"No More Holding Back" Speeches in Fan Works.
Crossovers
- Child of the Storm:
- Thor (previously James Potter — the first attempt at the whole humility thing sort of backfired) give Snape a speech along these lines, referencing a canon Badass Boast.Thor: I am the God of Thunder and Lightning spoken of in ancient myth and whispered legend, Snape. I am he who battled Jormungand, the father of all great serpents, and fought the greatest Jotunheim had to offer when Merlin was but a suckling babe. I am Thor Odinson, God of the Vikings. Not a petty conjurer of cheap tricks. All the power of the storm, from all the world, flows through my veins. It can be summoned by my hammer at any time, wherever it is. A lightning storm in Japan? Mine. A hurricane off the coast of Barbados? Mine again. A brace of tornadoes in Kansas? Mine. All that might, all that destructive force, mine to command.
- Harry provides a succinct one to a HYDRA assault team in chapter 74 when he has finally been pushed too far.Harry: You people and your guns. Did you think that they would protect you from me?
- And in chapter 78, he provides an inversion, where he rejects The Final Temptation from Chthon (essentially, the power to "play God.")Harry: I never wanted power. I never wanted to be God. And I am done playing.
- A much darker variant in the sequel also comes from Harry, given to the Red Room as he passes the Godzilla Threshold and becomes the Dark Phoenix.Harry: I am no man. You thought I was, or that I was something close. You thought that I was something you could tame, that you could control. But all along, I LET you do it. I LET you mess with my mind and body, because I was afraid -- not of you, but of me. I was afraid of cutting loose and being what I REALLY am. Well, guess what? I'm not afraid any more.
- Thor (previously James Potter — the first attempt at the whole humility thing sort of backfired) give Snape a speech along these lines, referencing a canon Badass Boast.
- This concept is somewhat referenced in the Naruto/Justice League Crossover Connecting the Dots when Superman has to teach Naruto all about not blowing stuff up when he's stopping crime.
- And later on, he mentions that he "lives in a world of glass" as part of a Blasé Boast.
- From chapter 26
of ''The Doorstop',' Nanoha gives a truly epic one to a Chaos Assassin.Nanoha Takamachi: The day before yesterday was the first time I killed. Six of them were valued employees, men and women with loving families and excellent career prospects who I had nothing but the utmost personal and professional respect for. The last two were my own adoptive children. Erio and Caro came from backgrounds that would have broken any lesser individual, and they came out happy, caring, and the finest recruits I have ever had the privilege of training. They battled against monsters and criminals, protected the innocent, and saved the life of the woman I love most in the world. Your animals, your killing machines? They do not deserve it." [...] "Here is what I am going to do, assassin. I am going to make sure the Hellhounds get the help they need, that they are given the chance to become productive members of society. I am going to stand against your gods' forces, no matter what strange powers or arcane technologies they might wield, and I am going to cleanse their masters' taint from their hearts, their minds, and their souls. Then, once all else is done, once the war is over and the universe is at peace once more, I shall go to your gods and I shall forgive them, for they have strayed far from their path and know not what they do. I shall forgive them, and I shall grant them what healing and redemption I can muster. People die in war. I can accept that. I am only one amongst billions. I can accept that. But even if this is impossible, even if I fail, this is the path I shall strive to walk. This is the will of Nanoha Takamachi. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? - In the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/The Dresden Files crossover The Dresden Fillies, Bon Bon delivers one summarizing who Harry Dresden is.Bon Bon: You're a man of iron and blood, stone and fire. Touched by darkness, but not overcome by it. Beaten and damaged, but unbowed. Unrelenting in word and deed, in thought and creed. You would lay siege to Tartarus itself if that's where Twilight had been taken. And all because she's your friend. Because you would do anything to keep her safe. Because you care.
- Earth's Alien History: Queen Kara Zor-El, better known as Supergirl, gives one to Unicron the second time they meet."Oh, I know I can't really hurt you," Kara admitted, "but you know, I'm okay with that. I'm actually against killing in most circumstances. With powers like mine it takes a lot of control not to turn everyone and everything you touch into powder or paste. Thankfully, I've mastered that skill. The good thing about fighting bastards like you, though? I don't have to hold back!"
- Friendship Is Showtime has Haru spend several chapters in a Heroic BSoD induced by his Superpowered Evil Side nearly killed Twilight. The mane cast finally help him out of it by telling him You Are Not Alone, restraining the Dragon Phantom with the Elements and allowing him to access Flame Dragon against Phoenix. He proceeds to give a version of the Trope Namer speech as he Curbstomps Phoenix.Haru: Phoenix – You're strong, and you seek to find strong opponents to fill that void of yours. Me? I've got a different problem. Ever since I got these powers, I felt like I lived in a world made of cardboard. Taking care not to not break something, break somepony. Never allowing myself to slip to Dragon's control, even for a moment otherwise somepony could get hurt. But you can take it, Phoenix. What we have here is a new opportunity for me to cut loose and show you a real SHOWTIME!
