History CodexEquus / TropesEToF

*** Moon Ray/Canticum Lunae's Silicon form is a white and brown-furred Alicorn that resembles a healthy, youthful creature with a body dotted with healthy plant foliage, white antlers, and a head that's completely flesh-and-bone. His Cutie Mark is a newly-made, polished electric guitar that's surrounded by healthy growth. His mane and tail are composed of light purple Life energy depicting beginnings in various forms, including literal and metaphorical births, with the white streak in his hair flowing like a nourshing waterfall. His wings are healthy and white, with light purple gradients and hidden eyes that show good futures when opened. His antlers have flaoting arcane orbs that are used to grow, create, and heal. His eyes depict various alternate versions of himself being born to different lives in a never-ending loop.

** After [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu overpowering]] and assimilating Ymlezt'xix, an [[TheOldGods Abyssal One]], Dr. Endless Dreams became an entity that vaguely resembles a Pony mare, but is distorted as if one is looking at her through the twilight of a dream, her body appearing to exist in physical reality, the dream realm, and several adjacent dimensions simultaneously. She also possesses numerous tentacles emerging from her back in a manner resembling an Alicorn's wings, [[NoMouth no visible mouth]], and eyes that display an endless loop of herself looking back when looked at. She also possesses an [[BlueAndOrangeMorality strange mindset]] and [[LovecraftianSuperpower all kinds of eldritch powers]] as a consequence of the assimilation, but despite everything, she's still a benevolent mare at heart.

** Like [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Primarch Angron]] pre-Butcher's Nails, Prince Red Blade has psychic empathy, except here it's due to being the Alicorn demigod of Temperance, and his empathy is much more powerful. He can produce an empathic aura that ebbs negative emotions like rage, envy, and lust, and encourages people to become kinder and more virtuous. This aura also makes him a calming and relaxing presence for both his hot-tempered brothers and those who are inclined to anger, such as Yarost, the Bogolenya Deer god of Fury and Hatred. Like his father, Golden Scepter, he can "[[EmotionBomb emotion-bomb]]" people with the suffering they have inflicted on others with their actions.

** Subverted with the Terran Empire. Despite its name, it's actually [[HegemonicEmpire a pretty benevolent one]], especially when compared to the Imperium of Ponykind, which became a WretchedHive largely due to [[ImmortalRuler Golden Scepter]]'s then-tyrannical influence and mistakes. Notably, the AbsoluteXenophobe behavior is absent, resulting in a happy and harmonious environment where Ponies are encouraged to live in peace with their non-Pony neighbors. And while the Terran Empire is technologically advanced and has a powerful military, with existing sub-chapters, the leaders of said sub-chapters are powerful demigod Princes, whose collective benevolence was influenced by how their father raised them. The Terran Empire also closely resembles the mini-empire of Ultramar, ruled by [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines]], in that it's a utopia as was envisioned by the Emperor of Mankind in regards to what he had in mind for humanity in general.

** Prince Fanged Paw, Golden Scepter's second son, is based on Primarch Leman Russ. Like Leman Russ, he has a wolf motif as well as an extremely strained relationship with his magically-inclined brother, Crimson Star, the CaptainErsatz of Magnus the Red, though here it's out of [[TheResenter resentment]]-turned-[[CainAndAbel hatred]] rather than distrust towards psychics in general. However, unlike Russ, Fanged Paw would later go through CharacterDevelopment after he took his hatred of his brother too far and was exiled as punishment, resulting in him forgiving Crimson Star and reconciling with him after sharing a mutual apology.

** Prince Sparkling Wing is described as an empath who is capable of [[LivingLieDetector exposing lies and falsehoods]], and seeing what people really think of each other, making him very hard to fool. He can also [[EmotionBomb send out an empathy wave that calms anger and instills "love and peace" in his targets]] to defuse hostile situations. His most unique empathy-related ability is [[{{Seers}} looking into the past]] via people's emotions, allowing them to experience their memories as if he had personally been there. The fact that empathy is getting [[StockSuperpowers extremely common]] among divine and mortal individuals on Equus has not been left without comment from him, since he sees it as rather odd.

