The Non-Bronyverse (Fanfic)

With all of the ‘quiet dignity and grace’ that I can muster, I walk up to Celestia, and punch her in the face.

— TD, establishing his relationship with Celestia.

No, I Am Not a Brony, Get Me Outta Equestria! is a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfic by BronyWriter.

The narrator, TD Harrison Powell, is a 20-year-old student majoring in Elementary Education, who is transported to Equestria after nearly being killed in a car crash. Not being a fan of the show, TD does not take the possibility of being stuck there permanently very well, and when he learns of Princess Celestia's responsibility for bringing him there, his first reaction is to punch her in the face. To say the least, this does not make a good impression on the Mane Six.

As a result of the story's popularity (and TD's), BronyWriter has gone on to write additional stories in the series, not all of which are canon.

Canon Works:

The main series of stories, following TD's trials and adventures after being summoned to Equestria by Celestia.

No, I Am Not a Brony, Get Me Outta Equestria! — The story that started it all, when Celestia accidentally brings TD to Equestria and is promptly punched in the face in retaliation.
Twilight Researches Humans — A two-chapter story in which Twilight attempts to study TD by following him around in secret, only for an unamused TD to reveal he was aware of her the entire time.
Wanderings of a Non-Brony — Following on from the events of No, I Am NOT a Brony, TD becomes determined to explore any remaining options to get home and travels the world looking for alternatives. Of course, this being TD, things don't go quite as planned...
The Life of a Non-Brony — After the events of Wanderings of a Non-Brony, TD realizes that he's stuck in Equestria forever. The story details the rest of his life.

Alternative Continuity:

Various works that tend to feature more outlandish ideas, all set within the same continuity and diverging after the events of the Gala in No, I Am Not a Brony.

TD Trolls the Canterlot Elite - A non-canon scene from No, I Am Not a Brony, which documents TD trolling the Canterlot elite.
The Teachings of a Non-Brony — A two-chapter story in which TD is banned from teaching Cheerilee's class and forced to pursue a teaching license.
TD the Alicorn Princess — TD ends up taking Twilight's place in "Magical Mystery Cure" when Twilight gets knocked out, and subsequently ascends as an alicorn princess.
- TD VS Equestria Girls is a side story in which TD visits the Equestria Girls-universe when Sunset Shimmer steals Twilight's crown.
The Prince — The direct sequel to TD The Alicorn Princess, which begins with Equestria on the brink of war.
Resurgence — The direct sequel to The Prince, which begins with TD being transported home.
The Storm and the Scorpion — Sequel to The Prince, Tempest Shadow shows up and invades Canterlot.

Other Non-Canon Works:

Various other stories and one-shots that don't fit into the above.

Deleted scenes added to No, I Am Not a Brony — One to two chapter non-canon side-stories, which includes A Fourth-Wall Mail Slot, TD's encounter with Poison Joke, a botched magical experiment of Twilight's which causes the Royal Sisters to fall in love with TD, and Lyra kidnapping TD.
TD's Little Rarity — A lighter (at first) alternate ending to No, I Am NOT a Brony in which TD is sent home, but a year later finds a filly Rarity in a cardboard box in his bedroom.
TD's Little Rarity 1.5: This Time It's Personal, an alternative ending to TD's Little Rarity, in which the FBI convoy transporting Rarity is attacked and she is taken.
The Breaking of a Non-Brony — A Darker and Edgier alternate ending to No, I Am NOT a Brony, diverging from the main story during the Gala, which results in TD getting possessed by Discord.
The Incredibly Interesting Date With the Non-Winning Human — A crossover with the Winningverse, depicting a blossoming platonic friendship between TD and Cloud Kicker.
Don't Go Into The Everfree Forest, TD — A simple trip into the Everfree results in TD having a life-changing experience.
TD Punches Everything — TD finds a Man Comic. Much punching ensues.

Non-Cannon Works Made By Other Authors

Recursive Fanfiction inspired by the main series:

To Love A Non-Brony: One day, Celestia is asked on a date by the man most famous for punching her in the face. Is TD just trying to bury the hatchet? Has he gone insane? Is this a genuine offer? Or Are there more sinister forces at work here? All the above?
Mind of a Non-Brony: Luna never really liked TD. How could she, he punched her sister at least twice. But she is curious about him. And when that curiosity gets the better of her, she is in an interesting experience.

With all of the ‘quiet dignity and grace’ that he can muster, TD punches the following tropes in the face:

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No, I Am Not A Brony, Get Me Outta Equestria!

