History Fanfic / SpectrumCountDownToTheFinalBattle

* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Two notable examples in "A Story About Them". First, there's a mention of Beyer-Garratt steam locomotives being used to evacuate refugees. Another is a mention of a man using an [[RareGuns STG-44]], a Nazi assault rifle that would, at this point, be eighty years old, and is seemingly a case of ImproperlyPlacedFirearms. However, both are TruthInTelevision – STG-44s are fairly common in Northern Africa and were in fact used in the Libyan Civil War, and Africa does in fact still use steam locomotives.

* RealityEnsues: This story (or at least, its second chapter) illustrates the consequences of what would happen to a country if it had a sudden and enormous population boom in wartime, and inadequate resources. TCB!Equestria is suffering from food shortages and rapid industrialization that is ruining the environment. Arguably, the only thing they have plenty of is space, but due to the lack of adequate infrastructure to support all the Newfoals coming in and the barrier destroying everything they ''could'' have used to make shouldering the burden easier, they're unable to use it well, forcing the Newfoals into the cities to work on machines and weapons for the war. And a prolonged war with innumerable casualties that are by now in the millions is bound to completely destroy the fabric and the general morale of society, so much so that in the end only terror and fanaticism can hold it together.

* DeconstructionFic: The second chapter specifically is dedicated to deconstructing a point of FridgeLogic with the ''Conversion Bureau'' genre - how is Equestria able to support both a war against humanity and a sudden influx of millions to billions of newfoals? The story has a clear answer: ''they can't''. For one thing, they're forced to rapidly industrialize and destroy their own environment to produce enough materials to just stay afloat in the war, making them NotSoDifferent from humanity in that regard. There's also nowhere near enough jobs or food to support this explosive growth, and their economy has grown dependent on the mass exploitation of newfoal slave labor, screwing them over even more in the long run. On top of that, thanks to the barrier, they've [[SaltTheEarth destroyed all the infrastructure and materials]] they could have possibly used to support their war effort and make colonizing Earth easier, so [[HoistByHisOwnPetard they've only made things harder for themselves]]. And it also shows that having zombie-like citizens obedient to a fault is pretty bad, culturally, given that they are explicitly mentioned to work themselves to death if they aren't told to take a break, and they make the perfect prostitutes because they literally can't say no to anything.

** Actually it's not so stupid if one gives it more thought in the longer run. [[spoiler: Had Fancy left with Fleur, it would've caused the Newfoals and the Royal Guards that were chasing them to spread their search all over the city and possibly all over Equestria, therefore making it ''much'' harder for them to run and hide due to everypony loyal to the Empire looking for them, especially the Newfoals. So what would make things easier for them; running away together with everyone searching the city for the both of them, or one of them staying behind [[LeaveNoWitnesses to kill everyone who saw them both]] and making everyone focus on that single pony, giving their loved one enough time to leave the city before their absence is noted]]?

* BreakingTheFellowship[=/=]HowTheMightyHaveFallen: [[TheClan The Apple family]], according to Fiddlesticks (the fiddle-playing PaletteSwap of Octavia from the ''Apple Family Reunion'' episode), is a shadow of its former self:
-->'''Fiddlesticks:''' It's turned into a nightmare, half my family isn't on speaking terms with each other! Half of them left for earth, almost none of them want to talk to Applejack, a quarter of them can barely work the farms they grew up on or meet any of the quotas, they use slave labor, and they're actively celebrating turning people into unthinking zombies!

* BreakTheHaughty: Part 3 of Chapter 3 is not kind to Fleur. Justified, considering what she's been through and [[DefectorFromDecadence finding that everything she'd ever believed in was wrong]].

