Line #53 NightmareFuel/CodexEquus


1	The world of ''Fanfic/CodexEquus'' isn't really a SugarBowl as one would think - while the setting is fundamentally optimistic, there are many things that could kill someone, both mortal and divine, and the world of Equestria and beyond is shaping up to be far more horrific than is depicted in canon.
2	----
3	[[foldercontrol]]
4
5	[[folder:Second Age (lore, nations, etc.)]]
6	* The 'Great Wars Era' of the 'Second Age' was a time of tribulation and turmoil as a whole for the world and Ponykind, seeing not just one, not two but MULTIPLE world wars between hostile superpowers and many, many smaller wars raging across Tellus/Equus; many an AlienInvasion from Mares, Venera and other worlds; Super-Villains, Mad Scientists, Diabolical Masterminds and Evil Geniuses running amok; giant monsters rampaging and leveling cities; ancient forgotten evils awakening to find a near-hapless world; vast, hidden and often squabbling conspiracies manipulating modern civilization from the shadows; [[WeaponsOfMassDestruction WMDs]] being fired with impunity just short of global, civilization-ending exchanges... It may had been the best of times in many ways, but in these aspects, it was most definitely the worst.
7	** Ace was horrified when he heard from Patch that thanks to the incredibly stringent anti-bullying laws that had came in place, partly as a result of so many nation-threatening renegades and super-villains having their origins as bullies or being bullied, that for picking on Teddy after discovering about his secret Teddy Bear, ''he could had been sent to the'' '''''asteroid belt'''''. While there are hints to suggest that Patch was only joking, historians in later Ages noted that this is not entirely out of character of the nation-states in that time, given the circumstances involved. Let that sink in for a moment: This is in the Federal Republic of Ponyland, Codexverse's CaptainErsatz of the United States of America, land of the free, home of the brave, and they were willing to do something like this to TEENAGERS. The implications are that things got SO BAD during the 'Great Wars Era' that a nation founded on principles of democracy, liberty and the rule of law was willing to resort to such EXTREME measures just to prevent new enemies and threats arising to terrorize the world. Bullying is wrong and horrible, but does this end justifies the means? Exiling KIDS to the cold depths of SPACE? It brings to mind [[ShoutOut the statement]]: "''[[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans Freedom at any cost]]'' - '''''[[NightmareFuel/RedAlert3Paradox INCLUDING HUMANITY]]'''''".
8	*** And the worst part: [[NecessarilyEvil do they have a]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo choice by that point?]]
9	[[/folder]]
10
11	[[folder:Fourth Age (lore, nations, etc.)]]
12	* "Calling the Terrors". In Deer society, it means that a place had fallen so deep into corruption and greed that even the gods had forsaken it, so they call in the four children of Temnobog to [[ApocalypseHow clean it up]]. Once all the good-hearted citizens are evacuated to safety, Temnobog would mark the sinful kingdom and its inhabitants with his "Black Sigil", allowing the Four Terrors to do their work. What happens is that they [[PlayingWithFire put up walls of black fire]] that prevent all attempts of escape and incinerates those who try, then they start torturing, devouring, killing, and destroying everything in sight. The souls of the condemned are dragged down to Temnobog's domain to be eternally punished, leaving behind ''absolutely nothing''. And the land ''stays that way'' for several generations, as a warning for what happens when mortals fall into sin. There's a reason why the Bogolenya pantheon treats the Four Terrors as an absolute last resort against corruption...
13	* When a group of Roedinian Clovenists went on a mining operation, they sent down a microphone down an oil well they drilled, intending to look for resources. Instead, they found they DugTooDeep when they ended up recording the tortured wails of the damned that came from one of Temnobog's hell-realms. It was understandable that they tried denying everything after that.
14	* The fate of Temnobog's "Forgotten Children". While not confirmed in-universe, it's implied that of the eight children he had with Ispita, four of them were severely punished - two of them sided with Ispita after she became an evil Fallen Goddess, and were devoured whole from Temnobog, since their betrayal meant they are unworthy of being his kids. The other two committed evils that were so heinous that they were [[{{Unperson}} stripped of their powers and identities]] and turned into eternal playthings for their siblings, the Four Terrors. While the punishments have good reason behind them, they're still quite harsh even by divine standards.
15	* In the Codexverse, the Changelings of the Summer and Winter Courts lives up to the legends of the Unseelie and remind readers in- and out-universe just why people feared TheFairFolk.
16	** The malevolent Summer Court are described as the dark and twisted reflection of the benevolent Spring Court. Imagine if you will that ''an entire civilization'' of subversive, militant conquerors exists hidden from the rest of the world, with all its hives and swarms ruled by a clan of ruthless, calculating and ambitious [[EvilOverlord tyrants]] the Changeling Kings, who are the [[SemiDivine demigod]] sons and grandsons of their ever scheming, deceitful and manipulative patriarch the Changeling Emperor. Imagine since time immemorial most of them had been secretly expanding their power and influence all over the world through subversion and conquest from the shadows, using whole civilizations and even gods as pawns in their inscrutable schemes and agendas, who think nothing of committing atrocities against non-Changelings or [[DecadentCourt even each other]] in their unfettered pursuit of power. Now imagine that they are also {{pragmatic\|Evil}} enough that they usually don't make the same mistakes as other {{Evil Overlord}}s, and plan and execute their plots meticulously, making it absurdly difficult for your average heroes to try and stop them - [[TheBadGuyWins and they usually succeeds]], or at least [[KarmaHoudini gets away with it]]. Now imagine their tendency to mete out FateWorseThanDeath or [[{{Unperson}} thoroughly erase]] those who oppose them, or just being in their way, or [[OhCrap even ''know'' their existence]].
