History CodexEquus / TropesEToF

** The Changeling-Dragon blood-feud had spanned ''eons'', with countless generations of the two races fighting each other on-and-off in an endless CycleOfRevenge over [[ItsPersonal respective wrongs they had done to each other]]; the 'Burning of Amorea' at the claws of the Dragons which nearly drove Changelingkind to extinction, and for the Dragons in particular the 'Time of Broken Scales'. It's ultimately deconstructed in that both races' conflict and enmity for each other are ultimately only damaging themselves for little gain, as well as those who had completely nothing to do with the conflict, creating villains such as Princess Apertus, King Xesto and by the Fourth Age it's becoming a HopelessWar that threatens to wipe out both sides and take the whole world with them.
** In the Second Age of Known History, the Maretian-Tellusian Wars between Mares and Tellus/Equus raged on-and-off for many generations, as various Maretian races, civilizations and factions [[AlienInvasion launched multiple invasions]] to conquer Tellus/Equus and subjugate/exterminate Ponykind, partly out of desperation ([[JustBeforeTheEnd Their planet was dying]]) but also partly out of [[ScaryDogmaticAliens militant, expansionistic imperialism]] born from [[TheRightOfASuperiorSpecies their sense of entitled superiority]]. Ultimately though, Tellusian/Equusian Ponykind caught up with them and turned the tide, finally defeating them in an all-out counter-invasion of their own planet after around 120 years of conflict.

* ForeverWar:

** Temnobog, the GodOfEvil of Deerkind, noted this tendency of self-destruction as the reason why Evil must serve [[NecessaryEvil constructive purposes]] and [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil exist in balance with Good]]. Temnoism preaches that left unchecked, Evil will act like a wildfire that will consume everything it touches - including ultimately ''itself''. Temnoism also preaches the invert, that Good will ALSO inevitably fail as well [[GoodNeedsEvil if not constantly challenged by Evil]], resulting in stagnation and complacency that will leave it vulnerable to destruction or corruption. It is for this reason that Temnobog works with his benevolent brother Belyolen while his children and followers [[EvilVSEvil fight 'Destructive Evil' factions]] as much as they oppose heroes and champions.

* TheEpic: The whole Codexverse is shaping up to be this, given the sheer scales and number of characters involved, and apparently was designed with this in mind from the start.

** Bolezn, one of Temnobog's surviving sons, inherited his empathy from him. While not great in power or skill like his dark father or his nephew, Zmluva, who specializes in Empathy as a ''concept'', Bolezn can sense his victims' inner greed and gluttony as they covet other people's valuable possessions, which helps him appeal to their secret desires in order to weed out the wicked from those with strong morals and humble hearts.
** Yarost, Bolezn's oldest brother, is also an empath, except he focuses on Fury and Hatred, as those two emotions are what he embodies as an evil Deer god. He tempts the wicked and morally weak by subtly stoking their anger and appealing to their inner spite and desire for revenge, and spares those who resist their darker urges. He also used this for positive purposes, such as making Crystal Prism realize his trauma-based anger was unhealthy by appealing to his grudge against Noble Grace and Bubbling Beaker and increasing his anger to unhealthy degrees.
** Phykti, Temnobog's eldest daughter and Yarost's younger sister, is also an empath like her siblings, except she focuses on her domains, Cruelty and Despair. She uses her power to sense developing inclinations for cruelty in mortal Deer, and to try tempting them into indulging in cruelty unless they resist her.

** In Sparkling Wing's entry, it's mentioned that had his mother, Queen Silver Clock, refused to let the public pressure into having a daughter, Sparkling Wing would have eventually inherited the throne and succeeded her expectations as a great King. However, if that outcome happened, Sparkling wouldn't have met Luminiferous, and he wouldn't have done the good deeds that would ultimately allow him to become an [[PhysicalGod Alicorn]].

* ForeverWar: The Changeling-Dragon blood-feud had spanned ''eons'', with countless generations of the two races fighting each other on-and-off in an endless CycleOfRevenge over [[ItsPersonal respective wrongs they had done to each other]]; the 'Burning of Amorea' at the claws of the Dragons which nearly drove Changelingkind to extinction, and for the Dragons in particular the 'Time of Broken Scales'. It's ultimately deconstructed in that both races' conflict and enmity for each other are ultimately only damaging themselves for little gain, as well as those who had completely nothing to do with the conflict, creating villains such as Princess Apertus, King Xesto and by the Fourth Age it's becoming a HopelessWar that threatens to wipe out both sides and take the whole world with them.

** Averted with the Bogolenya pantheon. The deities there are quite welcoming of non-Deer divines, and as such, divine Draconequui such as Válka, Ispita (before she turned evil), and later Cosmos had been known to have lived among their Deer compatriots. They also include Deer hybrids such as Válka and Mier's children and Temnobog's children, the Four Terrors. It's due to this tolerance that Belyolen wants to protect the Bogolenya pantheon from those with harmful attitudes, especially the Elternteil pantheon - if they emotionally abused and ostracized Temnobog for being born "evil", they would surely do the same to the non-Deer and hybrids for merely existing.