Angrish: TD responds with this after Twilight accidentally fries his phone when trying to recharge it for him.
Arc Words: "Quiet dignity and grace".
Big "NO!": TD tries to go for one when he finds out he's stuck in Equestria, but it kind of fails to achieve the drama he's hoping for, given that he's half-dead at the time.
Brain Bleach: Referenced when the AJ and Twilight get a glimpse of TD watching Wolf Creek.
AJ/Twilight: *horrified stares*
TD: Uh... can I get anyone some brain bleach?
Breakout Character: TD for sure. Word of God states that the original plan was just supposed to be some silly short story where TD gets home in the end and still hates the ponies just as much when he leaves. However, after the story rocketed to prominence — something which irritated the author before he grew to like the development — it went on to spawn many additional stories within the setting.
Butt-Monkey: TD, sometimes thanks to his own actions and stupidity, but more often than not he's a victim of circumstances beyond his control.
Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: TD comes up with some interesting threats towards Rarity when she immobilises him to take his measurements. Rarity isn't particularly fazed by this.
TD: Fun fact: when I get out of here, I'm going to get a job and spend every cent of my first paycheck on gasoline so I can burn this wretched place down.
Rarity: Uh-huh.
TD:Just so you know, when you let me out I'm going to bribe whoever I must to get you name legally changed to Slartibartfast.
Rarity: Uh-huh.
TD: When this freezing spell is lifted I'm going to buy as much dye as I can, and then I'm going to dye your coat mustard yellow while you sleep.
Rarity: That's nice.
TD: On a different subject, when I'm free, I'm going to take your cat and punt it so hard I'm going to rip a hole in reality and create the entire Colquitt family, as well as change the Cleveland Browns into a curling team.
Rarity: Won't that be interesting?
Deadpan Snarker:
- More than anyone else, TD. The first chapter shows him getting in what appears to be a vicious verbal fight with his sister but it is revealed to be how they jokingly interact, showing that the trait is a skill he picked up from his family. He later uses these snarky abilities in Equestria, much to the chagrin of those he talks to.
- Rarity is particularly snarky towards TD on occasions, to the point where TD thinks to himself that a duel of wits with her would be an interesting thing to see.
Disproportionate Retribution:
- Both times TD punches Celestia, the retaliation is very severe. The Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash deliver a vicious beatdown to him^note, and Luna tosses him into the back of a nearby chair, which breaks his neck. Both times TD vocally calls them out on it. It's implied that the second time was an accident, however, as Luna has a My God, What Have I Done? moment when he throws his brief moment of quadriplegia in her face.
- After TD breaks his Pinkie Promise to get to work at Sugarcube Corner on time (due to his own fault), she scares the living daylights out of him in her usual fashion, and later, after he's apologised, tricks him into spilling a faux-flammable liquid on himself before throwing a match at him. Even Rainbow Dash sees this is as going too far, and the others are shocked by the story.
- Blueblood demands TD gets sent to the moon, or the sun over his trolling at the Gala.
Easily Forgiven: Zig-zagged. While TD accidentally breaking his Pinkie Promise with his lateness isn't that serious, Pinkie treats it as such, only to seemingly quickly forgive him when he apologises. And then she sets him on fire.
Establishing Character Moment: As mentioned several times, TD punching Celestia. Aside from the obvious showcasing of his Berserk Button, it also proves that, whatever the situation, TD will not take it idly.
Everyone Has Standards: Rarity and Pinkie Pie were the only ones (excluding Fluttershy, who's just hiding behind her mane) who look uncomfortable following TD getting beaten up for punching Celestia. Celestia herself casts a spell that prevented TD from being killed by said beatdown.
Exact Words: During the shopkeeper's attempt to convince TD to look around her shop
Shopkeeper: You will take an important journey!
TD: Uh-huh. And how do you know that?
Shopkeeper: I don't know. Doesn't everypony take an important journey at some point? I didn't exactly say when you would have one.
Fan Hater: Subverted In-Universe. TD may hate My Little Pony, but he admits that his Brony roommate Ben is a decent guy most of the time.
Fee Fi Faux Pas: When TD confronts Celestia at the Gala, he demands she have a chat with him later on what progress she's made in sending him home, and taps the tip of her horn to drive the point home. Everyone else gasps, Luna is furious, and TD is confused until Rarity whispers the following:
Rarity: Did he just... hit second base with the Princess?
Fortune Teller: The mare who sells TD his Clovellian Staff goes for this vibe, which is Subverted when she reveals she's just trying to get him interested enough to look around her shop.
Friend to All Children: TD genuinely enjoys teaching Cheerilee's class about Earth, gets along extremely well with most of the children, and tells Apple Bloom that she and her classmates are among the few thing keeping him sane.
Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: TD gives one to Celestia at the Gala when demanding an audience with her later, and accidentally takes it too far, much to Luna's anger.
Handy Man: TD's chosen occupation, when he's not helping with teaching at the school.
Hypocritical Humor: The Cakes lecturing their children on why they shouldn't stare at strangers. Right after they've just done it to TD.
I Call It "Vera": TD's Clovellian Staff is named "Reginald". Twilight insisted on him doing it because of tradition, and the name stuck.
Impossibly Tacky Clothes: TD was reluctant to accept Rarity's offer to make any apparel for him because of her differing tastes in clothes compared to his. In the end, he's right to be cautious: he has to discard five overly pompous or ridiculously proportioned designs before he reaches one that he approves of, which was based off what he was wearing upon arrival. It comes back to haunt Rarity afterwards, even though she meant well by it.
Rarity: You ran away from me!
TD: I sure did, because for all I knew, you were gonna shove me into a get-up too ridiculous for even a costume party! Of course I’d panic!
I Need a Freaking Drink: TD's reaction to being propositioned at the Gala. In fact, pretty much a reaction to almost everything that happens to him at the Gala.
Intergenerational Friendship: While TD gets along very well with children, he's particularly close to the CMC.
I Shall Taunt You: TD starts doing it when playing a schoolyard game with the kids. They quickly get in on it as well.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: TD, who does come to care about most of the ponies around him, especially Cheerilee's students, in spite of how much he hates the show and the experience of being trapped in Equestria.
Lack of Empathy: Prince Blueblood's reaction to learning that TD has just had his chance of returning to Earth ripped away from him is to continue complaining about him making such a scene. This gets him a well-deserved Pie in the Face.
Man on Fire: Pinkie sets TD on fire as a punishment for breaking a Pinkie Promise, though this is subverted in the extent that the fire isn't actually harmful.
Musical World Hypotheses: Natives of Equestria are easily provoked into song. Even TD doesn't seem completely immune to it, though he immediately lampshades it. He also accidentally ends up invoking it once when singing Singin' in the Rain to pass the time.
TD So... your creator made it so that anyone born in Equestria randomly bursts into song?
- TD also gets pulled into a reprise of "At The Gala", and in a bonus chapter his anger with Celestia leads to him belting out a lyrically-altered version of "Hellfire".
My God, What Have I Done?:
- Pinkie is very upset when she realizes she went too far over TD accidentally breaking a Pinkie Promise, and goes well out her way to try and make amends.
- Luna also seems rather shocked when TD reveals to her that she snapped his spine at the Gala, and immediately apologizes for it.
- Celestia is deeply upset when she sees how much pain she's caused TD.
Nigh-Invulnerable: Celestia has no reaction but surprise when she gets a fist slammed on her cheek. In TD's Little Rarity, she's also shown to be Immune to Bullets, a theory TD puts to test by shooting her straight in the forehead.
No-Sell: TD's attempts to hit Celestia do not work well, given her Nigh-Invulnerability.
TD: Did it hurt? When I hit you, I mean.
Celestia: If you could ever strike me hard enough to hurt me even a little, I'd hand over rule of Equestria to you.
Oh, Crap!:
- In the very first chapter, when TD (who almost got hit by a car) hears someone asking to "call Fluttershy":
  ...What did she just say?!
- An then he gets another one when he realizes where he is:
  Oh no, oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no. That can't be the explanation, there has to be some other reason for this! Maybe I'm hallucinating… or maybe I'm dead! Heck, maybe I ate too many blueberry bagels for dinner last night and now I'm paying the price, but the explanation has to be SOMETHING other than what my brain is telling me is the true answer! What are the freaking odds that what I'm guessing as actually right?! This kind of thing only happens in fan fiction or something like that!
- Rarity is rather horrified when she finds out TD broke a Pinkie Promise.
Percussive Therapy: TD takes his frustrations about being permanently stuck in Equestria out on his house, which unfortunately terrorizes a watching Apple Bloom in the process.
Physical God: The Royal Sisters seem to be on the same power level as their Conversion Bureau counterparts. They're even referred to as such by pretty much everyone in their world.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: TD calling Twilight and the others out for their Disproportionate Retribution, and why he's perfectly entitled to be as angry as he is.
TD: I had loving parents, cool friends, a pleasant life, and things I was looking forward to! I was going to go down to see my parents for the first time in a month this upcoming weekend! Now I can't do that because of your irresponsible Princess, who has me sitting in a room full of ridiculous talking ponies that have just finished beating the bagels out of me! Does that answer your question, Sparkle?
Remember When You Blew Up a Sun?: Equestria's sole human is readily associated with facepunching, more so in the sillier non-canon stories. Nor is he always on the administering end of them.
The Reveal: An in-universe example when TD reveals to the classroom he's teaching (along with an observing Twilight) that their world is a cartoon show. They take it surprisingly well, to TD's amazement.
Sarcasm Failure: When measuring TD, Rarity either completely misses several of his sarcastic comments, or has taken to ignoring them. TD isn't sure either way.
Screams Like a Little Girl: Prince Blueblood when TD pies him one for being a jackass.
Self-Insert Fic: TD is not a self-insert. Brony Writer put a lot of himself into TD to make the character easier to write, but he is not a self-insert.
Serious Business: Pinkie Promises. Even more than the show!
Shout-Out:
- During TD's shift at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie gives him a cupcake before leading him down to the basement where he collapses. It turns out to be a hay allergy.
- Cloud Kicker appears at the Gala in her Ethical Slut mode. Wingblades are also lifted from the Winningverse.
Spit Take: Cloud Kicker sexually propositions TD at the Gala. TD nearly drowns...
Talk to the Fist: TD does it to Celestia twice, the first time when she reveals she accidentally trapped him in Equestria, and again at the Gala after having his hopes of going home dashed, and subsequently being worked up into a rage by Blueblood.
Tantrum Throwing: In the chapter Citizen Powell, TD takes out his anger and frustration on his house, only stopping upon remembering that Apple Bloom is watching.
Time Skip: The final chapter chronologically takes place about four months after the events of the Gala.
Tomato in the Mirror: Averted. When TD reveals that Equestria is little more than a cartoon world in his universe, he's extremely surprised when the kids react very well, and don't end up worrying about whether they really exist.
Trapped in TV Land: With emphasis on "trapped". The central premise is that TD, unlike the majority of the protagonists of the "Brony-in-Equestria" genre, wants absolutely nothing to do with Equestria, and makes coming back to Earth his top priority.
What the Hell, Hero?:
- TD calls out the Mane Six (sans Fluttershy) for the above Disproportionate Retribution examples, along with Rarity, who used a freezing spell on him to keep him from running out of the boutique before she could measure him and design some Impossibly Tacky Clothes.
- Luna tells TD off over the amount of crap he's giving Celestia, who is genuinely remorseful for messing up his life.
  Luna: Stop regarding my sister like so much nightsoil. No matter what you think, she is the kindest pony in Equestria, and has done absolutely nothing but stand up for thee so far. She does not deserve this.
Would Hit a Girl: TD. Admittedly, an immortal sun goddess who he had no expectation of injuring.