----> '''Sunny Field Vaughoof:''' I remember some folks talkin' 'boutcha after yer death, lil' bro. They said Mag'ne herself took ya wit' 'er that day 'cause she wanted t' learn how t' play them strings or somethin'.\\

*** It's later zigzagged - after permanently transforming into an EldritchAbomination following the 'Cosmic Prophet Debacle', he turns into a cyclic god who by nature shifts through three cycles: The Alpine cycle, the Equus cycle, and the Silicon cycle. Depending on the condition of certain planes, each cycle turns him into something living, dead, or something in-between for a certain amount of time. This represents his realization and acceptance of the cyclic nature of all things.
** Unlike Music/JeffHealey, who died of terminal cancer in his forties, Prince Healing Song was saved by a last-minute Ascension [[spoiler:thanks to a disguised Luminiferous providing the "Spark" needed]] while on his deathbed. Tragically, while being immortal allowed him to do everything he wanted to do, it also means [[WhoWantsToLiveForever he would outlive his own bandmates instead]].
* EmotionEater: Equestria is home to a large number of these, in addition to the canon ones like the Changelings. They're known as Emotivores.

* EthnicityMonarch: Most species are ruled by one or more {{God Emperor}}s such as Equestria's princesses, the Changeling Progenitors, the dragon gods Bahamut and Tiamat, the breezie gods Sefyr and Mab, and so on.

** Implied with his mothers. Dissonant hates both his birth father, War Rock, and his stepfather, but he doesn't feel the same way towards his birth mother, who [[MamaBear protected him from his abusive stepfather]], and his foster mother, who raised him after his birth mother's death. So it's very likely he loved both of his mothers.

* EvilReactionary: In the Codexverse, reactionaries of any form are almost consistently selfish, narrow-minded, petty, hateful, conceded, deluded, idiotic, hypocritical and otherwise unsympathetic, who had done nothing but hurt innocents and cause strife in their desire to hold back any form of advancement for any reason - a cause which in itself is always shown to be futile to begin with.

** The attitudes promoted by [[https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/869479644/4928500610 Confusionism]] in Chineigha promoted BlindObedience to authority figures, loyalty to tradition and rituals, and glorification of the past to unfettered degrees. While it was a good-intentioned response to the political turmoil Chineigha was going through at the time, Confusionism ultiamtely proved to be a bad idea in practice, as it created a bigoted, toxic environment that encouraged BlindObedience, [[StayInTheKitchen misogynistic treatment of women]], and reactionism towards all forms of progress. The result was both Chineigh and the rest of the Far East suffering a HumiliationConga so bad that it induced a BreakTheHaughty on a continental scale, forcing them to modernize themselves or be crushed by their imperialistic Western counterparts, who by contrast were technologically and socially advanced. The latest Oriental Pantheon that would rule over Qilina, Chineigha's Fourth Age counterpart, chose to let Confusionism die out after realizing their mistakes in encouraging such beliefs.

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

** [[spoiler:Fairytale, the Goddess of Virtue, is the Tales Seven merged into one by Symvíosi to defeat Queen Dark Crystal.]]
** While traditional {{Reincarnation}} does exist, a form exists where someone manages to regenerate some spark of themselves that contains the essence of another, usually a deity, and results in the soul of that person merging with theirs. This results in the two individuals co-existing, but also one soul, able to channel their full being under certain circumstances. So far, this has happened to Tranquil Harbor with Promes [[spoiler:Amicitia/Twilight with Mana Equus, and Diamond Tiara with Diamond Glow.]]

