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Prince Steel Barricade, the Unbreakable Architect

Classification: Elemental/Ascendant

Portfolio: Technology, Endurance, Innovation

Rank: Demigod

"It is said by many that 'war is hell', and that is an undeniable truth. So take heed, my Iron Warriors: Fortify yourself against Evil and other dangers, for it is also said that 'defense is the best offense'. Take inspiration from everything and make use of what you have, but be wary of the potential consequences. Seek not glory or honor, for there are no such things in war, but rather, seek causes that are truly worth fighting for."

Prince Steel Barricade (his entry here) is the Alicorn demigod of Technology, Endurance, and Innovation, and is the eleventh-born son of Emperor Golden Scepter.

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# - B

• Adaptational Heroism: Perturabo would betray the Emperor of Mankind and side with Chaos after decades of being passed over in favor of Rogal Dorn, being unable to showcase his true skills as an engineer and architect and instead was stuck with the most grinding sieges during the Great Crusade, and being treated with dismissive contempt by most of his brothers. Here, as Steel Barricade, while he initially started out as an Insufferable Genius worse than Crimson Star, he eventually learned the value of humility and empathy after being exiled for instigating a particularly destructive duel against his older brother, Clear Voice, and after brutally murdering a corrupt Tauren Pony king and nobility in a fit of explosive rage. While he was left a stoic and cold Jerk with a Heart of Gold due to psychological trauma, his efforts to atone for his actions nonetheless led to him becoming a beloved and respected demigod Prince of the Terran Empire - which is partially thanks to Golden Scepter's influence on him as a father. Notably, one of Steel Barricade's deeds included attending the Hoofington Conference, where he and his brothers would present solid evidence on why Synthetic Automatons shouldn't exist for the anti-Synthetic Automaton side, "with all the effort and ability expected of an Alicorn demigod scion of Emperor Golden Scepter".
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Perturabo was a brilliant and talented Primarch, skilled in the art of siege warfare, building, and engineering, but he was also a stoic, bitter, jealous, and resentful man who craved fame and recognition for his work. This is a major reason why he clashed with, and eventually became a staunch enemy of Primarch Rogal Dorn, who shared similar talents and was favored by the Emperor of Mankind. Here, as Steel Barricade, while he initially acted in a similar way, he would eventually be exiled by his father for his actions. This led to his ego being almost completely shattered when he was exposed to the horrors of war for the first time, and ended up brutally killing the corrupt king and nobility of a Tauren Pony city-state in an explosive fit of rage for their many atrocities. While the incident traumatized him greatly and left him an emotionally broken stallion, stoic and coldly logical, it also taught him the value of empathy and humility, and the good deeds Steel Barricade would do to make up for his past behavior led to him becoming a stoic and coldly logical, yet heroic and benevolent demi-Alicorn Prince.
• A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Subverted. As The Engineer and a Gadgeteer Genius, he personally believes in the potential of Synthetic Automatons and would rather support their existence, but he ultimately accepted and trusted the judgement of his father, brothers, and mortal subjects who were against the Synthetic Automatons' existence. His entry reveals that two major factors in his preference towards Synthetic Automatons is their curious tendency to develop sapience over time, and his development of "technological empathy", but he kept it a secret from his family for a time out of fear of being ostracized.
• Anthropomorphic Personification: He's a Terran Alicorn demigod who embodies Technology, Endurance, and Innovation. It's believed in-universe that he embodies Golden Scepter's scientific and technological brilliance, which might explain why he's an intelligent and talented engineer, builder, and Technopath.
• Berserk Button:
  • His entry notes that he does not tolerate foolishness from anyone inside his workshop, such as eating food near machines or rough antics in general. It's understandable since carelessness will lead to dangerous accidents. In one incident, he banned the Mignons from even going near his workshop after their well-meaning yet careless antics caused an explosion.
  Prince Steel Barricade: (shouting) OUT OF MY LABORATORY! OUT!!!
  • Hearing his fortifications and buildings being broken through or infiltrated serve as this to him, more so the easier it was for the invader/infiltrator to do so. Hearing some Unseelie Fae had somehow infiltrated and conducted espionage within the Terran Imperial Palace itself - one of the finest works he and Clear Voice worked on together following their reconciliation - caused him and his brother to fly into a 'trance-like fury' and begin to quite literally 'reinstall' the entire palace with their own magic, tools and bare hooves to make it impenetrable once more. It took the combined efforts of his father Golden Scepter, his brothers, Clear Voice's wife Princess Veritas/Applejack and half the Castellan guards of the Terran Imperial Palace to restrain them long enough for them both to calm down.
• Big Brother Instinct: Inverted; during the Storm King Crisis, he would protect his older brother, Clear Voice, from the Storm King's Hydianite forces by resisting their attempts to corrupt him to their side, going on the warpath as a result. The commotion that followed would attract allies and other heroic forces, such as the Scourge of Hell himself, who helped him take down the Hydianites' demonic allies. His entry notes that he radiated "calm, unshakable fury" as he fought, and Mentálne noted in-universe that the incident allowed him to understand and let go of the trauma that stemmed from brutally murdering the king and several nobles of a Tauren Pony city-state he once stayed in during his exile, as he started applying his once-repressed anger to positive uses.
• Birds of a Feather: Platonic examples.
  • Because of his great intellect and skill, he would unsurprisingly become close to those of his brothers who shared similar capabilities. Most prominently, much like how Perturabo befriended Magnus the Red over their love of knowledge and the latter being one of few Primarchs who genuinely respected him, Steel Barricade would end up bonding with his older brother, Crimson Star, to the point of idolizing him due to the latter being well-learned and performing exceptionally well in almost everything, even though Crimson Star believes that Steel Barricade has the potential to actually surpass him in many ways. However, it's deconstructed in that while Crimson Star loved and respected his younger brother, even giving him a love of History through his influence, he turned out to be an Anti-Role Model as he fell into arrogance and other vices, influencing Steel Barricade to become similar, if not worse. This would contribute to their deteriorating relationship and later their falling-out when Crimson Star, who grew increasingly disturbed by Steel Barricade's arrogant and petty jealousy towards Clear Voice, ultimately decided to protect Clear Voice himself when the two of them got into a duel that got way out of hand, despite still being in an injured state at the time thanks to Fanged Paw. They would later reconcile after Steel Barricade was exiled and Ascended to demi-Alicornhood some years later, with Crimson Star making up for being a bad influence for him in the past.
  • He would also be close to Written Word, another younger brother, for also being intellectually capable; however, Written Word focusing on philosophy and religion while he focused on science and technology would make it more of an Odd Friendship, as they both have personalities and skills that differ wildly from each other. Steel Barricade's love for Written Word didn't stop him from ignoring his brother's warnings and attempts to curb his growing ego, even if he loved and respected Written Word enough not to say anything bad to his face. They would presumably make up after he realized the error of his ways, became a demi-Alicorn god, and came home from his exile some years later.
  • He would also befriend a few Technology/Machinery-based deities for sharing similar divine domains post-Ascension. Chief among them is Indostruus, who became his "mentor" of sorts after noticing his great potential and skill in turning ordinary places to highly advanced realms with strong defenses; it is noted by other divines, however, that Indostruus sympathized with Steel Barricade over being a skilled engineer who initially behaved in an arrogant manner, just like he had.
  • His entry notes that because of his anger issues, he would become close to one of his younger brothers, Red Blade, as they both had trouble controlling and dealing with their own fury. While Red Blade was disgusted with Steel Barricade's bullying behavior, he vowed never to repeat the mistakes he made with Crimson Star after realizing the consequences of letting his anger loose, and has been teaching Steel Barricade healthier ways of coping with anger after he came back from exile emotionally broken.
• Break the Haughty: He's an incredibly talented and skilled genius in technology and magic, but thanks to the bad influence of his older brother, Crimson Star, Steel Barricade became an even worse Insufferable Genius, including bullying his older brother, Clear Voice for being a potential threat to the fame he believed was rightfully his. After getting exiled by a furious Golden Scepter for instigating a duel with Clear Voice that destroyed part of the Terran Empire, he would end up in a Pony city-state within the Tauren Peninsula, where he enjoyed some success... until he truly discovered that War Is Hell, upon which he started repressing his emotions to justify his actions. This backfired when he eventually snapped and brutally murdered both the corrupt king and nobility of the city-state who were perpetuating the wars plaguing the area to begin with. It's deconstructed in that while he finally learned the value of humility and empathy, Steel Barricade would be haunted by his actions long after Ascending to demi-Alicornhood, and this created quite a few psychological issues, such as reverting to stoicism and cold logic whenever he gets upset, and rampant anger issues that stem from constantly repressing his emotions. Fortunately, he is recovering thanks to Mentálne's counseling as well as the emotional support of his friends and family, and he has also taken steps to improve himself in the meantime by watching the examples set by his brothers and their military chapters.
• Broken Tears: After brutally murdering the tyrannical king and the local nobility of a Tauren city-state he once stayed in during his exile, he would later be found by his servants in the throes of a massive emotional breakdown, "sniffling and sobbing and hiccuping". It also counts as Tears of Remorse, as he suffered from such a severe My God, What Have I Done? moment that he finally realized the value of having humility and empathy, paving the way for him to become a kinder stallion and Ascend to demi-godhood.

