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1[[quoteright:266:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/CRISIS_Equestria__CoverArt_9856.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:266:The original cover art, featuring the Mane Six battling the [[EvilCounterpart Mean]] [[PsychoRangers Six]], AKA [[LateArrivalSpoiler those guys who don't show up until Chapter 9]] and [[EnsembleDarkhorse steal the show with every scene they are in.]]]]
3[[quoteright:266:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/divcovershrunk.png]]
4[[caption-width-right:266:And the [[AlternateUniverse Divergence]] cover art, [[ContinuityReboot featuring the same (or similar!) characters but all interacting as friends.]]]]
5
6''[[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/story-crisis-equestria.html CRISIS: Equestria]]'' is a fanfic for ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.
7
8The story starts when Twilight Sparkle and her friends are sucked into a portal and warped to another dimension, where they quickly realize they're not in their own Equestria anymore. The new world is similar to ours at first glance, with a giant city populated by hundreds of thousands of ponies. They make new friends along the way -- [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure a police officer]], Flathoof; [[NonActionGuy a civilian]], Lockwood; and a Chronomancer (an obvious reference to JustForFun/{{Time Lord}}s), Tick Tock -- who are determined to help them get back home once they learn that the fact that they're in this new Equestria means that their own is threatened by Discord, whose seal is weakening due to their absence.
9
10But, they make new enemies as well who will stop at nothing to keep Twilight and company from completing their journey, and the world itself from what they've seen is more dangerous than anything they faced back at home. Poverty, violence, corruption, and death are not rare here, and it is going to take all of their efforts to overcome these challenges to get back at home. Challenges range from just getting through [[{{Dystopia}} New Pandemonium City's]] [[ObstructiveBureaucrat corrupt bureaucracy]], to dealing with [[DeathWorld outright hostile terrain]] (most of it with rather [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace unfortunate names]]), to fighting against [[BigCreepyCrawlies giant-sized monster insects]]. And that's just the first dozen chapters!
11
12There are also other ponies that don't exactly want to see them make it home and all go to great lengths to keep the Mane Six from their goal. Their primary opponents? A team of suspiciously similar [[EvilCounterpart Evil Counterparts]] -- [[SmugSuper Starlight Shadow]], [[TheSpock Grayscale Force]], [[ConsummateLiar Curaçao]], [[LeeroyJenkins Havocwing]], [[AxCrazy Red Velvet]], and [[TheDitz Insipid]] -- their father [[ManipulativeBastard Silvertongue]], and his personal assassin [[PsychoForHire Shadowstep]].
13
14It is now complete with 41 Chapters as of August 30, 2019 after [[UnCanceled nearly five years without updates]].
15
16Eventually, a writer by the name of ''Creator/GMBlackjack'' was able to write an [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/431107/26/the-league-of-sweetie-belles/itinerarian-crisis-equestria-part-1 "alternate finale"]] to this series. [[https://www.fimfiction.net/group/203605/crisis-equestria/thread/406834/crisis-equestria-will-have-an-ending-through-the-league-of-sweetie-belles With the creator's blessing no less!]] The writer himself has since [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/443452/crisis-equestria uploaded all the chapters to Fimfiction]], and notes that Creator/GMBlackjack's revival of his story [[https://www.fimfiction.net/group/203605/crisis-equestria#comment/433062 inspired him to put in the work to finish the original himself]].
17
18An audio play was in production by [[https://www.youtube.com/user/BogyleBronies Bogyle Bronies]], with heavy involvement by the writers. The play [[DeadFic has not been updated since 2014]], where it stopped on the second chapter. The [=VAs=] released some samples of their lines [[https://soundcloud.com/crisisequestria-1 here]].
19
20The author considers these works part of the CRISIS-verse, which now includes a prequel called ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/449658/crisis-a-royal-affair CRISIS: A Royal Affair]]'', some sidestories called ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/457226/crisis-equestria-bonus-chapters CRISIS: Equestria: Bonus Chapters]]'', a sequel called ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/457548/crisis-new-world-order CRISIS: New World Order]]'', and a kinky spinoff called ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/469749/crisis-equestria-after-hours CRISIS: Equestria: After Hours]]''.
21
22Also within the CRISIS-verse is an alternate timeline version of the original story called ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/474354/crisis-equestria-divergence CRISIS: Equestria - Divergence]]'', which drastically alters a few key events and adopts a different genre altogether, and which the author is currently treating as their main work. It is complete at 29 chapters and an epilogue, with [[WordOfGod the author claiming to be working on further stories in the new timeline]]; a now completed sequel called ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/487684/crisis-equestria-divergence-book-2 CRISIS: Equestria - Divergence, Book 2]]'', and another sequel called ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/499569/crisis-equestria-divergence-book-3 CRISIS: Equestria - Divergence, Book 3]]''. The prequel story A Royal Affair is still considered canon in this timeline. It now has a kinky spinoff called ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/474933/crisis-equestria-after-hours-volume-2 CRISIS: Equestria: After Hours, Volume 2]]''.
23----
24!!TheVerse of ''Fanfic/CrisisEquestria'' contains the following tropes:
25
26[[folder:Present in Both Timelines and A Royal Affair]]
27* AreWeThereYet: Pinkie Pie repeats this in Chapter 3 when the party has to climb over eighty floors to their new apartment, severely annoying Rainbow Dash. Thankfully, she does not do this at all during the party's trip across half the planet to Hope's Point. Rainbow Dash ''does'' tell Pinkie not to say it anymore, after all.
28* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: It is explicitly stated in-universe that this is how all of the Equestria's function (though the Chronomancers [[InsistentTerminology insist it's between Law and Chaos]]), and that that's what caused many of the events in Equestria-V to transpire as they have.
29* BitingTheHandHumor: Numerous characters from Equestria-V take note that the name “Ponyville” is rather silly for the name of a town inhabited by ponies in a world already inhabited by ponies. As in, the same Ponyville from the canonical show.
30** Downplayed, because Silvertongue does also make commentary that if other settlements in the Mane Six’s world all use equine puns, then they must actually be rather clever, though he wonders how many they can come up with before running out.
31** To add onto this, some characters also note how clinical and mundane the names are in their own world as well, such as the districts of New Pandemonium City being named for their locations relevant to the city’s center, or the wasteland outside the city being named The Wastelands.
32* BloodyMurder: One half of Red Velvet's powers, allowing her to [[ShapeshifterWeapon manipulate her blood as a weapon]] or as [[CombatTentacles tendrils]] and even giving her a pretty effective HealingFactor.
33* BreakTheCutie: Pinkie Pie suffers a bout of anxiety and depression for a period of time in both timelines.
34** In the original timeline, it's due to being scared for Rainbow Dash's safety after she is hurt fighting Havocwing. She recovers when she learns that everyone has access to superpowers, and thus can protect themselves.
35** In the divergence timeline, it happens after she gets shot by muggers in an alleyway. Red Velvet, with advice from Rainbow, helps her to pull through it.
36* TheChessmaster: Silvertongue, despite setbacks, always seems to have an alternate plan ready to go should his current plan get hampered in any way. He doesn't seem too bothered when things don't go his way, unless it's something he apparently had no foresight of.
37* CloneAngst: The clones of the Mane Six handle the revelation that they're clones vastly differently in the different timelines.
38** In Chapter 25 of the original timeline, the Mean Six find out they're clones of the Mane Six. They cope with this revelation by deciding to murder the originals.
39** Averted entirely by the divergence timeline versions. At first they seem troubled by the facts presented to them, but Silvertongue's more hooves-on approach to breaking the news, and the gentler manner in which he does so, helps them come to terms with it a little better, especially when he gives them new motivations.
40* ConfessionTriggersConsummation: Blackburn and Lockwood bicker and argue with one another about the latter's recklessness, and the conversation ends with them fiercely kissing one another once it's clear how much they care about each other. They immediately proceed to (offscreen) sex.
41* CrapsackWorld: Well, at least the northern continent is. The south is a much, much more pleasant place that resembles canon Equestria greatly, apart from the technology available.
42* DanceOfRomance: Blackburn and Lockwood share a romantic dance together at a charity ball, which is the same night she proposes to him.
43** In the divergence timeline, Curaçao and Shroud have one of these at the little party that Pinkie and Velvet host.
44* DeadpanSnarker: Several characters in both timelines fit. Tick Tock tends to respond with disdain, annoyance, and sarcasm to almost anything she disagrees with, which considering her InsufferableGenius nature, is a lot. Grayscale Force is a more laid-back, stoic version. Winter Glow, as a counterpart to Tick Tock, has much of the same personality traits, but is less of an InsufferableGenius about it.
45* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: In both timelines, [[spoiler: Silvertongue, with the help of a gryphon-created spell and his daughters, [[KillTheGod destroys Nihila]], and absorbs her power for himself.]] In the Divergence timeline, [[spoiler: the Mane Six help as well.]]
46* {{Dystopia}}: New Pandemonium City fits this to a 'T', but from what we see of the Inner Districts, it seems that only the middle and lower class have to deal with it while the upper class elites live in almost literal ivory towers.
47* EstablishingCharacterMoment: All of the major [[OriginalCharacter OCs]] have their introductions crafted to show off just the kind of character they are by the end of the scenes:
48** Flathoof: Shows that he is a ReasonableAuthorityFigure within his first few scenes, helping the Mane Six get established in the city a lot faster than they would have otherwise.
49** Lockwood: Shows that he is a [[TheHeart caring individual]] with a terrible sense of humor, and is extremely polite to everyone, especially ladies.
50** Tick Tock: Shows that she has a bit of an attitude in her first interaction with the Mane Six (a very brief scene in Chapter 1 where she bumps into the "nudists"), and also that she is [[InsufferableGenius very, very smart but perhaps a little full of herself.]]
51** Winter Glow: Similar to Tick Tock, but swiftly establishes the difference between the two as Winter is clearly a more crafty thinker and is unwilling to take unnecessary risks.
52** Silvertongue: The [[WickedCultured classy and sophisticated]] shadow-ruler of a city built and run specifically to generate chaos and evil in order to feed the goddess, Nihila, who he serves loyally ([[spoiler: not really]]). He also [[SpockSpeak speaks eloquently, but not over-the-top]], and apparently ''really'' dislikes [[YouHaveFailedMe failure]], but rewards success.
53** Shadowstep: Shows himself to enjoy killing, and in his encounter with Tick Tock/Winter Glow, is very efficient and loves to banter with his opponent, but is cocky about it. [[spoiler:In the Divergence timeline, this gets him killed.]]
54** Briarthorn: [[MotorMouth His mouth moves a mile-a-minute]], and [[LovableSexManiac he ''really'' likes the ladies]], [[ChivalrousPervert but treats them with respect and does not pursue mares he sees are "off-limits"]].
55** Queen Blackburn: A hyper-intelligent mare with [[TerseTalker an unusual]] [[BeigeProse speech pattern]], and who proves that [[RankScalesWithAsskicking she is not somepony to be trifled with lightly]].
56** Starlight Shadow/Golden Dawn: [[SmugSuper The smuggest of smugs]], she talks down to literally everyone in her presence bar Silvertongue himself and wields more than enough power to back it up.
57** Curaçao: A deceptive master of disguise with a calm, professional demeanor and an authentic French accent.
58** Grayscale Force/Gray Skies: Eternally bored because her powers are shown to be rather impressive, with no concern whatsoever for the opinions of others.
59** Havocwing/Havoc: LeeroyJenkins + ButtMonkey + HairTriggerTemper + SirSwearsALot.