** Subverted with Moon Ray Vaughoof, who's based on Music/StevieRayVaughan. While he still died from a helicopter crash like Music/StevieRayVaughan did, he slowly came to terms with his tragic death and became a psychopomp. Later, after forgiving all the people who wronged him in life and letting go of his past, he Ascended and became an Alicorn god of Death, Temperance, Water, and Forgiveness, with his domain of Prophecy manifesting after overcoming his [[HeroicSelfDeprecation humility]]... except that becoming a Death god ties him to the Heaven/Hell-Realms he now looks after, so in a way, he's still 'dead'. He didn't visit his friends and loved ones until after they died of old age because he didn't want to make it look like he came BackFromTheDead and crush their hopes later on, only relenting with the now-Ascended Healing Song just to give him some closure.
*** InUniverse, a rumor sprang up in the Second Age after Moon Ray's death that said he actually didn't die in a helicopter accident; Mag'ne just took him with her because she needed a guitar teacher. Moon Ray and his older brother, Sunny Field, would [[TakeThat poke fun at this]] during an interview with ''Codex Equus'' researchers three Ages later.

** Unlike Music/JeffHealey, who died of terminal cancer in his forties, Prince Healing Song was saved by a last-minute Ascension [[spoiler:thanks to a disguised Luminiferous providing the "Spark" needed]] while on his deathbed. Tragically, while being immortal allowed him to do everything he wanted to do, it also means that [[WhoWantsToLiveForever he would outlive his own bandmates instead]].

** The mysterious [[ShoutOut Shinka]] [[{{Manga/GetterRobo}} Rays]], an exotic form of Metamagnetic/Magical energy of outer space origins, seems to induce this selectively in living organisms exposed to their radiance - enhancing and accelerating the evolution of certain species that are seemingly more 'fit' to evolve into higher, more complex forms, while harming other species that shows no such evolutionary potential - in a seemingly condensed form of Darwinian natural selection. It was theorized by the famous Dr. Silversmith, the World's Smartest Pony in the Second Age that given Metamagnetism is a grand-unifying fundamental force of the universe connected and affected by/affecting all natural processes and forces, Shinka Rays is the metamagnetic incarnation the entirety of the evolutionary process, from the genetic mutations, physiological changes, natural competition, environmental influences to even the temporal-causal sequence involved, reflected in the Background Metamagnetic Field from the physical universe as agitated 'Coagulated Metamagnetic Phenomena', generating from life-bearing worlds where intense evolutionary activity is occurring and radiating outwards across the cosmos.

** Fae Unicorns predate actual Unicorns among the Sapient Equids, and despite looking like Unicorns are not related in both biology and morality. Modern Unicorns owed their very existence to [[{{Characters/CodexEquusEmpireOfTheFae}} Queen Amarelthea]], the [[{{Expy}} Last/First]] [[{{WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn}} Unicorn]], who collaborated with Father Equus to create them after experiencing mortality with mortal Equids.

** The '[[SpaceColdWar Tournament of Crowns]]' - A geopolitical struggle/competition between the three major successor states of the classical Equestrian Empire that had fallen, to claim the legacy of the old empire. There were three major players: [[TheMagocracy The]] [[TheEmpire Crystal]] [[LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair Empire]], the Principalities of Equestria and the [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Empire]] [[{{UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire}} of]] [[DecadentCourt Trot]] ([[CanonForeigner Mentioned in the IDW Fiendship Is Magic comics]]), and also a number of smaller states in between that were gradually absorbed by the three big kids on the block. [[ForeverWar It lasted around 1,000 years]], with [[CloakAndDagger intrigues]] and even wars major and minor, and although it started out ironically the WEAKEST of the three major players, the Principalities of Equestria [[VictoryByEndurance outlasted her other two competitors]] as they went into their respective [[VestigialEmpire declines]] and [[TheCycleOfEmpires fall]], and the remnants were eventually annexed into Equestria. It was the Equestrian equivalent of RL Earth's '[[SecretWar Tournament of Shadows]]' cloak-and-dagger between the [[{{UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia}} Russian Empire]] and the [[{{UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire}} British Empire]] for influence in Central Asia, which is better known in the West as the '[[{{Literature/TheGreatGame}} The Great Game]]'.

