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* PosthumousSibling: Nova has a deceased older sister that he doesn't remember much about. It isn't a source of emotional baggage for him, but based on his point of view narrator, it still affects his mother and father quite severely.
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* TrueLoveIsBoring: After their courtship takes up a major part of ''Apprentice'', there's very little in the way of romance and courtship between Nova and Twilight this time. Instead, their relationship here takes an utter battering with four years of baggage and Nova's own TraumaCongaLine causing Nova to lash out at her several times. There are still moments, however, which demonstrate that their bond runs deep, but nothing quite on the level of a full love story like the previous fic.
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* ActuallyPrettyFunny: When Bright Gleam accidentally mouths off back to Nova, Nova is actually glad she is, because it means she's loosening up around him.
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* DrivingQuestion: Imperius is said to have been haunted by a question that drove him for his entire life, one born of the prophecy written in the page quote. '''"What is the god-shattering star?"'''
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* ArcWords: "Harmonic Convergence approaches."
to:
* ArcWords: ArcWords:
** "Harmonic Convergence approaches.""
** "What will come will come, and we will be ready to meet it when it does.", linking back to an identical phrase from the previous story.
** "Harmonic Convergence approaches.
** "What will come will come, and we will be ready to meet it when it does.", linking back to an identical phrase from the previous story.
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* BreakingTheFourthWall: Twilight has a feeling that the readers themselves are being directly addressed at one point, but compares it to the same feeling she gets whenever Pinkie Pie mentions them.
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* ImagineSpot: A few times while around Flurry Heart, Nova imagines what it would be like if he and Twilight had a daughter named Glimmer. Twilight indulges in one of these to see what it would be like if she were the one to wear the Crown of Life on her head.
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* MortalityPhobia: A large part of the reason Nova's crossing of the DespairEventHorizon is because he is afraid to die.
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* SwordOfDamocles: The wearer of the Crown of Life becomes this to literally everyone in the world, just due to their sheer magical power. Who could stand against them, and who would deny them what they want?
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Changed line(s) 58 (click to see context) from:
* AudienceSurrogate: Bright Gleam, who serves as the view point when something is about to be explained.
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* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: At any point when we're following Bright Gleam's POV, expect her thoughts to go off on a tangent due to something she sees before she tries to force herself to refocus on what's going on around her.
* AudienceSurrogate: Bright Gleam, who serves as theview point viewpoint when something is about to be explained.explained, and may or may not make the [[ShoutOut references]] that the audience is probably thinking of.
* AudienceSurrogate: Bright Gleam, who serves as the
* BatmanGambit: Envy places a Teleportation Trap spell on the Alicorn Amulet that she's "gifted" to Nova, knowing that Nova would be incredibly suspicious of it and due to his temporary blindness to energy sensing, he would probe it with magic rather than touch it directly. It works, but Bright Gleam is almost able to warn him out of it before he does it.
* CatapultNightmare: Nova has a horrible nightmare at the opening of Chapter 8 and catapults upright, before launching himself out of bed and making a mad dash to a nearby bar.
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* NiceToTheWaiter: Nova doesn't just toss a few bits to the homeless pony he finds huddling near his favorite pub; he ''buys them an apartment for a few months''. And if Cadance is to be believed, this is one of several instances, due to Nova having a soft spot for homeless ponies.
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* PetTheDog: Despite going out of her way to antagonize Nova, Envy tries to convince him to keep Bright Gleam out of harm's way. He doesn't, and she takes it out on him afterward.
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* PetTheDog: Despite going out of her way to antagonize Nova, Envy tries to convince him to keep Bright Gleam out of harm's way. He doesn't, and she takes it out on him afterward. She also takes time to play with Flurry Heart in the middle of this conversation, and while Nova panics and assuming she's threatening Flurry or trying to kidnap her, she just settles Flurry back into Nova's arms and asks her to be good for her uncle.
* PowerGlows: The three Gems of Being are said to have an eerie glow so brightly that it completely overshadows the brightness of a pony's magical aura.
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* StraightManAndWiseGuy: Generally, Nova serves as the wise guy when around Twilight or Aegis. Occasionally, he'll switch roles with them, but mostly he's the more goofy of the pair. When he and Trixie get together, she becomes the Straight Mare.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Nova is a DeadpanSnarker and {{Troll}} under normal circumstances, but when ponies like Twilight can dig beneath the surface, they find that deep down, he's really rather sweet.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Nova is a DeadpanSnarker and {{Troll}} under normal circumstances, but when ponies like Twilight can dig beneath the surface, they find that deep down, he's really rather sweet.
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* StraightManAndWiseGuy: Generally, Nova serves as the wise guy when around Twilight or Aegis. Occasionally, he'll switch roles with them, but mostly he's the more goofy of the pair. When he and Trixie get together, she becomes the Straight Mare.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Nova is a DeadpanSnarker and {{Troll}} under normal circumstances, but when ponies like Twilight can dig beneath the surface, they find that deep down, he's really rather sweet.SummonMagic: Envy has apparently been taught how to summon shadow nuckelavees by Sombra.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Nova is a DeadpanSnarker and {{Troll}} under normal circumstances, but when ponies like Twilight can dig beneath the surface, they find that deep down, he's really rather sweet.
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* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Referred to by name, when referring to Ponyville's Premier Party Planning Pony.
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* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Referred to by name, when referring to Ponyville's Premier Party Planning Pony.Huati engages in some alliteration in the AfterActionPatchUp, which gets Nova laughing.
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* YourDaysAreNumbered: Nova Shine is informed that he is dying because [[PowerIncontinence there is too much magical energy in his body, and it's only growing]]. He [[CryLaughing starts laughing, which rapidly turns to sobbing]], and even a few weeks later, he is still completely despondent, from which Star Swirl is able to glean that Nova fears dying and offers him a small, fragile chance at survival.
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* {{Nuckelavee}}: Summoning these made out of shadow is something King Sombra and Envy demonstrate multiple times. Early on, Envy summons one to keep Twilight occupied while she enjoys a one-on-one conversation with Nova to torment him. Later on in the story, King Sombra sics three of them on Twilight, Nova, and co. to both test their ability and to keep them busy while Envy is sent to assassinate Bright Gleam. They are described as being horned and are protected from exterior attacks, so Nova, Twilight, and several members of the Crystal Guard are forced to find ways to strike at their insides, which they do via the mouth.
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** An alicorn named Ars Arcanum for a brief moment as he finds the Crown of Life within the King's Vault in the city of Elysium.
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* ShoutOut: [[ShoutOut/TheApprenticeTheStudentAndTheCharlatan Shares a page with the first story.]]
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* HelpingWouldBeKillstealing: More or less Star Swirl's exact reasoning for not sharing the location of the Gem of Mind with Nova. Nova calls him out on not helping them despite this quest they're on being on a time crunch, but Star Swirl simply rebuts that Nova would be robbed of the lessons learned from figuring it out himself, and all of its logical extrapolations. However, he does concede that Nova has a valid point, and promises that if Nova has not figured out the answer himself in a few days, he will point Nova in the right direction.
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* TheFinalTemptation: Said word-for-word by Star Swirl. The Crown of Life is an artifact so fantastically powerful that it could rewrite reality to be the way the pony who wore it would want. It is not omnipotent, but it is powerful enough to represent everything a pony could ever want being within reach. Even free will could be overwritten with the Gems of Mind and Soul. Twilight recognizes immediately what a truly dire threat it is that Sombra seeks it.
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* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Twilight's brief vision of a world under her rule with the Crown of Life at her disposal. On the surface, it's an idyllic world. Harmony and friendship reign supreme, everyone cooperates, and she and Nova enjoy a long and happy life. But the more she thinks about it, she realizes that as long as she were to wear the crown on her head, she would be coercing everyone, whether she realized it or not, to accede to her will. After all, with that much power at her disposal, who could deny her?
* GoodHurtsEvil: At one point, Harmonia herself uses some kind of spell of pure piercing light on Shimmer, and it actually causes Shimmer to suffer excruciating pain. According to Harmonia, it's because she is attempting to [[spoiler:forcibly remove Sombra's soul from corrupting her, but it wouldn't let go]] which causes the pain as Shimmer's soul is being torn apart.
* GoodHurtsEvil: At one point, Harmonia herself uses some kind of spell of pure piercing light on Shimmer, and it actually causes Shimmer to suffer excruciating pain. According to Harmonia, it's because she is attempting to [[spoiler:forcibly remove Sombra's soul from corrupting her, but it wouldn't let go]] which causes the pain as Shimmer's soul is being torn apart.
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* WouldHurtAChild: Shimmer wouldn't, but Sombra has no lines he wouldn't cross, or make her cross for him. Fortunately for Bright Gleam, she is protected.
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* CryLaughing: Upon learning he is dying, the four mares in the room at the time (as well as the thestral guards outside) are startled to hear that Nova's first reaction to the news is to laugh. The laugh gets more and more unhinged, until he starts sobbing.
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* NightAndDayDuo: Nova and Twilight still, since their mentors are the Lunar and Solar Princesses themselves, It even extends to their personalities, [[RedOniBlueOni where Nova is colder and tries to stick to logic rather than let emotion in, where Twilight is much warmer and more readily embraces her emotions, yet doesn't slouch when it comes to her own smarts]]. Clover takes Twilight's place come the past arc, but then the onis switch.
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'''Gleam''': *thinks for a moment* Filly, don't hurt me?
'''Star Swirl''': *confused* 'Filly don't hurt me?'
'''Star Swirl''': *confused* 'Filly don't hurt me?'
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'''Gleam''': *thinks for a moment* Filly, don't hurt me?
me?\\
'''Star Swirl''': *confused*'Filly "Filly don't hurt me?'me?"\\
'''Star Swirl''': *confused*
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* WaxingLyrical: Gleam, being silly, manages to cajole ''Star Swirl'' into doing it with her.
-->'''Star Swirl''': For starters, what ''is'' love?\\
'''Gleam''': *thinks for a moment* Filly, don't hurt me?
'''Star Swirl''': *confused* 'Filly don't hurt me?'
'''Gleam''': No more. Well, we ''almost'' got it.
-->'''Star Swirl''': For starters, what ''is'' love?\\
'''Gleam''': *thinks for a moment* Filly, don't hurt me?
'''Star Swirl''': *confused* 'Filly don't hurt me?'
'''Gleam''': No more. Well, we ''almost'' got it.
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* [[ActionGirl Action Mare]]: Captain Cinnabar, formerly Sombra's unwilling captain of the Crystal Guard, who prides herself on being a master of several styles of combat and is ready to defend her home to the death. Even after she gets her eye cut out by Envy, she has surgery and returns to service as Gleam's bodyguard during what's supposed to be her recovery period.
