Line #145 Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetNemesis


1	Twilight Sparkle is dead. She died in battle, fighting to preserve the uneasy union on United Equestria between the pony races of old Equestria and the space ponies of Unicornicopia.
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3	But in the wake of Twilight's death, the harmony she strove for has not endured. Using their control of the might armed organisation Starfleet, the Unicornicopian grip upon the land has only gotten tighter. Celestia is isolated, Twilight's friends are scattered, across the stars millions live or die at the whim of the Grand Ruler and his proconsuls.
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5	Project Sentinel is the next step in the evolution of Starfleet, a perfect defence against a hostile universe: clone soldiers created from the DNA of the very best that ponykind has to offer. One such clone, Eve, is a physical copy of Twilight, with enhanced strength and none of the pesky moral qualms that made the real Twilight so annoying for Starfleet to deal with. When Eve, together with a small group of fellow clones, breaks free to search for deeper meaning in her existence, she sets off a chain of events that may allow all of Equestria to break free from tyranny, and all ponies to choose their own destinies once more.
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7	This is a DeconstructionFic by Creator/ScipioSmith, based on Creator/DakariKingMykan's infamous ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic''. It can be read [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/278960/my-brave-pony-starfleet-nemesis here]].
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10	----
11	!!This story provides examples of:
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13	* AbusiveParents: Keeping his daughter locked in a tower because her wings failed to develop and she has a scar on her face certainly qualifies Celesto as one.
14	* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Twilight's death [[BreakTheHaughty has much more of an impact on Lightning Dawn, leading to him coming to care for her friends and embrace her virtues of friendship]].
15	%%* AdaptationalJerkass: Buddy Rose
16	%%* AllLoveIsUnrequited: It turns out Lightning had fallen for Twilight.
17	* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Following her defeat at the hands of Sentinel Three, Starlight Glimmer is carted off to Professor Brain. He had decided to make her part of Project Janissary and when he starts drilling into her, she is incapable of moving so she can only scream on the inside.]]
18	* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Raven cuts off Lyra's hand when she attempts to duel her.]]
19	* ArmorPiercingQuestion:
20	** In a flashback in "What an Artist", Twilight asks Grand Ruler [[MurderIsTheBestSolution why he insists that all of their enemies should be killed]] [[EvilCannotComprehendGood and why he has so much trouble understanding forgiveness and redemption]]. Celesto has no response and simply dismisses her.
21	--->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' Why are you so in love with death? What is it about the very idea of forgiveness that frustrates you?
22	** During his fight with Raven in "Face the Raven, Pt 1", Lightning asks her what she believes in when she mocks his and Twilight's beliefs. This causes her to momentarily becomes confused and drop a suspicious line about having to obey.
23	** [[spoiler:"Twilight"/Evenfall to Artie: "Why didn't you save me?" It's enough that Artie pulls a HeelFaceTurn.]]
24	%%* AscendedExtra:
25	* AwesomeButImpractical:
26	** How Rainbow Dash views Starfleet's aircraft. They look impressive, but they can go down easily if hit through the fuselage and fly much slower than [[SimpleYetAwesome what can be accomplished through ponies' natural born wings.]]
27	** The Space Ponies possess unique attacks and weapons. However, [[CallingYourAttacks they must call out the names of said attacks and weapons in order to use them]]. [[DeconstructedTrope Predictably, this gets exploited.]]
28	* AwfulWeddedLife: Most of the couples in the story aren't all that happy with each other.
29	** The Grand Ruler and Celestia find each other unbearable. [[spoiler:This leads to Celesto temporarily freeing Chrysalis to make her take on the form of his wife so he can insult, beat and rape her.]]
30	** Rhymey is quite possessive of Fluttershy, seeing her as more of an object than her own person.
31	** Krysta reveals that King Topaz only uses their marriage [[ItsAllAboutMe to keep himself in power]], and does not care for her at all on a personal level.
32	** Lightning Dawn and Starla Shine's marriage is falling apart due to the fact that Lightning has fallen for Twilight, and that Starla cannot comprehend why Lightning would love Twilight or believe in Twilight's virtues of friendship. [[spoiler:Starla leaves in the chapter "Lost Love" and Lightning does admit that he has treated her badly.]]
33	%%* BackFromTheDead:
34	* BackUpTwin: After the removal of her control chip (and some encouragement from Sunset Shimmer), Sentinel Three decides she wants to be Twilight Sparkle.