* EasilyConqueredWorld: Subverted. Conquering even one world - usually Equus - is portrayed as being so monumentally difficult (From things like [[EnemyMine heavy unified]] resistance, [[FascistButInefficient nightmarish]] [[EasyLogistic logistic]] problems, [[DystopiaIsHard structural weaknesses/disadvantages]] of the [[TheConqueror conquering]] [[TheEmpire faction]], blind historical forces beyond anyone's control etc) that nine times out of ten they fail spectacularly and in hindsight [[EvilWillFail would never had succeeded]]. There are those conquerors who are [[TheAce just that brilliant]] enough that they could actually pull it off, and even then it is still an immense challenge for them that they have to make enormous amounts of preparations, resources and scheming just to be able to beat the odds. Only a very few ever come close to succeeding, but one way or another the world either [[DoNotGoGentle won't make]] [[TheEternalChurchill it easy]], nor would it be inclined to [[LaResistance stay conquered under them]].

** After reconciling with his Prophecy domain and realizing the cyclic nature of things, Moon Ray Vaughoof/Canticum Lunae Cahaya transforms into an eldritch deity for real. In his case, Moon Ray/Canticum Lunae is a cyclic god whose appearance shifts between three cycles: The Alpine Cycle, the Equus cycle, and the Silicon cycle. These cycles rotate based on the conditions of certain planes, whether astral, cosmic, or planetary. His most consistent traits are his electric guitar Cutie Mark, his purple mane and tail, his SkunkStripe, a [[HolyHalo multi-layered halo]], ten wings, a purple wing gradient, and (unusually) a pair of great antlers. Despite this, however, Moon Ray/Canticum Lunae defies the standard BlueAndOrangeMorality by [[ProHumanTransHuman developing a greater understanding and appreciation of all life]].

** After reconciling with his Prophecy domain and realizing the cyclic nature of things, Moon Ray Vaughoof/Canticum Lunae Cahaya transforms into an eldritch deity for real. In his case, Moon Ray/Canticum Lunae is a cyclic god whose appearance shifts between three cycles: The Alpine Cycle, the Equus cycle, and the Silicon cycle. These cycles rotate based on the conditions of certain planes, whether astral, cosmic, or planetary. His most consistent traits are his electric guitar Cutie Mark, his purple mane and tail, his SkunkStripe, a [[HolyHalo multi-layered halo]], ten wings, a purple wing gradient, and (unusually) a pair of great antlers. Despite this, however, Moon Ray/Canticum Lunae defies the standard BlueOrangeMorality by [[ProHumanTransHuman developing a greater understanding and appreciation of all life]].

** The... whatever that's residing in the Cosmic Void. It's implied that it's an evil being that was sealed within the Cosmic Void because it desired the end of the entire universe, and has done so to previous worlds in the past. The Church of the Stars warns that on the day the Cycle breaks, the Cosmic Void is the only place people should never explore, since the creation of Second Age villain Void Traveler [[spoiler:was the result of a pony wandering into it by accident, and the being inside proceeding to use said pony's body like a puppet]]. Queen Dazzleglow herself is trying to prepare everyone for when that day comes, but keeps her true motives a secret so the public wouldn't panic and her enemies wouldn't try destroying her. [[spoiler:Its name is eventually revealed to be the Void Sovereign]].

** Prince Varázsló became one after he and his brother were thrown into the [[EldritchLocation Well of Eternity]] and aged unnaturally from spending an unknown time in there. In Varázsló's case, his true form vaguely resembles an Alicorn-Deer-Draconequus hybrid whose body and chimeric traits constantly distort and shift to show bits of what he had been and what he could’ve been, along with everything in-between. His butterfly wings are mirrors that show multiple future visions of the person(s) looking into them, like a crowd staring from the other side of a window. His mane and tail frequently break into sparkling orbs that show moving images of various futures and realities, both good and bad. And because he's blind, all of Varázsló's eyes in his true form are [[GhostlyGape holes]] that, when looked into, will reveal the dark expanse of space, filling the looker(s) with an existential dread. Anyone who is not an older deity has to wear 'Perception Filter' glasses to protect themselves from insanity when interacting with Varázsló while he's in his true form.