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* EldritchLocation: Star Swirl describes the Crown of the World this way, a desolate icy plain north of Yakyakistan.
He indirectly mentions things such as sun dogs, the ''aurora borealis'', the ever-shifting magnetic north, and the fact that, on a plain as featureless and flat such as that, there is no visible way to tell one is making any progress. Notably, even ''Star Swirl'' seems haunted by his experiences with it. Add to this that the Alicorn Empire constructed their capital at the very heart of it, quite literally just to prove that they could.
He indirectly mentions things such as sun dogs, the ''aurora borealis'', the ever-shifting magnetic north, and the fact that, on a plain as featureless and flat such as that, there is no visible way to tell one is making any progress. Notably, even ''Star Swirl'' seems haunted by his experiences with it. Add to this that the Alicorn Empire constructed their capital at the very heart of it, quite literally just to prove that they could.
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* EldritchLocation: Star Swirl describes the Crown of the World this way, a desolate icy plain north of Yakyakistan. \n He indirectly mentions things such as sun dogs, the ''aurora borealis'', the ever-shifting magnetic north, and the fact that, on a plain as featureless and flat such as that, there is no visible way to tell one is making any progress. Notably, even ''Star Swirl'' seems haunted by his experiences with it. Add to this that the Alicorn Empire constructed their capital at the very heart of it, quite literally just to prove that they could.
* EyeScream: Envy slashes out Captain Cinnabar's eye with her silver knife during their fight. Captain Cinnabar doesn't treat this as much more than a mild inconvenience.
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* FriendToAllChildren: Expanded from before. Now, Nova ''wants'' a foal of his own with Twilight, a daughter named Glimmer. He also particularly enjoys spending time with Flurry Heart, who thinks of him as her favorite uncle "Uncanoba".
to:
* FriendToAllChildren: Expanded from before. Now, Nova ''wants'' a foal of his own with Twilight, a daughter named Glimmer. He also particularly enjoys spending time with Flurry Heart, who thinks of him as her favorite uncle "Uncanoba"."Uncanoba", and just being around her is enough to calm him down after the previous day's fireworks.
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* GentlemanSnarker: Aegis. Also, Rarity whenever she makes an appearance.
* TheGift:
** Nova's magical ability is expanded on to the point where he is a total savant with magic. As Twilight puts it, Nova could metaphorically sing with magic on his worst day. It turns out, however, to be a byproduct of his arcane oversaturation, and his greatest gift is ironically what will ultimately kill him.
* TheGift:
** Nova's magical ability is expanded on to the point where he is a total savant with magic. As Twilight puts it, Nova could metaphorically sing with magic on his worst day. It turns out, however, to be a byproduct of his arcane oversaturation, and his greatest gift is ironically what will ultimately kill him.
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* GenerationXerox: It's unknown if he is descended, but the brief snippet of King Imperius' appearance we get in his small flashback describes him as being white-coated and blue-eyed, with a blue mane and tail, making him extremely similar in appearance to Nova Shine, whom he is sharing headspace with.
* GentlemanSnarker:Aegis. Also, Rarity whenever she makes an appearance.
Aegis, who will routinely mouth off to Nova but be so gosh-darned ''polite'' about it.
*TheGift:
**TheGift: Nova's magical ability is expanded on to the point where he is a total savant with magic. As Twilight puts it, Nova could metaphorically sing with magic on his worst day. It turns out, however, to be a byproduct of his arcane oversaturation, and his greatest gift is ironically what will ultimately kill him.
* GentlemanSnarker:
*
**
* GrandTheftMe: At the beginning of Part 2, we finally see what Nova saw in Envy's head: [[spoiler:Envy's soul is slowly being usurped by a portion of Sombra's soul, visualized with Envy's body being half-Shimmer, half-Sombra.]] As well, we see Summer's soul, trapped behind a [[CrystalPrison wall of crystal]].
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* GenerationXerox: It's unknown if he is descended, but the brief snippet of King Imperius' appearance we get in his small flashback describes him as being white-coated and blue-eyed, with a blue mane and tail, making him extremely similar in appearance to Nova Shine, whom he is sharing headspace with.
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* InsultOfEndearment: While not exactly an insult, Nova called Cadance "Cadenza" just to spite her when he was younger. Even after he stops loathing her very presence, he still calls her that, but with absolutely no spite involved.
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* InsultOfEndearment: InsultOfEndearment:
** While not exactly an insult, Nova called Cadance "Cadenza" just to spite her when he was younger. Even after he stops loathing her very presence, he still calls her that, but with absolutely no spiteinvolved.involved.
** Envy starts calling Nova "bonehead" early-on, and it becomes less and less of a genuine insult over the course of the story.
** While not exactly an insult, Nova called Cadance "Cadenza" just to spite her when he was younger. Even after he stops loathing her very presence, he still calls her that, but with absolutely no spite
** Envy starts calling Nova "bonehead" early-on, and it becomes less and less of a genuine insult over the course of the story.
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* KnifeNut: Envy still likes to use her silver knife.
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* KnifeNut: Envy still likes to use her silver knife.knife in conjunction with her magic. She is even responsible for the loss of Captain Cinnabar's eye.
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* LoveTriangle: Nova and Twilight clearly love each other, but Nova still can't get over Clover, and Twilight has been leading Flash Sentry on to make Nova jealous.
to:
* LoveTriangle: Nova and Twilight clearly love each other, but Nova still can't get over Clover, and Twilight has been leading Flash Sentry on to make Nova jealous.jealous because of this.
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* {{Nerd}}: In addition to Nova and Twilight, Bright Gleam is quite the geek when it comes to all things magic.
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* {{Nerd}}: In addition to Nova and Twilight, Bright Gleam is quite the geek when it comes to all things magic. Later on, she sounds thrilled to be talking about Marevel comics as well.
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* NervousWreck: Nova was already one, but Part 1 just puts him through the wringer until he falls apart entirely and has a total breakdown.
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* NervousWreck: Nova was already one, but Part 1 just puts him through the wringer until he falls apart entirely and has a total breakdown. Part 2 picks up with him having another one.
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* BlueIsHeroic: Blue remains Nova's motif, with his mane, his tail, his eyes, and his magical resonance.
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* BabySeeBabyDo: Flurry Heart mimics things Nova says thoughout a good portion of Chapter 5.
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* ArmorPiercingQuestion: The way Star Swirl gets ova to at least return to civilization is by challenging if dying pathetically is how Nova wants to be remembered. Nova, at first, [[ShutUpKirk spitefully replies affirmatively]], but eventually concedes.
to:
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: The way Star Swirl gets ova Nova to at least return to civilization is by challenging if dying pathetically is how Nova wants to be remembered. Nova, at first, [[ShutUpKirk spitefully replies affirmatively]], but eventually concedes.
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* BadassCape: Nova's Archmage's Cloak, which he uses to teleport, ward off spells, and look cool. He even handede down his old Night Master Cloak to Bright Gleam for her protection.
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* BadassCape: Nova's Archmage's Cloak, which he uses to teleport, ward off spells, and look cool. He even handede handed down his old Night Master Cloak to Bright Gleam for her protection.
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* FlareGun: A magical examplein the Crystal Empire, used to call for emergency aid and reinforcements on the trek to Mt. Glacia.
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* FlareGun: A magical examplein example in the Crystal Empire, used to call for emergency aid and reinforcements on the trek to Mt. Glacia.
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* PalsWithJesus: Bright Gleam now finds herself with personal connections to all four princesses and the archmage.
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* PalsWithJesus: Bright Gleam now finds herself with personal connections to all four princesses and the archmage.Archmage.
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* PowerDegeneration: Nova's arcane oversaturation is growing. The more magic he expends, teh faster it replaces itself and adds more to his system. Eventually, his body will explode from the amount of energy that he physically cannot contain.
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* PowerDegeneration: Nova's arcane oversaturation is growing. The more magic he expends, teh the faster it replaces itself and adds more to his system. Eventually, his body will explode from the amount of energy that he physically cannot contain.
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** King Imperius, in the days of hte Alicorn Empire, though we have only seen one so far.
to:
** King Imperius, in the days of hte the Alicorn Empire, though we have only seen one so far.
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Capitalization was fixed from FanFic.The Archmages Last Bow to Fanfic.The Archmages Last Bow. Null edit to update page.
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* CrystalPrison: Nova, when inside of Shimmer Silvermane's head, sees Summer Blossom's soul trapped in a crystal the same shade of red as Envy's pendant.
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* TraumaCongaLine: '''Boy howdy!''' Part I is utterly devoted to tearing Nova apart. He first learns that Shimmer Silvermane pulled a GrandTheftMe on Summer Blossom, and is holding her hostage in a [[SoulJar Spirit Gem]]. Then his relationship with Twilight is damaged due to him lashing out after accidentally witnessing the moment Flash met Twilight and Twilight continuing to prod hm for an answer he doesn't want to give. Then he's [[CurbStompBattle demolished]] by Sombra and Envy until Lord Star Swirl arrives to turn the tide. After that, the Trial of Black and White completely deconstructs him and rips him apart on the things he is most insecure about, causing him to go into a full HeroicBSOD. After that, he learns he is dying because of the surge of magical energy inside of him. All of this pushes him completely over the DespairEventHorizon.
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* ArmorPiercingQuestion: The way Star Swirl gets ova to at least return to civilization is by challenging if dying pathetically is how Nova wants to be remembered. Nova, at first, [[ShutUpKirk spitefully replies affirmatively]], but eventually concedes.
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* DespairEventHorizon: When Nova learns he is dying, he crosses it with [[AngstNuke somewhat explosive (yet harmless) results.]]
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* HeroicBSOD: Following his trial at the Shrine of Black and White, Nova completely shuts down as he tries to process and cope with his failure.
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* HopeIsScary: Lord Star Swirl cautions Nova that hope of survival to someone condemned to die can be more dangerous than helpful, because it can drive a being to [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil do worse and worse things for the sake of staying alive.]]
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* AdvancedAncientAcropolis: Elysium, the capital city of the Alicorn Empire, a city crafted almost entirely out of orichalcum and located next to the Wellspring.
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* {{Bizarchitecture}}: Twilight notes that the city of Elysium has buildings that seem geometrically-impossible to build.
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* DismantledMacguffin: The Crown of Life, an orichalcum crown with sockets for the three Gems of Being. A semi-direct comparison to the Infinity Gauntlet is made to describe it.
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* EldritchLocation: Star Swirl describes the Crown of the World this way, a desolate icy plain north of Yakyakistan.
He indirectly mentions things such as sun dogs, the ''aurora borealis'', the ever-shifting magnetic north, and the fact that, on a plain as featureless and flat such as that, there is no visible way to tell one is making any progress. Notably, even ''Star Swirl'' seems haunted by his experiences with it. Add to this that the Alicorn Empire constructed their capital at the very heart of it, quite literally just to prove that they could.