* DeconstructionFic: The second chapter specifically is dedicated to deconstructing a point of FridgeLogic with the Conversion Bureau genre - how is Equestria able to support both a war against humanity and a sudden influx of millions to billions of newfoals? The story has a clear answer: ''they can't''. For one thing, they're forced to rapidly industrialize and destroy their own environment to produce enough materials to just stay afloat in the war, making them NotSoDifferent from humanity in that regard. There's also nowhere near enough jobs or food to support this explosive growth, and their economy has grown dependent on the mass exploitation of newfoal slave labor, screwing them over even more in the long run. On top of that, thanks to the barrier, they've [[SaltTheEarth destroyed all the infrastructure and materials]] they could have possibly used to support their war effort and make colonizing Earth easier, so [[HoistByHisOwnPetard they've only made things worse for themselves]]. And it also shows that having zombie-like citizens obedient to a fault is pretty bad, culturally, given that they are explicitly mentioned to work themselves to death if they aren't told to take a break, and they make the perfect prostitutes because they can't say no to anything.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The Barrier and the newfoals, believe it or not. The Barrier is the ponies' best weapon against humanity, and they would have been obliterated within a week had it not been there. But it's a double-edged sword, and it's been slowly but surely screwing the Solar Empire over because it destroys all human-made materials and infrastructure, including the stuff necessary to actually ''make use'' of the conquered land. The Newfoals add more on to the problem as Equestria simply cannot muster the resources to support all of them while trying maintain war, and the constant ponification action means their numbers just keep increasing and they keep on straining already very limited resources.

* HopeIsScary: All but named in the Chapter 6 segment "Finally a Tomorrow", when pony refugee Maple Glaze surmises that since everyone had always been so used to things going badly for so long, the very news of the second Equestria's existence initially caused anger and shock to some simply because they weren't used to hearing any ''good'' news.

* LudicrousGibs: Fancy Pants actually manages to [[spoiler: cause this effect with swords, and the description of the aftermath is grisly]].

-->'''Fiddlesticks:''' "It's turned into a nightmare, half my family isn't on speaking terms with each other! Half of them left for earth, almost none of them want to talk to Applejack, a quarter of them can barely work the farms they grew up on or meet any of the quotas, they use slave labor, and they're actively celebrating turning people into unthinking zombies!"

* DystopiaIsHard: [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Thanks to the Barrier]], [[{{Irony}} ironically enough]]. Though specifically, it's more a case of "wartime dystopia is hard". It's proven to be a herculean task to keep TCB!Equestria under control of Celestia, thanks to the Barrier destroying any resources the TCB!Equestrians could have used to support their growth.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The second chapter explores the Imperial ponies' hypocrisy in great detail. For starters, to keep the war effort from destroying them and to provide jobs to the massive number of Newfoals coming in, the TCB!Equestrians have gone through rapid industrialization that is destroying their environment (one of their many criticisms against humans). There's also the fact that Newfoal workers get exploited as slave labor, and TCB!Big Macintosh even muses how for all the Empire's railing against humans for engaging in slavery in its history, the Empire is no better. TCB!Fancy Pants also points out how disingenuous it is to claim that ponies are peaceful and Equestria is a paradise when they're using the Newfoals as CannonFodder and exploiting their passivity.

* ScrewTheWarWerePartying: The so-called "Last Resort" in New Zealand is a place where people have gone to party until they dropped to distract themselves from the horror of the war.

* MoodWhiplash: The first chapter mostly has Comet Tail and Frost Wind looking around in awe of the foal-friendly human exhibition. Then came the [[DarkerAndEdgier Broken Mirror and Dispatches exhibits...]]

* HomemadeInventions: "A Story About Them" features mentions of homemade rifles, gunpowder, and claymore mines. Angus Reid also states that the HLF's "home-brewed cannons and pipe guns" are nothing compared to the PHL's magically enhanced superweapons. Several homemade weapons, such as a .50 BMG open-bolt rifle, appear in Chapter 4.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The Barrier and the newfoals, believe it or not. The Barrier is the ponies' best weapon against humanity, and they would have been obliterated within a week had it not been there. But it's a double-edged sword, and it's been slowly but surely screwing the Solar Empire over because it destroys all human-made materials and infrastructure, including the stuff necessary to actually ''make use'' of the conquered land. The Newfoals add more on to the problem as Equestria simply cannot muster the resources to support all of them, and constant ponification action means their numbers just keep increasing and they keep on straining already very limited resources.
* HopeIsScary: All but named in the segment "Finally a Tomorrow", when pony refugee Maple Glaze surmises that since everyone had always been so used to things going badly for so long, the very news of the second Equestria's existence initially caused anger and shock to some simply because they weren't used to any good news.

