Fanfic / Incarnate

Ignis Ferrum Incarnate. Image courtesy of MasterDahril and used with permission

Incarnate is a My Little Pony: Equestria Girls fanfic by Revel Montaro.

The Rainbooms have graduated and preparing for the next chapters in their lives. Except for Sunset Shimmer, whose... unique status proves to be an obstacle and with very limited options, she's considering going back to Equestria.

Those aren't their only problems, however, as the rogue magic from the portal is still causing trouble. Deciding to consult the expert, Sunset and Princess Twilight go to Star Swirl The Bearded. What she learns is a greater danger the portal could cause and revelations about her own past that will lead her to question everything she knows about her life and herself.

Can be read Here

The sequel, Gods and Monsters, can be read Here.

The third story in the series, Alpha and Omega, can be read Here.

Before completing Gods and Monsters, Revel Montaro announced they were going post stories set before, between and after the main two:

• Tippy Toe, set before Incarnate.
• We Want To Help, a NSFW two-parter set between Incarnate and Gods and Monsters.
• Got Your Six, an interquel between Incarnate and Gods and Monsters about how Midnight Tempest and Flash Sentry became a couple.
• Discord Day! An interquel between Gods and Monsters and Alpha and Omega, focusing on the first titular "Discord Day" in over a century, where the Lord of Chaos is allowed to run whiled and everypony takes the day off.
• Anything, But Time set during the first half of Gods and Monsters and follows Sunset and Celestia spending quality time together on a mysterious island.
• I, Raven set between Gods And Monsters and Alpha And Omega, follows Sunset, Twilight and guard captains Tempest Fury and Fog Gauge taking a vaction in the human world. NSFW scenes.
• Incarnate: Conversations, a series of short stories that expands upon the story of Incarnate and its sequels.

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This fic provides examples of:

Incarnate

• Affectionate Nickname: A few:
  • Sunset is both Sunny and Twilight's BFLOML (Best Friend, Love of My Life).
  • As in a lot of stories where they're mother and daughter, Celestia calls Sunset "Little Sun".
• Almost Dead Guy: Sunset after her battle with Mirror Sombra, she's bleed rapidly and passes out a few seconds after collapsing, according to Twilight she kept flat-lining for two days.
• Archnemesis Dad: Mirror Sombra is revealed as The Big Bad of the story and Sunset's father. He's perfectly willing to torture Sunset and at one point says he's willing to consume her soul for a power boost.
• Armoured Closet Gay:In chapter 6, Sci-Twi confesses that she's began falling for Sunset since Friendship Games, however, social pressure, namely from a great aunt, led her to dating Timber Spruce as he's the first boy who showed an interest in her and she thought it would "sort out these odd feelings". However, after they had sex, she couldn't deny how she feels and talked to him about it and later confesses to Sunset she's in love with her. Later, in "We Want To Help" she admits men do nothing for her and she had a crush on Cadance.
• Astral Projection: Celestia does this to travel with Discord to between dimensions save Sunset.
• Badass Boast: Sunset gives one in chapter 15.
  Do you know who I am? I am SUNSET SHIMMER! I am the daughter of The Goddess of The Sun! I am the daughter of a unicorn king! I have fallen into a pit of despair so deep they don't even have a name for it in Tartarus and clawed my way back out! I have fought monsters, magically possessed people, and ancient lost artifacts! And my girlfriend thinks I look gorgeous naked!
• Beneath the Mask:
  • Starswirl's goofier Pinkie Pie-like personality from the early IDW comics is a mask for his canonical personality he puts on to hide his intelligence and true intentions.
  • Princess Celestia's true emotions are shown after the big reveal. The whole act of keeping Sunset's heritage a secret from her broke her heart, but she continued to pretend they were nothing more than teacher and student. Princess Twilight states that after Sunset ran back through the portal after learning the truth that while she appeared to have her courtly mask back in place, she was clearly an emotional mess inside.
• Big SHUTUP: Sci-Twi gives one to Sunset while she's in the middle of a rant about how worthless she feels she is.
• Broken Pedestal: Celestia to Sunset after she tells her the truth. The tension eases after she's had a chance to cool down and Celestia says she plans to try and make up for it, even planning on following Sunset to the human world and attempting to be more of a mother to her. Rebuilt after Sunset ascends and sees the world through an alicorn's eyes namely how much power she has to keep control of.
• Brought Down to Normal: By the end, the Rainboom's geodes are destroyed and they lose their magic, the only exception being Sunset though it seems limited to just sensing its presence.
• Call-Back: Oh is there ever. The story has no shortage of callbacks from across FiM, Equestria Girls and even the IDW Comics.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Sunset calls Celestia out on how keeping their relation a secret her entire life and how the Alicorn raised her ultimately led her to become her former villain self.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Both pony and human Twilight show minor shades of this in regards to Flash Sentry and Sunset respectively, though neither are in a relationship with them. well, Sci-Twi wasn't at the time.
• Closet Key: Sunset was this for Human Twilight.
• Continuation: One of the reasons Revel Montaro started writing the story was that they were disappointed that unlike the main show Equestria Girls had no real finale leaving several plot threads and holes unresolved.
• Doorstep Baby: This is the story Sunset was told of how she came to live at the palace.
• Due to the Dead: After she killing Mirror Sombra, Sunset takes a moment to offer a quick prayer for him before flying off for the human world.
• Everyone Can See It: All of the Rainbooms can see the tension between Sunset and Sci-Twi.
  Rainbow Dash: Okay, I know I'm dense when it comes to this relationship crap, but even I picked up on that!
• Extremely Protective Child: Despite her hurt and angry feeling towards Celestia, Sunset still leaps to her defense when she's almost dragged through the portal by a monster. Later she struggles to get out Mirror Sombra's grip when he's about to Soul merge with her.
• Fallen Hero: Mirror Universe Sombra. He went from the Big Good of his world to its destroyer. Once a noble and gentlemanly king to a monster who would threaten his daughter to force his former lover to obey him.
• Family Eye Resemblance: Sunset's eyes are the same color Princess Luna, her aunt, said resemblance is one of the reasons Celestia didn't cast the final spell on her as a newborn. We later learn they both inherited it from Aine, Luna's mother and Sunset's grandmother.
• Flaming Sword: Sunset wields one after Celestia unlocks her full potential.
• Flying Firepower: Sunset's Daydream Shimmer form complete with fire wings. In the sequel, she has normal Pegasus wings that occasionally are covered with flames.