- In The Institute Saga 3, Superman gives one just before he and Apocalypse start fighting.
- Justice League of Equestria: Rainbow Dash/Supermare gives one at the climax of the first arc of Mare of Steel, during her final fight with General Zod:Zod: You could have been more than some costumed fool. You could have been a great leader. You could have been a god! Why are you throwing this away for mere weaklings?
Rainbow Dash: Because I love them! They raised me from when I was a foal! They showed me all the good that's in this world, and they were by my side throughout my life, encouraging and comforting me as I grew! They never abandoned me, or said I wasn't worth it; not when I failed my first flight exam, not when my father died, not when I fought against Nightmare Moon and Discord, never! They made me the mare I am today, and I am grateful that I have such great ponies surrounding me! And you know what? They accept me for who I am; I don't love them because they see me as a god, I love them because they see me as Rainbow Dash!
Zod: Then you are just as weak as they are!
Rainbow Dash: I'm not weak. I am Supermare! (punches Zod) - In Kyon: Big Damn Hero:Mikuru (big): So... in a roundabout way, you and I, together, even though I still stumble a little bit, are forging towards a brighter future. One that isn't predetermined to you, that doesn't damage the future I come from. If you understand what I said earlier... you have the power to change me. Not my past self, so directly... but your influence ends up helping me become the person I am. I could tell you everything, try to make it predetermined... I could say things were better or worse then they truly will be, and try to trick you into changing things for me. Once, I did - sort of - tell you about the goals of the people I work for. Instead, though, this time I'll do what Yuki-chan did. I'll tell you nothing, even if you would believe me. But I'm not trying to keep you in the dark because I want to manipulate you... I'm telling you as little as possible because I believe in you. I have absolute confidence that if I don't limit you, you will achieve something wonderful. And maybe, just in small, selfish bits... I might lead you towards something that I think we both would like...
- In Origin Story, it is Alex's acceptance of the fact that she's not merely a physical copy of Power Girl, not merely the memories of Xander Harris, but a person in her own right made from many, many parts that allows her to stop running and be the hero she was always meant to be.
- In Ranma Saotome, Chi Master, Qiáng Wang decides to lure Ranma into a confrontation, thinking has a good idea of the young martial artist's skills. But Ranma explains that the whole reason he was fighting in Kowloon Walled City was because his Guru wanted to teach him restraint, and he's kept himself at that level out of habit. But since he's fighting relatively tough opponents, and doesn't have to worry about his surroundings, he won't hold back.
- Turnabout Storm: After Phoenix finally gets the much needed lead he needed to find a way to the truth behind the mystery, and after a much needed realization regarding the eerily similar to his mentor Sonata, he delivers to himself a short but effective inner speech before stepping back into the courtroom:Phoenix: I was given one more chance, one more chance to find the truth. It's either sink or swim. Even if she tries to have me arrested for intrusion. I got her on the stand; it doesn't matter anymore. It's time she pays her dues for all she's done... Including the murder...
- Zero Context: Taking Out the Trash features Callista giving such a speech to Marc Maddhouse after he states his belief that she had just been toying with him throughout their entire fight:Callista: It's not that simple. Have you never considered that I might have a very good excuse for not fighting you at my best from the start? I've never wanted power. Never deliberately sought it out. No point in having it if people are just going to abuse it. But as long as I do have it, I'm going to make sure any reasons I have for using it are iron-clad. Because when you get right down to it, what practical use could there be for claws that—-at their sharpest and fastest—-can atomize reality and kill time and space itself?
- An interesting variation, delivered to the protagonist, from Calvin & Hobbes: The Series (after Calvin had nearly gone insane from trying to avoid Laser-Guided Karma):Susie: Calvin, you live by your own rules! You make things up! You create! You destroy! You tease temptation! You do all sorts of horrible things, most of them to me, yes, but then there are days you do good all on your own! You shouldn't let something like Karma run your life! You need to be rude and nasty and gross and weird, so that you can be good on your own accord.
- A variation where the character giving the speech is not the one who delivers the imminent beatdown: in A Certain Destined Introduction, Misaka Mikoto is feeling alone, hated, and guilty; her power seems like it's useless, she's beginning to think she only ever destroys things, and she's about to give up... and then Kuroko steps up and makes it perfectly clear just who the Railgun is, to the villains and Mikoto herself.Kuroko: Indeed, she is a criminal. Taking the law into her own hands, reading manga without paying for it, mistreating public vending machines, electrifying people indiscriminately just because they annoy her; even stealing game arcade coins without a second thought. To be honest, she's the picture-perfect law-breaking delinquent. But, so what? She might be a criminal, but you are ten times worse! You trick others into doing your dirty work for you, hurt our students and threaten Hitomi-san with their lives, and spread horrible rumors while hiding behind your status at school — while you're a coward, Onee-sama is noble and brave, and she helps anyone no matter who they are! It doesn't matter what you say! The truth is still the truth, AND THE TRUTH IS THAT MISAKA MIKOTO-ONEE-SAMA IS A TRULY AMAZING HUMAN BEING!