35	* BadBoss: [[spoiler:In "Liberty", Grand Ruler kills Admiral Fisher and labels Captain Plasma a traitor for the failure of shooting down the ''Princess Twilight Sparkle''.]]
36	* BefriendingTheEnemy: Pinkie Pie gets Kitty Snap to stand down by making friends with her.
37	* BelievingTheirOwnLies: Starla seems convinced that Twilight is a BitchInSheepsClothing and that [[spoiler:Twilight seemingly pulling a FaceHeelTurn confirms that]].
38	* BitchSlap: Lightning delivers one to Rhymey when he tries to force Fluttershy to leave her friends' tea party.
39	* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Starfleet seems incapable of understanding gray morality, several characters flat out state there is only good and evil.
40	* BodyHorror: Spike's "Dragon Power" upgrade; the text describes it as his body being ''ripped apart and put back together''.
41	* BornAsAnAdult: The clones.
42	* BreakTheHaughty: While he tries not to show it, it's clear that Twilight did rub off on Lightning Dawn and he has come to care for her friends as well as believe in her virtues of friendship.
43	* BreakingTheFellowship: Friendship is Magic is disbanded and transferred to other departments by Starfleet.
44	* BringMyBrownPants: [[spoiler:Professor Brain pees himself when confronted by the freed Sentinels.]]
45	* BullyingADragon: Literally. In "Promontory", Spike is being ignored and insulted by some Starfleet soldiers. Said soldiers are under Spike's command and Spike possesses a much more powerful form. Spike's unwillingness to use said form is really the only reason why the Space Ponies don't get hurt.
46	* BurningTheFlag: A group of protesters do this to United Equestria's.
47	* TheCaligula: Grand Ruler. In fact, WordOfGod [[invoked]] claims that his portrayal in the story was partly inspired by the TropeNamer.
48	* CallingYourAttacks:
49	** Even though it's unnecessary, the zebras controlling HANNIBAL call out its special attacks simply because it's cool.
50	** {{Deconstructed\|Trope}} with Starfleet; the fact that they need to call out phrases to use their attacks and ''summon their weapons'' leaves them wide open for enemy attack.
51	* CerebusCallback: [[spoiler:Brain's catchphrase makes a return... while he is using Starlight for Project Janissary.]]
52	* CerebusRetcon:
53	** Lightning Dawn suffers SurvivorsGuilt from Twilight's death.
54	** [[spoiler:Twilight Sparkle might have been Raven's actual target rather than Celestia. It's also implied that Grand Ruler ordered the hit.]]
55	* CombatPragmatist: [[spoiler:The caribou when they ambush Starfleet. To elaborate, they stick to the cover of the forest surrounding them and use ranged weapons, allowing them to pick off the Space Ponies. Also, they take advantage of the fact that Starfleet needs to call out their weapons and attacks.]]
56	* CompetingWithACorpse: Starla resents the fact that Lightning has fallen in love with Twilight.
57	-->'''Starla:''' I love you, Lightning Dawn. I've always loved you and I married you and I don't deserve to be treated like this. I... I never expected you to be eternally faithful; you're a male after all, and you have male needs that I won't always be able to meet, that's the way things are. But I thought that it would be like my father, that there would be mistresses but however long they lasted, a week, a month, a year, the affair would always end and you'd come back to me. But I shouldn't have to share my marriage with the ghost of a dead mare!
58	* ConservationOfNinjitsu: [[spoiler:Averted. Applejack and Spike manage to do a better job than the Space Ponies at fighting the caribou that ambushed them, however, it is still two versus an untold number of opponents who are too well equipped for Applejack and Spike to handle.]]
59	* ConspiracyTheorist: Moondancer becomes one after receiving Twilight's notes about Starfleet.
60	* CoolBigSis: Sunset Shimmer quotes the trope name verbatim when describing her relationship with Leilani.
61	%%* CripplingOverspecialization:
62	* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:In "Promontory", the caribou ambush a large group of Starfleet soldiers; due to Starfleet's inability to adapt to the situation and the caribou keeping their cover in the thick forest they are currently in, they manage to kill several of the Space Ponies. Only Applejack and Spike seem to get away with their lives.]]
63	* CurbStompCushion: [[spoiler:Despite getting a few good hits in, both Lightning Dawn and Krysta end up critically injured in a fight with Raven in "Face the Raven, Pt 1".]]