He indirectly mentions things such as sun dogs, the ''aurora borealis'', the ever-shifting magnetic north, and the fact that, on a plain as featureless and flat such as that, there is no visible way to tell one is making any progress. Notably, even ''Star Swirl'' seems haunted by his experiences with it. Add to this that the Alicorn Empire constructed their capital at the very heart of it, quite literally just to prove that they could.
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* EyepatchOfPower: Captain Cinnabar now sports one as of Chapter 8, after having her eye taken out by Envy in Chapter 6.
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* FieldPowerEffect: According to Star Swirl, Harmonic Convergence causes any spellcasters in its affected area to have their power magnified by hundreds of times.
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* LostTechnology: Orichalcum-mining. Modern ponies are able to shape it, but nearly all orichalcum was extracted from alicorn ruins.
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* {{Orichalcum}}: A perfect arcane conductor, and a highly sought-after metal in modern technology. The Crown of Life is forged from it.
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* {{Precursors}}: The Alicorn Empire that came before, an ancient civilization that reached godlike levels of power, and then vanished.
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Not a trope
Deleted line(s) 236 (click to see context) :
* YourCheatingHeart: While Twilight never truly cheats on Nova, she leads Flash Sentry along as a way of making him jealous as retribution for his brief relationship with Clover.
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Changed line(s) 88 (click to see context) from:
* ContinuityNod: The story takes place between "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E25TheEndingOfTheEndPart2 The Ending of the End -- Part 2]]" and tthe present-day parts of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E26TheLastProblem The Last Problem]]." Canterlot remains under reconstruction, Twilight isn't coronated as the ruling Princess just yet, the statue of the Terrible Trio is on display not far from Celestia's and Luna's temporary house, and so on.
to:
* ContinuityNod: The story takes place between "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E25TheEndingOfTheEndPart2 The Ending of the End -- Part 2]]" and tthe the present-day parts of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E26TheLastProblem The Last Problem]]." Canterlot remains under reconstruction, Twilight isn't coronated as the ruling Princess just yet, the statue of the Terrible Trio is on display not far from Celestia's and Luna's temporary house, and so on.
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* DidntWantAnAdventure: Gleam bemoans that all she wanted to do was go to the library at the start of her POV section in chapter 5, only for the mysterious voice in her head to nudge her somewhere into the Crystal Spire.
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* GrammarNazi: Nova corrects Twilight's grammar in Chapter 8 rather patronizingly. She responds [[BurningWithAnger by igniting herself]] [[ComedicSociopathy to burn him]]. In fairness, Nova had been trolling her all day.
* GrandRomanticGesture: [[spoiler: Steelshod challenges Nova to a duel, in an attempt to win Clover's hoof in marriage. He loses.]]
* GrandRomanticGesture: [[spoiler: Steelshod challenges Nova to a duel, in an attempt to win Clover's hoof in marriage. He loses.]]
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* GrammarNazi: GracefulInTheirElement: Twilight muses to Gleam that on some days, Equish feels like Nova's second language after magic. Later, we see Nova corrects Twilight's grammar locked in Chapter 8 rather patronizingly. She responds [[BurningWithAnger by igniting herself]] [[ComedicSociopathy battle against Gleam, and Gleam describes him as being utterly graceful in his dodges, precise in his cast spells, and likens all of it to burn him]]. In fairness, a symphony of magic and movement. Later on, when Nova had been trolling her all day.
* GrandRomanticGesture: [[spoiler: Steelshod challenges Nova to a duel, in an attempt to win Clover's hoof in marriage. He loses.]]is hiding away atop Mt. Canterhorn from everyone, he isn't crying or showing emotion, but the magic he is casting is expressing everything for him through color and sound.
* GrandRomanticGesture: [[spoiler: Steelshod challenges Nova to a duel, in an attempt to win Clover's hoof in marriage. He loses.]]
* HearingVoices:
** Nova seems to now be letting Imperius, the erstwhile King of the Alicons, take up space in his head, and they've had a few conversations.
** Gleam hears the whispers of Harmonia in her head as well.
** Nova seems to now be letting Imperius, the erstwhile King of the Alicons, take up space in his head, and they've had a few conversations.
** Gleam hears the whispers of Harmonia in her head as well.
* GenerationXerox: It's unknown if he is descended, but the brief snippet of King Imperius' appearance we get in his small flashback describes him as being white-coated and blue-eyed, with a blue mane and tail, making him extremely similar in appearance to Nova Shine, whom he is sharing headspace with.
* JoinTheArmyTheySaid: Gleam exclaims "Sign up to be the Archmage's apprentice, Gleam! It'll be so fun!" when she's lost in a maze of identical hallways in the Crystal Spire.
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* LargeHam:
** Nova really loves his theatrics.
*** BewareTheSillyOnes: But when he decides to be serious, you'd better run.
** Also, Trixie by virtue of being a showpony.
** Princess Luna, as per usual, with the '''''ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE''''' (which Celestia also uses at a couple of points, and Nova is able to tap into at one point).
* LastKiss: [[spoiler: Nova and Clover share one before he activates his Time Stasis trap to return to his own time.]]
** Nova really loves his theatrics.
*** BewareTheSillyOnes: But when he decides to be serious, you'd better run.
** Also, Trixie by virtue of being a showpony.
** Princess Luna, as per usual, with the '''''ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE''''' (which Celestia also uses at a couple of points, and Nova is able to tap into at one point).
* LastKiss: [[spoiler: Nova and Clover share one before he activates his Time Stasis trap to return to his own time.]]
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* DarkerAndEdgier: While it still has plenty of goofy moments, the fic takes a much more serious approach to Nova's many issues and antagonists compared to ''Apprentice''.
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''The Archmage's Last Bow'' is an ongoing ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfiction written by [[Website/FIMFictionDotNet FIMFiction]] [[https://www.fimfiction.net/user/Rytex user]] (and [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Tropers/Rytex troper]]) Rytex, and is the sequel to FanFic/TheApprenticeTheStudentAndTheCharlatan, taking the place of a separate sequel that had taken too long to write and been overwritten by canon in the process. It can be found [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/451442/the-archmages-last-bow here]].
to:
''The Archmage's Last Bow'' is an ongoing ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfiction written by [[Website/FIMFictionDotNet FIMFiction]] [[https://www.fimfiction.net/user/Rytex user]] (and [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Tropers/Rytex troper]]) Rytex, and is the sequel to FanFic/TheApprenticeTheStudentAndTheCharlatan, ''FanFic/TheApprenticeTheStudentAndTheCharlatan'', taking the place of a separate sequel that had taken too long to write and been overwritten by canon in the process. It can be found [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/451442/the-archmages-last-bow here]].
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/talb.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Image created by [=Winterline13=][[note]]From top to bottom, left to right, we have Sombra as the EvilOverlooker, Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Nova Shine, Luna, Bright Gleam, Star Swirl, Envy, Aegis, Trixie, and Sharp Eye[[/note]]]]
->''[[center: I speak to you, the final emperor of the alicorns,]]''\
''[[center: I speak to you, the bringer of our doom,]]''\
''[[center: I speak to you, the one who would wear life,]]''\
''[[center: I speak to you, the one who would rule over all,]]''\
''[[center: I, Verita, speak to you.]]''\
'''''[[center: Beware the god-shattering star.]]'''''
-->[[center:--The Final Prophecy of Empress Verita]]
Following the petrification of the Terrible Trio, but before her coronation as Ruling Princess, Twilight Sparkle finds her life in the midst of a great upheaval. She and her fiancee of four years, Nova Shine, are preparing to make their final, permanent move to Canterlot, leaving behind the home they've known for the last several years, and Nova has been promoted to the position of Archmage of Equestria after being in training since their previous adventure, and has begun training an apprentice of his own, a young unicorn mare named Bright Gleam.
This upheaval, unfortunately, brings even more trouble with it. Their old nemesis Envy returns to cause them even more mayhem. Nova Shine finds himself wracked with a sudden crisis of confidence. On top of all of this, Equestria itself is still reeling from the attacks by the Terrible Trio, and are laughably unprepared for the new threat Envy represents. And on top of all of this, a familiar foe reemerges and begins to openly pursue an item known as the Crown of Life, an artifact that could bring untold ruination and destruction if assembled the wrong hooves.
Racing against time and against their enemies, and battling themselves just as much as their foes, Nova and Twilight, his apprentice Bright Gleam, as well as their friends Aegis, Trixie, the Princesses, Star Swirl, and Sharp Eye, have their work cut out for them. They must find the Gems of Being that power the Crown first, or at the very least, keep them out of the hooves of Envy and the other interloper, in order to win a battle that will determine the very fate of the entire world, and everyone in it.
''The Archmage's Last Bow'' is an ongoing ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfiction written by [[Website/FIMFictionDotNet FIMFiction]] [[https://www.fimfiction.net/user/Rytex user]] (and [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Tropers/Rytex troper]]) Rytex, and is the sequel to FanFic/TheApprenticeTheStudentAndTheCharlatan, taking the place of a separate sequel that had taken too long to write and been overwritten by canon in the process. It can be found [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/451442/the-archmages-last-bow here]].
----
!! This Fanfic Contains Examples Of:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:A-M]]
* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Twilight is having several doubts about Nova's previous relationship with Clover in the previous story, believing that he is still not quite over Clover after Twilight was absent from his life for so long.
* ActionDuo:
** Nova and Twilight against Envy as early as Chapter 2.
** Nova and Star Swirl kick ass when fighting against Envy and Sombra, who are a villainous example of their own.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: When Bright Gleam accidentally mouths off back to Nova, Nova is actually glad she is, because it means she's loosening up around him.
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Referred to by name, when referring to Ponyville's Premier Party Planning Pony.
* AffablyEvil:
** Envy, when she isn't overtly attempting to get under Nova's skin or murder him or those he cares about, is actually rather friendly toward him when she's "off the clock".
** Sombra is also nothing but respectful toward Star Swirl, and even Nova Shine, until Nova Shine disappoints him.
* AffectionateNickname:
** Nova likes to refer to Twilight as "Twi" (he starts calling her "love" as well once they reach that stage), and Cadance as "Cadenza", just like the previous story.
** Aegis calls Trixie "Bea", and according to Trixie, only he is allowed to do that.
* AfterActionPatchUp: After the battle on the way to Mount Glacia, there's a brief moment where everyone is patching up after the Nuckelavee attacks. This is where Nova discovers his HealingFactor.
* TheAlcoholic: Nova has become much more dependent on drink this time around, having developed into a full-blown unhealthy coping mechanism that he tries to hide.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Fluttershy still does, but she's apparently broken up with Sharp Eye since ''Apprentice''.
