[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/death_note_equestria_2650.jpg]]

Equestria is growing, and magical savant Twilight Sparkle is disgusted by the crime and corruption this change has brought. Her life is changed forever when she discovers the Death Note, a notebook with inexplicable and deadly powers. She uses this book to pass judgement on those she deems unworthy of life, aiming to create a perfect world free of crime. But when the two Princesses put their best pony on the case, a mysterious detective known only as L, a psychological game of cat and mouse erupts between the two.

A ''Manga/DeathNote''[=/=]''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' FusionFic by Nonagon. It follows the basic plot of Manga/DeathNote but introduces enough twists to keep the readers on their toes.

Can be read [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1455/Death-Note-Equestria here]]. Officially declared a DeadFic in October 2018, but is currently having its remaining chapters recapped.

Compare with ''Fanfic/TheDragonsNotebook'', the ''other'' ''Death Note''/''MLP:FIM'' crossover fic.
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!!Tropes:

* AboveTheInfluence: [[spoiler: Ditzy's boss Boxy Brown, who's had a crush on her for years, comes close to taking advantage of her while she's mourning Written Script, but stops himself at the last minute when he remembers Pinkie's last letter to him.]]
* AdaptationalVillainy: Twilight, [[spoiler: Fluttershy, and Photo Finish.]] Mer is also this when compared to Rem. On another level, while Light initially had some standards on who he killed, Twilight targets anypony who's reported to have committed a crime, as she wants a completely crime-free Equestria.
* AdaptationalWimp: Rainbow Dash is a great deal less competent then her canon counterpart in this story, see ButtMonkey for more information.
* AFeteWorseThanDeath: Pinkie Pie's spy-themed party ends with [[spoiler: all the actual spies dropping dead.]]
* AGodAmI: After [[spoiler: L's death]] at the end of Season 2, Twilight dives right into this -- she decides to set up Kira as a mythological figure of evil in order to scare anyone out of performing evil ever again, while also leading the "resistance" against Kira. She figures that such a position on both sides would make her a goddess.
* AHouseDivided: Happens quite a bit due to L's methods. However, an extra layer is added on when Rainbow Dash hears the story Mer fed the Tri-Kira, and she begins to suspect that either Twilight ''or'' L might be Byuk's Kira, and she can't bring herself to fully trust either of them.
* AloneWithThePsycho: [[spoiler: Photo Finish becomes a crazy stalker of Fluttershy and nearly murders her.]]
* AnimalEyeSpy: Bugging somepony's home involves actual bugs -- magically controlled insects with transmitter crystals on their heads.
* AntagonistInMourning: [[spoiler: Twilight, even after her memories as Kira are restored, mourns L's death.]]
* AnyoneCanDie: It's not just [=OCs=] and minor characters at risk. Not even major secondary characters [[spoiler: or members of the Mane Cast]] are safe.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Mer coerces [[spoiler: the Apples]] into being the Third Kira by threatening to kill [[spoiler: Rainbow Dash]]. And then, just to prove she's serious, she kills [[spoiler: Granny Smith]].
* AndThisIsFor: When Twilight learns that [[spoiler:Fluttershy]] is the second Kira, she is very kinesthetic in expressing her displeasure.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: When Twilight sets up [[spoiler: Sunny Days]] to die as part of a plot to clear her own name, Byuk asks Twilight what she did to deserve to die. Twilight's weak excuse causes her to face the fact that she's been killing innocents, as opposed to her original plan of just killing criminals, and she has a miniature breakdown before composing herself.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Straw Bolt's list of Colgate's crimes, when arresting her at the end of season 2, includes mass property damage, acts of terror, threats against Equestria, unauthorized uses of illegal magic, assault on a member of the Canterlot City Guard, unlawful imprisonment, possession of unauthorized experimental weapons, espionage, and multiple traffic violations.
* ArtifactOfDeath: The Death Note, obviously.
* AscendedExtra: Straw Bolt -- created for the purpose of filler dialogue, he later became one of the POV characters.
* AssholeVictim: Twilight's first two victims, especially Sharp Star, are clearly this. Twilight then decides that since Equestria is clearly more peaceful without those two, then targeting ''any'' criminal is fair game.
* AxCrazy: [[spoiler: Photo Finish. Rarity when under the effects of the Death Note. Fluttershy has shades of this as well.]]