17	*** And just to give you an idea of how dangerous and horrible these guys are, in revenge for the [[ItsPersonal 'Burning of Amorea']], these guys tried to wipe out Dragonkind - [[FinalSolution ALL of Dragonkind]] - in the 'Time of Broken Scales', and they ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu nearly did the job]]''. They [[NearVillainVictory came closer]] than any other race in recent history to [[BreakTheHaughty bringing the ENTIRE RACE to their knees]], where most heroes or realms can only hope to killing or even fighting just ONE average dragon and live to tell the tale. The fact that they used methods that ''[[EvenEvilHasStandards horrified]]'' even the most die-hard Dragon-hating racists comes off as trivial in comparison.
18	** And if the Summer Court is bad, the Winter Court somehow manages to be even WORSE. While smallest of the Four Changeling Courts and made up of condemned outcasts of their race, they are considered so vile and cruel that even the Summer Court are [[EvenEvilHasStandards thoroughly disgusted with them]].
19	** The creative cruelty of the Summer and Winter Courts towards other non-Changeling races are horribly impressive to behold. Take for example the Twistlings, those of other races whom were either taken or enslaved due to kidnapping or conquest and subsequently subjected to horrible abuses that twists them mind and body, all for the Unseelie Changelings' own ends. Noble, strong heroes who stood in their way are molded into ignoble, weak and deformed jesters and submissive pets; captured royals and nobles had their beauty unnaturally enhanced and brainwashed into delusional pleasure slaves; those condemned to menial labour had their minds dulled and strength augmented until they are stupid, hulking brutes; those made into BattleThralls are turned into living weapons who either act as programmed suicidal assassins to take out targets, or reduced to feral, AxCrazy maniacs charging ahead to die in droves ahead of Changeling troops. Disobedience and dissent could be punished by being turned into monsters while used as test subjects for twisted magical/scientific experiments, [[TakenForGranite turned into inanimate objects]], [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured to an inch of their lives]] and [[AndIMustScream then left in their mutilated state and prevented from dying by secret arts]], and worse. Those who somehow managed to escape are almost always [[WasOnceAMan little more than malformed shells of their former selves]].
20	*** [[FantasticRacism A Pony Tribalist]] [[TooDumbToLive made the mistake]] of [[BullyingADragon harassing a group of Summer Court Changelings]] walking pass a rally, calling them '[[FantasticSlurs Roaches]]' who deserve to be 'squashed' and even insulted their Royals. He was later [[BedlamHouse institutionalized]] after returning home one day to find [[OpenSecret someone]] had done... ''[[NothingIsScarier something]]'', to his family that led to him [[GoMadFromTheRevelation going mad from grief and horror]]. The entry '''[REDACTED]''' what that something is, but the implication is that whatever it was, it's considered so '''''HORRIFIC''''', the in-universe compilers of Codex Equus, which has uncensored entries with explicit details on war, genocide, discrimination, crimes against sapients and nature, evil-worshiping cults and other atrocities committed by sapient-kind, [[YouDoNotWantToKnow judge it completely unfit for any reader consumption]]. Even the Tribalists and other racists in that area [[EvenEvilHasStandards were]] [[HorrifyingTheHorror horrified]] enough that they [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain quietly]] [[KnowWhenToFoldEm dropped]] any anti-Changeling rhetoric from their manifestos.
21	* Meridia, which is basically Australia of the Codexverse, is shaping up to be ''the'' 'Deathland' to crown them all. The entry starts with this cheery line from someone who had been there:
22	--> '''Crazed Sole Survivor''' ([[DoomedExpedition Of an expedition]]): "It's death! IT'S DEATH!! ''IT'S DEAAAATH - !!!''"
23	** According to addendum information with the quote, half the fleet was sunk ''just getting there'', going through the 'Worm Seas', the 'Great Toxic Reef' and 'Predator's Coast' before making landfall. The remainder were wiped out in ''less than a week'' by [[EverythingTryingToKillYou a combination of extremely hostile weather, hyper-lethal wildlife, territorial indigenous inhabitants, highly virulent diseases]] and [[NothingIsScarier gods-knows what else]]. [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow Who knows how THAT guy survived at all]].
24	** The place has an official nickname, befitting its infamous status: The 'Nightmare Down Under'. Outside of heavily defended and quarantined safe-zones, the survival rate for a non-local, unprepared individual stands at no more than 20%, ''per day''. That's right, you are liable to being killed in a horrible fashion every 5 seconds. Even growing up to adulthood WITHIN the dubious safety of the safe-zones is considered 'an achievement'.