* FictionalUnitedNations: The Convocation of Creatures for Equus. Their headquarters is in Mount Metazoa/Mesozoic.

*** In a Codexverse quote, however, after learning of Temnobog's emotionally abusive childhood at the hooves of the Elternteil Deer pantheon, he has acknowledged that even if he cam empathize with him, [[RealityEnsues it does not equal a full understanding of the struggles Temnobog had gone through]]. Despite this, he would assure Temnobog that [[YouAreNotAlone even if he doesn't fully understand what happened, he'll still help Temnobog because he won't abandon someone in need, Evil or not]].

* ForeverWar: Wars and conflicts which raged for years, decades - even centuries, millennia and more - are possible on Equus and had happened both during and before the 'Ages of Known History'. [[RealityEnsues They are often]] [[WarIsHell as horrific as can be]] [[HopelessWar expected of bloodshed]] [[UpToEleven on such scales]], [[{{Gotterdammerung}} causing the downfall of civilizations]] and often leave behind [[ShockingDefeatLegacy shocking]] and [[CycleOfRevenge terrible legacies]] that still haunts the present, for good or ill.

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

** Played straight with the Interregnum in the Second Age. Originally united in their goal to eliminate all magic and fantastical creatures to usher forth a new age of science, reason and progress, descended into a civil war right after their ArchEnemy Queen Dark Crystal was finally and definitively destroyed by the Virtuous Seven, between a 'Reformist' faction who want to reprioritize their mission to merely suppressing evil magic and fantastical creatures and a 'Traditionalist' faction who want to remain true to their mission without compromise. Even the latter group [[spoiler:bringing back their founder Sir Shining Lance, the Eternal Knight]] failed to reunify the organization.

* EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily: Subverted HARD. One of the biggest issues with Evil and villain sin general in the Codexverse is [[EvilWillFail its inherent volatility and systematic self-sabotaging tendencies]]. The pursuit of selfish, petty and destructive goals more often then not pits evil factions and villainous individuals against each other as they do against the forces of good, and even on rare occasions they unite into an alliance rarely get along or remain stable for long. The mere fact each individual and fact have autonomy from one another and would experience and think differently ensures like many political ideologies and religious doctrines in real life, various brands of evil inevitably develops, terrorizing the world in their own way but also at each others' throats as petty rivalries and mutually-exclusive ambitions, beliefs and goals clash.
** Played Straight with the Lilithites in the First Age. Modern evil witchcraft originated from the antediluvian Lilith, the First Witch in the form of the Lilithnite Covens, but following Lilith's demise the cohesion between the witches, warlocks and worshippers of evil crumbled. Ultimately, a massive internecine conflict and schism called the 'Lilithnite Civil War' broke out, which irrevocably splintered the Covens and destroyed any chance of unity. Today, multiple tendencies of Lilith's original evil exists in the form of the Lilithian Cabals (notoriously elitist self-proclaimers of Lilith's original philosophy and power), the Hydianite Covens (named after the witch Hydia, who does evil for its own sake on the dubious 'ideal' of 'freedom from even morality'), the Ahrimane Acolytes (Evil intellectuals), the Sable Sabbathites, the Diabolite Circles (Unapologetic demon summoners, pacters and worshippers), the Pythoness Pacts and many other branches, all of them pursuing their own evil designs and at each others' throats.

