameloft}}'s ''VideoGame/MyLittlePony'' LicensedGame, a Changeling assumed Fleur Dis Lee's identity but pretended to be an Alicorn. This is the game's InUniverse explanation of why the Fleur Dis Lee in an earlier version had wings.
* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Despite their flashy entrance, they are only a threat through ZergRush, doing poorly in one-on-one combat. The Mane Six beats dozens of them without difficulty.
* DeathFromAbove: Have a habit of divebombing targets while coated in magic.
* [[ItsRainingMen It's Raining Changelings]]: Although it's more like a [[DeathFromAbove meteor shower]].
* MadeOfIron: [[StrongAsTheyNeedToBe Played With]]. These things can charge at a magic barrier until it shatters, then hit the ground at full force and get right back up, but when it comes to actual fighting, they go down to Fluttershy ''accidentally tripping them'' while cowering in fear.
* MonochromaticEyes: Solid icy blue, likely a stand-in for arthropodic compound eyes.
* MookLieutenant: Look closely enough and you'll see one or two wearing helmets among the army.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: Their method of choice of dealing with obstacles.
* UndyingLoyalty: Subverted: Although they have proven themselves loyal to their monarch, the higher-ranking Changelings in the comic do question some of Chrysalis' plans, though out of confusion and not defiance.
* WallCrawl: Another insectoid trait of them; those not flying are seen walking on pillars downward.
* ZergRush: Not the only tactic that they can use, but it is the only one that we see.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:King Sombra]]
[[quoteright:252:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mlp_resource__king_sombra_01_by_zutheskunk-_837.png]]
[[caption-width-right:252:[-King Sombra in his old Pony form.-] ]]
[[quoteright:252:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_sombra__s_shadow_by_fercho262-d5kfka0_5042.png]]
[[caption-width-right:252:[-King Sombra in his current Shadow form.-] ]]
->''"My crystal slaves..."''
->'''Debut:''' "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 The Crystal Empire - Part 1]]"
->'''Voiced by:''' Jim Miller[[note]]according to [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim tweets]] by Jim Miller[[/note]]
Formerly a unicorn stallion who long ago ruled over the Crystal Empire and enslaved its inhabitants, Celestia and Luna banished him and turned him into a living shadow, but not before he caused the empire to vanish with him. He has returned as a wave of shadow that plans to continue what he started.
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: As the lengths he goes to maintain control of the Crystal Empire condemns it's inhabitants to a live of neverending misery and he [[MindRape makes them unable to remember anything about life before his reign]], yeah that's inevitable.
* AdvancingWallOfDoom: He ''is'' one in "The Crystal Empire", continuously advancing towards the empire he once ruled.
* AlmightyIdiot: His shadow form, while very huge, powerful, fluid, [[spoiler:and able to spread with only a single fragment of his horn]], is only capable of speaking small sentences and phrases and charging forward, in contrast to the highly-prepared sorcerer he once was.
* AndIMustScream: Been on both ends of it. Celestia and Luna inflicted this upon him by turning him to living shadow and sealing him in ice for a thousand years. This was because his reign over the Crystal Ponies amounted to this for the poor things.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: While not a literal example like Discord, both his role in the episode and [=McCarthy=]'s description of the character make him out as more of a living embodiment of Fear rather than a pony.
* TheArchMage: Not a lot of backstory, but he seems to be this considering the traps he set up.
* ArcVillain: Of the third season premiere.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: He's so powerful that he ruled the Crystal Empire with an iron hoof because the Crystal Ponies were too terrified of him to challenge his reign.
* {{Badass}}: He's by far one of the most competent and dangerous villains. [[spoiler:The ''only'' reason he loses is that Spike decided to go with Twilight.]]
* BadPowersBadPeople: He uses unicorn black magic powered by hatred and fear. Not to anyone's surprise, he's an EvilOverlord.
* BlackMagic: His magic generates black crystals and is powered by hatred and fear.
* TheCaligula: Arguably a worse one than Discord since his means his subjects are always completely sane so they remember all of it, and he doesn't even allow them to remember life before his reign.
* CastingAShadow: He was turned to shadow by Celestia and Luna so now he takes the form of a giant, amorphous shadow being.
* TheChessmaster: Just look at the steps he took to keep the Crystal Heart from being found in the first place. In fact, most of the threats that he poses is a result of his actions ''before'' the episode even started.
* CoolCrown: He is a king, after all, so it's only natural he has one.
* TheCorruption: Contact with him sealed Shining Armor's magic. Later, when a fragment of his own horn is cut off and lands inside the barrier, he uses it to spread a plague of dark crystals over the Crystal Kingdom ''despite'' being unable to enter himself. The sole purpose of his dark magic seems to be corrupting and controlling the [[MineralMacGuffin crystals]] of the Crystal Empire.
* CrazyPrepared: See DangerouslyGenreSavvy. He nearly won due to the preparations he took ''before'' he was beaten the first time.
* CreatorCameo: His few lines [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim/status/267356800981008384 and other noises]] were provided by storyboard supervisor "Big" Jim Miller.
* CursedWithAwesome: Played with. Turning him into living darkness was Celestia's doing, though whether he's more powerful in this form than in his true form is anyone's guess. On one hand, he's less of a flesh-and-blood pony and more of a manevolent force of nature which makes him much harder to fight directly. On the other hand, he's little more than a beast in shadow form while his CrazyPrepared status suggests he was far more intelligent before.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy:
** He hid away the Crystal Heart, which was required to defeat him, and erased ''all'' the Crystal Ponies' knowledge of it having ever existed at all. While not outright stated to be his doing, the last page of the Crystal Empire history book Twilight finds (which told ''what'' the Crystal Heart was) was also torn out.
** [[spoiler:The trap he laid at the bottom of the staircase of his throne room shows ponies an illusion of their greatest fear, meaning had Spike ''not'' gone with Twilight, she would have been frozen by the illusion and he would have won. This was on top of the fact he put the Crystal Heart in his castle ''because'' he was TheDreaded, meaning the Crystal Ponies would be too terrified of him to even try looking for it there. ''Then'' hid the entrance to the chamber so that the only way to open it was to be able to use his magic (dark magic that, presumably, a truly incorruptible hero would be unable or unwilling to use). And finally, stepping on the platform allows him to trigger a spell, beginning to spread his dark crystals ''inside the castle'' and trapping whoever got that far at the top of the tower unable to use the Heart. Not to mention the anti-teleport spell he cast on the trap, so that even a powerful magician cannot leave so easily.]]
** This is the reason he comes within a hairsbreadth of succeeding while barely having to lift a hoof; Nightmare Moon and Discord spent an episode trying to stop the one thing that could beat them, Sombra ''already'' did a very good job of it preemptively.
* DarkIsEvil: He's a dark shadow cloud and TheDreaded.
* TheDarkTimes: His rule over the Crystal Ponies, as explained by Celestia, is outright slavery (see his above quote). Even after being freed, the Crystal Ponies shudder in fear at the memory of his rule.
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler:Obliterated by his former slave race.]]
* DeathCryEcho: [[spoiler:Instead of the BigNo previous villains were accustomed to using.]]
* DeathGlare: He has one so terrifying that the Crystal Ponies shudder just thinking about it.
* DespotismJustifiesTheMeans: Unlike Discord, he sees his victims as slaves instead of playthings and goes to great lengths to maintain control of the Crystal Empire and keep the Crystal Ponies under his hoof through fear and dark magic.
* TheDreaded: The Crystal Ponies don't ''want'' to remember his rule, and shudder in fear at the thought of it. [[spoiler:[[DangerouslyGenreSavvy This is why he hid the Crystal Heart in his palace; he knew they'd be too afraid of him to look for it there]].]]
* EldritchAbomination: His LivingShadow form is able to easily evade unicorn magic, and is basically a giant tidal wave of darkness that's constantly roaring beastially. [[spoiler:Becomes a [[AnimalisticAbomination Ponified Abomination]] towards the climax of the season premiere as well]]. The transformation to shadow creature seemed to have affected his mind, as he went from a canny sorcerer to a monster that did little more than prowl around the outside of Princess Cadance's barrier.
* ErmineCapeEffect: When he was in his physical form, he wore a red ermine-trimmed cape.
* EvilCounterpart: To the Crystal Heart (and thus Cadance). He's a being of shadow whose magic is fueled by ThePowerOfHate and fear while the Crystal Heart is powered by the light, love, and hope of the Crystal Empire.
* EvilMakesYouMonstrous: According to Celestia, he used to be a unicorn. He has a sharp, curved horn that looks like a dagger, slitted pupils, fangs, and an etherial black mane. It seems to have bled over into his personality, as he's very animalistic in his actions and personality.
* EvilOverlord: This is what he was before Celestia and Luna overthrew him; a tyranical slavemaster of the Crystal Empire.
* EvilPlan: He was banished from his domain and he's back to reclaim it and re-enslave the Crystal Ponies.
* EvilSorcerer: Has extremely powerful black magic.
* EvilSoundsDeep / GutturalGrowler: The few times he speaks it is like this. (Unlike Discord, this is played completely straight.)
* EvilTastesGood: Licks his lips in anticipation of whatever he intended to do to Spike when he caught him.
* {{Expy}}: His role in his two-parter is based on that of Sauron in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', in that he is an EvilOverlord whose threat is mostly due to actions he took prior to the story, and his direct role in the story proper is little more than to try to stop the heroes. ([[http://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/191wgk/highlights_from_the_writers_panel_at_las_pegasus/ This was the intent of Megan [=McCarthy=]]].)
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: [[spoiler:He is [[LiterallyShatteredLives shattered to pieces]]. Even more shocking is if one looks closely, some parts of him ''hadn't'' turned to crystal. It's particularly noticeable in that he's the only villain aside from the Windigos to actually be destroyed and unlike with other villains of the show, nothing is said to imply that he's ''not'' dead, so we can assume he's KilledOffForReal. You can even see his severed horn flying toward the screen! WordOfGod confirms that he is dead.]]
* FangsAreEvil: Even creepier because this guy is supposed to be a ''unicorn''.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Phlegmatic among the major villains of the series.
* GemstoneAssault: One of his powers is to create jagged, dark crystals.
* GenericDoomsdayVillain: He is built up as being a huge threat to the Crystal Empire, and is also revealed to have set up an intricate security system to prevent anypony from getting the Crystal Heart in the past, but other than that, his characterization is nonexistent, especially in comparison to the show's other villains, and there is barely any backstory for him to speak of. This isn't helped by him [[TheSilentBob speaking very little]] and not having any meaningful interaction with the other characters and spends most of the two-parter as more of a wave of blackness rather than an actual character. The show treating him more like a powerful malevolent force than a character in his own right. According to WordOfGod, he was intended to be more of a menacing and terrifying presence lurking over everything. In other words, ''fear itself''.
* GeniusBruiser: It's made obvious by just how DangerouslyGenreSavvy he is.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: His eyes glow green and are trailed by a purple aura.
* GoodColorsEvilColors: His crystals are colored black in contrast to the technicolor crystals found in the empire.
* GoodHurtsEvil: Can be repelled by Cadance's shield of light and love, and contact with it cuts him like a blade. By contrast, normal ponies are completely unaffected by contact, so that may have been a side effect of his shadow form. [[spoiler:In the end, the Crystal Heart powered up by the combined light and love of the Empire obliterates him.]]
* HellishPupils: He has rhombus-shaped pupils, and instead of being black, his are ''red''.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
** [[spoiler:Tries to reach Spike and the Crystal Heart by launching into the air on crystal pillar, reverting back to his pony form in the process (either from regaining strength or simply being close to the Crystal Heart). This leaves him standing on said pillar, several hundred feet in the air without his far more agile LivingShadow form, giving him no way to escape the Crystal Heart's energy wave.]]
** [[spoiler:Being so horrible to the Crystal Ponies makes it worse. It's why [[TheDogBitesBack they had no qualms about killing him when the opportunity presented itself]].]]
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Given his viciousness and the sheer scale of his intended atrocities, it's fitting that he's the only antagonist thus far to die. Violently at that.]]
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Meghan [=McCarthy=] even confirmed it at Unicon 2013. This makes him notable as the '''only''' character to die.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: More so than previous villains as he's never played for laughs and the mood immediately becomes grim at the slightest mention of him. He's also the first villain on the show to [[spoiler:be KilledOffForReal.]]
* LargeAndInCharge: His shadow form's full self is ''massive,'' surrounding the entire Crystal Empire, and his pony form is about the same size as Celestia.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU1A3FT7TgA Has a pretty ominous one.]] It definitely serves to give what screen time he has a good deal of impact.
* LivingShadow: His fate when the Princesses stand up to him.
* LiterallyShatteredLives: [[spoiler:What happens to him upon his defeat.]]
* MeaningfulName:
** "Sombra" means "shadow" in Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician. It becomes even more meaningful when the Princesses turn him into a LivingShadow when overthrowing him.
** It also sounds like "Somber", which makes [[KnightOfCerebus no small amount of sense]].
* MindRape:
** Did this to the Crystal Ponies. Not only are they incapable of remembering anything before his rule, they're left in a perpetual state of unhappiness and despair. The former is implied to be psychic, but the latter might be mundane, considering his [[SlaveRace treatment of them]].
** [[spoiler:He also booby-trapped the door to the Crystal Heart to do this to whoever tried to enter it.]]
* MysteriousPast: Absolutely nothing about his backstory or the reasons behind his great power in pony form is remotely hinted at.
* NoNonsenseNemesis: The ''moment'' Cadance's shield drops, he's swarming the Crystal Empire. Every chance he gets, he spreads his influence he takes and that's not even [[CrazyPrepared getting into how thoroughly he guarded]] his AchillesHeel. The defenses protecting it weren't run-of-the-mill super villain traps, but dead-serious and very well thought-out. [[spoiler:The moment he sees Spike with the Crystal Heart, he instantly makes a grab for it himself without any hesitation.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: Just look at all the tropes listed here. It's as if the staff took every evil trope they could find and crammed it all into Sombra.
* OhCrap: He has this reaction to realizing [[spoiler:the Crystal Heart is being powered up.]]
-->'''King Sombra:''' No... No! Stop!
* [[OneManArmy One-Stallion Army]]: Lacks {{Mook}}s, but compensates with size, power, and [[CrazyPrepared Crazy-Preparedness]].
* OrcusOnHisThrone: Straddles the line. He ''is'' one to be feared, there is no question about that, and his villainy is documented from a millenia before. However, the present-day threat he presents is more of a looming evil than an active one. For the entire two-part episode he's in, for the most part, he sits outside the barrier of the Crystal Empire and waits for the magic to weaken in order to breach it. This is partially justified as the barrier can easily injure him while he's still in his shadow form.
* PowerEchoes: When he talks, he has this effect on his voice.
* PowerNullifier: He seals Shining Armor's magic during their encounter, which keeps Shining from using his shield spell to help to keep him out.
* ThePowerOfHate: According to Celestia, his magic is based off of fear and hatred.
* RaceAgainstTheClock: The only thing keeping him out of the Crystal Empire is Cadance's love spell, which is slowly failing. [[spoiler:The moment the shield goes down, we get to see exactly why it was so important to keep him out. He starts covering the Crystal Empire in his dark crystals in ''seconds''.]]
* RealityWarper: His mere presence changes the Crystal Empire from a beautiful utopia to a dark and desolate CrapsackWorld and his TrapMaster status implies that he can even create {{Pocket Dimension}}s.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His color scheme in pony form.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: A literal case, as simply remembering his eyes causes one of the Crystal Ponies to shudder. When he's enraged, the red overlaps the green, turning his entire iris and pupil red.
* SealedEvilInACan: Was turned into a LivingShadow and imprisoned in the northern ice by Celestia and Luna. They were at least more thorough than with Discord.
* TheSilentBob: A break of tradition from [[EvilIsHammy every other villain from before]], he surprisingly speaks very little, mainly growling like a monster.
* SlasherSmile: His default expression.
* SlaveRace: What he turned the Crystal Ponies into. He even calls them his "crystal slaves" at one point.
* SorcerousOverlord: The traps that he set imply that he used to be a mighty sorcerer when he was still the emperor.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: WordOfGod [[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=88003&view=findpost&p=2162181 has]] [[https://twitter.com/MMeghanMcCarthy/status/257249978081214464 confirmed]] [[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=88003&view=findpost&p=2163071 the]] [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim/status/267325607048773632 spelling]] [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim/status/267340093637935105 to]] [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim/status/268603888318431234 be]] "Sombra" (matching the in-show pronunciation), yet a [[https://twitter.com/MyLittlePony/status/265942986926456832 tweet]] by Hasbro's ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' Website/{{Twitter}} spells it as "Somber" (which proves to be a MeaningfulName in its own right, as "somber" means "unhappy" -- much like the Crystal Ponies affected by his spell). Both words ultimately derive from the Latin word "umbra", meaning "shadow".
* SupernaturalIsPurple: His eyes are constantly trailed by a purple aura.
* TakingYouWithMe: As he was being sealed, he cursed the Crystal Empire to disappear for 1000 years.
* TinTyrant: He wears metal armor in his unicorn form.
%%* TrapMaster
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: Continues the tradition of a terrifyingly evil creature in a show that otherwise has simple {{Jerkass}}es.
* [[WasOnceAMan Was Once a Pony]]: Before being turned into the shadow creature that is seen in his two-parter, he was a unicorn, [[EvilMakesYouMonstrous albeit a monstrous-looking one]]. [[spoiler:He does briefly turn back into a pony right before the Crystal Heart kills him, though.]]
* [[WouldHitAGirl Would Hit a Mare]]: He has no problem trying to attack (and possibly kill) Princess Cadance [[spoiler:when she and Spike have the Crystal Heart.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: Tries to attack (and possibly kill) Spike with absolutely no hesitation [[spoiler:once he sees he has the Crystal Heart.]] He even licks his lips at the prospect of doing so.
* XanatosGambit: [[spoiler:His booby-traps to prevent ponies from reaching the Crystal Heart. They keep them out? Good, the one thing that can stop him is out of reach. They reach it? It sets off a trap allowing him to begin growing his dark crystals inside the castle itself, even if he himself can't enter, as well as trapping the pony who found it.]]
* YouMonster: Celestia refers to him as having a "heart as black as night."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lord Tirek]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-tirekg4_3056.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[-How does it feel, knowing that soon every pegasus, unicorn and earth pony will bow to my will?-] ]]
->''"I am Lord Tirek. And I will take what should have been mine long ago."''
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1"]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Mark Acheson
Long ago, Tirek and his brother Scorpan came to Equestria with the intent to steal the magic of every pony and TakeOverTheWorld. Scorpan however learned friendship from Star Swirl the Bearded, and helped the ponies seal Tirek in Tartarus. However, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime when Cerberus left Tartarus undefended]], Tirek broke free, and is now ready to pick up where he left off.
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: [[spoiler:Backstabbing the only being one his side will do that.]] Not that he cares, he seems to like earning the hate of every victim he thinks is powerless to stop him.
* AdaptationalBadass: The G1 Tirek was no pushover, but his main threat came from his army, which he could mutate with the Rainbow of Darkness. This time around, Tirek has no army, but he's so powerful that he doesn't need one.
* AffablyEvil: Plays friendly and polite with Discord, even congratulating him on escaping imprisonment. It continues into the next episode, but is limited to Discord. [[spoiler:[[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness And eventually]] [[FauxAffablyEvil not even him.]]]]
* AllYourPowersCombined: He eventually absorbs the powers of hundreds of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, giving him super-strength, the ability to fire beams of magic, and he can fly. [[spoiler:It isn't shown what further power he got from Discord.]]
* AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome: He wears a golden pendent around his neck, which he grants to Discord. [[spoiler:Subverted when he tells Discord it was a gift from his brother and is worthless to him, and the amulet holds no power. Double subverted when Discord gives it to Twilight when she frees him, and it becomes the sixth key to the chest from the Tree of Harmony.]]
* AndIMustScream: While not explicitly stated, if what's shown is accurate, he's spent over one thousand years trapped in one place in Tartarus, unable to escape or do anything and fully aware. [[PayEvilUntoEvil Not to say he didn't deserve it.]]
* ArcVillain: Of the Season 4 finale. However, foreshadowing of his appearance goes back all the way to Season 2, and along the way since there's been a lot of build-up for why Twilight became an alicorn.
* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: [[spoiler:At full strength he's almost as big as an Ursa Major.]]
* {{Badass}}: Tirek is the most powerful villain the cast has faced, and [[NearVillainVictory he almost won, too]].
* BadassBaritone: The stronger he becomes, the deeper his voice gets.
* BadassBeard: As he gets stronger, he sports a damn cool one.
* BadVibrations: When he becomes massive enough, his steps shake the earth as he walks.
* BigRedDevil: Is a massive centaur with red skin and large horns.
* BlackEyesOfCrazy: He has a pair of these, and they come with pupil-less [[SupernaturalGoldEyes glowing yellow irises]].