64	* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: [[spoiler:Starla Shine takes apart SatelliteLoveInterest. Her only defining trait is her attraction to Lightning Dawn, however Lightning is doubting his relationship with Starla and has fallen for Twilight Sparkle. Starla [[GreenEyedMonster is envious of Twilight being the target of Lightning's affections]] even after the Princess of Friendship has passed on. [[{{Yandere}} Eventually, this leads to Starla taking the task of killing Eve, Twilight's clone.]]]]
65	* DeconstructionFic: But of course.
66	** The original story's SpeakIllOfTheDead of Twilight Sparkle is deconstructed when Starla insults Twilight and Lightning tells her to stop.
67	** Starfleet and the Unicornicopians' FantasticRacism is hardly tolerated by the Equestrians.
68	** Spike, despite receiving a power boost in ''Starfleet Magic'' is still regarded as a child by the Elements of Harmony and they point out how [[ChildSoldier unethical it is of Starfleet to send him into battle]]. He also faces harassment from soldiers under his own command because of his age and species.
69	** Starfleet's inflexibility is taken apart. [[spoiler:As demonstrated in "Promontory", the caribou easily massacre hordes of Starfleet soldiers because the Space Ponies couldn't adapt to the situation. [[HighlyConspicuousUniform Their uniforms also make them easy to spot in the forest they are currently in while the caribou stick to cover]]. The caribou also take advantage of the fact that [[CallingYourAttacks Starfleet need to say phrases to summon their attacks and weapons]].]]
70	* DecoyProtagonist: Sort of. Eve, who is ostensibly the true protagonist of the story, debuts in the fic's seventh chapter, while the rest of the story largely revolves around Lightning Dawn, the Elements of Harmony, Sunset Shimmer, and Starlight Glimmer. WordOfGod [[invoked]] explained that this is because [[WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants he didn't plan the story out in detail before he started writing it]].
71	* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Being a clone, Sentinel Three wants one.
72	* DidntSeeThatComing:
73	** [[spoiler:Professor Brain is shocked to discover that Pinkie Pie survived her encounter with the Sentinels [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall because to him Pinkie was just an immature]] [[ManChild Womanchild]].]]
74	** [[spoiler:Brain also didn't anticipate [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters that the Sentinels would rebel against him]].]]
75	* EasilyForgiven: Defied. When the Elements of Harmony see Lightning Dawn defend Fluttershy from Rhymey, Rarity non-verbally tells Lightning that he shouldn't expect to win any points from them for that. Lightning understands.
76	* EnemyMine: Starlight decides to entrust Sunset's resistance with [[spoiler:her friend Sunburst.]] While they're not enemies per se, they're still political adversaries and Starlight doesn't have much faith in Sunset's attempt at revolution.
77	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: It can be easy to tell that Lightning Dawn is not going to be the racist, sexist, supposed "hero" like the rest of Starfleet in this story when he tries to defend Twilight and her friends when Starla insults them. It becomes even more apparent when Lightning slaps Rhymey for trying to get Fluttershy to leave her friends' tea party.
78	* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
79	** Celesto does not believe that villains can be redeemed and cannot fathom why Twilight would believe it possible to undo the [[BrainwashedAndCrazy mind control]] on Fratello.
80	** Sunset Shimmer is asked how she truly knows that she has stopped threats to the human world [[MurderIsTheBestSolution since she did not kill said threats.]] She replies that she has faith.
81	** Starla and Celesto claim that the virtues of friendship are "Twilight's weakness" and "flaws in a warrior" respectively and do not understand why Lightning would believe in these virtues.
82	** Starla cannot fathom why Lightning would have feelings for Twilight because of the [[FantasticRacism beliefs]] [[VirtueIsWeakness Starfleet]] ingrains into the Space Ponies. She is also quick to believe Celesto's lies that Twilight faked her death and she and the rest of the Mane Six were plotting Starfleet's downfall. [[PsychologicalProjection She also refuses to believe that Twilight was genuinely nice and good]].
83	-->'''Starla:''' Why? Just tell me that, why? Why did you choose her over me? I am a paragon of my race, I am the model and exemplar of all that a female of the space ponies ought to be, I am the benchmark of strength and the measuring-stick of fidelity. What does Twilight Sparkle have that I don't? In what way could she possibly be superior to me?
84	* ExactEavesdropping: Chrysalis overhears Celesto talking to [[spoiler:somepony who calls him "little brother" about discovering some vault among other things...]]
85	* {{Expy}}: Major Cerise Wonder is based slightly off of [[Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist General Mustang]]. She even has a Havoc at her side.