60** Insipid: [[TheDitz A total ditz]] with scarily effective powers, and, in the original timeline, an [[SingleTargetSexuality obsession with Curaçao]].
61** Red Velvet: [[TheDreaded Fear incarnate]], capable of taking extreme amounts of pain and using it to her advantage, and [[CombatSadomasochist enjoying every second of it]]. Her Divergence self, however, seems to lack the fear capabilities... at first.
62* {{Expy}}: [[WordOfGod The author]] has stated that many, many characters in Equestria-V are alternate versions of their canon counterparts, though sometimes with flipped genders, different ages, and drastically different career paths. The most prolific of these is Flathoof, who looks just like Big Macintosh and, while much more verbose, still shares the occasional [[VerbalTic "Eeyup"]], and then of course are Don Virtuoso and his wife Ivory Charm, expies of Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis.
63* EyeScream: Silvertongue loses his left eye in during the process of creating the Mean Six, specifically during Starlight Shadow's(Original)/Golden Dawn's(Divergence) birth. His normal eye becomes replaced by a void of magic that, over the course of the fic, seems to increase in power and become brighter and more pronounced.
64* FantasticArousal: Wingboners make an appearance as the way pegasi display arousal, but it's implied by Rarity that it's also a sort of mating display like a peacock. Unicorns supposedly do something similar by performing grand displays of magic.
65* FashionShopFashionShow:
66** In the original timeline, the Mane Six and friends eventually a chance to finally get out of their tattered clothing and into new sets, and the entire scene takes place in ''Le Boutique Des Miracles'', a fashion shop owned by Haute Couture. It's a pretty quick fashion show though, as each mare's outfit is perfect on the first go.
67** In the Divergence timeline, Rarity and Fluttershy take Insipid and Gray Skies clothes shopping, and each of them try on several outfits, though only keep one or two each, except Insipid who takes them all and then some.
68* FinishingEachOthersSentences: Lockwood and Queen Blackburn know each other so well that they fall into this at times.
69* FishOutOfWater: The Mane Six and their complete lack of understanding of how Equestria-V and specifically New Pandemonium City work makes things difficult for them right off the bat. They pretty much ''need'' to rely on Flathoof and Lockwood to get them out of trouble during their first days there. In the original timeline, this also applies to surviving in the Wastelands, which are far more dangerous than anything the Mane Six have had to deal with at home.
70* FlintstoneTheming: Some light is made of the pony-themed pun names of towns and cities in the canon show, with Silvertongue even noting that there's potential for several more than just the few jocular ones he comes up with. Considering the canon show having towns like Canterlot, Cloudsdale, Fillydelphia, and Manehatten, he might just have a point. Equestria-V doesn't seem to have the same sort of naming scheme for its locales.
71** Character names, like in canon, follow a similar theme at times, with ponies like Brisk Gallop and Flathoof standing out against ones like Rainslick and Snapshot.
72* GallowsHumor: Lockwood's sense of humor is rather morbid at times, but he seems to do it out of a sincere attempt to lighten the mood. The Mane Six, who are not from this world and do not share the same social acceptance of murder and violence, [[DudeNotFunny are not amused]].
73* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke: The Mean Six are cloned from the Mane Six and empowered with dark magicks that grant them superpowers capable of tremendous destructive power.
74* TheGentlemanOrTheScoundrel: While not a major theme of Blackburn's story, there comes a moment when she realizes she has to choose between staying with Briarthorn (the Scoundrel) or acting on her feelings for Lockwood (the Gentleman). She chooses Lockwood.
75* GratuitousFrench: Curaçao speaks fluent "Romantique" and often inserts words and phrases into her normal speech, and sometimes speaks entire sentences in the language, often to the consternation of others.
76* GravityMaster: Grayscale Force's/Gray Skies's power, which allows her to adjust the weight of objects within a certain range to be either lighter or heavier at a whim, even ''air''. While other objects require her to use her wings to manipulate, she can adjust her own weight completely on her own.
77* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: The setting of Equestria-V, or at least within New Pandemonium City and Hope's Point, requires that all citizens wear a certain amount of clothing. Not enough to necessarily cover the entire body (just a sweater will do), but still an amount that qualifies for the trope.
78* HeterosexualLifePartners: Lockwood and Flathoof are best friends and have known each other since childhood, and clearly are a lot closer to one another than even any the best-friend pairs amongst the Mane Six, [[LesYay Pinkie and Rainbow excluded]]. Turns out, [[spoiler: they're legally brothers, as Lockwood forged some adoption papers to make him a member of Flathoof's family in a bid to both get out of the foster care system he was in, and to legally help Flathoof's poverty-stricken family with their finances.]]
79* HoldYourHippogriffs: The ponies of Equestria-V do not seem to invoke Harmonia or Nihila when utilizing the "Oh my God" phrase, but rather use "Oh my stars", with [[ValleyGirl Insipid]] being the most prolific user. According to gryphon history, they extensively studied the stars to learn how to harness magic for themselves, so it can be assumed they created the phrase and ponykind merely adopted it for themselves. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash have both used the "Oh my Celestia" phrase common in the fandom.
80** It is shown, however, that the ponies of the southern continent do in fact treat Harmonia as a goddess and invoke a few religious phrases with Harmonia substituted in, such as "Harmonia bless you" and "May Harmona watch over you".
81** Pegasi use the phrase "whatever floats your cloud" which makes sense since logically a flying pony would likely have no need of a boat.
82* HybridMonster: Gargantuans are, in a nutshell, a hybrid combination of various deadly insects and arachnids, all rolled into one horrible package; if you're Entomophobic, these things are easily your worse nightmare. Described as a mix between a tarantula (body-shape and fur) with a scorpion-like exoskeleton, tail, and stinger, posseing mantis-like claws, and a deadly venom not unlike a black widow spider. The young ones are easily twice or more the size of a pony. Then, [[BigCreepyCrawlies there's the adults]], with males being apparently a size large enough to crush a house (and are described as bigger than an Ursa Minor), and the females [[FromBadToWorse even bigger and equipped with thicker armor and more claws]].
83--> Tick Tock: "...they look like a spider shagged a mantis..."
84* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne:
85** In the original timeline, of all the various [[Film/SpaceMutiny names]] Briarthorn and Pinkie Pie come with to describe how Flathoof looks in his new outfit, the one he actually takes offense to is Buff Drinklots. The following chapter, he reveals why -- he's [[TheTeetotaler a teetotaler]].
86** At a party, Golden Dawn lays into Havoc with a selection of archaic insults about her rude, crude nature, ending with a simple "jerk". Havoc likely didn't understand any of the other insults, but she definitely knew that one.
87* KillTheGod: [[spoiler: Silvertongue, with the help of a gryphon-created spell, destroys Nihila and absorbs her power for himself.]] This was a centuries-old plan that was finally brought to fruition thanks to a unique, convenient event: [[spoiler:the Mane Six arriving in Equestria-V. They even unwittingly help him directly in the Divergence timeline!]]
88* LeaveTheTwoLovebirdsAlone: Gadget and Crossfire give Blackburn and Lockwood their moment together when it's clear things are getting heated.
89* LoopholeAbuse: A majority of the problems with New Pandemonium City's [[ObstructiveBureaucrat corrupt bureaucracy]] can be solved with a little knowledge of how the system works. Lockwood has thoroughly proven he's not above a little 'unscrupulous activity' to get around the system for the benefit of others. Snapshot seems to be quite well-versed in the practice as well. The fact that Flathoof is friends with both of them is a major boon for the Mane Six. Unfortunately, this practice inadvertently gets Snapshot killed and kicks off the plot, as it alerts Silvertongue to the Mane Six's existence far sooner than it would have had they gone through the paces like everybody else.
90** These loopholes prove to be of huge benefit to Blackburn during her stay in the city in the prequel story, allowing her to set up a shell company as a front for her smuggling operation and, with proper manipulation of the tax code, to live at her apartment for a significantly reduced price.
91* {{Magitek}}: The main source of technology in New Pandemonium City and Hope's Point is called technomagic, originally developed by the gryphons. It rests in pony hands entirely thanks to [[spoiler: Silvertongue's actions hundreds of years ago]], and according to Gilderoy, ponies have improved upon it immensely, even making weapons with it while the gryphons were pacifists.
92* MakeOutKids: Teenage Blackburn and Briarthorn ''cannot'' keep their hooves and wings off one another.
93* MarryForLove: Blackburn has all the power, wealth, and influence that comes with being the Princess of Hope's Point, and chooses to propose to Lockwood because she legitimately loves him and wants to be with him.
94* MechaMook: The A.M.P. Troopers are pony-shaped robots equipped with flechete rounds and electro-shock weaponry.
95* MotorMouth: Pinkie Pie, natch, as she is one in canon. Briarthorn puts even Pinkie Pie to shame.
96* TheMultiverse: The fic takes place in Equestria-V, one of many Equestrias in the multiverse. [[spoiler: After pursuing Silvertongue to Equestria Prime in the original timeline, the characters learn that there is a literal infinite number of such universes, which based on descriptions given are the settings of various other fanfictions in the fandom. Equestria-IV, the Mane Six's homeworld, isn't even the canon Equestria from the cartoon, just the specific one that ''these'' version of the Mane Six originate from.]]
97** The divergence timeline itself is more of an alternate universe from the original story's, rather than simply an alternate timeline, as there are different Chronomancers present on the worlds (both IV and V). Interesting to note is that by this setting's own rules, the original timeline could ''still exist''.
98* NonIndicativeName: No, Red Velvet isn't Red, and Grayscale Force isn't gray (though Gray Skies is).
99* OurNudityIsDifferent: The dress code for ponies in the northern societies isn't quite as strict as those of modern western societies in our world, but is treated as the same regardless. Apparently, nudity is avoidable so long as the majority of one's body is covered, but since these are cartoon horses, they don't exactly cover ''everything''.
100* ParentalAbandonment: [[spoiler: Lockwood]]'s backstory shows that his father left his mother before he was even born, and that his mother died while he was young because she neglected her own health over his (though don't let that fool you into thinking she was a [[GoodParents decent mother]] -- he insists she wasn't, because she was obsessed with using him to [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy replace his father in her life]]). This followed with him put into a foster care system that's just as corrupt as the rest of New Pandemonium City is. Despite all this, he didn't fall into a DarkAndTroubledPast, and actively seeks to better the city so that more ponies don't end up in the same situations as he did.
101* PetTheDog: Silvertongue rewards Shroud's loyalty and service in both timelines.
102** In the original timeline, he does so by letting her leave his service for good, though not without a [[LaserGuidedAmnesia memory wipe]] first. [[spoiler: It later seems he put a subliminal code in her mind that allowed him to control her in the eventuality they met again.]]
103** In the divergence timeline, he just gives her the night off, which she uses to go on a first date with Curaçao. Him suggesting that he'd think of a better reward later hints that he might have known about their budding relationship.
104* PillarOfLight: The Beacons generate these, made up of pure magical energy, which cover the sky and spread across half the planet. The northern one is Darkness, the southern one is Light
105* PlayingWithFire: Havocwing's/Havoc's powers let her control and create fire.
106* PluckyComicRelief: Pinkie Pie, naturally. Insipid often fits the role as well because of her ditzy personality, especially in the divergence timeline.
107* PocketDimension: Chronomancers like Tick Tock and Winter Glow seem to have these as a base of operations; theirs are hidden inside their grandfather clocks. The gryphons learned to make the same kind of magic and used it to create their Sanctuary of Knowledge.
