Line #26 Fanfic/BackgroundPony


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lyra_Heartstrings_-_Background_Pony_8928.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:The most forgettable pony ever.]]
3
4	->''My name is [[green:Lyra Heartstrings]], and you will not remember me. You won't even remember this conversation. Just like with everypony else I've ever met, everything I do or say will be forgotten...''
5
6	''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/19198/Background-Pony Background Pony]]'' is a fanfic based on ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', by {{Creator/shortskirtsandexplosions}}.
7
8	[[green:Lyra]] isn't a normal pony. She went to Ponyville to celebrate the Summer Sun Celebration with her foal-hood friend, but instead found herself living a cursed life. Upon her arrival, Nightmare Moon did.... ''something'' to the unicorn. Everypony forgets about her within minutes of meeting her. Nopony can read her writing. Any evidence of her existence disappears or is dismissed. Any attempts to leave town cause her to collapse underneath the most painful cold imaginable...
9
10	Now trapped in a world where she has as much presence as a half-remembered melody, [[green:Lyra]] must find a way to undo her curse. Her only clue is a series of enchanted songs that keep running through her head....
11
12	Now in the process of being adapted into [[https://www.deviantart.com/paradoxbroken/art/Background-Pony-Page-1-To-be-remade-481652307 comic form.]]
13
14	----
15	!!''Background Pony'' contains examples of the following tropes:
16	%%* ActionSurvivor: Lyra.
17	* AlternateUniverseFic: [[spoiler:The royal wedding and the Changeling invasion happens during the last chapter, but Lyra's canonical involvement in those events as one of Cadance's bridesmaids is ignored for the sake of the DownerEnding.]]
18	* AmnesiacHero: Inverted – Lyra cannot be remembered by anypony she encounters.
19	** [[spoiler: Played straight in Chapter XVI after Discord's defeat - she now has to play Twilight's Requiem constantly just to remember anything]].
20	** [[spoiler: And again in Chapter XX. After Princess Aria takes away her love of music, Lyra gradually loses all of her memories.]]
21	* BarrierWarrior: [[spoiler: Lyra's shield spell comes in handy when she protects Morning Dew and Rumble from an imploding building and fires the shield into said building, splitting it in two.]]
22	** [[spoiler: And then later for intimidating Straight Edge when she breaks into his house.]]
23	* BetaCouple: [[spoiler: Caramel and Wind Whistler now happily married]]
24	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Lyra dies without ever removing her curse, but she chooses not to let her defeat of Discord and everything else she's done be erased.]]
25	* BoldInflation: Everything [[spoiler: The Third Alicorn]] says or writes appears in bold, purple font.
26	* BreatherEpisode: Chapter X - which comes right after one chapter with some of the saddest and scariest moments in the story, and precedes another with a lengthy and heartbreaking InfoDump from Dr. Comethoof's [[ApocalypticLog diary]] - is pretty much Lyra hanging out with Pinkie Pie for about 70 pages, and is about as random and funny as that suggests.
27	* BreakThemByTalking: [[spoiler: Discord attempts to do this to Lyra in Chapter XVI]]
28	%%* BrokenBird: [[spoiler: Moondancer]]
29	* ChildhoodFriends: Twilight, Lyra and Moondancer
30	* ColdEquation: [[spoiler:Lyra must choose between being forgotten forever and being responsible for the deaths of three ponies, the possible destruction of the world, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the nonexistence of a marriage.]]]]
31	* CosmicRetcon: [[spoiler: It seems that trying to make an alicorn as powerful as Luna aware of the curse will cause her to instinctively rewrite reality so that she can forget it...]]
32	* CrapsaccharineWorld: Ponyville for Lyra, it’s the same friendly pleasant town from the show, but Lyra's curse prevents her from leaving or she will freeze to death and no one can remember her for longer than a conversation, leaving her alone and homeless with no one to help.
33	* {{Curse}}: A nameless one is the driving force of the plot, it has two parts: one being [[UnPerson Unpersoned]], second being it is impossible to travel far from the town hall, as it becomes colder the further she gets from it.