C - E

• Calling the Old Man Out: Inverted; after Golden Scepter discovered that two of his sons destroyed part of the Terran Empire while he was away dealing with political matters by engaging in a duel that quickly got way out of hand, he would give Steel Barricade and Clear Voice a vicious dressing-down. While he was incredibly disappointed with Clear Voice, much of Golden Scepter's shame and anger were directed at Steel Barricade, who clearly didn't learn anything despite repeated warnings and discipline. The end result got Steel Barricade exiled from the Terran Empire as punishment.
• Carry a Big Stick: During his stay in a Tauren Pony city-state, Steel Barricade would end up murdering both its king, who was also his foster-father, and the corrupt nobility with a large mace in a brutally devastating fit of rage after luring everyone to a single room under the pretense of throwing a lavish party for them. While it was clear that his victims deserved their deaths for being arrogant, petty, and cruel to both their subjects and the people outside of their realm, Steel Barricade was so horrified by what he had done afterwards that he would come out of the incident a humbler and more empathetic, yet psychologically broken stallion whose trauma would haunt him for years. It's because of this that he prefers to use bladed weapons such as swords and axes, since they're often less likely to leave a mess and instigate prolonged, agonizing deaths.
• Category Traitor: It's implied that Steel Barricade, being a former pegasus, is seen and often treated by the Scions of Hurricane as a "disgrace" to the Pegasi tribe for becoming a demi-Alicorn god, and supporting "traitorous" pegasi such as Fiery Flight and others like her. One Scion of Hurricane made the mistake of saying it to his face. He gets beaten up by a furious Steel Barricade in public for it.
  Prince Steel Barricade: (roaring) NO, IT'S YOU WHO'S A BUCKING DISGRACE TO YOUR KIND!!!
• The Chains of Commanding: What led to him Ascending to demi-Alicornhood. After snapping and brutally murdering the corrupt king and several incompetent and cruel nobles of a Tauren Pony city-state in an explosive fit of rage, he would inherit the throne because he was said king's adoptive son and heir apparent. He would bring about a successful and peaceful reign where he was beloved by his subjects, but despite his accomplishments, he was overwhelmed by the daunting task of ruling and secretly feared relapsing into his old ways as an arrogant, petty, and glory-hungry Prince. He abdicated his father's throne and taught his subjects how to govern themselves by educating them on various subjects, turning the city-state into an extremely prosperous democracy.
• Close to Home:
  • He really hates reactionaries such as the Pony tribalists, since they often abuse benevolent individuals for "ruining" their way of life. This includes the Scions of Hurricane, who have been targeting Fiery Flight and others like her with murderous intent for "robbing" the Pegasi tribe's "rightful dominion" over the skies. One of said Scions even called him a "disgrace" to his face for Ascending and supporting Fiery Flight. Steel Barricade was so furious that he proceeded to beat up the Scion in public.
  • He also hates people who abuse technology for malicious goals. This stemmed from his experiences in the Tauren Peninsula, where the king and nobles of a Pony city-state he stayed in used his inventions to kill their enemies and rivals for power and wealth, and his impenetrable walls to keep refugees and "undesirables" out. The atrocities he witnessed eventually motivated him to snap and murder everyone responsible after a time of Emotion Suppression, which led to the complete shattering of his ego and a period of both psychological and emotional instability as his actions and experiences haunted him even after Ascending.
• Cruel to Be Kind: He tried helping his adoptive niece, Rosy Dreams, in recovering from her sexual abuse-related trauma by throwing her beloved stuffed Boar in the fireplace, as Rosy was quite attached to it. Forging Scale caught him in the act, but while both his brothers and Rosy were upset at first, losing her stuffed Boar ultimately helped Rosy realize that her monstrous father, Sweet Words, and the nice "Mr. Boar" she knew in her dream world are actually the same person.
• Deity of Human Origin: He was once a mortal demi-divine pegasus, but after having his pride thoroughly broken and truly learning empathy and humility while staying in the Tauren Peninsula, he would eventually Ascend to demi-Alicornhood by being a source of Innovation for his mortal subjects, teaching them politics, science, and technology so they could essentially learn how to govern themselves. Because of this, he would be treated as a "disgrace" by the Scions of Hurricane post-Ascension, who see him as one of many "traitorous" pegasi who are out to ruin their way of life.
• Determinator: During the "Storm King Crisis" event, it was initially assumed that he protected one of his older brothers, Clear Voice, from both Hydianite forces and their demonic allies by resisting their dark magic and mind-control through sheer force of will. It would be later discovered that he developed the supernatural ability to resist brainwashing and mind-control magic as a part of his Endurance domain, by sheer accident.
• Disappointed in You: Was on the receiving end - in one incident, he beat up a Scion of Hurricane in public for calling him a "disgrace" to the Pegasi tribe. Despite many people claiming the Scion "deserved it", Golden Scepter was rather disappointed in his son for losing his temper, even if he has no love for tribalists himself.
• Divine Parentage: Is the eleventh-born demi-divine son of Emperor Golden Scepter and Blessed Skies, a mortal pegasus mare. This would make him Long-Lived until he Ascended and became an Alicorn demigod.