* CainAndAbel: He's the Cain to Scorpon's Abel.
* ChekhovsGunman: It was implied that the Pony of Shadow seen in "Castle Mane-ia" was Tirek.
* TheChessmaster: Manipulates Discord into helping him.
* CompositeCharacter: While he shares his appearance, deep booming voice, general frightening presence, and many personality traits with G1 Tirek, his plan is similar to G1 Lavan.
* TheCorrupter: He convinces [[spoiler:Discord to turn on the ponies and help him drain their power, telling him that in becoming their friend he's suppressing his true nature and is just imprisoned in a different manner for it.]]
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: An enemy too strong to drain that could lock him back up in a heartbeat? [[spoiler:Convinces him to join his side, then disposes of him once he has become powerful enough to drain him. Powerless Alicorn Princesses cowering at his feet? Throws them in the most powerful prison available (although this one may have been spite as much as anything). The last alicorn between him and the power he needs to rule the world? He makes sure to have bartering chips in reserve in case of a stalemate.]]
* DidntSeeThatComing: As a consequence of his long imprisonment, Tirek isn't fully up to date on current events. (For example, he's surprised to learn that there is a fourth alicorn princess.) Because of this, he is repeatedly blindsided by this trope, but usually proves very good at [[XanatosSpeedChess rolling with the punches]]. [[spoiler:However, in the end, it catches up with him when he doesn't realize the mane six still have a trump card left in the form of the harmony box.]]
* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: He successfully got ''Discord'' to his side by promising to let him go back to the way he was. Note that he was barely powerful enough to do anything at this point. [[spoiler:Once he gets strong enough, he takes Discord's power too.]]
* DraggedOffToHell: Was imprisoned in Tartarus for his crimes until he escapes. [[spoiler:He's ultimately dragged back in the end.]]
* TheDreaded: Everyone is terrified of him. Upon having a prophetic dream of his return, the next thing Celestia does is call in the other Princesses, explain to them what's going on, and sic [[PhysicalGod Discord]] on him before he gains any more power.
* DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Exactly what he plans to do after he conquering the world isn't made clear, but having drained the magic from every pony in Equestria, it means the sun and moon won't move, the ponies won't be able to grow food, and there won't be any rain, along with all of them being left shells of their former selves, the end would be this by default.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: He walks up to a unicorn in an alleyway during the dead of night, introduces himself as "no friend" in the creepiest voice imaginable, and drains the hapless unicorn of his magic.
* EvilerThanThou: He pulls this on [[spoiler:Discord after convincing him to pull a FaceHeelTurn, only using him to regain his lost strength before telling him YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness.]]
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He cannot understand friendship, and is confused when [[spoiler:Twilight demands Discord's release after he betrayed them.]]
* EvilCounterpart: In a sense, he and his brother, Scorpan, are ones to the Royal Pony sisters. They originally came to Equestria to conquer it, but Scorpan befriended the ponies, changed sides and tried to convince Tirek to do the same. When Tirek refused to do so, Scorpan had no choice but to imprison him. Not to mention that Tirek is a mash-up of two mythological creatures (A centaur with minotaur-like features such as bull horns and cloven hooves), and both are very good {{Chess Master}}s to an extent. At the same time though, Tirek has a demonic appearance which contrasts with Celestia's angelic one.
* EvilIsBigger: The largest villain so far.
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:The main reason he gets as powerful as he does as quickly as he does is because Discord uses his own powers to hand him Equestria on a platter. Celestia even mentions the only reason the Alicorn princesses can't smack Tirek down as a last resort is that they can't beat him while he's under Discord's protection. For all his trouble, Discord gets his powers stolen the moment Tirek is strong enough to just take them.]]
* EvilSoundsDeep / EvilSoundsRaspy: His voice is rather feeble-sounding at first, but it becomes deep and booming later on.
* {{Expy}}:
** His appearance and demeanor in his weakened state brings [[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]] to mind.
** And there are a lot of comparisons to be drawn between his first appearance and that of the depowered Voldemort in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone''.
* FalseFriend: [[spoiler:To Discord.]]
* FatalFlaw: Wrath and Greed.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime "It's About Time"]], Twilight muses over the catastrophe that could result from the ancient abominations locked in Tartarus breaking out. Celestia confirms that he's been loose since "It's About Time" when Cerberus left his post; he's just been too weak to be a threat until now.
* GeniusBruiser: He's a ManipulativeBastard good enough to [[spoiler:play Discord like a fiddle]] and DangerouslyGenreSavvy, but in his penultimate form has enough strength to ram straight through a mountain and lift a slab of rock bigger than he is with little effort.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: His eyes glow yellow.
* AGodIAm: While the show doesn't directly state it, this is more or less what his plan amounts to. In a world where ponies need magic to control the forces of nature, Tirek draining them would give him control over the rise and fall of the sun and moon, allow him to manipulate weather freely, and he'd be the only creature able to grow the crops the ponies need to feed themselves. [[spoiler:Given he drains Discord as well, he might also gain RealityWarper powers.]]
* GodzillaThreshold: How dangerous is Tirek? Enough for Celestia to ask [[MadGod Discord]] to defeat him!
* {{Greed}}: His hunger for power is one of his defining features.
* InTheHood: Starts out wearing a hooded robe, framing the upper half of his face in shadow.
* HavingABlast: Attacks with fiery blasts of magic from between his horns.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The amulet he gives Discord is passed on to Twilight when she demands Discord's freedom, turning it into the sixth key that unlocks the chest and destroys Tirek.]] Downplayed in that there is pretty much no way he could have seen this coming.
* HorrorHunger: His ManaDrain seems to resemble this, as he literally swallows a unicorn/alicorn's magic, leaving them an empty-eyed, blank-flanked shell of their former self.
* HulkingOut: Initially appearing as scrawny old centaur, but when he starts absorbing magic he gets bigger and more muscular. By the time he fights Twilight, he's turned into a walking tank with his arms growing so big that they break the wrist bands in the picture shown.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He wants power for himself, he hates his brother for having moral qualms and turning on him and getting in his way. He also constantly refers to the magic of Equestria as being "his", considering it to have always belonged to him in the first place. [[spoiler:[[ICanRuleAlone This explains him stabbing Discord in the back.]]]]
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:Destroying Twilight's home]] made him this for Twilight, prompting her to [[spoiler:[[UnstoppableRage go berserk on him.]]]] Notably, unlike previous villains that did this, the act that warrented this reaction ''stuck''.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's so power hungry he doesn't seem to care if leaves Equestria lifeless to get what he wants [[spoiler:and will back stab anybody who works with him.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: [[spoiler:Seems to start a VillainousFriendship with Discord when he gave the medallion of his brother Scorpan, but he later back-stabs him while saying that the medallion is worthless to him because he hates his brother for "betraying" him. He sees his companionship with Discord just as disposable.]]
* KillerGorilla: His upper humanoid half looks somewhat simian.
* KnightOfCerebus: As an AdaptationalBadass of the [[TropeCodifier original]] VileVillainSaccharineShow, this was to be expected. The other villains, who were already pretty nasty and were this trope themselves, look like child's play when Tirek starts showing what he can do.
* LargeAndInCharge: The more magic he absorbs, the larger he becomes. [[spoiler:Once he's drained Twilight and thus has absorbed the magic of all four Princesses, he's starting to reach Ursa Major size.]]
* LargeHam: His hamminess grows proportionally with his size.
* LeanAndMean: He starts off a scrawny monkey-like figure, then grows stronger as he absorbs magic.
* LightningBruiser: Despite his immense power, he's also fast in his penultimate form.
* LikeABadassOutOfHell: Quite literally in a [[ClassicalMythology classic mythological]] sense, as he manages to escape Tartarus.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Having been sealed in Tartarus for hundreds of years, and then hiding while recovering his strength after his escape, he's not entirely caught up on everything that's happened since his imprisonment, resulting in him [[DidntSeeThatComing being repeatedly surprised]]. The fact [[XanatosSpeedChess he consistantly adapts to the situation]] and becomes the biggest threat Equestria has ever seen is a testament to his intelligence. [[spoiler:This comes back to bite him in the flank in the end, however, as he didn't realize the mane six still had a trump card.]]
* LoveIsAWeakness: Views friendship in this light, believing his brother Scorpan and Discord were weak minded for allowing friendship to change them. Being which world this is, he's [[EvilCannotComprehendGood proven wrong.]]
* MagikarpPower: Rare villainous example, see OneWingedAngel.
* ManaDrain: Has the power to drain others of their magic. At first he can only drain unicorns, but he grows stronger each time, and starts moving on to pegasi, earth ponies, alicorns, and [[spoiler:even Discord]].
* ManipulativeBastard: He effortlessly manipulates [[spoiler:Discord, himself a master of this trope.]]
* MindOverMatter: After he starts gaining power he displays this.
* MiracleGroMonster: A side effect of his ManaDrain.
* MixAndMatchCritter: As a centaur, Tirek has the lower body of a horse and a humanoid torso, but also with traits of a bull (horns, nose ring, hoofs) and of an ape (at first rather baboon-like in his weakest form, and then more gorilla-like as he gains power).
* MoralMyopia: Is willing to suck the life out of an entire country to get what he wants and cause untold suffering, as well as [[spoiler:stab Discord in the back]], but holds a grudge on his brother Scorpan for betraying him, ignoring the fact Scorpan outright ''tried'' to talk him out of it before hand and was ignored, leaving Scorpan with no other choice.
* NeverMyFault: Shows continual hatred and bitterness towards his brother Scorpan, never even considering the fact Scorpan offered him a LastSecondChance and tried to talk him out of their plans and thus it's entirely Tirek's own fault Scorpan was forced to betray his brother.
* ObviouslyEvil: Just look at him. That's not getting into his personality or his powers.
* [[OneManArmy One-Centaur Army]]: He starts off small and weak as a result of his imprisonment, but as he starts growing stronger he drains hundreds of ponies of their magic, dozens at a time. [[spoiler:Even charged up with the power of Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, Twilight is barely able to fight him to a standstill.]]
* OneWingedAngel: Starts out as a weak, frail creature but the more magic he consumes, the larger and more powerful he becomes (also causing him to sport a BadassBeard, his hair to grow out and his horns going from little stubs being almost as long as his arms), going through several progressively more menacing forms in the process. [[spoiler:His final form is almost the size of an Ursa Major.]]
* OurCentaursAreDifferent: For one thing, this one is the ''My Little Pony'' equivalent of {{Satan}}. His upper body is more simian than human.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: He's not from Hell, he's from Tartarus. And he wasn't even born from there in the first place.
* NighInvulnerable: By the time he fights Twilight, to takes hits from [[WaveMotionGun massive energy beams]] that rip trenches in the ground, slams through a mountain, gets sent into the ground by an energy attack that buries him and caught in explosions that leave massive craters, and displays no signs of damage.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Case in point, an attack aimed at Twilight manages to [[spoiler:blow Golden Oak Library to kingdom come and his battle with her devastates the landscape.]]
* PhysicalGod: By the end of his stint as BigBad, he's become stronger than Discord and NighInvulnerable.
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: Rare case where getting more power causes his facial hair to grow. It's not his near the height of his power that the hair on his head grows.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His character design invokes much use of red and black, and he's definitely not a hero.
* SatanicArchetype: He came from another realm to conquer Equestria, but was defeated and sealed in Tartarus. Now that he's back he's considered the most powerful threat the kingdom has ever seen, and he [[spoiler:manipulates Discord into helping him only to turn on him once he no longer needs him]]. At the height of his power he even looks the part, with a white beard, red skin, horns, and of course, hooves.
* SealedEvilInACan: He was; now he's out. [[spoiler:He's re-sealed at the end of the finale.]]
* ShadowArchetype: Can be seen as one to Discord. Like Discord pre-CharacterDevelopment, he's [[ItsAllAboutMe self centered]], [[MoralMyopia holds a grudge when slighted despite his own evil deeds]], considers [[EvilCannotComprehendGood Friendship to be a worthless thing]], and is a ManipulativeBastard of the highest order. Unlike Discord, however, he's far more serious in demeanor, more physically focused once he had the strength to be, and even worse than the Draconequus in terms of sheer evil. [[spoiler:Also, unlike Discord, instead of allowing a friend (ironically Discord) change him, he stabs said friend in the back to get want he wants, something Discord originally couldn't bring himself to do until convinced to by Tirek.]] In a bit of irony, [[spoiler:him inflicting the same mind games and betrayal that Discord enjoyed dishing out on the Mane Six is what ultimately truly redeems him.]]
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Tirek mocks [[spoiler:Discord for trusting him to actually share his power once everything is said and done, basically calling him an idiot for throwing away everything to get nothing in the end]].
* TheSociopath: Feels no empathy for anyone he hurts as long as he gets his way and will manipulate anyone he pleases to serve his ends. He's basically Discord if he ''didn't'' reform.
* SuperToughness: In his penultimate form prior to draining Twilight, his power was such that even the combined power of the alicorn princesses could only match him equally. By the end of it he is completely unharmed, only annoyed that he was not strong enough to get what he wanted by brute force.
* ThisCannotBe: [[spoiler:His reaction to the mane six obtaining their SuperMode and {{No Sell}}ing his WaveMotionTuningFork after he drained their magic.]]
* TimeAbyss: Has spent over a thousand years imprisoned in Tartarus, and may be even older than that, as it's implied he and Discord may know each other.
* TopHeavyGuy: The HulkingOut eventually has his arms bigger than his legs.
* UnexpectedCharacter: Considering that Hasbro lost the rights to a lot of their G1 properties, the return of Tirek--the villain of the G1 TV special ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials Rescue at Midnight Castle]]'' -- certainly counts as this.
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials original Tirek]] was a TropeCodifier. This one reclaims his title as a king of it -- G4 Tirek is easily the most powerful, dangerous, intimidating villain ever seen in the franchise, and the two-part season finale he features in has the most intense, frightening, dramatic scenes the show has produced yet.
* VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler:Started one with Discord but only for the sake of manipulating him.]]
* WaveMotionTuningFork: His magic is generated in the space between his horns, though it still comes from the same point even in his weaker, hornless form.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Has a white beard and starting with his penultimate form has a white mane, but is ''worse'' than Discord ever was in terms of sheer evil.
* [[WouldHitAGirl Would Hit a Mare]]: Tirek has no problem with physically manhandling Celestia, as well as Twilight, whom he throws into a mountain followed by tackling her through it. Likewise, when offering Twilight's friends in exchange for the alicorns' magic, the clearly implied bargain is the magic for their lives.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Tirek is repeatedly caught off-guard throughout the two-parter due to acting on faulty information, but proves very adept at rolling with the punches.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Played straight with Discord -- once he's helped Tirek become powerful enough, Tirek drains him as well.]]
[[/folder]]
!!Non-Arc Villains
[[folder:Ahuizotl]]
[[quoteright:250:[[http://fav.me/d4ootrq http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahuizotl_8287.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Despite looking like a monster someone made up recently, he is actually a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahuizotl_(creature) real mythological creature]].]]
->'''Debut:''' "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E16ReadItAndWeep Read It and Weep]]"
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/BrianDrummond[[note]]according to [[https://twitter.com/BrianDrummondVO/status/294496688343756800 these]] [[https://twitter.com/BrianDrummondVO/status/294506584447537153 two]] tweets by Creator/BrianDrummond[[/note]]
A villain based on an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahuizotl_(creature) Ahuizotl]]. He's the big bad of the book ''Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone''. And since he's an in-universe fictional character, he's a hilariously cliched and over the top bad guy... or so we thought. He's actually [[RealAfterAll not so fictional after all]].
* ArchEnemy: Of Daring Do.
* UsefulNotes/AztecMythology: Where he originated from.
* BadassNormal : Relatively speaking; even if he`s obviously a dangerous creature, Ahuizotl is the only major villain without magical powers of his own. He makes up with his size and strength, and his many BadassNormal mooks and minions (including several large cats).
* TheBeastmaster: Being partially feline, Ahuizotl seems to have control over cats in general.
* BigBad: Seems to be the one for all of Daring Do's books, if Twilight and Rainbow's explanations of the books in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E4DaringDont "Daring Don't"]] are any indication. It also turns out he's RealAfterAll.
* BigNo: Of course he had to release one of these.
* BondVillainStupidity: Instead of having his cat minions take care of Daring Do directly, he opts to leave her in an ancient DeathTrap. Granted, it's a [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill darn good]] deathtrap.
* CatsAreMean: Has a number of dangerous big cats--and one cute white kitten--as his EvilMinions. Ahuizotl himself is [[MixAndMatchCritters half feline.]]
%% * DiabolicalMastermind
* ADogNamedDog: They can get away with this since there aren't many other Ahuizotls to confuse him with.
* EndlessDaytime: While it's never actually stated, based on the dialogue and the ways things are framed, his plan to bring 800 years on scorching heat seemed to involve locking the sun in the sky. Somehow, this is only supposed to affect just the valley he is in and not the rest of Equestria.
* EvilIsHammy: He could rival Discord for over-the-top villainous theatrics.
* HarmlessVillain: Compared to the other major villains that the Mane Six have faced in the series, he's very small time. His EvilPlan involves bring only 800 years of unrelenting heat to a single valley. It's a plan that [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb Dr. Doofenshmirtz]] would have cooked up.
* KillerGorilla: He is part ape, after all.
* LargeHam: He's a character in a book, after all. [[spoiler: Only he's real. Just as hammy as ever though.]]
* MixAndMatchCritters: A giant feline-monkey hybrid.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: He's still a decent threat to his actual nemesis and has ''very'' good {{Death Trap}}s. He also managed to [[spoiler:take Rainbow Dash off guard and capture her. It's also implied that the only reason he hadn't become a major threat is because Daring Do had stopped him from obtaining the magical artifacts that would give him high-level powers.]]
* OurMonstersAreWeird: Ahuizotl don't usually appear much in popular culture, do they?
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Comes across as this considering he's not a PhysicalGod level threat like the the major villains. He's still dangerous, but not on Nightmare Moon, Discord, and King Sombra's level.
* PrehensileTail: The production team have ShownTheirWork; this is one of the ahuizotl's most notable features in Aztec myth.
* RealAfterAll: [[spoiler:Hard to believe, but Ahuizotl are apparently real creatures in the ''My Little Pony'' universe. Most ponies, however, think they´re mythical creatures, which explains why they think Ahuizotl only exists as a fictional villain in Daring Do's stories.]]
* RealMenWearPink: Plenty of villains have a RightHandCat, but not many have one [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter so adorable]].
* RightHandCat: Ahuizotl has a white CuteKitten among his feline minions. It's worth pointing out that it's every bit as aggressive as the panthers and tigers it's hanging with.
* RightHandAttackDog: Ahuizotl has several great cats (and a small kitten) at his command to sic on meddling heroes in general (and Daring Do in particular).
* ShownTheirWork: Besides his physical appearance, Ahuizotl also shares his mythical counterpart's fondness of death traps. The ahuizotl from myth attracts victims to water by mimicking a baby's crying, then grabs them with a prehensile tail and drowns them.
* [[HeroOfAnotherStory Villain of Another Story]]: He's apparently having world-conquering plots and fights with Daring Do while the Mane Cast and their villains are busy having their own fights for the fate of the world. Apparently, the fact he lacks high level magical powers of his own helps him get under Celestia and Luna's radar, explaining why the Princesses hadn't done anything against Ahuizotl themselves despite the fact he seeks for magical artifacts that would make him as dangerous as the other major villains. See the HarmlessVillain entry for an explanation.
* WouldHitAGirl: Lacking magical powers of his own, Ahuizotl and his minions/mooks get into physical fights with Daring Do, plus leaving her in particularly good {{death trap}}s.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Mane-iac]]
See Characters/FriendshipIsMagicOthers (under ''Power Ponies'' Characters)
[[/folder]]
----
[[foldercontrol]]
----
!!Arc Villains
[[folder:Nightmare Moon]]
[[quoteright:350:[[http://relaxingonthemoon.deviantart.com/art/Req-You-ve-Got-to-Be-Kidding-262944748 http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moon_264.png]]]]
->''"From this moment forth, the night will last FOREVER! [[EvilLaugh AHAHAHAHAHAAA]]!!"''
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon "Friendship Is Magic - Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TabithaStGermain
An evil and wicked creature born from dark magic fueling [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicThePrincesses Princess Luna]]'s jealously and bitterness. Her desire to create a never-ending night forced Princess Celestia to use the Elements of Harmony to imprison her in the moon, seemingly for eternity. However, after one thousand years, the stars help her to escape, and this time she attacks first, leaving Equestria stuck on night time. After a short rampage, she is defeated and purified of her darkness by Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
In the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW comics]], more about the origin of Nightmare Moon is revealed. It turns out that Nightmare Moon was the product of Luna being convinced by a group of shadow beings called The Nightmare Forces to become their queen. They took advantage of Luna by preying on her unhappiness in having her night ignored. The Nightmare Forces make a proper appearance in Issue #5, where they target the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. For more on the Nightmare Forces, see the [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe characters page]].
