History FanFic / PoniesMakeWar

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[[quoteright:280:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Nihilus_Wrong-2_7986.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:280:“You will not call me Twilight. My name is Nihilus.”]]

-> "Go to your friends. Look them in the eyes, talk with them, laugh with them, and tell me if lifting a duster is more magical than what you ''feel'', truly ''feel'', in your heart. Friendship is a ''force'', [[spoiler: Twilight Sparkle]]. \\\
“Love. Wonder. Happiness. [[BigBad Titan]] has none of these things. If you allow him to take ours, then you give up our only advantage. If we are going to win, it will be for our intangible virtues, not brute force. Magic, ''real'' magic, the kind that I use to raise the moon, cannot be fought.”\\
--'''Princess Luna[[spoiler: (actually Celestia in disguise)]]'''

A fanfic written by [=AestheticB=]

Long ago, in the magical land of Equestria, there lived a powerful King and his dark Queen. Immortal and ignorant, their end came at the hooves of their daughters, Celestia and Luna, who sought to build a better future for ponykind.

Now ponykind’s old gods have returned.

Twilight Sparkle is trapped inside her own mind, slave to a cruel and impulsive consciousness built from everything she is not. Powerless and voiceless, she must find a way to stop the being that calls itself Nihilus from destroying everything she holds dear.

Luna is tasked with assembling the remaining Elements of Harmony in hopes of freeing their leader. For if ponykind is to have any hope, it is in Twilight Sparkle. And if Twilight Sparkle is to have any hope, it is in her five friends.

Facing her father in mortal combat, Celestia must do everything she can to ensure that ponykind has the tools to survive before she falls. With inevitable defeat bearing down upon her, she makes the first move in the oldest and deadliest game known to creation.

IMPORTANT NOTE: To avoid confusion after using the below link, take note of the fact that this story's author has renamed it "The Immortal Game".

The story can be found [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1886/Ponies-Make-War here]]