108* PurpleProse: Silvertongue's sections tend to be a little more flowery than other parts of the story, which considering [[WickedCultured who he is]], is oddly fitting.
109* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Silvertongue wiped out the gryphons some eight or nine hundred years before present day. He claims that it was a gift from Harmonia specifically for him as a reward for his service.
110** Gilderoy, the lone surviving gryphon, counts as well, considering how long ago their supposed extinction was.
111* RomanticCandlelitDinner: In a ShoutOut to WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp, Blackburn and Lockwood enjoy one of these.
112* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Queen Blackburn, full stop. When she roughly eighteen, she and her personal bodyguards/best friends created false identities for themselves to infiltrate New Pandemonium City to establish an information and smuggling system to better Hope's Point, all behind the back of her father who was very much a royal who ''didn't'' do anything. She is also supposedly the best flyer in the entire city, and is trained in self-defense, so she's not afraid to be on the front lines in battle on the ground or in the air.
113* SaveBothWorlds: The basic gist of the plot. [[spoiler: The original story ends up with much higher stakes than that.]]
114* SecretRelationship: [[spoiler:Lockwood and Queen Blackburn]] are engaged. The reason for keeping it a secret was to prevent Blackburn's enemies in New Pandemonium from using [[spoiler:Lockwood]] to get to her. Nobody knows about the extent of it apart from Blackburn's most trusted bodyguards/best friends, Gadget and Crossfire, though in the divergence timeline, Rarity and Curaçao manage to wriggle it out of Lockwood to some degree:
115** Rarity makes a move on Lockwood, as the two are mutually attracted to one another, but he manages to resist the temptation and Rarity figures this is the reason. She doesn't ask for names or details, though, only enough to learn that Lockwood's been separated from her for a long while.
116** Curaçao puts together clues and figures out his relationship with ''Thunderbolt'', Blackburn's false identity from when she was in the city years ago. She does not, however, piece toegether that Thunderbolt is actually Blackburn, making comments that suggest she thinks they're separate ponies.
117* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Silvertongue has some shades to this (though his is more SpockSpeak), but nobody takes the cake more than Starlight Shadow/Golden Dawn. Starlight/Dawn tend to lose this trait slightly when particularly angry, but Silvertongue does not.
118* ShaveAndAHaircut: The secret knock Shroud uses to identify herself when entering her boss Silvertongue's office.
119* ShipperOnDeck: Rarity and Fluttershy end up with this dynamic in both timelines, though how well it plays out is drastically different.
120** In the original timeline, Rarity believes that Fluttershy's crush on Lockwood is reciprocated, and tries to hook them up to the best of her ability, at least until Lockwood is severely injured on their journey. This backfires tremendously, as not only does Fluttershy blame herself for the injury since Lockwood was protecting her, but when it turns out [[spoiler: Lockwood is engaged to somepony else, namely Queen Blackburn of Hope's Point]], it breaks her heart and she becomes a mare scorned for several chapters.
121** In the divergence timeline, Rarity notices Fluttershy's seeming crush on Gray Skies, but sticks with just minor teasing about it. Fluttershy, however, notices that Rarity just might have a thing for Lockwood and, while she doesn't actively do anything with the information, approves of the idea despite ''her own'' crush on Lockwood.
122* ShownTheirWork: If one checks up on the science of certain things, it can be seen that the author took a good deal of time to make sure things were plausible, or that certain inaccuracies were avoided as much as possible. From avoiding ConvectionSchmonvection by utilizing party-wide protective shields, to making Grayscale Force's generation of a vacuum an accurate depiction of a vacuum, it's clear the author took the effort to do things as accurately as possible. Naturally some RuleOfCool, RuleOfDrama, and RuleOfFunny still applies here and there, but most things are kept cool ''and'' accurate.
123* TheSocialExpert: Lockwood's special talent is, in a nutshell, social networking. His knowledge of the way ponies work both in society itself and in social interaction has allowed him to forge a comfortable life for himself and Flathoof's family, [[spoiler: who is also his legally-adopted family]]. He admits to having a few contacts here and there in the shady criminal underworld, but assures Twilight that none of them are murderers or anything of that sort, and that all work together to undermine Pandemonium's [[ObstructiveBureaucrat corrupt and inept bureaucracy]] for the betterment of others. This understanding of social niceties even gives him an [[AwesomenessByAnalysis astounding ability to figure out how the Gryphon Ruins layout works, just based on where their entertainment venues are located]].
124* TheSpock: Grayscale Force's/Gray Skies's HiddenDepths show that her [[BrilliantButLazy apathetic nature does not mean she's dumb]], applying a fierce logic to everything she does and having [[NervesOfSteel the nerve]] to willingly put her own life at risk to force her opponent into a no-win scenario.
125* TheTeetotaler: Flathoof. In the original timeline, he outs himself as one when not partaking in the celebratory round of drinks in Lockwood's honor. Briarthorn and the other Hope's Point natives are all absolutely stunned, coming complete with the jukebox delivering a RecordNeedleScratch and the bartender dropping a glass he was washing.
126** The reaction to it in the divergence timeline, at a simple party, is treated as a complete non-issue, highlighting the difference in the two cities' and groups' cultures and values.
127* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Applejack loves apples, like in canon, natch. Twilight Sparkle has a fondness for coffee. Golden Dawn develops one for donuts.
128* TrappedInAnotherWorld: The Mane Six’s situation for the majority of the story in both timelines, as well as the central canon cast in the original's sequel.
129* {{Unobtanium}}: Obidium is an extremely rare, powerful metal renown across Equestria-V as one of the greatest inventions of the gryphons. It does not occur naturally, so only the gryphons can produce more... and they're extinct.
130* {{Utopia}}: The capital city of ponykind on the southern continent. [[ShapedLikeItself It's even named Utopia]].
131* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Curaçao's power lets her transform into the form of any pony she wishes, and she can apparently use it as a form of ChameleonCamouflage, even full-on {{Invisibility}}. She is essentially a changeling, and possesses the ability before changelings even exist in her world. In the original story, Ophanim, Fluttershy's spirit familiar, is also able to use this power to transform into [[{{Animorphism}} various animals]].
132* WellDoneSonGuy: Starlight Shadow/Golden Dawn seeks little else in her life than the love and adoration of her father, Silvertongue.
133* {{Whatevermancy}}: Just about every single thing you can do has some sort of type of magic related to it, from handling herbs (Biomancy) or animals (Zoolomancy), to even talking (Sociomancy).
134* WineIsClassy:
135** Silvertongue really enjoys his magmaberry wine, so much so that he drinks the stuff at every meal, including ''breakfast''.
136** Rarity chooses to partake in some wine rather than in the alcoholic drinks the others do, which is clearly her trying to invoke this trope (as opposed to Pinkie, who does it because it's less likely to get her drunk).
137* YouFightLikeACow: Havocwing/Havoc and Rainbow Dash engage in this frequently.
138** In the original timeline engage in rapid-fire insults while flying at near-supersonic speeds and firing projectiles at each other. It's mostly relegated to name-calling. Rainbow is unimpressed at being called Rainbow Crash, a name she's endured since fillyhood; Havoc, on the other hand, does not like it when you talk about her dad.
139** In the divergence timeline, this is simply part of the sport of skyball, and both Havoc and Rainbow are apparently experts at both the sport and the trash-talking that goes with it, even encourages/mentoring their teammates in the art.
140[[/folder]]
141
142[[folder:Exclusive to the Original Timeline]]
143* ARoundOfDrinksForTheHouse: After Twilight undergoes a little ritual to prove she is of legal drinking age, Briarthorn gleefully buys a round of drinks for the entire bar. Seeing as how he's legally entitled to free drinks courtesy of the Queen, this isn't exactly him being generous, but rather just his regular overly-celebratory self.
144* AccidentalPervert: Lockwood, in Chapter 14, is busy talking with Fluttershy after she wakes up from what essentially amounts to a coma. Rarity, after hearing that she's woken up, rushes in to be with her immediately... right out of the shower. Since nudity in Equestria-V is treated similarly to how it is in our world ([[HalfDressedCartoonAnimal though what constitutes as appropriate clothing is confusing]]), Lockwood's reaction to a naked, wet Rarity is... understandable. Doesn't stop her from chasing him out of the room, as she has adapted to the new world's social understanding.
145* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Even [[spoiler: Red Velvet]] has to admit Pinkie Pie has a good sense of humor sometimes.
146* AchievementsInIgnorance: Insipid's lack of understanding of how the powers she steals work allows her to use them in ways that the original user either never thought of or thought impossible. Her use of Rarity's boosting magic is a prime example, as she uses it to boost ''herself'', which Rarity didn't even know she could do at the time.
147* AdaptedOut: Spike doesn't get so much as a mention in the entirety of the fanfic, even during the brief interlude when we see how mainline Equestira is fairing without the Mane Six. Likewise, Applejack and Rarity never stop to wonder how their families are doing at home.
148* AllThereInTheManual: Rainbow Dash's ability to turn into Lightning changes her magical classification from "Meteomancer" to "Meteo''ambulus''." Shadowstep is an ''Umbrioambulus.'' Insipid is a ''Vampirifactor,'' and Grayscale is a ''Physicaster.'' Needless to say, if there is a type of magic in the story that is not explicitly named, it's because the author doesn't want to turn the story into a ''custom tabletop RPG rulebook.''
149* AttackAnimal: Ophanim, Fluttershy's spirit familiar, obeys her every command and can transform into the shape of any one animal (later, any animal period) she chooses. When not following her direct orders, he defaults to one behavior: Defend Fluttershy.
150* BadassBoast:
151** Pinkie delivers one to Red Velvet when explaining why she's so happy despite facing down [[TheDreaded Red Velvet]] of all ponies, and why she's isn't afraid of her anymore:
152---> Pinkie Pie: Nothing in the world would make me happier right now than knowing my friends are safe from ''you''. And that means? ''Kicking your butt''!
153** She does another in Chapter 35, a word-for-word ShoutOut to Goku's speech to Freiza at the end of the Namek ark of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', and, again, delivers it to Red Velvet.
154* BadassNormal: Flathoof is the primary source of this in the story, as he lacks the same manner of powers that the Mane and Mean Six possess. His increased strength and endurance is enough to help him stand up to the Mean Six, certainly, but he has enough of it on his own and a decent combat sense to handle himself in situations that might have seriously injured the Mane Six.
155** The Hope's Point crew seems to be filled with these. Queen Blackburn's bodyguards, Gadget and Crossfire, unflinchingly stand against A.M.P. Troopers that are using a full arsenal of deadly weapons. Gadget's lightning gun and Crossfire's mutli-weapon are extremely effective, and then there's Blackburn herself, equipped with a PowerFist. Blackburn even uses her weapon to go hoof-to-hoof with Grayscale Force for a short period.
156** Then, there's Commander Pinpoint, Queen Blackburn's top-tiered sniper. By himself, he provides the first major threat that the ''Mean'' Six face and actually consider a threat. Just for a recap, the Mean Six possess a GravityMaster, an [[AntiMagic incredibly powerful spellcaster]], an [[ChameleonCamouflage invisible]] [[BareFistedMonk martial artist]], a {{blood|yMurder}}-wielding [[AxCrazy psychopath]], a {{P|laying With Fire}}yromancer, and a {{Power Cop|ying}}ier. He makes them ''sweat''.