** In the "Revenge of Apertus" event, Luminiferous makes it ''very'' clear to Changelingkind that if they hadn't let their grudge against Dragonkind influence their actions entirely, they would have been cured of their [[HorrorHunger Curse]] early. But instead they tore an innocent loving family apart out of hatred, and stalled the discovery of a cure by a few thousand years.

* FreudianExcuse: Many characters in the Codexverse have reasons for why they ended up developing certain behaviors. [[RealityEnsues However]], this trope is mostly deconstructed in that [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse while their reasons are certainly sympathetic, they wouldn't really justify horrific actions]], as people have opportunities to move past their traumas and become better individuals.

*** Prince Written Word inherited psychic empathy from his father, but becoming the divine embodiment of Truth enhanced it beyond its typical emotion-reading abilities. Much like Elske, the Jotunn goddess of Love, he exhibits a comforting empathic aura that ebbs negative emotions and calms people down (though he can turn it off anytime). He can also [[DetectEvil see a person's state of being through their emotions]] - as a person becomes more dishonest, corrupt, and insidious, [[EvilMakesYouUgly their negative emotions show up in the form of a rot that makes their body resemble a decayed, rotting corpse in his eyes]], even though the person in question is still very much alive.

** Crystal Prism was once a unicorn colt named "Page Wheel", who wished he was an adult so he could take care of his mother, who was gravely ill at the time. After teasing his young neighbor, Midnight Bell, for being clumsy, Page Wheel was later kidnapped and used as a test subject by two teachers, Noble Grace and Bubbling Beaker, to mass-produce Alicorns after Midnight lied about him being a magical prodigy to save her own skin. It was also revealed that, from what police investigators have gleaned from research notes and interrogations, that Noble Grace and Bubbling Beaker intended for Page Wheel to become an Alicorn that embodied Rebirth and Change to herald a "new age" for Ponykind. He ended up becoming a magic-absorbing monster instead, and would rampage across the Grittish Isles before Luminiferous and the Equestrian Princesses killed him without realizing who the monster actually was until it was too late. Page Wheel was saved when the absorbed magic revived/Ascended him by incubating him in a magical cocoon, but when he came out several days later he was severely frightened and traumatized by what he went through. Thanks to Mentálne's therapy sessions and the support of his family and friends, Crystal Prism is gradually recovering, and while he's coming to terms with his new powers and demigod status he is taken in as a student by Luminiferous, who wanted to make up for his mistake, and eventually forgave Midnight Bell for her role in his trauma, becoming "wing pals". He was also encouraged to [[ScrewDestiny break away from his intended role and forge his own path]] by promoting Change through helping others, which has resulted in quite a few good things, such as revealing Button Mash's hidden potential, and helping Katastrofa deal with his catastrophic foresight and accept his creative side.

** The Grand Primevals are also this, though benevolent in nature and downscaled compared to the former two, being primordial deities of such scope and power that even Emperor Blackthorn is afraid to tangle with them, and having somewhat alien mannerisms. They're also the grandchildren of the Genesis Sovereign.

*** The Winter Court Changelings are reviled by the Summer Court Changelings, which speaks volumes of how far one had to fall in order to be treated with such contempt. To note, one of Blackthorn's First-Spawn sons, ex-King Rhyniognatha was banished/sealed away there after he tried killing all of his brothers for "stealing" his position as his father's favorite. It was noted by Blackthorn himself that he brought his fate upon himself.

** From what was implied, Helga Greywing's film "[[Film/RomanHoliday Bitalian Holiday]]" seemingly took place in the pony equivalent of Rome, Italy's capital. Furthering the connection is an incident Prince Sparkling Wing resolved in Bitaly, [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet where two noble Houses hated each other so much that it nearly made two young heirs and lovers run away and commit suicide together]].

** Meridia with it's DeathWorld aspects is one for Australia.
** Kulesian Mazlander Commonwealth is one to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, complete with a literal version of the Winged Hussars comprised of elite Pegasi and Griffon warriors.

* FateWorseThanDeath: It's mentioned in Guiding Light's entry that blindness (or at least sight-impairment) is seen as this trope by many pegasi, who rely on sight to nagivate the skies as they fly. Even Guiding Light himself didn't believe that he could fly due to being born blind, despite becoming an Alicorn. Fortunately, the deities of the Shinseina pantheon are teaching Guiding Light how to use pegasus magic as an "inner compass", so he could avoid weather hazards like storms.