• Dreadlock Warrior: He's described as having a silver mane and tail that's both styled into dreadlocks, which has caused people to mistake them for mechanical tubes and wires hanging down from his head and tail. However, he keeps his dreadlocks tied back while he's building things in his workshop. After he Ascended, his dreadlocks are now made of perpetually looping and rippling liquid silver. He's also a powerful and intelligent demi-Alicorn god, and a Warrior Prince who is a talented military commander and fighter.
• Driven to Suicide: After he came back home an Alicorn, he would get into a nasty argument with Night Shade, who was angered that his brother supposedly got off with little punishment and emotionally abused him for it. This drove Steel Barricade to commit suicide out of guilt and self-loathing, and nearly succeeded in doing so, when Clear Voice and Red Blade intervened. While this saved his life, he was put in the royal infirmary to recover from self-inflicted injuries, and he was still wishing for death when Clear Voice visited him with Forging Scale. Fortunately, Steel Barricade's brothers would pledge to help him recover emotionally and atone for his mistakes, despite the things he had done.
• Eaten Alive: A drabble revealed a fight with Prince Excelsius, Vicearch Iniquitous' firstborn Princeling of Vice from Malregnar, ended with Steel Barricade and four of his brothers being consumed and assimilated by Excelsius into his being to prevent them from interfering with one of Excelsius' Vicelieges and his allied overlords' plans, though he and his brothers managed to help break Prince Blazing Hoof and eventually themselves out. Excelsius noted while all of the Terran Princes he consumed had incredible Heroic Willpower themselves, Steel Barricade's was notably the strongest, and that combined willpower was instrumental in their desperate plan to free Prince Blazing Hoof from the Prince of Pride's body.
• Elemental Hair Composition: After he ascended to demi-Alicornhood, his silver-colored dreadlocks turned into dreadlocks literally made of perpetually looping and rippling liquid silver. It fits, since he embodies Technology as a divine concept.
• Elemental Punch: His entry notes that one of the things he can do with his lightning magic is turning himself into a makeshift taser, and shocking his opponents by channeling lightning through his hoof-strikes.
• Elemental Shapeshifter: Much like his younger brother, Written Word, who can transform himself into pure wind energy, he can change into a being of pure lightning energy. This enhances his speed tenfold and makes him incredibly dangerous to face in combat. It also allows him to travel through electrical wires and pieces of technology that are powered by electricity (making him potentially ideal for infiltration), feed on electricity and empower himself with it, and "possess" things like radios and computers and talk through them (if they have auditory output) or at least communicate through digital text. However, in some ways he is more vulnerable in this form, as users of wind and water magics can weaken and nullify his attacks.
• Emotion Suppression: Deconstructed. During his exile and stay in a Tauren Pony city-state, he tried dealing with the atrocities committed by its previous king and nobility by relying on stoicism and cold logic to justify his own actions. This would backfire, as he eventually snapped and brutally murder everyone after luring them into one room under the pretense of having a lavish "party". Even after Ascending, he continued behaving stoically and logically whenever he gets anxious and/or upset as a psychological defense mechanism, both due to being haunted by sorrow and guilt over what he had done, and wanting to keep his anger in check. Ironically, constant emotional suppression would ensure that he is more likely to snap whenever he encounters one of his buttons, such as tribalist factions, leading to explosive reactions. Fortunately, Mentálne is helping him deal with his issues, and he is receiving support from both his friends and family who love him.
• The Empath: A technological variant. Steel Barricade has the ability to sense and empathize with the emotions of technology as they become sapient, While it's unknown when exactly he developed it, he believes it showed up in Machina, where he sensed the (unconfirmed) budding emotions of Colossus, Crazy Ant's guardian mecha. This power influenced Steel Barricade's support for Synthetic Automatons in general, but he kept it a secret because most of his family, especially his father, are against sapient Synthetic Automatons. However, it would be revealed anyway in the "Exosus Conflict", when Steel Barricade detected the agonized suffering of the Solarians working under Exosus, revealing that many of them were enslaved and forced to turn against mortal sapientkind by Exosus himself to justify his own hatred. This influenced Golden Scepter to rethink his bias against Synthetic Automatons and let go of his grudges in order for him and Corona Neo to defeat Exosus for good. Naturally, this ability got the attention of many Machinery and Technology-based deities, who believe that Steel Barricade has the potential to go beyond technological empathy and learn how to psychically communicate with technology if he chooses to.
• Expy: Of Primarch Perturabo. Much like Perturabo, he is an incredibly talented war-strategist and engineer who specializes in siege warfare and the building/inventing/repairing of technology. His entry notes that he styled his mane and tail into dreadlocks, which often got mistaken for mechanical wires and tubes, which is reminiscent of the wires covering Perturabo's head and face.