157* BadBoss: Silvertongue pretty much kills his employees without remorse if they fail to live up to his standards. At least he gives them a chance to redeem themselves. [[spoiler: Doctor Blutsauger]], however, is not afforded that same treatment, and Jetstream is placed against obviously stacked odds, so he might not be a fair with handing out second chances as he'd like his subordinates to believe. He does, however, fairly reward success, as Shroud would attest to, [[spoiler: if she could remember it happening]].
158* BadPowersBadPeople: Red Velvet has powers that allow her to manipulate her own [[BloodyMurder blood as a weapon]], and to play off of another pony's [[TheDreaded fears to terrify them into submission]]. She's easily the most evil of the Mean Six.
159* BewareTheSillyOnes: Do ''not'' deny [[TheDitz Insipid]] something she wants. [[spoiler: Shadowstep learns the hard way that he is not as immune to pain as he once thought.]]
160* {{BFS}}: The zebra warriors in Equestria-V seem to be fond of them. Rarity even [[AwesomeYetImpractical lampshades it]], with the [[CompensatingForSomething inevitable implications]].
161* BigDamnHeroes: Double-{{subverted|trope}} when Rainbow Dash arrives just in time to accomplish absolutely nothing against Red Velvet and gets sucked into her fear aura. But she fights through the aura and manages to free Pinkie Pie, which inspires her to new heights of happiness, allowing her to which break the rest of her friends out of the out of the aura and oneshot Velvet, forcing the mean Six to retreat for the time being.
162* BigNo: Fluttershy gives one when Lockwood is injured in Chapter 20.
163* BigShutUp: Red Velvet delivers a particularly angry one to Pinkie Pie in Chapter 16, annoyed at Pinkie's antics. Starlight Shadow also demands that Red Velvet do the same in Chapter 24 when the latter is using her powers to tap into the former's fears.
164* BilingualBonus: One of the Mean Six's names, Curaçao, is derived from the Portuguese word, coração, meaning "heart". [[spoiler: She and Havocwing certainly take over as the heart of their team following the events of Chapter 25.]]
165* BlackComedy: Red Velvet's sense of humor is delightfully dark. Most of the Equestria-V ponies have their fair share of moments, as does Pinkie Pie.
166* BlingOfWar: Shining Armor's dress armor, which Princess Cadence insists he wears, is bright gold and decorated with medals and gems. In other words, [[MeaningfulName Shining Armor]] is wearing a very fancy suit of... shining armor.
167* BreakThemByTalking: The Mane Six as a whole use this tactic to try and talk down the Mean Six during their solo battles in the later chapters, as the Mean Six are out for blood. The Mean Six leave themselves open to it since they attempt to get their feelings about their CloneAngst off their chests. [[spoiler: Curaçao knew this would happen and not only accounted for it, but ''planned'' on it, hoping the situation would drive the evil from her sisters and make them happy.]]
168** Earlier Red Velvet manages to pull this off on Pinkie Pie, but Rainbow Dash's arrival quickly undoes it.
169* BrickJoke: Invoked by Pinkie, who promises her sword from Chapter 16 will appear again in Chapter 20. It does, and is "ninja'd" by her past self to bring back to Chapter 16 with her.
170** As [[NoFourthWall Pinkie herself]] states, chapter 19 was an especially long one--even by this fic's standards--at least partly so the BrickJoke would work.
171* BreakingTheFourthWall: Pinkie Pie, natch. It's how her superpower works, even. Red Velvet, whose fear-inducing power seems to run on the same idea, takes this to a new level, literally corrupting and breaking the document text in Chapter 24.
172* BreatherEpisode: According WordOfGod, Chapters 27 and 28 are meant entirely to be attempts to relieve the tension after the Mane Six have finally reached a safe haven, giving them a chance to relax, reflect, and prepare for the last leg of their journey. Both chapters are filled with comic relief, character development, and world-building, as well as fan-submitted original characters appearances to help lighten the tone.
173* BuffySpeak: Tick Tock and Twilight often go into lengthy descriptions of how certain types of magic work; Gilderoy takes this even further, but does a reasonable job of putting it all in layman's terms. When these are referred to again in the future, Rarity is usually able to recite it word-for-word, often adding her own flair to it; Rainbow Dash and Applejack, on the other hand, fall into [[BuffySpeak this]]. [[TheDitz Insipid fills the role for her group]].
174* ButtMonkey: Jetstream's only apparently purpose is as target practice for the Mean Six's first test run, where is made a complete fool of against odds that were all-too obviously stacked against him; afterwards, he gets the honor of being Red Velvet's first kill (which, given what the Blood Mire is, might be a better fate). Within her own group, Havocwing is treated like this, a stark contrast to [[TheHeart Fluttershy]].
175* CanonMarchesOn: The Mane 6 scrambling to get back to their universe before Discord breaks out of his stone prison would normally not make sense anymore, since by midway through season three he's not only been freed, but redeemed into a reoccurring side character. However, the [[WordOfGod the author]] has gone on record that this story specifically takes place before Discord's redemption storyline in canon, and by the time of the epilogue/sequel, many canon events that takes place after that storyline have occured.
176* CasualDangerDialogue: A common occurrence throughout the fic, none more prominent than the one at the beginning of Chapter 12. Floating around in a pool of lava with nothing more than a weakening bubble of magic between you and certain fiery death? Sounds like a perfect time for jokes!
177* ChainOfCorrections: A variant appears when Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie argue over what, exactly, Tick Tock has just said about something called 'Gargantuans'. Gorgonzola > [[Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy Gargleblasters]] > Garbanzos > Gobbledygook.
178* ChangeTheUncomfortableSubject: Applejack always wants to move the conversation away from talking about her parents. While it's not until late in the story that we find out why, [[ParentalAbandonment it wasn't hard to guess]].
179* CharacterDevelopment: Believe it or not, [[spoiler:''Havocwing'']] of all ponies gets this the most in Chapter 25 where, [[spoiler:after the Mean Six are left broken by the knowledge of being clones, she not only talks the others out of their collective funk, but seems almost ''humbled'' when Starlight appoints her as a temporary co-leader with Curacao.]] If it weren't for the fact that [[spoiler:she uses killing the Mane Six as the incentive to get the others to quit feeling sorry for themselves,]] one could almost make the argument that she's progressing into JerkWithAHeartOfGold territory.
180** Curaçao gets a fair bit of this as well, as over the course of the fic she has gone from apparently having a rather one-sided relationship with Insipid, who she at one point admitted to using for her own amusement, to being legitimately heartbroken that Insipid doesn't want to talk to her anymore, and blaming herself for it.
181** Tick Tock gets a lot as well, as she gradually goes from being an InsufferableGenius to a JerkWithAHeartofGold, and is gradually becoming legitimately friendly and sociable.
182* ChaseFight: Both of the fights between Rainbow Dash and Havocwing have been these. The first one was by necessity, as Rainbow only had her speed to rely on and actually did a fairly decent job despite the cramped location. Their second fight ended up much more in her favor, as this time the fight was out in the open.
183* {{Cliffhanger}}: [[spoiler: Chapters 11, 16, 29, and 30 all end in one of these.]]
184* CombatSadomasochist: Red Velvet enjoys dishing out pain and doesn't mind receiving it in the least. [[YouHaveFailedMe Unless it's her father punishing her, of course]].
185* CompanionCube: Red Velvet, like Pinkie in Party of One, loses her mind temporarily in Chapter 25 after learning [[CloneAngst she is Pinkie's clone]]. In her insanity she, again like Pinkie, pulls a bad ventriloquism act with an inanimate object that she moves and speaks for -- her blood. And again, like Pinkie, she even gives it a name: [[OverlyLongName Sir Visceral Clottington McKillicutty the Third, Esquire]]. She calls him "Clottles" because it's shorter.
186* ConvectionSchmonvection: {{Averted|Trope}} with the Redblade Mountains, which are active volcanoes. Twilight must use a great deal of her magic to provide the party with a protective bubble that shields them from the heat, and even then it's still ridiculously hot. Rainbow gets scalded when she ventures out of the bubble for all of a couple of seconds, and when actually traveling through one of the volcanoes, Rarity has to assist Twilight and it is ''still'' uncomfortably hot.
187* CoolSword: Pinkie's one-time weapon in Chapter 16 is described as incredibly pretty, and it's able to hold against Red Velvet's powerful blood blades, which we'd seen can rip through A.M.P. Troopers with ease.
188* CounterpartCombatCoordination: The Mean Six purposefully try to match up their members against the Mane Six according to skill and threat level. Pinkie is invariably paired against Red Velvet, Tick Tock partners with Rarity against Insipid, and Twilight against Starlight Shadow. Curaçao, Grayscale Force, and Havocwing don't face their counterparts until much later, when each clone faces their original in a one-on-one fight. Although Grayscale was supposed to face her counterpart much sooner, until Havocwing insisted otherwise.
189* CountryMatters: Havocwing uses the c-word at the end of a long string of swears after Rainbow Dash knocks her tumbling along the ground at the end of their fight in Chapter 21. Of course, since all we see is, "-unt." she could have meant something else...
190* CowardlyLion: Fluttershy wants nothing to do with fighting, but like in the show, will stand her ground to protect her friends.
191* DarkReprise: Red Velvet is the master of this, taking everything from children's tunes to Pinkie's songs and making them sound utterly and deliciously evil. Her masterpiece thus far has been "Scream", her evil rendition of Pinkie's "Smile".
192* DeathIsCheap: [[spoiler: Shadowstep]] won't let a little thing like death stop him. Of course, that seemed to have all been part of Silvertongue's plan.
193* DeflectorShields: Twilight Sparkle's primary means of combat. She explains it as her family's natural aptitude for barrier magic, what with her brother being able to make a shield big enough to protect all of Canterlot.
194* {{Determinator}}: Flathoof's power gives him surprising endurance and toughness. In Chapter 24, he joins in the fight and with it he manages to stand up against even Red Velvet's incredible power without being much the worse for wear. Applejack also gets a moment in Chapter 24, taking a major amount of abuse from Havocwing, still standing and asking for more.
195* DishingOutDirt: Applejack's power. She can not only can turn her skin into any natural earthly material (including [[ChromeChampion metals like gold]]), but can even control the earth around her to a degree.
196* DoubleJump: Pinkie Pie performs one to cross a burning chasm.
197* TheDreaded: The other half of Red Velvet's powers is to MindRape and otherwise inspire nightmares in her victims, which she uses to power her other abilities.
198* DrinkingContest: One of the two major focuses of Chapter 28 is a drinking contest, with Briarthorn taking up one side and Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Tick Tock taking up the other. [[HiddenDepths Tick Tock's participating, and in fact her very enjoyment of alcohol, comes as a shock to everyone but most especially Rarity, as until this point she'd been considered more of a classy girl.]]
199* DrunkOnTheDarkSide: Red Velvet goes a little nuts in Chapter 16/17 after feasting on the fears of Pinkie Pie and friends. She does it again in Chapter 24, and cranks it up a notch while singing "Scream", her DarkReprise of Pinkie's "Smile" in Chapter 24, becoming so engorged and confident that she stands up to [[SmugSuper Starlight Shadow]]. And wins.
200** As if paying tribute to this trope, when we see Velvet for the first time in Chapter 25, she appears to be hungover thanks to all the fear she'd consumed in the previous chapter.