86	%%* FallenHero:
87	* FascistButInefficient: Starfleet; they are capable of conquering worlds and possess an untold number of loyal soldiers and advanced weaponry, but their FantasticRacism has led them to underestimate their enemies and even inspire numerous characters in the story to rebel against them. They are also completely inflexible and their unwillingness to adapt their strategies is heavily exploited by their enemies.
88	* {{Flanderization}}:
89	** Surprisingly enough, United Equestria's portrayal has shades of this. In the original ''Starfleet Magic'', they were portrayed as being a strict police state that nevertheless wasn't altogether that effective at security, and had relatively little in the way of military hardware. In this fic, United Equestria appears as a textbook futuristic dystopia, with ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''-esque telescreens and various spaceships and war machines.
90	** In the original ''Starfleet Magic'', Celesto acknowledged that, while it supposedly couldn't solve every problem, friendship was a virtue. Here, however, he completely derides it.
91	* FunWithAcronyms: The zebras admit that HANNIBAL, the name of their SuperPrototype mecha, doesn't actually stand for anything, they just capitalised the name because it looks cooler.
92	* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Starlight Glimmer has to do this to [[spoiler:Fluttershy to break her out of her dazed state following Rhymey's demise so that she can tell her to run or Starfleet will kill her in the wake of the aforementioned death.]]
93	* GetOut: [[spoiler:Sentinel Three's attempt to (re)establish contact with Sunset Shimmer results in this.]]
94	* GirlInTheTower: Due to being ashamed that her wings did not develop fully, Celesto keeps Leilani locked away in a tower.
95	* GoodIsNotSoft: Or more accurately, "Kindness does not mean ExtremeDoormat".
96	-->But kindness was not the same as milksop doormattery, for all that Starfleet sometimes confused the two, and Threelight knew would get scant kindness out of Fluttershy of which she was not deserving.
97	* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:Cerise hypothesizes that Twilight was killed to cover up something Starfleet didn't want getting out, and that Raven was an assassin targeting Twilight rather than Celestia as previously believed.]]
98	* HeelRealization:
99	** As early as the first chapter, Lightning Dawn has long been disillusioned with Starfleet and has realized just how horrible he and the other Space Ponies have been to the Equestrians. In particular, Lightning regrets his treatment of Twilight and her friends and has come to learn how important friendship is.
100	** [[spoiler:In "Beyond the Stars", Captain Plasma starts to realize Starfleet aren't the noble heroes he thought they were when he is ordered to shoot down the ''Princess Twilight Sparkle'', one of Starfleet's own ships with the crew members still on board. He is unable to go through with it and intentionally has his ship hold fire, buying enough time for the ''Princess Twilight Sparkle'' to escape.]]
101	** [[spoiler:In "Artie's Choice", Artie Bristles realizes that, for supposed "heroes", Starfleet hardly does anything heroic. He also questions why he would risk everything to stop soldiers under his command from going on a suicide mission, but not do the same for Twilight Sparkle. As such, he betrays Starfleet in order to buy time for the Mane Five to get away, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech all the while calling out Starla out on all of the lives she's willing to throw away for the sake of her revenge]].]]
102	* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:Starlight Glimmer appears to be the typical HypercompetentSidekick for Starfleet. In secret, however, she despises their regime as much as any other and is pretty much a living "screw you" to what they stand for, as she smuggles her old friend Sunburst out of Starfleet's prisons and is in a relationship with Trixie (which is a big no-no in Starfleet's book). She's also going about trying to take Starfleet down with subterfuge, with the knowledge that Twilight's attempts at peace failed miserably and the expectation that Sunset's planned revolution will likely just result in a lot of dead ponies.]]
103	* HighlyConspicuousUniform: Starfleet's ridiculous ''Franchise/PowerRangers''-esque bodysuits; keep in mind Starfleet are supposed to be soldiers. [[spoiler:This is {{Deconstructed\|Trope}} when they are in a forest fighting caribou and they can easily spot the Space Ponies while keeping themselves out of view of Starfleet.]]
104	* HurricaneOfPuns: Pinkie Pie and Kitty Snap engage in one in "Kitty Cat-astrophe!".
105	-->'''Kitty Snap:''' I get the feline that you're not taking this situation entirely seriously.\
106	'''Pinkie Pie:''' I am so taking this seriously. Can't you see that I'm Pinkie Pie-ning away with fear?\
107	'''Kitty Snap:''' Really? Because so far you seem more like you're tickled Pinkie.\
108	'''Pinkie Pie:''' But meeting you could turn out to be Cat-astrophic!\
109	'''Kitty Snap:''' Quit horsing around, I haven't cat all day!\
110	'''Pinkie Pie:''' No fair, you're only supposed to use one pun at a time!
