Line #57 FandomSpecificPlot/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic


1	{{Fandom Specific Plot}}s amongst ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfiction and fanart writers.
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6	* When Twilight tries out ''any'' new spell in fanfic, [[{{Flanderization}} things will go south]]. One fanfic involving Twilight visiting a [[DarkWorld darker parallel universe]] had Equestria Daily note that the universe's existence isn't her fault: "Is that even ''allowed''?"
7	* Because of copious use of SchizoTech and other arguably non-pony-friendly tools and equipment, it is a common FandomSpecificPlot to depict this show as taking place after HumanitysWake.
8	* A powerful evil shows up for the Mane Six to thwart, most commonly yet another SealedEvilInACan that Celestia and Luna dealt with millennia ago. Though considering this is how Seasons 1, 2, 3, ''and'' 4 began (''and'' how 4 ended), it might just qualify as standard series narrative at this point. This specific plot is Lampshaded by Pinkie Pie in [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/73019/as-twilight-fades at least one fanfic (now defunct)]], asking after yet another threat from a thousand years ago reared its head, "Was that just a really bad year for you?" Celestia noted that the actual reason for this is rounding.
9	* Humans in Equestia? Let us count the ways.
10	** AuthorAvatar humans in Equestria stories, most of which are in the form of [[TrappedInTVLand humans from the real world being sucked into the show's universe]].
11	** The inverse where you get a RefugeeFromTVLand-style plot with ponies in the human world is very prominent.
12	** [[IntriguedByHumanity Lyra Heartstrings]] usually gets involved in any and all human/pony crossover stories, receiving a cameo at the bare minimum.
13	** An unbelievably large amount of HIE stories involve military personnel of some sort being sent to Equestria. Said military personnel almost always appear in the Everfree Forest and almost always have to fight a monster from the show, most frequently a manticore or timber wolves. Also, the ponies will almost always be inexplicably hostile to the human and/or be horrified that said human kills for a living.
14	** FirstContact type "Human in Equestria" stories are fairly popular. Usually, the humans are space travelers, but [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials Megan]] has had frequent appearances in these fics as well.
15	** There is a surge of stories that follow a specific trend of HIE fics, called Displaced -- namely, a fan or hater of the show is in costume at a convention or party when they get sucked into Equestria, and [[BecomingTheCostume gaining the powers of whatever they're dressed as]]. This trend is in turn subdivided into two types, with the human character becoming either a friend or enemy of the ponies.
16	* {{Alternate Universe}}s where [[RoleSwapAU the Elements of Harmony are assigned to different bearers]]. This may entail switching them around between the Mane Six, with different aspects of their personality coming to the fore (or else having different personalities ''entirely''), or having other ponies answer the call in this 'verse. Partial replacements or combinations of the above are also possible. Yet another Fandom Specific Plot that became canon (although it was a result of a magical mishap which nearly destroyed the characters' livelihoods).
17	* It's generally accepted that if G1 is the past of ''FIM'' in a fanfic, 9/10 times, Megan has a Religion in Equestria dedicated to her.
18	** It's become popular to depict, or at least reference, previous generations of ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' as actual historical events in Equestria. Sometimes this even leads to crossovers due to time-travel or other such plot points. G1 is the most popular, but there is some G3 equivalent material out there. A series of epic fanfictions known as the ''FanFic/TwilightThenTwilightNowUniverse'', aka "The Firehooves Cycle", in which a (DarkerAndEdgier) version of G1 is actually portrayed as a post-Gotterdammerung future of G4.
19	** ''Fanfic/TheElementsOfHarmonyAndTheSaviorOfWorlds'' follows the same idea. It's about the human children now adults returning to Equestria; the fic also includes other Hasbro series like ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}}'', ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons1983'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{MASK}}''.
20	* Princess Celestia [[RonTheDeathEater turning out to be a horrible tyrant]], or Equestria being a CrapsaccharineWorld. Often this will involve the characters being unaware of this, and scolded by some OC (or [[DarkIsNotEvil Princess Luna]]) for [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids how naive they were]].
21	* Celestia turning evil and being sealed into the sun. In fact, there's an entire fanfic universe, ''Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse'', where Princess Luna banishes Celestia to the sun after she goes crazy; as an added bonus, a ''different'' six ponies are chosen as the Elements of Harmony.
22	* Luna (or even Nightmare Moon) taking over where Celestia was de-throned.