F - I

• Foil:
  • He's one to King Lasius, a Royal Changeling from the Summer Court.
    • Both of them were born into highly privileged families, though their backgrounds differed - Steel Barricade was born a royal Prince of the Terran Empire, and he came from a large yet loving family of nineteen brothers, a mortal pegasus mother, and a father who's a divine Alicorn Emperor and had personal involvement in Steel Barricade's life. Lasius's family were Pony nobles who were incredibly incompetent, selfish, and lazy to the point where Lasius himself found them incredibly disgusting, boring, and useless; the only exception was his half-sister, Golden Bell, who loved him and shared his beliefs. It was noted by his entry that Emperor Blackthorn had sired a son with a mare specifically from that family because of their appalling laziness, and left Lasius there with the expectation that he would bring his foster family down eventually. It is also noted that Steel Barricade would end up being adopted by the king of a Tauren Pony city-state, though both the king and the local nobility weren't very nice people, either.
    • Both of them were highly talented geniuses who felt isolated and gradually developed an intolerance for idiocy, though they behaved differently - Steel Barricade became incredibly arrogant and entitled, which was largely thanks to the influence of his older brother, Crimson Star, despite repeated discipline and warnings from his parents. And while he sought recognition for his achievements, Steel Barricade had a fierce temper and didn't tolerate anyone who either didn't meet his standards, or sought to upstage him, the latter which motivated him to bully and torment another older brother, Clear Voice, for being equally talented if not more. This got him exiled by Golden Scepter when he challenged Clear Voice to a duel over an insult towards his talents, and ended up destroying a portion of the Terran Empire. He would eventually get the fame and attention he wanted, but after seeing the horrors of war for the first time, and seeing his foster-father and the nobility misuse his technology and fortifications to subjugate their neighbors and keep "undesirables" out of their city-state, Steel Barricade became incredibly disillusioned and initially tried dealing with the atrocities by relying on stoicism and cold logic to justify his actions. Lasius grew up surrounded by laziness and incompetency his entire life, and as a result, he grew so bored and restless that he did everything to distract himself, including robbing from the bloated aristocracy in Robin Hood-like escapades, studying artifacts relating to Faekind, and traveling abroad when he was of age. Around his family, he had to pretend to be an Upper-Class Twit so they wouldn't suspect anything off about him, something that he really hated doing.
    • Both of them would end up murdering the corrupt royalty and nobility of certain kingdoms, though their methods differed - after years of emotional repression, Steel Barricade would eventually snap and brutally murder his victims with a large mace after luring them into the dining hall with the pretense of a "party". Meanwhile, Lasius would do something similar by inviting both the nobility and royalty to a massive party, having had sensed that Blackthorn was visiting his childhood kingdom, and then lacing everyone's favorite dishes with a tasteless, slow-acting poison while assassinating his most troublesome guests one by one. By the time Blackthorn arrived, everyone was dead, leaving Lasius and Golden Bell the only ones alive.
    • Both would react differently to their acts of murder - once his anger cooled, Steel Barricade was so horrified by what he had done that he was later found by his servants "sniffling and sobbing and hiccuping" during a massive breakdown, and would become a psychologically broken stallion for quite some time until forgiveness, support, and divine therapeutic help allowed him to heal. Lasius, however, didn't regret what he did as he found his family and those like them to be completely unworthy of life, which both Blackthorn and Golden Bell agreed with; notably, the latter had planned to kill off her family herself had her half-brother not beaten her to it.
    • Both of them would inherit the throne and become highly successful Kings after the aforementioned murders, with one of their actions including the use of their deceased predecessors' statues and palaces as construction/repair material, but their reactions differed - Steel Barricade became overwhelmed with the daunting task of ruling, especially after the city-state turned into a small empire, and feared relapsing into his old ways as an arrogant, glory-hungry, and petty Terran Prince. To solve this, he gave up his throne and taught his subjects how to govern themselves, turning the empire into a highly successful and advanced democracy. Meanwhile, Lasius took to being a King like a fish to water, and both repaired and turned his childhood kingdom into a bustling and highly successful one, to the point where his subjects weren't disturbed when he was outed as a Royal Changeling after the fall of the Changeling Masquerade because he was infinitely better than his predecessors. A large factor in his goals is that he he wants to spite his foster family and prove that he is better than them in every way, never letting himself fall like they did.
    • Both of them would become divine demigods, but how they Ascended differed - Steel Barricade became the Alicorn demigod of Technology, Endurance, and Innovation by inspiring creativity in his subjects, building advanced technology for positive purposes, and having an indomitable will that allowed him to weather even the most trying situations. Lasius would become a Royal Changeling King after murdering the corrupt royalty and nobility, including his entire family, with a plan so ingenious and thoroughly planned out that it impressed Blackthorn enough to officially hand him his title on the spot.
  • He's also one to his younger brother, Prince Written Word.
    • Both of them are talented intellectuals who have done well in many academic subjects, but their educations would diverge; Written Word focused on philosophy and religion, while Steel Barricade focused on science and technology. It's noted that they would become close despite this, however.
