Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Not So Different has been renamed, and it needs to be dewicked/moved
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* NotSoDifferent: When Celestia meets [[spoiler:Discord]] for the second time in Act II, he reveals that he [[spoiler: was once a unicorn like her]], but was driven to accept the power of dark magic when his whole family was killed in a meteorite strike. Over time, the dark power consumed him, turning him into the creature he is today.
to:
* NotSoDifferent: NotSoDifferentRemark: When Celestia meets [[spoiler:Discord]] for the second time in Act II, he reveals that he [[spoiler: was once a unicorn like her]], but was driven to accept the power of dark magic when his whole family was killed in a meteorite strike. Over time, the dark power consumed him, turning him into the creature he is today.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
* RomanticismVsEnlightenment: The conflict between The Emperor (Enlightenment) and the citizens of Equestria (Romanticism) is clearly one of these. The Emperor favors a completely technology-driven society, built on the principles of mechanization and a rigid social structure. The inherent ideals of the ponies instead favor a more communal and friendly society.
to:
* RomanticismVsEnlightenment: RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: The conflict between The Emperor (Enlightenment) and the citizens of Equestria (Romanticism) is clearly one of these. The Emperor favors a completely technology-driven society, built on the principles of mechanization and a rigid social structure. The inherent ideals of the ponies instead favor a more communal and friendly society.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Reboot is a disambig.
Changed line(s) 12,13 (click to see context) from:
The stories have undergone a major {{Reboot}} and continue to be tweaked pending full publication. Act I (the only "current" piece) is available both on [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/64073/sun-moon-act-i-ascending-star FIMfiction]] and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8497214/1/Legends-of-Equestria-Act-I-Ascending-Star Fanfiction.net]], the latter site also containing [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8500169/1/The-First-Equestrian-Civil-War the previous incarnation of Act II]].
to:
The stories have undergone a major {{Reboot}} ContinuityReboot and continue to be tweaked pending full publication. Act I (the only "current" piece) is available both on [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/64073/sun-moon-act-i-ascending-star FIMfiction]] and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8497214/1/Legends-of-Equestria-Act-I-Ascending-Star Fanfiction.net]], the latter site also containing [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8500169/1/The-First-Equestrian-Civil-War the previous incarnation of Act II]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* LesCollaborateurs: ''Ascending Star'' presents the so-called sham court: ponies that recognized Discord as the rightful King of Equestria in exchange for marginally better living conditions. Seeking his favor, they send spies throughout the population in an attempt to find the leaders of LaResistance.
Deleted line(s) 23 (click to see context) :
* LesCollaborateurs: ''Ascending Star'' presents the so-called sham court: ponies that recognized Discord as the rightful King of Equestria in exchange for marginally better living conditions. Seeking his favor, they send spies throughout the population in an attempt to find the leaders of LaResistance.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 30 (click to see context) from:
* ScienceIsBad: one of the antagonists of Act I is a mechanical genius who uses his talents to invent new forms of weaponry and munitions.
to:
* ScienceIsBad: one One of the antagonists of Act I is a mechanical genius who uses his talents to invent new forms of weaponry and munitions.
Changed line(s) 34 (click to see context) from:
* AerithAndBob: a reason is offered as to why some ponies have regular generic names while others have names indicative of their special talents. Since ponies are named at birth but don't receive cutie marks until they come of age, there is just as much chance of the name turning out completely wrong as there is of it lining up right. Since the fallout is potentially very embarrassing, some parents choose not to take the risk and use generic names instead.
to:
* AerithAndBob: a A reason is offered as to why some ponies have regular generic names while others have names indicative of their special talents. Since ponies are named at birth but don't receive cutie marks until they come of age, there is just as much chance of the name turning out completely wrong as there is of it lining up right. Since the fallout is potentially very embarrassing, some parents choose not to take the risk and use generic names instead.
Changed line(s) 36,37 (click to see context) from:
* BreadAndCircuses: the kingdom that Celestia has built by the end of Act II comes to resemble this, by using weather control to establish a stable food supply and [[spoiler: her cutie mark spell]] to nudge ponies into lives that make them happy.