23	* Rainbow Dash having an accident and, irreparably or not, injuring her wings, requiring another character to care for her (may or may not involve shipping). At one point these were ''so'' ubiquitous that Equestria Daily outright ''banned'' them. Then there was the ''actual episode'' where Rainbow broke her wing and was confined to a bed... [[MadeOfIron for three days]], in a hospital.
24	* Fluttershy [[HurtComfortFic nursing a hurt character back to health]] (which has some basis, given that she's the Element of Kindness), often overlapping with the above.
25	* Unless it's a story with a CastFullOfGay, Rainbow Dash is the go-to choice for a lesbian or bi-curious character. Some fics in turn play with this by having her defy this stereotype and be offended by other characters making this presumption of her, just because she has a tomboyish personality and rainbow hair.
26	* Given that the gender ratio of ponies in Equestria seems skewed to the point there are many more mares than stallions, many fics explore the sociological impacts of a society where the males of the species are in short supply, particularly in regards to sexuality, childbearing, and gender roles.
27	* "Character X becomes an [[WingedUnicorn alicorn]]" has always been a popular plot, as it allowed exploration of what it ''meant'' to be an alicorn, having to deal with power and immortality, and what the Canterlot royalty was like. While all of the Mane Six have undergone it at some point, Twilight was by far the most common. And then [[IKnewIt it actually happened]]. A popular theme in these has Twilight Sparkle (and possibly the other members of the mane six as well) turning into alicorns and taking over the rule of Equestria from Celestia and Luna, who have [[WhoWantsToLiveForever grown tired of immortality]] or just of rulership in particular. And then it actually happened... again.
28	* In Derpy fics where she's the mother of Dinky, it'll often center around the hardships of being a single mother, and Dinky would either be [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents embarrassed by her mom]] but learn to accept her by the end, or would be the helpful daughter.
29	* Many a [[FanPreferredCouple Bonbon and Lyra]] fic are about Lyra being unable to get a job, as she's a musician in {{Fanon}}. [=LyraBon=] itself is a very common ship, and the pair is frequently presented as together or married even in random stories that aren't even about them. Then, as you're probably expecting by now, it (kinda) happened, with both the ''[=FiM=]'' and ''[=EG=]'' versions heavily implied to be couples.
30	* Any fanfic centered on Scootaloo is usually gonna make her [[TheWoobie an object of pity]]; it'll either be about her inability to fly or her lack of any known family. She often ends up being comforted or adopted by Rainbow Dash as a result. Her inability to fly [[IKnewIt has become canon]], to an extent, as has Rainbow Dash taking her under her wing and acting as a big sister of sorts.
31	** Many stories expand on her difficulty flying in a number of ways: Some of them focus on her efforts learning to fly (often with Rainbow Dash's assistance), either ending with her finally flying, or implying that she has at least some hope of eventually getting there. Others have her diagnosed with some condition such that she is not expected to ever fly, and have her cope with that. A few have her flying with the aid of [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic wings]], gliders, or other technology.
32	* There's a surprisingly large number of fanfics about the background ponies Vinyl Scratch and Octavia -- a modern techno DJ and classical musician, respectively -- somehow having to work together, whether they go to the same university, get assigned the same radio show, or become roommates. HilarityEnsues. {{Shipping}} also frequently ensues. This (without the romance part) has also become canon as of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E9SliceOfLife Slice of Life]]".
33	* There are a number of fics that seek to exploit the sheer ParanoiaFuel that Changelings represent, either by having them attempt to reinvade, or retconning the original invasion. But instead of the ZergRush used by the Changelings in the actual show, they make full use of their shapeshifter abilities to selectively replace ponies (including major characters), planting deep-cover agents in Equestrian society and bring about its downfall through the use of full-on infiltration and spies.
34	* Some fics portray Shining Armor as a ShellShockedVeteran haunted by how he almost lost his wife and married a Changeling. Considering there's no telling just how long Chrysalis impersonated Cadance before she was discovered, some authors go for [[RapeAsDrama the most extreme interpretation]] of the FridgeHorror this invites. This sometimes lead into stories where Flurry Heart is the ChildByRape of Shining and Chrysalis.
35	* "Spike gets turned into a pony" (often a pegasus, for some reason) is also pretty common, either [[ForcedTransformation accidentally]] or deliberately in order to impress Rarity. Presumably because 1: It makes {{Shipping}} easier and 2: It's a good setup for a BeYourself Aesop that wouldn't be out of place in the actual show.