* AltoVillainess: Voiced with a low-pitched female voice.
* ArcVillain: The main antagonist of the opening two-parter.
* AndIMustScream: Luna herself was still stuck inside her SuperpoweredEvilSide for a thousand years, and was very aware about it.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Nightmare Moon is admittedly a pretty awesome name.
* {{Badass}}: A flashback to her first attempt at infinite night reveals that Nightmare Moon is a very dangerous powerhouse when she wants to be.
* BeamSpam: Her first act after transforming is to start randomly blasting everything in sight with her magic. It's also her main means of attack against Celestia.
* BeneathTheMask: The evil and confident Nightmare Moon was actually a scared pony who missed her sister.
* BigNo: She does this when she is blasted with the Elements of Harmony, twice.
* BlingOfWar: Her helmet, gorget (collar), and boots.
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to Celestia's Abel.
* ClassicVillain: Envy and Wrath.
* DarkIsEvil: In contrast to Luna being TheSacredDarkness.
* [[DarkMagicalGirl Dark Magical Mare]]: She is driven to evil by jealousy and eternal loneliness, gets a PlotRelevantAgeUp and [[GreenEyedMonster green eyes]], dons a [[EvilCostumeSwitch goth-esque outfit]], and is promptly [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away for a thousand years]]. When she escapes, she uses her powers to fight the even younger MagicalGirl sent unwittingly to redeem her, who defeats her with ThePowerOfFriendship and reunites her with her sister.
%% Deadpan Snarker does not apply to Nightmare Moon; she gets very few lines in her Nightmare Moon form, and most of them seem non-sarcastic. Also, she is the same character as Luna, whose later appearance in "Luna Eclipsed" also consists primarily of non-sarcastic lines. If you disagree, take it to the following thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1331473451059167100&page=7#173
* DemonicPossession: In the [[ExpandedUniverse comic]], She is the product of the Nightmare Forces possessing Luna. The cartoon presented her transformation as purely Luna's decision and power at work, and has yet to even imply that outside forces were involved.
* TheDreaded: During her absence she has become ponykind's boogeyman. "Nightmare Night" is dedicated to how scary she is.
* EvilCounterpart:
** For both Celestia (sun/moon, day/night, etc.) and Luna (see TheSacredDarkness).
** Her Shadowbolts form is this to the Wonderbolts.
* EvilFormerFriend: Towards Princess Celestia. She used to be a co-ruler, prior to her FaceHeelTurn.
* EvilIsBigger: Turning into Nightmare Moon makes her about the same size as [[LargeAndInCharge Celestia]].
* EvilIsHammy: Averted. "Luna Eclipsed" shows that she was hammy before she was evil.
* EvilLaugh: A big fan of it; see her page quote.
* EvilPlan: [[TheNightThatNeverEnds Eternal Night]], with an [[WordOfGod era of evil]] [[http://comments.deviantart.com/4/1603670/2282739345 as a side dish]]! Not to mention it would've actually [[ApocalypseHow killed every living thing under the sky]].
* TheEvilPrincess: She is in a literal sense an "evil princess", but her position seems to ([[ExecutiveMeddling and was supposed to]]) be that of a queen. There isn't anyone higher in position than hers to overthrow with the exception of her equal and fellow princess, [[BigGood Celestia]].
* EvilSoundsDeep: Has a throaty, regal and commanding voice.
* ExoticEyeDesigns: Hers look more like dragon eyes than pony eyes.
* TheFairFolk: Nightmare Moon's legend post-Elements was told like this. Disguise yourself so she can’t recognize you, give her a candy offering so she could fill her stomach with that instead of you, and above all, '''never''' piss her off. Only then she may just ''might'' decide against devouring everyone on Equestria... until next year, that is.
* FangsAreEvil: Nightmare Moon's original design didn't have fangs, but the Nightmare Night portrayals of her do. In Season 4, during a flashback to Luna's transformation, her design was updated to include fangs.
* [[FisherKing Fisher Queen]]: Naturally, when she seizes control of Equestria, the land is plunged into never-ending darkness.
* FleurDeLis: Her boots and collar appear to have this integrated into their design.
* ForTheEvulz: Unless she was too self-absorbed to notice, eternal night would have made Nightmare Moon a [[OmnicidalManiac genocidal]] villain, albeit more [[NoEndorHolocaust indirectly]] than most. Without sunlight, plants cannot live, thus no food to eat. WordOfGod confirms that their food can't grow without sunlight.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Amongst the main villains (Discord, Chrysalis, King Sombra and herself) she's Melancholic.
* FusionDance: The fusion of Luna and the Nightmare Forces, as revealed in the comics.
* [[GodOfEvil Goddess of Evil]]: Downplayed; there is nothing ''evil'' about night or dreams (again see TheSacredDarkness) but she uses them for evil.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Even though she's called a princess, her power, as with Celestia, is that of a queen. WordOfGod states that it was due to ExecutiveMeddling to prevent this very trope from being {{invoked|Trope}} that Celestia and Luna were given the title of Princess. Nightmare Moon remains a straight example of this regardless of title change.
* GoneHorriblyWrong: She's essentially Princess Luna turned into an OmnicidalManiac out for {{revenge}}.
* GoodEyesEvilEyes, GlowingEyesOfDoom and HellishPupils: Has all three.
* GoodWingsEvilWings: Has feathery wings like any Pegasus, but they're drawn with a noticeably more bat-like outline.
* GreenEyedMonster: According to the CreationMyth, the problem started when she grew jealous of how their subjects went out and enjoyed the daytime but slept through her beautiful nights.
* HellishHorse: Unlike Luna, she's ''truly'' malevolent and frightening.
* HellishPupils: Has vertically slitted pupils.
* HotGoddess: For the same reason as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, considering that Nightmare Moon is their EvilCounterpart.
* LargeHam: Like most of the villains in this show, she loves to ham it up and particularly when making declarations of victory.
* [[WomanInBlack Mare in Black]]: She's even a significantly darker shade than her true self.
* MeaningfulName: She rules the moon and is most certainly a thing of nightmares. "Sleepless in Ponyville" revealed Luna has power over dreams, meaning her evil self can give others nightmares.
* [[MenacingStroll Menacing Trot]]: Performs a brief one towards Celestia shortly after her transformation.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: ''Nightmare'' is enough.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: When Twilight Sparkle sets off with her new friends to find the Elements of Harmony, they only have a partial idea of what they are looking for. Nightmare Moon's attempts to stop them provide the clues that are needed to figure out the rest of the missing information.
* TheNightThatNeverEnds: Her ultimate goal.
* OhCrap: When Twilight Sparkle discovers the sixth element of magic and the mane six proceed to use the Elements of Harmony to stop her.
* OneWingedAngel: Serves as this for Princess Luna.
* PowerOfHate: According to WordOfGod, she came to be because Princess Luna envied her sister to the point of irrational hatred.
* PrehensileHair: Her mane and tail are made up of the purple smoke stuff she's also capable of entirely transforming into; it can move as she pleases. She most notably uses her mane to flick Rarity on the chin when she makes her appearance in Ponyville.
* PsychoElectro: Her lightning powers accompany her hammy moments.
* PunnyName: Night''mare'' Moon.
** She went [[AxCrazy mad]] from jealousy and The Mare of the Moon was a lunatic.
** Also her change of name. ''Luna'' is Latin (and Spanish) for "moon".
** The dark areas or "seas" of our moon are all named "Mare something-or-other". It's too bad they're not pronounced the same[[note]]"mare" is Latin for "sea" and is pronounced "mah-ray"[[/note]].
* TheResenter: See above under GreenEyedMonster.
* SealedEvilInACan: She was sealed in the Moon for a thousand years as "The Mare in the Moon".
* SelfDuplication: Combined with VoluntaryShapeshifting. Nightmare Moon transforms into a fictional trio called the Shadowbolts based on Rainbow Dash's idols, the Wonderbolts, in order to distract her from helping her friends. However, only the female member speaks (in Nightmare Moon's voice), so it is also possible that the two male members are non-sentient dummies or she couldn't make a convincing ''male'' voice for them.
* ShadowArchetype: For both Celestia and Luna.
* ShockAndAwe: She uses lightning to escape the Summer Sun Celebration in the second episode.
* ShoutOut: To Maleficent. "[[Disney/SleepingBeauty STAND BACK, YOU FOALS!]] [[EvilLaugh BWA-HAHAHAHAHAHA!]]"
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: "Nightmare Moon" has been used by Hasbro and its toy line, by the trading cards, by Creator/TheHub, by [=WeLoveFine=], and by Creator/LaurenFaust, while "Night Mare Moon" has been used by Hasbro, by at least one episode synopsis, by Creator/LaurenFaust, and partially by the single-volume [[{{Novelization}} storybook adaptation]] of the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon pilot]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E2ElementsOfHarmony episodes]].
* StarterVillain: The first villain in the series, and one who pretty much kicks off the plot as a whole.
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: A literal case, as Nightmare Moon was born from evil magic taking over Luna.
* SuperSmoke: Can transform into smoke to move more rapidly and then reform.
* [[ThatManIsDead That Mare Is Dead]]: During their first confrontation, Celestia begs "Luna" to stop her rampage and lower the moon. Her sister responds with: "Luna? I am Nightmare Moon!"
* ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil: According to Lauren Faust, this is what Nightmare Moon's eternal night would have resulted in. Confirmed in the IDW comics as the goal of the Nightmare Forces.
* TranquilFury: Has a brief moment of this during her confrontation with Celestia, [[MenacingStroll striding calmly]] out of a cloud of smoke with sinister background music playing.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Could you believe someone as insane as she is used to be [[NiceGirl sweet]], [[SociallyAwkwardHero socially awkward]] Princess Luna?
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: An odd case as her introduction is the first episode before the SliceOfLife comedy format was set up.
* VocalEvolution: Her voice is somewhat deeper and more sinister in the pilot than she sounds as Princess Luna even after the princess returns to her full strength. In Nightmare Moon's other voiced appearances, her tone remains the same.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Takes on several different forms throughout the episode, including a thorn to enrage a Manticore and the Shadowbolts to tempt Rainbow Dash.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Was born from the jealousy and resentment Luna felt towards her sister when the ponies ignored her night and stayed awake during the day. Basically, she's driven by an urge to be as loved as her sister.
* YouDontLookLikeYou: Her official toy is relatively show-accurate, but she's given a purple mane. Justified, as a mane made of ''stars'' is pretty hard to translate into a RealLife sharable format.
* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Blue Mane]]: With a space pattern of stars flowing in it as well. Justified as she is a goddess.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Discord]]
[[quoteright:248:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/discord_by_bronyb34r-d4upxmc_-_copy_1744.png]]
[[caption-width-right:248:''"Priceless!"'']]
->''"[[EstablishingCharacterMoment 'Make sense'?]] [[WheresTheFunInThat Aww, what fun is there in making sense?]]"''
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 "The Return of Harmony - Part 1"]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JohnDeLancie
This dopey-looking but deceptively manipulative and sinister draconequus, a spirit of disharmony, once ruled Equestria in a reign of terror and chaos until Celestia and Luna discovered the Elements of Harmony and turned him into a statue for what they thought was forever. After 1000 years, he breaks free and sets out to tear the bonds of friendship between the Elements' new bearers to secure his eternal freedom. However, he underestimates the strength of their friendship and is promptly returned to his stony prison. He has since been freed and reformed by the Mane Cast (namely Fluttershy) after Princess Celestia found a more constructive use for his powers, but still manages to find ways to cause trouble.
* AchillesHeel: Only the Elements of Harmony are powerful enough to match him. In addition, his {{pride}} [[FatalFlaw can get the better of his judgment]] -- Discord is always convinced he's in complete control of a situation. For the most part he ''is'', but on the rare occasions when the situation proves him wrong, he's pretty easily toppled.
* TheAgeless: He states he's several eons old.
* AndIMustScream: According to him, he was fully aware of being a statue during his [[SealedEvilInACan imprisonment]]. This happens to him again after being beaten and resealed.
* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: The mane cast are given a big party in Canterlot celebrating his defeat, complete with a stained glass window depicting it.
* AnnoyingPatient: During most of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd "Three's a Crowd"]]. When he actually does become sick at the end he seems to be a bit less demanding, but that could either be because we don't see him that long, because he was intentionally being annoying as possible when faking it, or because Fluttershy is taking care of him now and he likes her enough that he doesn't want to drive her round the bend with unreasonable requests.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Discord is the spirit of chaos and disharmony. Fittingly enough, [[MixAndMatchCritters he is composed of bits and pieces from a lot of different creatures]].
* AntiHero: Has become this following his HeelFaceTurn. Most notably in the season four premiere, where he knows exactly what's going on but doesn't tell our heroes anything or help them. Then again, he doesn't hurt them, he points them in the right direction, and teaches ''Twilight'' a lesson about princesses and friendship, but he does it in the most offensive way possible. In short, he may be reformed, but he's still a {{Jerkass}}.
* ApologyGift: [[spoiler:When Twilight saves him from Tirek even after he betrayed them, Discord gives her the pendant Tirek tricked him with, but as a ''real'' sign of friendship this time. Him giving Princess Celestia flowers later on could also be this (and/or FlowersOfRomance for shippers).]]
* ArcVillain: Of "The Return of Harmony" two-parter, "Keep Calm and Flutter On", and retroactively, the "Princess Twilight" two-parter. [[On "Twilight's Kingdom" he's DemotedToDragon by Lord Tirek.]]
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking:
** He enjoys causing chaos in Equestria, {{Mind Rap|e}}ing the Mane Cast, and bringing chocolate rain to Ponyville.
** Brought up again in "Keep Calm and Flutter On" as the Mane Cast cite reasons to Celestia why they don't relish the idea of working with Discord, "Turning them into the opposite of their true nature", "Turning Ponyville into Chaos Central" and "Had Chocolate Rain with not a dollop of whipped cream to be found."
* {{Badass}}: Despite his [[EvilIsHammy flair for the dramatic]], and [[PsychopathicManchild extremely juvenile behavior]], he's an [[TheChessmaster incredibly competent schemer]], and easily [[TheOmnipotent one of the strongest characters that the show has seen thus far]].
* BadassFingerSnap: [[ActorAllusion Much like]] de Lancie's old role as [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]], he frequently snaps his fingers to appear nonchalant while [[RealityWarper warping reality]].
* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: He uses each of the Mane Cast's specific Element of Harmony against them: he tells Applejack the truth about them splitting up, but not how it happens; he laughs, first with, then at Pinkie Pie; he "generously" gives Rarity a giant (fake) diamond; he tries being overly kind to Fluttershy (but she's ''too'' nice -- he has to resort to MindRape); he tests Rainbow Dash's loyalty between home and the world; and, finally, breaks Twilight through her friends. However, ''both'' of his defeats are the result of being beaten using one of his own tactics (FlawExploitation in the first, [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation in his second]]).
* BecomingTheMask: Pretends to be reformed by Fluttershy to trick her, but after discovering she really ''does'' see him as her friend, he ultimately can't bring himself to do something that would destroy that friendship.
* BerserkButton: ''Winning'' against his mind games. In which case he will promptly [[MindControl cheat]] to win.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Discord might have a silly personality and appearance, but he's an extremely skilled ManipulativeBastard with [[RealityWarper reality-warping powers]] and is a ''lot'' more dangerous than said personality and appearance would imply. By the end of his ''first'' episode, he's done more damage than all the previously introduced villains combined. The Season 4 finale gives us a small glimpse of how he would handle a straight-up, (relatively) no-nonsense fight. [[spoiler:He has Tirek chained up in less than five seconds and would have solved the entire conflict had Tirek not been manipulative enough to (temporarily) persuade him to return to villainy.]]
* BigNo: He does this after getting blasted with the Elements of Harmony.
* BigOlEyebrows: Part of his silly appearance.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality:
** What "makes sense" to him doesn't make sense which ''does'' make sense. Confused yet?
** He honestly doesn't get the whole friendship thing until Fluttershy makes the LastSecondChance work.
** He attempts to claim some moral high ground by saying that for all the terrible things he did, at least he never turned ponies to stone. This may sound hypocritical until you realize that for an embodiment of chaos, being denied the freedom to move and act, and being completely under someone else's control, would be the most terrible fate imaginable. Whatever he did to any pony, at least they were able to act on it.
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:The "Twilight's Kingdom" 2-parter hits him with this. After betraying the Mane Six to Tirek and thinking he's found a new friend and gained the freedom to cause chaos, Tirek reveals that he was just using him and promptly drains his magic. He then [[KickTheDog twists the knife further]] in by telling him that the medallion he gave him was his brother's and it was worthless. The perpetually snarky and seemingly unflappable Discord is so thoroughly broken that he can't bring himself to even look at the gang, knowing full well that he royally screwed up.]]
* BreakThemByTalking: Combines this and MindControlEyes to brainwash the Mane Cast. Worth noting is he doesn't have to do this, as his supernatural mind control works just as well without it; [[ItAmusedMe he just gets a sick kick out of it]].
* BreathWeapon: In Creator/TheHub's {{Web Game|s}} ''VideoGame/AdventurePonies''. Confirmed to be able to breathe fire in canon as of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd "Three's a Crowd"]].
* TheBully: Removing the Mane Six's wings and horns looks like a bully taking someone's lunch money.
* ChangingClothesIsAFreeAction: As shown in his second appearance, he can don outfits at will.
* TheCaligula: His [[TheDarkTimes reign over Equestria]] was a time of madness and suffering, and he causes incredible mayhem once he takes over again.
* CardCarryingVillain: "Perhaps we haven't met. I'm Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony. Helloooo?"
* ChaosIsEvil: The Spirit of Chaos and one of the most vile beings in the series. He also represents disharmony, which is played up in his more evil actions.
* TheChessmaster: He pulls several very successful {{plan}}s during his "game" with the group.
* ClassicVillain: Fits all of the criteria as a {{Wrath}} and {{Pride}} villain.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: [[UpToEleven He makes Pinkie Pie look like a dullard]].[[note]]Literally. He turns her into a complete dullard.[[/note]] Fitting, considering he's the spirit of chaos and discord.
* CoolShades: Has green-framed ones in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 "The Return of Harmony - Part 1"]] and red-framed ones in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 "The Return of Harmony - Part 2"]]. Would count as SinisterShades, but he doesn't do anything particularly sinister while wearing either pair. He's also seen with 3D glasses in "Princess Twilight Sparkle".
* ColorCodedWizardry: [[spoiler:As revealed in the season 4 finale, Discord's is apparently colored purple plaid.]]
* TheCorrupter: He emotionally breaks the Mane Six, then brainwashes them into jerks.
* CouldSayItBut: In the Season 4 premiere, after the girls tell Twilight to go back to Ponyville against her wishes out of concern for her safety, Discord convinces her to go back to help them in his own... special way.
* CreepyCircusMusic: His {{Leitmotif}} incorporates a particularly sinister version of this.
* CryCute: In "Keep Calm and Flutter On" He sheds a SingleTear with PuppyDogEyes when he learned that Fluttershy does genuinely care for him as a friend and that he almost destroyed their friendship.
* CurbStompBattle: He gets the better of the Mane Six numerous times before they finally return the favor.
* CuteLittleFangs: He has one next to his creepier body parts; all part of the "disharmony" affect.
* CuttingTheKnot: After trying and failing to break [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Fluttershy]], he opts to straight-up hypnotize her.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy:
** After he's freed, he steals the only things that can defeat him, forces the Mane Cast into a game on his terms, and, just in case, separates and manipulates (both verbally and magically) all of them into utter disunity, leaving him free to do whatever he darn well pleases. [[DeathByGenreSavvy It doesn't last when he thinks he's completely won and gets complacent by]] [[DeathByGenreSavvy letting the Mane Cast beat him]].
** He's still remarkably genre-savvy in "Keep Calm and Flutter On", when, knowing that Celestia has proofed the Elements of Harmony against his magicks, he instead removes all the "reformation spells" from the books in Twilight's library, because that those haven't been protected by Celestia's magic and eats them, much to Fluttershy's bemusement.
** But subverted in "Twilight's Kingdom" when [[spoiler:he doesn't see Tirek's betrayal coming at all]]. He ''does'' consider the possibility but [[spoiler:then mistakenly starts to invest his trust in Tirek after he's granted the medallion]].
* TheDarkTimes: His rule before the time of the show is referred to as a time of endless suffering by Celestia.
* DeadpanSnarker: The single biggest one in the entire show. Given he doesn't appear in a whole lot of episodes, that's saying a lot.