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!! This fic provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents: Does not even ''begin'' to describe Esteem's relationship with Rarity, let alone Titan and Terra's with Celestia and Luna.
** [[spoiler: Or Titan's with Terra, for that matter.]]
* AbusivePrecursors: To say Titan and Terra's initial reign over Equestria (in the backstory) was nightmarish would be a ''major'' understatement. Their current rule is even ''worse''.
** On the other hand, [[spoiler: Titan's first wife Harmony (Terra's mother), did care about her subjects. Enough that Titan eventually killed her for ignoring her duties to protect them from Discord.]]
* [[ActionGirl Action Mares]]: Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna most notably, although Pinkie and Fluttershy have their moments as well.
** Twilight's mother Starlight counts as well -- until the Mane Six meet up with the Loyalists, she and her husband are the only ones who really stand a chance against Esteem in a fight.
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Rarity’s blade, Vorpal. Rainbow Dash gets a sword like this later on.
* AchillesInHisTent: Following [[spoiler: Nihilus' defeat]] and her promotion to RebelLeader, Sparkle not only refuses to fight, but withdraws into herself, spending no time with anypony else that doesn't involve planning battles. [[spoiler: When Titan accidentally refuses her personalities, she makes it clear that [[HesBack she's back]] in epic fashion.]]
* ActualPacifist: Sparkle is literally unable to bring herself to attack anything, even Puppets.
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: See DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment.
* AgentPeacock: Esteem. He has long, curly red hair that is noted as looking "feminine," an eye for fashion he shares with his daughter, and a vain streak a mile wide. He's also the most terrifyingly efficient warrior working for Titan and thinks he looks pretty bathed in his enemies' blood.
* AGodAmI: Said by Luna, before her fight against Nihilus in Cloudsdale.
** After the same fight, Nihilus wonders [[spoiler:what defeating a god makes her]].
** And of course, there's Titan and Terra.
** [[spoiler: Ultimately [[AGodIAmNot subverted]] with Twilight Sparkle. After fully tapping into the power of the Elements of Harmony, she realizes that she's essentially become a god herself. The subversion comes from the fact that she's ''horrified'' by the idea, and decides that ''nopony'' should have that much power.]]
*** [[spoiler: DoubleSubverted when Twilight is transformed into an alicorn by Harmony's magic and admits that by every definition of the word, she ''is'' a god now.]]
* AirborneMook: The Pegasus Puppets.
** The flying monsters that are part of Titan's army during the [[FinalBattle Battle of the Everfree]], primarily harpies, though there is at least one siren in the mix.
* TheAlcoholic: Sir Unimpressive, who is never seen without a flask of whiskey. Twilight at one point wonders where he keeps getting it refilled.
* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs:
** Nihilus attacking Ponyville in her initial assault on the Mane Six.
** [[spoiler: The Puppets and Royal Army invading the Loyalist base in the Canterlot undercity.]]
** Terra attacking Ponyville ''again'' as [[RevengeByProxy punishment]] for the Loyalists [[spoiler: [[StormingTheCastle retaking Canterlot]].]]
* AllYourPowersCombined: Each of the Mane Six has certain traits that make them a monster to face in battle. Twilight's trait? To use ''all'' her friends abilities at once.
* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: ''Very'' strongly implied to have happened between [[spoiler: Applejack and Rarity]] when they thought Titan's storm would wipe them out during the Battle of the Everfree. However, it's hard to say for sure, since the storm made it impossible to actually hear anything, which is rendered in the narrative as them having to lipread, which doesn't really confirm anything for the reader.
* AndIMustScream: Twilight. She’s unable to stop her SuperpoweredEvilSide, Nihilus, from trying to kill her friends.
** Also Rainbow Dash when she subjected to [[MindRape the Insanity]], and is forced to watch as Wrong tries to help Nihilus kill her friends.
** A flashback shows Titan seemingly subjecting Discord to this after [[spoiler: he causes the death of Titan's son]]. As canon shows, he eventually escaped, with this story implying that Titan's original defeat by Celestia and Luna is what enabled it.
* ApologeticAttacker: Wrong (Rainbow Dash subjected to the Insanity).
* ArchEnemy: Sir Unimpressive and the Cadet are an interesting example, in that they only fight twice (and we only see the second fight), but they see each other as their greatest enemy. There's also an inverted example of UnknownRival in play, as they apparently already have a prior history that Unimpressive was completely unaware of.
** Titan and Discord were this back in the day [[spoiler: which is why Twilight recruits Discord's help near the end]].
* ArchnemesisDad[=/=]EvilMatriarch: Titan and Terra to the Princesses.
** Esteem to Rarity.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The Sliver of Darkness, the object responsible for Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon, and Twilight's into Nihilus.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: A recurring element in the story. Three notable ones are Unimpressive to The Cadet, Rarity to General Esteem, and Twilight to [[spoiler:Titan]].
* AscendedToCarnivorism: Esteem indulges in eating meat, which is an anathema to most ponies.
* AsYouKnow: Used to show what's happened during the TimeSkip, as the Cadet uses these exact words to start a briefing with Esteem. And the narration takes a moment to lampshade this trope, as it points out that yes, Esteem does already know all this.
* TheAtoner: Princess Luna.
** Twilight, following [[spoiler: her release from Nihilus' control.]]
* AxCrazy: Nihilus in spades, Wrong as well.
* BackToBackBadasses: Happens many times. During the Battle of the Everfree, Twilight does this with each of her friends, moving from one to another when needed.
* BadassPrincess: Celestia and Luna both qualify.
* BattleCouple: Twilight Sparkle's parents.
** Flashbacks show that Twilight's ancestor Astor Coruscare and her lover Valiant were the most dangerous warriors in Titan's army short of the alicorns themselves.
* BattleCry: Rainbow Dash coins one for the pegasi:
-->"Thunder and lightning!" "Wings and steel!"
* BattleInTheRain: A significant portion of the Battle of the Everfree, though the storm is pushed away by the pegasi well before the battle is over.
** The storm gets moved to Canterlot, which just so happens to end up the sight of the final duel between Titan and Twilight.
* {{BFS}}: Equinox. Most unicorns have around 9 pieces to their blade. [[spoiler: Sir Unimpressive is trained for ten years and has an amazing thirteen. Rarity and her father General Esteem (the most powerful mortal warrior on the planet) has fourteen. Twilight Sparkle? '''Twenty Effing Seven'''.]]
** It also has the added benefit of [[spoiler: serving as a focus for the Elements of Harmony.]]
* BigBad: Titan
* BigDamnHeroes: Considering the premise of the story, it's to be expected that there are quite a few of these.
** In the third-to-last chapter, Fluttershy does this [[spoiler:with a dragon!]]
* BigNo: Nihilus lets one rip when [[spoiler: Twilight retakes control of her body long enough for the Elements of Harmony to be used on her.]]
* BloodKnight: Nihilus and Esteem both fit this trope quite nicely.
** And so does Sir Unimpressive, to provide a more heroic example.
* BloodIsTheNewBlack: Esteem "spreads" a helpless pony all over himself and Rarity. Then he apologizes for not considering that the color doesn't go with her mane, like it does his.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Wrong, Rainbow Dash after Nihilus implants a spell called [[MindRape the Insanity]] into her skull that constantly tears at her sense of self, resulting in a nigh-amnesiac assassin who divides her time between [[ImplacableMan hunting down the Mane Six]] and [[ApologeticAttacker begging them to run.]]
** [[spoiler:Titan inflicted the Insanity on Terra to turn her from a nurturing pony into a CompleteMonster.]]
* BrainwashResidue: [[spoiler: Although Dash is freed from Nihilus' mind control, she's still subconsciously compelled to obey Twilight Sparkle.]]
