Codex Equus / Tropes W To X

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

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Codex Equus provides examples of:

W

• War Is Glorious: War and conflict as a driver for growth and progress is occasionally explored, serving as a challenge to the premise of the MLP setting that teaches the opposite. If those who pursue war don't believe that it is simply inevitable and therefore must still be prepared for it, they are this trope, believing that while war is full of horrors, the necessity and glory of conflict outweighs the costs and sees too much peace and pacifism as detrimental on both individuals and civilizations.
  • The 'Black Barons' had traditionally all been 'blood knights' who reveled in war and conflict and excels in both strategy/tactics and direct combat. Black Baron III in particularly is notable (Besides being a genetically/cybernetically-enhanced Super-Soldier) for making some fair if uncomfortable arguments in favour of War.
    Black Baron III: Conflict is the crucible of civilization. It is by the relentless competition among groups with incorrigible interests that drives society forward. It is the threat of conquest or extermination that drives bickering factions to mutual cooperation. It is the trial of battle that weeds out the weak and feeble, while steeling the strong and worthy for the trials ahead. History had shown it is war that drove the rise of religions, bureaucracies and empires, and accelerate technological progress. War, more than any other factor in our existence, made us what we are today.
    
    War had been cursed as an evil beyond compare, for all the destruction and death it had caused in this day and age. And perhaps it is... but if so, then it is a NECESSARY evil. Had we not been capable of war, would we had been able to stand against the likes of the Maretians? Or the many other threats that we faced in the last few decades? We may had fought and died for causes both grand and petty, but without the growth it forced upon us, we would had been doomed regardless.
    
    War will always exist, for it is our nature to fight. It is folly to deny what is innate in us, especially since it helps us to survive and thrive. My predecessors realized this, and that is why they pursued war, whatever the reasons may be. If the 'heroes' today sought to end war, then it stands that the world needs 'villains' willing to start them.
  • Commander Gale and her Iron Wolves also sees war as a crucible which would weed out the weak and foolish and reforge those who remain to become strong enough to take on other races and assuming Ponykind's rightful dominance over the world - her metaphoric 'wolves'. The present Iron Wolves justifies this by portraying the world as fundamentally a dark forest where all animals would inevitably fight each other due to differences and deprivation, and war is something which is not only inevitable but should be pursued in forthe sake of survival and supremacy.
• War Is Hell: The setting also does not shy away from depicting the horrors of war, often filled with atrocities committed by combatants, terrible death and suffering on both sides and traumatic/devastating aftermaths. And there is a LOT of wars throughout Known History, most notably in the 'Second' and 'Fourth Ages'. Even if War Is Glorious, there is no escaping from the destructive consequences of it.
  • The Second Age had a notable period known as the 'Great Wars Era' where worldwide wars, alien invasions and other threats made conflict an almost frequent occasion. The nations at the time eventually became so accustomed and resigned to it that many geared their entire socio-economic structures to facilitate the preparations for conflicts and invested significant amounts of resources and research into military development, creating truly devastating weaponry and powerful war machines that gives even WAR GODS of later ages pause.
• War for Fun and Profit:
  • Arma is the literal god of this trope, being the God of War Profiteering and Private Military Contractors.
  • Black Ghost was a Second-Age organization of "death merchants" that is constantly producing military weapons for profit, including cybernetic hybrid warriors. This eventually led to the creation of Wind Runner/C-009 and his team.
• Warrior Prince: Many examples exist in the Codexverse.
  • Prince-Regent Blueblood is a powerful water mage and an experienced Navy soldier (now Commander), and thus is extremely capable of defending himself. During his long career, he fought off numerous assassins, who were rumored to have been sent by Blueblood's rivals and enemies in Canterlot, and he has healed scars as proof of the incidents. He also directly participated in the Storm King Crisis, rallying what was left of the Equestrian military with Shining Armor, directing war efforts against the Storm Navy, and even fought off a few Storm Troopers to protect his friend, Fancy Pants and his wife, Fleur-De-Lis.
  • Prince Vultus IV is a hammy and proud yet heroic and benevolent warrior. He is notable for being a skilled fighter despite not being a demigod, whose loudness is so profound that it can actually stun enemies and trigger avalanches. In one notable incident, he opposed his treacherous fourth brother for killing their oldest brother in a bid for the throne, and fought and killed him by braining him through the helm. It's not surprising, since he was based on Prince Vulcan (who was also played by BRIAN BLESSED).
  • Despite not technically being royalty anymore, since he was superseded from his family's royal line of succession and left home to learn under Luminiferous, Prince Sparkling Wing still kept his title. He's also a powerful and capable fighter and mage, but he prefers diplomatic solutions and is sickened by the thought of killing, so he mostly fights in defense/support unless warranted.
  • All of the Terran Princes, being based on the Primarchs, are royal demi-divine Princes who are powerful fighters and commanders of their own military chapters, as well as prominent political leaders to varying degrees. However, they're also far less dysfunctional than the Primarchs because of Golden Scepter's benevolent influence as a parent, and they have been known to team up and kick ass.
  • Much like Lelouch, Prince Strazha Svetilo is a skilled Knightmare Frame pilot and Geass user, and has personally led his rebel faction, the Champions of the Black, in sowing terror and hatred among the Bitaniyian Deer. He would eventually become King of Bitaniya after killing his parents and uncle, but he still hasn't lost his edge, as he would become a divine champion of Temnobog.
• Was It Really Worth It?: Luminiferous informs the Changelings of what their Fantastic Racism causing them to ruin the lives of Queen Acherontia, Dragon Lord Vulcan, and their daughter Apterus cost them: the family's love may have given them the hope for a cure for their curse a millennia earlier as Thorax did in modern day. He then asks them if losing that was really worth continuing their blood feud with the dragons. Even the Summer Court finds it difficult to say it was. His lending Ember and Thorax their future potential was also a more subtle case of this, essentially showing both sides of the feud the potential they were squandering with their refusal to move on.