    • Written Word is a very Nice Guy and a former priest whose compassion, generosity, selflessness, and patience attracted people to him because he was genuinely willing to help them out and do nice things for them, even if he doesn't get something in return. However, he was a very naive and, according to his brothers, "easily fooled" person who was unknowingly encouraging Blind Obedience by preaching his father's values to his subjects, until Golden Scepter set him straight and he witnessed his soldiers helplessly crying for divine help when they were badly losing against demons, forcing Written Word to realize that his father was right. Steel Barricade is a stoic and coldly logical, yet ultimately benevolent and heroic Prince; according to Palatine Phoenix, he was once an Attention Whore who craves fame and recognition for his accomplishments and work, but he's also an Insufferable Genius who was contemptuous of those he deemed beneath his intelligence, and initially resented those he thought would upstage him, such as his older brother, Clear Voice. However, he would become much empathetic and kinder after he was exiled and ended up in the Tauren Peninsula, where years of dealing with war and atrocities committed by the highly corrupt royalty and nobility caused him to brutally murder them all in an explosive rage.
    • Written Word's appearance post-Ascension echoes his spiritual beliefs, with a white mane and tail made of clouds and a sky-blue pelt with white ethereal spots resembling a bright sky. Steel Barricade's appearance post-Ascension represents something more logical and tangible, with his silver-colored dreadlocks being literally made of rippling liquid silver, and his pelt and wings being the color of steel.
    • Both of them would Ascend in situations that involved inspiration and death, but the order of the circumstances would be reversed - after realizing the true value of faith during his Darkest Hour, Written Word would inspire his soldiers to have faith and trust in each other with a rallying speech that magically empowered everyone, enhancing their physical capabilities and magic. This allowed them to kill the demon hordes infesting a backwater Pony kingdom. After Steel Barricade snapped and brutally murdered the corrupt king and nobility of a Tauren Pony city-state in an explosive fit of rage, he finally learned the value of empathy and humility as he felt guilt towards his actions and realized that a similar fate awaited him if he didn't change his ways. After a successful and peaceful reign as King, he would give up his throne and turned his city-state into a democracy by inspiring his subjects to create great things, and teaching his subjects how to govern themselves, allowing him to Ascend.
• Gadgeteer Genius: Being (supposedly) the living embodiment of Golden Scepter's scientific and technological brilliance, he has the ability to build and invent anything that comes to his mind. In one incident, he built his own working version of the ancient foresight-based technologies of yore, having been inspired by legends and apocryphal records about them, only to permanently shut down and scrap his project at the behest of Golden Scepter, who didn't want his son to repeat the historic folly of his predecessors or have what he built fall into the wrong hooves. His entry also notes that he can use his technopathic abilities to create highly advanced and sophisticated prosthetic limbs for people should they lose their natural limbs somehow. Because of his massive potential, he has attracted the attention of the Machinery god Indostruus, who has become his friend and mentor.
• Guilt Complex: Post-Ascension, he would develop an internalized guilt complex because of his past actions and experiences, blaming himself for things that aren't even his fault even if he doesn't express it openly. Mentálne intends to have him overcome this by helping him come to terms with his past actions so he could learn how to forgive himself.
• Having a Blast: One of the things he can do with his lightning magic is creating bombs made of condensed lightning that induce shocking explosions as a form of "crowd-control".
• Heroes Prefer Swords: Justified. After brutally murdering the corrupt and tyrannical king and nobles of a Tauren Pony city-state he stayed in with a large mace during an explosive fit of rage, Steel Barricade now avoids using blunt-force weapons in general due to his trauma associated with them, and their tendency to prolong deaths and leave messes. Instead, he uses bladed weapons like swords and axes since they offer cleaner and quicker options.
• Heroic Lineage: He is the eleventh son of Golden Scepter, an antediluvian Alicorn Emperor who is an incredibly powerful psychic, a peerless genius and warrior, and a very competent leader who founded three empires in his lifetime. In addition, he's regarded as a legendary war hero even among the Alicorns, who were all saved from complete extinction thanks to his efforts. It is believed in-universe that he embodies a certain aspect of his father, namely Golden Scepter's scientific and technological brilliance.
• Icy Blue Eyes: His entry describes him as having cold blue eyes. He was once acted like an Insufferable Genius who was worse than Crimson Star due to having Attention Whore and Glory Seeker tendencies that make him seek validation for his work and accomplishments, leading to a grudge against his older brother, Clear Voice, that eventually got out of control. After he was exiled by Golden Scepter, he would end up in a Tauren Pony city-state where he would finally learn humility and empathy for his peers and subjects... though it came at the cost of brutally murdering both its king and several corrupt and incompetent nobles after trying to tolerate their atrocities, only to snap when his repressed emotions finally boiled over. He's now a heroic and benevolent Prince, but he's also a psychologically broken stallion who reverts to stoicism and cold logic as defense mechanisms whenever he's anxious and/or upset, which required him to seek psychiatric help from Mentálne, who's been helping him coming to terms with his actions and coaxing his emotions out so he'll learn how to forgive himself, and be more comfortable with expressing himself openly.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Despite not wanting to destroy one of Rosy Dreams' treasured belongings, he believed that throwing her stuffed Boar in the fireplace would help her recover from her emotional and mental trauma. Despite his brothers being mad at him for it, he succeeded, as while Rosy was initially upset over losing her stuffed Boar, she realized that her father, Sweet Words, and his "Mr. Boar" dream persona are the same person.
• Immune to Mind Control: As the Alicorn demigod of Endurance, Steel Barricade has the power to make himself nigh-immune to Geass magic and psychic mind control. This is because the Endurance domain covers both physical and mental endurance, making him similar to deities that embody Fortitude like Cudnost. It was initially believed to be simply sheer force of will after Steel Barricade resisted the magical attempts of Hydianite forces to corrupt him to their side in order to protect his older brother, Clear Voice, during the "Storm King Crisis" event, until it was discovered otherwise.
• In-Series Nickname: He's often called "Steel" by his older and younger brothers.