111	* HypercompetentSidekick: Starlight Glimmer. While Grand Ruler muses about severing ties with Celestia, Starlight reminds him that their union is literally the ''only'' thing holding Starfleet and Equestria together and that they will not be able to handle the fallout if he chooses to do so. It's quite telling that she's one of the few Equestrians to hold a relatively high rank in Starfleet. [[spoiler:Or so it seems at first glance.]]
112	* ILetGwenStacyDie: Unlike ''Starfleet Magic'', Twilight's death has such a great impact on Lightning Dawn to the point where he realizes just how horrible he was to her and her friends as well as how important friendship is.
113	* [[ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder I'm a Placeholder, Not a Doctor]]: When the other Sentinels tell Charlie to think of something to help Three in "Broken Birds", he replies, "I'm an electronic warfare specialist, not a doctor."
114	* IveHeardOfThatWhatIsIt: Pinkie Pie in response to Kitty Snap calling herself the "Friendship Bandit".
115	-->'''Pinkie Pie:''' Oh no, not the Frienship Bandit! Wait, who?\
116	'''Kitty Snap:''' You've never heard of the Friendship Bandit?\
117	'''Pinkie Pie:''' No. Although it does sound pretty terrible.
118	* ImpactSilhouette: One Delta makes a pony-shaped dent in a stone wall, courtesy of Maud Pie.
119	* ImpaledPalm: [[spoiler:Raven drives a knife through Bon Bon's palm up to the hilt and sticks her to a doorframe.]]
120	* InspirationalMartyr: [[spoiler:Princess Luna provokes Celesto into attacking and killing her on live TV so as to inspire the Equestrians into revolting against him and Starfleet.]]
121	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: One of Rainbow Dash's InUniverse criticisms about the ''[[ShowWithinAShow Starfleet Magic]]'' TV show is that it is StrictlyFormula.
122	-->One of Rainbow Dash's least favourite parts about the Starfleet show - on a cinematic level, anyway, there was a laundry list of things that annoyed to downright infuriated her about the show's character work - was the boilerplate scene in nearly every episode where the monster attacked and then the alarms went off and all the extras ran for the shelters before the shields went up in a piece of stock footage that got reused something like twenty times a season whether the action was supposed to be Canterlot or Ponyville or somewhere else altogether. After a while it just got so old.
123	* JustFollowingOrders: [[spoiler:In "Beyond the Stars", Admiral Fisher and Captain Plasma use this to justify shooting down the ''Princess Twilight Sparkle'', one of Starfleet's own ships, with its crew still on board. [[HeelRealization However, Plasma is unwilling to go through with it.]]]]
124	* KickTheDog: Starfleet and the Space Ponies show they're not the heroes they ([[ShowWithinAShow or their show]]) say they are with how often they belittle the Equestrians, sometimes doing it straight to their faces. It's not just the Equestrians, the Space Ponies are shown doing this to each other as well.
125	** Pinkie Pie mentions to Twilight that when she threw a party with Starfleet, she noticed that the Space Ponies weren't really enjoying themselves. She also talked about how Lightning Dawn, Starla Shine, and Rhymey were rolling their eyes at her and when she asked them why, Starla told Pinkie, to her face, "Isn't it about time you grew up and stopped bothering everyone with these childish parties?"
126	** Basically anytime Grand Ruler refuses to acknowledge that Leilani is his daughter because of her physical disabilities. Such as the time Celesto said that ''Starla'' was the closest thing he had to a daughter.
127	** Another one from Grand Ruler where he manages to kick Twilight, Sunset, and Celestia simultaneously when he tells Celestia that she has replaced Twilight with Sunset. As Celestia notes, it demeans Twilight to suggest that she could be replaced, it demeans Sunset to suggest that she is just a replacement for Twilight, [[RuleOfThree and it demeans Celestia to suggest that she would ever forget about Twilight and replace her]].
128	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
129	** A lot of the criticisms towards the ShowWithinAShow of ''Starfleet Magic'' and Starfleet mirror the real life criticisms of ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic''.
130	** Professor Brain being unable to see Pinkie Pie as anything else but immature is a jab at how Mykan is incapable of seeing the fact that characters are capable of having multiple sides to them.
131	** Buddy Rose ''finally'' manages to correct "Power of Fauna!" to "Power of Flora!"