36	* It isn't uncommon to have stories of the other members of the mane cast getting together in their middle/old age and discuss just how much things have changed over the years and what sorts of issues they are facing now that they're older and not as active as in their youth. How the characters achieved their dreams, what their descendants are doing, who got paired up with whom and the deaths of loved ones are common topics. Stories that take place in the future may be about the adult lives of characters who are children or babies in the actual series.
37	* Ever since "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" and "Party of One", Pinkie's straight-haired emo hairstyle has been something of a fixture of the fandom, with the change of Pinkie's mane and tail from fuzzy to straight indicating some form of emotional trauma. Equally frequently is the tendency of writers to refer to her straight-haired form as "Pinkamena" to distinguish it from the puffy-maned Pinkie. Combine it with the popularity of ''Fanfic/CupcakesSergeantSprinkles'' and you have Pinkamena being less depressed and more AxCrazy.
38	* Diamond Tiara is a ClosetGeek. Or she's at least hiding something that would ruin her reputation. Another common trend involving her would be having to move in with the Apple family and having to deal with Applebloom.
39	* After "A Canterlot Wedding" aired, a lot of people were disappointed with how the inevitable fallout from Twilight's outburst at the wedding rehearsal was [[AngstWhatAngst just casually brushed aside by all involved as if it never happened]]. Deconstructions of the episode, [[Fanfic/TheNuptialverse ranging from the rest of the cast (and occasionally Twilight as well) still feeling incredibly guilty about the whole thing]] to [[Fanfic/FaithAndDoubt Twilight going completely nuts about it]] cropped up almost immediately. A subplot would usually include mention that the kingdom nearly getting conquered would serve as a black mark on Celestia and Shining Armor's reputation, especially when they were both warned beforehand and heavily prepared for a threat, usually leading to rebellions or a call for Celestia to step down, with some more darker stories having Celestia tried for treason (with or without a guilty verdict and/or an execution). Regardless of what will happen, you can ''always'' expect [[LoveGoddess Cadance]] to lay the [[WhatTheHellHero verbal smackdown]] on the ponies, and/or Twilight's parents to take her side on the issue. To get an idea of how huge this plot is, the Fimfiction group "The Accusation Fic collection" has an ''entire'' subfolder aimed at ACW. It were actually created as the "ACW Callout Group" before expanding their pallet.
40	* Ever since the Pinkie Pie-centric DarkFic ''Fanfic/CupcakesSergeantSprinkles'' became a smash hit, slews of fanfics have followed in its footsteps. They typically involve a character turning evil (or turning out to be evil all along), usually for no good reason, and slaughtering one or more other characters, usually for no good reason either. Almost all Mane Six members have at least one popular fanfic with this premise. Rainbow Dash has ''Rainbow Factory'', Twilight Sparkle has ''The Experiments of Twilight Sparkle'', Rarity has ''Rarity's New Dress''. Fluttershy is a variation -- her ''Pattycakes'' contains no gratuitous violence, but it's often said to be just as traumatizing than the above fics, if not more so. Secondary characters get this too -- Big Macintosh has the infamous ''Sweet Apple Massacre'', Cheerilee has ''Cheerilee's Garden'', and Trixie has ''Trixie's Funhouse''. A popular type of these follows the lines of "Twilight Sparkle is destined to turn evil, or is turned evil by by a malevolent force destined to re-take Equestria." These often feature [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]]/MindRape of the Mane Six and/or the CMC, and an epic quest to defeat her or turn her back to good. King Sombra and his corruption are sometimes involved in this. Another popular type is Twilight [[TheStarscream overthrowing Celestia, possibly even killing her]]. Now that Twilight actually is a Princess herself, the fics have taken a new direction; instead of being like an [[Franchise/StarWars Sith Apprentice killing his master to become the next Sith Lord]], it's more like an assassination.
41	* Mr. and Mrs. Cake's having a unicorn filly and a pegasus colt has fueled more than a few investigatory fanfics.
42	* Alternate Universe fanfics are quite popular. Either the circumstances of Rainbow Dash's first sonic rainboom (which lead to mane 6 earning their cutie marks), the beginning of Twilight's magic studies (and her relationship with Celestia) or the plot of the pilot episode (how they all became friends and defeated Nightmare Moon) play out rather differently.
43	* Alternate histories for Equestria have also been done. Before Twilight became an alicorn, a number of alternate universe fics posed the question of how different events would be if Twilight had different attributes then usual. Either she was born as a different species, a different gender or other physical, mental or emotional attributes. A different life history where she's an orphan and gets adopted by Princess Celestia is also quite common.