* BreakTheCutie: Pinkie Pie gets hit hard by this after [[spoiler: she thinks that Wrong!Dash killed Fluttershy]].
* BreakThemByTalking: Twilight shooting down [[spoiler: Titan's authority, saying he has no right to make himself King of the World, before stating he never had a place in the world he created, which was why both his immortal family and all of ponykind defied him.]]
** Sir Unimpressive did this to the Cadet in order to make him lose control of his blade, allowing Unimpressive to defeat him.
* BrickJoke: In the Mane Cast's first scene (before everything goes to hell), Rainbow Dash makes an AccidentalInnuendo about Fluttershy's dancing. Much later, after [[spoiler: breaking free from Nihilus' mind control to save Pinkie Pie]], she makes another one about the latter situation.
* BrokenAce: It's established right at the beginning of the story that Twilight is, in addition to being Celestia's prize student, the most powerful Unicorn alive [[spoiler: (and by the end of the story is [[PhysicalGod practically a god]])]], but that just ends up making her a target for the villains, and later leads to her being appointed leader of the Loyalists. The stress of all this practically drives her insane [[spoiler: and leads to the BrokenPedestal below.]]
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler: Twilight eventually realizes that Celestia was manipulating her for years, subtly training her to be warrior and RebelLeader in case she was ever deposed. This shatters Twilight's image of Celestia, and she ends up hating her for it.]]
* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler: Happens to Celestia ''twice''. First, she's completely stripped of her power at the beginning of the story, and only gets it back near the climax. Shortly thereafter, most of her magic is drained again, leaving her only slightly more powerful than the average pony. This wears off in time for the FinalBattle.]]
** Also happens to [[spoiler: Empyrean, Terra and Titan, though only Terra lives longer than a few minutes afterwards.]]
* TheCaligula: Does it even need to be said at this point?
* CallingTheOldManOut: Rarity.
** [[spoiler: Once Celestia is restored, Twilight rips into her, calling her out on her manipulations.]]
* ChekhovsGun: Dash fought the Insanity so much that she's able to subconsciously fight off any other attempts to control her mind, such as the siren during the Battle of the Everfree.
** It's mentioned several times that the best way to defeat a bladecaster is to break their spirit, which makes them lose control of their blade. This is how Sir Unimpressive defeats the Cadet, [[spoiler: and how Twilight defeats Titan]].
* TheChessmaster: Celestia.
** [[spoiler: Twilight becomes this as well after her [[SplitPersonality Split Personalities]] merge back together.]]
* ClimaxBoss: [[spoiler: Nihilus. She is the primary threat for roughly the first third of the story, and it is only after her defeat that Luna and the Mane Six can focus on taking the war to Titan.]]
* CoDragons: Nihilus and Esteem. [[spoiler: After Nihilus' defeat, Esteem takes on full Dragon duties.]]
** One could argue that Terra has shades of TheDragon as well, though she doesn't do much for most of the story. [[spoiler: Though following Esteem's death, she steps down into the role.]]
** There's a literal example during the [[FinalBattle Battle of the Everfree]], as Titan appoints command of his army to Exakktus the Black, the oldest and most powerful of all dragons. [[spoiler: At least until Fluttershy talks him into [[HeelFaceTurn switching sides]].]]
* CosmicChessGame: The titular Immortal Game referred to by Celestia and Titan at points in the story.
* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler: Inflicted on the depowered Celestia by [[EvilMatriarch Terra]], her own mother.]]
** [[spoiler: Titan tortures Sparkle for personal information he can use against Celestia.]]
* ConvenientComa: [[spoiler: Twilight ends up in one after Nihilus' defeat, and doesn't wake up until after the TimeSkip.]]
* TheCorruption: Discord's MO back in the day -- he'd turn ponies into mindless, hideous creatures called creechlings who the Royals wouldn't hesitate to MercyKill. [[spoiler: And this ended up including Terra's brother/husband, the original Empyrean.]]
* CrazyPrepared: [[spoiler: In the entirely possible event that Titan can withstand the Elements of Harmony, or that they don't all even live long enough to use them, Twilight has a backup plan. His name? Discord.]]
* CryForTheDevil: Terra gets a flashback chapter that shows how she became the way she is: [[spoiler: she had to MercyKill her brother/husband after Discord corrupted him, then Titan killed her mother for "betraying" him, forced her to be his new wife, and subjected her to the Insanity so that she'd become as brutal as him]]. It's kind of hard not to pity her after reading that.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: God-mode]] Twilight Sparkle versus anypony who isn't Titan (the ''real'' Titan; the Puppet avatars don't count).
** Nihilus' first fight with Luna, as the latter was severely weakened at the time.
** Esteem vs anypony in a blade fight who isn't Rarity, Twilight's mother, or Twilight herself.
** Terra delivers one to everypony during the second battle of Ponyville [[spoiler: but they keep fighting, and eventually reignite the Elements of Harmony to even things out.]]
* CuttingTheKnot: When Twilight announces that they need to get inside the Citadel, Rainbow Dash asks if she's going to use a spell to open it up. Twilight responds by blasting a hole in the wall.
* DarkFic: And how! WarIsHell, the corruption of ideals, RageAgainstTheHeavens and RageAgainstTheMentor, MadGod predecessors, mass war, [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashing]]...
* DarkIsNotEvil: Luna, especially in later chapters.
* TheDeadHaveNames: Pinkie lists the names of all the ponies killed in Terra's attack on Ponyville when [[spoiler: stating her reason for voting to kill her when she's imprisoned]].
* DeathFakedForYou: [[spoiler: After Nihilus is defeated, the world at large thinks Twilight is dead. And while she's recuperating, Luna and the other Mane Cast members do nothing to counter those rumors, in order to keep her safe.]]
* DeathGlare: The Stare becomes this literally when Fluttershy uses it on Puppets -- [[HandWave apparently]], it works by bending a pony or animal's will, but since the Puppets don't have any will of their own, it burns through them instead.
* DecapitationPresentation: During a series of flashbacks to the life of Astor Coruscare (a distant, famous ancestor of Twilight's), her lover presents her with the head of one of the most powerful dragons to ever live -- while ''proposing''. Weird couple.
** [[spoiler: Discord]] does this with [[spoiler: Empyrean]]'s head at one point, in order to mock Titan.
** [[spoiler: Twilight does this with Titan's head to show that the war is over.]]
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Nihilus Nix Naught? ''Somepony's'' got a zero fetish.
* DespairEventHorizon: Twilight crosses it on the eve of the FinalBattle, as she deduces that they don't have a chance of winning. Luna [[spoiler: (actually Celestia in disguise)]] gives her hope with the speech that the page quote comes from.
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: Part of Nihilus' flaws as a minion is that she's a ''complete'' inversion of Twilight -- up to and including Twi's ability to focus on a goal, meaning she often gets distracted by new ways to torture her targets -- giving them time to escape.
** She also takes the time to deface Twilight's old diary - [[ForTheLulz just for the hell of it]].
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: [[spoiler: Rainbow Dash kicks Titan's avatar in the face. It doesn't do much, but it distracts it long enough for Luna to slice it in half with her blade.]]
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Twilight managing to nearly kill Terra during the second battle of Ponyville. [[spoiler: Then Terra heals and proceeds to return the favor.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Despite her important role at the beginning of the story, Nihilus is the first major antagonist dispatched, bridging the way to greater battles and war.
* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: Fluttershy.]]
* DivideAndConquer: This is how Titan was imprisoned in the first place. Terra had gotten angry when Titan ordered her to stop creating new creatures, resulting in a long war. At the end of it, Celestia and Luna lured the two of them into the same place, then let them fight it out. When it was over, they surprised Titan, paralyzing him long enough to construct a prison.
* TheDogBitesBack: There's shades of this when [[spoiler: Rainbow Dash breaks free of the Insanity and goes apeshit on Nihilus.]]
* DrunkenMaster: Upon seeing that his arch-nemesis, the Cadet, is tearing through a crowd of innocent refugees and obviously needs to be confronted, the first thing Sir Unimpressive does is swig down the rest of his whiskey. Then he goes and kicks the Cadet's ass.
* DualWielding: Twilight with both Equinox and Vorpal, [[spoiler: after Rarity is nearly killed]].
* [[spoiler:EarnYourHappyEnding: After suffering brainwashing, corruption, and multiple brushes with death, the heroes ultimately prevail, defeat Titan, and are able to rebuild.]]
* EliteMooks: The Unicorn Puppets.
* EnemyCivilWar: In the BackStory -- during Titan and Terra's original reign, she eventually tried to usurp his position, and they fought for (possibly) decades, until Celestia and Luna got so tired of all the pointless death and destruction that they stabbed both of their parents in the back and sealed them away.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler: Allying with Discord against Titan. Celestia describes the situation as "[[LesserOfTwoEvils better the devil they know]]".]]
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler: Terra]] is this to Fluttershy, as revealed in her backstory
* [[HumanoidAbomination Equinoid Abomination]]: Discord's creechlings from the flashbacks definitely sound like they fit, going by the description.
** Titan and Terra are more powerful versions of this, Titan especially. Their children also have shades of it by simple genetics, even though they are nicer; [[spoiler: Twilight is starting to go down this road as well]].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In his own sick, twisted way, Esteem actually seems to care about Rarity. Likewise, Terra seems to genuinely love Titan.
** [[spoiler: Terra (and Titan too, before he snapped) also loved Harmony (Terra's mother and Titan's first wife) and the original Empyrean (Terra's brother/first husband and Titan's son).]]
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: ''All'' of the main villains have this to varying degrees.
* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: Titan ultimately decides that the main "problem" with ponies is their free will, which allows them to defy him, and resolves to remove it once he's crushed Twilight and the Loyalists.
* EyeScream: It must not have been a pleasant experience for [[spoiler: Twilight to have an ArtifactOfDoom shoved into her eye]].
** [[spoiler: She returns the favor, albeit with a regular (and ''big'') piece of metal, when she's killing Esteem.]]
* FightingFromTheInside: Dash struggles with the Insanity, trying to resist it's control over her. It doesn't go well [[spoiler: until Fluttershy uses The Stare, which weakens the Insanity enough for Dash to break free.]]
** Twilight also fights Nihilus passively by providing her bad information and distractions whenever possible, but it isn't until her friends are all in a position to defeat her that she can resist long enough to provide them help in the form of the elements.
* TheFightingNarcissist: General Esteem, widely recognized as the greatest bladecaster in the world -- when Titan grants him a boon in exchange for his loyalty, he chooses eternal youth.
* FinalBattle: The Battle of the Everfree. Though the actual final duel between Twilight and Titan is fought in the ruins of Canterlot.
* GodzillaThreshold: That's all you can really call it when the group [[spoiler: recruits Discord.]]
* {{Hammerspace}}: Twilight/Nihilus' null-space
* HannibalLecture: Terra is very fond of these [[spoiler: whether she's the captor or the captive.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Subverted. Twilight throws herself into Titan's free will-removing spell in order to disrupt it, fully expecting to die in the process. Instead, she absorbs the remnants of Harmony's power and is transformed into an alicorn.]]
* HeroWithBadPublicity: Luna, though it gets better the more she fights alongside the Loyalists.
* HealingFactor: All Earth Ponies [[spoiler: and Fluttershy]] seem to possess this in varying degrees, Applejack's in particular seems to be rather powerful.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Exakktus is talked into turning on Titan by Fluttershy.]]
** [[spoiler: Terra also eventually gives up on her hate, but only after Titan is defeated.]]
* HellishPupils: Nihilus gets a glowing red iris around a slitted pupil where [[spoiler: Esteem drove the sliver through her eye]].
* HeroicSecondWind: During the battle of Canterlot castle, [[spoiler: Twilight gets gutted by both Titan's avatar and Esteem]], and it looks like it's all over. Then, [[spoiler: Twilight uses the link between the bearers of the Elements to tap into Applejack's HealingFactor]], and she gets back up.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: The reason for Sparkle's [[ActualPacifist pacifism]] is that she's afraid that she'll start enjoying violence, and become no better than Nihilus. [[spoiler: When her mind fuses back together, Twilight Sparkle realizes that was foolish -- she is ''nothing'' like Nihilus, and will ''never'' let herself sink so low.]]
* HowWeGotHere: Chapter 14 [[spoiler: starts with Titan conversing with Celestia while simultaneously torturing Twilight. The rest of the chapter explains how he came to be torturing Twilight]].
* IAmNotMyFather: Rarity
* [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Father]]: After [[CallingTheOldManOut calling him out]], Rarity effectively disowns Esteem, and shows no signs of having a problem with the possibility of having to kill him [[spoiler: and is far from upset when Twilight does just that.]]
* ImAHumanitarian: Nihilus [[spoiler: ''ate Celestia's ear'']], though aside from that there aren't any other signs of this trope being in play.
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Depending on how you look at it, Twilight's "God Slayer" outfit might count, with her wearing a piece of the night sky on her body. (Then again, since it's designed to never come off, this might get a little awkward after the war).
** Becomes a moot point when [[spoiler: the outfit is incinerated in the process of Twilight becoming an alicorn.]]
* IncestIsRelative: Titan doesn't appear to have a problem with forcing Luna to marry her brother, or [[spoiler: himself being married to his daughter.]]
** [[spoiler: And Terra was originally married to her own brother, before he and her mother both died and Titan forced her to marry him.]]
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain[=/=]MinionWithAnFInEvil: Empyrean. He really has no clue how to run Equestria or fight the Loyalists, and it's clear that Esteem hates having to work for him. [[spoiler: It makes his death at Titan's hooves even sadder, really.]]
* InsistentTerminology: Titles are very important to some of the ponies.
* InternalReveal: After [[spoiler: Nihilus' defeat]], Equestria at large believes Twilight to be dead, until she (and the rest of the Mane Six) hook up with the Loyalists.
* IronicEcho: "Titles are important," is practically Esteem's CatchPhrase. Twilight shoots this back at him during the FinalBattle by pointing out that [[spoiler: while he may be a General, she's a ''Master'' General]]. Similarly, he gives her a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech when he thinks he's beat her, and later she gives a similar one to him right before [[spoiler: killing him]].
** [[spoiler: After being stripped of her power, Celestia refuses to answer to her mother's mocking nickname of "Sunshine". When Terra sees that Celestia has regained her power, she's so shocked she can only choke out her name, to which Celestia smugly replies, "Call me Sunshine".]]
** When Terra is [[spoiler: imprisoned by the Mane Six]], she tells Fluttershy that she performs cruel acts because "It's what I do. It's who I am." When Fluttershy shows her an act of kindness anyway, she replies to Terra's inquiry as to why with the same line.
* ItHasBeenAnHonor: Just before the final charge in the Battle of the Everfree, Twilight says this to her friends. Well, in the roundabout, slightly messed up way that fits her new personality, anyway.