* FirstContact: One of these going horribly wrong due to misunderstanding and mistakes on both sides triggered a war between the Crystal Empire with a realm of Giants 1,500 years ago. It ends badly for both sides - more so for the Crystal Empire due to the sheer size and power of the Giants.

** Temnobog Cultists and Hydianites both revere and commit Evil for its own sake out of ideological/religious reasons, though takes it in opposite directions: the former sees Evil as (and should be) serving a necessary, constructive role in the world and that both Good and Evil must exist in balance. The latter group, by contrast, are selfish and destructive villains who worships Evil as freedom from all restraints, including morality. Naturally, [[EvilVersusEvil Temnoists are Hydianites are very bitter enemies and oppose each other at every opportunity]].
** Valefor, an enemy of future Dragon Lord Pyro II, had for his ultimate goal awakening and unleashing an ancient primordial demon to ravage the world. And he wanted to do this because... actually, nobody knows for sure exactly ''why'' he wants to do it, not even Pyro II. It seems for all his evil and the threat he poised, Valefor had apparently ''no'' logical motive for his apocalyptic ambitions, which confused everyone to no end.
---> '''Pyro II:''' [[LampshadeHanging Honestly, it made ''no'' thrice-damned ''sense'' whatsoever]].

** Had Irminsul not tried to purify his then-unborn son of his inner darkness, he would have ended up with a god who is balanced, incredibly powerful, and embodies mortal Deerkind's best and worst traits, ruling over everything that Deerkind holds in their highest esteem. While Luminiferous was ''furious'' with Irminsul for trying to enforce his twisted ideas of perfection onto his child, he does note that even his son's flaws have potential to become great, even though they're no longer part of him. Belyolen admits that both he and Temnobog do think about it sometimes, but then he states that life wouldn't be the same and speculates there would be no one capable of upholding Good and Evil. This fact is also implied to be why they respect the antediluvian Alicorn Golden Scepter, as he is a benevolent ruler who embodies Ponykind in general.

** An interesting case with Temnobog, who grew from an emotionally abused fawn treated as nothing more than garbage and an evil "cast-off" of his radiant twin brother, Belyolen, to a dark god who spreads evil and suffering through the Deer realms. While he is feared for what he does, he's also respected, since he uses evil for constructive purposes and to motivate mortals into becoming stronger to oppose evil.
** Inverted with Crystal Prism. He was once a mortal unicorn colt named Page Wheel, but after Midnight Bell lied about him, he was kidnapped by Noble Grace and Bubbling Beaker, who proceeded to experiment on him to replicate the Alicorns' Ascension process. While the experiments did corrupt Page Wheel and turned him into a [[MagicEater magic-eating monster]], it wasn't until after he was defeated and killed by Luminiferous and the Equestrian Princesses that he became the Alicorn he is now, having been revived by the very magic he devoured. Nowadays he helps promote Change and Rebirth, as he embodies it, by helping people and even befriending "evil" deities like Katastrofa, instead of heralding a "new age" like Noble Grace intended, thanks to benevolent individuals [[ScrewDestiny encouraging him to forge a new path for himself]].

** Crystal Prism/Page Wheel and his neighbor/wing-pal/filly-friend, Midnight Bell, are respectively based on Peter and Mary from ''Anime/MaryAndTheWitchsFlower'', except they serve as a case of RealityEnsues that deconstructs various things in the movie, such as how Peter would react to being experimented on and turned into a magic-eating monster, how Mary would feel knowing she endangered another person with her lies, and how each of them would try to cope with everything that has happened after returning to normal life.

** Prince Sparkling Wing, an [[PhysicalGod Alicorn]] member of the Church of the Stars, is based on [[WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil Jushtin Butterfly]], being royal Princes who had potential to become great heroes and beloved Kings, but were rejected by their own people because they didn't want to break matriarchal tradition by accepting a male on the throne. Sparkling Wing also has Jushtin's [[TheDandy foppish tastes in fashion]] and his talent in diplomacy, except here, he eventually became an Alicorn god because he had people who continued to believe in him and cultivate his potential, rather than let him fade into obscurity. His family members are also based on the Butterfly family, with his mother Queen Silver Clock being based on Skywynne Butterfly, his father King-Consort Cardinal Feather being based on Skywynne's husband Gem-robin, his sister Queen Rising Sun being based on Solaria Butterfly, and his niece Queen Obsidian Star being based on Eclipsa Butterfly.

