History Webcomic / HoovesOfDeath

* TokenGoodTeammate: Famine is this to the other Horsemen. While she did play a part in TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, to her it was just part of the job and NothingPersonal, while War, Pestilence and Death let their biased hatred for humans overcome them and deserted their destined post long ago. Throughout the comic she continually appears to help the heroes on their journey and encourages Kate in her quest to [[spoiler: become the fifth Horseman Providence]]. [[spoiler: She later on admits to Death that she feels remorse for all the harm she caused humanity, as she never would have anticipated just how many of them would die because of her.]]

* EyeLightsOut: Or Horn Lights Out in this case, when Commander Sprinkles is consumed by a zombie gnome DogPileOfDoom. His second to last panel shows only his horn emerging from a mountain of gnomes as its spell fizzles weakly, and the last panel shows his horn fizzling out. [[spoiler: Luckily, Blight was able to get to him before he was actually killed]].

* BigDamnHeroes: For a non-combatant, Blaze pulls these with surprising frequency. The first time he intervenes just in time to save Glitter from a {{Hellhound}} assault, literally throwing it beyond the horizon before carrying her and Kate to safety all on his own. The second time, [[spoiler: he double-casts shields to save Glitter, Kate, and Commander Sprinkles, with latter being under a DogPileOfDoom at the time, and has enough endurance to maintain the barrier until they're able to make a break for it]]. If the group is in trouble, typically he's either the one to pull off a timely intervention or find them an exit.

* TokenGoodTeammate:
** Famine is this to the other Horsemen. While she did play a part in TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, to her it was just part of the job and NothingPersonal, while War, Pestilence and Death let their biased hatred for humans overcome them and deserted their destined post long ago. Throughout the comic she continually appears to help the heroes on their journey and encourages Kate in her quest to [[spoiler: become the fifth Horseman Providence]]. [[spoiler: She later on admits to Death that she feels remorse for all the harm she caused humanity, as she never would have anticipated just how many of them would die because of her.]]

* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: [[spoiler: In order to access their full power, the Horsemen must appoint and ride their steeds. Without them, they are significantly weaker and cannot act out their part of the apocalypse. This is presumably the reason why War didn't kill Silver after abandoning him.]] [[spoiler: This is also what saves Blight's/Starlight's life. Even though he betrayed Pestilence to save his sister, the former still can't kill him, as that would mean losing control of the zombies. Though the Unseelie Queen implies she might know a way to circumvent this.]]

* EyeLightsOut: Or Horn Lights Out in this case, when Commander Sprinkles is consumed by a zombie gnome DogPileOfDoom. His second to last panel shows only his horn emerging from a mountain of gnomes as its spell fizzles weakly, and the last panel shows his horn fizzling out. [[spoiler: Luckily, Blaze was able to get to him before he was actually killed]].

** [[spoiler: Starlight, Glitter's long-lost older brother, later turns out to Blight, the steed of Pestilence, who is willingly helping his master spread the plague]].

** The title card for season 2 has Glitter and Death standing in a [[BackToBackPoster back-to-back pose]]. [[spoiler: Not only does this foreshadow that Death is closer to Glitter than she knows (he's the Hellhound currently traveling with the group), but also is an early hint that Glitter is Death's steed.]]

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Blaze has a crush on Sergeant Glitter, with her affection just about the only thing that can improve his sullen mood. Glitter seems aware of his feelings towards her, but clearly holds a torch for Commander Sprinkles, judging how Glitter calls for him the moment she wakes from unconsciousness and undertakes dangerous scouting missions to impress him. [[spoiler: [[DeathOfTheHypotenuse Seven chapters in, the love triangle]] [[BolivianArmyCliffhanger becomes another casualty]]]].

* BolivianArmyCliffhanger: [[spoiler: Episode 7 ends this way for Commander Sprinkles, last seen charging through an inferno while leading a horde of zombies away from Glitter and co.]]

* TheChosenOne: Kate is apparently the one destined to end the Apocaypse. [[spoiler: It's later revealed that she's the ''fifth'' Horseman, Providece]].

* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Glitter falls precariously close to this once when Yellowstone camp is overrun and sees Commander Sprinkles, her crush, consumed by a DogPileOfDoom. Her shield dispels itself and she stands catatonic, while Kate begs her to flee, but it's only the sight of Blaze's own shielding rescuing the Commander that she's able to compose herself]].
* DidntSeeThatComing: Type 3: Unknown / Unknown. [[spoiler: Given that the Unicorns couldn’t identify their distinctive holes, chances are they didn’t even know that gnomes existed, much less foresee an entire colony being infected and burrowing under the barrier]].
* DigAttack: [[spoiler: The main advantage the Zombie Gnomes have over Human Zombies]].