• Weather Manipulation: Several divine and mortal individuals have the power to shape and influence the weather itself.
  • Most of Prince Sparkling Wing's magic is based around this, which is appropriate since he's the Alicorn god of Weather. He usually generates clouds to transport non-winged sapient creatures away from war zones and make hiding places for his allies for surprise ambushes, but he could also create miniature twisters and weaponize thunderclaps by having his clouds filled with rapidly-expanding heat, magic or otherwise. He can also summon rain for water-based attacks and lightning for quick, precise strikes, but being a Martial Pacifist, he normally doesn't go on the offensive unless the situation warrants it.
  • Prince Steel Barricade, Golden Scepter's eleventh son, is 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.
  • As the goddess of Summer, Isati of the Abyssinian Pantheon has some capability in this area. Notably, she can easily dispel Zinabi's disastrous storms even before his depowering, including the flood he unleashed on his mortal worshipers out of petty spite for waking him up with a festival dedicated to the gods.
  • Both Pegasi and Griffons have weather magic as their racial ability. As an offset, they possess contrasting weaknesses - the Griffons have more raw power, but it makes their magic unwieldy at times. The Pegasi are weaker than their Griffon counterparts, but they are more creative with their power.
• We Have Become Complacent: A common theme around utopian, advanced, powerful, and/or morally puristic societies is that they would always end up becoming complacent and indulgent no matter what they do.
  • Temnobog is disgusted by societies that become overly Good, since the absence of Evil will cause its inhabitants to forget why they're Good and think that they can do whatever they want because they're Good, unwittingly becoming the very Evil that they defeated in the first place. He even believes that Queen Dazzleglow's attempts to break the Cycle would result in a complacent Equus, except no, she also believes in Constructive Evil and wants people to break the Cycle so everyone would be able to fight the Void Sovereign, who as of the Fourth Age has been sealed in the Cosmic Void. On the other hand, Temnobog also opposes societies that have become overly Evil, and will not hesitate to let the Four Terrors, his surviving divine children, raze and burn such societies to the ground as punishment for their extreme Evil and depravity.
  • Temnoist followers are also against societies promoting the absence of Evil/Good, as they believe that Good cannot exist in the absence of Evil and vice-versa, and the consequences of such a thing will be worse, than if Good and Evil existed together. So while they are feared and reviled as agents of Evil, Temnoists believe that by promoting Evil, they help good people become strong enough to oppose Evil, thus in turn allowing the Cycle of Good and Evil to continue.
  • Dr. Toxikon sees the Dragonflights as complacent, arrogant, and stagnant because they have become so confident in their own power that they refuse to learn new things and/or cooperate with other races. A prime example would be Dragon Lord Brutus, who emphasizes his people's focus on brute strength rather than intelligence and skill - he lost rather quickly. The reason why Toxikon praised Ember so highly is because she is one of few Dragons who averted this trope, yet he also became frustrated that no one else is willing, or don't want to listen to Ember's progressive ways.
  • It's mentioned in Golden Scepter's entry that despite being the most successful and greatest of Equus's Equine children, and having the most widespread civilization to the point where it's still mentioned in stories and legends, even Alicornkind still fell to stagnation and corruption. Having crafted an extremely successful society in every way, the Alicorns had almost nothing else to motivate them, and what seemed like the behavioral norm for Alicorn rulers (acting like regal, stoic, and wise rulers who are also emotionally distant to their subjects) is actually quite toxic, since it only encouraged superior and high-hoofed attitudes. Naturally, this would lead to their fall at the hooves of Morning Star's faction, their civilization becoming irreparably ruined as the result of ten Ages of war. Golden Scepter would admit to Temnobog that even he was not exempt from the corruption despite his awareness and his attempts to avert it, and sees the "Twilight of the Alicorns" conflict as the best thing that happened to him and his people.
  • The Imperium of Ponykind was rumored (and speculated) to have covered almost the entirety of Equus, or even spread to other planets across the stars. However, as it continued to expand, it began to stagnate, largely due to Golden Scepter's traumas and harsh methods in ruling, as well as the complacency his Pony subjects would experience due to living in a vastly successful and expansionist empire. Golden Scepter's absence after the "Aurum Apostasy" conflict due to injuries and being put into a magical stasis caused his Pony subjects to use him as their excuse to continue their xenophobic, vicious, and fanatical ways, leading to its end at the hands of more benevolent kingdoms, empires, and organizations.
  • It's also stated in Golden Scepter's entry that this trope is the reason why he nearly died in the battle against his traitorous general, Aurum Lupus. As an ancient Alicorn living among mortals, he became complacent with his power, and thus never considered the idea that his mortal subjects could empower themselves to oppose him in any way. After he was unearthed in the Second Age by Luminiferous and Dazzleglow, and healed with Kerajaan Cahaya's medicine, he vowed never to let himself slip up or underestimate his subjects again.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Generally deconstructed, since good intentions or not, those who turn to shady and unscrupulous methods to achieve a noble goal still get painted as monsters who didn't bother to think of an alternate and safer option.
  • The Alicorn Ascendancy is a good demonstration of the proverb, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions". Founded by Princess Celestia, the Alicorn Ascendancy originally started out as a way to give Celestia divine companionship by helping mortals Ponies Ascend for her so she wouldn't compromise herself or her weakened nation. However, without direct oversight, the Alicorn Ascendancy's motives evolved into a collective desire to create a golden age for Ponykind, ethics be damned. This culminated in one Ascendancy member fatally poisoning an entire hospital's worth of foals with a potion he made, and the sheer Lack of Empathy he displayed towards the tragedy caused a horrified Celestia to disband them, scattering the Ascendancy to the winds. Despite their underground status, the Alicorn Ascendancy continues to operate, experimenting on Pony foals and teenagers out of genuine belief that their work would bring Ponykind closer to godhood, no matter how depraved their actions get.