34	** Among musicians there is a belief in The Curse of the Ninth, a force that prevents performers and composers from having more than nine epic movements or number one hits in their career.
35	* DayInTheLimelight: [[spoiler: Alabaster Comethoof in Chapter XI]]
36	* DeflectorShield: Lyra learns a shield spell from Twilight so that she can protect herself from the [[WhatDidIDoLastNight effects]] of ''Threnody of Night''.
37	* {{Determinator}}: Lyra
38	* DespairEventHorizon: Lyra came close to it in the back-story, but managed to recover [[spoiler: Chapter IX has her come close again, but her experience with Bon Bon manages to pull her back from it]].
39	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler: Lyra does this to [[MadGod Discord]] ''several times''. For starters, she blasts him with a party cannon and beats him over the head with a folding chair. If that wasn't enough...after challenging him to a [[BattleOfWits philosophical duel]], Lyra proceeds to ''[[MindRape MIND RAPE]]'' him with [[FightingDownMemoryLane Twilight's Requiem]]]]:
40	** [[spoiler: "His face contorted, like a soul giving birth, giving birth to himself and dying all at once, a glorious collapse of an omnipotent accident that didn't realize that it was still fractured until that very second. “Stop it!” He clutched his antlers and bent over, curling into himself like a convulsing serpent. “No! [[BrownNote I don't want to hear it!]]” he yelled, sending thunder and lighting branching across the penultimate graveyard of the firmaments. “Stop!...I don't want to hear it!” [[VillainousBreakdown He was screaming, shouting, pleading, transforming.]] “[[RepressedMemories I don't want to remember!]]”” Lyra doesn't just "punch out" Discord...[[DrivenToSuicide SHE RIPS OUT HIS]] [[TakenForGranite WILL TO LIVE.]]]]
41	* DomesticAbuse: [[spoiler: Snips' father Straight Edge, to the point of ''telekinetically strangling'' his children]].
42	** In the back story [[spoiler: Moondancer also suffered from an abusive father]].
43	* DreamTeam: [[spoiler: Octavia, Vinyl, Melodia Braids and J.R. Bard the only four living musicians to have beaten the Curse of the Ninth.]]
44	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Subverted; in a flashback it's shown that Lyra was driven insane by her curse and planned to jump off the top of Town Hall. Thankfully she was talked out of it.]]
45	* DyingAsYourself: [[spoiler:Played with. Though Lyra's memory has been stripped to nothing and her love of music has been [[FakeMemories wiped completely from her mind]] in order to cover up the existence of the Unsung Realm, her final recorded words in her old age were "I almost wish I could write a song."]]
46	* ElegantClassicalMusician: Octavia.
47	* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler: The Third Alicorn, Aria the Alicorn of Twilight.]]
48	* EldritchLocation: [[spoiler: The Unsung realm.]]
49	* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler: The [[EmptyShell end result]] of what happens to any poor soul that becomes Unsung]].
50	** [[spoiler: Discord considers his own existence in Equestria to be this, as he cannot forget what he lost when he came into the world.]]
51	* TheFatalist [[spoiler: Princess Aria believes there is no possibility, or at least nothing good can come from challenging fate]]
52	* FlingALightIntoTheFuture: [[spoiler: Dr. Comethoof's journal]]
53	* ForcedToWatch: [[spoiler: Since the Nightbringer prevents Discord from directly affecting Lyra, he resorts to this.]]
54	* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: The meaning of the flower Morning Dew gives to Lyra was hopeless love]].
55	** [[spoiler: During chapter XVI the author makes it apparent that this meaning was entirely unintentional.]]
56	** Used in Chapter IV when Lyra is leaving her house in Canterlot to depart for Ponyville. Somewhat inverted in that it's foreshadowing something that has yet to happen chronologically but has already occurred in the story.
57	---> '''Lyra:''' Daaaaaad... I'll only be there for a few days! Heehee! You won't even know I left!
58	%%* ForgottenFallenFriend: Lyra is this to Twilight
59	* GoodSamaritan: [[spoiler: Bon Bon]], to the point that she continues taking care of a freezing cold Lyra even after forgetting that she had brought her inside.