J - O

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: What he became after his exile. He is a stoic and coldly logical stallion with a fierce temper, but his entry makes it clear that his demeanor is a psychological defense mechanism he developed in response to witnessing the horrors of war, and brutally murdering the corrupt king and nobility of a Tauren Pony city-state he once stayed in. Deep down, he's emotionally broken, suffers from anger issues that he constantly tries to repress, and is haunted by his past actions to the point where he fears relapsing into his old behavior. But, having finally learned the value of humility and empathy, he became a benevolent figure whose notable accomplishment was teaching his former Tauren Pony subjects how to govern themselves, inspiring them to create a highly successful democracy. He also participated in various crises such as the "Storm King Crisis" event, where he protected one of his older brothers, Clear Voice, who he once bullied, from Hydianite covens and their demonic allies. It's noted that he had been receiving psychiatric help from Mentálne, the young Bogolenya Deer goddess of Mental Healing, so he could recover from his traumas and learn how to forgive himself and be more emotionally open.
• Large and in Charge: His entry notes that post-Ascension, he became almost as gigantic as Crimson Star, being nearly a head shorter than his older brother. He is also a Prince of the Terran Empire as well as a major political leader and military commander. During his exile, he also became king of a Tauren Pony city-state after brutally murdering his tyrannical and corrupt predecessor, though he would Abdicate the Throne sometime later out of fear that he would one day relapse into his old ways as an arrogant, petty, and jealous stallion, despite a peaceful and successful reign.
• Literal-Minded: Implied, as his entry notes that whenever he gets anxious and/or upset, he starts behaving in a stoic, logical, and "literal-minded" manner as a psychological defense mechanism. A Codexverse writer would state that this particular aspect of Steel Barricade's personality was inspired by Primarch Rogal Dorn from If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device, as she imagined that Dorn's equally literal-minded behavior would be exactly how Steel Barricade would act like due to the emotional and mental trauma he went through.
• Magic Hair: Post-Ascension, his hair transformed into dreadlocks that are literally made out of perpetually looping and rippling liquid silver.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Unbreakable Architect", due to being a skilled builder, engineer, and technopath with an indomitable will.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: Is the eleventh-born son out of Golden Scepter and Blessed Skies' nineteen demi-divine children, and has ten older brothers and eight younger brothers.
• Meaningful Name: "Barricade" refers to a wall that is built to prevent or delay movement from opposing forces, or to defend others from enemies. Steel Barricade is an incredibly talented engineer and builder who is also a Technopath that can interact and manipulate machines with ease. He also has an indomitable will that both comes from his divine domain of Endurance empowering his physical and mental durability, and his years of experience in emotionally steeling himself against things that would normally cause others to break.
• Metallic Motifs: Associated with steel. He's named Steel Barricade, he has a steel-gray pelt, and his large wings have been described by an in-universe biography of him to be "as strong as steel". His Cutie Mark also depicts a steel wall flanked by pairs of wrenches and gears. Personality-wise, he's a stoic, intelligent, and coldly logical, yet ultimately benevolent and heroic Alicorn demigod, though he used to be an Insufferable Genius that's even worse than his older brother, Crimson Star. And quite fittingly, he's a powerful and talented Technopath and lightning mage who's still in the process of developing unique powers such as "technological empathy".
• Missing Child: He, his younger brother Prince Red Blade, and Sonic Song would experience this when Magical Hymn and Mercy simultaneously went missing during a meeting, and scrambled to find them both. They discovered they both wandered off to go play, only to encounter an evil demon that they both easily defeated.
  Sonic Song: Wait, where's Miracle Hymn?
  Prince Red Blade: And where's Mercy?
  Prince Steel Barricade: So... we've got a super powerful divine magic sword with the mind of a child and a ten year old with the holy magic equivalent to an army missing at the same time.
  Sonic Song: ...Find them, NOW.
• The Muse: A male example. Being the Alicorn demigod of Innovation, Steel Barricade is extremely creative, being capable of building anything he sets his mind to, provided he has the right tools and materials for it. He can also use his domain to inspire people by encouraging them to tap into their creative sides so they could do great things themselves, whether through a magical aura or through words. However, he also has the potential to inspire bad ideas, something that he knows all too well and tries to be careful as a result.
• My God, What Have I Done?: After years of putting up with the arrogant, selfish, and petty cruelty committed by both his royal foster-father, the king, and the nobility of a Tauren Pony city-state, Steel Barricade would eventually snap and brutally massacre everyone after luring them into the royal dining hall under the guise of a "party". He would go through a massive emotional breakdown, "sniffling and sobbing and hiccuping", once his rage cooled down and he saw the sheer horror of what he had done. While it finally broke his inflated ego and made Steel Barricade learn the value of empathy for others, it also messed him up emotionally, turning him into a broken stallion who became The Stoic in an attempt to control his temper and dissociate himself from the sorrow and guilt that continued to haunt him afterwards. Fortunately, he would receive support from his family and friends, including Golden Scepter, who still loved Steel Barricade despite the things he had done, and he would receive psychiatric help from Mentálne, who helped him come to terms with his actions and coax out his repressed emotions so he could forgive himself and feel comfortable with expressing himself naturally.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Deconstructed; he would deliver this to people who deserved it twice in his life, but it not only messed him up in a huge way, it also became a sign of mental instability on his part.
  • After years of putting up with the arrogant cruelty of his tyrannical foster-father, the King, and the city-state's local nobility by repressing his emotions, Steel Barricade would eventually get so fed up that he lured everyone to the royal dining hall under the pretense of hosting a lavish "party", only to finally unleash his rage after he arrived last by turning his victims into bloody mush with a large mace. When his anger finally cooled down, he realized the sheer horror of what he had done and was later found suffering an emotional breakdown by his servants, "sniffling and sobbing and hiccuping". While the incident did break his ego and made him realize the value of having empathy for others, it would also mess him up emotionally and give him a few psychological issues that would haunt him for a long time, such as becoming The Stoic whenever he gets anxious and/or upset. It's because of this that Mentálne, the young Deer goddess of Mental Healing, became his therapist, helping him come to terms with his actions and experiences so he can learn how to forgive himself.
  • He would deliver one to a Scion of Hurricane for targeting the Pegasus inventor, Fiery Flight, and others like her for "robbing" the pegasi of their "rightful dominion" over the skies, as well as calling him a "disgrace" to the pegasi tribe in general for Ascending and supporting Fiery Flight. Since evil reactionaries make up one of his buttons, the insult would make Steel Barricade snap. But while many people claimed the Scion deserved getting beaten up, Steel Barricade's brothers had to pull him away before the situation escalated, and Golden Scepter was also rather disappointed in his son for losing his temper, despite having no love for the Scions of Hurricane himself.
• Not So Above It All: Despite usually being a stoic and logical Alicorn Prince, even he's not above participating in his brothers' sillier antics.
  • Once, he and Fanged Paw convinced Mercy to go call their oldest brother, Prince Blazing Hoof, a "poopy-head". Blazing Hoof would angrily chase them both through the streets of the Terran Empire for it. And sometime after Princess Baby Applejack's birth, he and Fanged Paw convinced Baby Applejack to call Blazing Hoof a "poopy-head"... which again caused both of them to get chased all over the Terran Empire for it.
  • He found his infant biological nephew, Hopeful Moon, to be so adorable that he declared he's "not allowed to grow". This amused a few of his brothers so much that they started snickering. He would later find his biological niece, Princess Baby Applejack, similarly cute and tell her that she's not allowed to grow either, much to Baby Applejack's confusion.
  • He was one of the Terran Princes who Applejack and Rainbow Dash convinced to join their riddle competition with Aldhika as the judge. He came to regret that.
• Not So Stoic: He reportedly broke down crying after a redeemed Night Shade forgave him for his misdeeds and apologized for mistreating him to the point of nearly committing suicide.