  • Noble Grace and Bubbling Beaker are members of the Alicorn Ascendancy who genuinely believed that what they're doing is for the good of both Ponykind and Equus, but they did extremely horrible things to try achieve that goal. They used their reputation as highly beloved teachers to lure their impressionable young students into participating in their experiments, causing a young Scarlet Bell to get physically and mentally scarred in a school fire when she tried saving her classmates. And while Noble Grace and Bubbling Beaker didn't cause Page Wheel's death or his Ascension as Crystal Prism, they were responsible for both his transformation into a magic-absorbing monster (leading to thousands of Grittish locals losing their magic) and the massive PTSD he would get afterward. In the end, not only Noble Grace and Bubbling Beaker have their magic absorbed by Page Wheel, they're also exposed as criminals by Scarlet Bell and arrested, being given harsh punishments once they're transferred over to Pferdia due to their fugitive status. As icing on the cake, their sole 'success', Page Wheel/Crystal Prism, is convinced by benevolent deities to defy the destiny that was made for him in favor of making his own.
  • Much like his character inspiration, Battryu is devoted to protecting Equus, but only Equus. As Nature's Wrath, he sees all the occupying races as a blight to the ecosystem and won't hesitate to kill everyone if they upset the balance in any way, innocents be damned.
  • Dr. Toxikon was a victim of the "Time of Broken Scales" and created a plague that will kill off a very large majority of Changelingkind and Dragonkind because he saw both races as stagnant and unable to move past old grudges. In his eyes, only the younger, open-minded generations are deserving to live on Equus. While it did result in the Summer Court getting devastated, Dr. Toxikon is still seen as a genocidal monster, and those who sided with him are just as reviled by heroic-minded people.
  • Poena is an 'Ethereal' deity of Retribution born from the vindictive emotions and thoughts of a Pony kingdom whose downtrodden, oppressed subjects hated its tyrannical rulers for always getting away with their crimes. As a product of her environment, Poena believes justice should be without mercy or pity towards the wicked. It's deconstructed as multiple entries, quotes, and drabbles show just how toxic her Knight Templar mindset is - while she is ruthlessly efficient in eliminating genuine threats, she also tries punishing even minor crimes under the belief that they'll create bigger evils later on, and sees her benevolent counterparts as being too "soft". So great is her passion and vindication that she is willing to have children killed if she thinks they have great potential for evil, as shown when a group of Poenan worshipers tried murdering Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for being bullies. However, Poena is also shown to be quite out of her depth, and her fanatical zeal often leads to her picking fights with much older, powerful deities, often with disastrous consequences. Because of her mindset and actions, while she is tolerated, many deities and mortals see Poena as a prime example of justice taken to absolute extremes, and are rightly worried when she starts gaining a following among other Hot-Blooded deities who share the same puristic views of justice.
  • The 'People's Empire of the Cloven' is this as a geopolitical Great Power of Equus. The Clovenists under the People's Regents, People's Secretaries and People's Counsuls genuinely wish to free Equus from all corrupt, reactionary and despotic rulers, and build a better future of progress and prosperity for all people regardless of race or identity. Unfortunately, they've become very zealous, militant and expansionistic, believing their dream is only possible by bringing everyone under Clovenism and greatly distrust the good intentions of even the benevolent rulers and governments of other nations, making them much feared and/or hated across the world. Their unfettered pursuit of progress also caused them to make terrible mistakes and unleashing powers they can't even comprehend, let alone control, to everyone's detriment. Their good intentions are also not shared by all their subjects or allies, who used Clovenist cause as an excuse to commit evil crimes or even manipulate the Cloven Empire's actions as a means to their sinister ends. Worse still, every time the Cloven Empire is accused of crimes that their agents were caught doing, the higher-ups deflect blame by using plausible deniability to paint themselves as innocent, causing their public reputation to sour even further.
  • Much like the Emperor of Mankind, Golden Scepter would end up doing horrible things for the sake of mortal Ponykind itself during the Imperium era, including committing genocide against non-Pony races under the guise of military campaigns, and getting rid of religion itself by torching cities to the ground for worshiping him. It's noted in his entry that Golden Scepter's good intentions were gradually warped by a disastrous combination of war-related PTSD, loneliness, and his own immortality, and eventually, he would end up alienating and disgusting even his closest allies to the point where one of his Generals, Aurum Lupus, saw him as a divine tyrant and kick-started the "Aurum Apostasy" conflict for this reason, ultimately leading to Golden Scepter being wounded and sealed away in stasis. And because of his influence, the Imperium of Ponykind degenerated into a Wretched Hive full of xenophobic, cruel, and paranoid extremists before it was destroyed by benevolent forces. It was after he was found, revived, and healed in the Second Age that Golden Scepter realized how monstrous he had become, and thanks to benevolent individuals such as Dazzleglow and Luminiferous, he would become The Atoner and traveled all over Equus to learn from the examples set by both mortals and divines. By the time the Fourth Age rolled in, he had become a truly benevolent ruler as well as the loving father of nineteen demi-divine sons, and because of his experiences, he is a bitter enemy of other extremists such as the Poenan pantheon and the Clovenists, seeing them as no better than he had acted before despite their good intentions. Notably, when Poena and her followers tried attacking him in response to him publicly decrying their methods, he would swiftly and utterly defeat them all, showing just how far he had come.
• What If?: In Sparkling Wing's entry, it's mentioned that had his mother, Queen Silver Clock, refused to let the public pressure into having a daughter, Sparkling Wing would have eventually inherited the throne and succeeded her expectations as a great King and mage. However, if that outcome happened, Sparkling wouldn't have met Luminiferous, and he wouldn't have done the good deeds that would ultimately allow him to become something even greater: An Alicorn.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Being a Codex, lots of heroes had been called out by others throughout history, for various reasons.