Twilight Researches Humans

Canis Latinicus: When mocking Twilight by writing a satirical report of his own, TD refers to her as 'Twilighticus Sparkleicus'.
Cassandra Truth: Spike correctly warns Twilight that not only is she particularly lacking in the stealth department, but that last time she tried to research Pinkie it didn't end well, and that TD will be very annoyed when he finds out what she's been up to. Needless to say, this very sound advice goes unregarded.
Enemy Eats Your Lunch: The second chapter has a Running Gag where Luna steals Celestia's dinner, piece by piece.
Flat "What": Celestia's one word response letter to Twilight, upon receiving TD's report.
My most faithful student,
...what?
For Science!: Twilight's motivation for studying TD in the first place.
Giver of Lame Names: Twilight's names for the fingers on TD's hands aren't particularly creative, but particular mention has to go to the little finger...
"...and the one at the end shall be The..." Twilight sighed but reasoned to herself that she could always think up better names after more observation. "The End Finger," she finished lamely.
Oh, Crap!: Twilight realizing that TD is aware of what she's been up to, and again when Spike tells her he mailed a copy of TD's report to the princess.
Twilight: (whispering) Oh dear.
Ready for Lovemaking: Discussed. Luna dismisses the idea of Twilight sounding what TD describes as a "mating call" (the sound of her writing), since this trope would be more efficient.
Luna: We were unaware that Twilight used mating calls at all. Would it not be simpler to simply walk up to the pony of her desire and ask to be mounted and rutted until she couldn't see straight on the spot than to stalk them and scratch parchments with quills? We have never heard such a thing.
Serious Business: Celestia seems to take her cake very seriously, particularly when Luna steals it from her plate.
Celestia slowly turned her head to look up at Luna, a fire in her eyes that few had ever seen before. Her eye twitched as she took a deep breath. "Luna, may I have a talk with you about eating the royal cake that I have waited a month to have? You know that I only have them make a single slice for me so that I don't get greedy and eat more than that."
Shout-Out:
- Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal is referenced in the second chapter, when Celestia narrates about a noble she dealt with that day.
  The most interesting pony for sure was the one who gave what he called 'a modest proposal' to bake newborn foals into cupcakes to solve both the hunger issue and the overpopulation issue. She was pretty sure he was being sarcastic though.
Squee: Twilight's response to Spike giving her 'permission' to stalk TD for research purposes. In other words, Spike realises she's going to do it anyway and simply tells her to be careful. She does it again later on when observing TD singing a song.
Whole-Plot Reference: To Feeling Pinkie Keen, Pinkie Sense aside. Well and it lacks a hydra.

