History Fanfic / TheStarsWillAidTheirEscape

* WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler:Herald easily defeated the Princesses, but only because they were weakened by the eclipse. Later, when fighting him together outside of reality and at full strength, they actually begin to overpower him, damaging him faster than he can heal.]]

*** [[spoiler:And then, he throws the jar containing their souls off the Canterlot waterfall, just to make the Bearers suffer.]]

* {{Crossover}}: As stated above, ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and the CthulhuMythos.

* DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler:Herald assumed the fear of him killing them would be enough to stop the Bearers from using the Elements against him and thus is left open when they overcome said fear and blast him point blank, and apparently didn't realize emerging into reality right in front of them would give them the opening they needed to do so.]]
** [[spoiler:Earlier than that, and the point where his entire plan starts falling apart, he didn't expect that one of the mane six would think to use Spike to send him outside of reality to face the Princesses. They not only manage to begin ''winning'' against him, but this buys the mane six enough time to kill the Dark Young and foil his attempt to summon Shub-Niggurath.]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:For all his GenreSavvy, Herald ends up being defeated by several of his own actions throughout the story. Throwing the CMC's souls over the waterfall not only allows them to be retrieved, but takes away the one thing that might have stopped Pinkie Pie from banishing him to outside of reality the same way he did it to the Princesses. That action in and of itself ends up costing him, as it allows them to fight him at full strength without having to worry about hurting their subjects as they would in Equestria, allowing them to begin ''winning'' the fight. This also buys the mane six enough time to kill the Dark Young and stop Shub-Niggurath's summoning.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Herald actually gets ''angry'' when the Princesses, in their true forms, begin to ''win'' against him, damaging him faster than he can heal, symbolized by his mask being cracked when he returns to the mortal plane. While he maintains his composure, he loses enough of his GenreSavvy to leave himself wide open to the Elements of Harmony.]]

* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Herald, aside from manipulating the ''entire'' story to his favor, also admits that the Elements of Harmony might actually work on him, and so states that he ''will'' kill the Bearers if they so much as try to use them.
** [[spoiler:Backfires on him in the end when he assumes the fear of him killing them will prevent them from using them. When their bond to each other proves stronger than their fear, he's left open to a point blank blast of the Elements of Harmony.]]

* SealedGoodInACan: [[spoiler:With the Princesses weakened by the eclipse, Nyarlathotep is able to banish them outside reality. He admits it's only temporary, but also that by the time they get out it'll be too late.]]

* EvilerThanThou: In the chapter [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/35717/16/the-stars-will-aid-their-escape/faades Facades]], Herald refers to Discord as a "professional amateur".

* EvilerThanThou: In the chapter [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/35717/16/the-stars-will-aid-their-escape/faades Facades]], Herald refers to Discord as a "professional amateur". Of course when you really analyze it, Discord is an insect compared to Nyarlathotep.

* EldritchAbomination: Obviously, though so far we've only seen the Dark Young (which are low-level enough that while the ponies view them as ''wrong'', they're not mind-breakingly wrong [[note]]except in Trixie's case, but that was mostly Herald's doing[[/note]]) and Herald (who is Nyarlathotep disguised as a pony).

* TakeThat: An InUniverse example. In one chapter, Herald refers to [[MadGod Discord]] as a "professional amateur". In other words, he's referring to him as an inferior being. Though to be fair, Discord is an insect compared to the [[CosmicEntity Outer]] [[EldritchAbomination Gods]].

* LovecraftLite: Turns out ThePowerOfFriendship is still enough of a threat to an EldritchAbomination to make Nyarlathotep wary of the Elements. [[spoiler:In the end, he gets vaporized by the Elements of Harmony, the Dark Young are killed, and his summoning of the Outer Gods.]]

** BiggerBad: The Outer Gods. Reinforced when even after the Bearers temporarily defeat Herald by [[spoiler:sending him where he sent the Princesses to fight them]], they then have to deal with the pending arrival of Shub-Niggurath.[[spoiler: And then, when she's banished without fully emerging, they then have to fight off Nyarlathotep again.]]