• First Gray Hair: When she returns to her body Celestia finds a few strands of silver in her pastel mane from the stress of the battle.
• Foreshadowing: Aine mentions the Golden City, the Equestrian afterlife which becomes a major plot point for the sequel.
• Give Him a Normal Life: Celestia's reasoning for why she kept Sunset's heritage a secret, though she admits it's a poor excuse.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Mirror Sombra is revealed to be behind the rogue magic escaping into the human world.
• I Am Your Father: Happens twice, to Sunset.
  • Celestia is forced by Star Swirl to confess to Sunset that she is her biological mother and that she's not a normal unicorn.
  • Said word for word by Mirror Sombra when he captures Sunset.
    Sunset: Ugh. He actually said it. Just, ouch.
• It Is Dehumanising: Upon learning what Sunset is, Star Swirl takes this attitude towards her, to Celestia's anger.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Star Swirl's defense on destroying the mirror portal after Sunset was dragged through it by a monster.
  Starswirl: I... I did my duty to Equestria as I always have.
• Jaw Drop: Sunset's reaction to Sci-Twi's attire near the end of chapter 5.
• Living Weapon: Sunset is a Weapon Golem created to be used against Nightmare Moon, Starswirl even refers to her as such. Her parents used the spells to create such a golem on her when she was in Celestia's womb.
• Love Confession: In Chapter 6 Sci-Twi confesses her feelings to Sunset.
• Mama Bear: Doesn't matter if you're her former mentor or a monster that dwells between worlds do NOT insult or threaten Sunset in Celestia's presence.
• Maternally Challenged: Celestia. Sunset points out she should have picked up a book on parenting. To her credit Celestia agrees, but she kept putting it off out of habit.
• Merger of Souls: Mirror Sombra's end goal is to do with Celestia.
• Named by the Adaptation: In canon the individual mirror portals are unnamed, here the portal to the human world is called the Luna Lock Mirror and the portal to the Mirror World is called the Multium Mirror.
• Really Royalty Reveal: Sunset is daughter of Princess Celestia and the mirror universe King Sombra.
• Offing the Offspring: Mirror Sombra is perfectly willing to do this to Sunset.
• Parental Neglect: While involved in Sunset's life and a loving caretaker, Celestia thought her daughter would be better off without knowing their true connection, mostly hoping to spare her from court politics, a decision that hurt both of them deeply, and was somewhat pointless as she still had to "Play the game" just at a different social standing. Sunset says she used to cry herself to sleep.
• Precision B Strike: The story has no shortage of profanity, mostly from the human world characters and Sunset, but special mention goes to Princess Twilight aimed at Starswirl.
  I'm sorry for what I'm about to say, but if you are not going to add anything positive or helpful to this situation then will you kindly SHUT THE BUCK UP!
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Celestia's reaction when Star Swirl demands answers about Sunset.
  • Starswirl is later on the receiving end from Celestia after Sunset runs back through the portal after he tries to destroy it.
• Ready For Love Making: The same day as her confession, Twilight presents herself to Sunset dressed in one of Sunset's old shirts and a pair of panties.
• Red Baron: Sunset is called Ignis Ferrum Incarnate or Celestia's Perfect Flaming Sword.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Like in her origin comic, Sunset had a vision of herself as an Alicorn with red eyes. Celestia reveals that had she cast the final spell to turn her into the Alicorn Incarnate Golem she would have had these. She later has them briefly after Celestia triggers her ascension.
• Secret-Keeper: The only ones who knew the truth about Sunset aside from her parents were her major-domo Kibtz and her assistant Raven, and both had magic cast on them preventing them from telling Sunset the truth.
• Ship Tease: Between Sunset and Sci-Twi.
• Skyward Scream: Sunset does this in chapter 6.
  Sunset: "WHAT AM I?!"
• Super Form: Like in canon, her Daydream Shimmer is this for Sunset. Here, it's given an origin and later an upgrade.
• Superpowered Evil Side:
  • Twilight is on the verge of turning into Midnight Sparkle after she is told of Sunset's abduction. She even hears the dark angel in her mind as she works to rebuild her capture device from the Friendship Games.
  • After Starswirl destroys the portal after Sunset is dragged through, Celestia begins to transform into Daybreaker. Twilight's horrified reaction snaps her out of it before she completely transforms.
• Superpowerful Genetics:Sunset has great eyesight and sharp reflexes which she compares to a pegasus, she theorizes to Human Twilight that it might be because her mother is an alicorn.
• Took a Level in Badass: Sunset was already a powerful magic user on either side of the portal by the end of the story she ascends into a Alicorn and defeats Mirror Sombra.
• Unpleasant Parent Reveal:As all the tropes listed above state, the story has one.