Wanderings of a Non-Brony

Arranged Marriage / Standard Hero Reward: TD ends up in one after saving the life of Emperor Aepnet's daughter, Princess Kathyrine, under the laws of Griffonia. It probably doesn't need to be said that TD does not like this development one bit. Nor does his intended bride-to-be.
Badass Boast: Courtesy of Soundspeed.
(After TD, Soundspeed, and Oswald have been captured trying to free TD and are surrounded)
Huo: ... Fine, two mildwy dangewous beings and a weakling. You can see the disadvantage.
Soundspeed: I'll concede the point. Get another dozen dogs and the fight will be even.
Badass Pacifist: Fluttershy made Sergeant First Class during her mandatory tour of duty in the Cloudsdale Air Force as a Combat Medic, and is still pretty good at wingblade fencing. TD asks her if she's capable of killing him, to which she responds by putting him in a headlock with a wing to his head. If she had been armed with spiked horseshoes and wing-swords he'd have indeed been killed. She is, of course, instantly apologetic.
Better to Die than Be Killed: When deciding to go along with Celestia's plan and accompany her, TD warns them that any attempt to imprison him will result in him using lethal force to escape. It's also implied he has a good reason for this...
Beware the Nice Ones: Oswald when TD gets captured, and later again when he gets stabbed. It's not a good day to be a Diamond Dog.
Big "WHAT?!": TD's response to Soundspeed's backstory. Specifically how he got the Diamond Dogs to leave him alone.
Bittersweet Ending: TD once again cannot pass through a dimensional portal back to Earth, even the one made with the Crystal Heart at the end. Word of God is that he will never return home. However, he can still lead a relatively happy life as he has many friends to look to here in Equestria.
Defiant to the End: When TD thinks he's about to be killed by a group of minotaurs he runs into, he puts up a decent fight and is fully prepared to go out kicking and screaming, until another clan intervenes.
Determinator: TD, who absolutely refuses to give up on the idea of going home until he's managed to exhaust all his options.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: TD kills Queen Chrysalis. Granted, TD was turned part Changeling beforehand and as such could shapeshift his arm for increased strength, and it's only a temporary punch-out seeing as Chrysalis is effectively immortal as long as there are Changelings in the world, being the physical avatar and embodiment of their hive mind.
Duel to the Death: TD gets challenged to a death match while in the minotaur city of Schunie, over the 'dishonour' he inflicts upon a clan trying to murder him while outnumbering him 7-to-1.
Eating the Eye Candy: Rarity is quite impressed with TD's improved physique, which makes her an easy target for some light-hearted teasing when TD picks up on it.
Elmuh Fudd Syndwome: Huo, the leader of the Diamond Dog clan.
Epic Fail / Hoist by His Own Petard: After TD gets captured by Diamond Dogs, one of them tries to break TD's staff on his knee, only to break his leg instead.
Exact Words: TD averts this by refusing to relinquish his hold over a guard when Celestia asks him to, until she's answered his question.
TD: No fallout?
Celestia: You'll be fine. I promise.
TD: That's not what I asked.
Eye Scream: TD hits a dragon threatening him right in the eye using Reginald.
Foregone Conclusion: TD needs to survive his six year adventure to be able to tell the story to the princess and the Mane 6.
Gladiator Games: Duels are heavily regulated by the city of Schunie, and used to make them a lot of money taxing the betting industry, by effectively turning them into this. Death matches are especially big events due to their rarity, to the point where it has a huge impact on the entire city's economy and the participants are treated as celebrities.
The Glomp: Pinkie glomps TD when they meet him in Chapter One, and starts tearing up in surprise that he remembers her.
Half-Human Hybrid: TD is turned part Changeling near the end.
Healing Factor: The healing powers of phoenix tears prove to be very useful for TD at several points.
Hostage Situation: TD temporarily takes a guard hostage upon arriving at the Crystal Empire, when they're overzealous with threatening him, and demands that the other put his weapon down. It does get resolved fairly amicably when Celestia turns up, and TD escapes punishment due to it being "self defence", much to his hostage's displeasure.
In Medias Res: The story begins with TD arriving at the Crystal Empire, with much of the story set around TD explaining to the others via Flashback How We Got Here.
Jaw Drop: TD, upon discovering Fluttershy has a background of a skilled combat medic.
Jerkass Has a Point: While Celestia is only really one from TD's (slightly biased) perspective, he does acknowledge, however begrudgingly, that she's right to say that he dealt with being trapped in Equestria poorly. He does manage to turn the tables on her a little later however, when he points out that while she had a lot longer to come to terms with her isolation, versus the six months TD had taken when he left, which stings her into silence.
Just Trying to Help: TD's pet phoenix Oswald means well and generally has proven helpful to TD, but occasionally his attempts end up getting TD into further trouble, such as when he lures a Diamond Dog into the camp, believing it to be prey.
Kill It with Fire: Phoenixes can be used to kill in this manner, to the point where Oswald actually gets treated as a weapon at several points. Oswald can also wreath TD in harmless flames, which he uses to scare some dragons by passing himself off as a fire god.
Last of His Kind: TD has been since he arrived in Equestria in the first place, but the loneliness he feels as a result is one of the reasons he set out on his adventures in an attempt to resolve it. Celestia also discusses how it feels with him.
Like a Daughter to Me: Celestia offhandedly mentions this to TD when explaining that she did not know she would see Luna again after banishing her, and that her attempts to redeem Luna had no guarantee of working. She also says this right in front of Twilight.
Loyal Animal Companion: In the fourth chapter, TD finds a phoenix egg, which hatches when he's keeping it from harm. The chick believes TD to be his mother and stays with him, eventually prompting TD to name him Oswald Q. Phoenix. Unfortunately, Oswald is — as TD lovingly puts it and Oswald himself agrees wholeheartedly — "the dumbest phoenix in existence". Oswald has been mostly helpful, but he does sometimes get TD into further trouble with his actions.
Noodle Incident:
- When TD asks Soundspeed how he got the Diamond Dogs to leave him alone, we get this gem:
  Soundspeed: It's a thrilling tale involving a fish, a dried apricot, four bags of flour, and a torch. I'd really rather not give you any details, if you don’t mind.
- In fact, Soundspeed's backstory is one too. All we know so far is that he is a former Wonderbolt captain who has been hiding from Celestia in a cave for twelve years because of some unknown thing he did and now he believes that Celestia is after him to the point where he shoots TD with a blowgun when he thinks he is a spy sent to capture him. What's more interesting is that Celestia herself refuses to answer TD's questions of just what he did but is highly amused whenever the subject comes up.
  Soundspeed: (when discussing the best way to avoid Diamond Dogs) I killed one of them and ate his remains right in front of them. Haven't seen a single one since.
  TD: Wait... what?
  Soundspeed: Why do you think Celestia is so mad at me?
  Celestia: (in the present, after giggling like a teenage girl) Is that really what he told you?
  TD: At first that's what he said, yes.
  Celestia: You can rest assured, TD, the real reason is far more interesting than that.
- The "packing tape incident" Twilight mentions, when she laments that Pinkie didn't take advantage of her improbable ability to pick locks with dirt, a skill she apparently learnt from Mrs. Cake.
Not Actually the Ultimate Question: TD winds up about to ask Applejack a fairly trivial question about Braeburn, only for AJ to interrupt mid-way about how certain fanon interpretations are completely false...
TD: …that's not what I was going to ask. In fact, that wasn't even close.
AJ: (embarrassed) Oh. sorry 'bout that.
Oh, My Gods!: Humourously played by Twilight, when expressing her surprise over TD's pet phoenix. Since Celestia happens to be in the same room as Twilight at the time, she simply points to Celestia rather than invoking her name.
Remembered I Could Fly: After getting lost, TD eventually realises he has a pet phoenix who can fly and look for a way out, and berates himself for not thinking of it sooner.
Right Behind Me: In the first chapter, TD takes a guard hostage after they threaten to attack him, demanding to speak to their rulers, only for Celestia and the Mane 6 to reveal they're right behind him.
Quit Your Whining: Celestia calls out TD for his bad attitude over being trapped, pointing out she's also had to deal with being the only one of her kind.
TD: Well excuse me for not adapting to things like some emotionless thing a bad fanfic author would write off.
Sand In My Eyes: Soundspeed would like you to know that he was definitely not crying after hearing TD explain Titanic (1997) to Oswald, and just had something in his eye.
Serious Business: Death matches within minotaur culture. They're such a large event that it affects an entire city's economy, and the losing clan is banished for a minimum of several years.
Ship Tease: An in-universe and out-of-universe example, with TD teasing Rarity over her comments and seeming attraction to his new and improved physique.
Sickeningly Sweet: The Mane 6 and CMC find TD's interactions with Oswald to be particularly adorable, which both find embarrassing.
It's not fun showing affection to your pet phoenix if a bunch of girls are going to call it adorable, and judging by Oswald's expression, he seems to agree with me on that point.
Stunned Silence: TD manages to stun the Mane 6 and CMC into silence when they bump into him holding a guard hostage. So surprised they're unable to respond to his greetings.
They look really surprised at seeing me, which I can relate to. I never imagined I'd see these ponies outside of Ponyville. Or maybe they're just shocked that I'm choking a pony. That could be it, too.
Switching P.O.V.: Twilight narrates the prologue before the narrative switches back to TD for the rest of the story.
Take a Third Option: After the guards refuse to allow TD to see the royals in charge of the Crystal Empire (Cadance/Shining Armor and Celestia by proxy, though he isn't aware of that at the time), Celestia manages to grant him an audience with the two by claiming his actions were self defence, which automatically requires an investigation and a consultation with Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor.
Take That!: AJ's response to TD's (imagined) question can be read as one against some of the various fanon ideas about her and Braeburn.

invokedTear Jerker: Deliberately invoked by TD, when he tells the story of Titanic (1997) to Oswald so he can stock up on phoenix tears, upon discovering their healing powers.
Time Skip: The story is set six years after the original.
Took a Level in Badass: TD takes several over the course of his adventures.
Training from Hell: The Zebras give TD some while he waits for their leader to see him. And by "some", I mean "an entire year's worth".
Tranquillizer Dart: Soundspeed tranquillizes TD with one when first encountering him.
invokedTrolling Creator: Played with for comedy by means of a fake Cliffhanger in the middle of a chapter, right after TD gets stabbed.
To be continued....
[...]
Right now
What the Hell, Hero?:
- Apple Bloom and the rest of the CMC gives one to TD after having left without saying goodbye to them, as does Twilight.
- Celestia also calls TD out over his poor attitude.
Who's on First?: Done twice in quick succession, with Huo, the leader of the Diamond Dog clan TD gets captured by, and Watt, one of his subordinates.
You Remind Me of X: Bludworth sees a lot of himself in TD, which is one reason for helping him prepare for his Duel to the Death.