** BiggerBad: The Outer Gods. Reinforced when even after the Bearers temporarily defeat Herald by [[spoiler: sending him where he sent the Princesses to fight them]], they then have to deal the pending arrival of Shub-Niggurath.[[spoiler: And then, when she's banished without fully emerging, they then have to fight off Nyarlathotep again.]]

** [[spoiler: When Nyarlathotep throws the jar containing the Cutie Mark Crusaders souls over the Canterlot waterfall, Rarity dives after it to save them, and is then saved herself by Rainbow Dash.]]

** Seeing what Herald looks like under his mask has a similar effect, minus the pain part, since it seems it forces [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow knowledge of the Outer Gods]] into the viewer's mind. [[spoiler: This is what he does to Twilight.]]
* TheCavalryArrivesLate: Shining Armor gathers as many Royal Guards as he can to fight Herald during the attack on Canterlot... only to find that the Bearers have already managed to [[spoiler: send him to the place he sent the Princesses with Spike's fire breath]].
* TheChessmaster: From the minute he showed up, Herald's had everything going the way he wants. He actually uses chess metaphors a couple of times.
* CoolMask: Herald wears one -- which is a good thing, because seeing his true face drives the viewer insane. [[spoiler: Which is what he does to Twilight.]]

** [[spoiler: Ends up being more LovecraftLite, as the emergence of the Outer Gods is prevented and the world saved. Twilight even manages to recover almost completely from her madness.]]

* CurbStompBattle: Nyarlathotep manages to defeat [[spoiler: the Princesses]] quite easily when [[spoiler: they're weakened by the eclipse]]. Shortly after, he's attacked by all the Element Bearers ([[AndZoidberg and Spike]]) at once, and swats them all away with ''one hoof''.

** [[spoiler: Of course, then Twilight recovers and together, the Bearers return the favor when banishing him back where he came from.]]

* DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler:Herald assumed the fear of him killing them would be enough to stop the Bearers from using the Elements against them and thus is left open when they overcome said fear and blast him point blank, and apparently didn't realize emerging into reality right in front of them would give them the opening they needed to do so.]]

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler: Well, not Cthulhu, he doesn't even appear, but the mane six manage to defeat Nyarlathotep with the Elements of Harmony. They also kill the Dark Young and manage to banish Shub-Niggurath back where she came from, but they didn't actually fight her.]]

** [[spoiler: When Herald identifies Twilight as a threat, he shows her his face, which leaves her a screaming, incoherent wreck that has to be restrained and repeatedly sedated.]]
*** [[spoiler: She gets better (somewhat) with help from Luna.]]

* EldritchAbomination: Obviously, though so far we've only seen the Dark Young (which are low-level enough that while the ponies view them as ''wrong'', they're not mind-breakingly wrong [[note]] except in Trixie's case, but that was mostly Herald's doing[[/note]]) and Herald (who is Nyarlathotep disguised as a pony).
** Shub-Niggurath starts to emerge during [[spoiler: the Eclipse]], during which [[TheStarsAreGoingOut the stars are blotted out]] and the sky is filled with ''mouths''.
* EmptyShell: [[spoiler: The Cutie Mark Crusaders, after Herald rips their souls out. They get better at the end.]]

* FalseReassurance: When Trixie asks whether the neighcronomicon is bound with leather the Herald tells her that it isn't bound with [[ExactWords cow hide.]]
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Herald looks like an ordinary stallion, but is actually an EldritchAbomination in pony form (Nyarlathotep, in fact). This carries over to a cutie mark that seems to constantly be changing form (though it's hard to see on his dark coat, and trying only gives you a headache), and the fact that if you see him without his mask on, you go insane [[spoiler: (which he inflicts on Twilight)]].
** It's also implied that the princesses do this as well, as when they fight Nyarlathotep [[spoiler: outside reality]], they take on forms of pure power that no pony would recognize as them.