- Faren Brosca sort of gives one in Dragon Age: The Crown of Thorns while curbstomping the most powerful form of the demon that trapped them in the fade. Then again, it's not so much him letting loose as saying he's actually not under the influence of any empowering emotion or whatnot.Faren: You know, I could say I'm doing this because I don't plan on letting those important to me die. I could say it's because I'm in a hurry to get out of this Fade thing and find out what happened to Kallian. I could say it's because I had a sort of revelation that ever so epically opened my eyes to a sort of higher calling. And I could also start a long, pointless monologue about true strength and a heap of other stuff, during which, truth be told, I may not even know what I'd be talking about half the time. I could babble for hours about nonsense, but the truth is that, right now, I am simply kicking your ass because I just don't like you.
- Powder Keg Of Justice is about a paladin who corrects a misconception a cultist had- namely, that paladins fear falling.Sir Peter Fairgrave: You seem to be under misconception about what I am, what I do. I am a Paladin, that is true, but as a Paladin you don't fear falling... I look forward to it.
As a Paladin, I walk on a razors edge. Not between good and evil, I could never be something like you, but between "law" and "Justice". The Law I fall doesn't permit me to harm you, but I could be justified in anything I did to you in order to save innocent lives, ANYTHING!
You don't know what it is like to be me, you don't know the pain of having to store all your anger, all your fury, your sense of justice, and hold it inside you, all day every day for the rest of your life. Doing the right thing doesn't mean I get to stop all evil, I just get to trim it when it becomes overgrown. The path I walk is not about vengeance, or what's right, its about moderation in the face of power, restraint and compassion for scum like you.
This is why Paladin don't fear falling. We don't spend all day looking for ways to prevent ourselves from doing evil and giving in to the darkness. We actively seek it out. Every time we face evil, we have to ask ourselves, "Is this the threat i'm going to give it all for, is this what I am going to give up my ability to help others in the future, in order to bring down now, is this the evil that I am willing to forsake my God and my Power to stop!".
What you should be asking yourself now, what you really need to be thinking about, is; "Is what I'm doing something thats goes make this guy want to fall", because you should know, that once I fall, all those rules which protect you from me are gone. No longer will I be able to be stopped by you, or by my order, or by my God. If I give everything, and I mean give everything, I will never stop. If you escape me today, I will hunt you down and grab you into the pits of hell myself. Even if that means that I have to invoke the wrath of every demon in creation, just so they throw open a pit and drag me down where I stand, because when they do dragged me down, I will make sure that my fists are wrapped firmly around your ankles and you go down with me. I want you to listen to me now, and I mean really listen, because hell truly hath no fury like a Paladin scorned.
So I ask you, one last time, tell me where the other rituals are being held, or I swear to all on high that I will fall, and fall hard, just do I can show you what it is that Paladin truly keeps his code to hold back...
- In Never Had a Friend Like Me, Norm is still mostly a sarcastic individual, but vaguely nicer since meeting his newest master. After he saves Timmy, Amanda, and Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof from the Pixies and Anti-Fairies, he banishes them, except for HP and Anti-Cosmo, whom he restrains, and delivers an awesome speech to them, detailing how being a genie grants him powers beyond comprehension, and how after performing wishes for all kinds of masters has removed any restraint he would otherwise have. The two can only quiver in fear.Norm: That's an understatement. Maybe you and your buddies are starting to think your little magic tricks make you invincible. Maybe you think you're actually powerful enough to withstand any obstacle. I think you're just a bunch of idiots who've forgotten exactly who you're dealing with. There is a reason why genies spend most of the time locked up. We're famous for being tricky to deal with, but that because you don't want to deal with us when we're done playing around. We have no rules or real limitations on what wish we can grant. Do you have any idea what that means? Anything we want to do is possible as long as someone wishes for it. Da Rules, bad luck, and trying to achieve perfect order limits what you can do. Not a genie. And we have the raw magic power to back up that sort of limitless potential. I want you to imagine for a moment exactly what that means about the kind of wishes I've dealt with in the past. Not every master I've had was a saint. I've dealt with thieves, warriors, spies, murderers, psychopaths, and politicians. I've heard every warped idea they've ever considered to the point where I find any wish practically predictable. Even with the amount of twisting I can do to a wish, I have to grant some rather distasteful desires at times. I can honestly say that I've granted some wishes that would give you nightmares. Me and morality parted ways a long time ago. I need you to consider what this all means for you. I need you to consider exactly what it truly means when you've manage to make a genie, someone with enough magic to make you look like a second-rate stage magician and a history of granting wishes regardless of how unthinkable they might be ethically, completely furious with you.