The Life of a Non-Brony

Adorably Precocious Child: Comet Screech is both surprisingly mature and surprisingly foul mouthed for her age.
Animorphism: Discord trolls TD and Cheerilee by briefly turning them into a pony and human respectively.
Bait-and-Switch: One chapter involves Comet trying to convince TD and Cheerilee to eat meat, which they deny until they get to know if bat ponies can indeed eat meat safely. Shortly later, TD and Cheerilee leave and Comet tries to beat Oswald's attempts to protect her from some meat. Comet wins and eats it... and then falls ill. The chapter ends with TD reprimanding Comet for not cooking meat before eating it.
Batman Gambit: TD recognizes Celestia is attempting to use this, and even mentions it by name. What he didn't bank on was Celestia predicting he would recognise this, and building her plan accordingly.
The Chessmaster: Celestia, when using TD and Cheerilee's friendship to reform Discord.
Dead Pan Snarker: Comet Screech being on par with TD in the snarking department, is probably one of the reasons he adopted her.
Everyone Can See It: Cheerilee and TD being a good match is blindingly obvious to pretty much everyone except the duo themselves, though they eventually figure it out.
Evil Twin: TD's run-in with the mirror pool results in a bunch of evil TD clones trying to take over Canterlot.
- Played With, when the clones reveal they're still not evil enough to kill anyone and the only one they seriously want to hurt is Celestia. And even then they weren't going to kill her.
Happily Adopted: Comet Screech, TD and Cheerilee's adopted daughter, is very happy to have people who show genuine affection towards her, instead of just curiosity about her being a bat pony.
If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Big Mac threatens TD with this when he and Cheerilee start dating.
Interspecies Romance: TD finally strikes up one with Cheerilee, to the surprise of almost no-one.
Invasion of the Baby Snatchers: After TD publishes his book, Comet's birth parents show up and wish to take her back. Both Cheerliee and TD tell them to fuck off, but that doesn't stop them from attempting to kidnap her on Nightmare Night.
Just Friends: TD and Cheerilee start off as this. It doesn't take too long for a Relationship Upgrade.
Parental Abandonment: The reason Comet is an orphan.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Celestia decides to try and reform Discord, TD and Cheerilee immediately decide to leave in favor of going to the bar.
Spit Take: Celestia notes that Luna is the few people to get her to do this.
Switching P.O.V.: TD narrates most of the story, but Celestia, Cheerilee, Comet and Oswald have managed to get chapters of their own.
Talk to the Fist: Cheerilee's first response upon seeing TD is to dismiss her class and punch him in the face, in retaliation for walking out on the foals without saying goodbye at the start of Wanderings.
Unsettling Gender-Reveal: Played for Laughs when Philomeena tells Oswald that TD is his "father", not his "mother".
You Are Not Alone: TD gets a reminder of this, courtesy of Twilight.
Twilight: You don't have to go through this alone, TD. You never did.

The Breaking of a Non-Brony

And I Must Scream: TD's final fate, being imprisoned in stone with Discord.
Apologetic Attacker:
- Celestia does this twice, firstly when attacking a possessed TD, and again shortly afterwards when 'TD' claims Discord had left his body the moment she attacked.
- Derpy apologises to TD when it's revealed Discord had left his body, leaving him to take the attack himself.
Big Bad: Discord.
Body Horror: Discord does this to several ponies — including the Mane 6 — by removing their wings, horns, and/or cutie marks, and turns Sweetie Belle into a changeling (without shapeshifting abilities).
Demonic Possession: The premise is set around TD being possessed by Discord.
Downer Ending / Pyrrhic Victory: Discord gets imprisoned again when blasted by the Elements of Harmony, but as he was possessing TD at the time, TD is imprisoned along with him and heavily implied to have his mind destroyed in the process.
Dying as Yourself: A variation, as it's strongly implied TD would not be physically killed. The Elements free TD briefly from Discord's control, shortly before his petrification is complete. He uses the opportunity to react the way any sane person would.
Face Death with Dignity: TD, when facing his likely 'death' from the Elements decided he at least wants to stand and "face it like a man" by watching from his mental prison. This is subverted a little later when he realizes he doesn't want to die and shows a more realistic response.
Fate Worse than Death: Discord's modus operanti. He never kills, simply for the fact that this reduces the amount of chaos and misery he can inflict.
Fighting from the Inside: TD, when he gets possessed by Discord. He even manages to free himself, albeit only briefly, which even seems to impress Discord... before he threatens him not to do it again.
A God Am I: Discord refers to himself as such several times.
Groin Attack: When Discord threatens the CMC, TD's first reaction is to punch him in the groin. It doesn't do him much good.
Human Shield: Discord possesses TD to use him as one, though he initially goes around pretending to be TD before dropping the guise when it suits him.
Ineffectual Death Threat: Discord laughs off the threats made to him, particularly those made by TD. Unfortunately, he's perfectly justified in doing so.
Mama Bear: Derpy Hooves tackles TD/Discord when he threatens Dinky. Derpy proceeds to beat TD to a pulp until Discord reveals that he left TD's body when the attack began, meaning that Derpy nearly killed TD when she attacked.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: TD unwittingly frees Discord after the chaos he causes at the Gala, and by letting himself be provoked into attacking Discord's statue.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: TD/Discord receives one at the hands of Derpy, after threatening her daughter. Unfortunately, it's not Discord who takes it.
Not Afraid to Die: Played with. TD acts like this after finally being broken by Discord, to the point where he's almost completely unbothered by his likely impending (mental) death at the hands of the Elements. However, this is subverted at the last minute when he's just about to be hit, where he reacts with as much fear as you'd expect.
Papa Wolf: TD. Discord threatens the Crusaders and TD punches him in the balls in retribution.
Sequel Hook: Celestia vows to free TD from his stone prison and that they won't fail him again. On the other hand, Discord — who correctly predicts that the Elements would not separate him and TD — suggests that TD is incapable of withstanding their power and would have his mind torn apart, leaving nothing for anyone to save... and if it doesn't, Discord himself will do it.
Spotting the Thread: Applejack realizes 'TD' isn't who he appears to be when she observes him eating hay bread, something the real TD is extremely allergic to.
Taken for Granite: Discord, obviously. TD suffers the same fate at the end of the story.
Taking You with Me: Despite being well aware of his imminent defeat, Discord refuses to relinquish his hold over TD, ensuring that both are petrified.
Transformation of the Possessed: TD takes on Discord's eye coloration and voice whenever he's possessed, though Discord is also capable of using TD's normal eyes and voice if the mood or need arises.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Averted with Sweetie Belle. When Discord turns her into a changeling, he deliberately removes her shapeshifting powers, pointing out this would defeat the entire purpose if she could immediately take on a normal appearance again.
We Can Rule Together: An interesting variation. Discord suggests to TD that their impending imprisonment is a good opportunity for him to gain an ally for next time. When TD rejects this, Discord then points out that given the stresses this would put on his mind, he probably wouldn't have any choice in the matter.
Would Hurt a Child: Discord, and he delights in doing it.
Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Discord uses this to lure Celestia into a trap by pretending to have left TD's body, leaving him heavily wounded by her spell.