** Spike, following [[spoiler: Twilight being rendered insane.]]
** Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, after [[spoiler: the Cutie Mark Crusaders are hospitalized]]. Dash's case is the worst, since [[spoiler: Herald manipulated her into thinking it's her fault]].

* HopeSpot: [[spoiler: Subverted. After Shub-Niggurath is banished, Nyarlathotep in his true form returns to try and kill them all. The Element Bearers respond by blasting him back where he came from.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: When the Princesses consider canceling the eclipse in light of everything that's happened, Spike convinces them not to, because that's not what Twilight [[spoiler: (who is currently catatonic)]] would want. [[spoiler: As it turns out, the eclipse is key to Herald's plan.]]

** [[spoiler:Subverted with the Elements of Harmony, which not only does he admit might actually work on him, when unleashed vaporize him completely. While it doesn't ''kill'' him, it still banishes him back from wince he came and allows Celestia and Luna time to seal the way he got to Equestria before.]]

--> [[spoiler: What was there to be afraid of, that it hadn’t already shown her?]]

** Twilight, doing research into what's happening, finds references to the "Messenger of the Old Ones" and its multiple titles, including "Herald of the Outer Gods"... and realizes that [[spoiler: the stranger she's alone with just introduced himself as "Herald"]].

** They have another one when [[spoiler: they realize that the eclipse is weakening them, and that ''they'', not the Element Bearers, are Herald's targets]].

* OneWingedAngel: Nyarlathotep takes on his true form when fighting the Princesses [[spoiler: outside reality]].

* OnlyICanKillHim: [[spoiler:Subverted. While the Elements ''do'' finish Herald off, its only because Spike sent him to fight the Princesses, who not only weakened him but drove him into a VillainousBreakdown that gives them the opening to do so.]]
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler: Nyarlathotep is able to defeat Celestia and Luna first by hiding his identity, and then by making it look like the Element Bearers were the primary target -- when, in fact, it was the Princesses themselves.]]
* PerceptionFilter: Herald uses one to allow himself, Trixie and the Dark Young to sneak into Canterlot.

-->"What did you do [[spoiler: to the Princesses]], you bucking son-of-a-bitch?!"

* SadisticChoice: Nyarlathotep pulls one on the Princesses when they confront him -- [[spoiler: They can banish him and thus stop his plans, but he's stolen the Cutie Mark Crusaders' souls, and will take them with him if he goes.]]

* SealedGoodInACan: [[spoiler: With the Princesses weakened by the eclipse, Nyarlathotep is able to banish them Outside reality. He admits it's only temporary, but also that by the time they get out it'll be too late.]]

* SoulJar: Literally -- [[spoiler: Nyarlathotep rips the Cutie Mark Crusaders' souls out and sticks them in a jar, keeping them as leverage. Twilight restores them at the end of the story.]]
* TeleFrag: [[spoiler: How Twilight, Shining, and his guards kill the Dark Young -- they teleport ''inside them'', causing them to explode.]]

** [[spoiler: Herald drives Twilight insane by filling her mind with all his knowledge of himself and the Outer Gods. Even after she pulls herself back, the knowledge stays at the corners of her mind, threatening to drive her insane again.]]

* TheStarsAreGoingOut: When Shub-Niggurath starts emerging [[spoiler: during the eclipse]].

* TotalEclipseOfThePlot: All this just so happens to be occurring in the days leading up to the first solar eclipse since Luna's return. [[spoiler: And naturally, it's a key component of Nyarlathotep's plan, for two reasons: 1) at the height of the eclipse, the Princesses' powers are diminished, and 2) it appears to be part of the alignment necessary to release the Outer Gods.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Herald actually gets ''angry'' when the Princesses, in their true forms, begin to ''win'' against him, damaging him faster than he can heal, symbolized by his mask being cracked when he returns to the mortal plain. While he maintains his composure, he loses enough of his GenreSavvy to leave himself wide open to the Elements of Harmony.]]