* ItsPersonal: Naturally, Rarity's rivalry with her father Esteem. [[spoiler: Though that ends up taking a backseat to ''Twilight's'' vendetta against him, the stallion who turned her into Nihilus.]]
* JerkassGods: Titan and Terra don't really care much about for their subjects.
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: Esteem, who forced the Sliver of Darkness through Twilight's eye as she begged for mercy, is killed by Twilight pushing a (very large) sliver of metal through his eye while his attempts at begging for mercy are cut off by Twilight forcing his mouth shut.]]
* KickTheDog: Esteem mocking Twilight's parents about how he [[spoiler: turned her into Nihilus]].
* KillItWithFire: Averted. [[spoiler: Celestia ''tries'' to incinerate Terra, but Titan intervenes before she can finish the job.]]
** [[spoiler: Averted ''again'' during the second battle of Ponyville; Twilight tries to kill Terra with a beam of concentrated molten iron, but only manages to wound her before running out.]]
** [[spoiler: Subverted during the Battle of the Everfree. Exakktus breathes enough fire at Titan to melt him down to his bones, but he's so dang indestructible that he's easily capable of killing Exakktus.]]
* LadyOfWar: Rarity
* LaResistance: The Loyalists.
* LastOfHisKind: As it turns out, [[spoiler: Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are part of -- and are possibly the last -- of very rare, naturally evolved, pony subspecies that Titan ordered destroyed for not fitting in his design.]]
* LastSecondChance: [[spoiler: After stripping Titan of his power, Twilight offers him a chance to live as a mortal, and maybe one day atone for all he's done. He opts for a suicidal final charge.]]
* LastStand: The Battle of the Everfree is an interesting play on this trope. By this point, Titan's lost all of his top lieutenants and his ability to create Puppets, and the Loyalists are assaulting his Citadel. However, he still controls the monsters of the forest, which all combined vastly outnumber the decimated Loyalists. On top of that, he's preparing to enact a spell that will strip the world of its free will, so Twilight and the others know that they have to finish the war with this last battle, or they lose everything. So really, in a way it's a Last Stand for ''both'' sides.
* LegacyCharacter: Empyrean turns out to be one; he was modeled and named after [[spoiler: Titan's first son, who was also Terra's brother/husband.]]
* LesCollaborateurs: All the nobles and soldiers who side with the royal family after Titan takes over. Though it should be noted that aside from Esteem and the Cadet, who joined for power (and the former's respect in the Cadet's case), this is presented more realistically than most examples -- many, like Captain Crunch, only sided with Titan out of fear and the belief that they had no other choice.
* LoadBearingBoss: [[spoiler: When Nihilus is defeated, her [[OminousFloatingCastle floating fortress]] falls apart.]]
* LookBehindYou: Sir Unimpressive does this to some Puppets at one point. Since they're mindless, it works.
* MamaBear[=/=]PapaWolf: Don't mess with Twilight, or you'll have her parents coming after you. Especially her mother Starlight, who, before Rarity hooks up with the Loyalists, is the only pony able to match Esteem in a sword fight.
* [[MasterSwordsman Master Bladecaster]]: Esteem. As he notes that Rarity is the strongest bladecaster he's ever met other than himself, Rarity may fit this trope as well.
* MeaningfulRename: Titan was originally named Order, but changed it when he snapped from the fallout of his war with Discord, and went from a strict but well intentioned ruler to the monster we've seen in the rest of the story.
* MercyKill: As flashbacks show, this is the only thing to be done for Discord's creechlings, since there's no way to return them to normal. [[spoiler: Then Terra had to do this to her brother/husband.]]
* TheMessiah: Due to being Celestia's prized student, Twilight has a reputation like this among the Loyalists, which causes their ranks to swell after the InternalReveal that she's still alive. [[spoiler: And after her HesBack moment, with the awakening of her true power, she really starts to live up to it.]]
* MightyGlacier: Applejack
* MindHive: Celestia can split her mind into at least three separate consciousnesses, each able to concentrate on a different train of thought. [[spoiler: Twilight also acquires this skill after being freed of Nihilus, and Terra implies Titan has the ability as well.]]
* MindRape: The Insanity does this to Rainbow Dash whenever she even thinks about resisting one of Nihilus's orders. Or [[LossOfIdentity remember she's Rainbow Dash.]]
* {{Mooks}}: The Puppets
* MookLieutenant: The Cadet.
* MookMaker: It seems Terra's primary job is to create Puppets, which Titan doesn't seem capable of. [[spoiler: Following her loss of power, Titan is forced to use the monsters of the Everfree as his army.]]
* MyNameIsInigoMontoya: [[spoiler: Twilight Sparkle gets a moment like this when Titan's torture forces her [[SplitPersonality fractured mind]] back together.]]
* MythologyGag: Out of the Mane Six, the first two to [[spoiler: use another race's abilities are Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, who use pegasus and earthpony magic respectively. This hearkens back to their original G4 designs which in turn were based off of two G1 characters.]] And as a cherry on top, immediately afterwards we get:
--->'''Pinkie''': [[spoiler: [[ShoutOut Surprise.]]]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Titan puts [[spoiler: Sparkle in such a bad situation it forces her to reintegrate her minds.]]
** Terra's assault on Ponyville, which serves no strategic goal and is only to hurt her enemies emotionally, ends [[spoiler: with her losing her godhood and the Elements of Harmony re-ignited]].
* NietzscheWannabe: Terra would appear to qualify, as she believes that the only purpose in life is to survive, and that any other goal is meaningless.
* NeverMyFault: Titan blames ponykind for [[spoiler: the deaths of his wife and first son]], even though Discord was responsible for the latter, and ''he himself'' was responsible for the former.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Since there is a ''war'' going on and all, naturally no one's holding any punches. Still, that being said, the key fights always seem to be a bit harsher than most of the others.
* NotNowKiddo: The moon turning red.
* NoSell: Applejack is able to do this due to a combination of her strength, her HealingFactor, and her armor (especially after Twilight enhances the latter).
** And both Titan and Terra have a spell that neutralizes other ponies' magic [[spoiler: including the Elements of Harmony.]]
* NotWhatItLooksLike: After Applejack and Fluttershy end up sharing a bed for the night, Rainbow Dash walks in on them the following morning lying on top of each other. She quickly leaves the room, and Applejack just as quickly follows after to explain.
* OffingTheOffspring: Titan and Terra have no problem with doing this [[spoiler: as proven when Titan kills Empyrean for [[YouHaveFailedMe failing him]]]].
* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler: How Twilight finishes off Titan.]]
* TheOldGods: How Titan and Terra are referred to at a few points in the story.
* OminousFloatingCastle: Nihilus' floating citadel.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Sir Unimpressive and the Cadet.
* OnlyMostlyDead: [[spoiler: Rarity is fatally wounded by Titan during the Battle of the Everfree, but Twilight -- newly transformed into an alicorn -- is able to preserve her long enough to save her.]]
* OrcusOnHisThrone: All of the royals. Empyrean stays in the palace, officially ruling in his father's name, but never fights the Loyalists himself [[spoiler: until the Mane Six burst into his throne room and depower him]] (which is justified by him being young and having no knowledge of combat). Meanwhile, Titan and Terra are off "restoring order" to their creation [[spoiler: and torturing Celestia]], and don't fight the protagonists directly except at the very beginning of the story and during the climax, though Titan did intervene a few times via Puppet Avatars.