* [[DeathByIrony Defeat by Irony]]: He uses the group's personality flaws and his knowledge that the Elements of Harmony won't work if their friendship is destroyed to [[BreakTheCutie break them]]. In the end, it's his own personality flaw -- being too prideful to believe they're a genuine threat to him -- combined with that knowledge that renders him incapable of realizing that the Elements of Harmony are working for real until it's far too late. His FatalFlaw was also what defeated him the first time, as he was too prideful to realize until it was too late that Celestia and Luna could actually defeat him now.
* DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler:Sells out Equestria to Tirek in exchange for complete freedom to do what he wants. However, not only does his guilt keep bothering him, [[EvilerThanThou Tirek stabs him in the back]].]]
* DefeatMeansFriendship:
** {{Defied|Trope}}; he sarcastically tells the Mane Six to "friend" him before they turn him back to stone.
** A variation in "Keep Calm and Flutter On". There he's defeated ''by'' friendship.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:After Tirek turned on Discord, the poor thing is utterly devastated by the fact that he backstabbed all of Equestria and possibly destroyed his friendships for absolutely nothing. When Tirek attempts a HostageForMacGuffin gambit, Discord is the only one not telling Twilight to not to fork over the Alicorn powers because he's crossed this line.]]
* DevelopmentGag: His name was originally going to be used for Nightmare Moon.
* DidntSeeThatComing:
** In his first appearance he plans for everything except two things: first, that Celestia will send Twilight Sparkle her letters back, breaking her out of her HeroicBSOD and pulling her back from the DespairEventHorizon; second, that Twilight will somehow free and reunite her friends and wield the Elements of Harmony against him. The first he couldn't see coming at all; the second he doesn't even consider a possibility.
** It's shown in "Princess Twilight Sparkle" that he didn't see the existence of the Elements of Harmony coming either.
** In "Keep Calm and Flutter On", his plan is to take advantage of Fluttershy's hospitality and kindness to drive a wedge between her and her friends, thus rendering the Elements of Harmony ineffective against him. However, while he fully expected Fluttershy to put up with his antics, he never expected her to genuinely like him and consider him a friend.
** He did not expect [[spoiler:Lord Tirek's betrayal]] in "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2".
* TheDreaded: When [[PhysicalGod Princess Celestia]] is genuinely intimidated by someone, they're truly a force to be reckoned with.
* DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans: His goal is nothing less than plunging Equestria into never-ending chaos for his own amusement. He's done this before, and Celestia's words imply it was far from pretty. That and the cries of pain in the background as she gives his back story tell you all you need to know.
* EasilyForgiven:
** Downplayed. Nopony forgives him except Fluttershy, and he had earn that by toning down his chaos and fixing a mess he made. Furthermore, Celestia decided to leave the Elements with their bearers, "just in case".
** [[spoiler:Played a lot straighter in "Twilight's Kingdom Part 2" when Twilight and the others still considers him a friend despite helping Tirek. Tirek and even Discord himself lampshade this, both wondering how they could possibly forgive him after what he pulled]].
* EmotionEater: It's implied that the Cutie Mark Crusaders fighting in front of his statue prison (creating discord) gives him enough power to break free.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
** When he appears in the stained glass windows, he demonstrates a sense of humor and mystery, as well as great knowledge of the Mane Cast.
** Can also double for his first appearance in person which begins with ominous music, storm clouds, and an evil laugh before melting back into daylight and him laughing at the frightened ponies like his arrival was a good prank.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
** Despite his [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy savviness]] and knowledge that the Elements run on ThePowerOfFriendship, he doesn't seem to realize there's more to it than that and just how difficult a bond it is to truly break. He assumes ThePowerOfFriendship could never overcome his brainwashing, and that the Mane Cast's friendship is destroyed beyond repair. As such, the one thing he doesn't prepare for is the heroines breaking free of it and activating the Elements.
** Ironically, it's finally understanding friendship that results in him doing a HeelFaceTurn.
* EvilCounterpart: To Princess Celestia. She is the current ruler of Equestria, has great magical powers and takes the well-being of her subjects seriously and values good relationships between them, but isn't above a little mischief. Discord, on the other hand, is the former ruler of Equestria and uses his powers to torment the ponies and break their friendships.
* EvilIsHammy: It's Creator/JohnDeLancie playing a much more malicious version of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]] as a cartoon dragon.
* EvilLaugh: He often mixes it with or switches it to an "Oh; that's just hilarious!" kind of laugh, but it's still undeniably evil. He's also capable of producing a very menacing one if he feels like it, such as when he's freed from his prison.
* EvilOverlord: Ruled Equestria over 1000 years ago. Celestia implies [[TheDarkTimes his rule]] was far from pretty. He becomes this again during his brief reign over Equestria after being freed.
* EvilPlan: Return Equestria to its former state as a world of endless chaos.
* EvilSoundsDeep: {{Averted|Trope}}; while Creator/JohnDeLancie does have a deep voice, he doesn't give Discord a commanding, threatening tone, but a [[SoftSpokenSadist jovial]], [[LaughablyEvil excited]], and [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic]] one, suiting his [[FauxAffablyEvil deceptive characterization]]. De Lancie has said his recordings are sped up to make Discord talk faster, resulting in his natural bass being lost. In his first appearance, there are instances where his voice drops to a more threatening, ominous tone, usually when he's doing something particularly malicious. However, follow his [[HeelFaceTurn reformation]], this aspect mostly disappears.
* ExactWords: Twists and turns are indeed his master plan, but he never says the Elements are in the maze. They are, however, "back where you began." Twilight finds them in her book on the Elements. Take a guess what the very first frame of the very first episode shows.
* {{Expy}}: Of ''Franchise/StarTrek''[='=]s Q, and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'''s Tzeench, the former admitted by WordOfGod. In later seasons he starts shapeshifting himself more often, including into pop cultural figures, making him similar to [[Disney/{{Aladdin}} the Genie]].
* ExtremeOmnivore: When he got a glass of chocolate milk, he drank the glass, then threw away the milk. [[MadeOfExplodium Which exploded]]. Confirmed in "Keep Calm and Flutter On", when he foils Twilight's plan to magically reform him by eating the pages to her spell books.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:In "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1". He turns back to face by the end of part 2, though.]]
* TheFairFolk: He doesn't look much like an old-school fairy, but he definitely has a lot of their more malevolent features. Despite possessing RealityWarper powers, he delights in playing mind games with the ponies as well as manipulating them into his power, even though he can just hypnotize them right off the bat. [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem He's also not above ignoring the rules he sets for others or ruthlessly undermining his game to suit his own ends]].
* FairPlayVillain: Poses as one, but subverted -- he sets up a game where he claims he'll allow the ponies to search the maze for the Elements of Harmony, then {{Mind Rape}}s them to make them loose, also knowing the Elements were never there anyway. Lampshaded when Twilight tells him he didn't play fair, and Discord replies [[CardCarryingVillain she's obviously forgotten he's the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony]].
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: [[spoiler:Is on both the giving and receiving ends of this in "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2". Though ultimately subverted in that being betrayed after his own betrayal of the Mane Six ultimately leads to him finally understanding the meaning of friendship and finally cementing his HeelFaceTurn.]]
* FashionableAsymmetry: See MadEye and MixAndMatchCritters.
* FatalFlaw: {{Pride}} -- he can't see a threat when it's staring him in the face and is confident he's in control of the situation. He sits down and lets the Mane Six activate the Elements of Harmony to petrify him, not realizing until it's too late that it's actually going to work, and a flashback to how Luna and Celestia beat him shows he just stood there and mocked them, which is why his original pose as a statue was one of laughter. [[spoiler:Bites him yet again in the Season 4 finale, when Tirek provokes a FaceHeelTurn by playing to his ego, convincing him that becoming friends with ponies has tamed him and he's too powerful to be reigned in by their ways.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: Discord treats the ordeal as a "game" and seems good-natured... then we see the absolute joy he takes in [[MoreThanMindControl manipulating]] and [[BreakTheCutie breaking]] the Mane Cast.
* FinalBoss: He's the boss of Level 6 of Creator/TheHub's {{Web Game|s}} ''VideoGame/AdventurePonies''.
* FisherKing: {{Justified|Trope}}, as he is a RealityWarper; under his rule, [[WorldGoneMad Equestria is every bit as chaotic and twisted as he is]]. He even spends his time atop a creepy-looking throne after taking over. The moment he's vanquished, a WorldHealingWave returns it to normal.
* FlawExploitation: His MO for [[BreakTheCutie breaking ponies]]. He loses thanks to the heroes taking advantage of ''[[EvilCannotComprehendGood his]]'' [[SmugSuper flaws]].
* ForgivenButNotForgotten: The Mane Six don't hesitate a second to accuse him of being behind the Everfree Forest overtaking Ponyville in "Princess Twilight Sparkle". Even Fluttershy isn't entirely willing to take him on his word that he's not responsible.
* ForTheEvulz: While he may do things because it amuses him, he's not above doing terrible things to achieve that goal. He clearly acknowledges morality as a thing, but true to the trope, he doesn't care about it in any way other than how he can exploit it for his own ends. [[spoiler:Subverted as of "Keep Calm and Flutter On", when he has a HeelRealization. After that, while still a {{Jerkass}}, his actions tend more towards ItAmusedMe than this trope.]]
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Among the four main antagonists, he's definitely the Sanguine.
* FriendlessBackground: Unsurprisingly, given his past as an EvilOverlord, but officially confirmed in his second appearance via FreudianSlip.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even after he claims to be reformed, no-one, [[FriendToAllLivingThings not even Fluttershy]], does more than tolerate him. This is because, even if he's not deliberately antagonistic anymore, he's still a mischievous {{Jerkass}}. In his case, he's kept around because he's too powerful for anyone to get rid of, and with maybe a little hope that he'll learn from everypony else's example and become less of a {{troll}}. As of the end of "Twilight's Kingdom", he seems to be gaining more acceptance.
* GodOfEvil: Closer to God of Chaos and Disharmony, but a much more literal example than Nightmare Moon. Not only is he truly evil, but [[RealityWarper his powers]] are far more god-like than hers were, and he claims to be several eons old.
* GodzillaThreshold: Celestia sends him, of all people, to recapture Tirek in the season 4 finale. [[spoiler:It backfires horribly, as not only does Discord betray them, but once Tirek has absorbed enough power even Discord is not immune to being drained of magic.]]
* GoodFeelsGood: Celestia tells him as much at the end of the second issue of ''Friends Forever'', which he spent trying to help the Cutie Mark Crusaders get their cutie marks.
* GoodIsBoring: Considers harmony and good to be no fun; disharmony and broken friendships are hilarious! Though he still seems to enjoy himself doing (somewhat) good deeds in "Princess Twilight Sparkle". [[spoiler:Tirek uses this to convince him to FaceHeelTurn.]]
* GoodIsNotNice: Yes, Discord is officially reformed, but he's still a bit of a jerk as he makes snide remarks at the oddest or most inappropriate times. Also, despite knowing full well the Everfree ordeal was his fault, he refuses to help and leaves the gang to figure it out for themselves. Spike sums him up best.
-->'''Spike:''' Discord's reformed, but he's not ''that'' reformed.
* GoodWingsEvilWings: Has mixed angelic (pegasus) and demonic (bat) wings, one of the more sinister types.
* GoOutWithASmile: Certainly did so when Celestia and Luna sealed him away a thousand years ago, as he's got a big open-mouthed smile when Cheerilee's class looks at the statue. Does not do so when the Mane Six seal him away. [[spoiler:We see this later on and find out he was laughing because [[DidntSeeThatComing he didn't realize they were a threat to him at all until the Elements had already turned him to stone.]]]]
* GracefulLoser: "Well played, Fluttershy. Well played."
* GreatGazoo: Has some features of a GreatGazoo and TheFairFolk (above). However, he is far more evil than the typical version of this trope.
* GreenThumb: [[spoiler:Has seeds called Plunderseeds that grow into large vines that feed on magic. They would end up causing trouble long after he was sealed.]]
* HatePlague: One of his abilities is breaking friendships.
* TheHedonist: He lives for self-gratifying pleasure. Kind of a given, since he embodies chaos.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: [[spoiler:Heel in the season 2 premiere, turns to Face in mid season 3. Fluctuates between heel and face throughout 4, goes to Heel in "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1" and goes back to and seems to stay at Face in Part 2.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: Undergoes one in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E11KeepCalmAndFlutterOn "Keep Calm and Flutter On"]], [[spoiler:and again in "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2"]]
* HeelRealization:
** "I guess when you're friends, you can't always have things exactly your way all of the time."
** [[spoiler:He has a bigger one in "Twilight's Kingdom" when Tirek tricks him into betraying Fluttershy and Equestria. While he shows signs of second thoughts the entire time, it truly hits home when [[FalseFriend Tirek]] stabs him in the back... just like he did to Fluttershy. As he puts it, he had both magic ''and'' friendship, and now has neither because he sold out his friendship.]]
* HeroWithBadPublicity: [[spoiler:Downplayed by the end of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E11KeepCalmAndFlutterOn "Keep Calm and Flutter On"]] in the sense that while he has ultimately pledged that he'll use his powers for good, everyone except Fluttershy is still understandably cautious toward him. Especially shown in "Princess Twilight Sparkle" where everyone but Fluttershy suspects that Discord had something to do with the Everfree Forest invading. Turns out they were right, just not in the way they were expecting.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
** He lets them find the Elements of Harmony, knowing they can't use them since he has destroyed their friendship at this point and allows them a "free shot" at him, aware it will fail. He tries to repeat this a second time, only to realize too late that their friendship is back together. Heck, Applejack tells him this, but since he turned her into a liar, he doesn't believe her because he thinks she's still lying.
** It happens again in "Three's a Crowd", when he gets Twilight and Cadance to travel to the edge of Equestria to fight a giant worm and get a magical flower to cure his sickness. [[spoiler:Turns out he was faking the sickness to mess with them, but mere moments after he reveals his ruse, the worm that Twilight and Cadance had fought re-emerges and sneezes on him, making him sick for real.]]
* HumiliationConga: After thinking he's attained total control of the world and considering the Mane Cast to be no more than an amusing distraction, he watches in shock as those same six completely obliterate his EvilPlan, [[WorldHealingWave return Ponyville to normal]], and [[TakenForGranite turn him back to stone]] with an OhCrap look frozen on his face -- all in the span of less than a minute.
* HypnoticEyes: What he uses to brainwash the Mane Six.
* IGaveMyWord: [[spoiler:Promised Fluttershy that he'd lay off the chaos for their friendship, and even once the Elements are gone, he keeps it.]]
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: He tries this on multiple occasions with the Mane Six, particularly Twilight Sparkle.
* IJustWantToHaveFriends:
** At the end of "Keep Calm and Flutter On" this is the main reason why he's upset when Fluttershy says that she doesn't want to be his friend. Luckily, he wins her over in the end but he didn't know or care he felt this way until he actually had a friend to lose.
** Seen even more in "Princess Twilight Sparkle," where Fluttershy is able to talk him out of his old tricks after the Elements are lost, meaning that losing her friendship is literally the ONLY thing keeping him in check.
* IMeantToDoThat: His TricksterMentor moments are plainly this. When the Mane Six learn friendship lessons, they do so in spite of Discord, not because of him, but he has no problem with taking credit for it.
* TheImp: Following his HeelFaceTurn. He's actually a lot like [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Mr. Mxyzptlk]] now as he is still quite the Troll, just no longer malicious thanks to a new sense of honor.
* IntergenerationalFriendship:
** [[spoiler:With Fluttershy by the end of his second appearance.]]
** And again with [[spoiler:Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo as of ''Friends Forever #2''.]]
* ItAmusedMe: The main reason he toys with the Mane Six before he corrupts them. Also, the chaos he spreads is less malicious than breaking their friendship.
* ItsAllAboutMe: "It's all about my lulz" is more accurate, but the principle is still the same. [[spoiler:The biggest part of his character development in his second appearance, is learning that having friends means it isn't always about himself.]]
* JackassGenie: His SadisticChoice to Rainbow Dash: either watch the foundations of her home crumble without her, or continue wandering aimlessly in his labyrinth. However, [[ExactWords he never says which choice is right, or that]] [[ExactWords Cloudsdale]] [[ExactWords is the home that would crumble without her]]. Rainbow goes to save Cloudsdale, letting Discord have his way with Equestria, paying special attention to Rainbow's new home of Ponyville, his "chaos capital of the world".
* {{Jerkass God|s}}: He's the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. However, he is more than a plain old {{Jerkass}}. [[spoiler:Even after reforming, he's mischievous at best.]]
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** {{Subverted|Trope}} when he tries to call Princess Celestia out on turning him into stone in front of the Mane Six. He only avoided things like that because it wouldn't be any fun for him.
** Played straight in the season 4 premiere, when Twilight has returned to Ponyville without her friends, because they feel that with Celestia and Luna gone, Equestria can't afford to lose another princess. Discord needles her about it, and Twilight runs off angrily to rejoin her friends.
** Shown again in "Three's a Crowd" after Twilight learns Discord faked his illness; he says he did that to test if she really saw him as a friend. Whether or not he lied about his reason, he's right that Twilight has never proved she sees him as a friend.
* JerkassRealization: In "Twilight's Kingdom" [[spoiler:he sells out all of Equestria to Tirek after being tempted with a promise of power and ruling over it. Unfortunately for Discord, Tirek, being a full-blown villain, betrays him and absorbs his magic once he felt the now fallen Chaos Lord outlived his usefulness. That made Discord realize how much of a jerkass he's been and that he betrayed his real friends for nothing]].
* {{Jerk with a|HeartOfGold}} HiddenHeartOfGold
** After his reformation, he still finds amusement in trolling the ponies. Though, he's also helpful in his own twisted way when he teases Twilight about her leaving her friends just because she's now a princess and not revealing until the end that he was the one behind the Plunder Seeds invading Ponyville.
** Likewise, though he is willing to play tricks on the other ponies, he still keeps his promise to Fluttershy not to cause too much trouble since he still values her friendship.
** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd "Three's a Crowd"]], he speaks highly of Fluttershy (when she's not around to hear it) and reveals that they've been writing letters to each other.
** [[spoiler:He has several flashes of guilt for his betrayal of the ponies in "Twilight's Kingdom" and is flat-out remorseful when he makes another HeelFaceTurn, not even believing he's worth being shown friendship anymore.]]
* JustToyingWithThem: Since he's more powerful than anyone else, obviously it would be boring to use those powers straightforwardly to beat them.
* KansasCityShuffle: The hint he gives is "Twists and turns are my master plan, then find the Elements back where you began", causing the Mane Cast to search the maze for them... [[ExactWords except he never says the Elements are in it]]; it's just a ploy to lure them into his trap.
* {{Keet}}: A more malevolent and manipulative example than most, but there's times where he lives up to this.
* KickTheDog: Often. The best example is in "The Return of Harmony - Part 2", when he gives a BigYes[=/=]VictoryPose after [[BreakTheCutie realizing he's broken Twilight Sparkle]].
* KickTheMoralityPet: [[spoiler:Fluttershy is saddened by his betrayal.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: Though he has many humorous qualities, there's a reason Celestia is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness serious around him]].
* KryptoniteFactor:
** The Elements of Harmony.
** Also, he's shown to be vulnerable to the Tatzlwurm's disease.
* LackOfEmpathy:
** His reaction to Twilight crossing the DespairEventHorizon? To give a BigYes and celebrate.
** Ultimately inverted during his second appearance, though it takes a lot for him to realize what it means to care for someone else.
* LaughablyEvil: He's fun to watch, that's for sure, but he's more like SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker in this respect, as it just makes him more creepy and disturbing.
* LeanAndMean: His main body is serpentine and he is jerkass.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: His riddle is "Twists and turns are my master plan; then find the Elements back where you began". Where do they find the Elements? In the reference guide which was the very first thing we saw in the very first episode, literally back where the series began.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6afMTdh8gs Can be heard here]].
* LightIsNotGood: Much of his reality warping and teleportation are accompanied by a bright light. Somewhat subverted when he turns good, but he's still a {{Jerkass}}.
* MadEye: One of them is sized differently and more deranged than the other.
* MadGod: He even provides the page image; did you expect the spirit of chaos to be sane?
* ManChild: After his HeelFaceTurn, the psychopathic part slowly fades away, but he's still dangerous and childish.
* ManipulativeBastard:
** Tricks the Mane Six to go on a (fruitless) search for the Elements of Harmony, separates them, and uses trickery and magic to turn them into the opposite of their personality, thus making the elements useless against him. Fortunately for everyone but him, he fails to account for [[SpannerInTheWorks Princess Celestia and Twilight's friendship letters]].
** In "Keep Calm and Flutter On", his new Master Plan is to pretend he's reforming so that Fluttershy wouldn't agree to use the Elements against him. At the end of the episode, he makes Fluttershy promise she wouldn't use her Element and drops all pretense entirely, certain that she will keep her word. Ironically, his new SpannerInTheWorks is... himself, as he realizes friendship is more important to him than he had given it credit for.