TD's Little Rarity

Badass Boast: Celestia, when speaking to the agents threatening Rarity.
Celestia: Do know that if we wanted to, Luna or myself could wipe you from existence without a thought. If it were not for our wish to harm none of you, you would all be long dead.
Berserk Button: Twilight is furious when TD attempts to speed up her attempt to pick the lock on his door by whipping her with a towel, causing her to blast the door open in surprise.
Boom, Headshot!: TD shoots Celestia in the face with his pistol upon learning that she messed up his life again by sending Rarity to him. Though it should be noted that he only does this as a way of venting his frustrations because he knows it won't harm her.
Closet Geek: Agent Johnson, who TD identifies as a Brony after he references Celestia's defeat by Queen Chrysalis.
TD: How many Bronies are there around here?!
Agent Tanner: Agent Johnson is not a Brony, he watches the show with his two daughters.
TD: You really fell for that? Who is best princess?
Agent Johnson: Lu- (catches himself. Clears throat) Any allegiances I might have to the NLR are hardly important right now.
Comically Missing the Point / Memetic Mutation: Alas, brony memes are rather lost on Luna.
Luna: Pray tell, TD, is it customary on your world for articles to be ignored when addressing royalty? Wouldn't it be more proper to say 'the best princess'?
Dartboard of Hate: A variant in that TD pretends the enemies he fights while playing the Batman: Arkham Series are Agent Tanner.
Death Faked for You: The FBI do this to TD after taking him and Rarity into custody.
Description Cut: When TD is being threatened with handcuffs by Agent Tanner if he doesn't cooperate.
Agent Tanner: Last chance to do this the easy way.
I look at the handcuffs for a moment, open my mouth and inhale.
(Cut to 10 minutes later)
Dr. Allred: Why are you wearing handcuffs, TD?
Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: After having left Rarity in his room to go to a class and being called "father" by her, the penny finally drops for TD right in the middle of a lecture...
TD: (about an hour later) ... Wait, did she call me father?
Everyone Else: *complete silence*
Double Entendre: When TD gives the FBI an entirely accurate story about how he got his Clovevellian Staff, a magic wooden staff that records important memories for him.
TD: I walked into that special store in Canterlot because the unicorn mare beckoned me in. It was off the beaten path and I'm not sure that a lot of ponies go there so it must have been a pretty sketchy place. Once I was in she got my staff out but it was too small to use so she used her unicorn magic and my staff started growing until it was big enough.
Dr. Lundgren: So unicorns know growing magic?
TD: Like I said, this mare made my staff grow. Then she used some more unicorn magic to make it really hard, hard enough that it would be nearly impossible to break.
Dr. Lundgren: I've heard that it records memories.
TD: Yep I've had some fond memories with that. It doesn't really do anything when you guys are handling it but the mare seemed to know what it was and what to do with it.
Dr. Allred: ...That's not funny.
TD: Yes it is.
Dr. Allred: No it isn't.
Dr. Lundgren: It's a little funny.
Eating the Eye Candy: In one of the final chapters, Rainbow Dash stares at TD's chest (the latter having just gotten out of the shower), and commences with a Wingboner. It's a gag done by her.
Fanboy:
- TD's old roommate Ben is a very big fan, and practically squeals when he thinks TD has joined the herd.
- Agent Johnson is a big fan of Princess Luna, and quite pleased to get a chance to meet her, despite the circumstances.
Fountain of Youth: After being sent to Earth, Rarity is transformed into a seven year old filly.
The Glomp: TD's reaction to Celestia telling him he can go home.
Gosh Dang It to Heck!: TD refrains from swearing around filly Rarity, even after she admits to him that she knows full well what he means to say. She later starts doing it herself.
Rarity: (while they're being chased by police) Oh you have got to be fortuitously kidding me.
Heel Realization: Ben, who apologises to TD on Facebook for informing the FBI about his visit to Equestria. TD decides against unfriending him for the moment.
Heroic BSoD: TD's sister Kristen's brain completely breaks upon meeting Rarity, particularly by being addressed as "Aunt Kristen".
I Always Wanted to Say That: TD is inwardly delighted at being able to tell Agent Tanner to "make [his] day" by resisting when he points his gun at her head and moves to take hers.
Identity Amnesia / Laser-Guided Amnesia: Being sent to Earth strips Rarity of most of her knowledge, though she does still remember her name, and keeps a few of her basic skills.
If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: TD threatens Agent Johnson with this if they hurt Rarity.
Jerkass: Agent Tanner and some of the unnamed FBI agents, who have absolutely No Sympathy for TD or Rarity. One of the spooks goes as far as preparing himself to shoot Rarity's foreleg, which TD reacts by putting a well-deserved bullet in his shoulder.
Killed to Uphold the Masquerade: Briefly mentioned when TD half expects those who know the truth about Rarity to be assassinated.
Agent Tanner: You've seen one too many movies, Mr. Powell.
Narnia Time: The time difference between Equestria and Earth initially worked like this, before it was Retconned into being in parallel.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: The rest of the Mane 6 give one to the agents holding Rarity hostage, after they threaten to shoot her, and attempt to kill TD (albeit in self-defense after he fires upon them).
Overly Long Scream / The Scream: Parodied by means of a video clip from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, upon TD discovering a cardboard box containing Rarity in his bedroom. His actual reaction follows a second later.
Well, that's what I almost spouted off anyways. Every last word of it.
Papa Wolf: TD is furious when one of the agents threatens to shoot Rarity in the leg, and immediately shoots the guy in the shoulder.
Parental Substitute: TD essentially takes on the role of Rarity's father until she gets rescued, and she even refers to him as such.
Punch-Clock Villain: Agent Johnson and Doctors Allred and Lundgren, none of whom take any pleasure in screwing up TD's life.
Spit Take: Kristen gives a rather epic one upon learning that TD was stuck in Equestria during his two month disappearance.
Rarity: Father, why did Aunt Kristen just spit soda all over me?
Talk to the Fist: TD continues his Running Gag of hitting people in the face, though this time it's his ex-roommate Ben who he punches in the face. Celestia instead moves up to being shot in the face.
Tempting Fate: Narrowly averted by TD when he's about to reflect on how Rarity's arrival can't be worse than when he babysat for the Cake twins, only for him to almost tempt fate again a second later.
This Cannot Be!: TD's quite understandable reaction to finding Rarity in his bedroom, having finally believed the events of Equestria to be behind him.
Time Skip: The main story starts a year after TD is returned to Earth, and after the FBI take him into custody, six months are skipped over while he and Rarity are imprisoned without charge.
Too Dumb to Live: The agents who threaten TD and Rarity, while the princesses are there backing them up. Particular mention goes to Agent Tanner who still tries to capture TD even after almost all the other agents have been incapacitated.
TD: Huh, so not only is she a jerk but she's an incredibly dense one too. Go figure.
The Unreveal: Before leaving Earth for good, TD asks Celestia to send a final letter to his loved ones for him. Which she does. But we don't find out what it said.
What the Hell, Hero?: When TD learns that Celestia accidentally caused Rarity to be sent through a portal and then aimed it at him, knowing that he would protect her. This caused him and Rarity to be imprisoned by the FBI, who then faked his death so they could keep him permanently, for six months. He reacts by (fruitlessly, as expected by him) shooting her in the face with his stolen gun.
Celestia: TD I know that this must be hard for you, but that was completely unjustified! I am sorry, I am truly sorry, that I'm putting you through this for a second time but I must ask for a better attitude from you about this.
TD: Denied. You know, I forgave you for the first time because you did right by me in the end by sending me home, but there is no way, I repeat, no way that you can do right by me this time. You have irreparably screwed up my life.
Whole-Plot Reference: To My Little Dashie, as lampshaded by Ben.
Wouldn't Hurt a Child: The scientists find the actions of the agents threatening Rarity to be completely unacceptable. Dr. Allred in particular, who takes it upon himself to try to shield Rarity from the crossfire between TD and the agents.
You Are Not Alone: TD's sister is very supportive of him, and offers to help him care for Rarity in any way she can.