** Golden Scepter, a surviving antediluvian Alicorn Emperor from the fallen Alicorn Civilization, is based on [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 the Emperor of Mankind]]. Much like his character inspiration, Golden Scepter is an Emperor of godlike power and unmatched intellect, and is beloved by his subjects as a protector of a certain species, but also had raging flaws that ultimately spelled the stagnation and doom of his empire. However, unlike Emps, who ended up becoming a rotting corpse, stuck on the Golden Throne for all of time, Golden Scepter would ultimately survive thanks to the kindness of benevolent deities, realize the error of his ways, and become TheAtoner until he truly became a benevolent protector and ruler of Ponykind.
** The members of the Black Heron Corpse Investigation Team (BHCIT for short) are based on the [[Manga/TheKurosagiCorpseDeliveryService Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service team]]. Collectively, they are both teams of five university students who have the black heron as their call-sign, are regarded as creepy and eccentric weirdos who aren't used to them or their line of work, behave in a cynical, sarcastic, and morbid manner, and are very opportunistic and greedy because of [[PerpetualPoverty their floundering businesses and generally poor financial situations]]. They even rely on a former homicide detective-turned-social services agent for expenses and dead "clients" in return for doing odd jobs for him. However, they are also both compassionate people who are very unwilling to turn down a dead and living person in need, even at the cost of earning more money for themselves. For bonus points, their team names are heavily similar, with "Kurosagi" meaning "black heron" in Japanese.
*** Individually, each member of the BHCIT are based on each member of the Kurosagi crew: Whispered Winds is based on Kuro Karatsu, Guiding Light is based on Makoto Numata, Lovely Bones is based on Ao Sasaki, Felt Actor is based on Yuji Yata, and Violet Peony is based on Keiko Makino.
** Belyolen is based on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belobog Belobog]], an ancient Slavic god of Light and Good who is often portrayed in tandem with his evil divine counterpart, Chernobog as part of a duality of Light and Darkness, Good and Evil. It's noted that during feasts, the Slavic peoples would dedicate all good and fortunate things to Belobog, while all evil and adverse things were dedicated to Chernobog. Belyolen, being inspired by him, is attributed to all forms of Good and Contentment, as they keep Evil in check and provide relief and mercy to those affected by Evil, though they in turn must be kept in check by Evil to make sure they don't stagnate.
** On the other hand, Temnobog, Belyolen's younger twin brother, is based on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobog Chernobog]], an ancient Slavic god of Evil and Darkness who is often portrayed in tandem with his good divine counterpart, Belobog as part of a duality of Light and Darkness, Good and Evil. It's noted that during feasts, the Slavic peoples would dedicate all good and fortunate things to Belobog, while all evil and adverse things were dedicated to Chernobog. Temnobog, being inspired by him, is attributed to all forms of Evil and Suffering, but the Erobreseg Deer herds see this as a good thing as the presence of Evil is what motivates people to be Good and strong, as their lands are often harsh and unforgiving.

* FamedInStory:
** It's noted in Prince Sparkling Wing's entry that after leaving his childhood kingdom to travel with Luminiferous as his student, stories and legends about him would pop up throughout the Third Age, telling of a lavender-pelted pegasus stallion who would resolve conflicts all over Equus and manipulate the skies themselves. It's what later led to Sparkling Wing meeting Queen Dazzleglow in the Fourth Age post-Ascension, having heard of said legends and was interested in his potential role in breaking "[[ViciousCycle The Cycle]]".

** Divine Deer twins and co-rulers Belyolen and Temnobog both have empathy, except they use them according to their portfolios - Belyolen uses his empathy to allieviate suffering and induce good feelings, while Temnobog uses his empathy to prolong suffering. Temnobog also admits that his brother's empathy is partially why he felt so close to him as fawns, because Belyolen saw a miserable, abused sibling who wanted love instead of the dark abomination everyone thought Temnobog was.

* EmotionEater: Equestria is home to a large number of these, in addition to the canon ones like the Changelings. They're known as Emotivores.
** Boogeymares feed off of fear, normally by scaring foals with their MasterOfIllusion powers. Dreadmares are ''much'' stronger and more dangerous.
** Heart Flyers are butterflies that each feed off of different emotions based on their color and can invoke them in others by touch.
** Laughing Lilies are plants that feed off joy and laughter, which they get through tickling.
** Prism Racers feed off exhilaration and excitement, which they get through stunt displays, racing sports pegasi and griffons, or giving ponies flights on their backs.
** Accusers feed off of self-righteousness and indignation.
** Glory Hounds feed off of pride, which they get by 'whispering' into the ears of ponies telepathically and stroking their egos. Though they ''can'' feed off of positive pride rather than hubris and are beneficial if tamed.
** Browbeaters feed off self-hatred and despair, hence their name.
** Mourning Glories feed off sorrow, mourning, and the aspects of the grieving process. Despite this, they're actually [[DarkIsNotEvil benign and a well-liked plant.]]
** Temper Trolls feed off hatred, rage, aggression, and violence. This makes them quite dangerous, as their HealingFactor makes them virtually NighInvulnerable to most forms of attack, though their AchillesHeel is fighting defensively rather than pushing the offense, which weakens them quickly.
* EndOfAnAge:
** Known History is divided into four distinct Ages (Meta-wise corresponding the four MLP generations), and since this is the Fourth Age, the implication is obvious that the previous three Ages had ended at some point in the past, although it waits to be seen how it happened. And it is implied that [[TimeAbyss many, ''many'' more Ages]] had come and gone before then.
** Countless civilizations had rose and fell during these Ages, the collapse of each could be said to be this trope on at least a local level, or for a distinct historical era within the Four Ages. Causes vary, but it's usually due to a civilization's own flaws (selfishness, pride, hedonism, etc.) or an outside threat. Queen Dazzleglow and by extension, the Church of the Stars, seeks to break the Cycle so civilizations can withstand the presence of Evil.