- In Reconciliation, Hanako, having received an angry "The Reason You Suck" Speech from Lilly, who is grieving over the loss of her husband Hisao and rejecting Hanako's attempts to console her, talks about her past, including the loss of her parents, her isolation, becoming friends with Lilly and Hisao, being upset by being pitied, and finally lashing out at them. Hanako says the loss of her friendship with Hisao and Lilly was worst of all because she knew it was her fault, and as such, asks Lilly to accept the support of those closest to her.
- In Perfection Is Overrated, before the final confrontation with The Usurper, Nagi and the remaining SUEs, the Himes reject his offer of a perfect world, speaking of how they have overcome their flaws while their opponents did not.Yukino: All of us were once powerless. We've had to struggle against everyday difficulties, as well as those unique to our own lives, and change and grow stronger to continue on in life, even before we became Himes. With these new powers, we've had to question ourselves, do things we never even thought possible and face odds that were against us even with our powers! But when have things ever been difficult for you or the SUEs before now? Have any of your problems been significant enough that success was not guaranteed? Because you haven't faced adversity, you don't have what it takes to win!
Midori: Getting this far was impossible for us at the beginning, even once we'd awakened our powers. It might sound like I'm ripping off an anime, but we've had to become better fighters, grow as people and survive multiple battles in order to be able to face you, without being handed any of that on a silver platter like you were! If your SUEs had become stronger, they might have been able to defeat us, but they couldn't grow, and so were defeated because we surpassed them! Our victory will be one we have earned ourselves!
Nao: (when the Usurper asks if they wish to keep the world the way it is in spite of its flaws) Nothing is perfect! Bad things happen to us in life, some of which happen without reason and some of which are our own faults! This world is, to some degree, the one we deserve! But people can change, and they can improve themselves! They might not ever achieve 'perfection', but whatever world they make would damn well be better than whatever you come up with if your SUEs are any indication of what you consider perfect!
Shiho: Life doesn't always give you what you want. Sometimes the object of your dreams or the person you desire is beyond your reach no matter how hard you try. Sometimes your goal is impossible before you even begin. But life goes on, and you can find new reasons for living, new goals, new people to cherish, and sometimes you may even find that your old goal was not what you truly wanted! You could never realize any of this if you simply got what you wanted all the time!
Shizuru: Imagination and reality are two separate things. Often, things you'd hoped for don't quite measure up in reality. But sometimes, something or someone defies your expectations and yet is wonderful in its own unique way. An endless fulfillment of all your fantasies would deny you this satisfaction, and render all the times your wishes were granted meaningless!
Natsuki: I was offered such a world once. But I realized that it was just that, a reflection of my deepest desires that could not ever become true, and chose to continue to stay in this one! If I rejected a world based on my own personal desires, what makes you think I would accept one based on yours? I would never sacrifice the joys and sorrows of my own life to become a mindless slave for your pleasure!
Mai: Each one of us has a person that is special in their own way. We've spent time with them, bonded with them, allowed them to become important to us, and become a part of each other's lives. We can name a few ways in which those people fall short of perfection, but many others in which they've touched our hearts, influenced us, and made us happy. They will never be perfect and I'm not sure how close they are to being as good as they can be, but they're precious to us and they've become irreplaceable parts of our lives. If we were to accept your world, we'd give up all of who we are and who they are, and that's why you must be stopped!
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- In chapter 20 of Ace Combat: The Equestrian War, Rainbow Dash delivers a speech to Gilda during their second confrontation after the war has already ended.Rainbow Dash: I hate to break it to you, G, but you've lost this battle the moment you attacked Firefly. No... actually, even back when you hurt Medley. But I've got to thank you for one thing. For challenging me! Thanks to you, I still have one more reason to fight and live! We may not be so different after all, but I can clearly see who is who. And you're not yourself! But since there is nopony else in the sky besides us, now you'll get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see just how fast I really am!