TD the Alicorn Princess

Afterlife Antechamber: TD mistakenly thinks he's been sent to one after being blasted by the Elements and waking up in a strange place, and wonders if Celestia has shown up to escort him to the afterlife. However, while he isn't dead, it turns out that she can actually escort him there from their current location if TD wishes, which he rather quickly declines.
Animorphism: TD's transformation into an alicorn by the Elements of Harmony.
Badass Boast: TD threatening Blueblood after the latter taunts him over being transformed into an alicorn mare...
TD: I'm an immortal alicorn goddess who has wings to go with his superior horn. I have more power than you could ever dream of, and I can use it to make your life miserable in ways that your aunt can't block because she doesn't know how to block them.
Berserk Button:
- After being transformed into a female alicorn, TD finally snaps when Celestia refers to him as a she.
- Celestia also gets hers pushed after TD inadvertently interferes with Twilight's destiny, and gives in to her anger when TD punches her in the face yet again.
- If TD learns you've hurt a foal, there will be no mercy for you.
Black Comedy: After believing himself to have been killed by the Elements, TD finds it amusing to think of how the Mane 6 would react when they realise what's happened.
"I know this makes me a bad person, but I'd love to see the looks on their faces when they realize what they did."
Blatant Lies: Celestia's claim in a press conference that TD managed to return home, and that the rumours of him transforming into Princess Antares are completely false.
Cassandra Truth: Inverted. TD suggests Celestia lies to quell any rumours of his transformation, since it's hardly like anyone would challenge her over it.
TD: What, are they going to not believe you if you tell them that the human that they saw at the Grand Galloping Gala for a few hours didn't ascend? I mean, if you tell them that I was pulling a prank on Blueblood and that what I told Vichy was true then are they going to think you're lying?
Cat Fight: TD's fight with Celestia shows several elements of this. Including attracting unwelcome attention from male members of the audience.
Call-Back: To No, I Am Not a Brony after TD finally manages to injure Celestia.
TD: I seem to recall a certain princess who told me that she would hand over rule of Equestria to me if I ever managed to hurt her even slightly. I just did that several times over the course of a few minutes. I'll take the deed to Equestria now.
The Chessmaster: Aepnet turns out to have been behind the Equestria-Griffonia crisis all along, for his own ends.
Commonality Connection: Celestia and TD bond over this after his ascension and the difficulties he faces, to the point of becoming best friends, and later lovers.
Covers Always Lie: A somewhat unusual example, since the cover art depicts TD holding a cane given to him by Discord, which does occur in the story, but in a non-canon chapter.
Deadpan Snarker: TD creates his own division of the Royal Guards around this, and dubs them the Snarcasti-guard.
Celestia: TD... are all of your guards trained to employ sarcasm?
TD: Yep. Every last one of them. That includes the reserves.
Celestia: *facehoof*
Death Glare: Both Celestia and TD's reaction to several comments made onlookers during their fight.
Deity of Human Origin: While it's not clear on Celestia and Luna's origins, TD certainly fits the bill after his ascension.
Did You Just Have Sex?: Celestia's good mood and spring in her step the morning after instantly gives the game away to Luna.
Luna: Tia can hide nothing from Us after these many thousands of years...
Disproportionate Retribution: TD threatens to raze Ponyville if anyone bows to him. Given how angry and frustrated he is at the time, he probably would end up doing it too... at least if he could use his newfound magic.
Disappointed in You: Twilight is particularly disappointed in Celestia and TD's "animalistic" behaviour. Celestia is also shown to be disappointed in herself shortly thereafter.
Dramatic Irony: The reader learns the truth behind the Griffonia incident, but the main cast are unaware thus far.
Escalating War: Blueblood and TD pull one of these on one another. Blueblood, at least, gets TD by filling his room top to bottom with popcorn, to which TD retaliates by getting a ton of candy-coated hyperactive foals to play with him. A detente is quickly called after that.
Eternal Love: Both TD and Celestia seem to be heading in this direction, with TD explicitly pointing out to Luna that, unlike with a regular pony, the lack of ageing means one doesn't have to lose the other to the sands of time.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: TD becomes an alicorn princess.
Failed a Spot Check: When waking up after consummating his newfound relationship with Celestia, TD somehow fails to pick up on the additional alicorn lying in his bed until after his shower. Only then does he finally wonder what happened, before the memories come rushing back.
For Want Of A Nail: TD ascends instead of Twilight, after he takes her place when she gets knocked out by a piece of debris during one of Rarity's out of control storms.
Gender Bender: I repeat: TD becomes an alicorn princess. Celestia and TD find a spell that temporarily switches him back to male, as shown when they strike up their Interspecies Romance. Problem is, it's explicitly designed to spice things up in the bedroom rather than make a sustainable change. After getting in a situation where being male would be politically advantageous, TD finally takes the time to create a permanent sex change spell, undoing the gender bender.
Girl on Girl Is Hot: Several observers comment to this effect during TD's tussle with Celestia. Including Spike! Both are not amused by this.
God Couple: Between Celestia and TD.
Hidden Depths: Cadance has considerable poker skills.
Hot-Blooded: Alicorns are this by nature, and experience heightened emotions compared to their pony kin. TD discovers this firsthand when he almost kills a foal abuser in a rage, and Celestia explains that this is the reason for her guarded nature.
How Do I Shot Web?: TD has no idea how to fly or use magic, so his attempts to use either when attacking Celestia fail spectacularly.
The Immodest Orgasm: Due to forgetting to use soundproofing spells, TD and Celestia's relationship remains a secret for about a nanosecond.
Improbable Weapon User: TD manages to weaponize sarcasm through the use of his guards. Princess of Snark and Sarcasm indeed.
I Need a Freaking Drink: Celestia asks Twilight for one after her fight with TD is over. It's hard to blame her.
Insistent Terminology: Regardless of his current form, TD would very much like you to know that he is still a he.
Interplay of Sex and Violence: While seemingly not intentional on his part, apparently TD's old habits die hard in the throes of passion. Not that Celestia seems to mind, this time.
Interspecies Romance: TD ends up in one with Celestia after becoming best friends and bonding over the predicament of being a princess. Though given that TD is still stuck as an alicorn, it's only sort of interspecies.
It's All My Fault: While well aware that he had no way of knowing, TD still feels extremely guilty over messing up Twilight's destiny and taking her place.
Jaw Drop: Celestia's jaw almost hits the floor when she discovers TD instead of Twilight. Cadance, Shining Armor, and Luna react in a similar manner later on.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: TD, observing the weird nature of his life.
It was like I had some sadist writing out my life; making the worst possible stuff happen to me whenever I got even a little comfortable with how things were going. It would actually explain quite a bit.