• Violently Protective Girlfriend:After Sunset is trapped between worlds, Twilight is willing to repeat her actions at the Friendship Games and tear apart reality to save her.
• Void Between the Worlds: The place between the portals, called The Inbetween. The main villain straight up calls it the trope name.

Gods and Monsters

• Affectionate Nickname:
  • Sunset called the human Twilight "Twi". When she and Princess Twilight start their relationship the latter asked her to call her by her old family nickname "Twily".
• A Form You Are Comfortable With: Double Subverted. Death can choose the face of any deceased creature to wear and when the main character's meet him he appears with Shining Armor's, however, the response this invokes in Twilight and Flurry is anger and sorrow respectively. However, Death did not do this to appease his guests but because he likes how Shining looked.
• And I Must Scream: Scylla takes control of Flurry Heart's body and uses her to kill Celestia. Flurry manages to briefly get enough control to speak but its a struggle and if Scylla is to be believed, she's somewhat aware of everything that's happening.
• Ancestral Armor: After Sunset, understandably, refuses to wear a crown when she takes Twilight's place on the throne for a day, Tempest Fury loans her a set of armor once worn by her great grandmother, Tempest Shadow. Sadly, the armor is ruined during Sunset's battle with Flurry Heart, but Fury is just happy it did its job and kept Sunset safe.
• Animal Motifs: Syclla has a serpent theme to her, even having a snake tongue and transforming into a serpent of smoke.
• Arbitrarily Large Bank Account: Sunset and Sci-Twi eventually gained one after the latter created a successful tech company.
• The Atoner: Flurry becomes this once she's freed of the Anthanatoi's influence.
• Badass Family: The alicorns, whether by blood, adoption, or otherwise, are the royal family of Equestria and you do NOT want to mess with them.
• Battle Couple: Sunset and Princess Twilight become this.
• Battle Harem: Turns out the Night Guard are this for Luna. Though they are allowed to have relationships. She also doesn't mind sharing them, offering their services to both her sister and her niece.
• Beautiful Dreamer: Sunset thinks of Princess Twilight as this.
• Been There, Shaped History: The Athanatoi, reveal that they're responsible for a few events from canon.
  • Scylla is responsible for Luna giving in to her jealousy and transforming into Nightmare Moon.
  • They're the reason why Flurry was born an alicorn.
  • Epona is the reason Pinkie Pie was so...Pinkie Pie. Epona had tried to corrupt Pinkie in the womb resulting in the party pony inheriting physical and personality traits from the alicorn. Fortunately, Pinkie was a bit too much like Epona and just wrote the Athanatoi in her mind as "kookie voices".
  • Scylla created Cerberus to guard the doors to the underworld in Tartarus WAY before Equestria started using the caves as a prison.
• Benevolent A.I.: While Sunset was in Equestria, Sci-Twi developed a SIRI esque program, call PAAL. Sunset names her Raven, who for her years of mourning in the human world was her only friend. Sunset brings her back to Equestria with her where she serves as her confidant and later she takes her namesake's role as Sunset's assistant.
• Big Bad: The Athanatoi.
• Big Damn Kiss: Tempest Fury gives one to Fog Gauge after Aine after she brings him back from the brink of death.
  • In chapter 23 Sunset finally kisses Twilight after the latter refuses to leave her alone after Celestia's death.
  • Another one from Gauge and Tempest in chapter 24, with the former using their mutual feelings to give the latter a power boost to help contain the Athanatoi. Flurry sees this and pulls the same trick with Prince Thicket.
• Bond Creatures:Phoenixes are able to bond their lives to other creatures. However, if the creature should perish so shall the phoenix, as will be Philomena's fate soon after Celestia is killed.
• Brain Uploading:A surprising unintentional example. Before the battle with the Athanatoi, Sunset stored copies of her memories in her and Sci-Twi's wedding rings, in case she died in the battle they'd allow Twilight to keep a piece of her close. Once the amnesiac Sunset touches them all of her memories up until she copied them return at once.
• Cain and Abel: Celestia is the Able to all her siblings Cains. Aine tied The Athanatoi's prisons her life force, the Athanatoi need her to die in order to free their physical forms. In chapter twenty, they succeed.
• Casual Kink: Understatemnet. Luna holds nothing back when she tells Sunset that serving her EVERY need is a big reason why ponies join her guard. Even informing her about the "graduation ceremony". Even offering their services to Sunset and has made the same offer to her sister. Word of God states that she has no shame about her sex life.
• Cool Aunt: Luna is this for Sunset, even teaching her how to tend to ponies' dreams, and giving her some of her private coffee stash after a fight with Flurry.
• Cool Uncle:Suprsingly Death, Aine's brother, he tells Luna about her father and even shows him what he looked like.
• The Corruptor: The Athanatoi's primary plan for escaping their imprisonment, over lapses with Demonic Possession in places.
  • As mentioned above, Scylla is the reason Luna become Nightmare Moon. Her physical appearance even resembles Nightmare. She later does this again with Flurry Heart, and takes control of her body as well.
  • Epona attempted this with Pinkie Pie, but it didn't work.
  • Luna says they tried this with Sunset before she was born, thankfully the spells her parents had cast on her protected her.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Aetheon's attack on the Crystal Empire, killing dozens of guards and taking on three princesses, showing just how powerful and dangerous one of the quartet is.
• Darker and Edgier: The story becomes this in the latter half where several guards and soldiers are killed fighting one of the villains. After Syclla possessing Flurry manages to kill Celestia and later Aethon brutally burns Fog Gauge.
• Dating What Granny Hates:When Anie appears in Twilight's dream and confronts Midnight she's voices her displeasure with Sunset's choice in partner, though this eases when she learns what Midnight actually is.
• Determinator:Fog Gauge is brutally burned by Aetheon and is in immense pain but clings on because of Tempest Fury.