* VillainSong: Subverted. When Nyarlathotep's plans seem to have succeeded he comments that he has the sudden urge to break into song... but decides not to indulge.

-->'''Nyarlathotep''': [[spoiler: Why did you assume I was after ''them?'']]

* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler: Herald did ''something'' to the Cutie Mark Crusaders that left all three comatose, and then tricked Rainbow Dash into thinking she's the one who hurt them.]]
** [[spoiler: Specifically, he ''ripped out their souls'', in order to use them as leverage against the Princesses and Element Bearers.]]
*** [[spoiler: And then, he throws the jar containing their souls off the Canterlot waterfall, just to make the Bearers suffer.]]
** The knowledge Twilight gets about Nyarlathotep [[spoiler: when she sees his face]] includes the fact that he likes to have societies sacrifice their children to appease him, [[ForTheEvulz for the fun of it]].
* YouAreNotAlone: When faced with the final fight against Nyarlathotep's full might, Twilight nearly loses hope [[spoiler: and relapses back into insanity]], before her friends remind her that they're there beside her. This gives her the strength to keep fighting [[spoiler: and they proceed to [[CurbStompBattle curbstomp]] him with the Elements]].

'''The Stars Will Aid Their Escape'' is a crossover fic of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and the Franchise/CthulhuMythos. After being driven out of Ponyville following the incident with the Ursa, Trixie flees into the Everfree forest, where she meets a mysterious masked stallion named Herald.

!!!Tropes in this story:
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Herald looks like an ordinary stallion, but is actually an EldritchAbomination in pony form (Nyarlathotep, in fact). This carries over to a cutie mark that seems to constantly be changing form (though it's hard to see on his dark coat, and trying only gives you a headache), and the fact that if you see him without his mask on, you go insane [[spoiler: (which he inflicts on Twilight)]].
** It's also implied that the princesses do this as well, as when they fight Nyarlathotep [[spoiler: outside reality]], they take on forms of pure power that no pony would recognize as them.
* AGodAmI: Herald starts indulging in this after outing himself as Nyarlathotep. Admittedly, he ''is'', but still...

'''The Stars Will Aid Their Escape'' is a crossover fic of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and the CthulhuMythos. After being driven out of Ponyville following the incident with the Ursa, Trixie flees into the Everfree forest, where she meets a mysterious masked stallion named Herald.

* YouAreNotAlone: When faced with the final fight against Nyarlathotep's full might, Twilight nearly loses hope [[spoiler: and relapses back into insanity]], before her friends remind her that they're there beside her. This gives her the strength to keep fighting [[spoiler: and they proceed to [[CurbStompBattle curbstomp]] him with the Elements]].

* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding: Herald is banished, Shub-Niggurath's summoning ritual was stopped, the Dark Young are dead...but at great cost to Equestria, Twilight is still unstable, and oh yeah, [[ChildByRape Fluttershy was impregnated]] [[FetusTerrible by Nyarlathotep as a backup plan]]. Of course, given how this is ''[[TheMessiah Fluttershy]]'', it's quite possible the foal will be turned good.]]

** BiggerBad: The Outer Gods. Reinforced when even after the Bearers temporarily defeat Herald by [[spoiler: sending him where he sent the Princesses to fight them]], they then have to deal the pending arrival of Shub-Niggurath. [[spoiler: And then, when she's banished without fully emerging, they then have to fight off Nyarlathotep again.]]

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: The Dark Young attacks on Ponyville and Canterlot.* BigBad: Herald/Nyarlathotep** BiggerBad: The Outer Gods. Reinforced when even after the Bearers temporarily defeat Herald by [[spoiler: sending him where he sent the Princesses to fight them]], they then have to deal the pending arrival of Shub-Niggurath. [[spoiler: And then, when she's banished without fully emerging, they then have to fight off Nyarlathotep again.]]