* ConflictingLoyalty: comes out in a big way with Princess Luna in Act II, when she and Celestia agree to split responsibility for the country between day and night after the disastrous [[spoiler: Battle of Ponyville]]. Luna swore undying personal loyalty to her sister but cannot stand idly while the freedom she fought for is destroyed by Celestia's dictatorial governance.
* ConflictingLoyalty: comes out in a big way with Princess Luna in Act II, when she and Celestia agree to split responsibility for the country between day and night after the disastrous [[spoiler: Battle of Ponyville]]. Luna swore undying personal loyalty to her sister but cannot stand idly while the freedom she fought for is destroyed by Celestia's dictatorial governance.
to:
* BreadAndCircuses: the The kingdom that Celestia has built by the end of Act II comes to resemble this, by using weather control to establish a stable food supply and [[spoiler: her cutie mark spell]] to nudge ponies into lives that make them happy.
* ConflictingLoyalty:comes Comes out in a big way with Princess Luna in Act II, when she and Celestia agree to split responsibility for the country between day and night after the disastrous [[spoiler: Battle of Ponyville]]. Luna swore undying personal loyalty to her sister but cannot stand idly while the freedom she fought for is destroyed by Celestia's dictatorial governance.
* ConflictingLoyalty:
Changed line(s) 43,44 (click to see context) from:
* NotSoDifferent: when Celestia meets [[spoiler:Discord]] for the second time in Act II, he reveals that he [[spoiler: was once a unicorn like her]], but was driven to accept the power of dark magic when his whole family was killed in a meteorite strike. Over time, the dark power consumed him, turning him into the creature he is today.
* RomanticismVsEnlightenment: the conflict between The Emperor (Enlightenment) and the citizens of Equestria (Romanticism) is clearly one of these. The Emperor favors a completely technology-driven society, built on the principles of mechanization and a rigid social structure. The inherent ideals of the ponies instead favor a more communal and friendly society.
* RomanticismVsEnlightenment: the conflict between The Emperor (Enlightenment) and the citizens of Equestria (Romanticism) is clearly one of these. The Emperor favors a completely technology-driven society, built on the principles of mechanization and a rigid social structure. The inherent ideals of the ponies instead favor a more communal and friendly society.
to:
* NotSoDifferent: when When Celestia meets [[spoiler:Discord]] for the second time in Act II, he reveals that he [[spoiler: was once a unicorn like her]], but was driven to accept the power of dark magic when his whole family was killed in a meteorite strike. Over time, the dark power consumed him, turning him into the creature he is today.
* RomanticismVsEnlightenment:the The conflict between The Emperor (Enlightenment) and the citizens of Equestria (Romanticism) is clearly one of these. The Emperor favors a completely technology-driven society, built on the principles of mechanization and a rigid social structure. The inherent ideals of the ponies instead favor a more communal and friendly society.
* RomanticismVsEnlightenment:
Changed line(s) 46,47 (click to see context) from:
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: happens once in Act I when Celestia goes to get her revenge on Seraph, after he [[spoiler: tries to kill her and assume the throne]]. All it takes is one look for everyone else to realize that she does '''not''' want help.
* TheCorruption: the unnatural blending of [[spoiler: light and dark magic that is Celestia's cutie mark spell]] functions this way for the Everfree forest, slowly twisting it from a beautiful, peaceful place into the corrupted strangeness that it exhibits in the present. It doesn't help Celestia's psyche either.
* TheCorruption: the unnatural blending of [[spoiler: light and dark magic that is Celestia's cutie mark spell]] functions this way for the Everfree forest, slowly twisting it from a beautiful, peaceful place into the corrupted strangeness that it exhibits in the present. It doesn't help Celestia's psyche either.
to:
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: happens Happens once in Act I when Celestia goes to get her revenge on Seraph, after he [[spoiler: tries to kill her and assume the throne]]. All it takes is one look for everyone else to realize that she does '''not''' want help.
* TheCorruption:the The unnatural blending of [[spoiler: light and dark magic that is Celestia's cutie mark spell]] functions this way for the Everfree forest, slowly twisting it from a beautiful, peaceful place into the corrupted strangeness that it exhibits in the present. It doesn't help Celestia's psyche either.