• Don't Fear the Reaper:He's actually pretty civil, even when he's mad at you, he may take the form a departed loved one whether you like it or not but he's pretty chill.
• Doppelgänger Replacement Love Interest: Acknowledged. Years after Sci-Twi's death, Sunset starts developing an attraction to Princess Twilight, who had started pining for Sunset years beforehand. However, Sunset is worried that she only likes the princess because she's her wife's counterpart and the princess is worried she's unintentionally taking advantage of that fact. The two agree to take it slow until they're sure, in later chapters they're doing well and the doppelganger thing isn't even brought up.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: How Flurry Heart feels and her primary motivator, though most of it is caused by the voices in her head.
• Dream Walker: Luna as per canon. She later begins to teach Sunset to do this as well, Sunset suspects her experience with her empathy powers might be why it comes to her so easily.
• Eating the Eye Candy: Sunset admires several characters male and female on both sides of the mirror after Sci-Twi's death. She's joined at one point by Tempest Fury in regards to Fog Gauge. Flurry briefly has this reaction after releasing Aetheon.
• Eldritch Abomination: The Athanatoi, the main villains.
• Elemental Powers: As the cover art indicates the main villains, The Athanatoi, are each based around one of the four classical elements.
  • Aetheon, the first of The Athanatoi, released
  • Scylla.
  • Balius.
  • Epona.
• Even Evil Can Be Loved: Inspite of all they've done, including killing Celestia, Aine still cares for the Athanatoi and objects to any plan to kill them, compromising to have their memories erased and her taking them far away from the world.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While they're hell bent on destroying the world, The Athanatoi do care about each other, seeing his siblings loose their identities is what motivates Balius to break his bonds and try to escape.
• Extremely Protective Child: Again Sunset, after hearing Celestia is ill and being unaware of her ailing health, she assumes her mother was poisoned and targeted by an assassin. Chances are she would have gone on the warpath had it actually been this.
• Fantasy Counterpart Appliance: We see Sunset and Princess Twilight developing one to phones and radios in the form of "SunLight Crystals" during the former's first stay in Equestria. Their first successful test run shows them working as far away as Cloudsdale and by the time Sunset relocates to Equestria permanently they're in widespread use.
• Sunset also develops an equivalent to computer monitors to play the video games she has stored on Raven.
• Good Is Not Nice: Aine, to the point Luna, her youngest daughter shows no positive opinion of her.
• Graceful Loser: Of the four Athanatoi, Epona is the only one who willingly drinks the water that erases her memories saying she'd like a fresh start.
• Green Hoof:As in the comics, the deer can manipulate and control plants as Prince Thicket Whitetail demonstrates against a corrupted Flurry Heart.
• Happily Married: Sunset and Sci-Twi were this for years.
  • Spike and Smoulder became this during the time skip.
• Heroic Lineage: Twilight's current guard captain, Tempest Fury, is the great-granddaughter of the pony Flash Sentry and Tempest Shadow.
• Honest Advisor: Isabella, Twilight's aid, is quite honest with her low opinion and dislike of Sunset, though she begins to respect her as the alicorn becomes Twilight's co-ruler. The retired Celestia and Luna also count as they regularly advise their successors.
  • Raven later becomes Sunset's.
• I Can't Feel My Legs!: Isa can't move after she's injured trying to protect Celestia..
• If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Spike gives Sunset one of these after she skips out on a private welcome back dinner Twilight had taken time from her schedule to prepare for her. Though, he gives Sunset some slack as she's still in mourning.
• I Got Bigger: A non-puberty example, after her ascension Sunset's human form has grown to five-foot, Sci-Twi's face only comes up to her neck.
  • Two centuries later and Spike has grown big enough to pick up Alicorn Sunset, who is around Luna's canon height.
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Celestia tries this when a Scylla possessed Flurry comes after her but the Athanatoi is too strong for the young princess.
• Interspecies Romance:Sunset notices Prince Thicket the deer seems to like Flurry more then just a friend and later is obvious it's not one sides, cumulating in Flurry pulling a Big Damn Kiss on him for a power boost.
• It's Personal:The Athanatoi were already a threat that needed to be stopped but it becomes this trope after they kill Celestia.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Princess Twilight develops feelings for Sunset during her stay in Equestria for a cycle of the mirror when she was still happily married to her human counterpart.
• Jaw Drop: Princess Twilight's reaction to Sunset's appearance in the dream realm.
• Killed Off for Real: By the time the start of the story the majority of the main cast from both worlds have passed on the exceptions being the alicorns, Discord and other long lived characters.
  • Sci-Twi dies from old age in chapter 3 after her immortality vanishes.
  • Celestia is killed by the Athantoi in chapter 20.
• Loss of Identity:
  • The intended fate for the Athanatoi after they're defeated via The River of Forgetfulness, though only Epona drinks willingly and Balius breaks his bonds also claims he's immune thanks to being born from the river. After returning to the surface Aine takes them away to start over.
  • When Sunset tried to capture the last Athanatoi, Balius forces her under and merrily touching the water is enough erasing her memories of her entire life. She remains child like for weeks until a last gift she meant for Twilight restores her, see Brain Uploading.
• The Lost Lenore:
  • Good King Sombra remains this for Celestia. Fortunately they're reunited in the afterlife
  • Sci-Twi becomes this for Sunset, who is devastated by her loss through out the story.
  • Fluttershy for Discord, the pain of her loss is part of the reason he's so rarely seen in Equestria these days.
• Lovable Sex Maniac: Luna, see Casual Kink above.