* DoomedHometown: The Yellowstone-adjacent town of Jackson for Kate, [[spoiler: and the DomedHometown mentioned above, after the zombie gnomes dig under it]].

* EmergingFromTheShadows: At the end of episode 7, a unicorn with a broken horn overlooks the Yellowstone camp. [[spoiler: The next panel shows them with a SlasherSmile and the same [[SicklyGreenGlow sickly green eyes]] of the zombies, seemingly pleased at the camp's destruction]].

* EverybodysDeadDave: Most of humanity has been wiped out by the zombies, and [[spoiler: eventually Yellowstone as well. When Commander Sprinkles shows reluctance to abandon the camp, Blaze informs him that there's nobody alive to rescue, and that the few unicorns that survived have already fled]].

* EyeLightsOut: [[spoiler: Or Horn Lights Out in this case, when Commander Sprinkles is consumed by a zombie gnome DogPileOfDoom. His second to last panel shows only his horn emerging from a mountain of gnomes as its spell fizzles weakly, and the last panel shows his horn fizzling out. Luckily, Blaze was able to get to him before he was actually killed]].
* FallenAngel: [[spoiler: Apparently, not ''every'' unicorn is immune to the zombie plague. He later turns out to Blight, the steed of Pestilence, who is willingly helping his master spread the plague]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: A pair of gnomes appear in the first chapter, when later chapters have the settlement puzzled why their crops are gone and (gnome-sized) holes are the only evidence. [[spoiler: The gnomes also turn around to see ''something'' looming over them, and chapter 6 indicates it a zombie attack that spread the infection to ''an entire'' subterranean colony]].
* FromBadToWorse: The situation is bad enough, but a crop failure means that the Yellowstone camp is going to starve to death before the zombies can get a chance to eat them unless they find out the source. [[spoiler: And all that becomes a moot point when the Yellowstone camp is breached and only a handful survive]].
* OurGnomesAreWeirder: Appearance-wise, they look like garden-variety garden gnomes, but have a fondness for tunneling and ironically steal from humans’ gardens instead of guarding them. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, they aren’t immune to the zombie virus like [[TheImmune Unicorns are]], and an infected colony quickly tunnels to the nearest mass of prey: the Yellowstone Camp right above them]].

* {{Hellhound}}: A massive, hellish wolf shows up, having tracked the bleeding Glitter, and but the prey it seeks is actually the seemingly-normal human Kate. Its presence indicates there’s more to the setting than merely “unicorns vs. zombies.” [[spoiler:He later turns out to be ''Death himself'']].
* TheHermit: Silver, a reclusive old unicorn with a constant disheveled appearance and [[spoiler: the dubious honor of being the former steed of [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse War]]]], making him a [[OneManArmy One Pony Army]]. He decides to join Glitter, Kate, and Blaze on their journey, since there's nothing particularly holding him to his current damp, miserable cave.

* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse: [[spoiler: According to Silver they are the cause behind the Apocalypse (as befitting their name). Famine did his thing a while back, later War came to Silver and made him into his steed, the red horse, and caused wars around the world. Currently Pestilence is making the zombies roam the Earth. Silver says that it should have ended a while ago and Death should have started to ride. The captured hellhound says that it is because Death and Pestilence wish for humanity to suffer that the zombie plague has lasted as long as it has. They take unicorns as their steeds, and the only thing that can kill them is unicorn horn wounds.]]

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: [[spoiler: This mindset is why Death and Pestilence are allowing the apocalypse to last so long, figuring that thanks to decades of war, environmental degradation, and disrespect of their fellow sapients, they deserve to be wiped out instead of merely humbled. Given the [[UngratefulBastard attitude]] of the Yellowstone humans, this may have some merit, but as Glitter points out, it's impossible for every human to be deserving death]].

* TheImmune: Unicorns by default, only gaining a mild fever when bitten by a zombie. It’s one reason why humanity even stands a chance, along with unicorns’ magical powers. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, other fantasy species don’t share that immunity]].

* ItHasBeenAnHonor: [[spoiler: Commander Sprinkles thanks Glitter and Blaze for their service, right before he teleports to the other side of a zombie horde to lead the undead away from the rest]].