* AllPowerfulBystander:
** Averted by Star Swirl, who leaps into action every time he's near it.
** Harmonia actively steps in to protect Gleam when Gleam is threatened.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Timber Feller and Golden Glow to Gleam, but not on purpose.
* AndIMustScream:
** It is revealed early that Envy is actually Shimmer Silvermane, and that Summer Blossom, whom she's been impersonating this whole time, is sealed within the ruby Spirit Gem Envy always wears.
** The brief viewpoint we get of Envy, she is experiencing constant whispers for her to kill or otherwise attempt to cause harm and bloodshed, and every moment she isn't, there is a constant pressure.
* AngstNuke: When Nova finally learns that he is dying, he seems to lose his mind, before utterly demolishing the room they're sitting in as he teleports away.
* AntiMagic: Anti-mages are apparently specialists in magic neutralization, and the higher-ranking ones carry tools of Inmanipulon, the better to ward off any errant enchantments.
* AntiVillain: Of all ponies, ''Envy'' turns out to be a Type-2, being Sombra's direct thrall.
* ApologeticAttacker: Envy, when she is forced to attempt to kill Bright Gleam, after trying to keep Gleam out of the line of fire for a few chapters.
* ApologizesALot: Bright Gleam, who launches into a fast and wordy apology every time she believes she messes up in front of Nova, begging him not to reject her as his pupil.
* AppliedPhlebotinum: Up to this point, we've seen functioning airships powered by magical fire propulsion, as well as a much more practical look at how the magic of the world works.
* TheApprentice: Bright Gleam, to Archmage Nova Shine.
* ArcWords: "Harmonic Convergence approaches."
* AudienceSurrogate: Bright Gleam, who serves as the view point when something is about to be explained.
* BadassCape: Nova's Archmage's Cloak, which he uses to teleport, ward off spells, and look cool. He even handede down his old Night Master Cloak to Bright Gleam for her protection.
* BadassTeacher: Nova Shine, when Bright Gleam is threatened, will move heaven and earth to make sure she's safe.
* BattleCouple: Nova and Twilight.
* BeQuietNudge: Twilight still has to elbow Nova ''after'' he says something stupid or rude to someone else, usually the princesses or Lord Star Swirl.
* BeamOWar: Nova and Envy in Chapter 2.
* BerserkButton:
** For Nova, hurting children, or threatening Bright Gleam. When it looks as though either Flurry Heart or Gleam may be in danger, he becomes much more focused and serious in a given combat situation.
** When Princess Luna and Princess Celestia reveal that they've known Nova had arcane oversaturation and didn't tell them, she goes into such a rage that her normally-red/yellow/orange Flamelight form burns so hot that her fires are closer to blue, purple, and black.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Whenever Nova has been forced to take combat seriously and finds himself on even ground, he becomes a force of nature, utterly trouncing Envy and even making a battle difficult for Sombra.
* BigBad: Sombra. Envy has been relegated to his [[TheDragon dragon]], but still very much remains TheHeavy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: When Nova screams at Twilight, Shining Armor is very quick to rough him up for it.
* BigDamnHeroes: Star Swirl shows up just in the nick of time to turn the tides against Sombra.
* BigSisterMentor: Twilight is shaping up to be something like this to Bright Gleam.
* BlueIsHeroic: Blue remains Nova's motif, with his mane, his tail, his eyes, and his magical resonance.
* BrokenHero: Nova Shine utterly collapses by the end of Part 1, finally having a full breakdown when he learns he is dying.
* BrokenPedestal:
** Gleam idolizes Nova and Twilight, and when she starts to see their flaws and their friction with one another, wrestles with it for a time, but ultimately remains totally starry-eyed with them.
** When Celestia and Luna reveal that Nova is dying, and that they've known or had suspicions for some time and never told either of them, Twilight becomes completely hostile to both of them, even speaking uncharacteristically harshly to Luna while trying to organize a search for a missing Nova.
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: Nova forms this dynamic with Twilight, Trixie, Luna, and Gleam all there trying to help him whenever he is having trouble.
* BurningWithAnger: Twilight's Flamelight form becomes a recurring ability of hers, and when she's angry enough, the flames burn even hotter shades of blue, purple, and black.
* ByronicHero: Nova remains a textbook case. Intelligent, likable, and a good-natured sense of humor, but all of that to [[StepfordSnarker mask]] his great insecurities and to avoid getting on the topic of his family issues and past.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Between ''Apprentice'' and now, Nova Shine's alcohol tolerance has taken a drastic turn (partly because he drinks stronger things), and now he is an extra-surly drunk.
* CardCarryingVillain: Envy remains a Type-3, though she clearly has a distaste for it now that the circumstances of her villainy are known to the protagonists.
* CharacterTic: As before, Nova has a tendency to rub around his horn whenever he's in deep thought. Similarly, Twilight taps her chin when doing some serious thinking. It rubs off on Nova, because he starts doing it too. As well, Bright Gleam picks up on the horn-rubbing from her master.
* ClassicalAntiHero: Nova, even more so than before. Far stronger and more skilled than he was in ''Apprentice'', just as intelligent and cunning, but severely plagued with self-confidence issues, alcoholism, and his relationship with Twilight is falling apart.
* ClingyJealousGirl: When Nova came back still with a soft spot for Clover, Twilight did not get over it so easily.
* CloakOfDefense: The Archmage's Cloak functions just as the Night Apprentice/Night Master cloak did, and Nova even bequeaths his old cloak to Gleam to protect her.
* ClothFu: Nova uses his cape in combat with Envy as a magical shield.
* ClothingCombat: Nova uses his cloak as a shield to deflect spells.
* ColorCodedCharacters: Nova is blue, Twilight is magenta. Bright Gleam is green.
* ColorCodedWizardry: Magical resonances enforce this, as before. Everyone's resonance is uniquely theirs.
* CombatPragmatist: Nova continues to try to take every advantage he can in battle, including attacking while Envy's in the middle of her villainous monologue, among other things.
* ContinuityNod: The story takes place between "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E25TheEndingOfTheEndPart2 The Ending of the End -- Part 2]]" and tthe present-day parts of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E26TheLastProblem The Last Problem]]." Canterlot remains under reconstruction, Twilight isn't coronated as the ruling Princess just yet, the statue of the Terrible Trio is on display not far from Celestia's and Luna's temporary house, and so on.
* CoolTeacher: Bright Gleam thinks the world of both Nova and Princess Twilight, even after watching them slowly fall apart.
* CooldownHug: Gleam and Twilight to Nova atop Mount Canterhorn after Nova fully breaks down when he learns he is dying.
* CurbStompBattle:
** Nova gets utterly demolished by Envy and Sombra together. When Star Swirl arrives to even the playing field, he and Nova utterly trounce Sombra and Envy, though Sombra hadn't adjusted to his new body at the time.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Nova's mane, tail, and eyes are the same shade of deep blue.
* TheCynic: Nova falls back into it as his life falls apart.
* DeadpanSnarker: [[WorldOfSnark Everyone has their moments]], but mostly Nova. Even Bright Gleam gets in on it, though it takes her a while to actually mouth off to Nova. Nova finds it ActuallyPrettyFunny and is glad she's loosening up around him.
* {{Doorstopper}}: Seven chapters in, already over 100,000 words, with lots more to come.
* DreamWeaver: Luna and Nova, as before.
* DrowningMySorrows: Alcoholism catches up to Nova ''hard'' this time round after mostly not being touched on in the previous story. Nova drinks to cope, and this has a serious effect on his relationships with Nova and Trixie.
* ElementalPowers: Carrying over from last time, everyone still has their elemental powers. Nova's and Twilight seem to evolve between then and now.
** BlowYouAway: Nova's wind abilities seem to have expanded to being in control of even gales atop mountains.
** PlayingWithFire: Twilight's Flamelight form goes as far as burning blue, purple, and black when she is truly enraged at Luna and Celestia.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Bright Gleam's first appearances are her asking to be Nova's apprentice, followed by her being down about embarrassing herself, and then reacting with utter glee when Nova and Twilight arrive to accept her request.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Hurting foals is the one line Envy does her damnedest not to cross, but Sombra leaves her with no choice in the matter.
* EvilRedhead: Envy disguises herself as Summer Blossom much of the time, whose mane is a maroon color, even though hers is naturally silver.
* EvilSorcerer: Sombra returns as the main antagonist of the story.
* [[FacePalm Face Hoof]]: Just about everyone's standard reaction to someone else's stupidity.
* FlareGun: A magical examplein the Crystal Empire, used to call for emergency aid and reinforcements on the trek to Mt. Glacia.
* FoeRomanceSubtext: Envy outright says she exploits this to make Nova uncomfortable.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: Averted. It takes him a bit of prodding, but Nova is able to remember the first time he met Bright Gleam, four years ago on the day of his first visit to Celestia's School.
* FreudianTrio: At almost all times, closed-off Nova is the Superego, warm Twilight is the Ego, and excitable Gleam is the Id.
* FriendToAllChildren: Expanded from before. Now, Nova ''wants'' a foal of his own with Twilight, a daughter named Glimmer. He also particularly enjoys spending time with Flurry Heart, who thinks of him as her favorite uncle "Uncanoba".
* TheGadfly
** Nova still enjoys messing with Twilight.
** Trixie also goes out of her way to annoy Twilight every chance she can.
* GentlemanSnarker: Aegis. Also, Rarity whenever she makes an appearance.
* TheGift:
** Nova's magical ability is expanded on to the point where he is a total savant with magic. As Twilight puts it, Nova could metaphorically sing with magic on his worst day. It turns out, however, to be a byproduct of his arcane oversaturation, and his greatest gift is ironically what will ultimately kill him.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Nova, on top of Mount Canterhorn, when he is channeling his magic in an attempt to cope with the news he's just learned. Gleam is able to give him a CooldownHug.
* GoodIsNotNice: Nova is a very snarky and goofy stallion, but the few times he's been legitimately angry, he's taken the culprit to town.
* GrammarNazi: Nova corrects Twilight's grammar in Chapter 8 rather patronizingly. She responds [[BurningWithAnger by igniting herself]] [[ComedicSociopathy to burn him]]. In fairness, Nova had been trolling her all day.
* GrandRomanticGesture: [[spoiler: Steelshod challenges Nova to a duel, in an attempt to win Clover's hoof in marriage. He loses.]]
* GratuitousIambicPentameter: A habit of Nova's that still hasn't gone away. Also apparently the preferred speech pattern of King Imperius.
* GreaterScopeParagon: Harmonia/The Consciousness Of Magic/The Spirit of Harmony, a being to whom even Celestia bows as before, who is now whispering advice in Gleam's head and keeping her safe from harm. In addition, King Imperius seems to be hanging out in Nova's as well.