** At the end of "[=PERtinent=] Knowledge", Fluffy momentarily put up a disclaimer to point out the PER member main charater's quote about TheRightOfASuperiorSpecies is again lifted right from Chatoyance's quote that states that ponies are allowed to do morally questionable acts because they're better than humans.

** The readers see Inkwell's segment ("The Worst Day of Your Life") as this. It's easy to see why - before this, readers had only gotten scattered glimpses of TCB!Equestria, which was at the very least implied to be a CrapsaccharineWorld. This segment, however, took place entirely in there, and showed just ''how'' terrible it was, revealing it to be as crapsaccharine as you can get without being a straight CrapsackWorld. There are food shortages, overpopulation of urban centers and pollution, a total logistic breakdown, mass poverty, deranged newfoals just barely hidden under the veneer of niceness... Oh, and [[spoiler: Fancy Pants dies]].

* DeconstructionFic: The second chapter specifically is dedicated to deconstructing a point of FridgeLogic with the Conversion Bureau genre - how is Equestria able to support both a war against humanity and a sudden influx of millions to billions of newfoals? The story has a clear answer: ''they can't''. For one thing, they're forced to rapidly industrialize and destroy their own environment to produce enough materials to just stay afloat in the war, making them NotSoDifferent from humanity in that regard. There's also nowhere near enough jobs or food to support their influx of new residents, so their economy is, to put it lightly, screwed. On top of that, thanks to the barrier, they've [[SaltTheEarth destroyed all the infrastructure and materials]] they could have possibly used to support their explosive population growth and make colonizing Earth easier, so [[HoistByHisOwnPetard they've basically screwed themselves over]]. And it also shows that having zombie-like citizens obedient to a fault is pretty bad, culturally, given that they are explicitly mentioned to work themselves to death if they aren't told to take a break, and they make the perfect prostitutes because they can't say no to anything.

* HopeIsScary: All but named in "We Are Not Alone", when pony refugee Maple Glaze surmises that since everyone had always been so used to things going badly for so long, the very news of the second Equestria's existence initially caused anger and shock to some simply because they weren't used to any good news.

* DeconstructionFic: The second chapter specifically is dedicated to deconstructing a point of FridgeLogic with the Conversion Bureau genre- How is Equestria able to support both a war against humanity and a sudden influx of millions to billions of newfoals? The story has a clear answer: ''they can't''. For one thing, they're forced to rapidly industrialize and destroy their own environment to produce enough materials to just stay afloat in the war, making them NotSoDifferent from humanity in that regard. There's also nowhere near enough jobs or food to support their influx of new residents, so their economy is, to put it lightly, screwed. On top of that, thanks to the barrier, they've [[SaltTheEarth destroyed all the infrastructure and materials]] they could have possibly used to support their explosive population growth and make colonizing Earth easier, so [[HoistByHisOwnPetard they've basically screwed themselves over]]. And it also shows that having zombie-like citizens obedient to a fault is pretty bad, culturally, given that they are explicitly mentioned to work themselves to death if they aren't told to take a break, and they make the perfect prostitutes because they can't say no to anything.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The Barrier and the newfoals, believe it or not. The Barrier is the ponies' best weapon against humanity, and they would have been obliterated within a week had it not been there. But it's a double-edged sword, and it's been slowly but surely screwing the Solar Empire over because it destroys all human infrastructure- including the stuff necessary to actually ''make use'' of the conquered land. The Newfoals are problematic because due to the HoistByHisOwnPetard caused by the Barrier, Equestria simply cannot muster the resources to support all of them, and constant ponification action means their numbers just keep increasing and they keep on straining resources.