* OutsideGenreFoe: Inversion, more of an Outside Genre Ally. In a seemingly mundane world beset by a ZombieApocalypse, the unicorns hiding behind the {{Masquerade}} emerge to hold the line. Even a zombie’s strongest weapon, its infectious bite, does nothing more than give a unicorn a fever. [[spoiler: Then played straight, when a {{Hellhound}} “from the literal Hell” arrives. Similarly, even the magical unicorns have no idea that gnomes exist, much less Zombified versions]].

** [[spoiler:A mysterious figure has figured out how to zombify unicorns, and their variation of zombies still have their pre-infection personalities, but are forced to obey their creator]].

* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: Glitter, frequently, typically during dramatic moments, like literally yelling “knicker” while knickering as she charges a zombie. [[spoiler: Or uttering “gasp” as Commander Sprinkles is overwhelmed]].

* MoralMyopia: [[spoiler: On the part of the Four Horsemen. While Famine and War brought the apocalypse as they were supposed to, Pestilence and Death are intentionally drawing out their duties to make sure [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters humanity suffers for the harm it did to the world]]. Yet, the zombie plague, wide-scale destruction, and ecological collapse has already surpassed even the worst of humanity's feats, and many non-humans species like Unicorns and Gnomes are suffering just as much. When called on this, Death's {{Hellhound}} emissary claimed non-humans "deserved it" since they hid from humans instead of trying to stop them]].

* SuperPersistentPredator: A {{Hellhound}} is dispatched to hunt Kate specifically, claiming her constant survival means she's evaded Death for far too long. He "only eats the souls of the damned," not unicorns, after all.

* TokenEvilTeammate: The {{Hellhound}} stalking the group is eventually captured and pressed into service thanks to a ShockCollar, as [[spoiler: they hope to use him to track down his master, Death]]. Naturally, he's not happy about it, and lets everyone know with constant insults and taunts.

* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler: Episode 6, the fall of the Yellowstone camp]].
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler: Commander Sprinkles, who Glitter considers one of the finest soldiers alive, is immediately [[DogPileOfDoom overwhelmed by waves of zombified gnomes once they emerge]], which unfortunately [[FromBadToWorse takes the settlement’s protective barrier down as well]]. Literally one chapter ago, Commander Sprinkles demonstrated he could [[{{Teleportation}} Teleport]], and it takes Blaze's timely intervention to rescue him. Similarly, even the military-trained unicorns along with the villagers wielding pitchforks last chapter seem unarmed and helpless as they go down, not even able to get a swing or a spell off]].

* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler: The HorsemenOfTheApocalypse each enslave a unicorn to act as their steed for their "act" of the Apocalypse, but to preserve balance, the steed is capable of killing their Horseman with their horn, as unicorn horn is the only thing that ''can'' kill them, as Silver proves when he takes out War in a MutualKill]].

* {{Hellhound}}: A massive, hellish wolf shows up, having tracked the bleeding Glitter, and but the prey it seeks is actually the seemingly-normal human Kate. Its presence indicates there’s more to the setting than merely “unicorns vs. zombies.”

** After an encounter with a vampire [[spoiler: Kate is now a vampire herself]].

* BrokenAngel: A core theme of {{Unicorn}} mythos is their flawlessness, purity, and grace. While the unicorns here once had untarnished appearance, now they're universally scarred, traumatized, or both, with the years of a HopelessWar against the zombie hordes apparent at only a glance. One unicorn in particular, Blight, can be spotted even from a distance thanks to their shattered horn.

* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse: [[spoiler: According to Silver they are the cause behind the Apocalypse (as befitting their name). Famine did his thing a while back, later War came to Silver and made him into his steed, the red horse, and caused wars around the world. Currently Pestilence is making the zombies roam the Earth. Silver says that it should have ended a while ago and Death should have started to ride. The captured hellhound says that it is because Death and Pestilence wish for humanity to suffer that the zombie plague has lasted as long as it has.]]

* BrokenAngel: A core theme of {{Unicorn}} mythos is their flawlessness, purity, and grace. While the unicorns here once had untarnished appearance, now they're universally scarred, traumatized, or both, with the years of a HopelessWar against the zombie hordes apparent at only a glance. One unicorn in particular can be spotted even from a distance thanks to their shattered horn.

* FallenAngel: [[spoiler: Apparently, not ''every'' unicorn is immune to the zombie plague]].

* MoralMyopia: [[spoiler: On the part of the Four Horsemen. While Famine and War brought the apocalypse as they were supposed to, Pestilence and Death are intentionally drawing out their duties to make sure [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters humanity suffers for the harm it did to the world]]. Yet, the zombie plague, wide-scale destruction, and ecological collapse has already surpassed even the worst of humanity's feats, and many non-humans species like Unicorns and Gnomes are suffering just as much. When called on this, Death's emmisary claimed non-humans "deserved it" since they hid from humans instead of trying to stop them]].