25	*** Some places are so lethal, survival rate is not measured in percentage, but in time - meaning you are almost certainly guaranteed to die horribly. And that's often in minutes, if not seconds, unless you get out or get rescued, and even that's more by luck than any effort on your or the rescuers' part.
26	** Particularly nasty Meridian lifeforms are described as 'Hyper-Aggressive' and 'Hyper-Lethal' on multiple occasions, and not without good reason.
27	*** It is stated that a vast majority of the plants, animals, fungi, microbes and such are poisonous, which is bad enough (60 out of the 100 most deadly mushroom on Equus, including 7 of the top 10, are from Meridia, and that's ''just'' the fungi), it is then clarified that poisonous or not, virtually all Meridian lifeforms are considered dangerous in one way or another, virtually inedible and more often then not out to eat you.
28	*** The Gutbuster Weed, for example, contains a toxin which starts a biochemical reaction inside the consumer's digestive tract within minutes of ingestion. Said reaction kills by ''dissolving the innards of the creature'' from the inside out.
29	*** Remember the Great Barrier Reef? In Meridia, you have the Great ''Toxic'' Reef. Virtually all the coral there are toxic, making the whole region one giant underwater death-zone, and species like the Poisonous Kelp and the Razor Coral stood out precisely because the latter is one of the few species of coral that ''isn't'' toxic (it's hard and sharp enough to cut through ''metal'' instead), while the former is one of the few non-coral lifeforms that could even ''survive'' there, ''and'' toxic enough to kill a ''sea-dragon'' in ''seconds''.
30	*** The Bonemelter Fungus is named such because it specializes in growing on skeletal remains of bone-plated animals. It does this by secreting a toxin which melts through bones, and those who ingested it are vividly described as end up being reduced to little more than [[FateWorseThanDeath hapless blobs of flesh and organs]] as their skeleton is melted to nothing.
31	*** The normal Dingo is apparently extinct since the Third Age. Instead, they have the Ripdingo, which is best described as 'a mouth with legs shaped like some mockery of a dog'. They're best summarized as agile, ravenous land piranhas with bites that could chew through steel and comes in packs that could ambush and reduce even large predators like the Banezard, which are basically giant monster lizards, to porch-marked bones.
32	*** The Worm Seas are named as such because of the huge swarms of saltwater Boring Worms that live there. These meat-loving carnivorous worms could bore their way through ship hulls and then into the flesh of those within. Whole crews and passengers die horribly as they are swarmed and devoured/infested by thousands, if not millions of worms even as their ships sink with sea-water pouring through thousands if not millions of tiny holes.
33	*** Valley Murder Spiders are spiders big as a Pony's head, hunts Birds-Of-Prey with giant hanging webs, and they have a poison which could start ''melting the flesh off your bones'' within seconds, though its primary way of killing you is by attacking your nervous system and cause such horrific full-body agony your heart eventually gives out. There's no cure - no one ever lived long enough to try one.
34	* If you live in Abyssinia pre-Coup, then prepare to live a hellish life. When they were leaders of the Abyssinian Pantheon, Zinabi and his consort, Fik'iri were really terrible people who made even worse leaders.
35	** Zinabi had an extreme HairTriggerTemper that would provoke him into smiting his worshipers for even small offenses. Once, while he was sleeping, his worshipers held a festival to honor their pantheon, which woke him up. Instead of being pleased with this devotion or just telling his worshipers to stop the noise, he ''created a flash flood that killed thousands of people in his rage''. His worshipers have to constantly bend themselves over backwards to please him, and if they pray to him for his services, they make an additional prayer for forgiveness in hopes that he wouldn't suddenly decide to smite them.
36	** Fik'iri was much worse - she's a fickle and selfish LoveGoddess who abused her power to have sex with any mortal she deemed attractive enough, and made loving couples break apart and fall in love with others out of spite, boredom, and/or amusement. When she tires of her lovers, she abandons them to a horrible fate, but ''god help you'' if you refuse her advances, as she believes that her divinity makes her entitled to anything she wants. Because of this, her worshipers have to cover their faces with veils so she wouldn't immediately be overcome with lust. She's also very spiteful and jealous towards those who earn more worshipers through their benevolence, and subjects them to horrible fates, such as verbal and physical abuse (Wibeti) and being betrayed to more malign forces (Tikuri). Her jealousy is such that she convinced Zinabi to abandon Abyssinia to the Storm King because [[DisproportionateRetribution she wanted to punish her people for not worshiping her enough]].
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	!!Characters
40
41	[[folder:Alraghba Malaka, the Sultanah of Wishes]]
42	Although she had a tragic backstory which revealed how the cruelty and selfishness of others had denied her happiness, caused her untold suffering and turned her into what she is today, being a sadistic divine genie tyrant who takes sadistic amusement in twisting selfish wishes to turn against their wishers in horrific ways, abuses her RealityWarper status to make whole lands and their people into her playpens and playthings, and derives power and pleasure from the countless beings she consumed to feed on their desires and torment them within her, Alraghba pushes the limits in just how terrible a JackassGenie could be with what they can do.