* FantasyMetals: Primordium and Quintessium. They were once ordinary metals that underwent transmutation due to saturation by Primordial Quintessence. It's noted that unless Primordial Quintessence involved, the objects made from these metals are usually indestructible by mortal means, as one of Princess Celestia's old golden horseshoes can tank a [[FantasticNuke Mana Bomb's]] point-blank city-busting blast virtually without a scratch. However, the usage differs between the two alloys:

** The Dragon Pantheon includes the Parent Deities of Dragonkind and all other Dragon gods, Tiamat the Dragon Queen and her consort, King Bahumet. Orochi the Dragon god of evil was once a member prior to his fall and eventual destruction.

*** The Elternteil Deer pantheon is led by High King Irminsul and his wife, High Queen Arvan, and was constantly praised by their mortal worshipers for being wise and benevolent. Unfortunately, this swelled their ego so much that they became incredibly biased, arrogant, and patronizing, and when the dark Temnobog was born as the result of Irminsul's attempt to turn his then-unborn son into a GodOfGood by purging his inner evil, they emotionally abused him for existing. This ultimately led to their divine children leaving them to form different pantheons when arguments arose over the direction their mortal children are (and should be) taking with their civilizations, and the emotional mistreatment of one of their own gods, the Deer god of Evil Temnobog. The Elternteil pantheon oversees the Alvslog Deer herds, who reside in forested areas and are just as morally puristic, haughty, and close-minded like their divine patrons.
*** The Bogolenya pantheon is the first sub-pantheon of Deer to form from the divine schism, led by twin brothers Belyolen and Temnobog. This pantheon was formed after Belyolen, after overhearing his family consider killing Temnobog for being born "evil, called out his entire family for their pride and abusive hypocrisy and left home, taking with him both Temnobog and several other siblings [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone who were shamed by belyolen's speech]]. The Bogolenya pantheon oversees the Erobreseg Deer herds and is known for their incredible tolerance, letting both non-Deer and supposedly "evil" divines, such as Temnobog and his hybrid children, the Four Terrors, live among them in harmony.

* FriendlyNeighborhoodSpider: Cuddle Spiders are the size of a medium-sized dog, but very friendly, affectionate, and make good pets that are, true to their name, [[EmotionEater primarily fed by their owners' cuddling and affections]]. They were originally primarily in the Changelings' possession, but after the Masquerade fell, they became a popular export. According to the one who introduced them to the Codexverse, they're inspired by ''WebVideo/LucasTheSpider''.

** Crystal Prism/Page Wheel and his neighbor/wing-pal/filly-friend, Midnight Bell, are respectively based on Peter and Mary from ''Anime/MaryAndTheWitchsFlower'', except they serve as a case of RealityEnsues that deconstructs various things in the movie, such as [[spoiler:how Peter would react to being experimented on and turned into a magic-eating monster, how Mary would feel knowing she endangered another person with her lies, and how each of them would try to cope with everything that has happened after returning to normal life]].

*** King Strazha and Queen Vesna, sibling rulers of the Erobreseg Deer kingdom of Bitaniya, are expies of Lelouch and Nunnally, respectively, with Strazha being the scheming, well-intentioned brother while Vesna is Strazha's very kind sister who was blinded and crippled when she was young [[spoiler:until she was healed by Belyolen]].
*** Strahza and Vesna's parents and relatives, King Rovnyy, Queen-Consort Milyala, and Prince Pobeda are expies of Charles, Marianne, and V.V. respectively [[spoiler:in that they still tried to make [[AssimilationPlot a world without lies]]]], but with a few differences - [[spoiler:Pobeda, unlike V.V., did not betray and kill his sister-in-law out of jealousy, instead treating her as an ally; and Strazha killed his parents and uncle himself instead of commanding "God" to do it like Lelouch did]].
*** Princess Laska, Strazha and Vesna's half-sister, is based on Euphemia, being pink-haired princesses who are [[AllLovingHero compassionate to all peoples]] and staunch pacifists. However, [[spoiler:Laska didn't commit the genocidal massacre that Euphemia did because the writer [[ForWantOfANail removed Lelouch's Geass "accident"]], and was instead rescued from being Geassed by Deer Autorists by her brother instead]].
*** Falling Leaves, a Kirin who is Princess Laska's knight and fiance, is based on Suzaku, being Neighponese/Japanese allies of a prince and love interests of a princess. However, [[spoiler:because Laska didn't die, unlike Euphemia, Falling Leaves never became Strazha's enemy]], allowing him to eventually court Laska with Strazha's blessing.