- Anthropology: Lyra and her human friends have put on the Elements of Harmony in an attempt to stop Discord from wiping out humanity. When Discord corners them, Lyra and her friends find themselves at a loose end, while he gloats and claim that humanity is just begging for the end to come. Lyra starts talking about how when she first came to Earth, Lyra was lost and didn't know what she was doing, thanks to the friends she's made, and all the help they gave her, she not only knows she can be a human, but she as well as the rest of humanity can accomplish anything. The Elements thought it was awesome speech, because they activated and defeated Discord.Lyra: I'd only just gotten here when I met Audrey, and she was my first friend. She let me stay with her. Without her kindness, I would have been lost in this world. And then I met Nathan, and he gave me something — just a guitar, but it meant so much. I finally found what I was meant to do as a human. It's one of the most generous gifts I've ever gotten. And Randall welcomed me into his band. I got to perform music with real humans. And he even helped me find my parents. Even now... He's always shown some real loyalty. Even if he thought I was crazy. Out of all the weird new things I experienced in the human world, that airplane was the strangest... But I wasn't afraid, because you (Paul) shared your laughter with me. You helped me overcome one of the hardest challenges of all, Monica. All this time I'd been lying to everyone. But you... You convinced me that I had to be honest. To my family. To all of you. To myself. And I'm so much happier now that everyone knows the truth about me. Of course we can. Magic has nothing to do with this... The important thing is that I realized that all these humans were the best friends I'd ever had, and that I belonged here in this world with them. I thought I'd never be a normal human, but thanks to them... I know that we can accomplish anything. (the Elements activate)
- In the original version of the
I Am Going to Save and/or Destroy Equestria! chapter "Today I Reach For The Stars" (before the author changed the outcome to him winning due to superior tactics and a power-up due to negative comments complaining he had become a God-Mode Sue), while battling Crunch the Rock Hound and Squirk the Sea Fiend, Ambrose has an epiphany that all this time, he had been limiting his magic by the laws of physics and causality. In Equestria, magic is only limited by your imagination and willpower. Thanks to this, he is able to perform feats nopony had ever believed possible, curb-stomp the two, and even briefly control almost all of reality, even the sun and moon. - The Immortal Game: When Celestia regains her power after weeks of being depowered and tortured, she delivers a speech in a similar vein as the Trope Namer:Celestia: Centuries of boiling water for tea when I knew that I could boil the seas. Of lifting quills when I could lift mountains. Of breaking wax seals when I could break anything I please. My power is too much for this world. But it isn't too much for you, is it, Terra? Now I get to find out what I'm really capable of. No lives to save, no plans to make, nothing to hold me back. I am divinity unleashed.
- Past Sins has Nyx's after-the-fact speech toward the end about why she threw herself between the ponies of Ponyville and a horde of monsters from the Everfree forest.Nyx: As an alicorn, I can bear the burdens no other pony can. I threw myself in the way of a Lupus Major to protect Twilight because, while the beast wounded me, it could have easily killed Twilight. The pain I endured saved not just one life but lives all over Ponyville. It's far better for me to be wounded if it means somepony, anypony, can continue to live and be happy. I can be bruised, battered and beaten but, as long as there is still breath in my lungs, I will continue to protect ponies. I will protect them, because what can kill them I can survive, because what hurts them is but a scratch for me, because it's the one thing I've been able to do right.
- Pony POV Series offers plenty of these throughout Reharmonized Ponies:
- Twilight has one after Fluttercruel makes her realize Fluttershy's motivation for becoming Princess Gaia/Nightmare Whisper, breaking her out of her mental block that'd plagued her the entire battle.Twilight Sparkle: You... you're doing this... not because you want to force yourself on others, you're not really doing this because you're scared of truth. You're doing this, you want to make the world fair, BECAUSE YOU'RE OUR FRIEND! And we're doing this BECAUSE WE'RE YOUR FRIENDS! We can't escape it! OUR FRIENDS CHANGE WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT! I HATE IT! Discord showed me what I didn't want to see! That we could all grow into ponies different from the ones we made friends with! Ponies that may well drift away from each other! ... THAT'S THE PRICE OF HAVING FRIENDS AND — It's-worth-it! It will ALWAYS be worth it! Because if that pony was ever really your friend, then before or after doesn't matter, friendship is now! It doesn't have a future or past! No matter how distant, a friend is a friend! And my heart is more free BECAUSE I accept that!
- This also activates the Element of Magic without the crown she normally needs. The others follow suit, activiating their own Elements with their own speeches and finishing with Fluttercruel earning her Cutie Mark and realizing what it, and Fluttershy's, really mean, giving a speech of her own and summoning the Element Of Kindness.
- In the Epilogue/Dark World timeline, Twilight and the rest of the the Element bearers have spent the last thousand years as Discord's brainwashed enforcers, stuck between being his playthings and carrying out his will. When Twilight suffers a Villainous BSoD following a meeting with Apple Pie (whose ability to find joy even in this world completely baffles her), she withdraws into her mind and, after much debate with other aspects of her personality and Cadence's spirit, decides not to give up hope, which finally frees her from Discord's taint. Upon awakening, she states the following:
- Similarly, when Liarjack is restored to Applejack after a Vision Quest and talking to Applebloom's spirit and the Father Of Alicorns, she gives a speech of her own:Applejack: Ah made a PROMISE TO APPLEBLOOM to look after her family an' it's 'bout time Ah kept it the right way! Ah'm done hidin' in lies. They work fer me, not the other way 'round. The Apple family. The Pie family... little Apple Pie, who'd laughed. Ah'm there fer ya all.