  • Prince Crystal Clear has been on the receiving and giving ends.
    • It's noted that while he and Tough Love are good friends, Crystal won't hesitate to give her a good chewing-out whenever she goes too far and vice-versa. In one notable incident, Crystal was furious when he learned that Tough Love drove Shamrock to attempt suicide with her unsympathetic attitude towards his grief over losing the then-Fallen Stitching Time, and after viciously chewing her out, Crystal punched Tough Love in the face so hard, she was sent flying through nine walls. This led to Tough Love doing the same thing to Radiant Rapier after the latter made a rather callous remark about Stitching Time. Once both goddesses acknowledged their feelings, they sincerely and tearfully apologized to Shamrock for mistreating him.
    • While shielding Queen Krásná Tradice, Crystal would again call out Tough Love when she and a few other deities tried giving Krásná a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown for not telling anyone of Blue Suede Heartstrings' issues. During his chewing-out, he also called out himself for his role in the situation, which leads to him breaking down crying out of guilt.
      Prince Crystal Clear: You honestly think she has sole responsibility in this, Tough?!
      Princess Tough Love: She didn't speak up for your Dad when it counted! Now look what happened! She has to face the consequences of her actions!"
      Prince Crystal Clear: From what I recall, you didn't do shit either! None! An' neither did you guys over there! Or me! We all...! We all... we all thought there was nothing wrong an' Pa was fine until... he...
  • After nearly attacking an abusive mare for killing her own foal in a rage, a then-pre-Ascendant Moon Ray Vaughoof (who was working as an 'Angel of Death' at the time) was lectured by the Three Deaths for letting his anger get the best of him. This causes him to realize that he needed to forgive the people who wronged him in life in order to move on.
  • This happens during the "Revenge of Apertus" incident, in which Empress Blackrose herself, the many Royal Children of the Spring Court (though not all), and a number of the dragons (at least the ones who qualify as heroes) received a number of these a millennia ago for what they did to Queen Acherontia and Dragon Lord Vulcan out of Fantastic Racism and fear of what their hybrid daughter could become, despite both of them doing nothing wrong to warrant such a punishment and Apertus being only a child at the time. Even non-Changeling deities were absolutely disgusted with what the perpetrators had done.
    • Mothryu, known as the most benevolent of the Neighponese Kaiju, outright refused to do more than evacuate the innocents caught in Apertus's path.
      Mothryu's Priestesses: "Was the Slaver King the only one who descended on her hive, with the intent of spilling a child's blood for no other reason but her heritage, and fear of what she may do? Was it him alone who decided to try and destroy a marriage approved of by the Grand Primeval of Love out of hate? Was he the one who sealed her parents away, rather than confront the racial hatred that has been allowed to fester? Mothryu will defend the innocent, and she will ferry them away here... but most of you are not innocent."
    • Mothryu's twin, Battryu, on the other hand, was more blunt about it.
      Battryu's Priestess: You made your bed, now lay in it.
    • Even some of Empress Blackrose's morally good children joined in on the calling out. Queen Pentatomidae, after previously begged her family to spare her sister and her dragon husband, pointedly expressed her displeasure by avoiding them for five centuries; Princess/Captain Mimetidae punched her own mother in the jaw (which Blackrose allowed) before storming off for two centuries; Puck would stay with his mother, but even he was incredibly disappointed.
      Prince Puck: Remember when Choice said what you did to Acherontia would have consequences? Well those consequences just leveled an entire Summer King's territory in a day by itself and is tearing a trail of destruction towards one of our sisters... I hate to say I told you so... but I told you so.
    • Choice itself would visit both Changeling Courts and the Dragonflights and remind them of the "poor" choices they had taken with Apertus and her parents, ending with the final note that the consequences would catch up to them. When King Thomisus insisted they were "above the consequences", Choice would apparently laugh in his face.
      Choice: Do you have any idea how many times I have heard that? More than a number exists to count. Do you know how often it has been correct? Never.
    • Luminiferous, while more disappointed than angry, nevertheless informed the Changelings and Dragons that had they not cruelly punished Queen Acherontia and Dragon Lord Vulcan for falling in love for each other, or treated Apertus like a disgusting abomination that deserved to be treated like garbage and/or be killed, they would have reached the potential that Thorax and Ember had already obtained. The Changelings in particular were told that the consequences of trying to satisfy a racial grudge had resulted in the delay or even potentially permanent squandering of a cure to their Curse. His Badass Boast when unlocking Thorax and Ember's potential also had shades of this trope.
      Luminiferous: Before you are the members of your kind who have rejected this aeons-long grudge. Behold: the potential of those who have moved past the limitation you have chained yourself down with. Now, Sanctified One, brilliant Daughter of Torch: Arise! Borrow the potential that waits for you at the next dawn!
  • Princess Radiant Rapier of the Virtusidae would be called out for her more reprehensible actions a few times by those close to her
    • Radiant Rapier once upset Shamrock by callously treating Final Epoch like a criminal who deserved to be sealed away and telling Shamrock that he was 'wasting his time' mourning her. She also callously quipped that Stitching Time 'did the crime and had to pay the time' in regards to her friend's stint as Final Epoch. This directly contributed to Shamrock's attempted suicide. Radiant Rapier's other friend, Princess Tough Love, who was chewed out by Prince Crystal Clear for doing the same thing, proceeded to angrily punch her through a mountain and chew her out for her No Sympathy, in the process causing Radiant Rapier to realize how much she'd hurt her friend.
    • Radiant Rapier would later be called out by a furious Princess Winter Opera for mistreating Princess Opera Tide by association of her race. Even though Radiant Rapier was full of self-loathing and guilt for her inability to stop the end of the Third Age, Winter Opera still found her mistreatment of her friend Opera Tide to be abhorrent, since Opera Tide was a baby when the Third Age ended. In Winter Opera's eyes, it's no different from how she herself was mistreated for being the daughter of Second-Age villain War Rock.