44	* The season five finale actually had the arc villain going back and deliberately stopping Rainbow's Rainboom, spinning off no less than seven alternate universes ''in canon'', all of which are fairly grimdark. In all these universes, the Mane Six never became the Elements of Harmony, meaning that all the major villains they faced ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and the Flim-Flam brothers]]) manage to take control of Equestria in one way or another. Fics which explored these specific alternate worlds exploded: the Crystal War timeline, the first one seen, is quite popular due to the idea of a large-scale war scenario in which characters like Rainbow end up being amputees. The Changelings and Nightmare Moon are also touched upon in fanfics, while the remaining ones generally get some lip-service... with the final timeline, which has inspired quite a few attempted explanations for it being a total wasteland, with suggestions ranging from foes like Sunset Shimmer or Grogar to all of the villains fighting each other in a power struggle.
45	* What with the profusion of princesses in the plotline, a very prolific plot pertains to one of the princesses presiding over open court and the various difficulties and adventures that result from the petitions brought before them. Became especially common upon Princess Luna's return in season two and even more so once Twilight Sparkle became an Alicorn Princess at the end of season 3. As often played for humor (ridiculous requests and royal shenanigans) as for drama (princesses angsting over responsibilities, politics, etc). Twilight-centered fics tend to wind up with both: she's extremely neurotic and a perfectionist, but just what exactly is she the princess of anyway?[[note]]Friendship. Pretty obvious in retrospect.[[/note]]
46	* Fanmade backstories for characters who have no backstory. Giving villains {{Freudian Excuse}}s is particularly common, often by way of {{Shipping}}. While IDW managed to give some of the villains backstories, the question of whether they're true or not ([[LooseCanon for a few reasons]]) falls on the individual.
47	* The Discord/Celestia pairing shows up a lot -- a common interpretation is that Discord was good until Celestia rejected him. [[http://cosmicunicorn.deviantart.com/art/discordantly-1-259123093 This comic]] is a prominent example of this trend -- [[MisaimedFandom even though]] the author himself stated that he wanted to portray Discord as an UnreliableNarrator who just treated the rejection as an excuse to embrace his true evil nature.
48	* King Sombra's [[ShroudedInMyth lack of backstory]] leads to him getting one. Many stories see him corrupted by dark magic, either accidentally or not. A lot of shipping between him and Princess Luna (as well as Chrysalis) also occurs.
49	** A ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'' arc revealed him to be an AntiAntichrist from an EldritchAbomination race and even gave him a CanonForeigner LoveInterest... until the Season 9 premiere [[CanonDiscontinuity ignored it]], kept him backstory-less, and [[SameCharacterButDifferent overhauled]] him into a borderline-parody CardCarryingVillain. Which resulted in a trend of {{Fix Fic}}s to reconcile this, with S9 Sombra being ActuallyADoombot or the former's now-uninhibited EnemyWithout.
50	* Queen Chrysalis is fetish appeal to many and it's not very surprising that she gets shipped and {{Freudian Excuse}}d a lot. A common motivation has it that she just wants to feed her people, despite canon portraying her as blatantly cruel and sadistic.
51	* Backstories for Gilda featuring Rainbow Dash shipping are particularly prominent.
52	* In 90% of fics where Sweetie Belle isn't shipped with Spike, she'll be a ShipperOnDeck for him and Rarity. (Which may be somewhat based around a [[https://derpibooru.org/505415 comment from her voice actress]])
53	* The topic of Spike aging comes up often in familial Twilight/Spike fics. On one side he grows up naturally and on the other he is forever a baby until he becomes greedy (which is jossed in "Molt Down", where it's revealed that the greed-induced growth isn't the same as normal growth). If he grows up he'll likely fly off to start his own life eventually. The series finale eventually jossed the latter option, showing Spike years later as Twilight's "Royal Advisor" and a Friendship Ambassador.
54	* Because of the time travel involved in the season five finale, it's not uncommon for Twilight to alter the past herself by either adopting young Starlight or [[spoiler:convincing her to go after Sunburst. Plenty of Sunburst/Starlight reunion fics are also out there too, a plot that was eventually covered by the episode "The Crystalling".]]
55	* ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017 The Movie]]'' is often subjected to fics that shorten it significantly given how easily the Mane 6 were able to beat the Storm King and his troops. Having this happen in the prologue would have saved us a movie.
56	** The ''ton'' of Tempest Shadow [[MustMakeAmends atonement]] fics after the movie's ending. Most of them have her be Twilight's new student and/or personal guard captain, while facing scrutiny and angry mobs from the ponies thanks to her causing the events of the movie in the first place. Bonus points if the ponies never let her live down the events of the movie ''even'' more than Starlight Glimmer thanks to the whole slavery thing.