43	----
44	* Just her mere concept is terrifying. She leans closer to the more capricious and malevolent Djinns as they were originally conceived, taken up to eleven with her divinity; a sadistic JackassGenie tyrant goddess who uses her RealityWarper powers to not just twist people's dreaming wishes into nightmarish woes, but also toy with mortalkind by making whole lands and nations her playthings to sate her endless desires, with not even death being able to let one escape from her as she consumes all who fell into her tormenting grasp so she could feed on their desires and suffering forever.
45	** And the worst part was that she was the fruit of mortalkind's own folly: an innocent mare who only wished to escape misery and find happiness, but was denied all her desires and abused, exploited and broken by the cruelty and selfishness of others until she is twisted into a misanthropic monster who now want nothing better than to derive pleasure from making Sapientkind suffer for its selfish desires and cruelty once she became a dark genie goddess.
46	* During [[https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/891883225/4948161705 one]] of her tyrannical reigns, the people of a decadent and declining emirate [[TooDumbToLive approached her with a wish to live in splendor]] once more. Alraghba granted their wish by [[ExactWords literally]] [[ForcedTransformation transforming the entire emirate's population into living building materials]] and [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor making a palace and city of unparalleled splendor out of them]], which she would move into and rule from for the rest of that reign. She would leave her transformed victims [[FateWorseThanDeath to live on in silence and haplessness]], [[AndIMustScream unable to move or do anything else]] beyond being the bricks and stones of a monument to their own selfish folly, with Alraghba [[AbstractEater feeding on their desire to be freed]] and [[{{Sadist}} finding pleasure in their torment]].
47	* When she [[https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/891883225/4948248248 sensed]] a poor couple within her sphere of influence [[BaitTheDog wishing for their daughters to have enough to eat]], she was ready to [[PetTheDog actually grant them their wish without any negative consequences]]... until she sensed through her domain of desire their true intention to make sure their children live long and healthy enough to be sold into slavery so they themselves can escape poverty. The Sultanah of Wishes proceeded to give them a prolonged and particularly ''spectacular'' case of PayEvilUntoEvil instead. First, she twisted their wishes [[ForcedTransformation so they were turned into]] food themselves, [[{{Sadist}} sadistically]] making them [[ForcedToWatch watch]] and [[ToThePain feel it]] as their wish gradually and painfully transform their bodies into grain and cakes) Next, she gave them to their unaware daughters to dine on, allowing them to be painfully EatenAlive by their own children before she [[YourSoulIsMine devoured their souls]] to continue torturing and toying with them within her. Afterwards, she [[HappilyAdopted adopted their two starving daughters and raised them like her own daughters]], until they were old enough and proven worthy to be [[BecomingTheGenie made into powerful Genies themselves]] - beautiful, mighty, [[CorruptTheCutie depraved and cruel]] as she is but nevertheless [[UndyingLoyalty utterly dedicated]] to her. Finally, she revealed to them what truly happened to their parents, what their parents actually intended to do to them, and [[DoWithHimAsYouWill let them have their souls to do as they will]], resulting in their own outraged children devouring their parents' souls so they could continue torturing their parents within themselves for their own power and pleasure forever. Even ''Temnobog'' and his family were impressed.
48	--> '''Phykti, the Baroness of Pain:''' ... That is not just normal vindictive cruelty. That's ''sublime'' vindictive cruelty.
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Ardent Cadenza/Leastweasel]]
52	* Ardent is probably one of the most dangerous villains in the Codexverse as well as the most [[TragicVillain tragic]]. She was once a kind and benevolent healer who, in spite of being jealous of the Alicorn Princesses, truly wanted what was best for Equestria. But after becoming slowly corrupted by the very disease she expunged from ponies, along with some personal tragedies and finding out about her [[SacrificialLamb fate]], she snapped and became a vengeful demonic force that seeks to start a war with Equestria and whatever faction she seemingly serves and then kill Twilight and her friends to spite the princesses and then encase the world in darkness and despair as payback [[WoobieDestroyerOFWorlds for all of her suffering]].
53	* Her condition, along with the other victims of the plague, are quite disturbing in of itself. Some of the victims have been described as turning into something that barely looked pony and, when Ardent tried healing some of The Storm King's forces for him, she accidentally infects them with that very plague, turning them into beasts that were weaponized in desperation due to the Storm Empire losing the war. Now that she snapped and lost all semblance of a moral compass, what's stopping her from infecting others with her plague?
54	* The Tree of Harmony telling her that it was her destiny to be destroyed by the Elements of Harmony. To say Ardent [[GoMadFromTheRevelation didn't take the revelation that she will be killed by Princess Celestia's protégé lightly]] would be an understatement.
55	-->'''Ardent:''' So I'm not the saviour of Ponykind, but its [[SacrificialLamb sacrificial lamb]]. Born only to die by the hoof of the heir apparent of some-pony who had everything handed to her. That is the fate the gods have CHOSEN to bestow upon me?!