    • Radiant Rapier would also be called out by Stitching Time for treating like an unpunished criminal regardless of her genuine guilt and attempts to atone for her time as Final Epoch. Radiant Rapier having the gall to apologize when she willingly went along with the Poenan Pantheon's decision to punish her made it even worse.
      Princess Stitching Time: So, your boss sent you to 'punish me'?
      Princess Radiant Rapier: It was a group-decision. I'm sorry, Stitching...
      Princess Stitching Time: You're sorry?! I freaking screwed up the timeline nine or ten times! I betrayed my mentor and all of you! I nearly made Shamrock kill himself! And I'm sorry for all of it! I've spent every last second since I came back trying to make up for it however I could! But that doesn't matter to your groupie, does it? I did a bad thing, so I'm forever bad? How is THAT fair?! How is THAT justice?
    • Radiant Rapier would be chewed out by a furious Bossa Nova Heartstrings after he learned she contributed to Blue Suede Heartstrings' near-Fall by resenting him for befriending Vicearch Iniquitous and blaming him for her failed attack on Malrégner. Bossa Nova made it absolutely clear that unless she swallows her pride and owns up to her mistakes, both he and his twin brother want nothing to do with her. Radiant Rapier's role in Blue Suede's corruption would also cause her friends and even some of her fellow Virtusidae to estrange themselves from her in disgust and anger as a consequence.
      Bossa Nova Heartstrings: Blame Blue all ya want, but ya still went ahead ta confront that god-eater despite ev'ry-creature tellin' ya not ta. So 'til the day ya decide ta fix yer lil' screw-up... don't come 'round me or mah twin brother ever again.
• Whole-Plot Reference:
  • Mothryu going on a rampage through Tokneigho and Roelisica after her tiny priestesses were kidnapped by a greedy businessman is heavily similar to what happened in Mothra, Mothra's debut appearance.
  • The "Revenge of Apertus" arc, as well as Apertus's backstory, was taken from Star vs. the Forces of Evil, with Queen Acherontia as the dethroned Queen Eclipsa, Dragon Lord Vulcan as Eclipsa's monster husband, Globgor, and Apertus as Meteora, Eclipsa and Globgor's abused and discriminated hybrid daughter. The difference is that Apertus was killed by her own parents, only to be revived by her grandmother, Empress Blackrose, who reincarnated her with help from several deities so she could make up for her horrendous treatment of Apertus and her parents.
  • The film that Griffon actress Helga Greywing would make after replacing the brutish Colton Marentino is "Bitalian Holiday", a pony version of Roman Holiday. Both had stories involving a woman who breaks away from the stresses of their roles, and gets into hijinks with a friendly man while having the time of their lives in freedom for the first time.
  • Crystal Prism and Midnight Bell's backstories were taken from the plot of Mary and The Witch's Flower, with a few differences: There's no magical flower or artifact involved, and Noble Grace and Bubbling Beaker (Expys of Madam Mumblechook and Doctor Dee, respectively) are part of a secret organization that experiments on foals and teenagers to unlick the secret of Ascension. Unlike Peter, who was turned into a monster and then restored back to normal by a spell, Crystal Prism (Peter's Expy) was fought by powerful beings, killed, and then revived/Ascended into an immortal demigod. Both he and Midnight Bell (Mary's Expy) also have PTSD from the entire incident and both of them needed therapy to get through it.
  • As detailed in the Fourth Age's "Notable Media Works (Part 1)", the Power Ponies story "Whatever Happened to the Mares of Tomorrow?" and the separate "Guardmares" are both pony recreations of seminal Alan Moore stories Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? and Watchmen, respectively.
  • Various drabbles, quotes, and entries mention 'The Fall/Purge of Giernan', in which a kingdom/city-state named Giernan became so corrupt and infested with Werecreatures, Eldritch Abominations, and other horrors that esteemed hunters like Father Wolfsbane had to step in and purge the place entirely. This is a reference to Bloodborne, with heavy references/elements of Anderson Quest: Killing Vampires and Werewolves and Leprechauns and Hellsing.
  • Similarly, the 'Cosmic Prophet Debacle' that plagued the Glimmering Isles is also a reference to Bloodborne, but Lighter and Softer - while there is a Religion of Evil in the future-obsessed Cosmic Acolytes and the Glimmering Isles was plagued with horrors, there are more heroes and deities involved, and things weren't as bad as they were with Giernan. The center villain of the event, Caelum Filum, the titular 'Cosmic Prophet', is a completely stoned Eldritch Abomination that is the result of Moon Ray Vaughoof accidentally getting himself high off his flank by taking a powerful divine drug in a moment of desperation.
• Who Murdered the Asshole: Discussed and deconstructed In-Universe. As Cultura explains to Jade Shell in one drabble, she finds it an interesting trope because of the moral dilemma involved: It's very easy to dismiss a murder case and let the Sympathetic Murderers go free because the victim is an Asshole Victim, but in many situations, obstructing a murder investigation based on petty grudges would only make you an Accomplice By In Action. In regards to the topic, hardline judicial factions believe in punishing both the killers and those who condoned them, while their moderate counterparts insist on giving mercy to those who didn't participate in the actual crime. In one incident, a group of frustrated Poenans arrested an entire village because their collective grudge against the murder victim prevented them from finding the killer. While the adults were subjected to hard labor as punishment, their innocent children were spared and adopted by the Poenans, who trained them to become a new generation of crusaders, inquisitors, paladins, and judicators. The Just Detectives were appalled by the Poenans' ruthless handling of the situation.
  Just Detective: You arrested ALL of them?