57	** There is a rare niche of fics that avert the DownerBeginning in the prologue by disabling the WorfEffect on the rest of Equestria and include plot elements up to the end of Season 7 but [[InSpiteOfANail still have the Mane 7 go beyond Equestria and find the Hippogriffs anyway]] after an ExpositionDump by Celestia on the Storm King.
58	* There are several fanworks delving into Celestia and Luna's lives prior to their ascensions and what they did to ascend.
59	* Celestia giving a someone a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown while delivering a NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech.
60	* Since "Grannies Gone Wild" implied that Trixie's father is Jack Pot and WordOfGod suggested that Trixie was raised by a single mother, many fan works have sprung up about Jack and Trixie meeting her estranged dad. Oftentimes he doesn't even know of Trixie because she was a OneNightStandPregnancy.
61	* Twilight Sparkle grows old. This is a common topic as both her mentor and her little brother/assistant can [[WeAreAsMayflies expect to outlive her by centuries]]. Then she became an alicorn at the end of Season 3, and the stories shifted to how Twilight will outlive her friends, and sometimes even Spike, Luna, and Celestia. However, the latter got {{Jossed}} by WordOfGod shortly afterwards stating that "Twilight will not outlive her friends". And then the "The Last Problem" aired and despite WordOfGod stating that VagueAge is in play, the sight of Twilight’s new body post-TimeSkip compared to her friends (Twilight still looks young-ish aside from having elongated limbs like Celestia and Luna, while the rest of the Mane 6 have slight wrinkles, making them look much older) reopened the question as to whether or not she will once again outlive her friends or even grow old at all.
62	* Some stories and comics have the premise that Alicorns occasionally turn back into babies, kind of like how phoenixes get reborn. Usually, this happens to Celestia in the story, which is logical, given that she's the eldest.
63	* There are several fics revolving around Celestia and Rainbow Dash having a mother-daughter relationship. These fics generally either have Rainbow Dash be taken in as Celestia's apprentice instead of (or in addition to) Twilight, sometimes rewriting her as a Unicorn in the process, have Celestia straight-up adopt Rainbow as a child, or in some cases even have Rainbow be Celestia's [[LostOrphanedRoyalty long-lost biological daughter or descendant]] (While Rainbow has canonical parents, the last one isn't ''too'' absurd, since RD and Celestia both have similar eye and mane colors). In these stories, Rainbow's birthname is almost always Aurora.
64	* Any story centering on Zecora will usually be an attempt to answer the questions "Where does she come from?" or "Why does she [[RhymesOnADime speak in rhyme]]?" For the former, some people have speculated an arid area populated by zebras, which is sometimes given the name "Zebrica". For the latter, some people think that all zebras rhyme, some think it has to do with her job, and some think that it's a curse, the effect of the poison joke plant, or similar. The season 10 comics would eventually explain some of these, revealing Zecora is from a land called Farasi, and that she began speaking in rhyme as a part of her personal studies into magic.
65	* A lot of fics explore the pre-Equestrian history of the pony tribes, in particular the Pegasi. This is not surprising, as of the short glimpses we get of their culture, the Pegasi's ProudWarriorRace-Greek-ish definitely stands out. These fics often focus around commander Hurricane and his carrier and personal relationships before the founding of Equestria.
66	* It's common in fics that deal with political intrigue to have Twilight and, slightly rarer, Rainbow Dash be members of noble houses of Canterlot and Cloudsdale respectively, usually with them preferring to stay out of their family business but being forced to for whatever reason. Rainbow Dash being noble took a hit after her family was shown as living in a humble house, but it's still not completely out of the question.
67	* Fanfics about [[FamilyRelationshipSwitcheroo Applebloom or Sweetie Belle being discovered as Applejack's/Rarity's daughter instead of their sister]] are easy to come across. Not as popular as some of the other examples above, but they're out there.
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71	[[folder:Equestria Girls]]
72	* Characters from [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls the Equestria Girls universe]] going to Equestria.
73	* Sunset Shimmer:
74	** Similar to the rest of the villains, being given a FreudianExcuse for her actions; though unlike other villains, she is usually shown to [[HeelFaceTurn redeem herself]] by the end of these. After ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks Rainbow Rocks]]'' revealed that Sunset really ''was'' working to better a person, many of these plots shifted to focus less on her redemption and more on her being TheWoobie for being ReformedButRejected.