* BatmanGambit: Most of what Twilight does -- however, details don't always fall into place and she is often forced to improvise.
%%* BattleOfWits
* BeneathTheMask: L acts like TheStoic most of the time, since this is the sort of attitude her position requires. When she's alone with Bon Bon, however, she [[NotSoStoic lets the facade slip]].
* BigBad: As VillainProtagonist, the role falls to Twilight by default. Though one could argue that Mer takes on the role of TheHeavy (if not outright BigBad) during Twilight's MemoryGambit, even though everything is going [[ExactlyAsPlanned according to Twilight's plan]].
* BigDamnHeroes: Pinkie's search party. Averted for Dash, who keeps arriving too late.
* BigNo: Byuk lets one rip when Twilight informs him that, due to being under surveillance from the L team, she won't be able to give him any [[TrademarkFavoriteFood apples]] for a few days.
* BizarreAlienBiology: When introducing the problem of Kira to the night court, Luna actually needs a medic to explain to everypony just what a heart attack is -- it is an extremely rare condition for horses.
* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Twilight has shades of this. She's willing to do morally grey things for the greater good of a crime-free Equestria, but she views herself as completely in the right, while targeting all criminals equally.
* BloodSplatteredInnocents: Purposefully invoked by Twilight.
* BreakTheCutie / CorruptTheCutie: The first two Kiras were both nice ponies before a KarmaHoudini villain made them hit the DespairEventHorizon, and the Third Kira only started killing after being forced into the role by Mer (and it seems to be taking a psychological toll).
* BunnyEarsLawyer: L -- She is brilliant, but also so socially awkward, she needs a HypercompetentSidekick assigned to her for the explicit purpose of keeping her mentally stable.
** This seems to be standard for the L position [[spoiler: seeing as Shells, her successor, is the same]].
* ButtMonkey: Rainbow Dash. Not only is she the only team member with no skills useful for the investigation, whenever she tries to use the strength she does have, her speed, she ends up arriving too late. It is almost a RunningGag except PlayedForDrama.
* CastFromLifespan: Just like in the original Manga/DeathNote, a Death Note user can trade half her lifespan for shinigami eyes.
* CerebusRetcon: L's personality and her relationship with Bon Bon becomes this when it's revealed that [[spoiler: Bon Bon is actually a changeling]]. As Twilight explains, this means that [[spoiler: Bon Bon was feeding off of L's emotions for ''years'', essentially hollowing her out into a meat puppet]].
* ChekhovsGun: You know those potato chips Pinkie gave Twilight? Turns out, [[spoiler: they're a SoulJar]].
* ComesGreatResponsibility: The core of Twilight's views. Apart from rare LargeHam moments, she has no delusions about being good. But she considers herself NecessarilyEvil - she might spend the day JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, then cry herself to sleep over what she has done and the next day get up with new resolve. She suffers horribly but she does it for the good of everypony... right?
* CompanionCube: Minty, Jazz's {{Magitek}} abacus database.
** "She" has a sister, Wysteria, who quickly becomes this to Shells, [[spoiler: L's true successor]].
* ConspicuousTrenchcoat: The EBI agents. Later inverted when Ray gets some fashion tips from Rarity and wears a much less conspicuous outfit -- to a spy-themed costume party.
* CovertGroup: L's investigation team. [[spoiler: Which turns out to be part of a larger organization.]]
* CrapsackWorld: After centuries of being a SugarBowl, Equestria is completely unprepared for the increase in crime that comes with the increased population. As the result, its justice system is ridiculously inefficient, to the point of convicted murderers getting released when a prison gets overcrowded.
* CrazyPrepared: Within days of learning that she is being followed, Twilight installs a magical warning system in case her home is bugged
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Sun Eater's Devouring Seal, a spell designed to seal a unicorn's horn inside her skull. Not so much dangerous as horribly painful. Twilight is shocked when L uses it on her. She is even more shocked to learn that L regularly uses it on herself, to pass for an earth pony.
* DeadFic: Hasn't been updated since May 2014. In October 2018, the author finally declared it officially dead, with the remaining chapters being recapped instead.
* DeadManWriting: Anticipating her death, [[spoiler: Pinkie Pie writes letters to everyone she ever met.]]