  Poenan Judicator: Of course we had. They had all refused to cooperate in the investigation, merely because they all believe the victim deserved it and condoned the killing. That automatically made them accomplices to the killer's crime. That we caught the killer himself is merely an incidental bonus. Now they will ALL pay for their crimes.
• Winged Unicorn:
  • The Alicorns, much like in canon. The Alicorns in Codex Equus are immortal and incredibly powerful Physical Gods, and as they get older, they gain extra traits such as new wings and/or a wing gradient. They're also classified as 'Ascendant' deities since they're the result of mortal Ponies - and other Equid varients - Ascending to godhood, up to the Thirteen Empyreans, the first Equid pantheon, and their creator, King Equus. BrutalityInc has stated that he wanted to make his own take on the Alicorns, combining official canon descriptions of the Alicorns being merely long-lived with the fanon interpretation of Alicorns as bonafide gods.
  • There's also 'Pseudo-Alicorns', Ponies who resemble Alicorns via possessing a horn and wings, but lack the power and divinity of true Alicorns. Pseudo-Alicorns are often mistaken for their divine counterparts, though it is possible for one to Ascend. Silver Bane is an example of this due to being a Unicorn Dhampyr, with Luminiferous taking interest in helping him become a god.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Played with Crystal Prism. Currently he's a demigod who looks like a teenage Alicorn, but chronologically he's still as young as the colt he once was and sometimes acts like his actual age. The reason why he tends to act mature and wiser than his age is because he went through a lot of bad experiences that required therapy to recover from, causing him to experience Character Development at the same time.
• Womb Level:
  • In one of the Alvslog/Erobreseg Deer Herd's legends, the trickster god Narren had to enter the body of his (quite literally) Evil Uncle Temnobog in order to rescue his grandfather, High King Irminsul of the Eltenteil Deer Pantheon, whom Temnobog had de-powered and devoured as part of a partricidal revenge plot. Whilst in Temnobog's body, he had to avoid, trick or otherwise get through the countless other damned souls, disobedient demons and enemy deities (Including two of Temnobog's own children) that Temnobog had eaten over the ages to reach his grandfather. No shrinking is involved, but the narration made it clear that this is possible due to the bodies of the gods being 'quite different' from those of mortals, depicted as Bigger on the Inside and apparently planes/realms in their own right.
• Women Are Wiser: Zigzagged and even deconstructed at times. While matriarchies do exist, females of any species are still prone to being as flawed - even evil - as their male counterparts. For example, the Nature Giants wholeheartedly believe in this due to influence from their patron goddess, Gaea, but have become just as xenophobic, haughty, and self-righteous her in regards to 'Tinies' and protecting nature. The Changeling Queens of the Spring Court, up to Empress Blackrose herself, are generally known for being benevolent matriarchs, but not only do they have a few 'bad apples', they also can be incredibly racist themselves towards certain species, such as Dragons. Promoting this trope to misandric extremes actually warrants punishment in the Hell-Realms, as there are a few deities who specialize in punishing crimes related to toxic gender superiority.
• The Worf Effect: At their height, the Crystal Empire's military, backed by their sorcerous powers and enchantments, enabled them to reconquer much of the old Equestrian Empire's territories and enforce their rule over much of the known world with their Crystal Legions. Their devastating defeats at the hooves of the Giants during the Crystal Empire's war with Queen Colossos' Empire demonstrated just what sort of foe they had picked a fight with.
• Worf Had the Flu: Gamarea struggling with a single adult Dyvaos is explained as him not being fully grown yet and he doesn't bond with a pony until the very end of the fight when Yearling finally does. He then instantly kills the Dyvaos in one hit.
• Worldbuilding: The entire purpose of the story is to provide this for Equus as a whole, with emphasis of expanding and adding details to many facets of the setting; for example, the Changeling civilization is vastly expanded, revealed to be far older and much bigger than just ex-Queen Chrysalis and her former hive with the four Changeling Courts.
• The World Is Always Doomed: Equus is a world constantly beset by world-threatening peril, with a realistic chance of the civilization ending and world becoming devastated in every other event, and often not without at least a city, nation or land left in ruins as a result.
  • During the 'Second Age', world-endangering conflicts and calamities became such a regular occurrence many Ponies by the 1980s/90s were more or less unfazed by all but the most terrible events. Ace, a colt-friend of the Tales Seven, was more annoyed by the fact that he had to move venue for his birthday party one Monday then by the fact much of the metropolis he lived in was devastated by a massive attack, with the description noting that everything's usually back to normal within a month.
    News Bulletin: "- Reports are coming in from all over the world: many cities are in ruins, devastated by hails of ballistic missiles launched by the renegade forces of - this just in! The president has declared a nation-wide state of emergency and martial law in response to - !"
    Ace's Mother: "Honey, what's the weather forecast for today?"
    Ace: "Mom, looks like we're gonna have a rain of rockets! And the guy on the Holotube just said our city is gonna be kaput like all the others!"
    Ace's Mother: "Ah...so the typical Monday usual, then."
• Worthy Opponent:
  • King Brachion sees Kickhopper as this, due to him managing to survive everything the king has thrown ate him.
  • Ahuizotl sees Daring as his exclusive one. He explains to Brachion this is because he expects other demi-gods and deities to be able to rival him, but a mortal who can is a far more interesting and exciting foe. Brachion seems to feel the same about Kickhopper.
  • Emperor Blackthorn complimented on the Changeling Courts' enemy Dr Toxikon's skills during the 'Crucible Crisis', being able to repeatedly out-wit and out-gambit nearly all the Changeling Courts - an entire Sapient species known for their guile and cunning - for much of the Crisis and nearly succeeding in destroying them.
  • It's implied that Yarost, Temnobog's oldest son and the Deer god of Fury and Hatred, has this relationship with Blood Fang, an evil Alicorn who constantly tries to conquer Hyrule and is Temnobog's agent. Whenever Blood Fang visits the hell-realms, he and Yarost would spar, and they have a mutual respect of each other.