* TheCorruption:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 35 (click to see context) from:
* BigBad: The Emperor, leader of a highly advanced race of lizard-like creatures and also supreme ruler of a planet-wide empire, of which Equestria is "but a speck". He would prefer that Equestria function like a normal province instead of like a secluded protectorate, and eternally threatens to force Celestia to accept his technology. In Acts I & II (as far as the story was published), however, he has all of two scenes and looms more as a BiggerBad, with Seraph taking the role instead for Act I and ultimately [[spoiler:[[VillainProtagonist Celestia]]]] for Act II.
to:
* BigBad: The Emperor, leader of a highly advanced race of lizard-like creatures and also supreme ruler of a planet-wide empire, of which Equestria is "but a speck". He would prefer that Equestria function like a normal province instead of like a secluded protectorate, and eternally threatens to force Celestia to accept his technology. In Acts I & II (as far as the story was published), however, he has all of two scenes and looms more as a BiggerBad, GreaterScopeVillain, with Seraph taking the role instead for Act I and ultimately [[spoiler:[[VillainProtagonist Celestia]]]] for Act II.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* FallenHero: Here, the hero who falls is [[spoiler:Princess Celestia]], whose FatalFlaw is her supreme confidence and pride. When faced with the decision to either admit her failures or continue on her path, she invariably chooses to continue doing things her way. During The First Equestrian Civil War, this eventually leads to her [[spoiler: destroying the entire town of Ponyville to teach ponies that revolution is futile]].
Deleted line(s) 40 (click to see context) :
* FallenHero: Here, the hero who falls is [[spoiler:Princess Celestia]], whose FatalFlaw is her supreme confidence and pride. When faced with the decision to either admit her failures or continue on her path, she invariably chooses to continue doing things her way. During The First Equestrian Civil War, this eventually leads to her [[spoiler: destroying the entire town of Ponyville to teach ponies that revolution is futile]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* ScienceIsBad: one of the antagonists of Act I is a mechanical genius who uses his talents to invent new forms of weaponry and munitions.
Changed line(s) 31,32 (click to see context) from:
* TechnologyIsEvil: one of the antagonists of Act I is a mechanical genius who uses his talents to invent new forms of weaponry and munitions.
to:
Changed line(s) 45 (click to see context) from:
* TechnologyIsEvil: When Celestia assumes the throne, she goes so far as to ''explicitly'' declare this, and strictly bans its proliferation.
to:
* TechnologyIsEvil: ScienceIsBad: When Celestia assumes the throne, she goes so far as to ''explicitly'' declare this, and strictly bans its proliferation.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
''The Equestria Chronicles'' is a partially published alternate continuity fanfiction set in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' universe. Spanning the entire history of ponydom (starting before the species even evolved), the continuity seeks to rationalize the universe and provide origin stories and explanations for many of its established features. It is planned to eventually include 14 stories: 2 trilogies, the quintology ''Sun & Moon'' (currently the only published portion), one independent work, and a final duology.
''Sun & Moon'', specifically, follows Princesses Celestia and Luna through all the years of their lives, detailing the tumultuous times of establishing a free kingdom and the internal struggles that define who they become. In this universe, Equestria is merely a small country on a much larger planet, controlled entirely by [[TheEmpire one massive empire]], which despite its incredible technological superiority is unable to match the power of magic militarily. Originally started as a simple retelling of the events of the show, it has since expanded into a story told in five Acts, each covering a period of Equestria's history. As stated above, the work is only partly published, so some of these are not public as yet.
* Act I: ''Ascending Star'' - covers the time leading up to the Royal Sisters' overthrow of Discord, along the way setting up the free kingdom of Equestria.
* Act II: ''The First Equestrian Civil War'' - covers a roughly 900 year interval after the conclusion of Act I, wherein the two Princesses must put down a rebellion centered in the province of Ponyville and aided by the Pegasi (exiled after the events of Act I). The Act ends with the first emergence of Nightmare Moon.
* Act III: ''The Silver Age of Equestria'' - covers the 1000 year interval where Nightmare Moon is imprisoned in the heavens, and features Celestia consolidating her power as sole High Princess. Unable to wield the Elements of Harmony since her connection to Luna is broken, Celestia assembles a group capable of unleashing their power, and the Act ends where the show begins.