132	* LetMeGetThisStraight: [[spoiler:In "The Last Couplet", Starlight Glimmer to Professor Brain about the Sentinel Project and subsequent rebellion from their creators:]]
133	-->[[spoiler:'''Starlight Glimmer:''' So, let me get this straight, Professor. You made a bunch of soulless abominations of nature, gave them powers greater than those of ordinary ponies - even ordinary space ponies, let's be clear on what we're talking about here - gave one of them the form and likeness of a dead mare who is considered a hero by many, and then you let them out. And then you found that you couldn't control them and, in fact, never could. And now the off-switch has broken. Is there anything that I have just said that is factually incorrect?]]
134	* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: It's heavily implied that [[spoiler:Raven is an assassin sent by Grand Ruler to kill Twilight, with her official backstory being a cover-up. This would also explain why Grand Ruler suspiciously ordered Starfleet to ''not'' try and apprehend her in the source material. Grand Ruler also plans to do this to the rest of the Elements of Harmony.]]
135	** A non-lethal example occurs with [[spoiler:Starlight handing Sunburst over to LaResistance, which is set up to look like an ambush.]]
136	* ManChild: Twilight describes the Space Ponies as having the minds and attitudes of children in a flashback in "Marching Orders".
137	* MeaningfulRename: At [[spoiler:Raven]]'s suggestion, Sentinel Three takes on the name Evenfall or Eve for short.
138	* AMillionIsAStatistic: [[spoiler:Starla is willing to throw away hundreds of Space Pony lives in pursuit of revenge against Twilight.]]
139	* MiniMecha: Lacking the genetic modifications and cybernetic implants of Starfleet, the zebras resort to twelve feet tall mechs to even the playing field. Most of them are {{Steampunk}}/{{Gearpunk}} mashups, but the SuperPrototype HANNIBAL is a more conventional mecha.
140	* TheMole: Sunset Shimmer, at the request of Princess Celestia.
141	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
142	** [[spoiler:Sunset Shimmer tells Sentinel Three to get out of her room and immediately regrets it, remembering when she did something similar in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsFriendshipGames'']].
143	** [[spoiler:Sentinel Three is horrified when one of the Sentinels kills Rhymey while trying to protect her from him.]]
144	%%* ANaziByAnyOtherName:
145	%%* NotQuiteDead:
146	* NonSequiturThud: One Delta is defeated in one punch by Maud Pie, resulting in this gem:
147	-->"That sweetroll is lying officer, I never stole it, ugggh." ''[falls unconscious]''
148	* ObliviousToHisOwnDescription: In "The Queen of Zebrica", a [[FantasticRacism Starfleet officer dismisses the zebras as arrogant]]. [[DeadpanSnarker Maud]] sarcastically remarks that it must be difficult dealing with people who "think they're so much better than you for no reason" to which the officer responds positively, [[SarcasmBlind thinking that Maud was agreeing with him]].
149	* OnlySaneMan: Cerise Wonder comes off as a lot more level-headed and reasonable than most Starfleet officers [[spoiler:and is one of the only ones to question Starfleet's lies instead of following them unconditionally]]. Starlight Glimmer counts as well [[spoiler:although she turns out to be TheStarscream]].
150	* PainfulTransformation: As mentioned above, Spike's "Dragon Power" upgrade.
151	* ParentalSubstitute: Applejack decides to be one for Spike.
152	* PercussiveMaintenance: A couple of hits were what was needed to get HANNIBAL up and running.
153	* PercussiveTherapy: Lightning Dawn works out on a punching bag in a vain attempt to block out his memories of Twilight and his treatment of her and her friends. When he tells himself that he should have died instead of her, he actually breaks the bag off its chains.
154	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Starfleet, or rather the Space Ponies in general.
155	* PosthumousCharacter: Guess.
156	* RageBreakingPoint: [[spoiler:After witnessing Luna's murder at the hands of Celesto, Celestia goes near-Daybreaker and attempts to incinerate every Space Pony she can find. Luckily, Leilani snaps her out of it.]]
157	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
158	** In "Prisoners", Lightning Dawn gives one to ''[[TalkingToThemself himself]]'', calling out his cruelty to Twilight and her friends and how he should be dead instead of Twilight. [[SurvivorsGuilt Lightning agrees]].
159	** In "What An Artist", Sunset Shimmer slips one into a conversation with [[spoiler:[[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu Grand Ruler]], calling him out for his tendency to abuse his power and kill people he doesn't agree with, and refusing to re-open the portal to the human world. This also lands her on Grand Ruler's hit list.]]