60	* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: Chapter VI, Lyra rescuing of Scootaloo from a teleporting accident.
61	* HeroicSacrifice: Lyra is eventually offered a chance to return to the remembered world, but [[spoiler: it would cause all that she'd done as an Unsung to be erased- including saving abused foals, rescuing Scootaloo, giving Dinky her instrument and stopping Discord. So she doesn't.]]
62	** As part of this deal, she also gives up [[spoiler: her love of music.]]
63	* IconicOutfit: Lyra almost never seen without her "swell hoodie".
64	* IJustWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Lyra falls in love with another pony who reciprocates her feelings, but eventually lets her crush go and sets him up with another pony, since she knows they can't be together.
65	* ImmortalityInducer: [[spoiler:Not quite its intended usage, but the power from the Nightbringer allows Comethoof to live for almost a thousand years in [[EldritchLocation the Unsung realm]].]]
66	* InventedIndividual: [[spoiler: The Parasprites, who actually are also surprisingly GoodAllAlong]]
67	* ItGetsEasier: It’s hard to react emotionally to a scene you've seen repeatedly.
68	* KnightTemplar: [[spoiler: Princess Aria, in her realm everything must be held in perfect order, any being that learns of the unsung must be killed and buried in her realm.]]
69	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Sooner or later (and almost always, it'll be sooner), every pony will forget they met Lyra ([[spoiler: or any of the other Unsung]]), even if they're still mid-conversation with her. Its possible that something they discussed will stick with them, though they won't know the source of the thing they're thinking about.
70	** Its also heavily implied that [[spoiler: Lyra and Celestia have met every time she's visited Ponyville, but the curse caused them both to forget.]]
71	* MadnessMantra: [[spoiler:'''Sing my song and become nothing. Sing my song and become nothing. Sing my song'''...]]
72	* MagicMusic: Luna's elegies have powerful magic effects from instilling paranoia or joy, causing blindness and freezing cold, and seem to be the only key to unlocking Lyra's curse.
73	** Twilight also implies that music from the Cosmic Matriarch is what built the world in the first place.
74	* MoodWhiplash: [[spoiler: Chapter IX]]
75	* NeverAcceptedInHisHometown: [[spoiler: Rarity]]
76	* ThePhilosopher: Lyra
77	* PuppyLove: [[spoiler: Sweetie Belle and Rumble]]
78	* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Lyra finally snaps and starts screaming at [[spoiler: the Third Alicorn]] after her dozenth failed attempt to [[spoiler: get her to play ''Desolation's Duet'' with her.]]
79	* RainbowSpeak: Certain words are colored in the story. Lyra seems to notice them even if they're spoken.
80	** Lyra Heartstring's first and last names are colored green.
81	** Doctor Alabaster Comethoof's first and last names are colored blue, as well as [[spoiler:his song, ''Penumbra's Echo'']].
82	** Purple text doesn't appear very often before Chapter IX, and what does appear in purple doesn't seem to have any logical connection until about halfway through Chapter XI. %%The pronouns and titles referring to a certain character are colored in purple. It's almost impossible to write anything about this character without spoiling the story due to this character's nature and identity, so don't refer to this character outside of spoiler boxes.
83	* RecurringExtra: A core theme, as the title indicates. The fic asks the question of "what if some characters weren't background characters just for the viewers, but in-universe as well?"
84	* RedOniBlueOni: Moondancer and Twilight [[spoiler: Deconstructed, as their friendship self-destructs quickly once they're around each other without Lyra to mediate between them]].
85	* RepressedMemories: [[spoiler: Discord can't remember anything about Aria due to his ten-thousand year imprisonment.]]
86	* SelfDeprecation: “Jeez! Just listen to the lime-green fuzzhead!” Rainbow Dash whispered, gesturing wildly. “Have you ever heard a pony say so little with so many stupid words?!”
87	** Any attempt to break the fourth wall runs into this trope fast
88	* ShapeShifterShowdown: Of a kind against [[spoiler:Discord]]. They don’t have to physically shape-shift, just describe what they are and challenge the other to think of something to best them. Considering they “become” such abstract things such as “the field of medicine”, “honor” and “the future”, its probably for the best.
