History Fanfic / ItsADangerousBusinessGoingOutYourDoor

* HighConcept: ''My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' meets ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''.

* EnthrallingSiren: The unknown creature in the cave in the Drackenridge Mountains, which used an alluring, haunting song to hypnotize travelers and lure them into its cave to an unknown (but doubtlessly unpleasant) fate.

* NonhumanHumanoidHybrid: Technically not a humanoid, but still the 'verse's equivalent of one. Lady Falalauria is half red deer, which gives her the power of [[{{Seer}} farsight]], and half white-tail, which gives her the ability to see [[LivingLieDetector the truth of things]].

* {{Seer}}: Falalauria, Lady of the Shimmerwood, has this power. Specifically, she can see the network of Choices set before a given individual, as well as divine their True Nature and which Choices they are most likely to make, drastically raising the accuracy of her predictions.

* OurElvesAreBetter: Multiple:

---> '''Bilbo''': '''It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door'''. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

* TeleportaterAccident: Twilight's determination to teach Rarity, [[FlashyTeleportation unicorn teleportation]] despite her insistence that she's perfectly alright with not knowing -- leads to Twilight's accident and sets off the plot.

-->'''Falalauria''': The Element of Loyalty grants those aligned with it the gift of inspiration and strengthening.
-->'''Rainbow Dash''': Inspiration? You mean I give them ideas?
-->'''Falalauria''': After a fashion. Because you are so loyal to your friends, your home, and the causes you believe in, you can inspire others to feel the same degree of loyalty to their own causes- or to your causes, or any cause you choose. Moreover, you can inspire them to move forward in the face of daunting challenges. If their courage is failing, you can restore it. If their strength leaves them, you can help them find more. If their spirits are broken, you can mend them. I suppose a better way of putting it is that the Element of Loyalty grants those aligned with it powers of leadership.

A ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' FanFic by [=Jetfire=], ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7477382/1/It-s-a-dangerous-business-going-out-your-door It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door]]'' fleshes out the lands beyond Ponyville with a grand tale of adventure, rife with CharacterDevelopment, particularly for its three heroines. It has a short fluffy sequel that can be read [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/301785/1/a-day-for-spike-and-twilight/a-day-for-spike-and-twilight here]], as well as a full sequel in the form of ''FanFic/BesidesTheWillOfEvil'', which can be found [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/183040/besides-the-will-of-evil here]].

* OurElvesAreBetter:

* {{Teleportation}}:
** Rarity's inability to do so -- and Twilight's determination to teach her despite her insistence that she's perfectly alright with not knowing -- leads to Twilight's accident and sets off the plot.
** The Deer of the Shimmerwood are excellent teleporters, though in a different fashion; instead of the sparkly bursts that accompany unicorns, they are simply ''here'' one moment and ''there'' another.

* RideTheLightning: The Pronghorns teach Rainbow Dash this skill. The Sonic Rainboom means she can travel at the speed of sound. Her new lightning ability means she can travel ''at the speed of light.''

A ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' FanFic by [=Jetfire=], ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7477382/1/It-s-a-dangerous-business-going-out-your-door It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door]]'' fleshes out the lands beyond Ponyville with a grand tale of adventure, rife with CharacterDevelopment, particularly for its three heroines. A short fluffy sequel by the same author can be read [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/301785/1/a-day-for-spike-and-twilight/a-day-for-spike-and-twilight here]], as well as a full sequel in the form of ''FanFic/BesidesTheWillOfEvil'', which can be found [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/183040/besides-the-will-of-evil here]].

* XMeetsY: ''MLP:[=FiM=]'' as written by [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Tolkien]].

A ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' FanFic by [=Jetfire=], ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7477382/1/It-s-a-dangerous-business-going-out-your-door It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door]]'' fleshes out the lands beyond Ponyville with a grand tale of adventure, rife with CharacterDevelopment, particularly for its three heroines. A short fluffy informal sequel by the same author can be read [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/story-day-for-spike-and-twilight.html here.]]

Finally has a proper sequel, ''FanFic/BesidesTheWillOfEvil'', which can be found [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/183040/besides-the-will-of-evil here]].

* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The girls' final challenge before they can get the Beneviolet home? [[spoiler: A ''World Snake'', a giant four-eyed serpent whose length is measured in ''miles''.]][[note]] It's stated the thing's eyes are the size of an Ursa Major, its teeth the size of Ponyville, its scales the size of an Ursa Minor, and its head the size of the area between Ponyville and Canterlot. The thing uses the Archback Mountains as a ''nest.'' It's heavily implied to be what the residents of Shimmerwood are keeping locked away, and is one half of the reason Twilight would have died had the trio cut any corners in their journey, the other half being the fact that only a young Beneviolet is strong enough to cure Twilight.[[/note]]
** A reader from the story's comments section did the math, and concluded that [[spoiler: the World Snake]] is the size of ''[[http://electioninfo.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/guam2.jpg Guam.]]''

* CaptainErsatz: Gildedale is seen by a lot of fans as a pony version of [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Rohan]].
** Similarly, Falalauria has a lot of parallels to Galadriel, in particular her noble beauty and one very brief, very terrifying moment that reveals a darker side of her.
** In fact, the deer in general are Tolkien's elves with the serial numbers filed off, even by admission of the story's fans.

* ChekhovsGun: To ease the burden of their deadline, Spike gives the girls a bottle of his dragonfire so that they can send the Beneviolet back immediately. Amazingly enough, it survives long enough to finally be put towards its intended use.

* {{Determinator}}: What keeps all three on course, but especially Applejack.

* DontThinkFeel: The difference between unicorn and deer teleportation: unicorns ''think'' of where they want to appear, while deer focus on the ''sensation''.

* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Rarity has dreams throughout their journey, growing stronger as time passes.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Plenty in the first chapter, but this line stands out:
-->'''Applejack''': Well, I'd never want to be anyplace but right here in Ponyville. I'm not the adventurous type.

* HeinzHybrid: Lady Falalauria is half red deer, which gives her the power of [[{{Seer}} farsight]], and half white-tail, which gives her the ability to see [[LivingLieDetector the truth of things]].

* HeroicSacrifice: Performed by [[spoiler:Rainbow Dash's mentor Firefly,]] who sacrificed herself to stop a storm.
** Falalauria's lie seems to foreshadow that Rarity will attempt a Heroic Sacrifice before the journey is through. Possibly {{Subverted}} as of Chapter 16, given that the journey occurs before the Gala.
* HighConcept: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic meets Literature/LordOfTheRings.
* {{Irony}}: Early on, [[TheResenter Rainbow Dash]] vows that if they haven't found the Beneviolet after ten days traveling together, she'll ditch Applejack and Rarity and go on alone. When the tenth day comes, Applejack is openly ''encouraging'' her to go for it, but she hesitates, not wanting to leave them alone.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: According to Dale legend, the komaga are dragons punished by their gods with the loss of their wings and fire, who over the aeons have degraded into mindless, slavering beasts.
* OurElvesAreBetter: The Pronghorn, whose horns are functionally similar to those of unicorns. The first pronghorn introduced, Niles Nigellus, is a polite, smooth-talking and well-traveled charmer who offers Dash the chance to realize one of her greatest dreams by guiding her through The Dreaming.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Ashtail, who would rather not be called a 'prince'.

* RuleOfEmpathy: Despite their distaste for Pegasi and Unicorns, several members of the Dale Guard clearly sympathize with their plight.

* SequelHook: There are multiple hints that in the process of completing their quest, the three travelers have unleashed "something," according to Falalauria; hence why [[spoiler: she considers killing them.]] It's also stated that the other members of the mane cast who didn't get to go on the adventure will have the opportunity to learn about what their elements do for them.
** Plus, we get very little closure on Applejack's [[spoiler:burgeoning romance]] with Ashtail, and how it can continue once she's back in Equestria.
** The short sequel 'A Day for Spike And Twilight' also adds to the number of hooks with its reveals about Spike and dragons in general.
* SharedUniverse: An author named Solaris90 is using this work as part of the back story for his [[Fanfic/KnightsOfEquestria "Knights of Equestria"]] series.
* ShoutOut: The title is one (of ''many'') to ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''.
** When Rainbow Dash first uses the lightning powers she learns from the pronghorns, she says [[Film/{{Serenity}} "I am a leaf on the wind."]]
*** Even better, her mentor who had also been taught by the pronghorns was called ''Series/{{Firefly}}''. Though this may just be a coincidence, given that her mentor is an expy of a past-gen pony by that name.
** Dragons are apparently from [[Literature/TheKingInYellow Carcosa.]]