75	** While occasionally depicted as the sibling of another character (such as Sunburst) or simply having a family that goes unmentioned, a vast majority of fanfics have Sunset as Celestia's biological or adopted daughter, to help add to the tragedy of their falling out.
76	** A lot of fics explore Sunset's past under Celestia's tutelage, and specifically the time leading up to her leaving Equestria, usually with a big focus on Celestia and Sunset's relationship and whether it was purely mentor and student or more like mother and daughter. These fics also frequently feature a FreudianExcuse as noted above, usually by way of Celestia being depicted as a deeply flawed parent.
77	* There's a bevy of fics where both Sunset and Celestia display a lot of remorse for how things ended between them, with Sunset being terrified of talking to her old mentor out of guilt and Celestia just wanting to see her student again and let her know she's loved. Such a thing would become AscendedFanon in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsForgottenFriendship Forgotten Friendship]]'', where Sunset returns to Equestria and apologizes for being a SpoiledBrat to Celestia (even though that wasn't the primary purpose of Sunset's visit).
78	* There are a ''ton'' of {{Accusation Fic}}s and {{Betrayal Fic}}s based on the Anon-A-Miss incident from the ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDWHolidays2014 Equestria Girls Holiday Special]]''. The darker ones tend to go the extra mile in TheWoobie department, with it being popular to either have Sunset get beaten down physically and/or make her suicidally depressed, in order to pile on the guilt for both the CMC (for starting everything) and the Humane Five (for abandoning her). Even most of the lighter ones shift into BetrayalFic territory and have Sunset break ties with the others, before finding new friends at CHS (usually a popular background character like Derpy) and/or transferring to Crystal Prep (where she's likely to re-encounter and befriend the Dazzlings), if she doesn't decide to return to Equestria or end up in another world entirely.
79	* Given the sheer lack of information on Sunset's human counterpart, many fics like to either have them meet or explain how she replaced her alternate self. Ironically, a number of these stories operate under the idea that Sunset entering the human world magically displaced her human counterpart to Equestria or some other world, which was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen the premise for a plotline the show's writers never got to do]].
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82	[[folder:Outdated by Canon]]
83	These plots used to be popular before [[OutdatedByCanon events in canon completely invalidated them]] or provided a more interesting piece of FanficFuel to play with. Either way, after the show told a certain story, fans stopped writing these stories:
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85	* Before Season 2, stories about the [[FanNickname Mane Six]] having to face the "Elements of Discord/Disharmony/Chaos", {{Evil Counterpart}}s to their Elements of Harmony, were quite common. And then the Season 2 opener happened and made it sort-of canon with the reveal of Discord. And years down the line, Season 8 gave us the Mean 6, clones created by Chrysalis who are opposites of the originals.
86	* ''After'' Season 2 and [[IKnewIt the reveal of]] Discord, [[GodOfEvil spirit of chaos and disharmony]], stories abounded with Discord escaping from [[SealedEvilInACan his can]] again, either to continue to wreak havoc... or somehow falling into DefeatMeansFriendship, despite him being one of the few purely evil characters in the entire series. The second of these became HilariousInHindsight given the premise of the Season 3 episode, "Keep Calm and Flutter On".
87	* Prior to his reformation, Discord was a prime choice for an GodOfEvil-type entity when one was needed to act as the BigBad of a story, due to his nature as a god of chaos and disharmony and even now being one of the most powerful characters in the series. A key part of this was how, in terms of sheer power, he was shown outclassing even Celestia and Luna, who had been the most powerful beings in the show (and by extension, in most or all fanons) before he appeared.
88	* An EnemyMine type where Discord is forced to join with the Mane Six. Bonus points if it turned out the thing created Discord, or at least Discord knew what it was.
89	* It's popular to pit the gang from ''Friendship is Magic'' against updated versions of G1 villains, such as Tirek from [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials "Rescue at Midnight Castle"]], the Smooze from [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie1986 the movie]], and Grogar from [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends "The Return of Tambelon"]]. The show would eventually come to make use of all these villains to varying degrees.
90	* Trixie was a common target for {{Hurt Comfort Fic}}s and {{Dark Fic}}s, and multiple fics exist for her being taken in by (and often [[FoeYayShipping shipped with]]) every single member of the mane cast, but especially Twilight.
91	* Trixie becoming a laughingstock and forced into destitution following the events of "Boast Busters" and seeking revenge on Twilight. Bonus points since [[IKnewIt this plot became canon]] in the episode "Magic Duel".