160	** In "Artie's Choice", Rainbow Dash gives a brief one to [[TautologicalTemplar Starla and Starfleet as a whole for acting like they're the heroes and the Equestrians are the villains when it was the Space Ponies who invaded Equestria and forced it under Starfleet's rule]].
161	-->"You... you come here, you take over our world, you trample everything we loved into the ground and we're the bad guys?"
162	* RecursiveFanfiction: A deconstruction of ''Starfleet Magic''.
163	* RetroUniverse: United Equestria displays much more advanced technology than how it was portrayed in ''Starfleet Magic'' (actually having starships for instance). The setting also incorporates several factors from the 1960s, particularly the hippie subculture as shown when ponies are protesting the war in Rangiveria. "Lost Love" has the daughter of a Starfleet officer mentioning ice cream shops and sock-hops.
164	* ShoutOut:
165	** In "What an Artist", Grand Ruler states that [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul Fratello]] cannot be redeemed, saying [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi "He is more machine now, than pony"]].
166	** [[spoiler:The ambush in "Promontory" is similar to the one from ''Film/TheLastOfTheMohicans''.]]
167	** [[spoiler:Grand Ruler kills Admiral Fisher for failing to destroy the ''Princess Twilight Sparkle'' though [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack he ''does'' accept his apology. He then has Captain Piett of the ''Executor'' promoted to Admiral]]. The author even admits that "Going full on Darth Vader with the Grand Ruler in the beginning was a lot of fun."]]
168	** [[spoiler:When Luna goads Celesto into dealing her several fatal blows in front of many cameras, she says, "Smile, your majesty. You’re on Series/CandidCamera."]]
169	** The [[BadassCreed oath]] Spike takes when receiving the Dragon Power is [[Film/{{Dragonheart}} The Old Code]].
170	** The ShowWithinAShow ''Starfleet Magic'' is mentioned to have undergone some changes ever since the new writers took over, including the introduction of [[FanFic/FallOfStarfleetRebirthOfFriendship two clones of Twilight]].
171	** [[spoiler:The Mane Five meeting Twilight Sparkle and the latter's supposed FaceHeelTurn is a direct reference to Blue Team meeting a Rampant Cortana in ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians''. The chapter title "Reunion" is also the same name of the level where said events occur.]]
172	** In "Gilded Hero", Lightning Dawn says some words to Starla Shine that mirror what [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003 Terra said to Beast Boy in]] [[Recap/TeenTitansS5E13ThingsChange "Things Change"]].
173	-->'''Lightning:''' Things change, Starla.\
174	...\
175	'''Lightning:''' Because the stallion that you loved is just a memory now.
176	** [[spoiler:Lightning using only a percentage of the [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Enitcorn]]'s power so he doesn't lose control is similar to [[Manga/MyHeroAcademia Deku]] using only a fraction of One For All so he doesn't break his body. Lightning's attacks even have similar names to the ones used by All Might and Deku.]]
177	* ShowWithinAShow: ''Starfleet Magic'' turns out to be a TV show retelling an embellished version of actual events InUniverse. [[FanFic/FallOfStarfleetRebirthOfFriendship It's apparently gotten a new writer who has made some serious revisions, such as portraying Starfleet in a less than favorable light (not that it's unjustified, mind you)]].
178	* SilentScapegoat: Lightning Dawn claims that he gave the order to dissolve Friendship is Magic. He didn't: it came from the Grand Ruler. Lightning said that simply to deflect their blame to himself.
179	* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:Here, Raven was taken in by Sunset Shimmer instead of being killed off by Celestia.]]
180	* TheStarscream: [[spoiler:Starlight Glimmer. Despite being a model Starfleet officer on the surface, she's secretly working to destabilize them for her own ends.]]
181	* StrangerInAFamiliarLand: Having been away when United Equestria was formed, Sunset Shimmer is the only pony who's not anthropomorphized.
182	* SurvivorsGuilt: Lightning Dawn suffers from this due to Twilight's death.
183	* TakeThat: This story as a whole is one to ''Starfleet Magic'' and to Mykan.
184	** Rainbow Dash has issues with Starfleet's visors in that they offer no protection for the eyes and pointlessly tell her if an [[Franchise/DragonBall enemy's power level]] [[MemeticMutation is over 9000]][[invoked]]. After all, it doesn't matter how strong an opponent is; if innocent lives are at stake, she will fight foes regardless of their power.