* PaintItBlack: Nihilus starts out looking exactly like Twilight, but eventually ends up looking like the picture above. In a faster example, when Rainbow Dash is subjected to the Insanity, it turns her fur black and her mane and tail white.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler: Twilight's rather brutal killing of Esteem would be a MoralEventHorizon if he didn't totally have it coming.]]
* [[HumansAreBastards Ponies Are Bastards]]: Titan and Terra both firmly believe that Ponies are naturally vicious, violent creatures, and the paradise that Celestia created is a falsehood.
* PhysicalGod: All the royals, obviously. [[spoiler: Also Twilight, once she fully taps into the power of the Elements of Harmony.]]
** You probably wouldn't suspect [[spoiler: sweet, timid, little [[ShrinkingViolet Fluttershy]]]] of having the potential to become this. You would be wrong.
* [[PersonOfMassDestruction Pony of Mass Destruction]]: Goes hand in hand with the above.
* ThePowerOfHate: It's the only thing Terra was left with after [[spoiler: being subjected to Titan's [[BrainwashedAndCrazy mind control spell]]]]. Now she hates everything - average ponies, Celestia and Luna, even Titan himself.
* PsychicLink: It turns out that the Elements of Harmony grant one to their bearers, and the Mane Six end up using this to their advantage during battle.
* RageAgainstTheMentor: [[spoiler: When they're reunited, Twilight ''really'' tears Celestia a new one, calling her out for all her manipulations. Celestia tries to mend things between them, but Twilight points out that the way she's doing it is just another manipulation.]]
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Applejack gives a rather simple one to Esteem when they meet for the first time:
-->"Ah know knights and generals. You're just a jackass."
** Esteem himself gives one to Twilight when he thinks the villains have won, telling her that she was foolish to think she could win, and that all she'll be remembered for is failing. [[spoiler: When Twilight kills him, she gives a similar speech about how all ''he'll'' be remembered for is his treachery.]]
** Twilight gives one to [[spoiler: Titan, of all ponies]], breaking him just long enough to defeat him.
* RebelLeader: Twilight's parents seem to have been, if not ''the'' leaders of the Loyalists, then at least among them. Until the Mane Six hook up with them, and Twilight hesitantly accepts Luna's decision to appoint her General of the Armies of Equestria, which makes her leader of the Loyalists by default.
** [[spoiler: It turns out that Celestia was subtly training her for this position should the need ever arise, something Twilight resents her for, though she ''really'' gets into the role once her mind heals.]]
* RedBaron: After her HesBack moment, Twilight Sparkle takes up the title "The Godslayer", to serve as both a symbol of hope for the Loyalists, and a figure of fear for the Royals.
** Rarity becomes known as "The Dragonslayer" when she takes down the green dragon during the Battle of the Everfree.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler: Captain Coconut Crunch]], who performs a HeelFaceTurn when she realizes the Loyalists have a chance of winning, and ends up being unceremoniously killed by Esteem.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: [[spoiler: As a final "screw you" to Twilight before his death, Esteem tells her her killed and ate Spike. Turns out, Spike was just in the dungeon the whole time.]]
* RevengeByProxy: Titan sends Terra to destroy Ponyville after [[spoiler: the Loyalists retake Canterlot]]. As Luna puts it, it's not about winning, it's about punishment.
* RogueProtagonist: As suggested in the picture and mentioned in the picture's caption, Twilight Sparkle [[spoiler: but only for about the first third of the story.]]
* RousingSpeech: Twilight gives one to the Loyalists right before the Battle of the Everfree.
* RoyalBrat: Prince Empyrean, who -- as Esteem is quick to point out -- is just a petulant child who happens to have the power of a god.
* [[HesBack She's Back]]: Rainbow Dash [[spoiler: breaking free of the Insanity]] in order to save Pinkie, performing a Sonic Rainboom in the process [[spoiler: that restores her normal coloration]].
** [[spoiler: The personalities of Twilight and Sparkle being fused back together, and the true Twilight Sparkle emerging from it, proceeding to [[CurbStompBattle curbstomp]] all of Titan's forces arrayed against her.]]
** [[spoiler: Celestia regaining her powers, and taking the fight to her parents.]]
** And then there's ''everyone'' when [[spoiler: they manage to reignite the neutralized Elements of Harmony to use against Terra.]]
* ShockAndAwe: As she [[TookALevelInBadass takes a few levels in badass]], Rainbow Dash learns to use this pegasus power at will.
* ShooOutTheClowns: Well, [[CloudCuckoolander Pinkie's]] still involved, so this trope isn't in full effect. However, the CMC are quickly removed from the story after a quick mention as they're shipped off to safety, thus allowing the story to focus on the more serious characters.
** Spike also disappears pretty quickly. His absence is played for drama with Twilight, who has to work through her [[AdultFear parental concern]] for him in addition to the rest of her issues, but he doesn't play much importance in the plot. [[spoiler: Until, of course, he is found alive...]]
* ShoutOut: To Film/SherlockHolmes. For a while, the duel between Twilight and [[spoiler: Esteem]] plays out just like the one between Holmes and Moriarty in A Game Of Shadows.
--> ''His advantage: Experience. [[spoiler: Our advantages]]: Power. Mobility.''
** And to CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger:
-->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' How do you feel?
-->'''Princess Luna,[[spoiler: newly infused with Terra's magic]]:''' Taller.
** Titan is [[MassEffect2 ASSUMING CONTROL OF THIS FORM]].
** Rarity and Esteem have a conversation taken almost word for word from TheEmpireStrikesBack:
-->'''Esteem:''' “It is useless to resist! Don’t let yourself be destroyed as your mother did!”
* ShutUpHannibal: During the second Battle of Ponyville, while Terra is beating the Mane Six and Luna into the ground, she's also ranting about how survival is all that matters, and doesn't understand why they're fighting her even though they have no chance to beat her. They shoot her down simply:
-->'''Terra''': What could ''possibly'' be more important to you ponies than survival.
-->'''Fluttershy''': Friendship.
** This is immediately followed by Terra stating that she's still more powerful than all of them and trying to finish them, only to be stopped by [[spoiler: the previously-neutralized Elements of Harmony reigniting.]]
-->'''Terra''': I have more power than all of you combined. Against me you have ''nothing''. ''No'' weapons. ''No'' magic.
-->(''Attempts to kill Twilight, [[spoiler: but the Elements reignite, blocking and then immobilizing her]]'')
-->'''Terra''': [[ThisCannotBe No! That's impossible!]]
-->'''Twilight''': Hadn't you heard? Friendship ''is'' magic.
* ShutUpKirk: Titan to Twilight, repeatedly during the final battle. [[spoiler: Twilight eventually gets through to him long enough to Stare him down, break his will and claim his power.]]
* SplitPersonality: [[spoiler: The minds of Sparkle and Twilight.]]
** SplitPersonalityMerge: [[spoiler: Titan's torture causes Sparkle to accept Twilight's offer of fusing back together, and the real Twilight Sparkle emerges as a result.]]
* SocialDarwinist: Titan and his disciple Esteem
* TheStarscream: Nihilus only follows Titan's orders as an excuse to hunt down the Mane Six and get her hooves on the Elements so she can use them to overthrow him and place herself on the throne.
* TheStoic: Twilight becomes this after [[spoiler: her SplitPersonalityMerge]]. From then on, the only times she shows emotion is around her parents, the other Mane Six, and occasionally Luna.
* StopOrIShootMyself: When Nihilus captures the Element bearers and is trying to take the Elements from them, Rarity threatens to slit her own throat with a diamond (that she hid in her mane) if she doesn't release the others. [[spoiler: Nihilus agrees, but the point ends up being moot anyway.]]