• Would Hurt a Child:
  • Before his first death, Night Terror was a Serial Killer that went after children. He was eventually burned alive and killed by the angry, grieving parents of his victims... though his deal with Ispita allowed him to evade Yarost, Temnobog's oldest son, and continue his killing spree undeterred in the dream world... then Princess Luna and Tenya confronted and defeated him, ending with Night Terror being thrown into the real world where Yarost was waiting for him.
  • Sunnytown. The occupants of that place were extremely Cutie Pox-phobic, and killed a young filly named Ruby Heart for gaining a Cutie Mark. Pakak was enraged, and cursed the entire town for their crime to become zombies, never truly able to rest until they accepted responsibility for their crimes and atoned honestly. Pakak was noted to have not shown any remorse for what he had done.
    • Several years later, however, history nearly repeated again when Apple Bloom followed Ruby Heart's spirit into Sunnytown out of curiosity, causing the zombified locals to chase her down once she discovered the town's horrible secret. Apple Bloom narrowly escaped thanks to interference from Ruby Heart and her older sister Mitta. Applejack made it clear that she'll applebuck Grey Hoof and his followers seven ways across Equus if they come after her little sister again.
  • There was an incident where Poena tried to recruit Ruby Heart to her side so the ghostly filly would accept her morally puristic version of justice, and to gain access to her "Chain Sight" ability. When Ruby refused, even comparing her to the extremist Grey Hoof, Poena got mad and tried attacking her, only to be blocked by Crystal Prism and Princess Twilight.
  • Since his "birth", Prince Léon has been a walking target for both tribalist factions, who see him as a freak of nature and a divine tyrant in the making, and evil/corrupt deities like Ispita and the Tyrannos pantheon, who see him as a threat since his empathy can help turn their victims/followers away from their infleunce. However, said deities also see potential in Léon as a corrupted god, since his magic also means he can be used as a wheel to spread corruption and tyranny on a wider scale. Thankfully, Léon has loved ones willing to protect him, especially his adoptive father, Blueblood, and the Equestrian Princesses.
  • Many of Noble Grace's victims were pony foals and teenagers because in her eyes, they are brighter and hold much more potential than they do as adults. Years ago, she experimented on the classmates of a young Scarlet Bell, motivating her to try save them despite her fear of getting killed or crippled by her own teacher. In the present day, after moving to the Grittish Isles, she would experiment on a young Page Wheel, leading to his Ascension as Crystal Prism, though ironically it wouldn't be the experiments that did it - it would be the magic that Page Wheel absorbed while in his corrupted monster form.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child:
  • Elske, the Jotunn goddess of Love. She'll happily eat sinful/hateful cities and kingdoms, but she always spares the children; even taking them under her care afterwards to make up for eating their families and homes. Her more merciful diet is said to be catching on with mortal Giants.
  • Polistes and the Wild Cards, by virtue of their white-hat pirate ways. In one notable incident, a heist abroad a luxury cruise ship was interrupted when a heavily pregnant mare went into labor. Polistes spared the mare and her husband from being robbed and even had his crew help deliver a healthy foal. The newly-made parents reportedly shook his hoof out of gratitude.
• Wretched Hive:
  • The criminal state of Abyssinia from the 2017 movie is justified here - the Abyssinian deities, Zinabi and his consort Fik'iri, let the country be assimilated into the Storm Empire to "punish" the people for poor worship. As a result, Abyssinia fell abject poverty by the time Twilight Sparkle and the Mane Six arrive there.
  • This is also what Hyrule would've become if it officially became a territory of the Storm Empire. Fortunately, Blood Fang secretly manipulated and sabotaged the general responsible for conquering Hyrule, leaving him completely vulnerable against Gleaming Shield and Radiant Primrose, who both killed him.
  • It's noted in Golden Scepter's entry that this is what the Imperium of Ponykind eventually became. After Golden Scepter was gravely wounded in the "Aurum Apostasy" conflict and put into magical stasis, the Imperium gradually forgot about their Emperor, and in his absence, it turned into a wretched hive of racism, paranoia, viciousness, and religious fanaticism that used Golden Scepter as a figurehead to justify the people's selfish goals. In the end, the Imperium was destroyed by more benevolent kingdoms, empires, and civilizations, ending its threat to Equus. Years later, after he was found, revived, and healed, Golden Scepter would use his actions during the Imperium era as an example of what not to do as a ruler.

X

• Xanatos Gambit:
  • The Summer Court as a whole is very good at this, as implied by what we know so far about them, due to many Kings inheriting their patriarch's scheming intelligence as well as being pragmatic and genre-savvy compared to many other evil overlords.
    • Naturally, said Patriarch, Emperor Blackthorn, is implicitly a master of these owing to being the Sovereign of Schemes. In-universe, this trope is named after him - a 'Blackthorn Gambit'.
  • Dr. Toxikon also managed to master this and its variant below, to the point that he could challenge the Summer Court and Changelingkind as a whole. In testimony of his brilliance, Emperor Blackthorn himself notes with a hint of pity that if Toxikon isn't so set in destroying them all, he would relish playing a game of Go with him like the ones he normally play with Dragon King Bahumet.
  • Dragon King Bahumet is implied to be just as good, given he managed to hold the namesake behind the 'Blackthorn Gambit' himself and his schemes in check thanks to his vast age, wisdom and experience (up to tens of millions of years). This also hints at Blackthorn's own prowess at these gambits, given he manages to keep up with a being as wise and powerful as the Father of all Dragons; the implication is that he's just that good.
• Xanatos Speed Chess: The entire confrontation between Dr. Toxikon, the Changelings, and the Dragons (mainly Ember and Bahamut) is this, with all sides being incredibly intelligent and rapidly adjusting their plans.