P - S

• Pay Evil unto Evil: His entry deconstructs this trope hard.
  • After years of emotionally distancing himself from the atrocities committed by both his foster-father, the king of a Tauren Pony city-state he once stayed in, as well as several local nobles, Steel Barricade would end up snapping and brutally murdering them with a large mace after luring them into one room. While the incident did shatter his ego and finally taught him the value of humility and empathy, he was so horrified by what he had done that his sorrow and guilt would continue to haunt him even after Ascending, and he developed a few psychological issues such as becoming stoic and logical as a defense mechanism whenever he gets anxious and/or upset, an internalized Guilt Complex, and an explosive temper that stems from repressing his emotions all the time. Mentálne is currently helping him get over his trauma by helping him come to terms with his actions and experiences, so he could learn how to forgive himself and be more comfortable with expressing himself openly.
  • He would furiously beat up a Scion of Hurricane in public after the latter called him a "disgrace" to the Pegasi tribe for Ascending and supporting "traitorous" pegasi like Fiery Flight. It's mentioned that Steel Barricade's brothers had to pull him away before the situation could escalate, and while many claimed the Scion "deserved it", Golden Scepter was rather disappointed in his son for losing his temper despite having no love for tribalists himself.
• Perfectly Cromulent Word: In a conversation with Written Word regarding the Cloven Empire's hatred and desire to get rid of all forms of tyranny (including mortal/divine rulers and authority figures who are actually benevolent), Steel Barricade declares that the various fallacies in the Clovenists' logic needs an "unfuckening" of epic proportions.
  Prince Written Word: Um, Steel, 'unfuckening' isn't a word.
  Prince Steel Barricade: It is now.
• Personality Powers:
  • He is a very talented engineer, inventor, and military tactician who specializes in siege warfare, and (supposedly) embodies Golden Scepter's scientific and technological brilliance. He is a powerful and skilled Technopath who can control and create machines, as well as highly advanced prosthetic limbs and turn parts of himself into weapons.
  • Underneath his stoicism, he has a boiling temper from constant emotional repression; when pushed, he'll fly into an explosive and devastating rage (though he is receiving help in handling his own emotions better). He is an equally powerful and skilled lightning mage, which is an incredibly versatile and also very dangerous element.
  • True to his epithet as "the Unbreakable Architect", he is an extremely stoic and coldly logical stallion who also possesses an indomitable will that allows him to weather even the most trying situations, despite his emotional issues. As the Alicorn demigod of Endurance, he has the ability to make both his body and mind as strong as steel, which includes making himself impervious to various mind-altering and mind-controlling techniques.
  • He was once an Insufferable Genius and Attention Whore who craved fame and recognition for his works, yet he never had the patience to deal with those he deemed beneath his intelligence. It was only after being exiled and staying in the Tauren Peninsula that he finally learned the value of having empathy for others. And quite literally, he developed "technological empathy" as part of his Technology domain, allowing him to sense and experience the emotions of sapient robots and technology. He initially kept this ability a secret from most of his family, who were anti-Synthetic Automatons, especially Golden Scepter, but during a battle with King Exosus, its reveal would influence his father to rethink his hatred of Synthetic Automatons and let go of his own grudges.
• Photographic Memory: His entry notes that because he embodies Technology, he has a photographic, almost psychic memory in regards to the layout of the machines and weapons he constructed himself, though it can also apply to any machine he interacts with.
• Pressure Point: His entry notes that he possesses a surprisingly in-depth knowledge of a person's various weak spots and nerve pressure points, which he acquired in his attempts to learn non-fatal and bloodless yet still effective ways of physical combat. This allows him to reduce his opponents to still-living yet twitching messes on the ground with just a few precise strikes when he has to fight hoof-to-hoof.
• Reincarnation: Discussed. A heated argument with Written Word later causes Golden Scepter to wonder if all of his sons, including Steel Barricade, are reincarnations of his Generals from the Imperium era. Luminiferous assures him that even if they are, all of his sons are still unique individuals with their own thoughts and feelings, and he has enough knowledge and experience to ensure that they'll have the "brighter future" that his Generals did not. True to form, it's because of Golden Scepter's good parenting that Steel Barricade would never repeat his predecessor's mistakes, as he would realize how arrogant and thirsty for fame and recognition he was, and accept the values of humility and empathy for the people around him.
• Security Cling: After brutally killing the corrupt king and nobility of a Tauren Pony city-state in an explosive fit of rage, he was so horrified over what he had done that he had a massive breakdown. When one of his maids arrived and tried getting his attention, he would immediately cling to her as he sobbed, startling both her and the other servants, but they relaxed when nothing else happened and they realized that he only needed someone to be there for him.
• Semi-Divine: He has a demi-divine heritage by virtue of his father, Golden Scepter, who is an extremely ancient and powerful Alicorn god. After he Ascended, he himself became an Alicorn demigod, the Codexverse equivalent of an infant divine.
• Shapeshifter Weapon: Much like Indostruus, he has the ability to turn parts of his body into weapons, which Indostruus himself taught him how to do. While it has saved his life numerous times, he personally finds this ability to be rather silly, since he can just make his own weapons.
• Shock and Awe: It's noted by his entry that he is an incredibly powerful lightning mage, which was apparent even pre-Ascension. This is because lightning is related to Technology, which he embodies. Most of his applications of lightning magic are physical, such as covering himself with lightning to discourage physical contact, turning himself into a living taser by channeling lightning through his hoof-strikes, and enhancing his speed. He can also sense the presence of lightning, allowing him to predict and dodge lightning-based attacks with ease. However, some of Steel Barricade's more powerful techniques include forcibly taking electricity away from technology to shut them down, creating bombs of condensed lightning as "crowd-control", using certain conductors to channel electricity over a wider area such as blood and metal, and combining lightning with the powers of those who embody Weather and Wind to create lightning storms. And much like how Written Word can turn himself into wind energy using his famous "The Wind of Faith" technique, Steel Barricade can turn himself into pure lightning energy, enhancing his speed tenfold and making him incredibly dangerous in combat. It also allows him to travel through electrical wires and technology that are powered by electricity (making him potentially ideal for infiltration), feed on electricity and empower himself with it, and "possess" things like radios and computers and talk through them (if they have auditory output) or at least communicate through digital text. However, in some ways he is more vulnerable in this form, as users of wind and water magics can weaken and nullify his attacks.
• Spanner in the Works: His development of "technological empathy" allowed him to bust Exosus's genocidal plans for the Solarians and organic sapientkind wide open, as sensing the agonized suffering of the Solarians under Exosus' employ revealed that the Solarians were a peaceful race that was enslaved and forced to wipe out organic lifeforms. This would also expose Exosus himself as nothing more than a hypocritical, delusional, and hateful lunatic who did horrible things to justify his own hatred. Seeing this would influence Golden Scepter to rethink his own grudge against Synthetic Automatons and let go of his hatred in order for him and Corona Neo to defeat Exosus for good.
• The Stoic: Justified and deconstructed. The horrors of what he experienced during his exile caused him to be haunted by sorrow and guilt, so whenever he got anxious and/or upset, he would start behaving in a stoic, Literal-Minded, and coldly logical manner as a defense mechanism. This is portrayed as psychologically unhealthy as constant emotional repression ironically made him more likely to fly in a rage whenever his buttons are pressed, such as reactionaries and people who abuse technology for selfish goals. Fortunately, Mentálne is helping him get comfortable with expressing himself openly, so while he still acts stoically to a degree, the positive influence of his friends and family (especially his younger brother, Prince red Blade) is contributing to his emotional and mental recovery.
• Supernatural Sensitivity: One of the things he can do with his lightning magic is sense the presence of lightning and electricity, allowing him to dodge lightning-based attacks with ease and predict where they're coming from.
• Super-Speed: One of the things he can do with his lightning magic is enhance his natural speed. Turning himself into a being of pure lightning energy will make him go even faster.
• Surpassed the Teacher: Because of his massive potential, he is very likely to one day surpass his friend and mentor, Indostruus, the Deer god of Machinery and Metal. Indostruus himself is under no delusions that this might happen when Steel Barricade gets "older", due to how deities in general get Stronger with Age in the Codexverse, and is actually eager to witness his student's potential unfold.

T - Z

• Telepathy: A technological variant; while he's not there yet, it's believed by many Machinery and Technology-based deities that Steel Barricade has the potential to evolve past "technological empathy" and learn how to psychically communicate with technology if he chooses to, which could usher in a new Age for technology.
• These Hands Have Killed: Despite his victims having clearly deserved their deaths, he would be haunted by sorrow and guilt for murdering them in a fit of rage, creating a few psychological issues such as an internalized guilt complex, and resorting to acting in a stoic and cold manner whenever he gets anxious and/or upset as a defense mechanism. Mentálne intends to have him overcome this by helping him come to terms with his past actions so he could forgive himself. He would eventually succeed when, in the "Storm King Crisis" conflict, he entered a Tranquil Fury and go on the warpath to protect one of his older brothers, Clear Voice, from Hydianite forces and their demonic allies. This caused him to understand and let go of his trauma as he applied his once-repressed anger for positive uses.
• Tranquil Fury: In the "Storm King Crisis" event, he would display "calm, unshakable fury" as he protected his older brother, Clear Voice, from Hydianite forces and their demonic allies, resisting attempts to corrupt them via his divine domain of Endurance and using his lightning magic to fight back. Mentálne noted that this allowed him to understand and let go of the trauma stemming from his act of murdering the king and nobility of a Tauren city-state, as he had started applying his once-repressed anger for positive uses.
• Warrior Prince: He's an incredibly intelligent and powerful demi-Alicorn Prince with lots of accomplishments and potential on his hooves. He's also a very competent military leader, fighter, and strategist who is devastating in combat even without magic - he specializes in siege warfare, capable of eroding away at his enemies' sanity with psychological warfare and taking advantage of flaws whether they be internal or structural.
• Weather Manipulation: Able to achieve this to a degree, though not without help. He can combine his lightning magic with the powers of those who embody Weather and Wind to create powerful and deadly lightning storms.
• What the Hell, Hero?: After Forging Scale caught him throwing Rosy Dreams' stuffed Boar into the fireplace, he would be confronted by his older brother on his actions, since it'll potentially upset Rosy.
  Prince Forging Scale: What are you doing, Brother?!
  Prince Steel Barricade: ...What needed to be done.
• Winged Unicorn: He eventually became a demi-Alicorn god after realizing the value of humility and having empathy for others, and created an advanced and flourishing democracy by teaching his mortal subjects in the Tauren Peninsula how to govern themselves after abdicating the throne. His appearance post-Ascension is described as an Alicorn with dreadlocks made of looping liquid silver, and a pair of wings so large that he has to keep them tucked in at all times lest he accidentally hit someone or break something.

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