** Subverted by the Clovenists of Roedinia. While they are xenophobic and distrustful of outsiders (and that's only because of cultural inertia of attitudes Roedinans already has from pre-Revolutionary times and foreign intervention during the Roedinan Civil War), they are not explicitly racists. A Belomaneian Pegasi officer serves as a liaison to Neighpon from the Clovenists demonstrates this, as does their efforts to spread their revolution to the Diamond Dogs of Diamondia in hopes of helping them achieve Clovenism. They turn on Admiral Cloven the moment he joins the genocidal Dr. Toxikon to make the younger generations more open to Clovenism after he killed off all the adults, and ultimately drag him back home in chains to be prosecuted for his crimes, for this very reason.

** Midnight Bell suffered this in her backstory - she was born in Equestria, but was sent to the Grittish Isles to live with great-aunt Scarlet Bell so Midnight's mother, Diamond Bell, could protect her from her maternal relatives, all unicorns and pro-unicorn tribalists. Ironically, she was still subjected to racism after word got out that she used a wish to temporarily transform herself into a unicorn, causing people to contemptuously refer to her as an "imposter unicorn." This created an inferiority complex that Midnight gradually got over thanks to Mentálne's therapy, along with the divine hind teaching her to live a good life so she could expose her tormenters as being petty and pathetic.

** From what was implied, Helga Greywing's film "[[Film/RomanHoliday Bitalian Holiday]]" seemingly took place in the pony equivalent of Rome, Italy's capital.

** In the "Revenge of Apertus" event, Luminiferous makes it ''very'' clear to Changelingkind that if they hadn't let their grudge against Dragonkind influence their actions, they would have been cured of their [[HorrorHunger Curse]] early. But instead they tore an innocent loving family apart out of hatred, and stalled the discovery of a cure by a few thousand years.
* FriendlyNeighborhoodSpider: Cuddle Spiders are the size of a medium-sized dog, but very friendly, affectionate, and make good pets fed by their owners' affections. They were originally primarily in the Changelings' possession, but after the Masquerade fell, they became a popular export. According to the one who introduced them to the Codexverse, they're inspired by ''WebVideo/LucasTheSpider''.

** Elske the Jotunn Love goddess. She loves children and always tries to protect them from harm. Whenever she comes across a sinful realm, she has her worshipers evacuate the children before she eats everything, and then makes up for their loss of family members and homes by becoming their adoptive mother. Her divine realm, where her adoptive children live, makes them immune to all forms of harm.

** King Rovnyy, being an {{Expy}} of [[Anime/CodeGeass Emperor Charles]], has the telepathic ability to erase and alter memories so things are not what people remembered. This was used to punish then-Prince Strazha for his rebellion by altering his memories to make his son think he's a loyal soldier of Bitaniya. Strazha got out of it thanks to his willpower, [[ThePowerOfHate his grudge towards his father]], and the help of a doe who's an expert in Geass magic.

[[CodexEquus/TropesAToB Tropes A to B]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesCToD Tropes C to D]] | '''Tropes E to F''' | [[CodexEquus/TropesGToH Tropes G to H]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesIToJ Tropes I to J]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesKToL Tropes K to L]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesMToN Tropes M to N]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesOToP Tropes O to P]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesQToR Tropes Q to R]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesSToT Tropes S to T]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesUToV Tropes U to V]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesWToX Tropes W to X]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesYToZ Tropes Y to Z]]

[[Fanfic/CodexEquus Return to the main page]].

** Chrysalis is an example of this even if her status either as an evil genius or incompetent maverick is debatable: her abrasively narcissistic selfishness and atrocities while as Queen alienated her from her siblings and parent, who ultimately banished her to the Winter Court after crossing too many lines. Her cruel treatment of her own subjects, from deliberately starving them to keep them dependent and too weak to turn on her, lying about their origins, kill any Changeling who deviates from her authority or beliefs, disproportionately punishing his minions for the slightest failures and being a horrible ruler in general eventually caused her subjects to turn on her the moment they realize they could. And of course, being a racial supremacist who, Ultimately, Chrysalis' defeat is as much the result of her own dastardly evil as it is by the heroic Equestrians and Thorax.

** One of Blackthorn's sons, King Lasius, doesn't fall far from the tree. Justified, in that after having to put up with his rich foster family's lazy incompetence and greed, Lasius eventually conspired to kill them all for being so worthless to society, and did just that on the day Blackthorn was visiting to check up on him. Golden Bell, Lasius's half-sister, had similar feelings towards his family and turned a blind eye while Lasius murdered them all. After inheriting the throne of his foster kingdom and creating his own hive, Lasius doesn't tolerate his subjects becoming lazy or incompetent, since it'll serve as a reminder of what kind of bastards his foster family was.