* DefectiveDetective: L.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: When [[spoiler: Applejack]] is exposed as the Third Kira, [[spoiler: she]] hits Princess Luna hard enough to send her stumbling back.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight:
** [[spoiler: Ray Painter dies in Rarity's arms]].
** [[spoiler: Pinkie Pie dies in Twilight's arms after being fatally stabbed by Rarity.]]
** Inverted when [[spoiler: Granny Smith dies while holding Apple Bloom.]]
* DisappearedDad: Dinky's father is in prison in Stalliongrad. This is Ditzy's motivation for trying to stop Kira before she ends up targeting him. [[spoiler: Sadly, he's eventually picked off, with the sole consolation of dying in his sleep.]]
* DisposableVagrant: When she needs to sacrifice somepony to get herself an alibi, Twilight decides for Berry Punch, the town drunk. [[spoiler: This backfires, as she turns out to be the best friend of one of the investigators]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: Twilight kills criminals of various caliber, even those guilty of relatively minor crimes -- her main targets are {{Karma Houdini}}s and those she considers unrepentant -- so a pony with a life-long history of minor offences might also be offed. Second Kira openly kills those who speak against Kira.
* DistantDuet: A trio actually. Manga/DeathNote crossover or not, this is still WesternAnimation/MyLittlePony, so at one point three separate characters break into a song about the current events.
* DeliberateInjuryGambit: Fluttershy stabs herself with a pencil [[spoiler: to keep Ditzy from finding out about her Death Note.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Rarity kills herself upon realizing she's killed Pinkie. As per Twilight's plan.]]
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Sweetie Belle's death.]]
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: There is an old earth pony bunker under the town park. It is used as L's base of operations.
* EnhancedInterrogationTechniques: L's methods are one of the main sources of conflict within the investigators' group.
* EtTuBrute: Likely what will happen if everyone finds out that Twilight is Kira.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Played with. Twilight believes that as NecessarilyEvil, she doesn't get to have standards. It doesn't stop her from flipping out when others cross the line, and even when she's tying up loose ends after her MemoryGambit, she can't bring herself to kill [[spoiler: Apple Bloom]].
** Byuk is less evil and more an amoral force of nature, but he's still disgusted when Twilight engineers [[spoiler: Rarity's and Pinkie Pie]]'s deaths in order to weasel her way onto L's team.
* ExitPursuedByABear: The EBI agents are killed with a painless version of HollywoodHeartAttack -- all except their boss, who gets eaten by a manticore. Apparently, Twilight didn't consider him a victim of circumstance. It is a massive KickTheDog moment as not only was he too doing his job, he was also a big fan of Twilight.
* {{Expy}}: A lot:
** Twilight Sparkle is basically like Light Yagami.
** Who'd have thought Pinkie Pie would end up as [[spoiler:Shiori]]?
** Rarity is very similar to [[spoiler: Naomi Misora]].
** [[spoiler:Fluttershy is basically a more merciless version of Misa Amane.]]
** [[spoiler:Spike is a lot like Soichiro Yagami, especially during the staged execution scene. This likely won't end well for him.]]
** Rainbow Dash is a lot like Matsuda, feeling useless and wanting to contribute to the case.
** Colgate is a lot like Aizawa, being committed to catching Kira but vehemently opposed to L's methods.
** Byuk is basically punning off of Ryuk.
** Mer is a more merciless version of the more passive Rem (appropriately, her name is spelled backwards to that of Rem's).
** [[spoiler:Sweetie Belle basically plays Mr. Mogi's role in the film version of Manga/DeathNote.]]
** [[spoiler:Scootaloo, upon Sweetie Belle's death, is a lot like Sayu Yagami.]]
** [[spoiler: Photo Finish]] takes the role of Misa Amane's stalker.
** Geldus is Gelus.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler: L is badass enough to spout off a one-liner while dying of a painful heart attack.]]
* TheFakeCutie: From willingly killing children to saying that some ponies don't deserve kindness, [[spoiler: Fluttershy]] has gone from a genuine TheCutie to this.
* FakeOutMakeOut: When Rainbow Dash is investigating the possibility that [[spoiler: Applejack]] is Third Kira, the latter acts flirty and kisses her... in order to throw off the observing Mer and keep her from realizing that [[spoiler: Applejack]] is whispering instructions to Dash to meet up and explain what's happening.
* FallenHero: Twilight and [[spoiler: Fluttershy.]]
* ForegoneConclusion: Supposedly this would be averted if the story were actually finished, but what was written still hits the main plot beats note-for-note. [[spoiler:Most notably, L is DoomedByCanon.]]