* GuiltComplex: Nova carries a supreme amount of guilt over his foray into the past and his relationship with Clover, and Twilight carries the guilt of leading on Flash Sentry to make Nova jealous. This comes to a head in their visit to the Empire.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Nova's self-confidence issues have gotten even worse as he's gotten closer to becoming the Archmage, to the point where he doesn't even think he's fit for the position.
* HideousHangoverCure: Trixie uses the same hangover cure that Nova's father used in the previous story on him when they find him drunk and hiding in his room.
* HoldingHands: Hooves rather than hands, but Twilight is still rather fond of curling a hoof around Nova's.
* InsecureLoveInterest:
** Twilight, after letting Nova's feelings for Clover hang unaddressed following his return, decided to make Nova jealous by leading Flash Sentry on, though she never truly pursued him.
** Nova himself is extremely insecure about the status of their relationship because of this, and just the mere sight of Flash is enough to set him off, culminating in him screaming at her after she continues to press the issue.
* InsultOfEndearment: While not exactly an insult, Nova called Cadance "Cadenza" just to spite her when he was younger. Even after he stops loathing her very presence, he still calls her that, but with absolutely no spite involved.
* {{Intangibility}}: Envy continues to use this to her advantage, but Nova is ready to force her into a solid form whenever she's around to make sure she can be hurt.
* InvisibilityCloak: Nova's Archmage Cloak, and Gleam's inherited Night Master Cloak, though we have yet to see them be used.
* JadeColoredGlasses: Nova's cynicism comes out when he's feeling particularly down, as most times, he's fairly realistic.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: We see Nova at his worst several times in the beginning, but he is still ultimately trying to be as good as he can.
* KnifeNut: Envy still likes to use her silver knife.
* KnightOfCerebus: Outside of some light quips or BlackComedy, whenever Envy or Sombra are around, things take a far more serious turn.
* LanguageOfMagic: The verbal precursor that Princess Luna uses to comedic effect on Nova and Twilight in Chapter 8, as well as the language of magic used to arrange traps and other enchantments.
* LargeHam:
** Nova really loves his theatrics.
*** BewareTheSillyOnes: But when he decides to be serious, you'd better run.
** Also, Trixie by virtue of being a showpony.
** Princess Luna, as per usual, with the '''''ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE''''' (which Celestia also uses at a couple of points, and Nova is able to tap into at one point).
* LastKiss: [[spoiler: Nova and Clover share one before he activates his Time Stasis trap to return to his own time.]]
* LemonyNarrator: Compared to the previous story, the narrator has toned down a lot of the snark, although in more light-hearted moments, he still dishes out.
* LikeASonToMe: One reason Nova latches onto Gleam is due to his own desires for a daughter.
* LikeCannotCutLike: One of the rules of magic, as established before.
** The First Fundamental Law is that, no matter how powerful one source is compared to the other, magic cannot pierce or go through magic through natural means. Magic can push other magic back, but it can't go through other magic.
* LivingLieDetector: Anyone who has basic energy-sensing, apparently. A being who lies generates a physical reaction that causes a change in the energy the body is giving off, referred to as "the telltale flareup," that an energy-senser can detect. But it's not infallible. If someone knows what to shield, then there's no telling whether or not they're lying, but the presence of shielding magic makes it suspicious all the same.
* LivingOnBorrowedTime: Nova. He knows that he'll die, but not when.
* LivingShadow: Envy, and apparently Sombra.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: As the author puts it in the comments, the characters in the cover art are just the characters with the most screen time.
* LotusPosition: Nova, in his trance atop Mt. Canterhorn.
* LoveTriangle: Nova and Twilight clearly love each other, but Nova still can't get over Clover, and Twilight has been leading Flash Sentry on to make Nova jealous.
* MagicalGuardian: Harmonia, the Spirit of Harmony, takes an active role in ensuring Envy cannot harm Bright Gleam.
* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: Somewhat averted. While Celestia and Luna mostly sit back and ensure Canterlot and Equestria rebuild after the Terrible Trio's attack, everyone else is ''very'' active in terms of the story's events.
* MistakenForCheating: Twilight led Flash on, but tried to put a stop to it when she started feeling guilty. Nova stumbled upon it in her dreams and assumed she actually ''had'' gone behind his back, and this causes no shortage of friction in much of the beginning of the story.
* MotorMouth: Bright Gleam, when she gets flustered, speaks a mile a minute while she tries to apologize for being disrespectful.
* MrExposition: It usually falls on Twilight or Nova to explain goings-on when Gleam is asking questions.
* MrViceGuy: Nova has some serious alcoholism issues this time around.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:N-Z]]
* {{Nerd}}: In addition to Nova and Twilight, Bright Gleam is quite the geek when it comes to all things magic.
* NerdActionHero: Gleam's opinion of Nova, who backs it up.
* NervousWreck: Nova was already one, but Part 1 just puts him through the wringer until he falls apart entirely and has a total breakdown.
* NiceToTheWaiter: Nova doesn't just toss a few bits to the homeless pony he finds huddling near his favorite pub; he ''buys them an apartment for a few months''. And if Cadance is to be believed, this is one of several instances, due to Nova having a soft spot for homeless ponies.
* NightAndDayDuo: Nova and Twilight still, since their mentors are the Lunar and Solar Princesses themselves, It even extends to their personalities, [[RedOniBlueOni where Nova is colder and tries to stick to logic rather than let emotion in, where Twilight is much warmer and more readily embraces her emotions, yet doesn't slouch when it comes to her own smarts]]. Clover takes Twilight's place come the past arc, but then the onis switch.
* TheNotLoveInterest: Trixie and Nova remain PlatonicLifePartners.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** Twilight loses her composure with Celestia and Luna, and gives them an extremely loud and furious WhatTheHellHero when they reveal Nova Shine is dying, and they've had suspicions for some time.
** Nova, when he has seriously been upset, becomes belligerent, and is constantly at risk of finding himself a bottle to try and find solace in. Twilight does everything she can to try and keep it from happening whenever she senses it.
* PalsWithJesus: Bright Gleam now finds herself with personal connections to all four princesses and the archmage.
* PapaWolf: Nova Shine as well, although he isn't a literal father to Bright Gleam. But whenever he finds her in danger, he goes berserk to defend her.
* ThePerfectionist: Nova has fallen back into this, being unable to see his worthiness for the position of Archmage.
* PetTheDog: Despite going out of her way to antagonize Nova, Envy tries to convince him to keep Bright Gleam out of harm's way. He doesn't, and she takes it out on him afterward.
* PowerDegeneration: Nova's arcane oversaturation is growing. The more magic he expends, teh faster it replaces itself and adds more to his system. Eventually, his body will explode from the amount of energy that he physically cannot contain.
* PowerNullifier:
** There is a stone known as [[FanFic/ThroughTheEyesOfAnotherPony inmanipulon]] that magic is 100% ineffective against, as it absorbs magical energy. High-ranking anti-mages reportedly carry tools made from the stuff to sniff out and nullify any potentially harmful magical enchantments.
** Nova and Star Swirl routinely use a spell to prevent Sombra and Envy from entering into their intangible shadowy forms, to keep them vulnerable.
* RageBreakingPoint: Three instances in the first half thus far for Nova.
** Twilight continuing to press the Flash Sentry issue as Nova tries to cool down eventually goads him into screaming at her.
** The princesses hiding information about Nova's current condition causes Twilight to just let loose on them.
* RebuiltPedestal: Bright Gleam watches her views of Twilight and Nova crumble, but they're rebuilt shortly thereafter when she sees firsthand ''why'' she idolizes them. She simply now sees them with their flaws, as normal ponies.
* TheReveal:
** [[spoiler: Summer Blossom is actually a victim, trapped in the ruby Spirit Gem around Envy's neck, and Shimmer Silvermane is the one in control.]]
** As well, [[spoiler:Envy is Sombra's apprentice, but is also a victim, as he keeps her loyal under threat of pain.]]
* RunningGag: Gleam's MotorMouth apologies whenever she makes a trivial mistake.
* SelfPunishmentOverFailure: Nova does this to himself, just like before. Even after screaming at Twilight, Twilight refuses to let him do more harm to himself by going off and isolating and punishing himself, so she sends Gleam after him and still comforts him, even though she notes that he isn't forgiven for what he said.
* SensoryOverload: An effective way at neutralizing energy-sensing is shown to be simply letting loose an intense but harmless bit of magic so that it temporarily blinds the one doing the sensing, as before. Sombra uses it to his advantage when it comes to his hidden lab, blinding any would-be sensors who find his lab to keep them unaware of any traps he may have in store for them.
* SnarkKnight: Nova, full stop.
* SourOutsideSadInside: As Nova breaks down more and more, he lashes out much much more harshly at those around him.
* SpamAttack: In the battle against Sombra and Envy, Nova Shine fires off flurry after flurry of spells at Envy with no indication that he is tired until it is all over.
* SpiderSense: Energy-sensing, again.
* StepfordSnarker: Nova's ''modus operandi'' when it comes to dealing with uncomfortable topics.
* StockVisualMetaphors: In Chapter 6, Nova finds himself standing in the shadows of every previous archmage's statue, all of whom are looking down on him.
* StraightManAndWiseGuy: Generally, Nova serves as the wise guy when around Twilight or Aegis. Occasionally, he'll switch roles with them, but mostly he's the more goofy of the pair. When he and Trixie get together, she becomes the Straight Mare.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Nova is a DeadpanSnarker and {{Troll}} under normal circumstances, but when ponies like Twilight can dig beneath the surface, they find that deep down, he's really rather sweet.
* SuperSenses:Energy sensing, carrying over from the previous story
* SwitchingPOV: Thus far, we have had point of view chapters for the following:
** Nova Shine, with his slowly-unraveling psyche over the course of the story.
** Twilight, trying to stay on top of things.
** Bright Gleam, utterly excited at getting to work with her idols.
** Trixie, her braggart nature even overflowing onto the text.
** Envy, giving us insight into what's going on in her head.
** King Imperius, in the days of hte Alicorn Empire, though we have only seen one so far.
* TakenForGranite: The Terrible Trio remain this way to start the story, and their statue causes Nova some unknown feelings, considering his history with Chrysalis.
* TalkingToTheDead: Nova "introduces" Trixie to the graves of Steelshod and Clover.
* TeleportCloak: Nova's Archmage Cloak still allows him to "tag" a temporary location, so he can teleport to a more permanent fixed location and back.
* ThemeNaming: The Knightmare Brigade, with the exception of Starstep, are named after the Lunar Mares.
* TheThreeFacesOfEve:
** Trixie remains the Seductress, as she is very outgoing and as much of a braggart as ever.
** Twilightremains the Wife, as she is ever the devoted student and librarian.
** Bright Gleam is the Child, as the young, wide-eyed and naive character who slowly realizes that the ponies she looked up to have flaws.