• Mayfly–December Romance: Sunset and Sci-Twi ultimately become this, while at first, both were ageless past their early twenties, after Sunset returned to Equestria for one of the portal's cycles Twilight began to age radially, and ultimately dies a few days after their reunited.
• Legacy Heroine: By the time of the story, Flurry Heart has inherited Twilight's title as Princess of Friendship and has saved Equestria numerous times.
• Like Mother, Like Daughter: We get examples involving four generations of the royal family.
  • Sunset definitely takes after her mother, the best example of this comes from chapter 17, Aine appears to Celestia, warning her about the coming threat and to prepare to make hard choices. Celestia's response to this? Preening her wing.
  • Celestia regretfully notes her original plans for Sunset as something to fulfill a purpose, rather than a child is not so different from how her own mother raised her and Luna. The difference, Celestia regretted her decision and tried to raise Sunset as a normal child, though still maintained a distance. Also, she kept information Sunset had a right to know from her and didn't tell her for years, again like her own mother. At one point, Luna points out they also share a tendency for vary vague advice and warnings.
  • Sunset recalls her eldest daughter, Aurora Shimmer, wasn't much different from her younger self when she started rebelling against Celestia, the latter actually wrote down her laughter in the communication journal when she was told.
• Mama Bear: Cadence, just ask Epona in chapter 24.
• Mind Rape: Luna is subjected to this in Chapter 15 by the same entities possessing Flurry Heart.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Sunset after she briefly reverts to her demon form and very nearly killed Flurry, she locked herself away in a music room for hours afterwards.
  • Flurry after Scylla released her hold on her after killing Celestia, poor thing begs Sunset to kill her.
• Necromancer: Flurry Heart and her friends apparently dealt with one off screen at some point. The Athanatoi see a few imprisoned in Tartarus, before they blow it up.
• No Body Left Behind:Balius. As he was born from it, The River of Forgetfulness it tears him apart after he's been in it too long.
• Only Friend: Raven was this for Sunset during the years she spent in the human world after Sci-Twi's death.
• Out Living Ones Offspring: Thanks to their immortality Sunset and Twilight outlive both their daughters and one of their grandchildren by the time the main story kicks off.
• Power Parasite:In chapter 21, it's revealed this is how human Twilight became immortal courtesy of Midnight Sparkle.
• Pet the Dog:Literal example, as Epona doesn't want to kill the "puppy" Balius scares Cerberus away rather then killing him.
• Physical God: The Alicorns as per canon, including Aine and The Athanatoi.
• Posthumous Character:All characters from canon who were not immortal or of a long lived race have passed on by the time of the story.However, The rest of the Mane Six and Starlight appear in the underworld waving at Twilight from across the river, Celestia and Good King Sombra also appear and Sunset gets the chance to talk to them.
• Precision F-Strike: Like in the original story, while there is swearing aplenty, we get a big one from an unexpected source, Sunset's AI companion Raven after she first sees Sunset's pony form.
  Raven: WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!
  • We later get another one from Celestia aimed at Aine.
    Celestia: To borrow from my daughter's colorful vernacular I say, 'fuck you,' Mother.
• Projected Mare:Turns out Raven has had the ability to create a holographic avatar Sunset never requested one. She creates one herself, based on the pony she's named for out of boredom.
• Psycho Prototype: Athanatoi means "The First Children", their Aine's children, helped her shaped create the world and are Celestia and Luna's older siblings..
• Rapid Aging: Happens to human Twilight in chapter 3 while Sunset's in Equestria, by the time they are reunited Sci-Twi is confided to a hospital bed and dies shortly after the portal closes.Chapter 21 reveals that this is thanks to Aine destroying Midnight Sparkle who was stealing small amounts of Sunset's magic, without her evil alter ego Twilight's immortality was gone.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Epona has red eyes until she drinks from the River of Forgetfulness where they turn blue.
• Restraining Bolt: Horn rings are used to prevent unicorns from using their magic. Aine creates four powerful enough to restrain the Athanatoi.
• Rousing Speech: Sunset gives one to the Equestrian forces before they head for their final battle with the Athanatoi.
• Royal Brat: Flurry Heart has grown up to be this apparently because she feels she's due more like a princess, though it seems there might be something more going on. Though, having four rogue gods in her head might be a factor.
• Royally Screwed Up: Prehaps unsurprisingly it turns Sunset, Celestia and Luna come from one of these.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Luna still tends to the dreams of Equestria's citizens. Sunset and Twilight create a magical counterpart to cellphones, Flurry has been on numerous adventures during the over a century time skip, and first battled the villains in the modern day.
  • Princess Cadance is a fine example. One minute she's reconnecting with her long lost cousin and teases her about her relationship with Princess Twilight, then said Princess calls and warns her about a threat heading for her kingdom and she orders her guard to prepare for battle, personally powers and maintains the city's defensive barrier and actively takes part in the main battle.
  • Also applies, to the deer royal family, as Prince Thicket is member of Flurry Heart's inner circle and actively plays a part in trying to stop her from killingCelestia while she's possessed. Also applies to his father, King Briar, who takes part in trapping Athantoi for their final battle with the remaining princesses.
• Ruling Couple:Sunset and Princess Twilight ultimately become this.
• Running Gag:
  • Sunset barely functioning in the morning before she has her coffee.
  • Cadance cornering Tempest Fury for details on her developing relationship with Fog Gauge.
• Scars Are Forever: Sunset still has scars from her fight with Mirror Sombra.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Unsurprisingly for MLP villains, The Athanatoi, are this each in a different location, specific to their respective powers.