- And again when Twilight and Applejack manage to restore Rarigreed to Rarity. We should probably just accept that this is going to be a staple of Dark World.Rarity: I am ugly. Inside and out. I'm a horrid creature. I won't hide from that any more! Desire has its own beauty, desire fuels progress. Without it, nothing can move forwards because nothing wants to move forwards. My desire for Tom to be real created something beautiful because I nurtured that desire for so very long! But I have been ugly. Divorced from reality for a thousand years. I've grown so strong, in some respects... but so much else about who I am has... stagnated. No longer. Desire is supposed to be honest. Desire is supposed to be straightforward, desire in its pure form doesn't hide its intent. I'm done hiding from truth. I'm still... desirous. I still want it all. And SINCE I want it all, then I'll ACCEPT it all, beauty and ugliness, in equal measure.
- Justified, as awakening one's Element without the physical Elements seems to require a personal epiphany in order to happen.
- We get another one when Spike awakes as the new Element of Generosity. His gets bonus points for also being a "The Reason You Suck" Speech aimed at Discord (who isn't even there).
- And now Pinkie Pie's had one after her own Heel–Face Turn:Pinkie Pie: What do I decide? What should I do? It's like I can think clearly again, all I could see for a zillion years was bullies were my friends were supposed to be. ...I could try to make them up give the Elements... save my foals... but they've suffered enough...I can see that now...I was wrong...Twilight was right...I made them killers...I can only hope whoever's out there had mercy on them...And if they are in Pony Heaven, anything I give them in Equestria could never hold a candle to whatever Paradise provides them. But what if they're in Pony Hell like Twilight said? But how could I save them, if I brought them back by going back into the fog? I could just...quit...curl up and cry, let guilt crush me...but that'd hurt my friends. After all they did to save me, it'd be wasting this second chance I've been given...It's like they told Dashie...laying down and dying doesn't fix what I did... My friends...my...my niece...they're all here...they cared for me...they suffered to save me...they protected me...They cared for me...And I tried to throw them away...I can't make up for much...but I can make up for that... I'm sorry for what I've done...But I don't have time to let it crush me...I love my foals...but I can only pray their souls are in Pony Heaven...I love my friends...and they're right here...I'm free.
- Rainbow Dash's is a bit delayed, but she does eventually give one that shows she's done tearing herself up over the choices she's made.Rainbow Dash: Yeah, I'm glad you didn't kill me, I'm glad until I got my head on straight you had me tied to a bed and set that mare to keep an eye on me so I couldn't try to rip my own Element to pull the plug. But I'm tired of 'what ifs', what if I'd chosen to turn right around and Sonic Rainboomed Discord into the ground a thousand years ago? Maybe it'd have killed him, maybe I'd have shattered every bone in my body and not left a scratch on him. It doesn't MATTER. I've spent the last THOUSAND YEARS obsessing myself with 'what if'. What if I'd made the other choice? What if I'd not turned down Grogar's offer to take out Discord? What if, what if, what if. Buck 'what if'! I didn't rip my heart out and show it to you so you'd be thinking about what ifs.
- Twilight gives one during the Final Battle after hijacking Nightmare Paradox's time travel spell and combining it with her connection to Minty Pie, summoning the G1, G2, G3, and G4 Mane Casts to the present.Twilight: You have power over time? The magic between friends transcends time, space, reality, death, beyond all barriers! Friendship doesn't just pierce the barrier between life and death, but all barriers, everywhere! This is a friendship that pierces the walls between worlds! We've been made, unmade, and remade, but the links we've forged between our souls are all still here! You have six Elements of Harmony that are absolute? We have six sets of hearts beating together in harmony! You have a gallery of Nightmares? We have a herd of FRIENDS! I'm not scared. Not with all of you by my side. And neither are they scared by my side!
- Rarity had been greatly traumatized by her time under Discord's control, and ashamed and terrified of both her Cutie Mark and her Element of Generosity, because Discord had corrupted them to corrupt her. She has an epiphany after helping Diamond Tiara make a dress for her mother and breaks out of her funk. She gives this internal monologue:Rarity: I managed a smile. Maybe I was being foolish. But I knew this wasn't pointless... or at least, I didn't believe it was. And I think I finally understand. Making things beautiful and making beautiful things is simply what I am good at. A pony is not a slave to their cutie mark no matter what they teach you in school. It's your guide, not your master. My Element and my Cutie Mark are not the same thing, have never been the same thing, and I was a foal for believing they were. If making beautiful things and making things beautiful are what I'm good at, and my Element is to be generous towards others, of course I'll share my talent with them. But that isn't the only thing I can share. Letting my sister help, spending time with others: those are generosities too, not just giving away THINGS. And I should have remembered that when Twilight's spell made me relive those moments I had been true to that inner spirit. But I was too scared of what I had done. I'll never know how much of what I did was Discord's taint or my own choices, but I'm not ashamed anymore. Not as long as I remember that no matter what riches cross my path, my greatest treasure is at home, and she is waiting for me. And whether I find someone to live my life with is up to me. For the first time in weeks, I finally feel free.