* {{Troll}}:
** Notably averted (so far) by Nova Shine, after his goofiness and general [[TheGadfly gadfly]] behaviour in the previous fic, though he still apparently uses GratuitousIambicPentameter to annoy Twilight.
** Trixie is the most apparent example so far, as she routinely tries to drive Twilight up the wall when the moment isn't serious, and calls her pretty much anything that sounds like her name but isn't her name just to mildly annoy her.
* UndyingLoyalty:
** Nova and Twilight both begin the story with this toward Celestia and Luna. By the end of Part 1, that pedestal is broken for both of them.
** Bright Gleam has total admiration for Nova, and not even the horrible thing he shouted at Twilight is enough to make her abandon him.
* VillainousCrush: Envy relentlessly flirts with Nova, but it all seems to be done to make him uncomfortable.
* ViolentGlaswegian: Star Swirl the Bearded, more matching his canon voice, has a faint Trottish note in his voice, though he has yet to have been seen genuinely angry in this story.
* VirtualSoundtrack: As before, Rytex uses a lot of ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' music to add to moments.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Nova and Aegis, Nova and Twilight, Nova and Trixie, Twilight and Trixie... Basically, Nova's friendships are built upon mutual insults.
* WhamEpisode: just like the previous story, every chapter in some way alters things, though there are several moments that hit particularly hard.
** Chapter 2 - [[spoiler: Envy is actually Shimmer Silvermane, and Summer Blossom has been trapped in her Spirit Gem this entire time.]]
** Chapter 4 - [[spoiler: Nova and Twilight engage in a shouting match that takes a sledge hammer to their relationship.]]
** Chapter 5 - [[spoiler: Sombra returns, Envy is revealed to be his unwilling apprentice, and Nova finds something in Envy's head that terrifies him.]]
** Chapter 6 - [[spoiler: Harmonia, the Consciousness of Magic/Spirit of Harmony, takes control of Bright Gleam to save her life. Nova discovers he has a healing factor. He then undertakes the Trial of Black and White and fails completely.]]
** Chapter 7 - [[spoiler: Nova learns from Celestia and Luna that he is dying from arcane oversaturation.]]
* WizardBeard: Star Swirl the Bearded, having grown his beard out since last time, where he was an aversion.
* WomanScorned: Twilight still feels somewhat cheated on by Nova due to his brief relationship with Clover, and seeks revenge by leading Flash Sentry along to make Nova jealous. This all culminates in Nova demanding she just go fuck him if it's what she really wants, and they both realize just how badly they've screwed up following some chats with Cadance.
* TheWorfEffect: Zig-zagged. Nova gets utterly trounced in a two-on-one battle against both Sombra and Envy right after Twilight just finished telling Gleam (and the audience) that Nova Shine uses magic for much more than just spellcasting. When star Swirl appears and levels the playing field, we see Nova become a terrifyingly competent spellcaster almost instantly.
* WorldOfSnark: The only character who doesn't is Bright Gleam, and even then, it's just because she's too intimidated by those she's around to do it, and she's showing signs of loosening up.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Lord Star Swirl totally believes in Nova Shine, as do Twilight, Cadance, Luna, Celestia, and so on, but Nova just cannot see or accept their insights.
* YourCheatingHeart: While Twilight never truly cheats on Nova, she leads Flash Sentry along as a way of making him jealous as retribution for his brief relationship with Clover.
[[/folder]]
----
[[caption-width-right:350:Image created by [=Winterline13=][[note]]From top to bottom, left to right, we have Sombra as the EvilOverlooker, Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Nova Shine, Luna, Bright Gleam, Star Swirl, Envy, Aegis, Trixie, and Sharp Eye[[/note]]]]
->''[[center: I speak to you, the final emperor of the alicorns,]]''\
''[[center: I speak to you, the bringer of our doom,]]''\
''[[center: I speak to you, the one who would wear life,]]''\
''[[center: I speak to you, the one who would rule over all,]]''\
''[[center: I, Verita, speak to you.]]''\
'''''[[center: Beware the god-shattering star.]]'''''
-->[[center:--The Final Prophecy of Empress Verita]]
Following the petrification of the Terrible Trio, but before her coronation as Ruling Princess, Twilight Sparkle finds her life in the midst of a great upheaval. She and her fiancee of four years, Nova Shine, are preparing to make their final, permanent move to Canterlot, leaving behind the home they've known for the last several years, and Nova has been promoted to the position of Archmage of Equestria after being in training since their previous adventure, and has begun training an apprentice of his own, a young unicorn mare named Bright Gleam.
This upheaval, unfortunately, brings even more trouble with it. Their old nemesis Envy returns to cause them even more mayhem. Nova Shine finds himself wracked with a sudden crisis of confidence. On top of all of this, Equestria itself is still reeling from the attacks by the Terrible Trio, and are laughably unprepared for the new threat Envy represents. And on top of all of this, a familiar foe reemerges and begins to openly pursue an item known as the Crown of Life, an artifact that could bring untold ruination and destruction if assembled the wrong hooves.
Racing against time and against their enemies, and battling themselves just as much as their foes, Nova and Twilight, his apprentice Bright Gleam, as well as their friends Aegis, Trixie, the Princesses, Star Swirl, and Sharp Eye, have their work cut out for them. They must find the Gems of Being that power the Crown first, or at the very least, keep them out of the hooves of Envy and the other interloper, in order to win a battle that will determine the very fate of the entire world, and everyone in it.
''The Archmage's Last Bow'' is an ongoing ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfiction written by [[Website/FIMFictionDotNet FIMFiction]] [[https://www.fimfiction.net/user/Rytex user]] (and [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Tropers/Rytex troper]]) Rytex, and is the sequel to FanFic/TheApprenticeTheStudentAndTheCharlatan, taking the place of a separate sequel that had taken too long to write and been overwritten by canon in the process. It can be found [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/451442/the-archmages-last-bow here]].
----
!! This Fanfic Contains Examples Of:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:A-M]]
* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Twilight is having several doubts about Nova's previous relationship with Clover in the previous story, believing that he is still not quite over Clover after Twilight was absent from his life for so long.
* ActionDuo:
** Nova and Twilight against Envy as early as Chapter 2.
** Nova and Star Swirl kick ass when fighting against Envy and Sombra, who are a villainous example of their own.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: When Bright Gleam accidentally mouths off back to Nova, Nova is actually glad she is, because it means she's loosening up around him.
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Referred to by name, when referring to Ponyville's Premier Party Planning Pony.
* AffablyEvil:
** Envy, when she isn't overtly attempting to get under Nova's skin or murder him or those he cares about, is actually rather friendly toward him when she's "off the clock".
** Sombra is also nothing but respectful toward Star Swirl, and even Nova Shine, until Nova Shine disappoints him.
* AffectionateNickname:
** Nova likes to refer to Twilight as "Twi" (he starts calling her "love" as well once they reach that stage), and Cadance as "Cadenza", just like the previous story.
** Aegis calls Trixie "Bea", and according to Trixie, only he is allowed to do that.
* AfterActionPatchUp: After the battle on the way to Mount Glacia, there's a brief moment where everyone is patching up after the Nuckelavee attacks. This is where Nova discovers his HealingFactor.
* TheAlcoholic: Nova has become much more dependent on drink this time around, having developed into a full-blown unhealthy coping mechanism that he tries to hide.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Fluttershy still does, but she's apparently broken up with Sharp Eye since ''Apprentice''.
* AllPowerfulBystander:
** Averted by Star Swirl, who leaps into action every time he's near it.
** Harmonia actively steps in to protect Gleam when Gleam is threatened.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Timber Feller and Golden Glow to Gleam, but not on purpose.
* AndIMustScream:
** It is revealed early that Envy is actually Shimmer Silvermane, and that Summer Blossom, whom she's been impersonating this whole time, is sealed within the ruby Spirit Gem Envy always wears.
** The brief viewpoint we get of Envy, she is experiencing constant whispers for her to kill or otherwise attempt to cause harm and bloodshed, and every moment she isn't, there is a constant pressure.
* AngstNuke: When Nova finally learns that he is dying, he seems to lose his mind, before utterly demolishing the room they're sitting in as he teleports away.
* AntiMagic: Anti-mages are apparently specialists in magic neutralization, and the higher-ranking ones carry tools of Inmanipulon, the better to ward off any errant enchantments.
* AntiVillain: Of all ponies, ''Envy'' turns out to be a Type-2, being Sombra's direct thrall.
* ApologeticAttacker: Envy, when she is forced to attempt to kill Bright Gleam, after trying to keep Gleam out of the line of fire for a few chapters.
* ApologizesALot: Bright Gleam, who launches into a fast and wordy apology every time she believes she messes up in front of Nova, begging him not to reject her as his pupil.
* AppliedPhlebotinum: Up to this point, we've seen functioning airships powered by magical fire propulsion, as well as a much more practical look at how the magic of the world works.
* TheApprentice: Bright Gleam, to Archmage Nova Shine.
* ArcWords: "Harmonic Convergence approaches."
* AudienceSurrogate: Bright Gleam, who serves as the view point when something is about to be explained.
* BadassCape: Nova's Archmage's Cloak, which he uses to teleport, ward off spells, and look cool. He even handede down his old Night Master Cloak to Bright Gleam for her protection.
* BadassTeacher: Nova Shine, when Bright Gleam is threatened, will move heaven and earth to make sure she's safe.
* BattleCouple: Nova and Twilight.
* BeQuietNudge: Twilight still has to elbow Nova ''after'' he says something stupid or rude to someone else, usually the princesses or Lord Star Swirl.
* BeamOWar: Nova and Envy in Chapter 2.
* BerserkButton:
** For Nova, hurting children, or threatening Bright Gleam. When it looks as though either Flurry Heart or Gleam may be in danger, he becomes much more focused and serious in a given combat situation.
** When Princess Luna and Princess Celestia reveal that they've known Nova had arcane oversaturation and didn't tell them, she goes into such a rage that her normally-red/yellow/orange Flamelight form burns so hot that her fires are closer to blue, purple, and black.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Whenever Nova has been forced to take combat seriously and finds himself on even ground, he becomes a force of nature, utterly trouncing Envy and even making a battle difficult for Sombra.
* BigBad: Sombra. Envy has been relegated to his [[TheDragon dragon]], but still very much remains TheHeavy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: When Nova screams at Twilight, Shining Armor is very quick to rough him up for it.
* BigDamnHeroes: Star Swirl shows up just in the nick of time to turn the tides against Sombra.
* BigSisterMentor: Twilight is shaping up to be something like this to Bright Gleam.
* BlueIsHeroic: Blue remains Nova's motif, with his mane, his tail, his eyes, and his magical resonance.
* BrokenHero: Nova Shine utterly collapses by the end of Part 1, finally having a full breakdown when he learns he is dying.