201* DuckSeasonRabbitSeason: Rainbow Dash pulls this routine on Rarity in Chapter 18, concerning Pinkie Pie's recovery from the fear she suffered at the hooves of Red Velvet. True to the trope, Rarity doesn't catch on until after the fact, but Rainbow seems to hint that Rarity knew what she was doing and played along. Apparently, it was Pinkie who taught Dash how to do it in the first place.
202* ElevatorFailure: The elevator that Twilight and friends take up a giant cliff to Hope's Point is slow at first, but otherwise perfectly safe. That is, until its supposedly indestructible cable is cut from far above and causes them to drop.
203** Hope's Point seems to be prone to this. On their way down to the hangar bay, the elevator the protagonists are in loses powers three times due to saboteurs.
204* EvilCounterpart: The Mean Six to the Mane Six, natch, seeing as they're clones.
205* EvilFeelsGood: Aside from Red Velvet using the fears of others as food, Silvertongue also relishes in the feeling of actually punishing one of his subordinates directly for the first time in a long while, having forgotten how good it felt.
206* EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily: The Mean Six become extremely tightly bonded together after [[CloneAngst learning the truth about themselves]].
207* EyeScream: Lockwood's right eye becomes damaged due to his exposure to the Red Death curse in the Blood Mire. It's true appearance isn't described until Chapter 28, when the Hope's Point doctors tell the party they were unable to fix it.
208* FantasyWorldMap: Tick Tock's magical, gryphon-made map is a frequent item of importance, and it's not just a simple piece of paper, either. It's actually a matter of plot importance that the first time the party wanders through an area the map is ''blank'', the Gryphon Ruins, they become utterly lost and confused because they've relied on the map too much. Interesting features of the map include:
209** Self-updating: The map updates itself automatically to reflect ''natural'' changes in the environment such as lava flows breaking rock, and the layout of the Gryphon Ruins. That Tick Tock is confused in Chapter 21 that her map not only doesn't show the rock field they pass through and isn't updating to reflect it should be a sign that something is amiss.
210** Malleable: The paper that the map is on is apparently very, very big, and can be unfolded to great size to display the map like a rug. It can also be rolled into a ball to form a globe, folded neatly into a three-dimensional image, etc.
211* FireForgedFriends: Tick Tock and Twilight start getting along significantly better together starting around Chapter 20, to the point where they actively work together to fight of a zombie horde and deal with Starlight Shadow, essentially side-by-side. Tick Tock is shown later to be the one giving the most effort to help Twilight recover from her feedback accident. In Chapter 27, the two become ''official'' friends, and Twilight agrees to teach Tick Tock the one spell she's never had a knack for -- Teleport.
212* FlatWhat: Red Velvet delivers a few choice ones when she witnesses Pinkie's powers.
213** The best one coming during the oft-mentioned bit where she breaks the document with her powers. Pinkie, using the exact same fic-breaking font as Velvet but pink, says "I can do this too? AWESOME!" The FlatWhat comes out in a font about half the size of normal.
214* {{Foreshadowing}}: This story is chock-full of little foreshadowing bits, many of which are just a single line in a chapter that is a massive plot point in a later chapter:
215** Rarity's boosting powers are hinted at very early when she shows better aptitude and ease at using the technique than either Twilight or Tick Tock.
216** The Blood Mire makes its first appearance in Chapter 7, and at first seems to be just a place where Silvertongue's minions are sent to either prove themselves or die. [[spoiler: Shadowstep fails to prove himself there]], and we don't hear anything about the place again until Chapter 19, and the heroes travel through it in Chapter 20, meeting [[spoiler:Shadowstep, now a zombie]] while passing through.
217** Queen Blackburn's character and relationship with [[spoiler: Lockwood]] are hinted at throughout the story, from the time frame that she and [[spoiler: Lockwood]] met, to her status as badass who knows her way around the Wasteland (as proven by the Gargantuan skull in her throne room). Chapters 27 and 28 give a lot of information about her personality as well.
218** Silvertongue also [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this in a way: while the advice is given to Shroud, the reader can take a lot from him saying that paying attention to details can often reveal a lot more than reading pages full of prose. Guess whose scenes are absolutely loaded with PurpleProse?
219*** One line in Chapter 7, during the Mean Six's creation, shows that Silvertongue imparts a piece of his own essence into creating the Mean Six, rather than only using Nihila's. Just this little bit is enough to make them fiercely loyal to him, enough that [[spoiler: when Nihila is given physical form in Chapter 25, the Mean Six unquestioningly defend Silvertongue from her; Red Velvet even resists her attempt to get into her mind]].
220*** In Chapter 17, Silvertongue is seen frantically searching for something at the expense of his grooming, eating, and sleeping. In Chapter 25, Shroud (who has also been skimping on grooming, eating, and sleeping) helps him find it. [[spoiler: It's the summoning ritual to give Nihila physical form so that he can destroy her and absorb her powers]].
221* FoeRomanceSubtext: {{Invoked|Trope}} by Tick Tock, who taunts Starlight Shadow's attempts to frighten Twilight's group into submission by a display of power, as her basically showing off in an attempt to flirt with her. Starlight Shadow never specifically denies any sort of attraction to Tick Tock, and the 'Chronomancer' title she calls her by, eschewing her real name, can be taken as a bit of a pet name for her. Shadowstep is the only other character that knows Tick Tock's name yet still calls her Chronomancer to her face, hinting that perhaps he too falls under this trope.
222* FriendToAllLivingThings: {{Invoked|Trope}} and {{subverted|Trope}} by Fluttershy, who attempts to tame a [[HybridMonster Gargantuan]]. It nearly gets her killed, and Tick Tock and Havocwing both later insist that Gargantuans are monsters, not animals.
223* GhostCity: The Gryphons Ruins are, in a nutshell, a desolate city once inhabited by the advanced gryphon race (though they are woefully behind in their [[{{Magitek}} techno-magic]] compared to present day) that has been deserted for hundred of years after the entire gryphon race (save one) were wiped out in an act of genocide. Without any magic to power it, the city is dark, dirty, and dreary. But apparently everything still works, it all just needs a new power source.
224* {{Golem}}: Silt threshers are essentially golems made of sand, powered by a small magical rock that functions as a 'heart'. Applejack's skills with Geomancy allows her to not only use this rock to control a thresher of her own, but to detect the rocks in other threshers and destroy them.
225* GoodHurtsEvil: [[spoiler: The inherent evil magic used to create the Mean Six actively resists genuinely good thoughts and actions. Too much resistance apparently causes severe pain, among other things.]]
226* GrandTheftMe:
227** Insipid tries to do this to [[spoiler: Rarity]] just so [[IJustWantToBeYou she can be perfect like her]]. However, she stopped after learning [[spoiler:Rarity isn't as perfect as she thinks because of [[BreakTheCutie what she accidentally did to Fluttershy]].]]
228** [[spoiler: Red Velvet falls victim to this for a brief period during her climactic battle with Pinkie Pie. As it turns out, Nihila wasn't completely destroyed.]]
229
230* GratuitousIambicPentameter: While the common zebras just speak in rhyme, those with higher ranks speak in meter. Ambassador Zamindari speaks in iambic pentameter, while Sir Zircon speaks in iambic tetrameter, so perhaps within the ranks there is some sort of guideline to what meter one speaks in; the King, for example, using a far more complex rhyming scheme and meter than any other zebra. The zebras are even skilled enough to adjust their own meters to fit rhymes and hold conversations with others that have different meters.
231* TheHeart: Fluttershy fills the role well as-is fitting of her canonical self. Lockwood also likes to see himself this way, and most of the group agrees with him. Except Rainbow Dash, who doesn't trust him.
232** As of Chapter 25, Havocwing has taken on this role for her group in an interesting take on the trope. She binds the group together, uniting them for a single cause: murdering the Mane Six. While Curaçao is technically the official leader, she, too, takes a fair share of the role of TheHeart, [[spoiler: even going so far as to scheme behind their backs to try and save them from their own evil.]]
233* HeroicBSOD: Pinkie Pie goes through one when Red Velvet shows her visions of her friends being brutally killed, making her depressed and afraid of anything that could be dangerous. She comes out of it after the Mane 6 discovers their powers. Since they can now defend themselves, she isn't as afraid for their safety anymore.
234** After the main generator and back-up generators for Hope's Point's shield goes down one after another, Queen Blackburn goes through one, devastated over the thought that the citizens will now die and it's all her fault. She comes out of it shortly afterwards when Lockwood reminds her that she had evacuated the city as a precaution.
235* HiddenDepths: Many, many characters show off that they are more than meets the eye:
236** Tick Tock, who is considered an intelligent, educated individual, also is revealed to be well-versed in the matters of alcohol. Briarthorn, who is also a world-class drinker, is smitten with her more than ever after this.
237** Lockwood, the eternally generous and kind pegasus who knows everybody worth knowing, hates being doted on like a foal and repeatedly asks Fluttershy not to do it. Flathoof barely gets away with it, since he's family. As to why he hates it? His mother apparently doted on him relentlessly in an attempt to replace his father, so he's apparently repressing that sort of emotional attachment. [[spoiler: His fiancee, Queen Blackburn, is shown not to be very doting at all]].
238** Havocwing, who is a perpetually angry pony with a HairTriggerTemper of immense proportions, also shows that she is exceedingly dedicated to her sisters, more so than any of them in fact, which is probably a manifestation of pieces of Fluttershy's personality showing through, as Havocwing is her clone. Also, apparently she likes prettycolts and bunnies.
239** Curaçao is not as dainty and fancy as she appears to be, but is an incredibly brutal, effective close-range fighter with an extensive knowledge of martial arts.
240** Pinkie Pie, the eternal party animal, is apparently a light drinker who prefers to stay "sober-ish" at parties in order to enjoy the antics of others. So apparently she only acts wild and crazy at parties that ''don't'' involve alcohol, as everyone else is more mellow.
241** Starlight Shadow, after her CloneAngst kicks in, is shown to be genuinely remorseful for how she treated her sisters while she was in command, and wants to make amends for it by helping Havocwing and Curaçao in any and all duties
242* HurricaneOfPuns: Pinkie Pie lays down a thick barrage during her climactic fight against Red Velvet.
243* IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace: The names of places in the north are all definitely not nice. Besides the {{Dystopia}} of New Pandemonium City, the Mane Six travel through the desert Wastelands, attempt the volcanic Redblade Mountains, into the deserted Gryphon Ruins, and most recently through the zombie-infested Blood Mire. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Rainbow and Pinkie who try to guess the next scary place they'll visit, only to have Tick Tock and Lockwood play along by telling them they're ''right'' -- apparently the ocean they're heading for is the Sea of Endless Sorrow. Only two named places in the north don't have names like this -- Goldridge Pass, and Hope's Point, the latter of which is rather gritty on the outside and just really hard to get into, but perfectly nice once you get in.
244* IKnowKungFu: Pinkie claims to be skilled in [[VideoGame/MetalGear CQC]] and attempts to attack Curaçao using her technique. [[WhatTheFuAreYouDoing Curaçao is not impressed]].
245--> Curaçao: Ouah, kung-fu? Where did you learn your technique? A cereal box?
246* IShallTauntYou: Tick Tock pulls an absolutely ridiculous one on Starlight Shadow in Chapter 17, goading the hyper-powered unicorn into triggering the conditions for Tick Tock to use her mentor's Time Keeper to freeze time and allow her group to escape. Of course, she underestimates Starlight's [[BerserkButton anger]] being able to overpower the spell, but this trope pops up again in Chapter 21, where Twilight uses it to distract Starlight long enough to save Tick Tock's life.