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	%%[[folder:Crystal Prism]]
59	%%[[/folder]]
60
61	%%[[folder:Golden Scepter, the Radiant Emperor of Ponykind]]
62	%%[[/folder]]
63
64	%%[[folder:Grey Hoof]]
65	%%[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:High King Irminsul, Father of All Deerkind]]
68	* Mixed with TearJerker, High King Irminsul shows that even good deities can become horrible people given the right circumstances and environment. While ultimately well-meaning, he was extremely biased against anything he considered "evil", and hated himself for not being able to get rid of his own flaws. When he tried purging the then-unborn Belyolen of his flaws, he was horrified to discover he ended up creating Temnobog instead and emotionally abused him for being born, believing his younger son was evil incarnate. He didn't know (or care) that Temnobog had ''never'' done anything evil to him or anyone else, and [[SelfFulfillingProphecy only became an evil god for a time because of his family treating him as evil]].
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	%%[[folder:Midnight Bell]]
72	%%[[/folder]]
73
74	%%[[folder:Mitta, the Light of Everfree]]
75	%%[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Noble Grace]]
78	* Noble Grace shows through her actions and behavior just how ''dangerous'' a VillainWithGoodPublicity can be in the Codexverse. She's a very affable, kind, and maternal teacher who genuinely believed in both her students and Ponykind's inner potential for greatness, to the point where she saw nothing wrong with joining the Alicorn Ascendancy and performing unethical experiments on young foals and teenagers who showed great promise and talent in order to discover the secrets of divine Ascension. Despite being known for testing her students and encouraging them to rise above their current capabilities, she is ultimately nothing more than a manipulative and insidious hypocrite who uses her lovable demeanor to persuade those same students into participating in her experiments for the greater good, making them believe that whatever she's doing to them would come out good in the end, even though it's likely they wouldn't survive in the process. Noble Grace also believes so strongly in convictions that when called out on her actions and hypocrisy, her personality does a complete 180 and she becomes snippy and condescending, even angry. She was so highly regarded in public that no one, not even the families of her students she experimented on, realized the mental and moral bankruptcy of her character until one filly, Scarlet Bell, noticed that something was off and decided to confront her. ''Alone''. [[BrokenPedestal Is it any wonder that Scarlet Bell came out scarred and traumatized afterwards]]?
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Poena, the Mistress of Punishment]]
82	* Poena is, for the lack of a better term, a fanatic. Spawned originally as an ethereal Tulpa from vindictive desires of justice of downtrodden subjects of a corrupt kingdom, Poena is filled with an obsession to purge Evil no matter how small and enforce justice no matter how difficult.
83	* She believes pity or compassion weakens the forces of justice and that even mercy to the smallest evils is dangerous as they can become seeds from which even worse evils and with it all the destruction and suffering they cause would grow. Later drabbles and entries quickly shows how easily this merciless mindset could become twisted as Poena and Poenans attack even children who showed the mere possibility of becoming great evils and went after those who while once villainous had repented their ways believing they can never make up for what they did.
84	* Despite being hardline and abrasive, the fact that Poena remains VERY effective in battling evil and real/perceived failures of older deities in stopping evil on Equus had led to her accumulating a growing following of similarly hotheaded young deities who had come to her mindset, and the Poenan Pantheon she forms is achieving growing influence as a result which might lead justice down a darker and ever more extreme path if allowed to grow.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Prince Fanged Paw, the Savage Wolf]]
88	While he's undoubtedly a heroic and benevolent individual who's [[AdaptationalNiceGuy much nicer]] than his character inspiration, [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Primarch Leman Russ]], Prince Fanged Paw proves that he can still be terrifying in his own way.
89	----
90	* It's mentioned in Fanged Paw's entry that his [[TheBeastmaster animal-controlling abilities]] make him an absolute ''nightmare'' on the battlefield, especially in forested areas - with [[TheEmpath empathy]], he can tame even the most dangerous monsters, and with {{Telepathy}}, he can communicate with any animal and "possess" them by forging {{Psychic Link}}s with them, allowing him to see and hear things from their view. This essentially means that he can be ''anywhere'', listening to every word you say and watching every action you make, even if he's not physically there. As far as Fanged Paw is concerned, the entire forest is his playground. ''[[ParanoiaFuel Nowhere is safe]]''.
91	** In addition, his entry notes that Fanged Paw is ''very'' good at psychological warfare. His ''modus operandi'' consists of him using in-depth knowledge of the terrain and his animal-controlling abilities mentioned above to stalk his enemies like a predator, gradually unnerving them as they start feeling like they're being followed. However, his enemies don't even know that they're followed by him, because Fanged Paw can use his voice to mask his presence by mimicking various beasts and other wildlife, which has the consequence of wearing down their sanity even further. Once his enemies have been pushed to their absolute breaking point, Fanged Paw will suddenly emerge and utterly decimate them, taking the opposing side completely by surprise and causing the survivors to retreat in such a broken and disorderly fashion that they are left easy pickings for his allies and brothers. It's a good thing that Fanged Paw is a benevolent WarriorPrince and on the heroes' side...