* Act IV: ''The Fall'' - covers the plot points discussed in the main series canon, from the re-emergence of Nightmare Moon to the defeat of Queen Chrysalis and the changelings.
* Act V: ''Supernova'' - branches from the main canon in order to bring a full conclusion to the main conflicts of the plot, and ends four years after the events of Act IV.
The author has also endeavored to add in his own shots of speculation [[AllThereInTheManual in several essay Appendices]], of which only [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8500169/22/The-First-Equestrian-Civil-War one is currently published]], discussing how magic can be modeled as a programming language and presenting evidence for its Turing Completeness.
The stories have undergone a major {{Reboot}} and continue to be tweaked pending full publication. Act I (the only "current" piece) is available both on [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/64073/sun-moon-act-i-ascending-star FIMfiction]] and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8497214/1/Legends-of-Equestria-Act-I-Ascending-Star Fanfiction.net]], the latter site also containing [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8500169/1/The-First-Equestrian-Civil-War the previous incarnation of Act II]].
----
!! ''The Equestria Chronicles'' contains examples of:
* BrainsAndBrawn: In Act I, Celestia and Luna are set up like this. The elder sister is an intellectual/magical prodigy and [[TheChessmaster a Chessmaster]], but she's next to useless in a physical fight, so Luna has to be the one to defend her.
* ConMan: Young Celestia and Luna initially get by in Discord's Equestria by running {{Shell Game}}s.
* FictionalDocument: The start of Act I sets up the whole story as a history that Twilight Sparkle is writing after Celestia's reign has ended. Quotes from others appear throughout as epigraphs.
* GreatBigLibraryOfEverything: The Imperial Archives in the Empire's capital city of Concordia preserve all accumulated knowledge for the entire Earth, stretching back more than six thousand years before ponies even ''evolved''.
* LesCollaborateurs: ''Ascending Star'' presents the so-called sham court: ponies that recognized Discord as the rightful King of Equestria in exchange for marginally better living conditions. Seeking his favor, they send spies throughout the population in an attempt to find the leaders of LaResistance.
* MeaningfulName:
** The names of all the Masters from Act I are indicative of their chosen elements: Terraria = Earth, Aqua[[note]]Aquos in the original version[[/note]] = Water, Seraph = Fire, Atlas[[note]]Altas in the original version[[/note]] = Air.
** The name of Discord's capital city in Act I, Eridian, references Eris, the Greek goddess of discord.
* MotherNatureFatherScience: in Act I, the two female Ancient Masters command the orders most in tune with the natural world. Terraria seeks unity with the natural order, and Aqua tries to control her world through understanding magic. The two ''males'', by comparison, are far more rationalistic in their goals. Atlas is a mathematician, and Seraph is an industrialist who seeks to rule nature.
* NeverMyFault: Aqua notes this tendency in Celestia during their training and endeavors to stamp it out.
* PromotionToParent: Celestia is as much a mother figure as a sister to Luna, at least at the start.
* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Used to set up Celestia's intellectual prowess, particularly in relation to Luna. [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter Not as much prowess as Aqua, though.]]
* TechnologyIsEvil: one of the antagonists of Act I is a mechanical genius who uses his talents to invent new forms of weaponry and munitions.
!!Trope examples only from the original version of ''Sun & Moon'' (known as ''Legends of Equestria''), which may or may not constitute future spoilers:
* AerithAndBob: a reason is offered as to why some ponies have regular generic names while others have names indicative of their special talents. Since ponies are named at birth but don't receive cutie marks until they come of age, there is just as much chance of the name turning out completely wrong as there is of it lining up right. Since the fallout is potentially very embarrassing, some parents choose not to take the risk and use generic names instead.
* BigBad: The Emperor, leader of a highly advanced race of lizard-like creatures and also supreme ruler of a planet-wide empire, of which Equestria is "but a speck". He would prefer that Equestria function like a normal province instead of like a secluded protectorate, and eternally threatens to force Celestia to accept his technology. In Acts I & II (as far as the story was published), however, he has all of two scenes and looms more as a BiggerBad, with Seraph taking the role instead for Act I and ultimately [[spoiler:[[VillainProtagonist Celestia]]]] for Act II.