** After an encounter with a vampire [[spoiler: Kate is now a vampire herself]]

* ZombieInfectee: Glitter gets bit by a zombie during her rescue of Kate, and the human is understandably paranoid that the unicorn will turn. It’s {{subverted}} though, as Glitter lets her know that unicorns are immune to infection, merely gaining a temporary fever. However, the blood loss, coupled with the burning fever and continuous exertion, is an entirely different problem.

* BloodFromTheMouth: Rainbow-flavored, combined with a [[{{subverted}} not-so-]]IncurableCoughOfDeath after Glitter gets bit by a zombie, along with a woozy smile as she tells Kate not to worry about it. She actually ‘'is’’ immune to the plague, and the continued dripping is instead a symptom of [[RealityEnsues blood loss from the untreated injury and continuous overexertion]].

* BrokenAngel: A core theme of {{Unicorn}] mythos is their flawlessness, purity, and grace. While the unicorns here once had untarnished appearance, now they're universally scarred, traumatized, or both, with the years of a HopelessWar against the zombie hordes apparent at only a glance. One unicorn in particular can be spotted even from a distance thanks to their shattered horn.

* BigDamnHeroes: For a non-combatant, Blaze pulls these with surprising frequency. The first time he intervenes just in time to save Glitter from a {{Hellhound}} assault, literally throwing it beyond the horizon before carrying her and Kate to safety all on his own. The second time, [[spoiler: he double-casts shields to save Glitter, Kate, and Commander Sprinkles, with latter being under a DogPileOfDoom at the time, and has enough endurance to maintain the barrier until they're able to make a break for it]].

* FavorsForTheSexy: Well, “sexy” for a unicorn, at least. Glitter dumps her squad training duties onto Blaze so she’d be free for a scouting mission this way. A simple muzzle press against his gets him blushing, and it apparently works so often that Blaze’s spent more time training Sergeant Glitter’s squad than Glitter herself.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Blaze has a crush on Sergeant Glitter, with her affection just about the only thing that can improve his sullen mood. Glitter seems aware of his feelings towards her, but clearly holds a torch for Commander Sprinkles, judging how Glitter calls for him the moment she wakes from unconsciousness and undertakes dangerous scouting missions to impress him. [[spoiler: [[DeathOfTheHypotenuse Six chapters in, the love triangle becomes another casualty to the Zombie Gnomes.]]]].

* BigDamnHeroes: Blaze shows up just in time to save Glitter from a {{Hellhound}} assault, literally throwing it beyond the horizon before carrying her and Kate to safety all on his own.

* EyeLightsOut: [[spoiler: Or Horn Lights Out in this case, when Commander Sprinkles is overwhelmed. His second to last panel shows only his horn emerging from a mountain of gnomes as its spell fizzles weakly, and the last panel shows his horn fizzling out]].

* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler: Commander Sprinkles, who Glitter considers one of the finest soldiers alive, is immediately overwhelmed by waves of zombified gnomes once they emerge, which unfortunately [[FromBadToWorse takes the settlement’s protective barrier down as well]]. Literally one chapter ago, Commander Sprinkles demonstrated he could [[{{Teleportation}} Teleport]]. Similarly, even the military-trained unicorns along with the villagers wielding pitchforks last chapter seem unarmed and helpless as they go down]].

* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Commander Sprinkles, combined with BishieSparkles. Even his CoveredWithScars appearance barely offsets it.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: While the zombies function like the typical hollywood shamblers, their outbreak seems to be magical in origin. One infection that Glimmer witnessed firsthand involved nothing more than a child holding an innocent-looking butterfly, which corrupted the girl into UndeadChild [[AdultFear that immediately attacked Glitter]].

Humanity, wobbling on its last legs following a zombie plague of unknown origin, finds itself reduced to a single refugee camp in Yellowstone National Park. Lacking in food, water, and manpower, their hopeless situation turned not-so-hopeless as unlikely salvation rode in on a pale horse. Or rather, it ''is'' the horses. [[{{Unicorn}} Unicorns]], in fact.

While the situation has stabilized, the war is far from won, and their tenuous sanctuary is threatened by a mysterious blight killing their remaining crops. Hoping to impress her Commander, [[TheProtagonist Sergeant Glitter]] volunteers to scout nearby for food, but instead finds a single surviving human, [[SoleSurvivor Kate]], who just might hold the key to ending their war for good.