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	%%[[folder:Prince Red Blade, the Master of Wrath]]
95	%%[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Prince Steel Barricade, the Unbreakable Architect]]
98	* Steel Barricade's entry showcases two incidents where the tropes of UnstoppableRage and NoHoldsBarredBeatdown are ''utterly'' deconstructed, showing them to be just as horrific and nightmarish as they would be if someone were to try them in real life.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Princess Luna, the Nightbringer]]
102	* In a canonized drabble, Luna demonstrates that while genuinely noble and benevolent, a GoodIsNotNice UnscrupulousHero with the best of intentions could lead to some terrifying places, especially one with a more pragmatic mindset. What is her preferred solution to [[DecadentCourt the foolish, corrupt and reactionary nobility]] holding Equestria back? ''[[ThePurge A good 'old-fashioned' PURGE]]''.
103	** And the worst part? Later events proves that ''[[TheExtremistWasRight she was RIGHT]]''.
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	%%[[folder:Rosy Dreams]]
107	%%[[/folder]]
108
109	%%[[folder:Ruby Heart, the Confessor/Redeemer]]
110	%%[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Scarlet Bell, the Whistleblower]]
113	* Mixed with TearJerker, Scarlet Bell's life has been pure Adult Fear since foalhood.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	%%[[folder:Silver Bane, the Dark Hunter]]
117	%%[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Surtr Muspelheim, the Swarthy One]]
120	Unlike his mythical portrayal in real life, the Codexverse portrayal of Surtr Muspelheim is far, ''far'' worse. Namely, what happens if the mythical Surtr's characterization as a CardCarryingVillain, and took it to its most extremely horrific conclusion.
121	----
122	* Surtr's Codexverse characterization is this: A [[LackOfEmpathy remorseless]], {{sadist}}ic and [[OmnicidalManiac destructively]] {{psychopathic\|Manchild}} [[OurGiantsAreDifferent Fire Jotunn]] [[PhysicalGod Divine]], which does not even remotely SCRATCH the surface of what horrors and atrocities he had been up to.
123	** To emphasize: The Fire Jotunns have many {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s among their ranks from what we know so far. And [[EvenEvilHasStandards even they are horrified and disgusted with Surtr]] by the present day. And he has completely NO excuse nor restrain for any of it.
124	** Surtr started out with a compulsion to destroy like all Fire Jotunn mortals and gods, but his desire for destruction eventually developed into [[DescentIntoAddiction an uncontrollable addiction]], and his dark urges went to increasingly monstrous extremes and develop into full-blown sadism, [[ForTheEvulz his cruelty, lust and hunger]] growing beyond even what [[EvenEvilHasStandards his parents and people could tolerate]], leading to his exile. Even BEFORE he became part of the Ragnarok Cycle, he was already a monster among monsters, laying waste to hundreds of lands and their gods just to feed his desire to destroy. [[FromBadToWorse And it all only got WORSE after he joined forces]] [[AncientConspiracy with the Shadowed Ones to manipulate Ragnarok]].
125	** One of the highlights of his destructive sadism is that he not only indulges his cruelty and hunger on victims he captured, he also indulges in his lust on them, making him a SerialRapist, and that itself is notable for just how extreme it is in both his motives and scale. Surtr not only forces himself on [[SexSlave captive surviving goddesses]] of each Cervidian Pantheon and [[BadBoss his own subjects]], he also [[VillainousIncest have his way with]] [[ChildByRape any children they produce]], then [[SerialEscalation any GRAND-children they produce]], and so forth. And the reason he does all this? On top of [[TheHedonist pleasuring himself]], he also [[WeHaveReserves have more gods and demigods]] between each Ragnarok for him to [[{{Sadist}} torture]], [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil violate]] and ultimately [[GodEating consume]]. He also has his subjects [[BreedingSlave breed with his captive divines or force them to mate with each other]] [[PeopleFarms for the same reasons]]. [[EveryoneHasStandards Everyone was quite horrified]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards when they found out]].
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Queen Dark Crystal, the Grand Matron of All Witches]]
129
130	* Queen Dark Crystal is an abomination of pure evil capable of destroying the world ''by herself''. Made more frightening is her main enemies are a group of young children, [[spoiler:whom [[WouldHurtAChild she outright KILLED]] and [[SwallowedWhole ABSORBED into herself]] at the climatic final battle, [[BackFromTheDead even if it's only temporary]]]]. Notably, the writer who created Dark Crystal outright admits to being unnerved and terrified of her.
131	* The very implications of her existence is existential terror at its finest. With the likes of Cthulhu and other EldritchAbomination entities in Lovecraftian horror fiction, we at least get some cold comfort from the fact that at the end of the day, they are just aliens, their 'evil' utterly incomprehensible and otherworldly, with no relations to earthly, mortal existence. But Queen Dark Crystal? Her evil and the horrific implications of what she represents is similar to that of the [[GodOfEvil Chaos]] [[CosmicHorrorStory Gods]] and [[LegionsOfHell their Daemons]] from ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': she was created to not only be the Ultimate Witch, but a literal vessel and an embodiment for all thinking beings' capacity for immorality and sin. Her evil is VERY comprehensible and earthly in origins, because it comes from the ''nature of Ponykind/Sapientkind itself''. If it's in her nature to be so utterly, monstrously evil, '''''[[HumansAreTheRealMonsters what does that say about sapientkind?]]'''''