247* IWasJustJoking: Rainbow Dash in particular makes use of this quite a few times. One example comes when Rainbow and Pinkie try to guess the name of next scary place they'll visit, only to have Tick Tock and Lockwood agree with them and confirm one of the names they guessed, only saying that it had actually had its name changed.
248-->Lockwood: And besides, the Sea of Torment got its name changed like thirty years ago anyway.
249-->Twilight Sparkle: Oh? What’s it called now?
250-->Tick Tock: The Sea of Endless Sorrow.
251-->Rainbow Dash: Oh man, we were just joking.
252** In Chapters 23 and 31, we get to see that the sea's name, thanks to the Belt of Tranquility mostly, was justly earned
253* ImaginationBasedSuperpower: Pinkie Pie's power basically allows her to do whatever she wants to do in a given situation, so long as it bring her or her [[BreakingTheFourthWall perceived audience]] joy and laughter.
254* InsaneTrollLogic: At the end of Chapter 21, Havoc attempts to usurp the (temporary) void of leadership after Starlight is injured by the feedback accident with Twilight. Her argument essentially amounts to: "I had a stupid idea, and you all listened to me, therefore, none of you would make good leaders, but I would because I wouldn't listen to my stupid idea." Grayscale calls her on this:
255--> Grayscale Force: What planet are you from that ''that'' makes any logical sense?
256* InsistentTerminology: Time Turner does not go by ''Mister'' Turner except to Tick Tock. Everyone else is supposed to call him 'Doctor' Turner, and he often has to correct them.
257* InstantCostumeChange: Pinkie Pie changes the kind of powers she wants to use in the given situation by changing her outfit to match her perceived GenreShift. Nobody even sees her do it.
258* InsultBackfire: Rarity's attempt to insult Starlight Shadow's SesquipedalianLoquaciousness by calling her a walking thesaurus fails miserably, as Starlight goes ahead and embraces it:
259--> '''Starlight Shadow''': Aforesaid frivolous ignominies emanating from a nugatory dotard congruent with yourself are infinitesimally picayune, analogous to an iota of terra firma malingering amidst the amaranthine macrocosm.
260--> Rough Translation: Petty insults from morons like you are completely unimportant, like a speck of dust in the grand scheme of everything.
261* ItsAllMyFault: Fluttershy blames herself for Lockwood's injury from Chapter 20, as he got hurt trying keep her from harm.
262* LadyAndKnight: Defines the love that develops between Rarity and Zircon.
263* LameComeback: Pinkie's attempts to insult Curaçao fall horribly flat, and Curaçao of course brings this to her attention. Pinkie's follow-up is even worse.
264--> Curaçao: I... ouah. Zat... zat was terrible.
265--> Pinkie Pie: Your ''face'' is terrible.
266* LampshadeHanging: The entire cast gets in on this quite often, Pinkie and Rainbow most of all.
267* LampshadeWearing: Briarthorn is apparently a world-class drunk, as is proudly displayed on several plaques on the wall of the Wyrm's Head pub. Each one contains a picture of him at the event in which he was declared "Drunk of the Year", and in each picture he is shown wearing a lampshade and enjoying himself immensely. The lampshade in question is treated as a trophy and is prominently displayed nearby with the signatures of the previous award winners.
268* LargeHam: Starlight Shadow loves to make an entrance, and loves to hear herself talk. Her monologue while displaying her incredible magical powers to Twilight's group is particularly hammy, complete with declaring herself "[[AGodAmI a goddess amongst mares]]".
269* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Silvertongue wipes the memory of his secretary Shroud after determining that he has no further need of her.
270* LastNameBasis: Starlight Shadow never, ever refers to Twilight Sparkle by her first name, always calling her 'Sparkle', which given her [[SmugSuper personality]] comes off as rather condescending. Tick Tock does the same thing for multiple chapters, but after realizing how much of a {{Jerkass}} she's been, she starts calling her Twilight, like Twilight's other friends do. [[FireForgedFriends This is most apparent when the two of them are doing battle against Starlight together in Chapter 21]], and becomes commonplace after that.
271* LaughablyEvil: [[spoiler: Discord makes his first appearance in-fic in Chapter 23, where most of his lines consist of a combination of jokes and promising to conquer Equestria.]]
272* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Probably the main reason this fic is written on Google Docs, rather than either fanfiction.net or Platform/FimfictionDotNet. Between the Platform/{{Youtube}} links to the music Pinkie Pie likes to play to Red Velvet's powers completely decimating the document at one point, the author has a bit of fun with this.
273* LeeroyJenkins: Havocwing's general solution to every problem is a combination of KillItWithFire and MoreDakka. While usually her strategy seems effective, it doesn't work very well on Rainbow Dash. Which is fitting, as Rainbow tends to be a bit of a LeeroyJenkins herself.
274* LeftHanging: For five years, and at a frustrating point, too. Silvertounge had [[spoiler:absorbed the power of both Goddesses and opened a portal to Equestria Prime, where he could erase all that was.]] After a lot of fighting and character development for both the Mane ''and'' the Mean Six, the two teams have [[spoiler:joined forces to stop Silvertounge.]] They prepare for the FinalBattle... and then there was nothing else for ''five years.'' The story did eventually finish, though, and went on the spawn a prequel, a sequel, and an alternate timeline retelling.
275* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: Pinkie likes to play music while she's fighting, fully embracing the idea of ThemeMusicPowerUp is in play. Every time, the other characters can hear it, as can the reader, via Platform/{{Youtube}} links within the document.
276* LightIsNotGood: Silvertongue used to be the Warden of Harmonia, thus logically he can be assumed to be empowered by Light magicks from then until present day. This same light-wielding individual committed genocide upon the gryphons, created the Blood Mire (a home to a zombie horde where he dumps the dead), and routinely [[YouHaveFailedMe murders]] [[BadBoss his subordinates]].
277* LoadBearingHero: Applejack and Rainbow Dash place themselves beneath a falling elevator and push with all their might to keep it from slamming into the ground, then together push it all the way back up the cliff.
278* LoveAtFirstSight: Zircon explicitly tells Rarity that this is how he felt about her.
279* LoveTranscendsSpacetime: Rarity's longing for Zircon after twenty years is strong enough that, with the help of Cadence and Flurry Heart, she accidentally tears open a rift in the Void that returns her to Equestria-V despite the feat being supposedly impossible.
280* ManipulativeBastard:
281** Events in Chapter 19 reveal that [[spoiler: Silvertongue]] is responsible for everything related to the world's current state, and he did so by manipulating the gryphons in fighting against evil and bringing balance to the world, then committing genocide against them. He later reveals in Chapter 25 that everything he did in those events and everything that followed was [[spoiler: a ruse to fool Nihila into believing him loyal to her, so that when he had an opportunity, he could destroy her. Creating the Mean Six gave him that opportunity. In short, he manipulated an omnipotent goddess for centuries.]]
282** The Mean Six are {{manipulative bitch}}es at first, to varying degrees. The whole first phase of their plan was to corrupt the Mane Six away from their Element of Harmony via manipulation. Starlight, Curaçao, and Grayscale are probably the most effective in this regard, and [[LeeroyJenkins Havoc]], surprisingly, doesn't do too badly either. This plan is abandonned once the Mane Six decide they don't want to associate with the Mean Six anymore.
283*** If anyone was taking bets, [[spoiler: Grayscale's technique succeeds first.]]
284* MinoredInAssKicking: Curaçao is initially regarded by the Mane Six's group as a non-combatant, nothing more than a traveling companion of Starlight Shadow's that serves as her lieutenant and navigator and is much too fancy to participate in any real fighting. In Chapter 21, she proves to Rarity that she is not only very nimble, but reveals only the [[ChameleonCamouflage weakest manifestation]] of her powers in order to keep Rarity distracted. In Chapter 24, she fights against Pinkie and apparently is highly-skilled in martial arts, which in combination with her ability to turn invisible, makes her extremely effective.
285* MisterExposition: Gilderoy [[InvokedTrope invokes]] and [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this when he gives the Mane Six a rather long-winded run-down of gryphon history, their powers, and [[spoiler: Silvertongue]]. Tick Tock and Flathoof do this quite often as well when explaining how their world works, though Tick Tock is probably the most talkative of the two. Briarthorn gets into the action as well in Chapter 27, as he is highly-knowledgeable about Hope's Point and its relationship with Pandemonium.
286* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Flathoof gets a lot of this in Chapter 27, due to being the only stallion in a group of mares with said group being shown around by [[LovableSexManiac Briarthorn]], who constantly forgets that he's not the only stallion present.
287* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Rainbow Dash gives one of these in Chapter 23 after realizing that she's been an UnwittingPawn in Grayscale Force's plan to turn her against her friends.
288--> Rainbow Dash: "Oh Celestia, what have I done?"
289** In Chapter 33, Insipid feels this after realizing that her own ditziness and her desire to be perfect may have alienated her sisters.
290* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Insipid's lack of understanding of the powers she steals often leads to her helping the Mane Six with their fights. First, when using Rarity's boosts, she accidentally boosts ''everyone'' involved in the battle, friend and foe alike. But the particularly big moment comes when she uses Ophanim's shapeshifting powers to change into multiple animals, revealing to Fluttershy that Ophanim can do it to.
291* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Haute Couture is very clearly modeled after Creator/GeorgeTakei.
292* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Tick Tock falls prey to this technique twice, first by Shadowstep early on in the story, and again much later by Starlight Shadow. That Tick Tock doesn't have a fear of heights by now is astounding.
293** As of Chapter 29, she does now.
294* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: In Chapter 19, we only learn of a few details of the three trials the Mane Six go through, and only based on their dialogue and descriptions in the aftermath of each one. When they are actually going through the trials, the story is focused on [[TwoLinesNoWaiting the efforts of Flathoof, Tick Tock, and Lockwood]] instead.
295* OhCrap: A few moments here and there, typically courtesy of Rainbow Dash or Tick Tock. Red Velvet gets a non-verbal one in Chapter 21 when Pinkie delivers a [[MegatonPunch Pinkie Punch]].
296* OppositesAttract: Curaçao and Insipid work very well together and are extremely close, right down to Insipid's sisterly crush on Curaçao. The two are also about as opposite as possible: Curaçao is extremely intelligent and a subtle manipulator, and is regarded as very fancy and pretty by both groups; Insipid is TheDitz, and is describred as dirty and unkempt.
297* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The Blood Mire (or Red Death, take your pick) is a cursed region in the Wastelands, used apparently as a dumping ground for deceased ponies of New Pandemonium City for centuries, even before the city was built. The land itself is poisoned with evil magic that animates the dead, causing them to hunger for flesh. These zombie ponies are not [[MadeOfPlasticine very resilient]], but they're still fast and strong, with sharpened teeth and hooves for weapons. And if Silvertongue's words and Lockwood's nightmare are accurate, [[AndIMustScream the ponies inside are 100% aware of what they're doing and are horrified by their mere existence, unable to control their bodies.]] Oh, and to make matters worse? Shadowstep is back as one of these, [[EliteZombie with complete control of himself and equipped with a pair of magic-resistant metal wings.]]
298* PersonalityPowers: When the Mane Six first realize their powers, they are told in no uncertain terms by Gilderoy that their powers are connected to their Elements of Harmony:
299** Twilight Sparkle -- Magic: Her magic is fueled by her friendship, so the more she relies on her friends and believes in them the more powerful she is.
300** Applejack -- Honesty: Applejack's control over earth magic is explained, verbatim, that the earth itself is the most honest thing there is.