* StormingTheCastle: The Loyalists attacking Canterlot castle. By the time it's done, [[spoiler: they've retaken the castle, Empyrean and Esteem are dead, Celestia's power has been restored, and Titan is ''pissed''.]]
** The [[FinalBattle Battle of the Everfree]] is focused on storming Titan's Citadel in the heart of the forest.
* SuicideByCop: [[spoiler: It's implied that Titan knew that charging Twilight after losing his power was suicide, but that he wanted to go down fighting.]]
* SupportingLeader: Luna for most of the story, especially after Twilight is appointed leader of the Loyalists. [[spoiler: During the [[FinalBattle Battle of the Everfree]], she shares the role with Celestia.]]
** Rainbow Dash takes charge of the pegasi troops during most battles, especially the Battle of the Everfree.
* TalkingToThemself: Twilight Sparkle ends up doing this a lot after [[spoiler: her mind splits in two]].
* TermsOfEndangerment: Nihilus likes to call Twilight "kiddo." Twilight soon [[IronicEcho returns the favor, several times]].
** [[spoiler: Terra teasingly calls Celestia "Sunshine." Celestia retaliates by calling Terra "mom."]]
* ThatCameOutWrong: Becomes a RunningGag with poor Rainbow Dash, who keeps accidentally saying things that make her [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday sound like a lesbian]].
* ThereWasADoor: Rarity says this word for word when Applejack smashes through a wall, just a few feet from the perfectly good doorframe she destroyed.
* ThisCannotBe: [[spoiler: Terra's reaction when Titan dies.]]
* TimeSkip: After [[spoiler: Nihilus' defeat]], the story skips ahead a month, and after a couple of chapters bringing various plot threads together, subtly skips ahead roughly two weeks [[spoiler: for the FinalBattle]].
* TitleDrop: For both of the story's titles:
** For the original title: ''Ponies Make War'' is the name of a book of war magic written by one of Twilight Sparkle's ancestors, and the phrase itself is dropped a few times.
** The "Immortal Game" is how Titan and Celestia refer to their CosmicChessGame.
* TookALevelInBadass: Rarity is the most notable, though most of the mane cast take a few levels themselves.
** According to the author, all of the Mane Six will take multiple levels in badass, yes even Fluttershy.
*** ''Especially'' Fluttershy, judging from her [[BigDamnHeroes grand entrance]] at the climactic battle of Everfree. [[spoiler:She rides into battle in the grandest badass form imaginable, using the largest, oldest, and most powerful dragon in Equestria as her personal steed, only for her to reveal herself as a [[PhysicalGod Physical Goddess]] complete with gravity defying hair and a version of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Rarity pronounces her terrifying. Even Twilight is struck speechless.]]
* TortureTechnician: Terra seems to be this when she's not busy creating Puppets [[spoiler: unfortunately for Celestia.]]
* ToThePain: A subtle example, but [[spoiler: Discord]]'s threat to [[spoiler: Titan]] during their confrontation qualifies:
-->"I'm going to make you ''feel'', old friend. I'm going to make you feel ''everything.''"
* TrashTheSet: By the time the story's over, both Cloudsdale and Ponyville have been wrecked, a large portion of the Everfree forest has been burned down, and Canterlot is in ruins (with Canterlot Castle itself being ''completely obliterated'').
* TreacherousAdvisor: General Esteem was this to Celestia.
* [[ThatManIsDead That Pony Is Dead]]: [[spoiler: Sparkle referring to the old Twilight Sparkle]]
** Also how Terra refers to her original, kind self. She even goes so far as to say that even if there was any of the old her left buried inside her, she'd gladly destroy it.
* TryNotToDie: Just before they [[StormingTheCastle storm Canterlot castle]], Twilight orders Sir Unimpressive not to die, as a contingency plan (specifically, he can lead if she dies).
* UnfortunateNames: One of the Loyalist commanders is a Pegasus named [[PunnyName Noble Steed]]. When he introduces himself, he comments that he doesn't know what he did to his parents when he was only a day old that they decided to punish him by giving him that name.
* UngratefulBastard: [[spoiler: When the Mane Six defeat and depower Terra, they vote to spare her life. She mocks them for it and calls them weak.]]
* UnskilledButStrong: During their final duel, Twilight deduces that Titan never bothered to learn how to fight beyond a basic level, since he's just so powerful he can normally just obliterate whatever's in his way.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Terra comes off as this in her flashbacks, until... well, see CryForTheDevil.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Nihilus completely falls apart (not that she was all the stable to begin with) after Rainbow Dash breaks free of her control, and it's revealed she ''didn't'' manage to corrupt the Elements, as she thought she had. In the end, she's left a terrified wreck begging Twilight to spare her, which obviously doesn't happen.]]
** Empyrean totally loses it when the Mane Six [[spoiler: break through his defenses and enter the throne room]] and tries to incinerate them [[spoiler: only for the Elements to neutralize his attack to depower him]].
** [[spoiler: Titan completely loses it when Twilight manages to BreakingLecture him; even after she takes away his power, he still tries to fight her, which gets him killed.]]
* VillainExitStageLeft: When Esteem realizes that Twilight is too powerful for him to defeat, he flees. [[spoiler: Twilight intercepts and kills him.]]
** [[spoiler: Discord sticks around just long enough to temporarily reduce Titan's power -- giving the heroes a chance to prepare for the FinalBattle -- and then flees. Luna implies that he left the planet altogether.]]
* VillainousRescue: [[spoiler: After Titan neutralizes the Elements of Harmony, he attempts to kill Twilight, only for Discord to show up and save her.]]
* VillainsWantMercy: Both [[spoiler: Nihilus and Esteem]] end up begging Twilight for mercy, and don't get it. [[spoiler: In Esteem's case, it's really just implied, as Twilight is forcibly keeping his mouth closed.]]
* WarIsHell: You better believe it!
* WeCanRuleTogether: Esteem tries this with Rarity. She refuses and proceeds to [[CallingTheOldManOut call him out]].
* WellDoneSonGuy: The Cadet has this attitude towards Esteem. [[spoiler: Sir Unimpressive uses this against him in their fight.]]
** Empyrean has shades of this as well.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: [[spoiler: Celestia]] gives a brief one after regaining her power, in the same vein as the TropeNamer.
-->"Centuries of boiling water for tea when I knew that I could boil the seas. Of lifting quills when I could life mountains. Of breaking wax seals when I could break ''anything I please.'' My power is too much for this world. But it isn't too much for you, is it, Terra? Now I get to find out what I'm really capable of. No lives to save, no plans to make, ''nothing'' to hold me back. I am divinity unleashed."
* [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman World's Most Beautiful Mare]]: Terra.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: [[spoiler: Following her loss of power and imprisonment, Terra pretends to have an emotional breakdown in order to lure Fluttershy close to her cage so she can try and kill her.]]
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler: When Empyrean is stripped of his power by the Mane Six, Titan doesn't hesitate to kill him.]]
* YourHeadAsplode: How Titan kills [[spoiler: Exakktus]].
** Twilight [[spoiler: (recently turned into an alicorn)]] does this to him in turn during their final duel. It barely slows him down.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Unimpressive gives one during his duel with the Cadet.
-->'''Unimpressive:''' You said nothing was outside [General Esteem]'s grasp.
-->'''Cadet:''' ''Nothing''
-->'''Unimpressive:''' Not even the daughter he's going to replace you with?
** Rarity gives another in a duel with her father
--> '''Esteem:''' I gave you ''everything''. I made you ''superior''. And you squander your gifts by helping the lesser. By siding with the disciple of a dead god.
--> '''Rarity:''' So why is it that you need ''my'' approval?