132	* Her true form is an utterly horrific EldritchAbomination which is maddening just to ''look at'', let alone fight.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Iniquitous, Vicearch of the Malrègnar Empire]]
136	* Her entire concept is terrifying, rivaling that of Queen Dark Crystal yet uniquely horrific in her own right. Let's start from the fact that she is essentially an EvilOverlord turn GodOfEvil who had '''''WON''''', becoming the sovereign and goddess of an ascendant evil empire who had reigned for ''millennia'' - a reign that is repeatedly emphasized to be unchallenged and absolute. And as more we learn about her, we are left with the realization that this does not even BEGIN to describe [[TheDreaded just how dangerous and nightmarish she really is]].
137	* The [[CruelAndUnusualDeath horrific]] [[FateWorseThanDeath fates]] of the 'Nameless Fool' and the Old Malrègnarian Pantheon at the hooves of Iniquitous in her backstory. It had been observed by readers that the ways Iniquitous dealt with them all on her ascension to absolute power reminds them there is a REASON why Iniquitous is the BigBad VillainProtagonist in her story, [[EvilerThanThou being more dangerous and malevolent]] even when the former is a CardCarryingVillain GodOfEvil and the latter are a bunch of JerkassGods.
138	* How Iniquitous destroyed Highhaven, the greatest holy city of the Old Malrègnarian Pantheon in the mortal lands of Malrègnar, after she dealt with the Old Malrègnarian Pantheon is flat-out apocalyptic in its execution. Nothing demonstrates the contempt, cruelty and cunning of the dark goddess in that single masterstroke than to tear open the planes to show the burning, ransacked and utterly ruined palace-city of the Old Malrègnarian Pantheon before their horrified worshippers, then [[ColonyDrop drop it right]] on top of them. Even the {{Evil Overlord}}s that Iniquitous' brother arranged to observe the beginning of Iniquitous' penultimate conquests of Malrègnar, were shocked and horrified beyond measure, and were all subsequently cowed into submitting to her will.
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	[[folder:Valefor, the Dark Dragon]]
142
143	* The Mountain King refused to join Valefor...so Valefor killed him and condemned him to a corrupted, cursed existence before sending Cinder to turn his kingdom into her personal fortress and him into her palace's enslaved bodyguard.
144
145	[[/folder]]
146
147	!!Events
148	%%[[folder:The Storm King Crisis]]
149	%%[[/folder]]
150
151	%%[[folder:The Revenge of Apertus]]
152	%%[[/folder]]
153
154	%%[[folder:Dr. Toxikon Crisis]]
155	%%[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Final Ragnarok]]
158	* All of the [[AncientEvil Shadowed Ones]] are [[EldritchAbomination shadow-shrouded horrors]] who are so terrifying in appearance and demeanor that a few mortals who saw them ''literally'' '''''died''''' ''from shock and horror'' when they were exposed for all to behold.
159	* Surtr, one of the Shadowed Ones' most powerful and dreaded allies, is such a juggernaut of an opponent that the battle-group - composed of some of the most powerful Giant/non-Giant gods, demigods and champions around Equus - sent to hold him off and defeat him, despite having numbers, preparations and surprise on their side, was nearly wiped out on several occasions in horrific fashions. The sheer durability of his body and armour NoSell powerful attacks from Giant deities which could ''level kingdoms'', while he tore into them with sword, flames and destructive powers that one-shot multiple gods and demigods. Let that sink in - in a world where it is explicitly stated gods are ''[[NighInvulnerability incredibly]]'' hard to kill even by each other, he was ''[[CurbstompBattle slaughtering]]'' them with ease. There is a reason why he was TheDreaded to rival [[BigBad Ragnarøkkr]] himself.
160	** Surtr had singled out Astrid Titanna, designated leader of the battle-group, for his own brand of '[[FateWorseThanDeath tender-mercies]]'. He gloated in the exchange just before the battle that he hadn't 'tasted one of his peers' in 'more ways than one' for quite a while - all but hinting what [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty he intend]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil to do]] [[SexSlave with her]] if he have her in his non-existent mercy. After Astrid [[BerserkButton enraged him]] by calling him a coward and the battle began, he added ColdBloodedTorture on his list, cutting into her shoulder with his great sword while standing over and pinning her down after [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown savagely-wounding her]]. All this reminds us just what sort of depraved and sadistic monster Surtr is.