-->'''Fancy:''' "If we were living in the same Equestria where problems could be solved within thirty minutes and capped off with a speech..."

-->'''Fancy:''' "You can debate the morality of it with humans. They do seem to love their moralistic speeches..."

-->'''Fancy:''' "How is any of this even remotely in-character?! It's like something derailed her character, and forced her to become some evil tyrant!"

* RealityEnsues: This story (or at least, its second chapter) illustrates the consequences of what would happen to a country if it had a sudden and enormous population boom in wartime, and inadequate infrastructure. TCB!Equestria is suffering from food shortages and rapid industrialization that is ruining the environment. Arguably, the only thing they have plenty of is space, but due to the lack of adequate infrastructure to support all the Newfoals coming in and the barrier destroying everything they ''could'' have used, they're unable to use it well, forcing the Newfoals into the cities to work on machines and weapons for the war. And a prolonged war with innumerable casualties that are by now in the millions is bound to completely destroy the fabric and the general morale of society, so much so that in the end only terror and fanaticism can hold it together.

* DeconstructionFic: The second chapter specifically is dedicated to showing how Equestria's really not going to be able to shoulder the sudden and massive influx of newfoals coming in. For one thing, they're forced to rapidly industrialize and destroy their own environment to produce enough materials to just stay afloat in the war, making them NotSoDifferent from humanity in that regard. There's also nowhere near enough jobs or food to support their influx of new residents, so their economy is, to put it lightly, screwed. On top of that, thanks to the barrier, they've [[SaltTheEarth destroyed all the infrastructure and materials]] they could have possibly used to support their explosive population growth and make colonizing Earth easier, so [[HoistByHisOwnPetard they've basically screwed themselves over]]. And it also shows that having zombie-like citizens obedient to a fault is pretty bad, culturally, given that they are explicitly mentioned to work themselves to death if they aren't told to take a break, and they make the perfect prostitutes because they can't say no to anything.

* DeconstructionFic: The second chapter is dedicated to showing how Equestria's really not going to be able to shoulder the sudden and massive influx of newfoals coming in. For one thing, they're forced to rapidly industrialize and destroy their own environment to produce enough materials to just stay afloat in the war, making them NotSoDifferent from humanity in that regard. There's also nowhere near enough jobs or food to support their influx of new residents, so their economy is, to put it lightly, screwed. On top of that, thanks to the barrier, they've [[SaltTheEarth destroyed all the infrastructure and materials]] they could have possibly used to support their explosive population growth and make colonizing Earth easier, so [[HoistByHisOwnPetard they've basically screwed themselves over]]. And it also shows that having zombie-like citizens obedient to a fault is pretty bad, culturally, given that they are explicitly mentioned to work themselves to death if they aren't told to take a break, and they make the perfect prostitutes because they can't say no to anything.

* FutureMeScaresMe: Many of the Prime!Equestrians aren't very thrilled with how their counterparts (who are about four years older) turned out (especially considering how many relationships, families, marriages and friendships were broken apart by the war). Specifically, Prime!Aquamarine is unnerved at seeing her counterpart in battle, and Gale is disgusted with how his counterpart drove his family away [[spoiler:due to being under the control of a geis]]. Inverted with Comet, who thinks her counterpart is a badass hero... which is the very last thing either of her parents want.

* ApocalypseAnarchy: It's already well known that many places on Earth are spiraling down the toilet in the face of the apocalypse, but in the "Who Am I To Stand Still" segment, we actually see it go down ourselves. Or at least, we see some of it on the news. There's are HLF suicide bombers, the PER hijack a train, there's riots over food in New Orleans and North Dakota, and one National Guardsman is quoted as saying "It's like looking into the gates of hell" in response to a question about a food riot.

* AuthorAppeal: ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'', second-person writing, and the works of Creator/ChinaMieville and Jeff Vandermeer (the guy that wrote Literature/{{Ambergris}}) were all huge influences.

* RousingSpeech: As Enitan points out at the end of "A Story About Them", the main characters have more to live for since the battle of Boston than they have had in the last four years.