* EnemyMine: [[spoiler: Allying with Discord against Titan. Celestia describes the situation as "[[LesserOfTwoEvils better the devil they know]]".
* EvilCounterpart: [spoiler: Terra] is this to Fluttershy, as revealed in her backstory

* EnemyMine: [[spoiler: Allying with Discord against Titan. Celestia describes the situation as "[[LesserOfTwoEvils better the devil they know]]".]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Subverted. Twilight throws herself into Titan's free will-removing spell in order to disrupt it, fully intending to die in the process. Instead, she absorbs the remnants of Harmony's power and is transformed into an alicorn.]]

* DualWielding: Twilight with both Equinox and Vorpal, [[spoiler: after Rarity is nearly killed]].
* [[spoiler:EarnYourHappyEnding]]

*** [[spoiler:''Especially'' Fluttershy]] Judging from her [[BigDamnheroes Grand Entrance]] at the climactic battle of Everfree. [[spoiler:She rides into battle in the grandest badass form imaginable, using the largest oldest and most powerful dragon in Equestria as her personal steed, only for her to reveal herself as a [[PhysicalGod Physical Goddess]] complete with gravity defying hair and a version of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Rarity pronounces her terrifying. Even Twilight is struck speechless.]]

* DualWielding: Twilight with both Equinox and Vorpal, [[spoiler: after Rarity is nearly killed]].