** [[spoiler:It gets inverted in "Twilight's Kingdom" where he's for once on the receiving end of this from Tirek.]]
* MasterOfIllusion: A rare example of this trope overlapping with RealityWarper; his method of corrupting Rarity is closer to an illusion than true RealityWarping.
* MeaningfulName: The polar opposite of harmony, to be specific.
* MindScrew: How he corrupts four of the Elements; he messes with their heads.
* MixAndMatchCritters: He is truly a chimera. To further cement that he is chaos incarnate, Discord looks generally like an Eastern dragon, but with the head of a goat (not a pony as Cheerilee would have you believe), one goat horn, one stag horn, one fang, the tongue of a snake, the mane of a horse, a snake-like torso covered with eagle feathers, one eagle talon, one lion paw, one bat wing, one bird wing, one green dragon leg, one horse leg, and a red dragon tail. Even his species name is a combination of "dragon" and "horse".[[note]]Presumably "draconequuscervuscaperleonaquilalacertavespertilioserpens" would have been a bit too long.[[/note]]
* MoralityPet: Fluttershy becomes this to him during his second appearance, by virtue of her being the first real friend he ever made. In the end, he can't bring himself to throw Equestria into chaos again knowing it'd cost him her friendship. At least, not until Tirek convinces Discord he can have it both ways by becoming friends with him.
* MoralityChain: In "Princess Twilight Sparkle" the Mane Six have to give up the Elements of Harmony to save the day. When Discord hears this, the tone of his voice implies "No one can stop me now..." Except Fluttershy. She immediately tells him to stop thinking like an EvilOverlord and help them clean up, which he does. [[spoiler:Although it ends up not being enough to stop him from being talked into aiding Tirek.]]
* MoralMyopia: Has absolutely no qualms about sadistically torturing innocent ponies mentally and physically, turning all of Equestria into a WorldGoneMad, [[DrivenToMadness driving everypony insane]], and generally doing whatever [[ItAmusedMe he wants to for his own amusement]] with no sense of morality... but gives Celestia a WhatTheHellHero for turning him to stone for the aforementioned acts.
* MorphicResonance: He can take many shapes on a whim, but he often retains some aspect of his true Draconequus form, notably his antlers, lopsided tooth and yellow/red eyes, or some aspect of his FashionableAsymmetry, if only with the color theme. In the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1"]], it is downplayed when turned into a stallion, as it would give him away, but he still keeps the overall color scheme of his head (including that of his blue antler for the unicorn horn).
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** When he realizes he truly does value Fluttershy as his friend and just alienated her with his actions.
** [[spoiler: Ultimately feels this way about betraying Equestria to Tirek, when he realizes that Tirek was never really his friend at all.]]
* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: He has the power to sense magical disturbances in Equestria.
* {{Narcissist}}: He seems to love his own image, as seen with the "repaired" lamp or the altered glass windows.
-->'''Discord:''' Congratulations. You've found the one thing in Equestria that can match my face for sheer beauty.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: When Twilight Sparkle complains about the hedge maze being taken away, he corrects her error in reasoning by proving he never said the Elements were in the maze, instead of keeping quiet and letting her continue to believe they've already lost because of his cheating. He is completely aware of this and never lets Twilight know that the Elements won't work if the team isn't completely united. In fact, he was banking on their failure increasing their despair to the point where it will drive them apart permanently, thus granting him long-term security from the only viable threat to his power. [[ZigZaggedTrope It still comes back to bite him]], as the Elements are ultimately used to defeat him later on.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Tends to often slither up against the Mane Six and press his face against theirs, and also tends to caress their muzzles and sometimes wraps his body around them.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: At first, he only seems mischievous by doing things like making cotton candy clouds that produce chocolate rain. Then he steals the Elements of Harmony, and things [[FromBadToWorse just get worse from there]].
* NotMeThisTime: In "Princess Twilight Sparkle", everyone but Fluttershy immediately suspects that he was behind the Everfree ordeal. Discord immediately denies having anything to do with it. [[spoiler:This is ultimately subverted at the end when he accidentally reveals that he was the cause of it... [[UnintentionalBackupPlan just much later than intended]].]]
* OddFriendship:
** The first pony he ever befriends? Fluttershy.
** Has this with the CMC in the comics, although he acts like a child and they can cause a lot of chaos.
* OddNameOut: Of the BigBad level villains, he's the only one with a one-word name.
* OhCrap: He gets that very look just before the Elements of Harmony hit him full force.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler:After going through a ''brutal'' BreakTheHaughty moment by Tirek's betrayal, Discord's tone of voice loses the snide haughtiness it once held, showing that he's genuinely remorseful for his actions this time.]]
* OrderVsChaos: This is his conflict with the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. However, it's more Harmony vs. Disharmony, harmony in this case being more compromise and working together while disharmony is self-centered and breeds strife and hatred between them. Discord, obviously, is disharmony incarnate.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: His species name is draconequus and, while he's more of a chimera, he seems to be at least partly modeled off an eastern dragon. His left leg and part of his tail also seem to be those of a dragon.
* PassThePopcorn: At the beginning of "The Return of Harmony - Part 2", he finds the sight of Twilight's bickering friends to be so entertaining that he gets a movie theater seat with a bag of popcorn to properly enjoy the show. He does it again during the season 4 premiere while Ponyville is being overrun by the Everfree Forest.
* PhysicalGod: Is all but directly said to be one, only ever being referred to as a "spirit", but his incredible reality warping powers make him the most powerful force seen in the G4 franchise short of the Elements of Harmony. Among his other powers, he's strong enough to break Celestia's magical barriers, overrides both sisters to control the sun and moon himself, can shapeshift and teleport, can create copies of himself, can create impressive illusions, and based on a vision he shows Twilight of the previous episode in Part 2 of "The Return of Harmony", he may be able to time travel to a limited degree.
* PlayingSick: During [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd "Three's a Crowd"]]; he was faking to "test" Twilight's friendship.
* PlayingWithPuppets: Discord's favorite trick. If you look at the windows in the Equestrian palace as Princess Celestia talks about Discord, Fluttershy sees one of them with an image of Discord [[PeoplePuppets holding ponies up with puppet strings screaming over a pit of fire.]] [[spoiler:Look at the same window after he's helped Tirek banish the first three alicorn princesses and has begun re-making the windows. The "three tribe" ponies have been replaced with the three alicorn princesses.]]
* PokeThePoodle: In comparison to all the harm he inflicted on the Mane Six in "The Return of Harmony", his actions in "Keep Calm and Flutter On" are somewhat tame. Justified because if he went to the big stuff the Mane Six would petrify him again. Also, if he did any ''major'' puppy-kicking, he probably would have come off as too EasilyForgiven at the end.
* PowerOfHate: He is pretty much the antithesis of the Elements of Harmony, which run on the PowerOfFriendship. As such, he's able to get stronger from strife and fighting between ponies. The Cutie Mark Crusaders getting into a fight in front of him is what grants him enough strength to break free from his weakening stone prison. Though some have theorized that the Crusaders' fight was not a cause but a consequence of Discord's impending breakout, and that they were in truth his first victims. Whatever the case, Discord thrives off hate magic, using it to undermine ThePowerOfFriendship.
* PragmaticVillainy: Unlike a certain princess, he doesn't turn ponies into stone! This has nothing to do with morals; he's "chaos", and chaos is "active", so turning ponies to stone is just too boring.
* ThePrankster: When he's not [[BreakTheCutie breaking ponies]] or [[DrivenToMadness driving them insane]] he's making unruly clouds and chocolate rain.
* {{Pride}}: His FatalFlaw; see DeathByIrony.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Very very sneaky, but check the window of Fluttershy's cottage during her "Sharing Kindness" line in the theme song of the Season 4 opening.
* PsychopathicManChild: While he's aware of his actions and [[MoreThanMindControl how]] [[DrivenToMadness horrific]] [[BreakTheCutie they are]], he has nothing better to do than have whimsical and nonsensical fun at the expense of other characters, no real business to take care of, and no compassion for the beings he's toying with to restrain him.
* PsychoticSmirk: His default expression.
* PuppyDogEyes: His use is split evenly between sarcastic and genuine.
* RageQuit: His reaction to Fluttershy beating his mind games is cease the mind games and outright brainwash her.
* RealityWarper: He can do just about anything. For instance, he holds out a glass under a [[ItMakesSenseInContext cotton-candy cloud that rains chocolate milk]], and it fills up from [[ToonPhysics top to bottom]] rather than bottom to top. He then proceeds to drink the glass. Not the milk; [[SurrealHumor the glass itself]]. He then throws the milk over his shoulder and it [[StuffBlowingUp explodes]]. He's a crazy one, that Discord.
* RealMenWearPink: He carries a pink umbrella and at one point wears a pink robe. There's also his pink cotton candy clouds. Plus when he remakes a broken lamp in his image, it's wearing a pink tutu.
* RecruitingTheCriminal: See GodzillaThreshold.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: His eyes are red, and there's hardly a minute goes by he's not doing something evil, or at least troublesome.
* ReformedButNotTamed: Despite his HeelFaceTurn at the end of "Keep Calm and Flutter On", his mischievous streak is still intact, and he's not above pulling the occasional prank or voicing his amusement at whatever chaos befalls Ponyville without his direct input.
* RedRightHand: Anyone made up of [[ThirteenIsUnlucky thirteen different]] [[MixAndMatchCritter creatures]] has to be evil.
* RememberTheNewGuy: {{Inverted|Trope}}. Because his [[TheDarkTimes reign]] over Equestria was such a time of suffering, and Celestia and Luna battled him to become rulers themselves, there is no reason that the general Equestrian public shouldn't have a basic idea of him, but nopony except Celestia and Luna have any idea of his existence, not even Twilight, who is very well-versed in history. This is most likely a case of LegendFadesToMyth since his reign was both very long ago and he himself is more of a primal force of nature than even Celestia and Luna.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: He is part dragon after all. He also moves quite snakelike at times.
* RhymesOnADime: Not as often as Zecora, mind you, but loves handing out torturous riddles. He normally sounds far more menacing while doing so as well.
* RiddleMeThis: Varies between this and conventional challenges.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: He's right for calling out Princess Celestia for turning him to stone, considering that he had never done that to anypony in the past, but it isn't because he was a decent ruler or even because he thinks it's cruel; it's because having a kingdom of stone subjects would be too boring for him.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers / ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: See BerserkButton and VillainousBreakdown.
-->''Discord:''' [[SarcasmMode I'm not playing fair? Perhaps we haven't met]]. [[LampshadeHanging I'm Discord: spirit of chaos and disharmony. Helloooooooo!]]
* SealedEvilInACan: Discord had been [[TakenForGranite imprisoned in a stone statue]] by Celestia and Luna since ancient times for the suffering his rule brought everyone in Equestria. The Cutie Mark Crusaders release him by [[NiceJobBreakingItHero creating discord (fighting) in front of it]], giving him the power to break free from his weakened prison. He's put back in his can at the end of Part 2. The Mane Six eventually release him and [[HeelFaceTurn reform him]].
* ShutUpKirk: Right after Celestia has explained how horrible things used to be thanks to Discord, he reveals himself and they have this little exchange:
-->'''Celestia:''' Discord! Show yourself!\\
'''Discord:''' (''chuckling'') Did you miss me, Celestia? I missed you. It's quite lonely being encased in stone. But you wouldn't know that, would you, because I don't turn ponies into stone!
* ASinisterClue: He tends to favor the eagle talon he has for a left arm when snapping or holding things.
* SissyVillain: He shows some feminine traits, such as crossdressing.
* SlasherSmile: He briefly sports one when he finally decides to directly engage the newly bonded Mane Cast with his magic.
* SmugSnake: Zig-zags between this and MagnificentBastard. Granted, his plan to deal with the Elements of Harmony is a genuinely well thought-out one, and he's quite effective and cunning in achieving his goal. However, he quickly grows complacent as soon as he thinks he's won, and refuses to take Twilight and her friends seriously until it's too late for him.
* SmugSmiler:
** Outside of his [[RageQuit reaction to Fluttershy withstanding his taunts]] and his [[OhCrap reaction to the Mane Six reactivating the Elements of Harmony]], Discord has two smiles that function as his standard facial expressions: the first is the aforementioned "psychotic" one that appears anytime he [[MagnificentBastard successfully tricks someone into doing something]]; the second is the silly grin that appears anytime he [[LaughablyEvil does something particularly outlandish]]. The contrast between the two is quite unsettling.
** "Keep Calm and Flutter On" features him finally giving a genuine, non-malicious smile. It's [[WhenSheSmiles adorable]].
* SmugSuper: Since he's [[TheOmnipotent far more powerful than anyone in the series]], he doesn't see anyone as a threat and tends to see everything as a game. The fact that he he never takes Twilight and her friends seriously eventually leads to his undoing. It also lead to his defeat in ancient times. He was so sure of himself he didn't even make a move to fight Celestia and Luna when they showed up, resulting in them turning him to stone with the Elements.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The spelling of the name of his species, draconequus, has been mangled by both Creator/TheHub's web site (Dragonokis) and the closed captioning (draconequis). WordOfGod is [[http://comments.deviantart.com/4/1603670/2203256913 clear on the subject]], though, and his [[http://chimicherrychanga.com/img/tc/32b.jpg trading card]] and a [[https://twitter.com/MyLittlePony/status/270990341333725184 tweet]] by Hasbro's ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' Website/{{Twitter}} account both use the correct spelling.
* TheSociopath: He doesn't care who or what he hurts so long as it's entertaining to him. He's also sadistic and quite the ManipulativeBastard. Although he dials it down after Fluttershy befriends him.
* StalkerWithoutACrush: Towards the Mane Six themselves, but more so towards Twilight.
* SuperpowerLottery: He takes home the [[RealityWarper grand]] [[TheOmnipotent prize]] as far as characters in this show go.
* SuperStrength: At one point, he uproots a tree with his bare claws like it was nothing. (While pretending to be ill and [[HypocriticalHumor "unable to lift a spoon"]].)
* SurrealHumor: Thrives on it. This is why he turns Ponyville into Wonderland.
* SweetTooth: He sure likes to make sweet and tasty food while he's causing chaos.
* SympathyForTheDevil: [[spoiler:The Mane Six are genuinely horrified when Tirek betrays Discord and drains his magic. Even Applejack, who had the most reason to want to punch the guy for the crap he pulled, had no biting sarcasm when she asked him if he saw that coming.]]
* TakenForGranite: What the power of the Elements of Harmony does to him.
* TarotMotifs: A stained-glass window of Discord has him hanging tied-up ponies over a pit of fire, bringing to mind the Devil card.
* ThisCannotBe: His reaction when the Elements of Harmony are activated after being so certain he's completely broken the Mane Six's friendship.
* TimeAbyss: Possibly. All we know is that he was imprisoned by the Elements of Harmony some time before Nightmare Moon appeared a thousand years ago. He states that he's "eons" old; in astronomy and geology, an eon is half a billion years or more, but immortal beings in fiction use the word much more loosely.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Post HeelFaceTurn. He's not evil anymore, but he's still a mischievous {{Troll}} who only helps out when and if he feels like it, and the cast aside from Fluttershy don't trust him. [[spoiler:"Twilight's Kingdom" then deconstructs this -- turns out when you team up with a former villain with nothing to ensure his cooperation but the honor system, ThePowerOfFriendship can only do so much. Now that he's truly learned how valuable friendship has become to him, he seems to look at subverting this trope and becoming genuinely good]].
* TooCleverByHalf: He is well aware he's an omnipotent RealityWarper and never views anyone as much of a threat to him as a result, not even the Mane Cast. This is ultimately his downfall. He's so confident he's broken up the Mane Cast, he never considers they'd be able to regroup and truly use the Elements of Harmony against him.
* TookALevelInKindness: By the end of his second appearance, he finally realizes what it means to care about someone else. [[spoiler:Takes another one at the end of "Twilight's Kingdom", having learned an even bigger lesson in friendship.]]
* TooPowerfulToLive: Given that [[StoryBreakerPower his]] [[RealityWarper powers]] make him [[TheOmnipotent stronger than every character in the series we've seen thus far]], there's no way that he could stick around without the series [[DownerEnding ending on a downbeat note]]. At least until his HeelFaceTurn, but even then his appearances in the show are sparringly at best. After all, the plot would end in seconds if he was free to run around.
* {{Touche}}: "Well played, Fluttershy, well played."
* TheTrickster: Discord treats his fight with the Mane Cast as a game and enjoys messing with their heads. He laughs at the shock [[BroughtDownToNormal taking away their wings and horns]] causes them. Unlike some other tricksters, he also has a more malicious aspect which is barely hidden beneath the surface.
* TricksterMentor: Seems to fancy himself something like this by the end of the season 4 premiere: He knew all along what was causing the Everfree Forest to run wild, but kept silent because he didn't want to "rob Twilight of an important lesson about being a princess." He is also the one who suggests they speak to Zecora for guidance, and convinces Twilight to return to her friends, albeit by insinuating her new title has gone to her head; see JerkassHasAPoint above. [[spoiler:He also guides Twilight to focus on opening the Tree of Harmony chest while at the same time, bookmarks certain sections of the Mane Six's Friendship Journal pertaining to five of the keys]].
* {{Troll}}: From the first line of dialogue he speaks, he makes it clear that he has fun messing with ponies just for the fun of doing it. In Season 4, even when he's on their side, he still goes out of his way to annoy them for the lulz.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Due to [[RealityWarper his power]], he views everyone as amusing distractions at best, blinding him to the fact they potentially could beat him. This becomes his undoing, as he counts Celestia and the Mane Six out far too early and refuses to treat them as a threat afterwards. He also [[spoiler:seriously underestimated what Tirek was capable of.]]
* VillainDecay: While he is still as powerful as he was in his premiere, Discord's evil has been downplayed since season 3 because of his MoralityChain. [[spoiler:Tirek pointing this out to him is the motivation for Discord's FaceHeelTurn to try and reclaim his former glory, but he has reformed more than he realizes and just doesn't have it in him anymore.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: Twice. First he throws a hissy fit when Fluttershy doesn't give into his mind games. [[OhCrap Then he goes from cocky to terrified when he realizes the Elements of Harmony are working again]] after he becomes so certain he's broken the Mane Six's bond.
* VillainousBSOD: Undergoes a brief one in "Keep Calm and Flutter On" after realizing how much he's come to care about having a friend.
* VillainTeleportation: Utilizes this more often than walking; it goes well with his lack of personal space to teleport in someone's face.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Is capable of transforming into anything he desires, though he seems incapable of hiding some of his traits such as his horns.
* WackyGuy: Albeit one [[{{Jerkass}} more actively malicious]] than most, but he's certainly wacky.
* WasItReallyWorthIt:
** Does this to ''himself'' by asking Fluttershy if she thought he'd think his WorldOfChaos wasn't worth losing their friendship. To everyone's surprise, including his own, he discovers it really wasn't.
** Happens again in "Twilight's Kingdom." His expressions constantly show that [[spoiler:he's not sure whether selling out Equestria to Tirek to be fully free was actually worth it or not.]] In the end [[spoiler:he decides it ''wasn't'' worth it. At ALL. And now his mistake has cost him everything he had.]]
* [[WhenSheSmiles When He Smiles]]: Normally he's a creepy unnatural MadGod, but when he honestly smiles at the end of "Keep Calm and Flutter On" and "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2" he suddenly turns into an adorable UglyCute puppy.
* WheresTheFunInThat: "What fun is there in making sense?"
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: He's a JerkassGod with white hair. Eventually the ponies find there's [[HiddenHeartOfGold there's some gold buried in that black heart of his]].
* WingsDoNothing: Although he does flap his mismatched wings when flying, they are ridiculously small compared to his body mass, and it's likely he couldn't fly at all without his RealityWarper powers. [[spoiler:Indeed, once drained of magic by Tirek, he keeps to the ground.]]
* WorldGoneMad / WorldOfChaos: He's the Spirit of Disharmony; what else would he turn Equestria into?
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Gives one to Fluttershy and the others in "Twilight's Kingdom" after [[spoiler: being betrayed by Tirek and rescued by Twilight.]]
-->'''Discord:''' [[spoiler:Oh but you are, Fluttershy. You're the pony that taught me that Friendship is Magic. I had friendship ''and'' magic, but now I don't have either.]]
* [[WouldHitAGirl Would Hit a Mare]]: He has no problem picking up Twilight Sparkle and dropping her, or abrasively tapping Fluttershy on the head when she resists his taunts to make her angry.
* YellowEyesOfSneakiness: Combined with his [[RedEyesTakeWarning red irises]], this marks him as particularly mischievous.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Queen Chrysalis and the Changelings]]
!!Shared Tropes:
* AnimalisticAbomination: They look like a twisted insect/pony with hooves full of holes. Chrysalis specifically has an alicorn build to reflect her status.