185	* TemptingFate: In "Face the Raven, Pt 2", Bon Bon assures Lyra and Moondancer that, since they've been told to stay in their homes instead of evacuate to the shelters, whatever set off the alarms must just be an accident, like a gas explosion, so things will be fine. Cue Moondancer's door blowing up.
186	* ThatManIsDead: Because of what happened in the BreakTheHaughty entry concerning Twilight's death, Lightning Dawn claims that who he used to be "died along with Twilight".
187	* ThereIsAnother: [[spoiler:Two Harmonians are rescued from pirates and they both recognize Lightning...]]
188	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: InUniverse. Grand Ruler's opinion of ''Starfleet Magic'' under its [[FanFic/FallOfStarfleetRebirthOfFriendship new writer]]. [[DeconstructionFic Probably because it is no longer pro-Starfleet propaganda and instead portrays Starfleet as horrible as they actually are]].
189	* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Major Hayward doesn't seem to notice that the caribou have him and his troops cornered and stubbornly clings to Starfleet's typical tactics even when it becomes abundantly clear that they are of no use.]]
190	* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: [[spoiler:The Sentinels towards Starfleet.]]
191	* UnderestimatingBadassery: The Space Ponies to every other species; they just don't seem to think it is possible that they could keep up with or even surpass Starfleet.
192	* UngratefulBastard: Lightning steps in to stop a few Starfleet members from harassing some Equestrians only for the latter to treat him with hostility when he tries to apologize for the Space Ponies' actions. Justified as the Equestrians have suffered from Starfleet's FantasticRacism (even Lightning used to behave this way until Twilight died) for some time and Lightning choosing to help now does not change that fact, automatically absolve him of his previous actions or make the Equestrians believe that his present actions are authentic.
193	%%* UnwittingRobotization:
194	* VirtueIsWeakness:
195	** Unlike the source material, Celesto and Starla believe that the virtues of friendship are weaknesses.
196	** Grand Ruler claims that "kindness, loyalty, and laughter" are all "flaws of a warrior" and should not be followed.
197	%%* WarIsHell:
198	* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Starlight Glimmer still clings to her vision of "a world without gods or princesses, a world where all stood equal and none was raised higher than anyone else". Here, however, she plans to do so by subverting Starfleet to her purposes, and genuinely believes that this is what's best for Equestria, even though it goes against everything Equestria stood for, and sees herself as [[DarkMessiah the savior Equestria needs]].]]
199	* WhamLine:
200	** In "Promotory", Inquiomerus drops this bombshell regarding who the caribou are working with.
201	--->'''Inguiomerus''': [[spoiler:[[JokerImmunity Lord Titan]] may not approve of that mare being allowed to live.]]
202	** In "Couples Therapy", [[spoiler:"Twilight Sparkle"/Evenfall]] says this line regarding her motivations.
203	--->[[spoiler:'''"Twilight"/Evenfall''': Behold. The Insecto Armada, the dark lord Titan's gift; the instrument for the destruction of Starfleet and the liberation of the galaxy.]]
204	* WhatWereYouThinking: Says Colonel Glimmer to Brain [[spoiler:about letting the clones out when shown public footage of Sentinel Three]].
205	%%* WingsDoNothing:
206	* TheWorfEffect: [[SuperStrength Maud Pie]] gets to be on both ends of this in short order: first she one-shots One Delta, the Sentinel [[InformedAbility close combat specialist]], in order to reinforce her badass credentials, before getting quickly taken out by Sentinel Two.
207	* WorldsSmallestViolin: {{Subverted\|Trope}}. Pinkie plays a violin while Kitty is telling her tragic {{backstory}}; Kitty notices and tells her to keep playing because she finds it fitting.
208	* {{Yandere}}:
209	** There really isn't a better word to describe how Rhymey treats Fluttershy.
210	** [[spoiler:Starla has become this after she and Lightning break up due to Lightning's feelings for Twilight. Starla goes so far as to hunt down and kill Eve, Twilight's clone, because of this.]]
211	* YouAreNumberSix: The Sentinels are referred to by version numbers rather than by actual names in order to deponyize them and remove their "weak" personality traits. Eve, for instance, is initially referred to as "Sentinel Three".
212	* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:Celesto blames Fisher for the ''Princess Twilight Sparkle'''s escape as he was the one who selected Plasma for the task of destroying it and subsequently snaps his neck.]]

Context Fanfic / MyBravePonyStarfleetNemesis