* GambitPileup: Twilight and L's moves against each other count from the start. Then Mer goes off Twilight's script to reach her own ends. And on top of that, not only does [[spoiler: Pinkie Pie]] appear to have set up a ThanatosGambit before her death, but Celestia is strongly implied to be running her own scheme against Kira.
* GambitRoulette: With the plot even more complicated than the original manga, a basic XanatosGambit would be useless. Therefore, Twilight has to be smarter than Light was.
* [[spoiler: GainaxEnding: Due to the fan fic being cancelled, the ending was presented through what basically be considered note book pieces and it does end...bizarrely. At best what is seen is the Shinigami King meets ''Pinkie'' in the afterlife]].
* GeniusSweetTooth: L
* GilliganCut: Twilight says that she figures Pinkie will need at least another week to set up her costume party. We then then cut to three days later, when the party's ready to go.
* GodzillaThreshold: Celestia is so desperate for peace that she asks ''Discord'' for advice (this after his HeelFaceTurn in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E11KeepCalmAndFlutterOn Keep Calm and Flutter On]], but still...)
* GreyAndGrayMorality: A source of endless anguish for all the idealistic characters, particularly Celestia and Colgate.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Rainbow Dash's reaction after [[spoiler: Applejack]] kisses her, followed by L bringing up evidence that she once kissed Gilda.
* HeelFaceTurn: Twilight and [[spoiler: Fluttershy]], as part of Twilight's MemoryGambit. Though as of chapters 30 and 31, it's undone.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: After the first golem encounter, Pinkie Pie hints that she knows Twilight is Kira, and is trying to talk her out of it. [[spoiler: Sadly, this gets her killed.]]
* HeroicBSOD: Several members of the investigation team, at different points and for different reasons.
* HorrifyingTheHorror: One of the things Twilight has in common with Light -- she creeps her shinigami out.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Twilight. She condemns Second Kira for killing innocents, when she's killed plenty to save her own skin. To be fair, she does eventually own up to this, and hate herself for it.
* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: Obviously, given half of the source material.
* IKnowYourTrueName: All the investigators who aren't yet celebrities go under various aliases. Notably, Ditzy Doo gets renamed Derpy Hooves.
* InfractionDistraction: When the investigators bug her room, Twilight opens her desk secret compartment and pulls out an adult novel from the inside -- then proceeds to pleasure herself in front of the cameras. Nopony notices that there were other books in the compartment.
* INeedAFreakingDrink: Colgate. Celestia might be developing an actual drinking problem from how her good intentions as a ruler continue to turn out.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: L rarely notices when she hurts other ponies' feelings, and doesn't care when she does notice.
%%* InnerMonologue: In spades.
* InterserviceRivalry: There's quite a bit of friction between the Royal Guard and the Canterlot City Guard (the police, basically). This isn't helped any by Straw Bolt holding a grudge against Shining Armor for having the position he wanted.
** Straw Bolt also ''really'' doesn't like L or her methods.
* InSeriesNickname: Twilight coins the name "Coalition of Justice" for the investigation team.
** L takes to calling Third Kira "Tri-Kira" based on her suspicions that [[spoiler: it's actually all three Apple siblings working together]].
* {{Irony}}: Twilight's actions cause Equestria's crime rate in general to drop, but the crime rate in Ponyville actually goes ''up'' due to her controlling some of her victims into committing crimes.
* JadeColoredGlasses:
** Spike. Since dragons' physical development is tied to their psychology, he gradually grows through the story.
** Applejack starts out as a Kira supporter, enjoying the lowered crime rates. However, after [[spoiler: Rarity]]'s death and the Second Kira's less justifiable murders (which the public pin on the original Kira), AJ realizes how wrong she was.
%%* JawDrop: Spike's reaction to the InfractionDistraction above.
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: [[spoiler:To protect her identity, Twilight forces Rarity to kill Pinkie and then commit suicide.]]
* KarmaHoudini: Discussed between Ace and Colgate. The Kira Neutrality Movement's plan to remove Kira's motivation to kill -- by being harsher on criminals -- doesn't take into account a way to actually capture Kira, letting her get off scott free with mass murder. Ace finds this an acceptable loss; Colgate disagrees.
* KickTheDog: Many and varied, most of them consisting of Twilight coldly manipulating her friends.