* BrokenPedestal:
** Gleam idolizes Nova and Twilight, and when she starts to see their flaws and their friction with one another, wrestles with it for a time, but ultimately remains totally starry-eyed with them.
** When Celestia and Luna reveal that Nova is dying, and that they've known or had suspicions for some time and never told either of them, Twilight becomes completely hostile to both of them, even speaking uncharacteristically harshly to Luna while trying to organize a search for a missing Nova.
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: Nova forms this dynamic with Twilight, Trixie, Luna, and Gleam all there trying to help him whenever he is having trouble.
* BurningWithAnger: Twilight's Flamelight form becomes a recurring ability of hers, and when she's angry enough, the flames burn even hotter shades of blue, purple, and black.
* ByronicHero: Nova remains a textbook case. Intelligent, likable, and a good-natured sense of humor, but all of that to [[StepfordSnarker mask]] his great insecurities and to avoid getting on the topic of his family issues and past.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Between ''Apprentice'' and now, Nova Shine's alcohol tolerance has taken a drastic turn (partly because he drinks stronger things), and now he is an extra-surly drunk.
* CardCarryingVillain: Envy remains a Type-3, though she clearly has a distaste for it now that the circumstances of her villainy are known to the protagonists.
* CharacterTic: As before, Nova has a tendency to rub around his horn whenever he's in deep thought. Similarly, Twilight taps her chin when doing some serious thinking. It rubs off on Nova, because he starts doing it too. As well, Bright Gleam picks up on the horn-rubbing from her master.
* ClassicalAntiHero: Nova, even more so than before. Far stronger and more skilled than he was in ''Apprentice'', just as intelligent and cunning, but severely plagued with self-confidence issues, alcoholism, and his relationship with Twilight is falling apart.
* ClingyJealousGirl: When Nova came back still with a soft spot for Clover, Twilight did not get over it so easily.
* CloakOfDefense: The Archmage's Cloak functions just as the Night Apprentice/Night Master cloak did, and Nova even bequeaths his old cloak to Gleam to protect her.
* ClothFu: Nova uses his cape in combat with Envy as a magical shield.
* ClothingCombat: Nova uses his cloak as a shield to deflect spells.
* ColorCodedCharacters: Nova is blue, Twilight is magenta. Bright Gleam is green.
* ColorCodedWizardry: Magical resonances enforce this, as before. Everyone's resonance is uniquely theirs.
* CombatPragmatist: Nova continues to try to take every advantage he can in battle, including attacking while Envy's in the middle of her villainous monologue, among other things.
* ContinuityNod: The story takes place between "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E25TheEndingOfTheEndPart2 The Ending of the End -- Part 2]]" and tthe present-day parts of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E26TheLastProblem The Last Problem]]." Canterlot remains under reconstruction, Twilight isn't coronated as the ruling Princess just yet, the statue of the Terrible Trio is on display not far from Celestia's and Luna's temporary house, and so on.
* CoolTeacher: Bright Gleam thinks the world of both Nova and Princess Twilight, even after watching them slowly fall apart.
* CooldownHug: Gleam and Twilight to Nova atop Mount Canterhorn after Nova fully breaks down when he learns he is dying.
* CurbStompBattle:
** Nova gets utterly demolished by Envy and Sombra together. When Star Swirl arrives to even the playing field, he and Nova utterly trounce Sombra and Envy, though Sombra hadn't adjusted to his new body at the time.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Nova's mane, tail, and eyes are the same shade of deep blue.
* TheCynic: Nova falls back into it as his life falls apart.
* DeadpanSnarker: [[WorldOfSnark Everyone has their moments]], but mostly Nova. Even Bright Gleam gets in on it, though it takes her a while to actually mouth off to Nova. Nova finds it ActuallyPrettyFunny and is glad she's loosening up around him.
* {{Doorstopper}}: Seven chapters in, already over 100,000 words, with lots more to come.
* DreamWeaver: Luna and Nova, as before.
* DrowningMySorrows: Alcoholism catches up to Nova ''hard'' this time round after mostly not being touched on in the previous story. Nova drinks to cope, and this has a serious effect on his relationships with Nova and Trixie.
* ElementalPowers: Carrying over from last time, everyone still has their elemental powers. Nova's and Twilight seem to evolve between then and now.
** BlowYouAway: Nova's wind abilities seem to have expanded to being in control of even gales atop mountains.
** PlayingWithFire: Twilight's Flamelight form goes as far as burning blue, purple, and black when she is truly enraged at Luna and Celestia.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Bright Gleam's first appearances are her asking to be Nova's apprentice, followed by her being down about embarrassing herself, and then reacting with utter glee when Nova and Twilight arrive to accept her request.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Hurting foals is the one line Envy does her damnedest not to cross, but Sombra leaves her with no choice in the matter.
* EvilRedhead: Envy disguises herself as Summer Blossom much of the time, whose mane is a maroon color, even though hers is naturally silver.
* EvilSorcerer: Sombra returns as the main antagonist of the story.
* [[FacePalm Face Hoof]]: Just about everyone's standard reaction to someone else's stupidity.
* FlareGun: A magical examplein the Crystal Empire, used to call for emergency aid and reinforcements on the trek to Mt. Glacia.
* FoeRomanceSubtext: Envy outright says she exploits this to make Nova uncomfortable.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: Averted. It takes him a bit of prodding, but Nova is able to remember the first time he met Bright Gleam, four years ago on the day of his first visit to Celestia's School.
* FreudianTrio: At almost all times, closed-off Nova is the Superego, warm Twilight is the Ego, and excitable Gleam is the Id.
* FriendToAllChildren: Expanded from before. Now, Nova ''wants'' a foal of his own with Twilight, a daughter named Glimmer. He also particularly enjoys spending time with Flurry Heart, who thinks of him as her favorite uncle "Uncanoba".
* TheGadfly
** Nova still enjoys messing with Twilight.
** Trixie also goes out of her way to annoy Twilight every chance she can.
* GentlemanSnarker: Aegis. Also, Rarity whenever she makes an appearance.
* TheGift:
** Nova's magical ability is expanded on to the point where he is a total savant with magic. As Twilight puts it, Nova could metaphorically sing with magic on his worst day. It turns out, however, to be a byproduct of his arcane oversaturation, and his greatest gift is ironically what will ultimately kill him.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Nova, on top of Mount Canterhorn, when he is channeling his magic in an attempt to cope with the news he's just learned. Gleam is able to give him a CooldownHug.
* GoodIsNotNice: Nova is a very snarky and goofy stallion, but the few times he's been legitimately angry, he's taken the culprit to town.
* GrammarNazi: Nova corrects Twilight's grammar in Chapter 8 rather patronizingly. She responds [[BurningWithAnger by igniting herself]] [[ComedicSociopathy to burn him]]. In fairness, Nova had been trolling her all day.
* GrandRomanticGesture: [[spoiler: Steelshod challenges Nova to a duel, in an attempt to win Clover's hoof in marriage. He loses.]]
* GratuitousIambicPentameter: A habit of Nova's that still hasn't gone away. Also apparently the preferred speech pattern of King Imperius.
* GreaterScopeParagon: Harmonia/The Consciousness Of Magic/The Spirit of Harmony, a being to whom even Celestia bows as before, who is now whispering advice in Gleam's head and keeping her safe from harm. In addition, King Imperius seems to be hanging out in Nova's as well.
* GuiltComplex: Nova carries a supreme amount of guilt over his foray into the past and his relationship with Clover, and Twilight carries the guilt of leading on Flash Sentry to make Nova jealous. This comes to a head in their visit to the Empire.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Nova's self-confidence issues have gotten even worse as he's gotten closer to becoming the Archmage, to the point where he doesn't even think he's fit for the position.
* HideousHangoverCure: Trixie uses the same hangover cure that Nova's father used in the previous story on him when they find him drunk and hiding in his room.
* HoldingHands: Hooves rather than hands, but Twilight is still rather fond of curling a hoof around Nova's.
* InsecureLoveInterest:
** Twilight, after letting Nova's feelings for Clover hang unaddressed following his return, decided to make Nova jealous by leading Flash Sentry on, though she never truly pursued him.
** Nova himself is extremely insecure about the status of their relationship because of this, and just the mere sight of Flash is enough to set him off, culminating in him screaming at her after she continues to press the issue.
* InsultOfEndearment: While not exactly an insult, Nova called Cadance "Cadenza" just to spite her when he was younger. Even after he stops loathing her very presence, he still calls her that, but with absolutely no spite involved.
* {{Intangibility}}: Envy continues to use this to her advantage, but Nova is ready to force her into a solid form whenever she's around to make sure she can be hurt.
* InvisibilityCloak: Nova's Archmage Cloak, and Gleam's inherited Night Master Cloak, though we have yet to see them be used.
* JadeColoredGlasses: Nova's cynicism comes out when he's feeling particularly down, as most times, he's fairly realistic.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: We see Nova at his worst several times in the beginning, but he is still ultimately trying to be as good as he can.
* KnifeNut: Envy still likes to use her silver knife.
* KnightOfCerebus: Outside of some light quips or BlackComedy, whenever Envy or Sombra are around, things take a far more serious turn.
* LanguageOfMagic: The verbal precursor that Princess Luna uses to comedic effect on Nova and Twilight in Chapter 8, as well as the language of magic used to arrange traps and other enchantments.
* LargeHam:
** Nova really loves his theatrics.
*** BewareTheSillyOnes: But when he decides to be serious, you'd better run.
** Also, Trixie by virtue of being a showpony.
** Princess Luna, as per usual, with the '''''ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE''''' (which Celestia also uses at a couple of points, and Nova is able to tap into at one point).
* LastKiss: [[spoiler: Nova and Clover share one before he activates his Time Stasis trap to return to his own time.]]
* LemonyNarrator: Compared to the previous story, the narrator has toned down a lot of the snark, although in more light-hearted moments, he still dishes out.
* LikeASonToMe: One reason Nova latches onto Gleam is due to his own desires for a daughter.
* LikeCannotCutLike: One of the rules of magic, as established before.
** The First Fundamental Law is that, no matter how powerful one source is compared to the other, magic cannot pierce or go through magic through natural means. Magic can push other magic back, but it can't go through other magic.
* LivingLieDetector: Anyone who has basic energy-sensing, apparently. A being who lies generates a physical reaction that causes a change in the energy the body is giving off, referred to as "the telltale flareup," that an energy-senser can detect. But it's not infallible. If someone knows what to shield, then there's no telling whether or not they're lying, but the presence of shielding magic makes it suspicious all the same.
* LivingOnBorrowedTime: Nova. He knows that he'll die, but not when.
* LivingShadow: Envy, and apparently Sombra.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: As the author puts it in the comments, the characters in the cover art are just the characters with the most screen time.