May–December Romance: TD and Celestia, with an age difference of at least 3000 years or so.
Modest Royalty: Fitting in with the general trend of Equestrian royalty, TD doesn't opt for much extravagance in his position. While parts of his palace have the decorum associated with the role, his personal quarters are extremely modest.
My God, What Have I Done?: Rarity is very remorseful and upset over accidentally injuring Twilight, when one of her storms spirals out of control.
My Sister Is Off-Limits: Luna is furious upon finding out about Celestia and TD's relationship, and barely manages to contain her anger while confronting him over it.
Narration Echo:
- TD responding to Celestia's comment on the Elements having a reason for ascending him:
  "Yeah, I got to become the Princess of Snark and Sarcasm," I snarked sarcastically.
- And later on at a press conference...
  Reporter: But what does that entail; being the princess of snark and sarcasm?
  TD/"Princess Antares": (snarkily) It means I'm going to give an honest, yet sarcastic, answer to every dumb question.
Noodle Implements: Blueblood's lawyer tries to break into TD's room, armed "a rope, two bottles of shaving cream, a few peaches, and a quill". It's probably best that no one else has any idea of what the plan involved.
No-Sell: Averted. After his transformation, TD is now capable of actually harming Celestia, even if the damage he causes is only limited to superficial bruising.
Odd Friendship: TD and Celestia's friendship. While by itself it would be easy to imagine them bonding under the circumstances, the shared history and numerous punches to the face between them all serve to make it quite strange. TD even lampshades this.
TD: You tore me from all I knew and loved and I punched you in the face. Yet here I am more than three years later, a goddess princess of ponykind, and we're enjoying a glass of wine and each other's company.
Physical God: TD becomes one as part of his transformation, instead of 'merely' becoming an alicorn as Celestia speculated would have happened to Twilight.
Physical Religion: One for each of the princesses.
Power Perversion Potential: The gender-swapping spell was apparently invented exclusively for nocturnal activities. TD considers inverting the trope by using the spell to restore his gender back to normal, but the need to recast the spell every few hours, as well as other... physiological effects... render this impractical. It's only after diplomatic tensions increase with the minotaurs (who are patriarchal and don't take female leaders seriously) and it becomes a matter of national interest that TD has the time and excuse to sit down, do the research, and invent a permanent (and non-sexual) version of that spell.
Relationship Upgrade: TD and Celestia's friendship eventually gets an upgrade to Official Couple status.
Rousing Speech: TD's public introduction as "Princess Antares", where he promises to have no tolerance for any shallow and petty behaviour in his court, improve the school system, champion the causes of foals, and ensure that "pastries of all forms are respected".
Running Gag: TD continues his trend of hitting Celestia in the face when pushed to the breaking point, only for Celestia to turn it around on him for once.
Celestia: TD, you have done that three times now. I must ask you why you never expected retaliation.
TD: Luna snapped my spine and Twilight crashed me through five walls. If that isn't retaliation, I don't know what is.
Celestia: I meant from me.
With that ominous statement, she drew her hoof back and punched me in the face.
Quit Your Whining: Cadance to TD when she tells him to adapt and make something of the opportunity he's been given, no matter how unfortunate the circumstances are.
Screams Like a Little Girl: Blueblood does it when he finds out he's been hitting on TD under the guise of Princess Antares.
Serious Business: Celestia is not amused by TD antagonising and revealing his real identity to Blueblood, or his messing with the nobility.
Sexy Discretion Shot: After Celestia kisses TD, the narrative cuts to the morning after.
Share the Male Pain: A variant. Shining Armor is sympathetic when he finds TD is a princess rather than a prince, an attitude Cadance doesn't seem to share.
I'm on his side with that one. Cadance wouldn't really get why that might be terrible for me.
Shout-Out:
- TD notes that Sweet Apple Acres looks like it's been taken over by Scar from The Lion King, and its barrenness is just as inexplicable.
- TD's meeting with the Griffon dukes contains a subtle reference to the Constitutional Peasants scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. After TD explains the circumstances behind his ascension, Zangara retorts that, "Supreme executive power derives from a legitimate claim such as royal blood or having the crown taken or given to you, not some farcical light show by some pretty gems that give you a few feathers!"
Slasher Smile: TD gives one to Blueblood when threatening him.
So Proud of You:
- Tragically subverted when Celestia, Cadance, Shining Armor, and Luna discover TD has ascended instead of Twilight.
- After several years and having grown into an effective leader, Celestia admits to TD how proud she is of how he's handled the responsibilities and trials of being a princess.
Stop Worshipping Me: While he doesn't demand others stop worshipping him after finding out that (like the other princesses) there's a religion based around him, TD is extremely uncomfortable over it. After some soul-searching, he eventually decides to go along with it, to try and use it as a force for good.
Tomato in the Mirror: TD has a breakdown, when a comment over destiny ends up causing him to wonder if it was always his fate to become Princess Antares, and it's his 'true' self, rather than his existence as TD.
Try to Fit That on a Business Card: TD/"Princess Antares"'s full title as Princess of Snark, Sarcasm, Education, Foal Services, and Pastries. Celestia is not amused by that last one.
What Did I Do Last Night?: Played with. Despite specifically pointing out that alicorns having a high tolerance for alcohol means this can't be used as an excuse, TD still ends up wondering this after finding Celestia in his bed, though the memories quickly return.
Yes-Man: The nobles immediately start trying to ingratiate themselves with "Princess Antares" when TD mingles with them at a social function to ease himself into being a princess. Blueblood starts hitting on him, only to be horrified when TD reveals his real identity.
You Are Not Alone: Celestia mentions this by name, when comforting TD after his breakdown.
Celestia: Do know this: you are not alone. You never have been and you never will be.

The Incredibly Interesting Date with the Non-Winning Human

Bedmate Reveal: TD and Cloud Kicker end up getting married (along with half of Ponyville) after consuming apples contaminated with love poison due to Apple Bloom's improper disposal of it. However, they didn't consummate said marriage, much to TD's relief.
Despair Event Horizon: TD crosses it when he believes that his friendship with Cloud Kicker — which has developed into a genuine and strong friendship by this point, and become one of the few things he has left in the world — has been ruined forever by their marriage.
Innocent Innuendo: After a platonic date, TD and Cloud Kicker go back to his place after a drink. An hour and half later, they're lying on his bed, "completely shocked at what had just taken place". They were watching Die Hard on his laptop when the battery goes flat in the middle of a dramatic action sequence.
My God, What Have I Done?: The CMC and Apple Bloom in particular are devastated when they discover what trouble they've caused, though TD does manage to cheer them up slightly when he tells them he doesn't blame them.
Running Gag: Subverted. TD winds up about to hit Celestia again when he runs into her at Twilight's library, only to stop himself at the last second when he sees how upset she is. It probably also helps that Celestia didn't have anything to do with the incident, but did happen to be a useful target to vent his rage on.
Switching P.O.V.: The first part of the story takes place from Cloud Kicker's point of view, switching back to TD's for Chapter Four.

Fanfic / The Non-Bronyverse
aka: The Non-Bronyverse

With all of the ‘quiet dignity and grace’ that he can muster, TD punches the following tropes in the face:

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Fanfic / The Non-Bronyverse aka: The Non-Bronyverse

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With all of the ‘quiet dignity and grace’ that he can muster, TD punches the following tropes in the face:

Previous

Index

Next

Fanfic / The Non-Bronyverse
aka: The Non-Bronyverse