* LegacyCharacter:
** L is only the latest pony to take up the name and mantle of the great detective. This lineage goes back ''1200 years''.
** The same applies to L's caretaker/assistant, Sideline.
** Luna states that whoever is currently controlling the golems is not their original creator, Judas Loam.
* LineInTheSand: Used by Colgate to form the investigation team.
* LiteralMinded: At one point, Pinkie is asked to organize a search party. It is both a search and a party and it works splendidly.
%%* LoveMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler: Fluttershy]]
* {{Magitek}}: During the few years since the end of the canon plot, the ponies have come up with magitek television and computer equivalents.
* ManipulativeBastard: After coercing [[spoiler:Applejack]] into being the Third Kira, Mer spins a (as we know, totally fictional) sob story that makes her seem like the LesserOfTwoEvils compared to Byuk and the original Kira. And on top of that, she says that Byuk is her corrupted brother who she's trying to defeat in order to save, thus playing on [[spoiler: Applejack]]'s strong sense of family to get them on her side.
%%* MemoryGambit: Similar to but not exactly like in the original plot.
* MythologyGag:
** Pinkie's [[spoiler: post-mortem]] gift to Twilight is a [[MemeticMutation bag of potato chips]].
** Byuk mentions that Shinigami have visited other worlds before, and one day he might tell Twilight that story...
** Jazz's abacus is called [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3 Minty]].
** Likewise, Minty's "sister" abacus is called Wysteria, who was also a G3 character.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Rarity's reaction when she realizes she's killed Pinkie, which leads to her suicide.]]
* NeverMyFault: Twilight admits that she's had to kill a lot of innocent ponies in order to protect her identity, but says it's all L's fault -- if she wasn't hunting Twilight, Twilight could have just focused on criminals.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Ditzy/Derpy nearly kills [[spoiler:Applejack]] upon identifying her as the Third Kira.
* NotSoDifferentRemark:
** Colgate accuses Ace of being this to Kira, since his means of countering her -- convincing the Princesses to be harsher on criminals -- is to rule by fear, just like Kira.
** Later, in one of her internal monologues, Twilight points out that [[spoiler: by having Caramel deliver her challenge on crystalvision, L murdered him just as much as Twilight did]]
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Ditzy/Derpy's depression over [[spoiler: Written Script's death]] eventually turns to anger, and she ends up [[spoiler: nearly beating Applejack to death]].
%%* OCStandIn: Lyra, Bon Bon, Jazz, and Colgate.
* OnceAnEpisode: All chapters begin with a rule from the Death Note and end with a letter to a princess, either Twilight writing to Celestia, Colgate's report to Luna, or after Chapter 12, a [[spoiler: post-mortem]] letter from Pinkie Pie to one of her friends.
* OnlySaneMan: Rainbow Dash is the only one of the Mane 6 [[spoiler:who doesn't die or become Kira.]] In spite of her lowered competence, she holds onto her morality in the face of all the craziness around her, and generally reacts to things like her canon counterpart.
* OutsideContextProblem:
** Thanks to the Death Note (which even she doesn't understand fully), Twilight becomes this to the entire Equestrian government.
** Just when L starts to understand the rules of Kira's powers, along come the golems, which take both sides by surprise.
* {{Outgambitted}}: Mer, oh so much. [[spoiler: Not only does her plan to leave Twilight in IronicHell backfire with fatal results, it turns out that in all the contingencies Twilight had to plan for, Mer's betrayal was the only one she was reasonably sure of, so that the more likely outcome of her XanatosGambit was built around it.]]
* OutOfGenreExperience: The golems/Dollmaker sub-plot. Lampshaded by Pinkie, who directly asks Twilight if she has transported them to an AlternateUniverse.
* PaperThinDisguise: Fluttershy reuses her disguise from "Green Isn't Your Color".
* PoliceAreUseless: Not really. Its the justice system that wastes all their efforts.
* PostKissCatatonia: [[spoiler: Fluttershy]] after being kissed by Twilight in order to be healed for the damage she got from her AndThisIsFor treatment.
** Later, MemoryGambit!Twilight after being kissed the first time by [[spoiler: Fluttershy]].
* PragmaticAdaptation: The Death Notes rule that no one over 124 years old can be killed with it was omitted since [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld living past that is common]] in Equestria. [[spoiler:Granny Smith is killed with the Death Note despite Ponyville existing for canonically at least two hundred years and Granny Smith having been part of it's founding.]]