** Subverted with Moon Ray Vaughoof, who's based on Music/StevieRayVaughan. While he still died from a helicopter crash like Music/StevieRayVaughan did, he slowly came to terms with his tragic death and became a psychopomp. Later, after forgiving all the people who wronged him in life, he Ascended and became an Alicorn god of Death, Temperance, Water, and Forgiveness... except that becoming a Death god ties him to the Heaven/Hell-Realms he now looks after, so in a way, he's still 'dead'. He didn't visit his friends and loved ones until after they died of old age because he didn't want to make it look like he came BackFromTheDead and crush their hopes later on, only relenting with the now-Ascended Healing Song just to give him some closure.

** The infamous psychotically-homicidal [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redcap Redcaps]] who ambushes unfortunate people and dip their caps in their victims' blood are mentioned, with at least one monster-hunters [[https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/873725947/4909138960 recommending]] the best way to deal with them is to ''"'''Burn''' those murderous little gremlin-things out of their lairs!"''

* TheFairFolk: The Changelings ''inspired'' this trope on Equus, although later entries revealed other 'Lesser' Faekinds exists and the Changelings are merely the preeminent ones. The Spring Court and the Autumn Court are known as the Seelie Fae, and the Summer Court and the Winter Court the Unseelie Fae. Furthering the similarity, Blackrose and Blackthorn's middle names are Titania and Oberon respectively.

** While a peerless demigod warrior, leader and hero of renown, a recent drabble revealed that for some unexplained reasons, Prince Fanged Paw turned out to be a ''ridiculously'' [[LethalChef terrible cook]] - he once accidentally summoned demons (which he quickly banished to the nether realms) and a storm inside the Terran Imperial Palace kitchens while trying to make ''toast'', much to everyone's utter shock and confusion. This references what happens to Leman Russ/Lemon Rush from ''FanFic/TheInfiniteLoops''.

CodexEquus/TropesAToB ([[AbusiveParents/CodexEquus Abusive Parents]]) | CodexEquus/TropesCToD | '''Tropes E to F''' | CodexEquus/TropesGToH | CodexEquus/TropesIToJ | CodexEquus/TropesKToL | CodexEquus/TropesMToN | CodexEquus/TropesOToP | CodexEquus/TropesQToR | CodexEquus/TropesSToT | CodexEquus/TropesUToV | CodexEquus/TropesWToX | CodexEquus/TropesYToZ]]]]-]

** The '[[SpaceColdWar Tournament of Crowns]]' - A geopolitical struggle/competition between the three major successor states of the classical Equestrian Empire that had fallen, to claim the legacy of the old empire. There were three major players: [[TheMagocracy The]] [[TheEmpire Crystal]] [[LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair Empire]], the Principalities of Equestria and the [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Empire]] [[{{UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire}} of]] [[DeadlyDecadentCourt Trot]] ([[CanonForeigner Mentioned in the IDW Fiendship Is Magic comics]]), and also a number of smaller states in between that were gradually absorbed by the three big kids on the block. [[ForeverWar It lasted around 1,000 years]], with [[CloakAndDagger intrigues]] and even wars major and minor, and although it started out ironically the WEAKEST of the three major players, the Principalities of Equestria [[VictoryByEndurance outlasted her other two competitors]] as they went into their respective [[VestigialEmpire declines]] and [[TheCycleOfEmpires fall]], and the remnants were eventually annexed into Equestria. It was the Equestrian equivalent of RL Earth's '[[SecretWar Tournament of Shadows]]' cloak-and-dagger between the [[{{UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia}} Russian Empire]] and the [[{{UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire}} British Empire]] for influence in Central Asia, which is better known in the West as the '[[{{Literature/TheGreatGame}} The Great Game]]'.

** While traditional {{Reincarnation}} does exist, a form exists where someone manages to regenerate some park of themselves that contains the essence of another, usually a deity, and results in the soul of that person merging with theirs. This results in the two individuals co-existing, but also one soul, able to channel their full being under certain circumstances. So far, this has happened to Tranquil Harbor with Promes [[spoiler:Amicitia/Twilight with Mana Equus, and Diamond Tiara with Diamond Glow.]]