- Bright Eyes gives one at the climax of her 7 Dreams/Nightmares story, when she realizes that she's fighting Cruel Eyes/D___t's Shadow in her own mind and has been stupid letting him make the rules and is able to overcome the fear he's been causing her the entire time. She promptly uses the control over her mind this gives to reconfigure her weapon and give her the opening needed to finish him off.Bright Eyes: And I'm an idiot! I've been letting YOU set the rules and what goes and what doesn't here. You've had me so caught up in this mess I hadn't thought this through! This is all in MY head? MY mind? MY soul? That means I can do anything I WANT! And I've always had with me the lance that pierces the darkness! And now that I've realized that, I've got no reason to be afraid of you anymore!
- Celestia gives one at the end of her Reharmonizing side story after realizing that while her subjects do fear her, they don't hate her as she had feared, allowing her to let go of the guilt she's had ever since the Day of Chaos.Celestia: I am Princess Celestia. I remember the big bang. I have seen things ponies can never comprehend. I am the Day itself...and my subjects fear me. But they do not hate me. They fear me as child fears their mother. I have guilt I must live with, but what a chaotic tyrant made me do is not among the things I should be ashamed of. I now know that I am both feared and loved by my subjects as their ruler and their mother. And I both love and fear for them the same way. I am free.
- Twilight has one after Fluttercruel makes her realize Fluttershy's motivation for becoming Princess Gaia/Nightmare Whisper, breaking her out of her mental block that'd plagued her the entire battle.
- In the Pony POV Series Chaos Verse, Fluttercruel gives one during the Final Battle right before using chaos to fight back against Nightmare Phobia and gaining her own cutie mark.
- The Powers of Harmony: Twilight says this after Blair throws her off the edge of Neighagra Falls in an attempt to make her use her powers.Twilight Sparkle: For ten years I've felt restless, like I'm stuck in a tiny box that's pushing in on me from all sides. I feel a constant pressure on my font at all times, like a wild animal pulling on it's chains just begging for release. It's only gotten worse since this magical growth spurt started, and now I feel a constant tingling in my horn, like my magic is trying to spill out. I've desperately wanted to let go, to just start firing off as much magic as I can, but I haven't because of what happened the last time I did that. When I had that Flare ten years ago, I experienced a sensation like nothing I've ever had before, nor since. Not only was I completely immersed in my own magic, but all the magic around me, as well. I could see the safety wards in the room and all around the castle, the magic being cast by students in the school, and even all the magic out in Canterlot itself. For the briefest of moments I was connected to all the unicorns around me, and when I saw all of that, it was a simple matter to unravel the spell surrounding one little dragon egg. It felt good—no, it felt amazing. In that instant I had access to more magic than I'd ever dreamed, and I wanted it all. I wanted to learn every single spell I saw, and then I wanted to learn every other spell there is, as well. Since then I've dedicated my life to understanding as much about magic as I can, but it's never enough because there’s just so much. Equestria is huge, the world is huger still, and the universe is of a size and scale that's beyond comprehension. We haven't even scratched the surface of how magic works, and all I want is to learn and see as much of it as I can. I know my work will never be finished, but that's comforting in a way, because the saddest day of my life would be the day there's nothing left to learn.
Blair: So why have you been holding back? Your Absorption power will help you achieve more than you could ever dream.
Twilight Sparkle: Because I won't able to stop. Back then, I just wanted to keep having that feeling of immersion and connection with all the magic around me, and I tried to take all of the magic around me into myself. I didn't know what I was doing, and instead of absorbing the magic, I redirected it to the ponies around me. It's a small miracle nopony was hurt, and didn't want to take that chance again. And you want me to return to that. I stood at the edge of a terrible precipice that I was only barely able to turn away from, and you'd have me take a running leap off the edge?! You'd force me to release something I know I won't be able to control because I couldn't even handle it's shadow?! I only have one thing to say to that! Be careful what you wish for! - Rainbooms and Royalty goes directly to the source and has Twilight Sparkle (who's been repressing her power ever since her traumatic entrance exam) paraphrase the Trope Namer when fighting Blackened Armor (aka her Brainwashed and Crazy brother).