• Xenafication: Many female characters in the Codexverse were adapted from all generations of the My Little Pony series and other non-MLP media, and given upgrades in badassery to varying degrees.
  • In canon, Magic Star was the leader and Team Mom of the Dream Valley Ponies, though her toy's backcard implies she has magic powers, too. Here, she's a powerful Archmage capable of wielding powerful sorcery, as well as the greatest enchantress and wand-maker on the planet, though she's skilled enough to have created multiple non-wand artifacts over the Ages. She also re-Ascended as the divine reincarnation of Plasmatio Equus, one of the Thirteen Empyreans, which made her even more powerful and granted her a new domain in Creation which Plasmatio was also a goddess of in life.
  • Melody from the G2 Musical Ponies toyline loved riding and dreaming with her Pony friends. Here, she started off as a mortal Third-Age descendant of the Second Age's Melody who Ascended to godhood and became the Alicorn goddess of Musical Magic, Endurance, and Dreams. And as a result of absorbing copious amounts of Wild Magic while trying to contain the Castle of Music's meltdown, she ended up becoming considerably older and more powerful than a typical goddess her age would've been; her entry explicitly compares her power levels to being on par with that of Belyolen and Temnobog, both of them "Tier IV"-ranked deities.
  • The Virtuous Seven came from My Little Pony Tales, a Slice of Life tv cartoon that focused on seven teenage fillies living ordinary lives in Ponyland. Here, while they do start out normal, they become beloved superheroines and Chosen Ones picked by the Armors of Virtue in the Isle of Pony to wield them. They even helped defeat and kill Queen Dark Crystal, the living embodiment of Tellusian sapientkind's evils and vices, impressing the Grand Primevals. Three Ages after their deaths, the Virtuous Seven would Ascend and come Back from the Dead as Alicorn goddesses and demigoddesses.
  • All of the Mane Six were already badass heroines in canon, but of them all, only Twilight/Amicitia became an Alicorn. Here, all of the Mane Six have additional powers and skills that their canon counterparts do not have. And not only does Twilight/Amicitia become an Alicorn, but the rest of the Mane Six Ascend, too.
    • Twilight Sparkle was already a badass mage even before becoming an Alicorn, and after her transformation, she became powerful enough to take on Tirek and fight him to a standstill. The Codexverse version of her takes every single accomplishment made in canon and expands on it; before her Ascension, she and her friends purified a Disorder Lord (a huge feat especially for a mortal). During her fight with Tirek, it's noted a huge portion of her power came from both herself and Cadence despite being also empowered by Celestia and Luna... and Twilight was just a demigoddess at the time. Even Luminiferous, himself an ancient god, stated her potential is so immense it rivals his when he was at her age. Then she becomes more powerful when she Ascends to true godhood during the "League of Domination Crisis" which saw her becoming the divine Reincarnation of Mana Equus, Equinekind's first goddess of Magic and the one who granted Equinekind the ability to use magic. Since then, she has become the Princess equivalent of an Emperor Scientist, spreading friendship while creating (or advocating the creation of) various technologies and spells.
  • Ragyō Kiryūin was already a powerful woman due to her Life Fiber DNA, her Kamui outfits, and her devastating combat skill that surpasses even that of her daughters. Here, Silk Dawn is an ancient, "Primeval"-ranked goddess of Primordial Light, Fabric, and Beauty who is a daughter of one of the oldest deities alive, requiring even the likes of equally powerful, benevolent deities (such as her own children, who betrayed her for her constant abuse of them) to take her down for good.
  • In G1 canon, Glory was a young Unicorn who could teleport herself and others by "wishing", though one G1 comic depicted her using magic comet rays to save Sparkler after the latter was turned invisible by a flower necklace. Here, it's revealed that Glory's magic is fueled by belief — the stronger her beliefs are, the stronger her spells become, which explains how she ended up in a Human kingdom far away from home. After training under Prince Stella Fictor Cahaya, Glory Ascends to godhood and becomes the Alicorn goddess of Magic, Belief, and Friendship, though she goes further by turning an eldritch goddess during the "Cosmic Prophet Debacle" thanks to Caelum Filum's influence. She's also a swordsmare whose chosen weapon is a divinely-made rapier named Majestic, created by her friend, Princess Magic Star/Magicum.
  • Rarity of My Little Pony (G3) was a Unicorn filly armed with a Rainbow Wand, which had the power to create rainbows and restore colors. Here, in addition to her canon abilities, Rarity eventually Ascends to godhood under Luminiferous' tutelage as the Alicorn Princess Arcus, and becomes one of both Unicornia and Ponyland's major defenders, earning the respect of the Third Age's Old Cryptan Empire at the time. At the end of the Third Age, when the Oceanaiads enacted their suicidal gambit, Rarity/Arcus absorbed the entire Rainbow Nexus into herself and miraculously survived, in the process empowering herself so drastically that she is presently equal to Luminiferous in both age and divine power. Of note, shortly after her aforementioned deed, Rarity/Arcus tested her powers and discovered a casual blast obliterated a nearby mountain.
  • Pillow Talk was only featured in one G1 Pony toy set called the "Slumber Party Gift Pack", with not even a backstory card to her name. In the Codexverse, she starts off as a sleep-talking filly with powerful Dream magic until she made her first kill while protecting the foals of Paradise of Estate from a Dream Demon. Under the tutelage of the Somareia and later Somarenus himself, she becomes a capable heroine who helped her fellow Paradise Ponies combat many threats of the First Age, including the Hydianites. While she was left psychologically broken when the Hydianites captured and tortured her, she was able bounce back thanks to her friends and family's support, later Ascending to godhood as the Alicorn goddess of Dreams, Sleep, and Protection. In the Third Age, she participated in the "Abyssal Wars" and helped fight the Abyssal Ones, which transformed her into an eldritch goddess due to the Abyssal Ones' sheer eldritch presence and power.

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