* AlienInvasion: Their attack could be viewed as such: Nopony [[OutsideContextVillain saw it coming]] and they're different from the other threats faced so far. Chrysalis also mentions that "Equestria has the most love" of any place she's encountered, implying that they're [[HordeOfAlienLocusts migratory]].
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: As far as we know, the entire changeling civilization moves from country to country to impersonate and steal love from the local populace.
* BeePeople: Indicated to be this as they follow a single, larger queen without question, attack in a swarm, and encase ponies in a kind of mucus membrane.
* BodyHorror: They have holes all over their body, giving them a kind of a moth-eaten appearance. There is no blood, just... holes... like partially decomposed corpses.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: They view love as nothing more than a source of nourishment and power.
* BugBuzz: Emitted when they fly. It's unnerving.
* ColorCodedWizardry: Whenever they use magic or shapeshift, it's always green.
* DarkIsEvil: They have black bodies and plain old evil.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Some fans have drawn comparisons between the changelings and the Borg of ''Series/{{Star Trek|TheNextGeneration}}'' fame. Similarities include their black/sickly green color scheme, invading en-masse, and being led by a single queen.
* EmotionEater: They feed off of love which makes it difficult for them to genuinely attain since they look monsterous and are evil at heart. Fortunately they can shapeshift so they can just steal the love that was original intended for the one they are mimicking.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Love especially. They see it merely as food.
* EvilIsBurningHot: Whenever they shapeshift their bodies are immolated in green flames, burning off their original form to that of the pony they are attempting to mimic and vice versa.
* TheFairFolk: A whole race of ShapeShifting {{Emotion Eater}}s. Though departing from this trope, they're not dangerous individually.
* FangsAreEvil: Goes with the vampiric theme the Changelings have going on.
* {{Flight}}: With their insectile wings. They can also still fly when changed into pegasus or alicorn.
* FourLeggedInsect: Just so that they retain their pony-like appearance.
* GoodPowersBadPeople: For a race whose powers are fueled by love, they're pretty callous towards others.
* HornyDevils: They're G-rated versions of the classical incubi and succubi, grotesque monsters that impersonate a pony's loved ones in order to feed on their life force.
* LackOfEmpathy: For beings that [[EmotionEater feeds off of]] [[ThePowerOfLove love]], they have a major lack of compassion. [[BlueAndOrangeMorality To them, compassion is food]].
* MasterOfIllusion: You won't be able to spot them by appearance alone since they can mimic a pony's appearance perfectly.
* MixAndMatchCritters: They are a mix of a winged insect (specifically a fly and/or a beetle) and an alicorn pony.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: They are a [[EmotionEater love]]-[[VampiricDraining sucking]], ShapeShifting, insectoid, alicorn incubi/succubi.
* ObviouslyEvil: Let's see, [[DarkIsEvil dark coloring]], [[FangsAreEvil fangs]], [[BodyHorror holes everywhere]], [[LeanAndMean very skinny]], [[SicklyGreenGlow sickly green magic]] and [[GoodEyesEvilEyes creepy eyes]] and they have a ''[[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queen]]'' [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking to boot]]!
* PlayingWithFire: Their magic usually involves green flames if not green glows or energy beams.
* [[HumanShifting Pony Shifting]]: So far they seem to be only able to copy ponies.
* ThePowerOfLove: The more love they devour, the more powerful they become. Powerful enough to overpower even Princess Celestia herself.
* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:They're imprisoned in their castle along with their queen at the end of their Arc of the comic. Though they have some fun with the animated Pinkie suit, much to Chrysalis' annoyance.]]
* [[ToServeMan To Serve Ponies]]: They don't actually ''eat'' their prey per se but they do get their nourishment from them.
* SicklyGreenGlow: It's their signature color of choice.
* SpotTheImposter: They can copy a pony perfectly. Unfortunately their nasty personality and their change of magic color into green (assuming the copied pony didn't have a green magic color to begin with) will give them away.
* StealthPun: They are a pony/bug creature that sucks out the love of their prey. In other words, they are ''"[[FridgeBrilliance horseflies]]"''.
* TheSwarm: They are not too tough but there are countless of them leading to the ZergRush tactic.
* TakeOverTheWorld: They want to take over Equestria so that they can feed off of its denizen's love.
* TheyLookLikeUsNow: They ''have to'' if they want to eat.
* ThisWasTheirTrueForm: If they've transformed into somepony, knocking them out causes them to revert to their true form.
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:Shining Armor and Princess Cadance use the power of their love to send Chrysalis and her entire army flying over the edge of Canterlot, which is a long way to fall, and seemingly unable to use their wings. However, she returns in the comics via JokerImmunity.]]
* VampiricDraining: The result of their EmotionEater powers. This is depicted as a mist of green haze coming out of their victim's bodies and then sucking those up through their mouths.
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: They have none of Discord's wackiness, nor Nightmare Moon's backstory. Taken UpToEleven in the comics where Chrysalis and the Changelings are ''a lot'' more terrifying and viscious.
* VillainousGlutton: Their whole point is to suck out the love out of you.
* VillainsBlendInBetter: Comes with being a changeling.
* WingedUnicorn: All of them, though Queen Chrysalis is much closer to the original alicorn build.
!!Queen Chrysalis
[[quoteright:280:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/queen_chrysalis_by_90sigma-d4xm1q62_3511.png]]
[[caption-width-right:280:[[VillainSong This day is going to be perfect~]]]]
->''[[TodayXTomorrowTheWorld "First, we take Canterlot! And then, all of Equestria!"]]''
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 "A Canterlot]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 Wedding"]][[note]]She appears in Part 1 masquerading as Princess Cadance. She makes her full physical debut in Part 2.[[/note]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Kathleen Barr[[note]]according to [[https://twitter.com/#!/goldenrusset/status/194118341235965952 this]] tweet by Jayson Thiessen[[/note]]
The Queen of the changelings, bug-like pony-shaped creatures that can transform into those that you love. She masquerades as Princess Cadance during the Season 2 finale in a bid to conquer Equestria. She also appears in [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW IDW's comic books]] as the main antagonist through the first four-issue StoryArc.
* HundredPercentAdorationRating: The comic book made obvious that her Changelings are ''very'' content with her as their ruler because Chrysalis is an effective leader and takes on herself the duty to provide food for her subjects. They are close enough as to joke and share a few laughs together with their Queen.
* AllThereInTheScript: Her name isn't mentioned in her debut episode and was initially revealed by WordOfGod. The comics have since used it.
* ArcVillain: Of the second season's finale and the first arc of the IDW comics.
* BeamOWar: Chrysalis is able to cast an offensive magical beam, and thanks to Shining Armor's [[ThePowerOfLove love]] she can overpower even [[PhysicalGod Princess Celestia]]!
* BigBadFriend: [[spoiler:Towards the Mane six and Princess Celestia when she's disguised as Cadance.]]
* BigNo: In classic villain tradition, she gives one just before [[spoiler:her defeat by the real Cadance and Shining Armor.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:As the Fake Cadance]] she acts snotty and unpleasable.
* {{Brainwashed}}: She magically brainwashes Shining Armor to feed off his love for Cadance and prevent him from maintaining the [[DeflectorShields force field]] stopping her minions from invading Canterlot.
* TheChessmaster: As she points out, she outsmarted ''everyone'', even Celestia. The Mane Six are a little more GenreSavvy about this in the comic, but she still leaves them with no choice but to play into her hands.
* ClassicVillain: Pride and Ambition.
* ControlFreak: Seen mainly when [[spoiler:she's disguised as Cadance]], but given how her insectoid appearance and control of an insectoid pony army both strike similarity to that of a Bee Queen, this can be seen as justified.
* CrocodileTears: Whenever someone calls Chrysalis [[spoiler:(as Cadance)]] out on her questionable ways, she bursts into fake tears and accuses that they "just want to ruin her special day". [[spoiler:Fools everypony, even Princess Celestia. [[ProperlyParanoid Except Twilight Sparkle]].]]
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy:
** Twilight is the only one to catch onto her scheme, so she uses emotional guilt to trick everyone else into turning their backs on her. [[spoiler:Then, when Twilight feels she has made a terrible mistake, Chrysalis sends Twilight down into the forgotten catacombs underneath Canterlot to trap her and, just under the possibility she '''might''' escape, has her old brainwashed bridesmaids guard the exit]].
** Her plan in the comics where she kidnaps the Cutie Mark Crusaders to lure in the Mane Six into a trap and sends out changelings to disguise themselves as the Mane Six to break them up. [[spoiler:She knew that they would overcome that; the whole thing was just to increase ThePowerOfFriendship between them so she'd be able to get even power when they got to her.]]
* DarkActionGirl: Is notably the first villain to win a straight-up fight.
* DevilInPlainSight: Not the most obvious example, but the very first time we see her in disguise, she smiles wickedly, and then proceeds to treat everypony around her like crap. Thankfully for her, [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter everypony readily writes it off]] due to the circumstances [[spoiler:except Twilight Sparkle]].
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: She won a BeamOWar with Princess Celestia after absorbing enough of Shining Armor's love. Even ''she'' was shocked at her victory. Unfortunately for her, the exact same love is used by Cadance and Shining Armor to return the favor.
* EnfantTerrible: While we don't ''see'' her as a child, she admits she's dreamed of watching her minions ransack a city, causing mass panic and suffering, since she was small.
* [[EtTuBrute Et Tu, Twilight?]]: Completely beating the one pulled by Twilight's brother, friends, and mentor when Twilight straight out accuses her of being evil while she [[spoiler:masquerades as Princess Cadance]], after she [[spoiler:pulls a WoundedGazelleGambit to alienate Twilight from them]], she returns and imprisons Twilight underground, ultimately confirming her suspicions. Lampshaded later on when she takes pleasure in gloating about how Twilight's peers were too caught up in their wedding planning to give Twilight's suspicions any consideration, thus allowing her plan to carry on smoothly.
* EvilCounterpart: To both Princess Cadance (both empowered by love) and Princess Celestia (tall and powerful queen).
* EvilGloating: She saves ''most'' of it for when she's alone or when it's GenreSavvy to do so.
* EvilLaugh: Has a pretty good one.
* EvilPlan: Invade Canderlot and uses it to invade the rest of Esqueria and transform the country in a love buffet for herself and her subjects.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper:
** Issue #3 of the comic shows that [[spoiler:Chrysalis and her changelings landed in a village of happy kittens who welcome them with open arms, and they conquer it and drain the love from them, turning them into husks.]]
** Also, in her appearance during the cartoon's second season finale, [[spoiler:Twilight's friends [[NiceJobBreakingItHero learned the hard way]] that being nice to a Doppelganger bride won't change her heart.]]
* TheFightingNarcissist: Very haughy, but it's not about her apperance. In her VillainSong she declares "I could care less about the dress!"
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Chrysalis is the resident Choleric amongst the four main villains.
* GenreBlindness: [[spoiler:Succumbs to this at the last moment, as she doesn't expect ThePowerOfLove to be used against her]].
* GigglingVillain: She giggles rather menacingly when she's overlooking her handywork.
* GlamourFailure: When posing as [[spoiler:Cadance]], her eyes briefly flash to their [[HellishPupils true form]].
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: The first sign something is off with [[spoiler:Cadance]] is her eyes lighting up green.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Celestia tries. However, Chrysalis had absorbed enough of Shining Armor's love to defeat Celestia at that point. She's the first villain ever to physically defeat Celestia (though it's implied Discord could do so if wanted to).
* GoodEyesEvilEyes: Her eyes are more reptilian-like than pony-like.
* HarmfulToMinors: [[spoiler:Kills a Luvcat in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the comics.]]
* HellishPupils: They're almost reptilian.
* HoistByHerOwnPetard:
** [[spoiler:Became as powerful as she did from Shining Armor's love for Princess Cadance, which she notes is stronger than she imagined. In the end, Cadance and Shining Armor [[HeartBeatdown let her have it with that same love]].]]
** In the comics, she intended [[spoiler:to drain Twilight Sparkle of her magic once the supernatural-enhancing comet caused her powers to reach their peak.]] The thing is, [[spoiler:the comet bolstered Twilight as well, and she knew how to ''use'' it, bringing her power far beyond anything Chrysalis had ever expected...]]
* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler:Her defeat at the end of the comics. While she clearly survived, she and the rest of her changelings are also trapped inside of the very castle they were using as their evil lair.]]
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: [[spoiler:As Fake!Cadance, she nuzzles, clings to, and otherwise gets ''really'' close to Shining Armor. Just her keeping up the pretense of being a bride-to-be, right? Nope! She also does the same to the mannequin serving as her surrogate groom during her VillainSong (where there is nobody around to fool) and indulges in a little privacy invasion towards Shining Armor after she's transformed and revealed herself, though she probably did it to mock the real Cadance.]]
* IHaveYourWife: In the comic, she ensures that the Mane Six will obey her orders by holding [[spoiler:the Cutie Mark Crusaders]] hostage.
* ImposterForgotOneDetail: [[spoiler:She doesn't understand Twilight's Sunshine rhyme that she used to sing with the real Cadance, which results in the latter being suspicious of her.]]
* InsectQueen: Queen Chrysalis is the leader of the insectoid/equinoids called Changelings, who imitate other ponies and [[EmotionEater feed on their love]]. Her goal is to take over Equestria and use the land as a virtually infinite food source for her colony.
* {{Irony}}: [[spoiler:She is powered by love, yet she is defeated by it.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: She has zero comedic quirks to her and is much more threatening than Nightmare Moon. The comics make her even ''more'' terrifying, though on the flipside also added a lot of humorous scenes with her.
* LadyOfWar: She has no problem getting into combat with [[spoiler:Princess Celestia]] to feed her changeling army.
* LargeAndInCharge: The normal changelings are the size the rest of the ponies in the show; she's as a big as Celestia.
* LargeHam: Par for the course of big-name villains in this show. She even gets a VillainSong!
* LaughingMad: Has a crazy sounding laugh.
* LeanAndMean: Is considerably more spindly than a normal Alicorn.
* [[LetsYouAndHimFight Let's You and Her Fight]]: This is the main reason she taunts Twilight Sparkle right after she imprisons her in the Canterlot Caves [[spoiler:right next to the ''real'' Princess Cadance.]]
* ManipulativeBitch: She gleefully points out in her VillainSong that she fooled ''everyone''.
* MeaningfulName: A chrysalis is the hard shell that envelops a caterpillar before they become a butterfly and Chrysalis, like all the other Changelings, is a bug-like pony creature. On top of that, [[spoiler:the fake Cadance is exactly that: the shell that hides her true form]]. She and her subjects also imprison ponies in giant green cocoons.
* MorphicResonance: Even when in a shapeshifted form, she seems to keep the SicklyGreenGlow of her magic.
* MusicalSpoiler: Very, very subtle one only a trained ear could catch. [[spoiler:The song "B.B.B.B.F. Reprise" ends in a deceptive cadence. The moment the song ends, "Cadance" walks over and appears to comfort Twilight before showing her true colors. The original song ends in a normal cadence.]]
* OhCrap:
** Her reaction to realizing that [[spoiler:a HeartBeatDown is about to hit her head on.]]
** Gets this again in the comics [[spoiler:once she realizes that Twilight is just as empowered by the comet as she herself is.]]
* OutsideContextVillain: It seems that no-one even knew she ''existed'' besides Cadance, [[spoiler:who probably only knew it from Chrysalis kidnapping her]]. She was DangerouslyGenreSavvy enough to take full advantage of this fact.
* {{Physical God}}dess: Notably the first BigBad level villain to ''not'' be a god already, but becomes as powerful as one by the end of her first appearance. The comics indicate her base level is close to Twilight's level, which is still considerably powerful.
* PityTheKidnapper: In the comics, she kidnaps [[spoiler:the Cutie Mark Crusaders]] in order to lure the Mane Cast into her trap. In response, [[spoiler:the CMC]] proceed to annoy the ''hell'' out of Chrysalis, and she uses that as prompt to get the Mane Cast to hurry because she doesn't know how much more she can take. By the time they reach her, she's near her breaking point.
* PowerEchoes: After assuming her true form.
* PragmaticVillainy: [[spoiler:It's implied that she didn't outright kill Cadance or Twilight because she still needed their love to feed on.]]
* PunchClockVillain: Played with. Chrysalis mentions that everything she has done is just part of her duty as Changeling Queen to feed her people. Still, she enjoys making others suffer and sacking Canterlot ''far'' too much. [[spoiler:The comics shows this isn't the case.]]
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: It's her duty to provide [[EmotionEater food sources]] for her people, and she single-handedly makes it possible for the changelings to invade Equestria.
* {{Sadist}}: While she has some degree of responsibility for her swarm, she ''clearly'' gets a kick out of the suffering she causes, to the point of looking at her army attacking Canterlot and stating it's something she's ''dreamed'' of (since she was a child, no less).
* ShadowArchetype:
** To Princess Cadance. One's a cold-hearted, manipulative, [[MindControlEyes brainwashing]] [[EmotionEater love vampire]] and the other us a genuinely kind and caring LoveGoddess (whether one wants to take the "goddess" part literally or not). Suddenly [[spoiler:the former impersonating the latter]] makes more than a little twisted sense.
** A tall, slender, winged magic-using ruler who towers over her subjects and wields tremendous power, who displays [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] capabilities and works to give her subjects what they want and need -- are we talking about Chrysalis, or ''Celestia''?
* ShowAccuracyToyAccuracy: While her brushable toy does have a crooked horn and transparent wings, she has the wings of a bird instead of the wings of an insect. Her smaller toy uses the correct wing shape. Both toys manage to have some form of holes, the brushable using paint applications and the smaller having notches. Given that the character was designed for the TV show, that level of accuracy is impressive.
* SmugSnake: Like Discord, she zig-zags between this and MagnificentBastard. Her plan is certainly a good one and she competently carries it out. Still, her impatience and vanity are established early on. She is too distracted by the sight of her victorious forces to care about the heroes she feels are already beaten. [[HeroicSecondWind She's]] [[HeartBeatdown wrong]]. She also messes up when she sends Twilight Sparkle to the same caverns where she imprisoned Cadance (allowing the former to rescue the latter). To top that, she retains her arrogant mannerisms even when impersonating Cadance, which is what tips Twilight off in the first place. In the comics, for all of her planning, she didn't bother to consider [[spoiler:that Twilight's magic would be powered up by the comet just like her own... or that Twilight's ensuing destructive potential could exceed her own. ]]
* TheSociopath: Implied in the comics. While she can feed off of love, she herself seems incapable of feeling it and outright admits there's no love in her heart (something she'd also said in her VillainSong). She's also a ManipulativeBitch and impatient and narcissistic.
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: When she gets into a BeamOWar with [[spoiler:Celestia]], she cringes in preparation of being fried, and is just as surprised as everpony else when she wins.
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:Shining Armor and Princess Cadance use the power of their love to send Chrysalis and her entire army flying over the edge of Canterlot, which is a long way to fall, and seemingly unable to use their wings. However, she returns in the comics via JokerImmunity.]]
* TheVamp: [[spoiler:Poor Shining Armor was wrapped around her hoof because of brainwashing.]]
* VampireMonarch: Queen of a race of [[EmotionEater Emotion Eaters]] who specialize in VampiricDraining.
* VerbalTic: [[spoiler:When disguised as Cadance]], she tends to give an "Ah-huh" when annoyed or unimpressed.
* VillainBall:
** If she had put a token effort into deceiving Twilight Sparkle, her plan would have gone off without a hitch. Instead she acts snotty, which does not fit with Twilight's memory of her as "gentle, kind and caring".
** Kidnapping Twilight at the end of part 1 is more complicated. [[spoiler:On one hand it justifies Twilight's "you're evil" suspicions and allows her to find the real Cadance. On the other hand, it's implied she wanted Twilight to kill the real Cadance or for them to kill each other/keep each other busy. At the very least, it kept a powerful enemy out of her hair.]] Either way, it's still the villainous thing to do and she would have been better served by pretending niceness.
* VillainousBreakdown: In the comics. When being overwhelmed [[spoiler:by Twilight Sparkle's comet-enhanced powers]], she's [[spoiler:reduced to a dazed, stammering wreck who's trying desperately to [[BreakThemByTalking convince her foe that she's unbeatable.]] To add insult to injury, she's practically on the verge of defeat, so said argument has been proven invalid by this point. ]]
* VillainSong / DarkReprise: Her half of "This Day Aria" and a brief reprise.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: Her voice is underscored by a subtle, insectoid buzzing.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Like all Changelings, but she comes with a dramatic TransformationSequence.
* WeCanRuleTogether: Tries to pull this on Twilight in the comics. [[spoiler:It doesn't work. She planned to drain Twilight's love to make her more loyal which is more thought-out than most instances of the trope.]]
* [[WouldHurtAChild Would Hurt a Filly]]: In the comics, she makes it very clear that [[spoiler:once she doesn't need the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore, she does NOT plan on letting them go...]]