- Triptych Continuum:Spike had been taught to be careful: scales were rougher than flesh, claws more edged than hooves. To realize that every moment spent among ponies was an instant where he could cause harm without meaning to, and so he never did.
His family was under attack, and nictitating membranes flickered across his eyes as he swiped to draw blood. - A World of Matchsticks, as the title suggests, is an homage to Superman's "World of Cardboard" speech. Chrysalis lures Princess Celestia into the middle of nowhere—Oops!.Celestia: I feel like I live in a world made of matchsticks. I can never lose control, never use my true power, even for a moment, or everything around me burns. Everyone around me burns. My whole life, I’ve watched monsters like you attack the ponies that trust me with their safety! My whole life, I had to avoid fighting them, because I would cause more destruction than they ever did! I can’t use my power without destroying everything around me for miles, but then you asked me to meet you where there wasn’t anything around for miles! Finally, finally I had the chance to stand up and protect my subjects with my real power. Finally, I could stop holding back!
- Time Braid: Sakura gives one of these after finally tapping into her true potential:Hidan: You'll run out of chakra soon, but Jashin won't. He's a god, but you're just a fancy medic-nin.
Sakura: (chuckling as her injury heals) You know, I've been telling myself that for years. But as long as my Heaven Seal is active I can't fool myself. I see too much, and I can't miss the implications. I'm not just a medic-nin, Hidan. I'm the last native kami of this demon-haunted world, and my domains are insight and mystery. Not to mention that I just took about six levels of badass. Don't make me fight you, or you'll lose.
- In This Bites!, Buggy had reached his potential as a New World Pirate, but actively hid his full ability because he wanted to retire from the madness and paranoia brought about by the New World and New World Pirates. When his true identity and his true power are exposed at Marineford, Buggy finally snaps about how he's been forced to embrace the insanity and danger of his old life in the Roger Pirates once more.Buggy: Fame... Respect... Is that... what you think comes with Roger's name? Do you think I didn't know what would happen if I flashed my captain's name? I knew exactly what would happen, which is exactly why I've never done it. I sailed almost this entire world, from the clouds in the sky to the ocean floor, across the deadliest seas and against opponents the most powerful anyone could imagine. And when it was over, I decided that I didn't want to be a part of it anymore. I reaped the fruits of the strongest sea, and I chose to use them to ensure that I would never have to return to a life of paranoia, where every puff of smoke, every ripple on the water was a reason to keep your guard up, lest it kill you in a new, creative and utterly ludicrous way. I laid low and sandbagged as a small-time pirate for over twenty years – TWENTY. YEARS. – because I earned it, surviving the utter madhouse that was Roger's crew. I just wanted to live the rest of my life in PEACE and SANITY. WAS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK!? ...well. Apparently, it was. I never planned on this getting out. I never truly wanted to come back. Back to this sea, to this life, to this insanity again... But since I have no choice anymore... if this is what you really want... THEN SO BE IT! LET'S! GET! FLASHY!
- This post from r/AskScienceFiction answers the question "Why do you resist us?" with a literal Patrick Stewart Speech about how the Borg's self-proclaimed "perfection" is a fallacy.
- From Chapter 45 of Shadowchasers: Torment:"It does seem like I've been gotten pretty full of myself hasn't it?" he finally said. "It's funny, but hearing you talk about how everything in the universe hinges on the balance between Light and Darkness, Chaos and Order, it made me realize something. I've..." He paused before sighing as he started again.
"I've been way too inwardly focused, ever since I woke up in that morgue. At first, all I cared about was getting my memories back... With every clue to my past I chomped at the bit rushing from one lead to another... Everyone I met, friends, foes, they seemed so small...so unimportant. The Dread Emperor, Willy, Kesto, even poor Ravel. I started treating everyone I fought as beneath me, thinking it would all be worth it once I regained my memories, and discovered my true self."
"It seems that whoever I was before I met Ravel the first time... He was an arrogant son of a bitch... Maybe that's how I got into this whole mess...
"But now..." His right hand clenched into a fist.
"Now I know that getting my memories back, that finding my true self... it all doesn't mean shit if I only end up looking back with shame at what I was willing to become to get there! I'm not the only one with a stake in this fight... The people who took me in and treated me like family are risking their lives for something bigger then who's right or wrong, or who's more powerful. We're fighting to protect all of creation... Every human, every Shadow... Every resident of Heaven, Hell, and every realm in-between... If Tharizdun returns nobody will be spared, so I can't keep on acting like some petty little child and act like I'm above it all!" He drew the top card off his deck.
"So I'll use the strength all of my opponents have given me, good or evil, strong or weak, and the lessons taught to me by everyone who's helped me when I needed them the most, and I'll take down you, Tiberius, and everyone else involved in this mad plan!"