* TeamMom: Applejack steps even further into this role during their journey.

* {{Teleportation}}: Rarity's inability to do so -- and Twilight's determination to teach her despite her insistence that she's perfectly alright with not knowing -- leads to Twilight's accident and sets off the plot.

* TookALevelInBadass: Applejack, upon learning from Ashtail how to Stand Firm, the Earth ponies' innate talent.

* TheUnreveal: You never do find out what was in the cave at the top of the Drackenridge Mountains. Falalauria surmises that a Siren or a Balrog could have produced the enchanting song, but also states that Sirens don't live in caves and that only original Balrogs have that power.
** You also never find out what scares the Komagas into stampeding across Gildedale every year.
* WhatTheHellHero: When Dash tells her friends about Niles and the Pronghorn Network, Applejack furiously calls her on not immediately telling him about Twilight's plight and asking for help. Dash's protests about his offer to teach her how to ride the lightning only makes it worse, with Applejack flat-out accusing her of being selfish and short-sighted.
** Even so the pronghorns reveal that they can't do that anyway, due to their first priority always being maintaining the Pronghorn Network.

* YourDaysAreNumbered: The normal cure for Horn Rot takes three weeks to brew. But Twilight's case is more severe; Zecora predicts she has two weeks, two-and-a-half at most.
** This is eventually explained as a side-effect of the potency of her powers: the more magical ability one has, the worse the ravages of Horn Rot can become. Indeed, Zecora's prediction ends up being almost too long.

* [[ActionGirl Action Mare]]: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity (which might be surprising until you see her ''in the show'').

* [[GrammarNazi Grammar Nightmare]]: Rarity gets irritated when Rainbow Dash refers to her race as 'Pegasuses' instead of 'Pegasi'.
** This becomes a RunningGag, as other characters start correcting Rainbow Dash on this point. In fact, it seems that the only character who doesn't use the correct pluralization is Rainbow Dash herself.
** Eventually becomes an OverusedRunningGag in Applejack's eyes.

* RideTheLightning: The Pronghorns teach Rainbow Dash this skill. The Sonic Rainboom means she can travel at the speed of sound. Her new lightning ability means she scan travel ''at the speed of light.''

** Dragons are apparently from [[TheKingInYellow Carcosa.]]

** Plus, [[spoiler:we get very little closure on Applejack's burgeoning romance with Ashtail, and how it can continue once she's back in Equestria.]]
** The short sequel 'A Day for Spike And Twilight' also adds to the number of hooks with [[spoiler: its reveals about Spike and dragons in general.]]

** When Rainbow Dash [[spoiler: first uses the lightning powers she learns from the pronghorns]], she says [[Film/{{Serenity}} "I am a leaf on the wind."]]
*** Even better, her mentor [[spoiler:who had also been taught by the pronghorns]] was called ''Series/{{Firefly}}''. Though this may just be a coincidence, given that her mentor is an expy of a past-gen pony by that name.

* ShockAndAwe: The Pronghorns can harness and ride the lightning. [[spoiler:Eventually, so can Dash.]]

* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Rarity, upon reflection, realizes she may have pulled this off when [[spoiler:Lady Falalauria revealed to her that their actions would bring about potential disaster, and was considering killing them to prevent it]].

* TookALevelInBadass: Applejack, upon learning [[spoiler:from Ashtail how to Stand Firm, the Earth ponies' innate talent]].
** Rainbow Dash, upon discovering [[spoiler:how to harness and ride the lightning like the pronghorns]].
** Rarity, who [[spoiler:learns how to teleport like the Deerfolk]]. [[spoiler:Oh, and that she has the gift of Farsight.]]
** All three of them during the showdown with [[spoiler: the World Snake, whose head has the Beneviolet on it. Dash flings lightning bolts at it to piss it off, then lures the thing into Applejack who's standing firm (with encouragement from Rarity). The snake bounces off, and Rarity uses her teleportation along with Applejack's magic rope to get onto its head. After plenty of effort and close calls, Rarity just barely manages to grab the Beneviolet before the snake bucks her miles into the air, with enough force to create a sonic boom. And it's at this point that she pulls out the Dragonfire bottle, opens it, and spits the flower into the outpouring fire. That takes some serious composure. She even seems content to fall to her death having saved Twilight, but luckily Dash catches her.]]
** [[spoiler: Twilight as well. For most of the story she is essentially bedridden, unable to do much without suffering crippling pain. When the mission succeeds, however, she takes a LeapOfFaith and teleports ''across a continent and through a magical barrier'' created by the World Snake. This is a magical barrier that Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity acknowledge cuts them off from the magic they learned, and Twilight teleports through it like it's not even there. Reacting to the World Snake, she then teleports the ''four'' of them ''out'' through the barrier and back to Ponyville. Twilight credits the Beneviolet for temporarily increasing her magical power, but this is still pretty awesome.]]