** King Rovnyy, being an {{Expy}} of [[Anime/CodeGeass Emperor Charles]], has the telepathic ability to erase and alter memories so things are not what people remembered. This was used to punish then-Prince Strazha for his rebellion by altering his memories to make his son think he's a loyal soldier of Bitaniya. Strazha got out of it thanks to his willpower, [[ThePowerOfHate his grudge towards his father]], and the help of a doe who's an expert in Geass magic.

** It's mentioned in Lord Grimgard the Latest's entry that in one incident, he fought and killed a pony champion who fell to lust and hedonism, and consorted with all sorts of demons while letting his city-state fall to plague and undeath. [[KarmicDeath He ended up dying a demon]].

** The deities that reside in Equestria as its rulers/protectors are counted as a pantheon in their own right, due to their divinity and encompassing benevolence. However, the Alicorn half of this "pantheon" [[AGodIAmNot don't like being treated as gods and discourage worship of them]], since they believe that even gods are capable of being flawed as mortals. After the Storm King Crisis and the Tyrantlesia debacle, Prince Léon, a male Alicorn and adoptive son of Prince Blueblood, became its newest addition.

* The Church of the Stars is an interracial divine pantheon that rules over the kingdom of Kerajaan Cahaya and, by extension, the Glimmering Isles. As a whole, they believe in breaking "[[ViciousCycle The Cycle]]" by promoting friendship, humility,and unity, as they effectively counter the flaws of pride, racism, hatred, and others that eventually lead to the destruction of great kingdoms, civilizations, and even species.

** The Summer Court attempted this on the Dragons in the Time of Broken Scales, and nearly succeeded, though ultimately failed. The Dragons attempted it on them first, however, making this a CycleOfRevenge.

** Xestobium's attempt would also cause Dr. Toxikon, a time of Broken Scales survivor to snap and attempt it on the Changelings in return... furthering the CycleOfRevenge. He also intends to kill off all dragons above a certain age as he views them as stagnant and refusing to learn even as the world is marching by them, wanting to ''force'' them to learn from the world around them now that they'll have no choice. It eventually turns out, however, that he intended to spare the New Changelings in a PetTheDog moment.

* FluffyTheTerrible: The denizens of Sauropoda are dragon-sized sauropods with earth pony magic and every bit as powerful as that name would suggest. Their common name is "Cutesaurus".

* ForeverWar: The Changeling-Dragon blood-feud had spanned ''aeons'', with countless generations of the two races fighting each other on-and-off in an endless CycleOfRevenge over [[ItsPersonal respective wrongs they had done to each other]]; the 'Burning of Amorea' at the claws of the Dragons which nearly drove Changelingkind to extinction, and for the Dragons in particular the 'Time of Broken Scales'. {{Deconstructed}} in that both races' conflict and enmity for each other are ultimately only damaging themselves for little gain, and by the Fourth Age it's becoming a HopelessWar that threatens to wipe out both sides and take the whole world with them.

** Temnobog Cultists and Hydianites both revere and commit Evil for its own sake out of ideological/religious reasons, though takes it in opposite directions: the former sees Evil as (and should be) serving a necessary, constructive role in the world and that both Good and Evil must exist in balance. The latter group by contrast are selfish and destructive villains who worships Evil as freedom from all restraints, including morality. Naturally, [[EvilVersusEvil they don't get along]].

* FriendlyNeighborhoodSpider: Cuddle Spiders are the size of a medium-sized dog, but very friendly, affectionate, and make good pets fed by their owners' affections. They were originally primarily in the Changelings' possession, but after the Masquerade fell, they became a popular export. According to the one who introduced them to the Codex Verse, they're inspired by ''WebVideo/LucasTheSpider''.

** Inverted with Crystal Prism. He was once a mortal unicorn colt named Page Wheel, but after Midnight Bell lied about him, he was kidnapped by Noble Grace and Bubbling Beaker, who proceeded to experiment on him to replicate the Alicorns' Ascension process. While the experiments did corrupt Page Wheel and turned him into a [[MagicEater magic-eating monster]], it wasn't until after he was defeated and killed by Luminiferous and the Equestrian Princesses that he became the Alicorn he is now, having been revived by the very magic he devoured. Nowadays he helps promote Change and Rebirth, as he embodies it, by helping people and even befriending "evil" deities like Katastrofa, instead of heralding a "new age" like Noble Grace intended thanks to benevolent individuals [[ScrewDestiny encouraging him to forge a new path for himself]].