92	* It used to be common for [[MemeticBystander Derpy]] (now officially named Muffins) to be TheWoobie, having a speaking disorder that typically made her [[TalkativeLoon speak gibberish]] and being TheKlutz, which caused her to be ostracized by other ponies. This plot has since faded out, with more fans ([[AscendedFanon and the show itself]]) preferring Muffins as just being a klutz with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strabismus strabismus]] (with optional vision problems) instead of being mentally disabled, and the [[TheArtifact only remainder]] of it is her new name and calling Dinky "muffin."
93	* "Luna reintegrates into Equestrian society" stories became endemic in the fandom almost since day one, even after the actual episode which featured it, with ''FanFic/{{Progress}}'' only being the most well known. Almost all contain some form of TheAtoner mixed with EndearinglyDorky, NoSocialSkills, and FishOutOfTemporalWater, and most draw some sort of parallel to Twilight's situation, if not outright having Twilight help her adjust. "Luna Eclipsed" [[IKnewIt confirmed all of these]] and further strengthened their prevalence, although later ones drop the fan-made ShrinkingViolet portrayal and adopt the official LargeHam portrayal.
94	* "Character X was a changeling all along" fics exploded in popularity after the changelings were introduced, though their ubiquity made them something of DeadHorseTrope before long.
95	* There's a good number of fics revolving around a Changeling turning up in Ponyville sometime after the Royal Wedding... and one can safely bet that Fluttershy will be the first to find said Changeling. One fiction parodies this concept in general (though it was written as a parody of one specific fic), by making ''everypony'' a changeling (except Celestia). A three-way changeling civil war ensues. A changeling eventually showed up in "Slice of Life" as a sight gag, and a more plot-relevant case occurred when [[spoiler:Spike (not Fluttershy) befriended a benevolent changeling in Season 6]].
96	* A seventh Element of Harmony being revealed. If an OC is involved, it usually requires a retcon of what happened when they were first used. When an OC wasn't involved, Trixie was a common candidate. After the Tree of Harmony was introduced, these stories died out for the most part. That said, while one doesn't exist for ''Friendship is Magic'', WordOfGod states that Sunset Shimmer is the seventh element for the ''Equestria Girls'' side of G4's continuity (representing "empathy").
97	* Due to the lack of visible family, "Scootaloo is discovered to be orphaned/abused/etc. and gets adopted" is practically a genre unto itself. Rainbow Dash is popular as someone to adopt Scootaloo, but there are adoption stories with each of the Mane Six, pairings among the Main Six, Ms. Cheerilee (it helps that in G3, Scootaloo is Cheerilee's little sister and their personalities don't change overly much for FIM) Lyra and Bon Bon, {{Original Character}}s, ''fellow classmates'' of hers who are aged up for the story, Celestia, Luna, and even '''Discord.''' These fanworks became less common when a book revealed that Scootaloo's parents are around but [[WhenYouComingHomeDad busy]], with Scootaloo being predominantly reared by her two [[{{Nephewism}} aunts]]. An episode in the final season would confirm this information definitively by showing both of Scootaloo's parents, on-screen and very much alive. This episode ended up killing off the "Scootaloo is an orphan" stories for good.
98	* Vinyl's eyes turn out to be red (a common theory among the fandom before her actual eye colour was revealed to be a magenta similar to Rainbow Dash's) and she wears glasses all the time to cover them up. She may have been bullied because of them in her youth, and revealing her eye colour to Octavia (in the more shippy fics) is a big sign of her trust and love for Octavia.
99	* There are countless fanfics where Changelings are made out to be the [[DracoInLeatherPants noble, majestic master race]], and more often than not victims of an [[RonTheDeathEater increasingly demonized, hate-filled, fascist and Balkan-esque genocidal Equestria]]. We're not sure whether or not these authors have been replaced by Changelings. [[spoiler:This concept isn't quite so far-fetched now that the entire Changeling race has reformed themselves into majestic creatures as of the Season 6 finale.]]
100	* Trixie being considered for Luna's apprentice. This in turn produced fics in which Trixie became the leader of a rival Mane Six.
101	* There are fan stories where Pinkie Pie, having a ''rocky'' relationship with her fundamentalist Amish-esque family, with being born and raised on a rock farm. Some with darker stories like her being illegitimate or adopted. And that her father and two sisters being respectively named [[VideoGame/PacMan Clyde, Blinkie and Inkie]]. The Season 5 episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E21Hearthbreakers Hearthbreakers]]" debunks all those, with Pinkie having good terms with her father Igneous Rock, her sisters Limestone and Maud, and being close with her twin sister Marble.