89	* ShoutOut: Chapter X is loaded with references to pretty much every other popular fanfic staring Lyra and FanFic/TheEndOfPonies. [[spoiler: Chapter XVI as well.]]
90	** The aforementioned ShapeShifterShowdown is one to quite possibly the [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ygq1abalcFY/SuFvXcEjnyI/AAAAAAAABpM/d2qBK4SzFWE/s1600-h/Sandman+04-17.jpg most]] [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ygq1abalcFY/SuFvXPOmmoI/AAAAAAAABpE/BoZuNzFgVJA/s1600-h/Sandman+04-18.jpg powerful]] [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ygq1abalcFY/SuFvW2eoufI/AAAAAAAABo8/waUhN54oD1o/s1600-h/Sandman+04-19.jpg scene]] in Creator/NeilGaiman's [[ComicBook/TheSandman Sandman]] while avoiding ripping it off completely.
91	** In Chapter XVI, Lyra gets the nickname "Harpo". On the surface, it's a mockery of her name and Cutie Mark. But it's also fairly appropriate reference to [[Creator/MarxBrothers Harpo]] ''[[Creator/MarxBrothers Marx]]'', who was both a mime onstage (considering Lyra is an {{Unperson}}) and a harp virtuoso besides.
92	** [[spoiler: Discord makes a crack at Lyra]] about hands in a presumed reference to {{Fanfic/Anthropology}}, also in Chapter XVI.]]
93	* SleepyHead: Morning Dew has narcoleptic episodes
94	* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Played with. Every time Spike has "met" Lyra, he says, "Dig the swell hoodie." Until [[spoiler:Chapter XVI, because it's really Discord in disguise.]] She doesn't realize it until it's too late.
95	* SoundStone: The songs playing in Lyra's head, the Nightbringer, and [[spoiler: ''Penubra's Echo'']]. There are items called sound stones in-universe, but they don't actually play any music and are more like [[PlotCoupon Plot Coupons]] for how they're used.
96	* TakeAThirdOption: Lyra is allowed to either [[spoiler: undo her curse but also undo everything she’s learned or accomplished while under the curse, or become part of the Unsung choir, forget her suffering and be at peace. She chooses to continue living as an outcast, with some memories removed so she won’t try to break her curse again.]]
97	* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: On the first day of her cursed life, Lyra goes to the forth story ledge of town hall to jump off, convinced that her life isn't worth living anymore. A passing stallion convinces her not to jump, saying that she's too precious to leave so soon even though he didn't know who she was.
98	** This stallion is [[spoiler: Caramel, to whom Lyra was telling her story to in Chapter II]].
99	%%* TheRockStar: Vinyl Scratch
100	* UnPerson: Lyra’s curse has rendered her existence invisible to all other ponies, no one can remember her, and all attempts at communication beyond verbal are invisible.
101	* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler: Chapter XI and Chapter XVI]]
102	* WhamLine: [[spoiler: '''“Her beloved wakes! Her beloved wakes! Her beloved wakes!”''']]
103	* WhatDidIDoLastNight: When Lyra plays ''Threnody of Night'' for the first time in her cellar, she blacks out and wakes up in the middle of the woods outside her home with her coat soaked.
104	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: [[spoiler: In Chapter XV, Lyra repeatedly attempts to bring to light the abusive household Snips, his sister and his mother are living in. Attempts to involve Cheerilee, the police and Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash all fail thanks to the curse, and Lyra eventually resorts to ambushing Straight Edge in a darkened alley, telekinetically breaking his legs with a two-by-four. However, despite knowing that she would get away with it, she ultimately cannot bring herself to break his horn, and ends up taking him to the hospital once his memory is erased of the attack.]]
105	** Also applies to [[spoiler: her climactic HeroicSacrifice, as it is made clear that no one, Lyra included, would know she was responsible had she chosen to undo the events following her curse and risk the safety of Equestria.]]
106	* YouCantFightFate: ''Everything'' in the story bends Lyra right back to the curse. Every attempt she makes to undo it either fails or makes everything else worse.
107

Context Fanfic / BackgroundPony