* XanatosSpeedChess: While most of her plan was likely formulated from the get go, she's able to work things she didn't expect (such as [[spoiler:Twilight catching on and accusing her]]) into it and twist them to her advantage ([[spoiler:use a WoundedGazelleGambit to turn ''everyone'' against Twilight in a single move]]).
%%* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Blue Mane]]
!!The Changelings
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/changelingbrigade_5147.png]]
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2"]]
As Princess Celestia has her little ponies, Queen Chrysalis has her changelings, a race of shapeshifters that feed off of love by taking the shape of your loved ones. For the changeling commanders who appear in [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW IDW's comic books]], see the [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe page]].
* AdorableEvilMinions: Unlike their queen, these guys have an UglyCute thing going for them.
* AmbiguousGender: They have feminine snouts but lack eyelashes and have non-specific bodies, and they never speak in their own forms, so good luck figuring out what gender they are, or if they even [[NoBiologicalSex have a]] [[OneGenderRace gender]] in their true forms.
* AscendedGlitch: In Creator/{{Gameloft}}'s ''VideoGame/MyLittlePony'' LicensedGame, a Changeling assumed Fleur Dis Lee's identity but pretended to be an Alicorn. This is the game's InUniverse explanation of why the Fleur Dis Lee in an earlier version had wings.
* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Despite their flashy entrance, they are only a threat through ZergRush, doing poorly in one-on-one combat. The Mane Six beats dozens of them without difficulty.
* DeathFromAbove: Have a habit of divebombing targets while coated in magic.
* [[ItsRainingMen It's Raining Changelings]]: Although it's more like a [[DeathFromAbove meteor shower]].
* MadeOfIron: [[StrongAsTheyNeedToBe Played With]]. These things can charge at a magic barrier until it shatters, then hit the ground at full force and get right back up, but when it comes to actual fighting, they go down to Fluttershy ''accidentally tripping them'' while cowering in fear.
* MonochromaticEyes: Solid icy blue, likely a stand-in for arthropodic compound eyes.
* MookLieutenant: Look closely enough and you'll see one or two wearing helmets among the army.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: Their method of choice of dealing with obstacles.
* UndyingLoyalty: Subverted: Although they have proven themselves loyal to their monarch, the higher-ranking Changelings in the comic do question some of Chrysalis' plans, though out of confusion and not defiance.
* WallCrawl: Another insectoid trait of them; those not flying are seen walking on pillars downward.
* ZergRush: Not the only tactic that they can use, but it is the only one that we see.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:King Sombra]]
[[quoteright:252:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mlp_resource__king_sombra_01_by_zutheskunk-_837.png]]
[[caption-width-right:252:[-King Sombra in his old Pony form.-] ]]
[[quoteright:252:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_sombra__s_shadow_by_fercho262-d5kfka0_5042.png]]
[[caption-width-right:252:[-King Sombra in his current Shadow form.-] ]]
->''"My crystal slaves..."''
->'''Debut:''' "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 The Crystal Empire - Part 1]]"
->'''Voiced by:''' Jim Miller[[note]]according to [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim tweets]] by Jim Miller[[/note]]
Formerly a unicorn stallion who long ago ruled over the Crystal Empire and enslaved its inhabitants, Celestia and Luna banished him and turned him into a living shadow, but not before he caused the empire to vanish with him. He has returned as a wave of shadow that plans to continue what he started.
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: As the lengths he goes to maintain control of the Crystal Empire condemns it's inhabitants to a live of neverending misery and he [[MindRape makes them unable to remember anything about life before his reign]], yeah that's inevitable.
* AdvancingWallOfDoom: He ''is'' one in "The Crystal Empire", continuously advancing towards the empire he once ruled.
* AlmightyIdiot: His shadow form, while very huge, powerful, fluid, [[spoiler:and able to spread with only a single fragment of his horn]], is only capable of speaking small sentences and phrases and charging forward, in contrast to the highly-prepared sorcerer he once was.
* AndIMustScream: Been on both ends of it. Celestia and Luna inflicted this upon him by turning him to living shadow and sealing him in ice for a thousand years. This was because his reign over the Crystal Ponies amounted to this for the poor things.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: While not a literal example like Discord, both his role in the episode and [=McCarthy=]'s description of the character make him out as more of a living embodiment of Fear rather than a pony.
* TheArchMage: Not a lot of backstory, but he seems to be this considering the traps he set up.
* ArcVillain: Of the third season premiere.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: He's so powerful that he ruled the Crystal Empire with an iron hoof because the Crystal Ponies were too terrified of him to challenge his reign.
* {{Badass}}: He's by far one of the most competent and dangerous villains. [[spoiler:The ''only'' reason he loses is that Spike decided to go with Twilight.]]
* BadPowersBadPeople: He uses unicorn black magic powered by hatred and fear. Not to anyone's surprise, he's an EvilOverlord.
* BlackMagic: His magic generates black crystals and is powered by hatred and fear.
* TheCaligula: Arguably a worse one than Discord since his means his subjects are always completely sane so they remember all of it, and he doesn't even allow them to remember life before his reign.
* CastingAShadow: He was turned to shadow by Celestia and Luna so now he takes the form of a giant, amorphous shadow being.
* TheChessmaster: Just look at the steps he took to keep the Crystal Heart from being found in the first place. In fact, most of the threats that he poses is a result of his actions ''before'' the episode even started.
* CoolCrown: He is a king, after all, so it's only natural he has one.
* TheCorruption: Contact with him sealed Shining Armor's magic. Later, when a fragment of his own horn is cut off and lands inside the barrier, he uses it to spread a plague of dark crystals over the Crystal Kingdom ''despite'' being unable to enter himself. The sole purpose of his dark magic seems to be corrupting and controlling the [[MineralMacGuffin crystals]] of the Crystal Empire.
* CrazyPrepared: See DangerouslyGenreSavvy. He nearly won due to the preparations he took ''before'' he was beaten the first time.
* CreatorCameo: His few lines [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim/status/267356800981008384 and other noises]] were provided by storyboard supervisor "Big" Jim Miller.
* CursedWithAwesome: Played with. Turning him into living darkness was Celestia's doing, though whether he's more powerful in this form than in his true form is anyone's guess. On one hand, he's less of a flesh-and-blood pony and more of a manevolent force of nature which makes him much harder to fight directly. On the other hand, he's little more than a beast in shadow form while his CrazyPrepared status suggests he was far more intelligent before.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy:
** He hid away the Crystal Heart, which was required to defeat him, and erased ''all'' the Crystal Ponies' knowledge of it having ever existed at all. While not outright stated to be his doing, the last page of the Crystal Empire history book Twilight finds (which told ''what'' the Crystal Heart was) was also torn out.
** [[spoiler:The trap he laid at the bottom of the staircase of his throne room shows ponies an illusion of their greatest fear, meaning had Spike ''not'' gone with Twilight, she would have been frozen by the illusion and he would have won. This was on top of the fact he put the Crystal Heart in his castle ''because'' he was TheDreaded, meaning the Crystal Ponies would be too terrified of him to even try looking for it there. ''Then'' hid the entrance to the chamber so that the only way to open it was to be able to use his magic (dark magic that, presumably, a truly incorruptible hero would be unable or unwilling to use). And finally, stepping on the platform allows him to trigger a spell, beginning to spread his dark crystals ''inside the castle'' and trapping whoever got that far at the top of the tower unable to use the Heart. Not to mention the anti-teleport spell he cast on the trap, so that even a powerful magician cannot leave so easily.]]
** This is the reason he comes within a hairsbreadth of succeeding while barely having to lift a hoof; Nightmare Moon and Discord spent an episode trying to stop the one thing that could beat them, Sombra ''already'' did a very good job of it preemptively.
* DarkIsEvil: He's a dark shadow cloud and TheDreaded.
* TheDarkTimes: His rule over the Crystal Ponies, as explained by Celestia, is outright slavery (see his above quote). Even after being freed, the Crystal Ponies shudder in fear at the memory of his rule.
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler:Obliterated by his former slave race.]]
* DeathCryEcho: [[spoiler:Instead of the BigNo previous villains were accustomed to using.]]
* DeathGlare: He has one so terrifying that the Crystal Ponies shudder just thinking about it.
* DespotismJustifiesTheMeans: Unlike Discord, he sees his victims as slaves instead of playthings and goes to great lengths to maintain control of the Crystal Empire and keep the Crystal Ponies under his hoof through fear and dark magic.
* TheDreaded: The Crystal Ponies don't ''want'' to remember his rule, and shudder in fear at the thought of it. [[spoiler:[[DangerouslyGenreSavvy This is why he hid the Crystal Heart in his palace; he knew they'd be too afraid of him to look for it there]].]]
* EldritchAbomination: His LivingShadow form is able to easily evade unicorn magic, and is basically a giant tidal wave of darkness that's constantly roaring beastially. [[spoiler:Becomes a [[AnimalisticAbomination Ponified Abomination]] towards the climax of the season premiere as well]]. The transformation to shadow creature seemed to have affected his mind, as he went from a canny sorcerer to a monster that did little more than prowl around the outside of Princess Cadance's barrier.
* ErmineCapeEffect: When he was in his physical form, he wore a red ermine-trimmed cape.
* EvilCounterpart: To the Crystal Heart (and thus Cadance). He's a being of shadow whose magic is fueled by ThePowerOfHate and fear while the Crystal Heart is powered by the light, love, and hope of the Crystal Empire.
* EvilMakesYouMonstrous: According to Celestia, he used to be a unicorn. He has a sharp, curved horn that looks like a dagger, slitted pupils, fangs, and an etherial black mane. It seems to have bled over into his personality, as he's very animalistic in his actions and personality.
* EvilOverlord: This is what he was before Celestia and Luna overthrew him; a tyranical slavemaster of the Crystal Empire.
* EvilPlan: He was banished from his domain and he's back to reclaim it and re-enslave the Crystal Ponies.
* EvilSorcerer: Has extremely powerful black magic.
* EvilSoundsDeep / GutturalGrowler: The few times he speaks it is like this. (Unlike Discord, this is played completely straight.)
* EvilTastesGood: Licks his lips in anticipation of whatever he intended to do to Spike when he caught him.
* {{Expy}}: His role in his two-parter is based on that of Sauron in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', in that he is an EvilOverlord whose threat is mostly due to actions he took prior to the story, and his direct role in the story proper is little more than to try to stop the heroes. ([[http://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/191wgk/highlights_from_the_writers_panel_at_las_pegasus/ This was the intent of Megan [=McCarthy=]]].)
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: [[spoiler:He is [[LiterallyShatteredLives shattered to pieces]]. Even more shocking is if one looks closely, some parts of him ''hadn't'' turned to crystal. It's particularly noticeable in that he's the only villain aside from the Windigos to actually be destroyed and unlike with other villains of the show, nothing is said to imply that he's ''not'' dead, so we can assume he's KilledOffForReal. You can even see his severed horn flying toward the screen! WordOfGod confirms that he is dead.]]
* FangsAreEvil: Even creepier because this guy is supposed to be a ''unicorn''.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Phlegmatic among the major villains of the series.
* GemstoneAssault: One of his powers is to create jagged, dark crystals.
* GenericDoomsdayVillain: He is built up as being a huge threat to the Crystal Empire, and is also revealed to have set up an intricate security system to prevent anypony from getting the Crystal Heart in the past, but other than that, his characterization is nonexistent, especially in comparison to the show's other villains, and there is barely any backstory for him to speak of. This isn't helped by him [[TheSilentBob speaking very little]] and not having any meaningful interaction with the other characters and spends most of the two-parter as more of a wave of blackness rather than an actual character. The show treating him more like a powerful malevolent force than a character in his own right. According to WordOfGod, he was intended to be more of a menacing and terrifying presence lurking over everything. In other words, ''fear itself''.
* GeniusBruiser: It's made obvious by just how DangerouslyGenreSavvy he is.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: His eyes glow green and are trailed by a purple aura.
* GoodColorsEvilColors: His crystals are colored black in contrast to the technicolor crystals found in the empire.
* GoodHurtsEvil: Can be repelled by Cadance's shield of light and love, and contact with it cuts him like a blade. By contrast, normal ponies are completely unaffected by contact, so that may have been a side effect of his shadow form. [[spoiler:In the end, the Crystal Heart powered up by the combined light and love of the Empire obliterates him.]]
* HellishPupils: He has rhombus-shaped pupils, and instead of being black, his are ''red''.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
** [[spoiler:Tries to reach Spike and the Crystal Heart by launching into the air on crystal pillar, reverting back to his pony form in the process (either from regaining strength or simply being close to the Crystal Heart). This leaves him standing on said pillar, several hundred feet in the air without his far more agile LivingShadow form, giving him no way to escape the Crystal Heart's energy wave.]]
** [[spoiler:Being so horrible to the Crystal Ponies makes it worse. It's why [[TheDogBitesBack they had no qualms about killing him when the opportunity presented itself]].]]
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Given his viciousness and the sheer scale of his intended atrocities, it's fitting that he's the only antagonist thus far to die. Violently at that.]]
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Meghan [=McCarthy=] even confirmed it at Unicon 2013. This makes him notable as the '''only''' character to die.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: More so than previous villains as he's never played for laughs and the mood immediately becomes grim at the slightest mention of him. He's also the first villain on the show to [[spoiler:be KilledOffForReal.]]
* LargeAndInCharge: His shadow form's full self is ''massive,'' surrounding the entire Crystal Empire, and his pony form is about the same size as Celestia.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU1A3FT7TgA Has a pretty ominous one.]] It definitely serves to give what screen time he has a good deal of impact.
* LivingShadow: His fate when the Princesses stand up to him.
* LiterallyShatteredLives: [[spoiler:What happens to him upon his defeat.]]
* MeaningfulName:
** "Sombra" means "shadow" in Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician. It becomes even more meaningful when the Princesses turn him into a LivingShadow when overthrowing him.
** It also sounds like "Somber", which makes [[KnightOfCerebus no small amount of sense]].
* MindRape:
** Did this to the Crystal Ponies. Not only are they incapable of remembering anything before his rule, they're left in a perpetual state of unhappiness and despair. The former is implied to be psychic, but the latter might be mundane, considering his [[SlaveRace treatment of them]].
** [[spoiler:He also booby-trapped the door to the Crystal Heart to do this to whoever tried to enter it.]]
* MysteriousPast: Absolutely nothing about his backstory or the reasons behind his great power in pony form is remotely hinted at.
* NoNonsenseNemesis: The ''moment'' Cadance's shield drops, he's swarming the Crystal Empire. Every chance he gets, he spreads his influence he takes and that's not even [[CrazyPrepared getting into how thoroughly he guarded]] his AchillesHeel. The defenses protecting it weren't run-of-the-mill super villain traps, but dead-serious and very well thought-out. [[spoiler:The moment he sees Spike with the Crystal Heart, he instantly makes a grab for it himself without any hesitation.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: Just look at all the tropes listed here. It's as if the staff took every evil trope they could find and crammed it all into Sombra.
* OhCrap: He has this reaction to realizing [[spoiler:the Crystal Heart is being powered up.]]
-->'''King Sombra:''' No... No! Stop!
* [[OneManArmy One-Stallion Army]]: Lacks {{Mook}}s, but compensates with size, power, and [[CrazyPrepared Crazy-Preparedness]].
* OrcusOnHisThrone: Straddles the line. He ''is'' one to be feared, there is no question about that, and his villainy is documented from a millenia before. However, the present-day threat he presents is more of a looming evil than an active one. For the entire two-part episode he's in, for the most part, he sits outside the barrier of the Crystal Empire and waits for the magic to weaken in order to breach it. This is partially justified as the barrier can easily injure him while he's still in his shadow form.
* PowerEchoes: When he talks, he has this effect on his voice.
* PowerNullifier: He seals Shining Armor's magic during their encounter, which keeps Shining from using his shield spell to help to keep him out.
* ThePowerOfHate: According to Celestia, his magic is based off of fear and hatred.
* RaceAgainstTheClock: The only thing keeping him out of the Crystal Empire is Cadance's love spell, which is slowly failing. [[spoiler:The moment the shield goes down, we get to see exactly why it was so important to keep him out. He starts covering the Crystal Empire in his dark crystals in ''seconds''.]]
* RealityWarper: His mere presence changes the Crystal Empire from a beautiful utopia to a dark and desolate CrapsackWorld and his TrapMaster status implies that he can even create {{Pocket Dimension}}s.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His color scheme in pony form.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: A literal case, as simply remembering his eyes causes one of the Crystal Ponies to shudder. When he's enraged, the red overlaps the green, turning his entire iris and pupil red.
* SealedEvilInACan: Was turned into a LivingShadow and imprisoned in the northern ice by Celestia and Luna. They were at least more thorough than with Discord.
* TheSilentBob: A break of tradition from [[EvilIsHammy every other villain from before]], he surprisingly speaks very little, mainly growling like a monster.
* SlasherSmile: His default expression.
* SlaveRace: What he turned the Crystal Ponies into. He even calls them his "crystal slaves" at one point.
* SorcerousOverlord: The traps that he set imply that he used to be a mighty sorcerer when he was still the emperor.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: WordOfGod [[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=88003&view=findpost&p=2162181 has]] [[https://twitter.com/MMeghanMcCarthy/status/257249978081214464 confirmed]] [[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=88003&view=findpost&p=2163071 the]] [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim/status/267325607048773632 spelling]] [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim/status/267340093637935105 to]] [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim/status/268603888318431234 be]] "Sombra" (matching the in-show pronunciation), yet a [[https://twitter.com/MyLittlePony/status/265942986926456832 tweet]] by Hasbro's ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' Website/{{Twitter}} spells it as "Somber" (which proves to be a MeaningfulName in its own right, as "somber" means "unhappy" -- much like the Crystal Ponies affected by his spell). Both words ultimately derive from the Latin word "umbra", meaning "shadow".
* SupernaturalIsPurple: His eyes are constantly trailed by a purple aura.
* TakingYouWithMe: As he was being sealed, he cursed the Crystal Empire to disappear for 1000 years.
* TinTyrant: He wears metal armor in his unicorn form.
%%* TrapMaster
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: Continues the tradition of a terrifyingly evil creature in a show that otherwise has simple {{Jerkass}}es.
* [[WasOnceAMan Was Once a Pony]]: Before being turned into the shadow creature that is seen in his two-parter, he was a unicorn, [[EvilMakesYouMonstrous albeit a monstrous-looking one]]. [[spoiler:He does briefly turn back into a pony right before the Crystal Heart kills him, though.]]
* [[WouldHitAGirl Would Hit a Mare]]: He has no problem trying to attack (and possibly kill) Princess Cadance [[spoiler:when she and Spike have the Crystal Heart.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: Tries to attack (and possibly kill) Spike with absolutely no hesitation [[spoiler:once he sees he has the Crystal Heart.]] He even licks his lips at the prospect of doing so.
* XanatosGambit: [[spoiler:His booby-traps to prevent ponies from reaching the Crystal Heart. They keep them out? Good, the one thing that can stop him is out of reach. They reach it? It sets off a trap allowing him to begin growing his dark crystals inside the castle itself, even if he himself can't enter, as well as trapping the pony who found it.]]
* YouMonster: Celestia refers to him as having a "heart as black as night."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lord Tirek]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-tirekg4_3056.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[-How does it feel, knowing that soon every pegasus, unicorn and earth pony will bow to my will?-] ]]
->''"I am Lord Tirek. And I will take what should have been mine long ago."''
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1"]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Mark Acheson
Long ago, Tirek and his brother Scorpan came to Equestria with the intent to steal the magic of every pony and TakeOverTheWorld. Scorpan however learned friendship from Star Swirl the Bearded, and helped the ponies seal Tirek in Tartarus. However, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime when Cerberus left Tartarus undefended]], Tirek broke free, and is now ready to pick up where he left off.
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: [[spoiler:Backstabbing the only being one his side will do that.]] Not that he cares, he seems to like earning the hate of every victim he thinks is powerless to stop him.
* AdaptationalBadass: The G1 Tirek was no pushover, but his main threat came from his army, which he could mutate with the Rainbow of Darkness. This time around, Tirek has no army, but he's so powerful that he doesn't need one.
* AffablyEvil: Plays friendly and polite with Discord, even congratulating him on escaping imprisonment. It continues into the next episode, but is limited to Discord. [[spoiler:[[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness And eventually]] [[FauxAffablyEvil not even him.]]]]
* AllYourPowersCombined: He eventually absorbs the powers of hundreds of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, giving him super-strength, the ability to fire beams of magic, and he can fly. [[spoiler:It isn't shown what further power he got from Discord.]]
* AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome: He wears a golden pendent around his neck, which he grants to Discord. [[spoiler:Subverted when he tells Discord it was a gift from his brother and is worthless to him, and the amulet holds no power. Double subverted when Discord gives it to Twilight when she frees him, and it becomes the sixth key to the chest from the Tree of Harmony.]]