[[CodexEquus/TropesAToB Tropes A to B]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesCToD Tropes C to D]] | '''Tropes E to F''' | [[CodexEquus/TropesGToH Tropes G to H]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesIToJ Tropes I to J]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesKToL Tropes K to L]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesMToN Tropes M to N]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesOToP Tropes O to P]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesQToR Tropes Q to R]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesSToT Tropes S to T]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesUToV Tropes U to V]] | [[CodeEquus/TropesWToX Tropes W to X]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesYToZ Tropes Y to Z]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Many characters in the Codexverse go through varying degrees of hell before they can achieve some sort of happinessi n the end.

** After he was emotionally abused by both family and friends alike for being born "evil" since he was young, Temnobog developed a deep grudge towards his twin brother, Belyolen, for being the favored child and did everything he could to spite him. However, after discovering they shared a unique elemental bond and being forced to work together to resolve a crisis that was threatening the Deer pantheon, Temnobog and Belyolen discovered that because of a divine ritual, they were born two halves of a greater whole, making them elemental equals. They reconciled, and Temnobog became co-leader of the Bogolenya pantheon alongside his brother, feared and respected by divines and mortals alike as chief punisher of wicked Deer and the tester of heroes and champions.
** Like what happened in canon, Thorax went from a lowly Changeling drone living under the tyranny of (ex)Queen Chrysalis, to the benevolent king of her hive after usurping Chrysalis. Here in the Codexverse, however, Thorax's actions caused him to become a Royal Changeling, the equivalent of an immortal demigod in Changeling society, and purified his fellow Changelings of their racial [[HorrorHunger Curse]], providing an alternate explanation why their true forms look like colorful deer-beetle hybrids instead of the insectile abominations with holed legs they once were. Thorax is also regarded as a LivingLegend and revered as "The Sanctified One", and has multiple allies in both Changeling Courts, the Alicorn Princesses, the Crystal Empire, and a few dragons.

** Crystal Prism was once a unicorn colt named "Page Wheel", who wished he was an adult so he could take care of his mother, who was gravely ill at the time. After teasing his young neighbor, Midnight Bell, for being clumsy, Page Wheel was later kidnapped and used as a test subject by two disgraced teachers to mass-produce Alicorns after Midnight lied about him being the real magical prodigy to save her own skin. He ended up becoming a magic-absorbing monster instead, and would rampage across the Grittish Isles before Luminiferous and the Equestrian Princesses killed him without realizing who the monster actually was until it was too late. Page Wheel was saved when the absorbed magic revived/Ascended him by incubating him in a magical cocoon, but when he came out several days later he was severely frightened and traumatized by what he went through. Thanks to Mentálne's therapy sessions and the support of his family and friends, Crystal Prism is gradually recovering, and while he's coming to terms with his new powers and demigod status he is taken in as a student by Luminiferous, who wanted to make up for his mistake, and eventually forgave Midnight Bell for her role in his trauma, becoming "wing pals".

** As implied in Prince Blueblood's entry, there's also a pro-unicorn faction called the "Children of Platinum", who true to stereotypes vie for unicorn supremacy and likewise want to overthrow the Alicorns so they could establish unicorns as rulers and the master race of Ponykind. One such member, who was one of Blueblood's surviving relatives, was involved in the failed assassination of Princess Twilight Sparkle, which Blueblood also foiled. [[LaserGuidedKarma She and her cohorts also ended up getting sentenced by Blueblood himself]].

** Among Ponykind, there's "Mud-Hooves" (Earth ponies) and "Horn-Freaks" (unicorns), used by the Scions of Hurricane. There's also "imposter unicorn", which was used as an insult to refer to Midnight Bell, an Earth pony filly, after word got out that she used a wish to transform herself into a unicorn temporarily.

[[CodexEquus/TropesAToB Tropes A to B]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesCToD Tropes C to D]] | '''Tropes E to F''' | [[CodexEquus/TropesGToH Tropes G to H]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesIToJ Tropes I to J]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesKToL Tropes K to L]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesMToN Tropes M to N]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesOToP Tropes O to P]] | Tropes Q to R | Tropes S to T | Tropes U to V | Tropes W to X | Tropes Y to Z

[[CodexEquus/TropesAToB Tropes A to B]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesCToD Tropes C to D]] | '''Tropes E to F''' | [[CodexEquus/TropesGToH Tropes G to H]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesIToJ Tropes I to J]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesKToL Tropes K to L]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesMToN Tropes M to N]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesOToP Tropes O to P]] | Tropes Q to R | Tropes S to T | Tropes U to V | Tropes W to X | Tropes X to Z

[[CodexEquus/TropesAToB Tropes A to B]] | [[CodexEquus/TropesCToD Tropes C to D]] | '''Tropes E to F''' | Tropes G to H | Tropes I to J | Tropes K to L | Tropes M to N | Tropes O to P | Tropes Q to R | Tropes S to T | Tropes U to V | Tropes W to X | Tropes X to Z