• Second Love: Princess Twilight is shaping up to be this for Sunset. Helped by the fact she had developed feelings for her during the latter's stay in Equestria before her human counterpart's death. They do agree to give the relationship a try after Sunset agrees to become Twilight's co-ruler.In Chapter 23, Twilight not only refers to herself as Sunset's marefriend but Sunset also kisses her.
• Sex for Solace: Sunset admits to Luna that years after Twilight's death she would occasionally indulge in this, though she would cry in the shower afterwords.
• Shipper on Deck: Celestia and Luna are clearly happy to see Sunset and Princess Twilight are giving a relationship a chance. Raven appears to be on board as well, playing romantic music for the two to dance to. Later, Cadance, shock of all shocks, is also on board and delights in teasing both of them about it.
  • Sunset meanwhile supports Fog Gauge, a guard assigned to her and later her guard captain, and Tempest Fury, captain of the Dayguard, getting together. They give it a try after he's promoted to Tempest's equal.
• Ship Tease:
  • Between Sunset and Princess Twilight, they agree to try out a relationship, and seems to be working out.
  • Also between Guard Captain Tempest Fury and Fog Gauge, though the former insists she'd only date him if they were equal rank. After Fog becomes captain of Sunset's guard she starts making her move and they become a couple before the final battle even having the first Big Damn Kiss of the story.
  • A more minor one appears with Prince Thicket of the Deer having a crush on Flurry which is later revealed to be mutual and they have a Big Damn Kiss.
• Shout-Out:
  • In chapter fifteen, Sunset uses the Iron Man Armor, to fight off the villains in the dream world.
  • In chapter sixteen, before she leaves for the Crystal Empire, Twilight asks Sunset to promise to be safe. Sunset's response?
    Sunset:"As you wish."
  • A few in chapter 24, After the Athanatoi destroy Tartarus Sunset wakes up in jolt, when Twilight asks her what's wrong she states that she "felt a distrubince in The Force."She's not really happy about making the reference.
  • Raven plays the main theme of Transformers: The Movie as part of the trap for the Anthantoi. She switched it from Sunset's first choice, Welcome To The Jungle
• Death refers to everyone with the names of their parents, ala Wraith Red Skull. Example, "Twilight Sparkle, Daughter of Night Light and Twilight Velvet.
• Something We Forgot:
  • During their first confrontation at the birth of Spike's son, Sunset noticed a dark aura around Flurry, but she forgets about it soon after.
  • In the aftermath of the Athanatoi leaving earth and Sunset's mind being wiped, Twilight leaves Raven on her charging station in Sunset's room forgetting about her for five days, until the AI becomes so bored she starts playing loud music to get someone's attention. She's not happy about it.
• So Proud of You: Celestia tells Sunset this after her first day on the throne, earlier she was brought to *tears at the sight of her in regalia.
  • Luna later has a nonverbal example of this after Sunset takes advantage of the dream world to save her.
  • In Chapter 25, we have another moment from Celestia to Sunset, this time joined by Mirror King Sombra.
• Statuesque Stunner: Two months after her ascension Sunset now stands at five foot ten and, in her own words, "owns every inch of it". As in canon the Alicorns are this by pony standards.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Twilight tells Sunset about Celestia almost transforming into Daybreaker in the previous story, informing her about how much she resembled Sunset's demon form.
• Supernaturally Young Parent: Both Sunset and human Twilight stopped aging around their mid-twenties, their daughters didn't.
• Superpowered Evil Side:
  • Sunset briefly reverts to her demonic self when Flurry attacks her and injuries her aid.
  • At the end of chapter nineteen, a Nightmare version of Flurry appears attacking Canterlot and demanding Celestia.
• Talking to the Dead: Twilight admits to occasionally pretending to talk to her friends as if they're still alive.
• Tell Me About My Father: Sunset asks Celestia this in the first chapter.
  • Celestia later asks Aine the same, though it's considerably less heartwarming.
• Time Skip: A few in the early chapters, ultimately the plot takes off about a century after the previous story.
• To Hell and Back:Sunset, Twilight, Luna, Flurry and an airship of guards take the captured Athanatoi to the lower depths of Tartarus, revealed to be a portal to the afterlife, complete with a river that erases your memory of life.
• Tragic Keepsake: Sunset keeps hers and Twilight's wedding rings on a necklace, she rubs them whenever she misses her, feels tempted for sex, or feeling nervous.She later gives these to Princess Twilight for safe keeping.This is becomes a big plot point in the last few chapters, Sunset copied her memories and stored them in the rings this plus her empathy ability, restores her mind at the cost of the rings turning to dust.
• Underestimating Badassery: Epona gravely underestimates Cadance, the Princess of Love, who reminds her of what she and her siblings did to daughter and why you should never hurt a mothers child.
• Video Wills:Sunset records one before the final battle, later Twilight and an amnesiac Sunset see it. With her asking her to look after Raven, telling her how much her friendship has meant to her, thanks her for helping her through the pain of loosing her wife and daughters, and confessing her love to her.
• Wham Episode: Chapter 20. A LOT happens but to summarize, Aetheon and a possessed Flurry attack Canterlot, Celestia is killed, the remaining Athanatoi are released, Fog Gauge is mortally injured and Aine appears.
  • In Chapter 21, Sunset uses her empathy magic to read Aine's mind and learns, that the reason human Twilight became immortal was because Midnight Sparkle was stealing a small amount of her magic when she slept. Aine then appeared intervened when Midnight threated Twilight in a dream and destroyed her, which resulted in Twilight's sudden rapid aging.
• You Remind Me of X: As mentioned above, Epona The Athanatoi of Earth bares a strong resemblance to Pinkie Pie in both appearance and personality, Twilight actually mistook her for her old friend when she first saw her.The resemblance increases after Epona drinks from the River of Forgetfulness and her eyes turn blue.