301** Rainbow Dash -- Loyalty: Rainbow's control over weather is explained, verbatim, that loyalty is like wind: When you have it at your back, you move forward; when you don't, you stagnate.
302** Fluttershy -- Kindness: Fluttershy's kindness towards all living things makes her a beacon of light for the animal spirits of the north, and her familiar Ophanim is able to serve as a link.
303** Rarity -- Generosity: Doesn't get more simple than it being generous to give one's own magic to benefit others.
304** Pinkie Pie -- Laughter: [[RuleOfFunny If it's funny]], Pinkie can do basically anything she wants, within certain rules.
305** The Mean Six, however, have their powers innately activated from the moment they're created, with opposing elements to the Mane Six granting them power. The official Elements of Discord have not been properly name as of yet.
306*** Starlight Shadow -- Magic: Like Twilight, Starlight Shadow has amazing magical ability. Unlike Twilight, however, Starlight's magic is draws power from the void and Starlight's power seems to increase the more she believes in ''herself''.
307*** Curaçao -- Deceit: Curaçao is a master of deceit and manipulation, capable of using illusions to disguise herself as anyone, from appearance to voice and behavior.
308*** Grayscale Force -- Apathy: Having zero interest in anything that does not directly benefit herself, Grayscale Force likes to end battles quickly and decisively by manipulating gravity against her opponents with cold efficiency.
309*** Havocwing -- Fury: Havocwing is always angry. ''Always.'' Not one to beat around the bush, she channels this burning anger into literal ''fire.''
310*** Insipid -- Avarice: Vapid, yet scarily possessive, Rarity's counterpart has the ability to take other people's powers and temporarily claim them as her own. However, she gets bored with powers easily and apparently drops them at a whim, unless convinced they are actually useful.
311*** Red Velvet -- Fear: Not only can Red Velvet turn her own blood into a deadly weapon, but she can also feed on the Fear of others and exacerbate it. Also, [[spoiler:''she is right behind you'']].
312* PrepareToDie: Starlight Shadow seems fond of this trope, as she's used it twice against Tick Tock so far. Shadowstep seems to have a bad habit of letting it get in the way of killing her too.
313* PowerOfTheStorm: Rainbow Dash's power allows her to control and create weather by flying in a certain way. Spinning creates [[BlowYouAway tornadoes]], using static electricity creates [[ShockAndAwe lightning]], and so on. We've yet to see anything besides though two, though.
314* PowerOfTheVoid: The portals that Chronomancers work with and protect their worlds from are fueled with this kind of magic. Starlight Shadow's magic is also fueled by this power source, which is why she's as powerful as she is, but gives her a critical weakness to Tick Tock... if the latter had her [[SignatureDevice Time Keeper]].
315* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Zebras have shades of this, even so that Zircon's honor is seen to be tarnished after he was rescued by [[ProperLady Rarity]] and [[NonActionGuy Lockwood]].
316* RageBreakingPoint: Rainbow Dash has an ''amazing'' one in Chapter 22 when she learns that the group is, once again, taking a detour when they are all literally starving.
317* RevengeBeforeReason: Admiral Hotstreak, father of Commander Jetstream, orchestrates the attack on Hope's Point to capture the Mane Six, who he blames for the death of his son. When the protagonists have escaped into the Belt of Tranquility, he follows in after them without a Diffusion shield, determined to capture or end them before he goes down with his ship.
318* RhymesOnADime: The Zebras of Equestria-V do this, just like Zecora. The higher-ranked members of their society also speak in [[GratuitousIambicPentameter poetic meters]] for good measure.
319** Havocwing is also a highly gifted rhymer and uses this ability to give Fluttershy assertiveness lessons, just like Iron Will
320* ScarsAreForever: The process of healing Lockwood unfortunately leaves him with some magical scars that are quite pronounced and disturbing.
321* SeventhEpisodeTwist: In Chapter 7, the Mean Six are finally revealed to the audience, and rather than being just simple [[EvilCounterpart Evil Counterparts]], it turns out that they are clones infused with evil magic to twist their minds and bodies. This is also the chapter where Shadowstep [[spoiler: dies in the Blood Mire, where he later becomes zombified]]. Applies retroactively too, as in Chapter 25, Silvertongue reveals that since this event also weakened Nihila, [[spoiler: it allowed him to finally put his centuries-long plan to destroy her into action]].
322* ShoutOut: Quite a lot, actually.
323** During the escape from New Pandemonium, Tick Tock attempts to hack the giant Gate in a fashion similar to [[Franchise/StarWars Han Solo]] in [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Episode VI]]. She even quotes direct from the film when she messes up:
324---> Tick Tock: "Got it! I think I got it!" *alarms sound and Gate starts closing* "Um... I don't got it. [[OhCrap Oh bugger]]."
325** Pinkie Pie uses pop-culture game and movie references often, but most blatantly when in combat.
326*** Chapter 16 sees her whip out a sword and fight with Franchise/FinalFantasy battle music in the background. And then she mimics WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cuihrjLNAo School of Fencing]].
327*** In Chapter 20, she dresses up as [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Jill Valentine]], as it's appropriate attire for the Survival Horror sequence.
328*** In Chapter 21, she dresses up as [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Captain Falcon]] and uses all sorts of fighting game tropes, from VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 to VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy.
329*** In Chapter 24, her costume evokes bits of both ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' and ''VideoGame/SplinterCell''. She even claims [[Film/TheMatrix to know kung-fu]].
330*** In Chapter 26, she dons [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Spartan-II armor]], and utilizes various pieces of weaponry from that series of games.
331*** In Chapter 29, she arrives to help Rainbow defend The Thunder in an Iron Man suit,[[Film/IronMan2 complete with appropriate (read: AC/DC) music.]]
332*** In Chapter 35 she steps it up to the ultimate force of good, donning the familiar martial arts uniform of the one and only [[Franchise/DragonBall Son Goku]]. Following that, in her attempt to [[spoiler: save Red Velvet from Nihila]], she flips the switch to "Cartoon Character", flooding the battle with assorted references to [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes the Looney Tunes]].
333** The Snails {{Expy}} engages in a back-and-forth password guessing game with Rainbow Dash in Chapter 23, and the exchange is pretty much lifted straight from a similar situation by the WebAnimation/RedVsBlue crew in ''VideoGame/Halo3''.
334** The main Foodstuff in New Pandemonium is from the [[Film/SoylentGreen Dolor Corporation]]. It's entirely artificial food, due to a massive food shortage, and it comes In various colours, which dictate it's quality and taste. Yes, there is a Dolor Green, and yes, there is a 'Dolor Green is ponies!' comment. It's just a rumour though. Probably...
335** Pinkie opens Chapter 26 with a rendition of [[Film/TheMuppetMovie Rainbow Connection]], which also happens to be her and Rainbow's song.
336** Chpater 27 is loaded with many of them, such as: ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', ''Franchise/ToyStory'', ''Franchise/BillAndTed'', and ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' (specifically, the ''Film/SpaceMutiny'' episode).
337** Gadget is an [[WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers engineer, technician, wears a purple jumpsuit, and says "Golly!" often.]]
338** Insipid finds a pretty gemstone in Chapter 30. She names it Jerry. In canon, Rarity found a massive 'diamond' that she named Tom. [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Hmmm...]]
339** In Chapter 31, Red Velvet drops lines from both WebAnimation/RedVsBlue and Film/SilenceOfTheLambs.
340* StatusBuff: Rarity's power allows her to use her own magic to empower her friends', allowing them to bring their powers to new heights or to use their powers when normally they would barely be able to. Once they realize their power's potential, they can use it more regularly and don't require Rarity's aid, but she's still useful for making the powers stronger.
341* SuperStrength: Flathoof's power is pretty standard incredible strength, allowing him to pretty much perform the same tasks as any normal pony, but better. It seems to apply to his toughness and endurance as well, as he is able to take a lot of punishment from Red Velvet and seems to be the least affected by the team's week-long lack of food and rest.
342* TeleportSpam: Twilight and Starlight's battle in Chapter 21 utilizes this to its fullest, combined with a healthy dose of DoppelgangerAttack from Twilight just to take it a step further.
343* ThatCameOutWrong: Rarity manages to do this with an ''outfit.'' She designs an outfit for Flathoof that was meant to make him look tough. To be fair, to the rest of the more innocent Mane Six, he does. To the more "mature" Equestria V denizens (and the reader), he looks like a gay bear biker. HilarityEnsues.
344* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: Havocwing decides to drop all pretense of UnusualEuphemism in her second fight against Rainbow Dash, and her first fight against Applejack.
345* TomatoInTheMirror: There's a set of antagonists that are evil clones of the Mane Six. They were unaware of this. When it gets revealed to them, it generates a mass VillainousBSOD on all fronts, the end result being that they decide to kill their originals to prove themselves the superior versions.
346* TookALevelInBadass: All the Mane Six get superpowers in Chapter 19 to help put them on even footing with the Mean Six, and their powers are easily just as deadly and powerful.
347* TraumaCongaLine: Poor Flathoof. One of his closest friends is murdered, he's framed for it and is now a wanted criminal and likely can never go home again, his best friend [[spoiler: and adopted brother]] is then seriously injured, he finds out that his dead friend may possibly be a zombie, and the one responsible for her death ''is'' a zombie. To make matters worse, the one pony that he felt a connection with amongst the Mane Six, Applejack, has lately been ignoring him for a reason he does not know about. [[spoiler:Thankfully, he and Applejack were able to sort the latter out. And then Shadowstep arrives...]]
348* VillainousRescue: Havocwing, Grayscale Force, and Red Velvet show up in the nick of time to save Twilight's party from an adult Gargantuan and a swarm of young ones, with the express purpose of using the rescue to make good with the Mane Six ahead of time in order to earn friendship and corrupt them from within.
349* WhamEpisode: ''Oh, so many.''
350** Chapter 25: Silvertongue [[spoiler: kills Nihila, absorbs her powers, and becomes an Alicorn.]] Then, he reveals to the Mean Six [[spoiler: their true origins,]] sending them into a VillainousBSOD of epic proportions. Insipid rejects Curaçao, Grayscale goes from just lazy into a full-fledged nihilist, and Havocwing...starts on to the road to becoming a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, giving an inspiring speech to her sisters to motivate them in destroying their counterparts.
351** Chapter 29: The attack on [[spoiler:Hope's Point]] comes early, [[spoiler:Lockwood]] is revealed to be engaged to Queen Blackburn, [[spoiler:Fluttershy]] gets ''angry'' at everyone...
352** Chapter 30: [[spoiler:Shadowstep]] has stowed away aboard the Thunder and demolishes the engine power source. [[spoiler:Gadget and Crossfire]] are killed in the crash after ensuring the safety of the others, and [[spoiler:Applejack, Flathoof and Briarthorn]] are missing, presumed dead.
353** Chapter 36: Curaçao reveals that the events of the last two chapters, [[spoiler:specifically her sisters fighting against the Mane Six in fair, one-on-one matches and being talked down,]] was ''her'' plan, in an attempt to [[spoiler:rid them of the evil inside them that Nihila put there.]] It doesn't work out exactly as planned.
354* WhamLine: A few choice ones here and there that change the way the entire fic seems to be running up until that point.
355** Chapter 25: Silvertongue reveals his plan to [[spoiler: betray Nihila and absorb her powers after centuries of "loyal" service.]]
356--> Silvertongue: Why... tonight, my dearest daughter... we are going to [[spoiler: kill a goddess.]]