* LotusPosition: Nova, in his trance atop Mt. Canterhorn.
* LoveTriangle: Nova and Twilight clearly love each other, but Nova still can't get over Clover, and Twilight has been leading Flash Sentry on to make Nova jealous.
* MagicalGuardian: Harmonia, the Spirit of Harmony, takes an active role in ensuring Envy cannot harm Bright Gleam.
* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: Somewhat averted. While Celestia and Luna mostly sit back and ensure Canterlot and Equestria rebuild after the Terrible Trio's attack, everyone else is ''very'' active in terms of the story's events.
* MistakenForCheating: Twilight led Flash on, but tried to put a stop to it when she started feeling guilty. Nova stumbled upon it in her dreams and assumed she actually ''had'' gone behind his back, and this causes no shortage of friction in much of the beginning of the story.
* MotorMouth: Bright Gleam, when she gets flustered, speaks a mile a minute while she tries to apologize for being disrespectful.
* MrExposition: It usually falls on Twilight or Nova to explain goings-on when Gleam is asking questions.
* MrViceGuy: Nova has some serious alcoholism issues this time around.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:N-Z]]
* {{Nerd}}: In addition to Nova and Twilight, Bright Gleam is quite the geek when it comes to all things magic.
* NerdActionHero: Gleam's opinion of Nova, who backs it up.
* NervousWreck: Nova was already one, but Part 1 just puts him through the wringer until he falls apart entirely and has a total breakdown.
* NiceToTheWaiter: Nova doesn't just toss a few bits to the homeless pony he finds huddling near his favorite pub; he ''buys them an apartment for a few months''. And if Cadance is to be believed, this is one of several instances, due to Nova having a soft spot for homeless ponies.
* NightAndDayDuo: Nova and Twilight still, since their mentors are the Lunar and Solar Princesses themselves, It even extends to their personalities, [[RedOniBlueOni where Nova is colder and tries to stick to logic rather than let emotion in, where Twilight is much warmer and more readily embraces her emotions, yet doesn't slouch when it comes to her own smarts]]. Clover takes Twilight's place come the past arc, but then the onis switch.
* TheNotLoveInterest: Trixie and Nova remain PlatonicLifePartners.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** Twilight loses her composure with Celestia and Luna, and gives them an extremely loud and furious WhatTheHellHero when they reveal Nova Shine is dying, and they've had suspicions for some time.
** Nova, when he has seriously been upset, becomes belligerent, and is constantly at risk of finding himself a bottle to try and find solace in. Twilight does everything she can to try and keep it from happening whenever she senses it.
* PalsWithJesus: Bright Gleam now finds herself with personal connections to all four princesses and the archmage.
* PapaWolf: Nova Shine as well, although he isn't a literal father to Bright Gleam. But whenever he finds her in danger, he goes berserk to defend her.
* ThePerfectionist: Nova has fallen back into this, being unable to see his worthiness for the position of Archmage.
* PetTheDog: Despite going out of her way to antagonize Nova, Envy tries to convince him to keep Bright Gleam out of harm's way. He doesn't, and she takes it out on him afterward.
* PowerDegeneration: Nova's arcane oversaturation is growing. The more magic he expends, teh faster it replaces itself and adds more to his system. Eventually, his body will explode from the amount of energy that he physically cannot contain.
* PowerNullifier:
** There is a stone known as [[FanFic/ThroughTheEyesOfAnotherPony inmanipulon]] that magic is 100% ineffective against, as it absorbs magical energy. High-ranking anti-mages reportedly carry tools made from the stuff to sniff out and nullify any potentially harmful magical enchantments.
** Nova and Star Swirl routinely use a spell to prevent Sombra and Envy from entering into their intangible shadowy forms, to keep them vulnerable.
* RageBreakingPoint: Three instances in the first half thus far for Nova.
** Twilight continuing to press the Flash Sentry issue as Nova tries to cool down eventually goads him into screaming at her.
** The princesses hiding information about Nova's current condition causes Twilight to just let loose on them.
* RebuiltPedestal: Bright Gleam watches her views of Twilight and Nova crumble, but they're rebuilt shortly thereafter when she sees firsthand ''why'' she idolizes them. She simply now sees them with their flaws, as normal ponies.
* TheReveal:
** [[spoiler: Summer Blossom is actually a victim, trapped in the ruby Spirit Gem around Envy's neck, and Shimmer Silvermane is the one in control.]]
** As well, [[spoiler:Envy is Sombra's apprentice, but is also a victim, as he keeps her loyal under threat of pain.]]
* RunningGag: Gleam's MotorMouth apologies whenever she makes a trivial mistake.
* SelfPunishmentOverFailure: Nova does this to himself, just like before. Even after screaming at Twilight, Twilight refuses to let him do more harm to himself by going off and isolating and punishing himself, so she sends Gleam after him and still comforts him, even though she notes that he isn't forgiven for what he said.
* SensoryOverload: An effective way at neutralizing energy-sensing is shown to be simply letting loose an intense but harmless bit of magic so that it temporarily blinds the one doing the sensing, as before. Sombra uses it to his advantage when it comes to his hidden lab, blinding any would-be sensors who find his lab to keep them unaware of any traps he may have in store for them.
* SnarkKnight: Nova, full stop.
* SourOutsideSadInside: As Nova breaks down more and more, he lashes out much much more harshly at those around him.
* SpamAttack: In the battle against Sombra and Envy, Nova Shine fires off flurry after flurry of spells at Envy with no indication that he is tired until it is all over.
* SpiderSense: Energy-sensing, again.
* StepfordSnarker: Nova's ''modus operandi'' when it comes to dealing with uncomfortable topics.
* StockVisualMetaphors: In Chapter 6, Nova finds himself standing in the shadows of every previous archmage's statue, all of whom are looking down on him.
* StraightManAndWiseGuy: Generally, Nova serves as the wise guy when around Twilight or Aegis. Occasionally, he'll switch roles with them, but mostly he's the more goofy of the pair. When he and Trixie get together, she becomes the Straight Mare.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Nova is a DeadpanSnarker and {{Troll}} under normal circumstances, but when ponies like Twilight can dig beneath the surface, they find that deep down, he's really rather sweet.
* SuperSenses:Energy sensing, carrying over from the previous story
* SwitchingPOV: Thus far, we have had point of view chapters for the following:
** Nova Shine, with his slowly-unraveling psyche over the course of the story.
** Twilight, trying to stay on top of things.
** Bright Gleam, utterly excited at getting to work with her idols.
** Trixie, her braggart nature even overflowing onto the text.
** Envy, giving us insight into what's going on in her head.
** King Imperius, in the days of hte Alicorn Empire, though we have only seen one so far.
* TakenForGranite: The Terrible Trio remain this way to start the story, and their statue causes Nova some unknown feelings, considering his history with Chrysalis.
* TalkingToTheDead: Nova "introduces" Trixie to the graves of Steelshod and Clover.
* TeleportCloak: Nova's Archmage Cloak still allows him to "tag" a temporary location, so he can teleport to a more permanent fixed location and back.
* ThemeNaming: The Knightmare Brigade, with the exception of Starstep, are named after the Lunar Mares.
* TheThreeFacesOfEve:
** Trixie remains the Seductress, as she is very outgoing and as much of a braggart as ever.
** Twilightremains the Wife, as she is ever the devoted student and librarian.
** Bright Gleam is the Child, as the young, wide-eyed and naive character who slowly realizes that the ponies she looked up to have flaws.
* {{Troll}}:
** Notably averted (so far) by Nova Shine, after his goofiness and general [[TheGadfly gadfly]] behaviour in the previous fic, though he still apparently uses GratuitousIambicPentameter to annoy Twilight.
** Trixie is the most apparent example so far, as she routinely tries to drive Twilight up the wall when the moment isn't serious, and calls her pretty much anything that sounds like her name but isn't her name just to mildly annoy her.
* UndyingLoyalty:
** Nova and Twilight both begin the story with this toward Celestia and Luna. By the end of Part 1, that pedestal is broken for both of them.
** Bright Gleam has total admiration for Nova, and not even the horrible thing he shouted at Twilight is enough to make her abandon him.
* VillainousCrush: Envy relentlessly flirts with Nova, but it all seems to be done to make him uncomfortable.
* ViolentGlaswegian: Star Swirl the Bearded, more matching his canon voice, has a faint Trottish note in his voice, though he has yet to have been seen genuinely angry in this story.
* VirtualSoundtrack: As before, Rytex uses a lot of ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' music to add to moments.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Nova and Aegis, Nova and Twilight, Nova and Trixie, Twilight and Trixie... Basically, Nova's friendships are built upon mutual insults.
* WhamEpisode: just like the previous story, every chapter in some way alters things, though there are several moments that hit particularly hard.
** Chapter 2 - [[spoiler: Envy is actually Shimmer Silvermane, and Summer Blossom has been trapped in her Spirit Gem this entire time.]]
** Chapter 4 - [[spoiler: Nova and Twilight engage in a shouting match that takes a sledge hammer to their relationship.]]
** Chapter 5 - [[spoiler: Sombra returns, Envy is revealed to be his unwilling apprentice, and Nova finds something in Envy's head that terrifies him.]]
** Chapter 6 - [[spoiler: Harmonia, the Consciousness of Magic/Spirit of Harmony, takes control of Bright Gleam to save her life. Nova discovers he has a healing factor. He then undertakes the Trial of Black and White and fails completely.]]
** Chapter 7 - [[spoiler: Nova learns from Celestia and Luna that he is dying from arcane oversaturation.]]
* WizardBeard: Star Swirl the Bearded, having grown his beard out since last time, where he was an aversion.
* WomanScorned: Twilight still feels somewhat cheated on by Nova due to his brief relationship with Clover, and seeks revenge by leading Flash Sentry along to make Nova jealous. This all culminates in Nova demanding she just go fuck him if it's what she really wants, and they both realize just how badly they've screwed up following some chats with Cadance.
* TheWorfEffect: Zig-zagged. Nova gets utterly trounced in a two-on-one battle against both Sombra and Envy right after Twilight just finished telling Gleam (and the audience) that Nova Shine uses magic for much more than just spellcasting. When star Swirl appears and levels the playing field, we see Nova become a terrifyingly competent spellcaster almost instantly.
* WorldOfSnark: The only character who doesn't is Bright Gleam, and even then, it's just because she's too intimidated by those she's around to do it, and she's showing signs of loosening up.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Lord Star Swirl totally believes in Nova Shine, as do Twilight, Cadance, Luna, Celestia, and so on, but Nova just cannot see or accept their insights.
* YourCheatingHeart: While Twilight never truly cheats on Nova, she leads Flash Sentry along as a way of making him jealous as retribution for his brief relationship with Clover.
[[/folder]]
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