161	--> '''Surtr:''' [Cutting into her shoulder and hissing in her ears] "Come on then, little frost doe, [[{{Sadist}} squeal for me]]…"
162	[[/folder]]
163
164	%%[[folder:Temptation Unbound]]
165	%%[[/folder]]
166
167	%%[[folder:The Giant Wars]]
168	%%[[/folder]]
169
170	%%[[folder:Wrath of the Dragon]]
171	%%[[/folder]]
172
173	[[folder:Council of Hoofington]]
174	* In the Council of Hoofington, where the subject of [[ArtificialIntelligence Synthetic Automatons]] is debated. One of the points raised by the proponents of a total BanOnAI is a pattern that had been observed through Known History and before: for some inexplicable reason, ''every'' series of Synthetic Automatons ever created, be they magical or technological, [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters turned against organic sapientkind]] whether individually, in groups or in totality, sometimes [[ParanoiaFuel virtually without warning]] and regardless of all safeguards in place, [[EtTuBrute even respectful treatment]]. The Nightmare Fuel stems from their motives: many if not most of them observe existence and their creators with pure objectivity and cold logic by design, and regardless of variation in details, many if not virtually all of them would consistently come down to the same conclusion: '''''"Organic Sapientkind are a threat that MUST be controlled or exterminated"'''''. The implications are that there is ''something'' about the nature of Ponykind and every other organic races on Equus and beyond, something so fundamentally WRONG that ''[[HorrifyingTheHorror horrified]]'', disgusted or [[FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence otherwise filled AIs with such concern and apprehension that they almost always inevitably concluded that their Organics masters MUST be wiped out]], for the sake of preserving their own existence if not the wider universe. [[NothingIsScarier One can only shudder to imagine what it could possibly be]], for machines and constructs to believe controlling or [[KillAllHumans wiping out all Organic sapient life]] like that is the most ''logical'' and ''sensible'' thing to do...
175	[[/folder]]
176
177	[[folder:Angel Vale Timeloop]]
178
179	* Each of Shining Dove's friend get [[PastLifeMemories extremely vivid visions]] of how they died in previous loops:
180	** Tere's is the least horrible, but still nasty: he has a vision of rushing through the door to Razorbill's hideout, setting off a bomb trap that blows him to bits. He's understandably shaken, having ''felt'' it, and instantly thanks Dove for seeing the trap.
181	** Aerri tries to defend herself against Razorbill, but after being wounded in one arm is impaled through the throat with Draig Gwaed before the killer rips it out the side. He then departs, leaving her to drown in her own blood and bleed out as she is terrified to die alone. When she snaps out of the vision, Aerri is left shaking and clutching her throat.
182	** Rongoa hangs himself in his apartment...but the fall he sets up fails to break his neck, resulting in him slowly strangling to death. He snaps back to reality, choking and gasping for breath, and begins to sob.
183	** Sakit is pinned underneath a falling shelf underwater, frantically beating away at it in a desperate bid for help, crying into the water as they realize no one will likely ever find them as they drown. When they snap back to reality, they're trying to cough up water that was never in their lungs to begin with (in this loop, anyway).
184	** Edel's wing gives out mid stunt, resulting in her landing full force in such a way that her neck is broken and she's almost broken in half. She then spends the last moments of her life terrified as she bleeds to death from internal bleeding, [[AndIMustScream unable to even speak]]. When present Edel snaps out of it, her whole body feels numb and she can still taste her own blood filling her mouth.
185	[[/folder]]
186
187	%%[folder:Angel Vale Retcons]]
188	%%[[/folder]]
189
190	[[folder:The Draconic Reformations]]
191
192	* The awakening of Glaurung, the Ashen Devastation and Ancalagon, the Primal Inferno, which carries a sense of existential dread building up to the Heralds of Extinction emerging in full.
193
194	[[/folder]]
195
196	[[folder:The Darkest Hour Crisis]]
197
198	* The Darkness, a sky-covering incorporal EldritchAbomination created from the collective darkness of the entire Ancients race combined with a dark place of reality akin to the Well of Shade. Worse yet? It's [[DumbassNoMore become sapient]], now possessing a calculating malevolence despite remaining incomprehensible.
199	[[/folder]]
200
201	!!Stories
202	%%[[folder:Codex Quest(s)]]
203	%%[[/folder]]
204
205	[[folder:A Knight's Wisdom]]
206	* Terra Firma blanks-out mid-battle, instinctively knowing the terrorists she's battling have more forces nearby...to find a medical tent and a cowering nurse, much to her shock...then she realizes her ''mouth is watering''. The horror of how close she came to eating an unarmed medic alive is enough to make her shrink to normal size and bolt away. Especially horrific when Terra was largely ''non-lethal'' for much of the battle: her Giant instincts are ''that'' strong, and she struggles with them ''constantly''.
207	--> '''Terra Firma:''' “T-Today, in the battle, I lost control. It was like I wasn't thinking like me. I sensed there were more of those terrorists somewhere, and I stomped off after them; all I could think about was to ‘punish’ them. I found one of the terrorists’ medics. Even if she was one of them, she's unarmed; off limits. She was cowering on the floor, like I was some kind of monster. And…I realized I was drooling like a filly in a candy store.”
208	* As awesome as it was, and they [[AssholeVictim had it coming]], Delightful Clarity's rampage against the terrorists was a thorough MookHorrorShow. Dozens get stomped and incinerated in seconds, and she casually ''eats'' two helicopter pilots then resumes her attack like nothing happened. A clear reminder that, chivalrous and upstanding as she is, Delightful has wholeheartedly embraced being a Giant and all that comes with it.
209	[[/folder]]

Context NightmareFuel / CodexEquus