357** Chapter 35: Curaçao reveals to Applejack the initial basis of her and her sisters' original plans (to corrupt them to the side of evil), her sisters' current plans (to kill them), and last, her plan ([[spoiler: to save her sisters from a dark fate). In other words, the events of the previous two chapters ''were'' due to her scheming, but towards a totally different goal.]]
358--> Curaçao: My plan is not to ambush tes amies to kill zem. [[spoiler: My plan is for tes amies to do what we tried to do to you, but in reverse.]]
359* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: Lockwood's power seems to be the ability to manipulate pain in others, using himself as a focal point. He first demonstrates this by accidentally removing the last stages of Fluttershy's weakness, a side-effect of her treatment after being injured by a Garngantuan. He refuses to use his power to transmit pain away from him and to the others though, even at their asking, which is completely [[TheHeart in-character]] for him.
360* WildCardExcuse: According to Gilderoy, there is an old gryphon saying that says, essentially, "It's magic, I don't have to explain shit". Naturally, magic and techno-magic are used throughout the fic as reasons why certain impossible things are possible. You just did something beyond comprehension, and somebody asks you how you did it? Magic.
361* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Silvertongue does this to anyone and anything he deems to not be any use to him any longer. He even quotes the line when [[spoiler:he kills Doctor Blutsauger]]. He isn't worried about applying this on a massive scale, either, [[spoiler: as when he's used every resource he can talk the gryphons into using, he commits genocide upon them, causing their race to become extinct, save for Gilderoy. He even avoids a pesky gryphon out for revenge, because Gilderoy is just a decrepit old gryphon, and a pacifist at that.]]
362* YourLittleDismissiveDiminutive: Starlight Shadow falls into this extremely often whenever she's talking down to anyone she feels beneath her. Which of course, is just about everybody.
363* YouWannaGetSued: Pinkie and Briarthorn debate over this in chapter 28, when Briarthorn starts singing ''[[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)]]''. Luckily, Briarthorn has a pirate lawyer on hand to explain the Fair Use laws under parody.
364[[/folder]]
365
366[[folder:Exclusive to the Divergence Timeline]]
367* DrowningMySorrows: Winter Glow does this after telling Twilight she has feelings for her and kissing her, but then pulling back, saying that they’ve both been drinking and it isn’t right.
368* EatingTheEyeCandy: Fluttershy just cannot take her eyes off of Gray Skies during the clothes shopping trip.
369** In Book 3, Applejack, Rarity, and Zyra find themselves doing the same when Zircon and Flathoof partake in some wrestling as part of a training/workout regimen.
370* FashionShow: Rarity and Insipid participate in a few over the course of the story, though rather than show the actual results of the show, we see the stages that go into planning and producing them, as well as other backstage antics.
371** Later, in Book 3, Insipid and Pinkie use a fashion show to distract and defeat a squad of Nihila cultists, combining Pinkie's cartoonish reality-warping abilities with Insipid's ability to copy said abilities.
372* FictionalSport: We finally get to see the sport of skyball, which Rainbow Dash and Havoc play, which seems like a mix between American Football, Soccer, and Quidditch, and is exclusively played by pegasi.
373* ForWantOfANail: The central premise of the divergence timeline seems to be that if only Equestria-V had a different Chronomancer (Winter Glow in this case instead of Tick Tock), things would have been ''dramatically'' different.
374* FromDressToDressing: Red Velvet tears off a stocking to serve as a bandage for Pinkie Pie after the latter is shot.
375* GenreShift: The original fanfic (CRISIS: Equestria) was an epic adventure. This changes in this fanfic, which thanks to the divergence becomes a mundane slice of life instead, at least in the first and second volumes. The third volume becomes a multi-genre story, with adventure, political intrigue, and war as its major plot elements.
376* InsistentTerminology: Gray Skies does not go by "Miss Skies". Ever.
377* KarmaHoudini: Lord Silvertongue has centuries of atrocities under his belt all done in the name of vanquishing Nihila for good and absorbing her power to take her place as a god. He not only succeeds, but because he is absolutely necessary at this point to send the Mane Six home, they cannot attempt to punish him without putting their own world at risk. [[spoiler:He survives all the way through the story, with his final scene shared with Twilight, and she acknowledges that he's escaped punishment for these misdeeds but that she can't rightly judge him for his actions--his reference to Starlight Glimmer serves to remind her that she has forgiven some truly horrible things in the name of friendship.]]
378* KidsAreCruel: Rainbow Dash reveals to Havoc that the three colts that used to bully her when she was younger were merciless, but that she always gave as good as she got, even when it got physical. However, it got worse as she got older, and especially after they found out she was gay.
379* LighterAndSofter: Not that the story is exactly gumdrops and rainbows, but gone are the repeated threats of death to the main cast, the gruesome, life-threatening injuries that put them out of commission for long stretches of time, and reality-ending stakes of the original story, replaced by... the characters getting mundane jobs and learning to live in a city that, while definitely not the best place to live, really isn’t significantly worse than a modern Earth city once you get to know it.
380** Averted once the second and third books come about, which deal with much the same stakes as the original and its sequel and become just as violent and dark in many places due to Nihila and her cult. Examples include:
381*** A squad of cultists attacking an arcade and killing dozens of civilians in an attempt to kidnap Velvet's wards (and also injuring one of said wards—a young colt—and nearly killing Velvet in the process) before Velvet violently and messily slaughters the lot.
382*** A cloaked warship ambushing Blackburn and her family, who are on a diplomatic mission of peace; Blackburn's two foals are with her, as are her husband, their two bodyguards, and a dear family friend. Said family friend, Briarthorn, dies protecting Lockwood and his daughter, and Havoc arrives too late to prevent his death. Havoc, meanwhile, is nearly killed as well, and though she destroys the hostile ship, she loses an eye and has to get several organ transplants.
383*** Nihila releasing a monstrous phoenix, who manages to destroy a huge section of New Pandemonium City's Outer District (essentially slums) and kills potentially thousands of innocent ponies in her rampage.
384* TheLostLenore: Silvertongue was romantically involved with a mare named Golden Heart long ago, who was also an ally of his in the war against Nihila before New Pandemonium City was even built. He was forced to kill her to keep his plans from being discovered, but kept her soul in a crystal so that Nihila couldn’t get her. Their last words shared are what motivates him to stick to his principles for hundreds of years no matter what atrocities he has to commit to realize his goals.
385** Noteworthy is that she did exist in the original timeline according to the sequel story, so it is yet unclear what motivated him differently in this timeline.
386* NonIdleRich: All of Silvertongue's daughters, by virtue of inheriting his immeasurable wealth and influence, are by nature extremely well off; not a one of them would ever need to lift a hoof for the rest of their lives. Despite this, all of them have their own lives and contribute much to their world once they're given the freedom to do so.
387** Golden Dawn takes over her father's position and uses the wealth and connections in her possession attempting to better the city (which Nihila would have never allowed Silvertongue to do).
388** Havoc uses her wealth and connections to buy a defunct semi-pro skyball team (the one she and Rainbow used to play on), and eventually turns it into a professional team with its own training facility, a youth center, merchandise, and the like. Not just for fun, either, but to provide jobs (as players) for her and Rainbow's old team, all of whom are professional caliber players that caught a bad break.
389** Insipid distanced herself entirely from her family's inheritance and became rich and famous entirely through her own charisma and beauty, admittedly with a jumpstart thanks to her father's input. She used her celebrity repute to start a non-profit organization dedicated to helping ponies overcome workplace sexual harrassment.
390** Gray Skies also distances herself from her family's inheritance, to a degree, only using her political connections to serve as an ambassador to Hope's Point.
391** Curaçao serves behind the scenes helping all of her sisters with their endeavors, but also as a chief spymaster for Golden Dawn to serve the city's interests.
392** Red Velvet essentially "adopts" dozens of orphans who were created artificially as part of a supersoldier program her father started (and officially adopts one of them as her legitimate son), and helps convert part of the enigmatic Pandora Tower into a school and dormitory for them. She herself serves as a teacher, and her sisters also participate at times.
393* OppositesAttract: Rarity and Insipid become an incredibly close pair of friends despite the fact that Rarity is a cultured, intelligent, beautiful mare and Insipid is classless, dumb, and has a few physical flaws. Rarity nevertheless helps Insipid bring out her best attributes, and Insipid looks to Rarity as a mentor because of it.
394* PaintballEpisode: Well, Laser Tag, but the concept is the same. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Red Velvet versus Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Winter Glow, all in the name of having a bit of fun.
395* RecycledScript: The first several chapters of the story and certain other aspects are taken from the original story with only minor modifications until the major divergence event causes things to start changing rapidly going forward. The third volume also uses a similar premise as the original story's sequel (the Mane Six return to Equestria-V, where Nihila is attempting a comeback, one party stays at Goldridge for an extended period due to the new weather conditions, and multiple forces unite together to put an end to Nihila's plans).
396* SelfDeprecation: A meta-example, the story features a few digs at the original story’s characters’ mistakes and odd choices that led to that adventure ending up as dark and harrowing as it did. Most crucially, Winter Glow outright states that the idea of taking the Mane Six across the Wastelands in such a short timeframe is ludicrously dangerous and stupid. Given what they deal with in the original timeline...
397* ShoutOut: As with the original story, the author is fond of these sorts of things:
398** Skyball seems to be a big reference overall to Franchise/FinalFantasy. The Mid-East Rockets, the team that Rainbow and Havoc join, have an eerie resemblence to the cast of VideoGame/FinalFantasyV. Dart Blazer, for example, is ''just'' close enough to Bartz Klauser to be noticeable. Another skyball team they play against, the Warriors, also appear to be references to VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII, and the Rockets make reference to other players that sound like various summons from the series.
399** Pinkie Pie shows up in an alley to rescue Velvet from some gangsters, [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 wearing a red leather jacket, dancing to diagetic music from a boombox, and challenging her opponents to a dance-off to distract them.]] It... doesn't go as well as Star Lord's attempt.
400* SliceOfLife: The genre of the original story, that of an epic adventure, shifts into one of these a short ways into the plot as the Mane Six must learn to adapt and overcome a new environment: a super metropolis, wherein they must get jobs, make friends, earn money, and do other mundane things just to get by, all while solving practical, normal problems.
401* ThatCameOutWrong: A number of characters say something that could be easily misconstrued for something else, but Golden Dawn takes the cake when she claims that her and sisters’ father doesn't need a mare in his life because he has her (meaning that he doesn’t need somepony to ''love'' when he has her and sisters). Havoc and Curaçao have to point out her mistake; she is, of course, incredibly embarrassed.
402* VirginShaming: Averted; Rainbow Dash refuses to do this to Havoc when she finds out that it’s Havoc’s sore spot, citing the fact that it’s something she can change about herself if she wants, and that making fun of her for it seems stupid.
403* VitriolicBestBuds: Rainbow and Havoc form this sort of friendship, where they have no qualms with poking fun at one another while still remaining extremely good friends. Havoc learns which buttons aren't okay to push, of course—Rainbow does appreciate being made fun of because she's gay—and Rainbow does likewise (see Virgin Shaming above).
404* WhamEpisode: For fans of the original , the moment where Shadowstep attacks Winter Glow and the latter manages to fight him off will at first seem rather cathartic considering what he does to Tick Tock in the original timeline. Then comes the next chapter, and Silvertongue is informed that he’s dead, and that he needs now to drastically alter his plans. This is what sets off the divergence.

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