102	* Prior to "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E19CrusadersOfTheLostMark Crusaders of the Lost Mark]]", it wasn't uncommon to see Silver Spoon calling out Diamond Tiara for bullying the Cutie Mark Crusaders and eventually becoming their friends. Diamond Tiara would also receive this kind of redemption but on a ''much'' rarer scale.
103	* Fanworks where Celestia and Luna are [[NatureSpirit physically embodiments of the sun and moon]] or are otherwise long-lived god-like beings who take the shape of ponies. While many fics still play around with the idea of the duo as at least being demigods, after the first two seasons it's continuously implied that they're just flesh-and-blood ponies outside of the immortality thing.
104	* After "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E7WonderboltsAcademy Wonderbolts Academy]]" aired, Lightning Dust became an instant hit with fans, with many feeling sorry for her about how she was kicked out of the academy. Fanfics about her making up with Rainbow Dash, being given a second chance at the academy and even some dwelling into her backstory were fairly common. Then "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E20TheWashouts The Washouts]]" came around and showed that Lightning Dust formed her own stunt team instead, is still bitter at Rainbow Dash about what happened at the academy -- [[NeverMyFault even though it was her fault]] -- endangers Scootaloo by putting her up to a dangerous stunt just to spite Rainbow Dash, and ended up becoming one of the few antagonists on the show who didn't reform.
105	* Many InterspeciesRomance ship-fics set in the future would inevitably feature FantasticRacism and MalignedMixedMarriage subplots. The TimeSkip in "The Last Problem" reveals that in the canonical future, Equestria has become a place where all races live together in harmony, which makes that possibility much less likely (at least until the far future of [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyANewGeneration Generation 5]]). In particular, dragon-pony race relations are a ''lot'' better than most fans anticipated.
106	[[/folder]]
107
108	!! Common Crossover specific plots:
109	Having crossover fanfiction wouldn't usually be considered a Fandom Specific Plot, but the ''MLP'' fandom has a disproportionate amount of them compared to most for some reason. It may have to do with one of the [[Fanfic/FalloutEquestria fandom's most popular fanfictions]] also being a crossover. Or possibly the fun of the fan's more "serious" shared fandoms encountering a SugarBowl like Equestria.
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112	* ''The'' standard plot for getting the ponies themselves into [[AlternateUniverseFic another]] CrossOver universe was famously "Twilight Sparkle tests out a new teleport spell, and it goes wrong". It got to the point where Blog/EquestriaDaily [[LampshadeHanging explicitly pointed it out]] when a fic ''didn't'' do this, before they started banning such stories. Following ''Equestria Girls'', a malfunctioning mirror portal became the to-go method of pulling this off.
113	* It's very common for Equestria to serve as a sort of afterlife, with a character finding themselves in Equestria after they died in their original work. In particular, ''Videogame/{{Portal}}'' and ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' crossovers are ''extremely'' common, largely because Valve's games really helped spread the fandom in the early days. Or Wheatley and the Space Sphere meet Luna out in space.
114	* ''Series/DoctorWho'' crossovers, simply by the deal of having the TARDIS land in Equestria (which, granted, is also a Fandom Specific Plot amongst ''DW'' fanfics for crossovers). The Doctor almost always becomes his pony self, if he isn't already, and either Twilight or Derpy are his companions.
115	* There's a common fanon assumption that any pony with an hourglass cutie mark (there are a few among the background ponies, like Minuette and Time Turner) is a [[Franchise/DoctorWho Time Lord]]. It all started when people noticed that an unnamed male pony, who the fandom named Doctor Whooves and the show later officially named Time Turner, looked kinda like [[Creator/DavidTennant the Tenth Doctor]], and it spiraled out from there.
116	* CrossOver fics dealing with other characters getting transported to Equestria, almost always getting inexplicably "ponified" in the process. ''Series/DoctorWho'' is the most common victim of this, with the above mentioned Time Turner being written as being the exact same Doctor from the show in this scenario.
117	* Because of the ease with which a crossover plot can be written this way, many, many crossovers involve some spacefaring civilization making planetfall on Equestria, leading to a FirstContact type of situation.
118	* Because Discord is voiced by the same actor as Q from ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and they're both tricksters with extreme superpowers, some people have [[EpilepticTrees speculated]] that Discord ''is'' Q and have him send the crew from the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' Enterprise into the MLP universe.

Context FandomSpecificPlot / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic