Codex Equus / Tropes Q To R

Tropes for Codex Equus
Tropes A to B (Abusive Parents, Adaptational Badass) | Tropes C to D | Tropes E to F | Tropes G to H | Tropes I To J | Tropes K To L (Laser-Guided Karma) | Tropes M To N | Tropes O To P | Tropes Q to R | Tropes S to T | Tropes U To V | Tropes W To X | Tropes Y To Z

---

Codex Equus provides examples of:

Q

R

• Rage Against the Heavens:
  • It's heavily implied that what caused the "Twilight of the Orosians" event was a major case of this, their mortal worshipers having gotten so fed up with the callous, petty treatment that they decided to exterminate all of them. Bellamos, a benevolent War god who once was a part of them, made it clear that the Orosian deities brought it on themselves and refused to help them, instead focusing on helping people who got caught up in the event. Those Orosians who survived did so because their kindness and benevolence earned them the admiration and respect of their worshipers.
  • What led to the creation of Father Deer, a "False Deity" Tulpa, was the Deer Clovenists' extreme distrust towards the Bogolenya pantheon's good intentions, since none of them helped their mortal subjects while they were suffering under backwards, corrupt, and hedonistic monarchies. Their attempts to create a deity that's wholly devoted to Clovenism went horribly wrong, as Father Deer turned out to be nothing more than a psychopathic, childlike bully with godlike powers. Mother Deer destroyed him after the Clovenists swallowed their pride and begged for help, but their relationships with the divines had incredibly soured at this point.
  • The old Malrègnar pantheon mentioned in the multi-part entry of Iniquitous was on the receiving end of this by the eponymous Vicearch, especially after she ascended into true divinity. The entry mentioned that though they were the strongest pantheon in the lands of old Malrègnar, they were deeply flawed in terms of character and competence, and Iniquitous despised them greatly for failing to resolve the sorry state of the lands at the time - to the point she turned her back on all that's Good and Virtuous and embraced Evil and Vice for the power to finally bring order and greatness to her homelands - and even contributing to the problems involved. Crippled by their conflict with a local God of Evil Arch-Enemy (who Iniquitous was associated with and ultimately usurped for her ascension) and already well weakened by their ineptitude, stagnation and growing decadence, they proved no match for Iniquitous when the dark goddess ultimately storm their heaven-realm with an army of infernal beings, cruelly crushing them one by one before finally devouring them all, taking everything they have for herself and subjecting what's left of them to a Fate Worse than Death inside her dark glory as their eternal punishment for their failures.
  • The Elternteil Deer Pantheon would be on the receiving end of this. Despite Naur warning them of a future disaster that might affect an ancient Alvslog Deer Realm, everyone refused to listen to him because they had grown complacent with their way of life, confident the forests they watched over will stand eternal. Sure enough, their neglect caused the disaster to happen anyway. The disaster caused one of their divine champions to become a Fallen Hero who sided with the Hydianites out of fury, grief, and resentment over losing everything, while the rest of the survivors became understandably resentful towards their divine patrons for not preventing the disaster sooner. Said survivors would defect from the Alvslog Deer Herds and side with Naur during the 'Third Splintering', becoming the foundations of the mortal Caearnarian Deer Herds.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: In the Codexverse, rape, even on a divine level, is treated as morally reprehensible even on a narrative standpoint, and anyone who does it is given the contempt and outrage they deserve.
  • This is the main reason why Temnobog refuses to act on his lustful urges towards Golden Scepter. Even though he finds his friend "incredibly handsome", Temnobog deeply appreciates the kindness Golden Scepter gave him and doesn't want to ruin their friendship by sleeping with him without his consent. It also falls under the "careless/destructive Evil" that Temnobog hates so much, so by violating Golden Scepter, he'll become no different than Ispita and thus prove to Irminsul that he is an abomination that must be destroyed for mortal Deerkind's benefit.
  • One of the crimes Prince Stoltur's mortal father committed in life was physical and emotional rape. Hearing of it later on disgusted Stoltur greatly, which factored into his kind treatment of his male and female lovers and even his own siblings despite sleeping with the latter.
  • One of War Rock's most despicable atrocities following his turn to villainy and vampirism is his rape of a then-mortal Healing Song, an act which left the blind musician with terrible psychological scars he would not recover from until well into the Fourth Age. Healing Song's rape is rightly treated as horrifying by those close to him, and hearing about it made many heroes of the Second Age, such as the Virtuous Seven, to decide firmly and unanimously that War Rock has to die. Melody, who was also antagonized by War Rock, also admits she suspected War Rock wanted to rape her if he ever got the chance due to him constantly calling her "[his] sweet Melody" and trying to enslave her (among other things), something no one questions if he'd do or not.
• Rapid Aging: Deities are a positive example. Because deities in the Codexverse get Stronger with Age, there are instances where a deity physically ages far past their designated age/rank as a result of certain factors. Said factors can range from absorbing huge amounts of magic (as what happened to Melody/Queen Aoide Mousikós and Rarity/Princess Arcus), to having their divine natures completely altered (as what happened to Moon Ray Vaughoof/Prince Canticum Lunae Cahaya; only by reaching an epiphany and coming to terms with himself was his condition stabilized), becoming divine Reincarnations (as what happened to Tranquil Harbor with Promes, Princess Magicum Ponyland with Plasmatio Equus, and Princess Twilight/Amicitia Sparkle Equestria, King Blue Suede Heartstrings/Caerulus Melodia Equestria-Corporatum, and Prince Bossa Nova Heartstrings/Rubeus Stella Equestria with Mana Equus) or becoming the divine avatar of a concept that the entire galaxy needs/believes in (as what happened to Diamond Tiara/Queen Elpis).
• Really Gets Around: All over the place. There are some notable beings who have this reputation due to their nature or character, divine or not. The main difference between the Chivalrous Pervert types, and the more heinous and despicable versions, is matter of consent, honesty and respect they show to their partners. Regardless, the results are lots and lots of children.
  • The divine Changeling Progenitors of both the Spring and Summer Courts have hundreds, if not thousands of Royal Changeling demigod children with their flings with mortals, most growing up to become rulers of their own hives. It is heavily implied that the 'Siring' of these 'Scions of Amorea' are done for utility as much as out of genuine love or respect, since lands where Empress Blackrose had children who often later build their hives there are protected from the Summer Court via ancient treaties, while Emperor Blackthorn's Scions had been incredibly useful for advancing his schemes, especially the more competent and capable ones. Blackrose generally loves both her mates and Scions, while Blackthorn doesn't show much in affection but is generally respectful to those who earned it.
  • Ispita, Goddess of Temptation, is known for being this trope and having had many flings in the past. This is the result of one of the things she embodies is lust. She had eight children with Temnobog and also had a fling with Discord while siding with him during his reign. Since she's a Fallen goddess who loves damning victims, she generally doesn't give a damn about her mates or children except where they are useful to her. Temnobog for his part has accepted Ispita's lustful nature as a part of her, since it's one of the things that could test mortals, and was more angry over the fact that Ispita betrayed her own principles as a "constructive" Evil goddess to indulge in "careless/destructive" Evil.
  • Flœrð, the Maker of Mischief, Trickster God of the Hoyklan Deer Pantheon is also this owing to him being a benevolent Expy of Loki (Who is also known for this in Norse mythology). Of course, because he's benevolent unlike his predecessors, he genuinely loves and respects all his partners and children. This becomes a plot point later on as he managed to summon a few who could make it in time as reinforcements during the Hoyklan and allies' epic confrontation with the 'Shadowed Ones'. A 'few', in this case, happens to be A WHOLE ARMY of demigod heroes and divines.

    Ljóss:"My word, how many girlfriends had you slept with, Flœrð?
    Flœrð: The same answer as the number of people I had tricked, pranked or eaten: I've LOST COUNT.

  • Justified with Canteros, the god of Requited Love and the oldest member of the Amaredae. Like his father, Amareros, he had multiple relationships with both mortals and divines so he could stay connected to the people he helps. This resulted in scores of children, some of which would inevitably be outlived by their father. Due to his upbringing, Canteros loves every single family he created, and still remembers them long after some of his partners and children had died.
  • Justified with Temnobog. A canonized Codexverse quote mentions that as the Deer god of Evil, he embodies mortal Deerkind's lustful aspects. In addition to sleeping with Cosmos and Ispita, the latter who also had a lustful personality, it's implied that he did the same thing with the Four Terrors, given how his youngest daughter, Pokhot, slept with her own siblings and children. Temnobog also felt attracted to Emperor Golden Scepter and has considered bedding the Alicorn god at one point. However, he refuses to act on his basic urges because he doesn't want to ruin his friendship with Golden Scepter by sleeping with him without his consent, or break his own principles as a "constructively Evil" god as Ispita had done and thus prove to his father, High King Irminsul, that evil abominations like him should be destroyed for mortal Deerkind's benefit.
  • Downplayed with Blue Suede Heartstrings, the Alicorn god of Music and Humility. While his entry notes that he did sleep with mares and stallions in the past, he was completely loving and faithful to all of them, and the numbers of relationships he had were notably few compared to those held by other gods and goddesses. At least one of his relationships resulted in the birth of a mortal demi-divine descendant, Lyra Heartstrings, who would become a musician just like him.
  • Justified with Golden Scepter. Before the Alicorn Civilization fell, he once slept with male and female mortals/divines because the Alicorns created a utopian society that allowed for a Free-Love Future to commence. This resulted in scores of children, as well as descendants that would be dubbed the "Sensei" in the Imperium era, with one of them revealed to be Majesty, who later grew up to become the mightiest mortal unicorn Queen to grace Equus. Despite his efforts to give all of his partners the love and respect they deserved, Golden Scepter came to see and regret his multiple relationships as one of many "dishonest" things he had done in the past. After the "Twilight of the Alicorns", he sought to distance himself from his people's mistakes for countless Ages by abstaining from romance altogether, until he married a single mortal mare in the Fourth Age and stayed faithful to her. It's also implied to be the reason why he refuses to sleep with Temnobog despite knowing of the latter's lustful advances; as his friend, Temnobog completely understands.
    Temnobog: If [Golden Scepter] wants to sleep with someone he loves mutually and completely, then I will not begrudge him for it, for he has every right to do so. Considering all the things he and his people had done in the past, I think it's understandable why he would make those decisions.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • Blue Suede Heartstrings would deliver these twice in his life.
    • In one post-Ascension incident with tribalists, he delivered one in song form. When a group of tribalists terrorized his fans during a concert, Blue confronted them and retaliated by singing "Hound Dog", accusing the tribalists of "cryin' all the time" and calling themselves "high-class". This enraged the tribalists into attacking him instead... only for Blue to turn the fight into an impromptu yet highly-acclaimed performance, leaving his assailants bruised and completely humiliated.
    • He also made one in the early Second Age, before he Ascended. When he learned that a few tribalists brutally lynched to death a teenage Earth pony colt, Garden Spade (who is the expy/ersatz of Emmett Till), for supposedly whistling at a unicorn mare and got away with the crime, Blue was so furious that he delivered a scathing public speech when reporters asked for his opinion on the event. It was noted that this was one of few instances where Blue showed clear anger and upset instead of his usual Tranquil Fury, and became a major factor in his hatred towards tribalism/racism in general.
      Blue Suede Heartstrings: (angrily) What do I think of the lynching? I think it was a STUPID and CHILDISH and SENSELESS act. If those two hot-blooded fellas actually CHECKED what that poor colt was doin' instead of trustin' a horned mare's words an' goin' after him with barbed wire an' a loaded gun, an innocent life would've been spared. Now, I can't say anything that'll offend the King in Heaven, but anyone who does something so AWFUL like that and thinks it's okay doesn't DESERVE t' be called a 'good citizen of Ponyland'. Same for those who turn a blind eye an' let their fellas commit such acts because they don't like certain folks or have the heart t' speak up.
      
      And as for those who killed that colt, an' the judges who let those same killers walk away free... You fellas oughta be ASHAMED of yourselves.
  • Golden Scepter is also capable of giving people a dressing-down if warranted.
    • He would harshly and angrily reprimand of his sons, Steel Barricade and Clear Voice, after he learned of them getting in a violent duel while he was away on political matters, and came back to find a portion of the Terran Empire destroyed. Steel Barricade's entry notes that he received much of Golden Scepter's shame and anger, since he clearly didn't learn anything and continued to act like a spoiled and petty foal despite repeated warnings and discipline, though Clear Voice didn't escape blame either.
    • While he visited the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon, he found Belyolen and Temnobog heatedly arguing with their father, High King Irminsul, who was also visiting. The horrible things Irminsul said about Temnobog and the non-Deer/hybrid Bogolenya deities infuriated Golden Scepter to the point where he revealed his true divine form and confronted the High King in front of everyone. What followed next was a vicious dressing-down, which apparently terrified Irminsul so much that he avoids visiting the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon from then on, knowing that he might run the risk of encountering Golden Scepter again if he does.
      Temnobog: I've never seen Father look so pathetic in all my life, knowing him.
  • A canonized Codexverse quote has Prince Written Word, Golden Scepter's thirteenth son, give a vicious one to a Pony priestess who turned out to be an Autorist, misleading her followers into committing acts of racial supremacy under the guise of a righteous cause.
    Prince Written Word: You LIAR. Preaching racial supremacy to your people in the guise of righteousness, misleading them to believe that what horrific crimes they would do were for the greater good, while YOU ALONE revel in the cruelty you perpetuate... You are a DISGRACE to your position and title.
• Reconstruction:
  • Codex Equus strongly encourages this in regards to the problems of the Equestrian setting and stories.
  • It turns out ultimately it's this to the idea of a cosmic setting in general. In many versions it's Deconstructed by having the insignificance of a single being or planet and take the route of a Cosmic Horror Story. In Codex, not only can the eldritch horrors lose, and there are benevolent ones, it turns out the oldest, most powerful gods, the Architects who are as old as the universe itself, still love the totality of existence. This is to the point they set up the divine hierarchy as it is because they know, by nature, they can't think on smaller scales and wanted to make lower gods who could and take care of creation on a smaller, even individual scale.
• Reimagining the Artifact: Invoked, since Codex Equus encourages originality in a collaborative attempt to worldbuild Equestria and the world at large. The many G1 and G2 gimmick figures which haven't been seen since get reimagined by various writers as unique subpony types who range from genetic mutant variants to hybrids:
  • Sparkle Ponies are either mutants or, more likely, hybrids with the Visitors, and are major player in the setting once Dazzleglow returns. The Visitors are likewise based off the unmade Celestial Ponies.
  • Secret Surprise Ponies are Mutants who have a natural Bag of Holding in the form of biological pouch on their back with magic similar to a giants' that contains a Pocket Dimension. This is way more useful than it would seem, allowing them to store more or less whatever they want to in a given situation, and even act as living personnel carriers.
  • Perfume Ponies have mutated scent glands that allow them to emit various smells. With training, they can do a large number of things with it and it becomes Heart Is an Awesome Power (especially since they can do things such as imitate the smell of Dragon Sneeze Trees that gives a dragon an allergic reaction).
  • Happy Tail Ponies in canon had a spinning tail gimmick. Here, they have a mutation that allows them to magically manipulate their tail like an extra limb, which is also used to explain why certain ponies in the show have Prehensile Tails while most others don't. Examples of Happy Tail ponies are Applejack, Fluttershy, and Zecora, to name a few.
  • Rainbow Ponies got their name from their multi-colored hair, and their ability to control light and rainbows. Their prismatic hair and appearance are biological solar panels that absorb light and convert it into energy, yet there are faulty genes that make this ability deadly to the individual. Rainbow Ponies in general are treated as heroes, with the most famous Rainbow Pony is Rainbow Dash, the performer of the Sonic Rainboom, though she's at present completely unaware of her heritage.
  • The Alicorn Amulet that showed up in Trixie's possession in "Magic Duel" was originally created to boost the prowess of magically weak ponies so they could stand as equals among those who were born powerful. It was meant to be a power-enhancer, nothing more... but later it became corrupted itself because its wearers would abuse their boosted magic in doing terrible things and then blame their evils on something else.
• Related Differently in the Adaptation:
  • The Emperor of Mankind's Primarch sons were created through advanced technology and science, making him their Truly Single Parent. Here, Golden Scepter sired his sons naturally with a mortal Pegasus mare, whom he dearly loved. However, Decomposite Character is at play since the Terran Princes are based on the Primarchs' positive aspects, whereas their Imperium era counterparts, the Golden Generals, are based on the Primarch's dysfunctional aspects and completely unrelated to each other and Golden Scepter.
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan was engaged to his beloved girlfriend, Janna Lapidus, at the time of his death. Here, the helicopter accident still happened, but Moon Ray and Velvet Heart (Stevie Ray and Janna's expies, respectively) got married in the Heaven-Realms thanks to Velvet Heart's first husband giving them the okay to hook up again.
  • Lauren Faust has stated that Prince Blueblood is Celestia's (very) distant nephew on her mother's side. Here, Blueblood is Celestia's adoptive nephew, having been come into her care after Celestia learned about his emotionally abusive upbringing.
  • Prince Léon was introduced as Celestia's very young cousin in a French MLP magazine. Here, he's her grandnephew via adoption by Prince Blueblood as his son (though Léon is technically Blueblood's "biological" son via a magical karmic backlash from his good deeds), with the "cousin" part being explained as an in-universe translation error in Prance.
• Related in the Adaptation:
  • The Trimortidae, full stop. Many members are based on real-life people such as Stevie Ray Vaughan (Moon Ray Vaughoof), Jesse Garon Presley (Bossa Nova Heartstrings; Elvis Presley's stillborn older twin brother), and Alan Rickman (Curtain Call). All of them are completely unrelated to each other, but here they were adopted by the Three Deaths after death, either as siblings or cousins. This also applies to members who are based on fictional characters such as Death of the Endless (Sola Mors) and Knight Shade. Having familial ties with Trimortidae members despite not being part of the group means that you're related to said group as well, Blue Suede Heartstrings.
  • Prince Blueblood's entry notes that he and his family are blood descendants of Princess Platinum, with the most obvious sign of their heritage being their tall heights, when no such connections were apparent in canon. And while he's still Celestia's nephew, he's explicitly stated to be adopted here after Celestia discovered the sheer amount of emotional/psychological abuse Blueblood's birth parents were inflicting on him.
  • Prince Léon was a one-bit character who only appeared in a French My Little Pony magazine as Celestia's young Alicorn "cousin", yet his heavy resemblance to Blueblood is not explained. Here, he's technically Blueblood's biological son who was magically created as a karmic backlash to all of Blueblood's good deeds.
  • Emperor Golden Scepter is related to a lot of characters here, usually by adoption.
    • Besides the Terran Princes, Golden Scepter's immediate children include Phoenix King Naur and his sister Everqueen Naneth (Asuryan and Isha), Belyolen and Temnobog (Belobog and Chernobog), and Queen Peachy/Rhodonite (a proto-My Little Pony toy called My Pretty Pony created by Bonnie Zacherle). Peachy is a notable case since she's also the first sapient Earthpony mare created by Golden Scepter. He was also by all intents and purposes the adoptive father of Queen Majesty, a prominent character from the British MLP G1 comics, though his shoddy treatment led to both of them becoming estranged for Ages until the Fourth Age, when he learned the truth of his daughter's ultimate fate.
    • This also extends to his adoptive grandchildren, many of whom were taken in by the Terran Princes for various reasons like a troubled home life. Among them are Mercy (Dhylec), Rosy Dreams (Mary/Mari), Gliding Butterfly (a Composite Character combining Goro Watari with Saburo Kazeta) and Princess Tiffany/Regina Maiestas Ponyland, who was also part of the G1 Princess Ponies toyline and Queen Majesty's last surviving daughter here.
    • Queen Majesty from G1's My Little Pony comics is revealed here to be one of Golden Scepter's biological descendants through his many affairs with male and female mortals and divines, when in canon they had no such relations. Majesty was also Golden Scepter's adoptive daughter in all but name, which makes all of the Princess Ponies, including Princess Tiffany/Regina herself, Golden Scepter's granddaughters by adoption.
    • It's also revealed that Golden Scepter is the older brother of the deceased Alicorn Queen Hylia, who's the Expy of the goddess Hylia, when in canon they aren't related at all. When he meets Radiant Primrose from Hyrule, Golden Scepter comments that she reminds him so much of Hylia, yet she is different from his sister at the same time.
  • The Thirteen Empyreans, Equinekind's first pantheon, are based on the Thirteen Primes, and being the progenitors of all of mortal and divien Equinekind, they are related to countless MLP canon characters. Not only is Emperor Golden Scepter a son of Profectus Equus/Iridium Signet (Quintus Prime), but Queen Mzazi, also known as Zigzag of the G1 Ponyfriends toyline, is the oldest daughter and child of Alcimia Equus (Alchemist Prime). Obitus Equus (a Composite Character of Discworld's Death and Onyx Prime) is the father of the Three Deaths, making him the biological/adoptive grandfather of the Trimortidae. Plasmatio Equus and Mana Equus (Solus Prime and the Thirteenth Prime, respectively) are related to Magic Star of G1 and Twilight Sparkle of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic by way of the latter two being their divine Reincarnations. Plasmatio and Mana both died during pre-Known History, and both Magic Star and Twilight Sparkle managed to reincarnate as them by resonating with the beliefs they had in life. This technically makes Magic Star and Twilight Sparkle sisters. They also become related to twins Blue Suede Heartstrings and Bossa Nova Heartstrings, who both reincarnated as 'clones' of Mana Equus, via Historical Character's Fictional Relative as Blue Suede and Bossa Nova are based on Elvis Presley and his stillborn twin brother, Jesse Garon Presley.
• Religion is Magic: Gods are able to empower their faithful into clerics, granting them the ability to cast stronger spells than they could on their own relating to their deity's domains. If they have pre-existing magical enhancement, such as a Magical Girl powerset, it will enhance that as well.
• Religion Is Right: Zigzagged. Because "Codex Equus" operates as a Science Fantasy setting where magic/Metamagnetism is a fundamental force of the universe as gravity, weak/strong nuclear forces and electromagnetism, and could be scientifically-understood and quantified, certain aspects of religions such as miracles, power of faith, the existence of angels and yes, even the gods themselves can be empirically proven to be right - and not to mention, in certain Ages those angels and gods often interact closely with mortals to the point one can know them as personal friends or they directly rule over nations as their sovereigns, making the evidence even more undeniable when one could quite literally walk up to them and ask them about their religion. However...
• Religion Is Wrong: Many often get other aspects of religion wrong due to mistranslations and misinterpretations, Legend Fades to Myth, corruption by demagogues and demons when the gods are not looking, and other things such that there is still plenty of room for religion to be wrong, at least up until the gods notice the errors and choose to clear things up.
• Retcon: Some rewrites had occurred to make the Fourth Age more 'unique' compared to the past. With the entry of the 'People's Empire of the Cloven', the Hooviet entries had been outdated and replaced, though the authors stated they will be back for the Second Age.
• Ridiculously Average Guy: Persona, the God of Espionage and Spying, has multiple personalities, each with their own forte and skill set. His final personality is the most average guy imaginable... because being so completely average, no one notices him and he's Beneath Suspicion, and thus can disappear in a crowd or hide in plain sight to listen in on conversations without standing out at all.
• Rightly Self-Righteous: Generally deconstructed. A common theme in the Codexverse is that being genuinely good and/or well-intentioned means absolutely nothing if it's used as an excuse to act morally superior to others.
  • The Elternteil pantheon are morally puristic and extremely patronizing about it because, in their own eyes, they are benevolent, and the constant praise from their worshipers only justified it. However, their petty hypocrisy in emotionally abusing the "evil" Temnobog, especially when they started considering the option of killing him altogether, caused his brother, Belyolen, to rebel and form the Bogolenya pantheon out of disgust. Their views on how Deerkind's future should be handled presumably caused the Hoyklan deities to leave as well. While both the Bogolenya and Hoyklan pantheons are thriving, the Elternteil pantheon is left a shadow of what it used to be.
  • The Nature Giants see themselves as the rightful caretakers of Equus's ecosystem because they do have the compassion and magic necessary to preserve nature itself. However, they are extremely xenophobic and distrusting because of the actions of Grogar, and their matriarchs, based on the belief that Women Are Wiser, are no better, and they enforce extreme isolationist policies by suppressing and/or exiling anyone who pose a threat to their societal order. In short, they blind themselves to the benevolent potential of the mortals they hate.
  • The Changeling Queens of the Spring Court see themselves as the rightful rulers of Changelingkind because they are the hybrid children of a Changeling goddess, and they are benevolent and nurturing to their subjects. That being said, they can be very arrogant and patronizing, treating their subjects like children who don't know any better, and see dissenters as ungrateful for rejecting their love and protection. It's also mentioned that, like the Summer Court, they scheme and undermine each other to earn Blackrose's favor, though of course it's all low-key and they don't admit it.
  • Defied and averted with the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon, who all make it a point not to act this way due to what happened to Temnobog while he grew up in the Elternteil pantheon. Since Temnobog and Belyolen are elemental twins and two halves of High King Bogolenya, the person they could've been, it goes to show that even "bad" concepts such as evil and suffering as a place in Equus, as long as they're constructive.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge:
  • Changeling/Dragon history is essentially an aeons-long succession of these against each other. The dragons tried to wipe out the Changelings, then years later the Summer Court would attempt go on one of these against the dragons in revenge and almost succeed in killing them off. The hate this brewed combined with his own tragedy would eventually lead to Xestobium attempting genocide on the dragons again in a way that nearly causes a Mass Extinction Event, which in turn causes Broken Scale survivor Dr. Toxikon to finally snap and go on one in return. The actions of both sides' mutual hatred would lead to Princess Apterus going on one when she realized what they'd done to her and her family.
  • When Grogar the Necromancer attempted to cut down large swaths of trees to provide resources for his Tambelon Empire, Gaea, a Nature goddess, was so enraged that she caused Grogar to flee to the Shadow Realm while trying to escape her destructive rampage.
• Rousing Speech:
  • Crystal Empress Coranam III of the Crystal Empire gives one to her people when war breaks out with Queen Colossos' Giants:
    Empress Coranam III: We have faced terrible foes, from within and without. First there were the rival city-states who impeded our rise in the early days: by words or by blades they bent to our will. Then there were the Griffon Tribes; vicious predators who saw us as mere hunting animals. We purged them from our lands, so our children need not fear being carried off as a meal. And there have been countless other foes—the servants of Discord; the many nations that dared to challenge us: all ground to dust by our righteous cause and indomitable Crystal Legions!
    
    We spread across the world, rightful heirs to the Old Empire’s legacy. Where we found chaos, we brought order! Where we found poverty, we brought prosperity! Where we found hatred and savagery, we brought the loving light of the Crystal Heart and our civilization! Our gleaming crystal palaces are the envy of the world...and now we face a terrible new foe: the Giants.
    
    They have attacked us without cause, and shown their savage nature—cities have been slaughtered, ponies eaten alive; and our friends, families and comrades enslaved. They and their demon-spawn Queen think themselves invincible, that their size grants them the right to crush all smaller than them, as some twisted form of 'honor'. I ask you, is bowing to monsters honorable? They know NOTHING of honor! They are savages, nothing more! They consider it hubris that we do not roll on our backs and beg for mercy, as if they were gods! Theirs is the TRUE arrogance!
    
    These Giants think of us as insects. We shall show them that some insects can STING.
    
    To arms, citizens of the Empire! Avenge every innocent stallion, mare and foal who has died under these monsters’ hooves and in their bellies! We shall turn back this dark tide, and cut these oversized primitives down to size! The Crystal Empire is unconquered! We are UNCONQUERABLE!
    
    My faithful subjects; I admit I am as terrified as you are. But I will make this fear steel me, for we have only one choice; one chance to survive and not have our civilization snuffed out under a tide of rapine and slaughter: We must purge these savages from our lands and drive them back to the rotting wastelands they came from!
    
    To arms! For your loved ones! For justice! FOR THE EMPIRE!!
  • As the Alicorn god of Leadership, Emperor Golden Scepter has the power to magically boost morale with just a few words, which isn't surprising as he's based on the Emperor of Mankind. A notable incident had him rallying his soldiers during the "Temptation Unbound" event, when said soldiers were starting to falter after seeing the sheer amount of Fallen deities and their allies/worshipers that were led by Ispita.
    Emperor Golden Scepter: (to his soldiers) Equus and its surrounding universe has many horrors yet to throw at us. This seemingly horrific battle will not be the end of our struggle. This is just the beginning of our trials, the beginning of our crusade to save Ponykind and all of the sapient creatures that live with them. So be faithful! Be strong! BE VIGILANT!
  • Prince Written Word, Golden Scepter's thirteenth demi-divine son, doesn't fall very far from the tree. Because he (supposedly) embodies Golden Scepter's conviction and ability to inspire, Written Word is able to make grandiose and impassioned speeches that inspire people to do the right thing, boost morale, and break his listeners out of their stupor. His entry explains that his ability to give these kind of speeches is due to being an empath, which makes him very in tune with other people's emotions, as well as his own. Thus, Written Word is fairly easy to upset, especially when confronted with situations of profound suffering and despair. One particular incident that occurred before his Ascension had him give a speech to his surviving army of Pony soldiers after watching them alternate between crying for a divine savior and letting themselves get killed by the demons in despair which made Written Word realize the true value of faith, rather than simply its religious aspects. This served as a catalyst for his Ascension to demi-Alicornhood, and also induced a Mass "Oh, Crap!" reaction from the demons themselves upon seeing that his speech actually worked.
    Prince Written Word: BROTHERS AND SISTERS-IN-ARMS! You, your friends, and your loved ones have spent your ENTIRE LIVES under the cruel dogma of tyranny, wallowing in despair and hopelessness, only to cry to the heavens for help once you are finally FREED! If that is what your former leaders taught you to do, then... NO MORE! You all got this far because you decided to put your trust and faith in a complete stranger who came to your homes one day, and helped you when you needed it most! So I ask for you- no, I PLEAD for you to take that same trust and faith you previously showed me, and use them to empower yourselves! Empower EACH OTHER! For when we are standing together, united as ONE... NOTHING COULD HOPE OR DARE TO TRY STOP US!
• Rousseau Was Right: This is essentially the Vertusians' philosophy of "True Good". To simplify it, the Vertusians believe that all sapient creatures are born inherently good, and that circumstances and corruption, not one's own nature, are what makes them turn to evil. While still possessing emotions like desire, followers of True Good pursue their desires and help others with theirs without needing to exploit them or expect a reward in return, respectively. "Constructive Evil" is considered part of True Good because it involves directing one's worst flaws/impulses towards positive ends, like punishing the genuinely wicked. The goal of the Vertusians, up to Virtucrat Fairytale herself, is to recreate the world at large into a Utopia where no one has no need for evil even for constructive purposes, even though Fairytale genuinely does not wish those who practice Constructive Evil any harm. However, True Good ends up deconstructed in light of how the world works - the world not only cannot exist without evil, it needs evil in order to continue surviving, let alone function properly. And by implication, True Good calls for the eradication of all evils, which includes beings like Temnobog, who, due to being the living bisected half of High King Bogolenya, literally cannot live without his twin brother, Belyolen, as one would die if the other dies. Moon Ray Vaughoof also compares True Good to throwing out all the Hell-Realms in the world while keeping only the Heaven-Realms. The Vertusians themselves are at a loss in regards to replacing evil with a better alternative, and it's through the existence of Malrègnar that they are able to continue existing at all without massive consequences. However, it's reconstructed as True Good does have truth to it - the fact that all sapient creatures are born with the ability to choose to be evil yet are naturally inclined to be good implies that there are higher forces at work who wanted the world to function that way... and that whoever created those higher forces is ultimately the Big Good of the entire setting.
• Rule of Three: The kingdom of Hyrule has the "Triforce of Virtue", representing Courage, Wisdom, and Power. The respective "holders" of these virtues are Gleaming Shield, Radiant Primrose, and (supposedly) Blood Fang.

---