*** Though it's quite possibly [[spoiler: the presence of a World Snake.]]
**** Somewhat unlikely given that the Komogas stampede from south to north, while [[spoiler: The World Snake lives in the Archback mountains, which lie to the west. Although, if the World Snake really is as long as its name makes it out to be...]]

** Even so [[spoiler:the pronghorns reveal that they can't do that anyway, due to their first priority always being maintaining the Pronghorn Network.]]

** This is eventually explained as [[spoiler:a side-effect of the potency of her powers: the more magical ability one has, the worse the ravages of Horn Rot can become. Indeed, Zecora's prediction ends up being almost too long]].

* SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining: In this story, as in original ''MyLittlePony'' {{Canon}}, all unicorns can learn how to teleport. Rarity, however, chose not to study any magic aside from what directly helps in her chosen line of work.

* LeeroyJenkins: Rainbow Dash, true to form, charges in with a cry of "'''EQUESTRIA!'''" when [[spoiler: they first fight the komaga]].
* LeftHanging: [[spoiler: Whatever happened to the World Snake?]]

* MarkedChange: As of Chapter 13, [[spoiler:Rainbow Dash gains [[PowerTattoo glowing tattoos]] along with the ability to ride the lightning]].

* NewsTravelsFast: Averted; the ponies of Gildedale were unaware of [[spoiler: why last year's solstice was so long]].

* PlotDetour: Applejack is extremely worried about this, to the point that she [[WhatTheHellHero calls Rainbow Dash]] on wanting to learn more about the Pronghorns and, in Chapter 14, [[spoiler:attempts to convince Dash to go on without her and Rarity to grab the Beneviolet. Luckily, she doesn't. If she had, the mission would have failed and Twilight would have died, either by picking the wrong Beneviolet or Rainbow being killed by the World Snake.]]

* TheResenter: Rainbow Dash resents having to take Applejack and Rarity along, believing they'll only slow her down -- without them, she just KNOWS she could've made the trip in two days flat! Worried about running out of time, she vows to herself that if they haven't found the Beneviolet after ten days, she'll go on ahead without them…
** [[spoiler: Ironically, she's reluctant to go ahead when the date actually comes]].

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: [[spoiler:Ashtail, who would rather not be called a 'prince']]
** Surprisingly, not Celestia or Luna. Intervention on their part could resolve the entire plot quickly and without incident.
*** Although to be fair, [[JustifiedTrope nopony contacts them about what's happening.]]
** Lady Falalauria of the Deerfolk. [[spoiler:Though what she ''doesn't'' do is also important, given how she was weighing the lives of our heroines versus the ''potential'' tragedy they could cause in the course of their journey…]]

** Rainbow Dash also alters her impression of Shield Maiden after [[spoiler: she comforts Rarity when the unicorn breaks down at the thought of killing anyone]].

* LeapOfFaith: In Chapter 18, [[spoiler:the newly-healed Twilight trusting her vision and teleporting ''straight'' to her friends' side just in the nick of time]].

* ArtShift: A minor, text-based example. In the scene where [[spoiler: Rainbow Dash enters the Dreaming]] the text changes to bold, spoken lines are given colors to show who's talking, and everything is referred to in present-tense rather than past-tense. It changes back to normal eventually, though.

* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The girls' final challenge before they can get the Beneviolet home? [[spoiler: A ''World Snake'', a giant four-eyed serpent whose length is measured in ''miles''. It's stated the thing's eyes are the size of an Ursa Major, its teeth the size of Ponyville, its scales the size of an Ursa Minor, and its head the size of the area between Ponyville and Canterlot. The thing uses the Archback Mountains as a ''nest.'' It's heavily implied to be what the residents of Shimmerwood are keeping locked away, and is one half of the reason Twilight would have died had the trio cut any corners in their journey, the other half being the fact that only a young Beneviolet is strong enough to cure Twilight.]]
** A reader from the story's comments section did the math, and concluded that [[spoiler: the World Snake is the size of ''[[http://electioninfo.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/guam2.jpg Guam.]]'']]
* BarrierMaiden: According to Lady Falalauria, [[spoiler:the Deer of the Shimmerwood are a barrier race holding back ''something'' in the Archbacks]].
* BigDamnHeroes: In chapter 18, [[spoiler: ''Twilight Sparkle'', having just recovered thanks to Rarity getting the Beneviolet to her in time, saves Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash from being killed by the World Snake.]]

* BrickJoke: When first starting their journey, Applejack is furious when she realizes she forgot one particular tool: [[spoiler:rope]]. Much later on, [[spoiler:Lady Falalauria's parting gift to her is a coil of enchanted rope]].
* CallForward: Lady Falalauria's parting words to the trio asks them [[spoiler:not to be too disappointed by what happens at the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver Gala]]]], much to their confusion.

* ChekhovsGun: To ease the burden of their deadline, Spike gives the girls a bottle of his dragonfire so that they can send the Beneviolet back immediately. [[spoiler: Amazingly enough, it survives long enough to finally be put towards its intended usage in chapter 18.]]

* {{Claustrophobia}}: [[spoiler: Rainbow Dash]] seems to have it, though she sees it less as "fear of enclosed spaces" and more "fear of not being able to see the sky", as seen when [[spoiler: she freaks out during the blizzard, ''before'' the avalanche that traps them]].

* [[spoiler: ColossusClimb: Rarity does this to the World Snake in order to get the Beneviolet, with help from Dash and AJ.]]
* CoolDownHug: Used twice. [[spoiler: Once by Applejack and Rarity on Rainbow Dash after she nearly goes catatonic when they're buried in a snow cave after an avalanche. The second by Shield Maiden on Rarity after she freaks out at the prospect of having to kill something.]]

* DieOrFly: [[spoiler:How Firefly taught Rainbow Dash to start flying.]]
* DontThinkFeel: The difference between [[spoiler:unicorn and deer teleportation: unicorns ''think'' of where they want to appear, while deer focus on the ''sensation'']].
** It's also the secret to "controlling" lightning, as all pronghorns know. [[spoiler: Rainbow Dash learns this lesson as well during her time in the Dreaming.]]

** As of Chapter 15, this includes [[spoiler:dreaming of her future self and full potential. Can't get much more things to come than ''that'']].
* EndOfAnAge: Ushered in by the great war between the deer; as Lady Falalauria eventually reveals, they are responsible for [[spoiler: magic being required to keep the world running in most areas outside bastions like the Everfree Forest]].
-->'''Lady Falalauria:''' You ponies must [[spoiler:manage nature]] because we deer ''broke'' it.

** Early on, Rainbow Dash mentions that Pegasi don't get cold. Turns out [[spoiler:her mentor Firefly was the exact opposite -- she never got ''hot'', but struggled with the cold]].

* HeroicSacrifice: Performed by [[spoiler:Rainbow Dash's mentor Firefly, who sacrificed herself to stop a storm]].
** Falalauria's lie seems to foreshadow that [[spoiler:Rarity will attempt a Heroic Sacrifice before the journey is through.]] [[spoiler:Possibly {{Subverted}} as of Chapter 16, given that the journey occurs before the Gala.]]

* {{Irony}}: Early on, [[TheResenter Rainbow Dash]] vows that if they haven't found the Beneviolet after ten days traveling together, she'll ditch Applejack and Rarity and go on alone. When the tenth day comes, [[spoiler:Applejack is openly ''encouraging'' her to go for it, but she hesitates, not wanting to leave them alone]].
** And shortly after the above, they learn [[spoiler:had Dash gone on alone at that moment, they would have failed their mission because she wouldn't have learned the ''true'' way to save Twilight in time, namely, sending back a young and potent Beneviolet. And even then, there was still the World Snake guarding it]].