%%* PsychoSupporter: Second Kira for Kira.
* RefugeInAudacity: At one point, Colgate loses her temper and punches out a pony in the middle of a crowded street. She comes to her senses, realizing that she is a police officer and has just assaulted a civilian... she resolves the situation by arresting her victim and leaving before anypony has a chance to react.
* RevealingCoverup: At one point, Twilight gets a pony killed in front of the cameras to give herself an alibi. The problem is, she needed to mind-control the reporter to make sure the cameras get there. The reporter was supposed to die later and be overlooked by investigators... except that having her death already assigned, she is now impossible to kill ahead of schedule. This complicates matters immensly when she gets drawn back into the plot due to unforseen circumstances.
* RightHandVersusLeftHand: The fact that the Coalition of Justice works in the shadows leads to complications when Straw Bolt's more straightforward investigations get in the way, especially during [[spoiler: the sting operation in chapter 29]]. More prominently is the fact that Celestia, or at least the Royal Guard, are running their own plan as well.
* RunningBothSides: As per ''Death Note'' canon, [[spoiler: after L's death, Twilight takes over the investigation into her own actions as Kira]]. Though in a difference from canon, [[spoiler: Twilight manipulates Colgate into being the one who takes on L's mantle]]; so while not directly running both sides, she's at least in control of both.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler: After L's death, Jazz quits the investigation, stating that his loyalty was to her, not the team.]]
* SealedEvilInACan: Judas Loam, who created the golems, according to Discord. He chastises Celestia for it, saying she really should start destroying threats rather than sealing them away, as they always come back eventually.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: The L team/Coalition of Justice set one up for Twilight to prove once and for all she's not Kira. Since this is in the middle of the MemoryGambit, it works.
* ShipTease: Big Macintosh seems to crush on Locket the moment they meet. And after their NotADate, she seems to start liking him back (which is a bit of a problem for her, since she's already in a long-distance relationship).
* ShoutOut:
** [[FanFic/PastSins Spell Nexus]] is part of the Night Court and the initial investigation into the Kira murders.
** Celestia's personal pair of Royal Guards are named [[Franchise/StarWars Biggs and Wedge]].
** [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail Everypony said it was a dumb idea to build a town in a swamp, but they built it anyway, just to show them.]]
* SlapSlapKiss: Purposefully done by Twilight to test how much control she has over [[spoiler: Fluttershy. She ends up breaking her jaw.]]
* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Actually, the local, elaborate version of Battleship, but the rule still applies.
* SoftGlass: Averted. Not only does Dash suffer damage from crashing through a window, she is kept from flying for a day until the doctors make sure there are no shards left between her feathers.
* SoHappyTogether: Obviously [[spoiler: Rarity and Ray]]. Knowing the original story only makes it hit harder.
* SoulJar: Turns out that [[spoiler: those potato chips Pinkie left Twilight contain an Echo of her mind]]... [[MindScrew somehow]].
* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler: Subverted. Mer goes off script in an attempt to get revenge on Twilight for Rarity's death, but it turns out Twilight had a contingency in place for this. Despite Mer's attempts, Twilight still ends up on top, and Mer ends up dead.]]
* StartXToStopX: Some of Twilight's plans involve controlling other ponies into committing crimes, and she kills innocent farmers for her MemoryGambit. At one point, it's noted that the crime rate in Ponyville has actually gone ''up'' since Kira appeared.
* TheStarscream: Mer, while never ''quite'' on Twilight's side, decides to outright betray her during the MemoryGambit. [[spoiler: Turns out, Twilight was counting on it.]]
* ThanatosGambit: It is heavily hinted that [[spoiler: Pinkie Pie]] might be running one.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: After the thief who killed Angel was released on parole, Fluttershy found it in her heart to show him kindness. But, when his parole is over, he breaks into another house... And this time, he kills a little filly.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: Invoked by Twilight at the end of Season 2. Realizing that by this point, Kira will never be viewed as the shining beacon of justice Twilight was originally aiming for, Twilight decides to build up the image of Kira as an almost mythical epitome of evil, a monster who targets other evil-doers, in order to scare anyone out of ever breaking the law ever again.
* TooDumbToFool: Derpy Hooves' role in the group is stating the obvious after everypony else has overlooked it.