* AndIMustScream: While not explicitly stated, if what's shown is accurate, he's spent over one thousand years trapped in one place in Tartarus, unable to escape or do anything and fully aware. [[PayEvilUntoEvil Not to say he didn't deserve it.]]
* ArcVillain: Of the Season 4 finale. However, foreshadowing of his appearance goes back all the way to Season 2, and along the way since there's been a lot of build-up for why Twilight became an alicorn.
* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: [[spoiler:At full strength he's almost as big as an Ursa Major.]]
* {{Badass}}: Tirek is the most powerful villain the cast has faced, and [[NearVillainVictory he almost won, too]].
* BadassBaritone: The stronger he becomes, the deeper his voice gets.
* BadassBeard: As he gets stronger, he sports a damn cool one.
* BadVibrations: When he becomes massive enough, his steps shake the earth as he walks.
* BigRedDevil: Is a massive centaur with red skin and large horns.
* BlackEyesOfCrazy: He has a pair of these, and they come with pupil-less [[SupernaturalGoldEyes glowing yellow irises]].
* CainAndAbel: He's the Cain to Scorpon's Abel.
* ChekhovsGunman: It was implied that the Pony of Shadow seen in "Castle Mane-ia" was Tirek.
* TheChessmaster: Manipulates Discord into helping him.
* CompositeCharacter: While he shares his appearance, deep booming voice, general frightening presence, and many personality traits with G1 Tirek, his plan is similar to G1 Lavan.
* TheCorrupter: He convinces [[spoiler:Discord to turn on the ponies and help him drain their power, telling him that in becoming their friend he's suppressing his true nature and is just imprisoned in a different manner for it.]]
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: An enemy too strong to drain that could lock him back up in a heartbeat? [[spoiler:Convinces him to join his side, then disposes of him once he has become powerful enough to drain him. Powerless Alicorn Princesses cowering at his feet? Throws them in the most powerful prison available (although this one may have been spite as much as anything). The last alicorn between him and the power he needs to rule the world? He makes sure to have bartering chips in reserve in case of a stalemate.]]
* DidntSeeThatComing: As a consequence of his long imprisonment, Tirek isn't fully up to date on current events. (For example, he's surprised to learn that there is a fourth alicorn princess.) Because of this, he is repeatedly blindsided by this trope, but usually proves very good at [[XanatosSpeedChess rolling with the punches]]. [[spoiler:However, in the end, it catches up with him when he doesn't realize the mane six still have a trump card left in the form of the harmony box.]]
* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: He successfully got ''Discord'' to his side by promising to let him go back to the way he was. Note that he was barely powerful enough to do anything at this point. [[spoiler:Once he gets strong enough, he takes Discord's power too.]]
* DraggedOffToHell: Was imprisoned in Tartarus for his crimes until he escapes. [[spoiler:He's ultimately dragged back in the end.]]
* TheDreaded: Everyone is terrified of him. Upon having a prophetic dream of his return, the next thing Celestia does is call in the other Princesses, explain to them what's going on, and sic [[PhysicalGod Discord]] on him before he gains any more power.
* DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Exactly what he plans to do after he conquering the world isn't made clear, but having drained the magic from every pony in Equestria, it means the sun and moon won't move, the ponies won't be able to grow food, and there won't be any rain, along with all of them being left shells of their former selves, the end would be this by default.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: He walks up to a unicorn in an alleyway during the dead of night, introduces himself as "no friend" in the creepiest voice imaginable, and drains the hapless unicorn of his magic.
* EvilerThanThou: He pulls this on [[spoiler:Discord after convincing him to pull a FaceHeelTurn, only using him to regain his lost strength before telling him YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness.]]
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He cannot understand friendship, and is confused when [[spoiler:Twilight demands Discord's release after he betrayed them.]]
* EvilCounterpart: In a sense, he and his brother, Scorpan, are ones to the Royal Pony sisters. They originally came to Equestria to conquer it, but Scorpan befriended the ponies, changed sides and tried to convince Tirek to do the same. When Tirek refused to do so, Scorpan had no choice but to imprison him. Not to mention that Tirek is a mash-up of two mythological creatures (A centaur with minotaur-like features such as bull horns and cloven hooves), and both are very good {{Chess Master}}s to an extent. At the same time though, Tirek has a demonic appearance which contrasts with Celestia's angelic one.
* EvilIsBigger: The largest villain so far.
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:The main reason he gets as powerful as he does as quickly as he does is because Discord uses his own powers to hand him Equestria on a platter. Celestia even mentions the only reason the Alicorn princesses can't smack Tirek down as a last resort is that they can't beat him while he's under Discord's protection. For all his trouble, Discord gets his powers stolen the moment Tirek is strong enough to just take them.]]
* EvilSoundsDeep / EvilSoundsRaspy: His voice is rather feeble-sounding at first, but it becomes deep and booming later on.
* {{Expy}}:
** His appearance and demeanor in his weakened state brings [[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]] to mind.
** And there are a lot of comparisons to be drawn between his first appearance and that of the depowered Voldemort in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone''.
* FalseFriend: [[spoiler:To Discord.]]
* FatalFlaw: Wrath and Greed.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime "It's About Time"]], Twilight muses over the catastrophe that could result from the ancient abominations locked in Tartarus breaking out. Celestia confirms that he's been loose since "It's About Time" when Cerberus left his post; he's just been too weak to be a threat until now.
* GeniusBruiser: He's a ManipulativeBastard good enough to [[spoiler:play Discord like a fiddle]] and DangerouslyGenreSavvy, but in his penultimate form has enough strength to ram straight through a mountain and lift a slab of rock bigger than he is with little effort.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: His eyes glow yellow.
* AGodIAm: While the show doesn't directly state it, this is more or less what his plan amounts to. In a world where ponies need magic to control the forces of nature, Tirek draining them would give him control over the rise and fall of the sun and moon, allow him to manipulate weather freely, and he'd be the only creature able to grow the crops the ponies need to feed themselves. [[spoiler:Given he drains Discord as well, he might also gain RealityWarper powers.]]
* GodzillaThreshold: How dangerous is Tirek? Enough for Celestia to ask [[MadGod Discord]] to defeat him!
* {{Greed}}: His hunger for power is one of his defining features.
* InTheHood: Starts out wearing a hooded robe, framing the upper half of his face in shadow.
* HavingABlast: Attacks with fiery blasts of magic from between his horns.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The amulet he gives Discord is passed on to Twilight when she demands Discord's freedom, turning it into the sixth key that unlocks the chest and destroys Tirek.]] Downplayed in that there is pretty much no way he could have seen this coming.
* HorrorHunger: His ManaDrain seems to resemble this, as he literally swallows a unicorn/alicorn's magic, leaving them an empty-eyed, blank-flanked shell of their former self.
* HulkingOut: Initially appearing as scrawny old centaur, but when he starts absorbing magic he gets bigger and more muscular. By the time he fights Twilight, he's turned into a walking tank with his arms growing so big that they break the wrist bands in the picture shown.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He wants power for himself, he hates his brother for having moral qualms and turning on him and getting in his way. He also constantly refers to the magic of Equestria as being "his", considering it to have always belonged to him in the first place. [[spoiler:[[ICanRuleAlone This explains him stabbing Discord in the back.]]]]
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:Destroying Twilight's home]] made him this for Twilight, prompting her to [[spoiler:[[UnstoppableRage go berserk on him.]]]] Notably, unlike previous villains that did this, the act that warrented this reaction ''stuck''.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's so power hungry he doesn't seem to care if leaves Equestria lifeless to get what he wants [[spoiler:and will back stab anybody who works with him.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: [[spoiler:Seems to start a VillainousFriendship with Discord when he gave the medallion of his brother Scorpan, but he later back-stabs him while saying that the medallion is worthless to him because he hates his brother for "betraying" him. He sees his companionship with Discord just as disposable.]]
* KillerGorilla: His upper humanoid half looks somewhat simian.
* KnightOfCerebus: As an AdaptationalBadass of the [[TropeCodifier original]] VileVillainSaccharineShow, this was to be expected. The other villains, who were already pretty nasty and were this trope themselves, look like child's play when Tirek starts showing what he can do.
* LargeAndInCharge: The more magic he absorbs, the larger he becomes. [[spoiler:Once he's drained Twilight and thus has absorbed the magic of all four Princesses, he's starting to reach Ursa Major size.]]
* LargeHam: His hamminess grows proportionally with his size.
* LeanAndMean: He starts off a scrawny monkey-like figure, then grows stronger as he absorbs magic.
* LightningBruiser: Despite his immense power, he's also fast in his penultimate form.
* LikeABadassOutOfHell: Quite literally in a [[ClassicalMythology classic mythological]] sense, as he manages to escape Tartarus.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Having been sealed in Tartarus for hundreds of years, and then hiding while recovering his strength after his escape, he's not entirely caught up on everything that's happened since his imprisonment, resulting in him [[DidntSeeThatComing being repeatedly surprised]]. The fact [[XanatosSpeedChess he consistantly adapts to the situation]] and becomes the biggest threat Equestria has ever seen is a testament to his intelligence. [[spoiler:This comes back to bite him in the flank in the end, however, as he didn't realize the mane six still had a trump card.]]
* LoveIsAWeakness: Views friendship in this light, believing his brother Scorpan and Discord were weak minded for allowing friendship to change them. Being which world this is, he's [[EvilCannotComprehendGood proven wrong.]]
* MagikarpPower: Rare villainous example, see OneWingedAngel.
* ManaDrain: Has the power to drain others of their magic. At first he can only drain unicorns, but he grows stronger each time, and starts moving on to pegasi, earth ponies, alicorns, and [[spoiler:even Discord]].
* ManipulativeBastard: He effortlessly manipulates [[spoiler:Discord, himself a master of this trope.]]
* MindOverMatter: After he starts gaining power he displays this.
* MiracleGroMonster: A side effect of his ManaDrain.
* MixAndMatchCritter: As a centaur, Tirek has the lower body of a horse and a humanoid torso, but also with traits of a bull (horns, nose ring, hoofs) and of an ape (at first rather baboon-like in his weakest form, and then more gorilla-like as he gains power).
* MoralMyopia: Is willing to suck the life out of an entire country to get what he wants and cause untold suffering, as well as [[spoiler:stab Discord in the back]], but holds a grudge on his brother Scorpan for betraying him, ignoring the fact Scorpan outright ''tried'' to talk him out of it before hand and was ignored, leaving Scorpan with no other choice.
* NeverMyFault: Shows continual hatred and bitterness towards his brother Scorpan, never even considering the fact Scorpan offered him a LastSecondChance and tried to talk him out of their plans and thus it's entirely Tirek's own fault Scorpan was forced to betray his brother.
* ObviouslyEvil: Just look at him. That's not getting into his personality or his powers.
* [[OneManArmy One-Centaur Army]]: He starts off small and weak as a result of his imprisonment, but as he starts growing stronger he drains hundreds of ponies of their magic, dozens at a time. [[spoiler:Even charged up with the power of Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, Twilight is barely able to fight him to a standstill.]]
* OneWingedAngel: Starts out as a weak, frail creature but the more magic he consumes, the larger and more powerful he becomes (also causing him to sport a BadassBeard, his hair to grow out and his horns going from little stubs being almost as long as his arms), going through several progressively more menacing forms in the process. [[spoiler:His final form is almost the size of an Ursa Major.]]
* OurCentaursAreDifferent: For one thing, this one is the ''My Little Pony'' equivalent of {{Satan}}. His upper body is more simian than human.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: He's not from Hell, he's from Tartarus. And he wasn't even born from there in the first place.
* NighInvulnerable: By the time he fights Twilight, to takes hits from [[WaveMotionGun massive energy beams]] that rip trenches in the ground, slams through a mountain, gets sent into the ground by an energy attack that buries him and caught in explosions that leave massive craters, and displays no signs of damage.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Case in point, an attack aimed at Twilight manages to [[spoiler:blow Golden Oak Library to kingdom come and his battle with her devastates the landscape.]]
* PhysicalGod: By the end of his stint as BigBad, he's become stronger than Discord and NighInvulnerable.
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: Rare case where getting more power causes his facial hair to grow. It's not his near the height of his power that the hair on his head grows.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His character design invokes much use of red and black, and he's definitely not a hero.
* SatanicArchetype: He came from another realm to conquer Equestria, but was defeated and sealed in Tartarus. Now that he's back he's considered the most powerful threat the kingdom has ever seen, and he [[spoiler:manipulates Discord into helping him only to turn on him once he no longer needs him]]. At the height of his power he even looks the part, with a white beard, red skin, horns, and of course, hooves.
* SealedEvilInACan: He was; now he's out. [[spoiler:He's re-sealed at the end of the finale.]]
* ShadowArchetype: Can be seen as one to Discord. Like Discord pre-CharacterDevelopment, he's [[ItsAllAboutMe self centered]], [[MoralMyopia holds a grudge when slighted despite his own evil deeds]], considers [[EvilCannotComprehendGood Friendship to be a worthless thing]], and is a ManipulativeBastard of the highest order. Unlike Discord, however, he's far more serious in demeanor, more physically focused once he had the strength to be, and even worse than the Draconequus in terms of sheer evil. [[spoiler:Also, unlike Discord, instead of allowing a friend (ironically Discord) change him, he stabs said friend in the back to get want he wants, something Discord originally couldn't bring himself to do until convinced to by Tirek.]] In a bit of irony, [[spoiler:him inflicting the same mind games and betrayal that Discord enjoyed dishing out on the Mane Six is what ultimately truly redeems him.]]
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Tirek mocks [[spoiler:Discord for trusting him to actually share his power once everything is said and done, basically calling him an idiot for throwing away everything to get nothing in the end]].
* TheSociopath: Feels no empathy for anyone he hurts as long as he gets his way and will manipulate anyone he pleases to serve his ends. He's basically Discord if he ''didn't'' reform.
* SuperToughness: In his penultimate form prior to draining Twilight, his power was such that even the combined power of the alicorn princesses could only match him equally. By the end of it he is completely unharmed, only annoyed that he was not strong enough to get what he wanted by brute force.
* ThisCannotBe: [[spoiler:His reaction to the mane six obtaining their SuperMode and {{No Sell}}ing his WaveMotionTuningFork after he drained their magic.]]
* TimeAbyss: Has spent over a thousand years imprisoned in Tartarus, and may be even older than that, as it's implied he and Discord may know each other.
* TopHeavyGuy: The HulkingOut eventually has his arms bigger than his legs.
* UnexpectedCharacter: Considering that Hasbro lost the rights to a lot of their G1 properties, the return of Tirek--the villain of the G1 TV special ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials Rescue at Midnight Castle]]'' -- certainly counts as this.
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials original Tirek]] was a TropeCodifier. This one reclaims his title as a king of it -- G4 Tirek is easily the most powerful, dangerous, intimidating villain ever seen in the franchise, and the two-part season finale he features in has the most intense, frightening, dramatic scenes the show has produced yet.
* VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler:Started one with Discord but only for the sake of manipulating him.]]
* WaveMotionTuningFork: His magic is generated in the space between his horns, though it still comes from the same point even in his weaker, hornless form.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Has a white beard and starting with his penultimate form has a white mane, but is ''worse'' than Discord ever was in terms of sheer evil.
* [[WouldHitAGirl Would Hit a Mare]]: Tirek has no problem with physically manhandling Celestia, as well as Twilight, whom he throws into a mountain followed by tackling her through it. Likewise, when offering Twilight's friends in exchange for the alicorns' magic, the clearly implied bargain is the magic for their lives.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Tirek is repeatedly caught off-guard throughout the two-parter due to acting on faulty information, but proves very adept at rolling with the punches.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Played straight with Discord -- once he's helped Tirek become powerful enough, Tirek drains him as well.]]
[[/folder]]
!!Non-Arc Villains
[[folder:Ahuizotl]]
[[quoteright:250:[[http://fav.me/d4ootrq http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahuizotl_8287.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Despite looking like a monster someone made up recently, he is actually a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahuizotl_(creature) real mythological creature]].]]
->'''Debut:''' "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E16ReadItAndWeep Read It and Weep]]"
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/BrianDrummond[[note]]according to [[https://twitter.com/BrianDrummondVO/status/294496688343756800 these]] [[https://twitter.com/BrianDrummondVO/status/294506584447537153 two]] tweets by Creator/BrianDrummond[[/note]]
A villain based on an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahuizotl_(creature) Ahuizotl]]. He's the big bad of the book ''Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone''. And since he's an in-universe fictional character, he's a hilariously cliched and over the top bad guy... or so we thought. He's actually [[RealAfterAll not so fictional after all]].
* ArchEnemy: Of Daring Do.
* UsefulNotes/AztecMythology: Where he originated from.
* BadassNormal : Relatively speaking; even if he`s obviously a dangerous creature, Ahuizotl is the only major villain without magical powers of his own. He makes up with his size and strength, and his many BadassNormal mooks and minions (including several large cats).
* TheBeastmaster: Being partially feline, Ahuizotl seems to have control over cats in general.
* BigBad: Seems to be the one for all of Daring Do's books, if Twilight and Rainbow's explanations of the books in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E4DaringDont "Daring Don't"]] are any indication. It also turns out he's RealAfterAll.
* BigNo: Of course he had to release one of these.
* BondVillainStupidity: Instead of having his cat minions take care of Daring Do directly, he opts to leave her in an ancient DeathTrap. Granted, it's a [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill darn good]] deathtrap.
* CatsAreMean: Has a number of dangerous big cats--and one cute white kitten--as his EvilMinions. Ahuizotl himself is [[MixAndMatchCritters half feline.]]
%% * DiabolicalMastermind
* ADogNamedDog: They can get away with this since there aren't many other Ahuizotls to confuse him with.
* EndlessDaytime: While it's never actually stated, based on the dialogue and the ways things are framed, his plan to bring 800 years on scorching heat seemed to involve locking the sun in the sky. Somehow, this is only supposed to affect just the valley he is in and not the rest of Equestria.
* EvilIsHammy: He could rival Discord for over-the-top villainous theatrics.
* HarmlessVillain: Compared to the other major villains that the Mane Six have faced in the series, he's very small time. His EvilPlan involves bring only 800 years of unrelenting heat to a single valley. It's a plan that [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb Dr. Doofenshmirtz]] would have cooked up.
* KillerGorilla: He is part ape, after all.
* LargeHam: He's a character in a book, after all. [[spoiler: Only he's real. Just as hammy as ever though.]]
* MixAndMatchCritters: A giant feline-monkey hybrid.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: He's still a decent threat to his actual nemesis and has ''very'' good {{Death Trap}}s. He also managed to [[spoiler:take Rainbow Dash off guard and capture her. It's also implied that the only reason he hadn't become a major threat is because Daring Do had stopped him from obtaining the magical artifacts that would give him high-level powers.]]
* OurMonstersAreWeird: Ahuizotl don't usually appear much in popular culture, do they?
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Comes across as this considering he's not a PhysicalGod level threat like the the major villains. He's still dangerous, but not on Nightmare Moon, Discord, and King Sombra's level.
* PrehensileTail: The production team have ShownTheirWork; this is one of the ahuizotl's most notable features in Aztec myth.
* RealAfterAll: [[spoiler:Hard to believe, but Ahuizotl are apparently real creatures in the ''My Little Pony'' universe. Most ponies, however, think they´re mythical creatures, which explains why they think Ahuizotl only exists as a fictional villain in Daring Do's stories.]]
* RealMenWearPink: Plenty of villains have a RightHandCat, but not many have one [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter so adorable]].
* RightHandCat: Ahuizotl has a white CuteKitten among his feline minions. It's worth pointing out that it's every bit as aggressive as the panthers and tigers it's hanging with.
* RightHandAttackDog: Ahuizotl has several great cats (and a small kitten) at his command to sic on meddling heroes in general (and Daring Do in particular).
* ShownTheirWork: Besides his physical appearance, Ahuizotl also shares his mythical counterpart's fondness of death traps. The ahuizotl from myth attracts victims to water by mimicking a baby's crying, then grabs them with a prehensile tail and drowns them.
* [[HeroOfAnotherStory Villain of Another Story]]: He's apparently having world-conquering plots and fights with Daring Do while the Mane Cast and their villains are busy having their own fights for the fate of the world. Apparently, the fact he lacks high level magical powers of his own helps him get under Celestia and Luna's radar, explaining why the Princesses hadn't done anything against Ahuizotl themselves despite the fact he seeks for magical artifacts that would make him as dangerous as the other major villains. See the HarmlessVillain entry for an explanation.
* WouldHitAGirl: Lacking magical powers of his own, Ahuizotl and his minions/mooks get into physical fights with Daring Do, plus leaving her in particularly good {{death trap}}s.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Mane-iac]]
See Characters/FriendshipIsMagicOthers (under ''Power Ponies'' Characters)
[[/folder]]
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