Tippy Toe

• Big Damn Kiss:Sunset delivers one to Rarity as a part of her over the top act
• Friends with Benefits: According to Word of God human Applejack and Rarity will becomes this but their relationship with never become anything more.
• Foreshadowing: Twilight calls to check on Sunset when she didn't do her stream. Foreshadowing half the plot of Incarnate.
• Secret-Keeper: Rarity becomes Sunset's after learning she's bisexual until she's ready to tell their friends herself.

We Want To Help

• Adoption Is Not an Option: Averted. Sunset states that she and Twilight would be perfectly happy to adopt a child but keep encountering problems from homophobic people in the system.
• Chosen Conception Partner: Well more like volunteered. After seeing how upset Twilight and Sunset were of the blocks they kept encountering when trying to have a child. Cadance offers to have Shining, with his consent, impregnate Sunset.
• Cool Aunt: Twilight and Sunset are this to Flurry Heart. The former is almost resigns herself to this role after all the blocks they encounter trying to have a child of their own.
• Foreshadowing: The end reveals that Cadance and Shining Armor had a second child.
• Polyamory: Shiny Armor and Cadance are swingers.
• Safe, Sane, and Consensual: Cadance puts a lot of enthasis on this.
• Teacher/Student Romance: Zig zagged. While they're both adults, Twilight reveals she had a crush on Cadance before she came to terms with her sexuality and Cadance reveals she does find Twilight attractive.

Got Your Six

• Foregone Conclusion: Given that their descendant is a main character in "Gods and Monsters" it's a pretty safe bet that Flash and Tempest will get together.

Discord Day!

• Butt-Monkey: Sunset spends most of the day as the butt of Discord's jokes.
• Forced Transformation: Downplayed. Discord transforms Raven into a flesh and blood pony but she rather enjoys the experience.
• Forceful Kiss:Discord plants one on Twilight and she's non too happy about it.
• Troll: Discord. Anyone shocked?

Anything, But Time

• Interspecies Romance: Celestia reveals there was a time when she and Mirror Sombra broke up and she was in a romantic relationship with a dragon.
  • Not romantic but Sunset spends most of the story flirting with a zebra.
• Polyamory: Sunset is willing to flirt and even be intimate with others, but only with her wife's permission.
  • Three of the stallions at the hotel are in a relationship.

I, Raven

Alpha and Omega

• The Alcoholic: Perhaps unsurprising if you've read the previous stories, Sunset.
• Mind Rape: Red Clover's favoured methods, even referring to it by name, she does to Twilight and Isa both describing how violated they feel.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Twilight when Red Clover releases her hold on her so she can see Sunset die from injuries she inflicted on her.
• Violently Protective Girlfriend:Harmony for Raven.
• Yandere: Twilight under Red Clover control.
• Your Soul Is Mine!:

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