'''The Stars Will Aid Their Escape'' is a crossover fic of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and the CthulhuMythos.After being driven out of Ponyville following the incident with the Ursa, Trixie flees into the Everfree forest, where she meets a mysterious masked stallion named Herald. Herald offers Trixie a chance to learn ancient magic that will truly make her the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, by offering her a book that not even Twilight Sparkle has ever read. But there is a ''reason'' Twilight's never read this book, and there is more to Herald than there appears...

** [[spoiler: When Nyarlathotep throws the jar containing the Cutie Mark Crusaders souls over the Canterlot waterfall, Rarity dives after it to save them, and is then save herself by Rainbow Dash.]]

* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Herald looks like an ordinary stallion, but is actually an EldritchAbomination in pony form (Nyarlathotep, in fact). This carries over to a cutie mark that seems to constantly be changing form (though it's hard to see on his dark coat, and trying only gives you a headache), and the fact that if you see him without his mask on, you go insane [[spoiler: (which he inflicts on Twilight)]].** It's also implied that the princesses do this as well, as when they fight Nyarlathotep [[spoiler: outside reality]], they take on forms of pure power that no pony would recognize as them.* AGodAmI: Herald starts indulging in this after outing himself as Nyarlathotep. Admittedly, he ''is'', but still...* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: The Dark Young attacks on Ponyville and Canterlot.* BigBad: Herald/Nyarlathotep** BiggerBad: The Outer Gods. Reinforced when even after the Bearers temporarily defeat Herald by [[spoiler: sending him where he sent the Princesses to fight them]], they then have to deal the pending arrival of Shub-Niggurath. [[spoiler: And then, when she's banished without fully emerging, they then have to fight off Nyarlathotep again.]]* BigDamnHeroes: Princess Luna and a couple of her royal guards show up just in time to save the Mane Cast from Trixie and her Dark Young mooks.** [[spoiler: When Nyarlathotep throws the jar containing the Cutie Mark Crusaders souls over the Canterlot waterfall, Rarity dives after it to save them, and is then save herself by Rainbow Dash.]]

'''The Stars Will Aid Their Escape'' is a crossover fic of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and the CthulhuMythos.After being driven out of Ponyville following the incident with the Ursa, Trixie flees into the Everfree forest, where she meets a mysterious masked stallion named Herald. Herald offers Trixie a chance to learn ancient magic that will truly make her the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, by offering her a book that not even Twilight Sparkle has ever read. But there is a ''reason'' Twilight's never read this book, and there is more to Herald than there appears...Can be read [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/35717/The-Stars-Will-Aid-Their-Escape here]].!!!Tropes in this story:* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Herald looks like an ordinary stallion, but is actually an EldritchAbomination in pony form (Nyarlathotep, in fact). This carries over to a cutie mark that seems to constantly be changing form (though it's hard to see on his dark coat, and trying only gives you a headache), and the fact that if you see him without his mask on, you go insane [[spoiler: (which he inflicts on Twilight)]].** It's also implied that the princesses do this as well, as when they fight Nyarlathotep [[spoiler: outside reality]], they take on forms of pure power that no pony would recognize as them.* AGodAmI: Herald starts indulging in this after outing himself as Nyarlathotep. Admittedly, he ''is'', but still...* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: The Dark Young attacks on Ponyville and Canterlot.* BigBad: Herald/Nyarlathotep** BiggerBad: The Outer Gods. Reinforced when even after the Bearers temporarily defeat Herald by [[spoiler: sending him where he sent the Princesses to fight them]], they then have to deal the pending arrival of Shub-Niggurath. [[spoiler: And then, when she's banished without fully emerging, they then have to fight off Nyarlathotep again.]]* BigDamnHeroes: Princess Luna and a couple of her royal guards show up just in time to save the Mane Cast from Trixie and her Dark Young mooks.** [[spoiler: When Nyarlathotep throws the jar containing the Cutie Mark Crusaders souls over the Canterlot waterfall, Rarity dives after it to save them, and is then save herself by Rainbow Dash.]]