* TrueCompanions: MemoryGambit!Twilight eventually becomes this to L. [[spoiler: Even after her memories come back, she mourns L's death.]]
* VillainousBSOD: Twilight slips into them whenever her guilt overwhelms her, but she usually pulls herself back pretty quickly.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Not in Equestria (not since the Second Kira's murders, anyway), but according to Discord, Kira is universally popular among the griffins.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Kira, Second Kira, and L, with more candidates waiting in line.
** Ace. His plans for removing Kira's motives for killing would, as Colgate puts it, essentially turn Equestria into a PoliceState (by SugarBowl standards, anyway).
* WeNeedADistraction: The Tri-Kira and their overly elaborate means of killing their victims is a diversion for the use of the Death Note (though they themselves may not be aware of it), with the Tri-Kira as a whole serving as one for the Fourth Kira. [[spoiler:Except there is no Fourth Kira; the deaths blamed on them were planned by Twilight in advance as part of the MemoryGambit as a distraction, alongside everything about the Third Kira.]]
* WhamEpisode: Chapter 12. [[spoiler: Following Ray Painter's death, Rarity suffers severe SanitySlippage until she finally snaps when she deduces that Twilight Sparkle is Kira. She then takes Pinkie Pie hostage and threatens to kill her if Twilight doesn't confess on a live broadcast directed towards L's investigation team. Things spiral out of control, and Rarity ends up actually killing Pinkie while attempting to kill Twilight; when she realizes [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone what she's done]], she [[DrivenToSuicide kills herself]]. And then we find out that Twilight ''engineered this entire sequence of events'' with the power of the Note in order to create a scenario wherein she could earn enough sympathy to be allowed on the team.]]
** That said, it's slightly less of a wham episode when you realize that [[spoiler: this is exactly like the twist ending of the first live action Death Note movie, just with Naomi Misora and Shiori replaced with Rarity and Pinkie Pie respectively.]]
** Chapter 14 reveals that ''[[spoiler: Fluttershy]]'', of all ponies, is the Second Kira.
** Chapter 23's ending strongly implies that [[spoiler:Applejack]] is the Third Kira.
** Chapter 25 has L deduce that Third Kira is actually [[spoiler: all ''three'' Apple siblings]], and they've been coerced into the role by [[spoiler:Granny Smith's murder]].
** Chapter 26 confirms this... and then implies that there's a ''Fourth'' Kira out there somewhere.
** Chapter 29 [[spoiler: has the L Team/Coalition of Justice, with help from Princess Luna, set up a sting to expose the Tri-Kira, in the process ending up having to detain Straw Bolt when he interferes; Rainbow Dash becomes convinced that Twilight is Kira and breaks off from the team; Applejack takes on the Eyes of the Shinigami, but is captured (by ''Derpy'', of all ponies); Mer uses her Death Note to reveal herself to the team, and the cliffhanger suggests that she's restored Twilight's memories and exposed her to the team, unless, of course, she dropped the notebook when she was tackled by Bon Bon.]]
** Chapter 30-31, which sees, among other things, the resolution of Twilight's MemoryGambit, would be cheapened by spoiling it here.
* WhamLine:
** Chapter 12: "Oh, Byuk, you should really know me better than that by now. I plan for ''everything''." Cut to the following Death Note entry: "[[spoiler: Pinkamena Diane Pie, Murdered]]."
** Chapter 26: [[spoiler: Applejack: "Dash, that ain’t us."]]
** Chapter 31: [[spoiler: "LYRA HEARTSTRINGS. HEART ATTACK. PAINFUL]]."
** Chapter 33: Twilight Sparkle, who takes the role of Light in this fanfic: [[spoiler: "Colgate... I think you’ll be a fantastic L."]]
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: When confronted with a magic-resistant golem, Twilight uses her magic indirectly to create a ring of non-magical superheated air around its arm, causing the clay to harden and break.
* WorthyOpponent: How Twilight comes to feel about L [[spoiler: even mourning her death]].
* WouldHurtAChild: Second Kira. Twilight is livid about it, despite setting up a death of a reporter who was not much older.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Things rarely go JustAsPlanned. Twilight proves much more adaptable than her obsesive-compulsive episodes might suggest.
* YouBastard: Inverted. The author got one from one of his pre-readers for writing this story. Since art is supposed to evoke emotions, he took it as a compliment.

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