* BreadAndCircuses: the kingdom that Celestia has built by the end of Act II comes to resemble this, by using weather control to establish a stable food supply and [[spoiler: her cutie mark spell]] to nudge ponies into lives that make them happy.
* ConflictingLoyalty: comes out in a big way with Princess Luna in Act II, when she and Celestia agree to split responsibility for the country between day and night after the disastrous [[spoiler: Battle of Ponyville]]. Luna swore undying personal loyalty to her sister but cannot stand idly while the freedom she fought for is destroyed by Celestia's dictatorial governance.
* DoingInTheWizard: In one of the Appendices, the author points out that Celestia's cutie mark spell is remarkably close to an inference engine, similar to a declarative programming language. He goes on to model magic as an imperative language, and even proves that magic is Turing complete within the universe!
* ILied: Celestia gives one of these after tricking Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon into activating the Elements of Harmony with her. (For context, all Luna wanted was for things to go back to the way they were before the monarchy, so Celestia promised to use the Elements to reverse the spells she was holding the population in check with).
* FallenHero: Here, the hero who falls is [[spoiler:Princess Celestia]], whose FatalFlaw is her supreme confidence and pride. When faced with the decision to either admit her failures or continue on her path, she invariably chooses to continue doing things her way. During The First Equestrian Civil War, this eventually leads to her [[spoiler: destroying the entire town of Ponyville to teach ponies that revolution is futile]].
* MagicAIsMagicA: The story makes clear several rules concerning the way unicorn magic works. Most important is the distinction between magical power and magical complexity. While any unicorn, regardless of study or skill, can cast simplistic spells (such as the standard telekinesis), and can cast very ''powerful'' versions of these spells when properly motivated (i.e. being able to lift large objects or throw items with great force), skill and instruction are required to master ''complex'' magic. So only a pony that has studied extensively can work with transmutation, teleportation, time spells, thought control, etc.
* MeaningfulName: Celestia's birth name, Celeste, obviously shares a root with the name that she will adopt for herself. Averted for Princess Luna, as her birth name, Claire, has absolutely nothing to do with the moon.[[note]]There ''is'' a famous French song called "Au clair de la lune", which in English translates to "In the light of the moon," but that was probably unintentional.[[/note]]
* NotSoDifferent: when Celestia meets [[spoiler:Discord]] for the second time in Act II, he reveals that he [[spoiler: was once a unicorn like her]], but was driven to accept the power of dark magic when his whole family was killed in a meteorite strike. Over time, the dark power consumed him, turning him into the creature he is today.
* RomanticismVsEnlightenment: the conflict between The Emperor (Enlightenment) and the citizens of Equestria (Romanticism) is clearly one of these. The Emperor favors a completely technology-driven society, built on the principles of mechanization and a rigid social structure. The inherent ideals of the ponies instead favor a more communal and friendly society.
* TechnologyIsEvil: When Celestia assumes the throne, she goes so far as to ''explicitly'' declare this, and strictly bans its proliferation.
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: happens once in Act I when Celestia goes to get her revenge on Seraph, after he [[spoiler: tries to kill her and assume the throne]]. All it takes is one look for everyone else to realize that she does '''not''' want help.
* TheCorruption: the unnatural blending of [[spoiler: light and dark magic that is Celestia's cutie mark spell]] functions this way for the Everfree forest, slowly twisting it from a beautiful, peaceful place into the corrupted strangeness that it exhibits in the present. It doesn't help Celestia's psyche either.
* TheManBehindTheMan: Subverted with the Emperor, who shows up after Celestia and Luna first defeat Discord in Act I, refers to himself as Discord's (and now their) "boss", and offers them an ultimatum: allow Equestria to integrate with his Great Empire, or else he will destroy them and repurpose the land as needed. The Act II epilogue explains that he "allowed" Discord to serve as governor of Equestria after their first meeting but couldn't really affect the chaos spirit, who just did as he pleased anyway.
* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler:Discord]] reveals in Act II that he was originally a unicorn, before being driven to accept the power of dark magic by SurvivorGuilt after a meteorite strike killed his entire family. Over time, the power corrupted his form.
''Sun & Moon'', specifically, follows Princesses Celestia and Luna through all the years of their lives, detailing the tumultuous times of establishing a free kingdom and the internal struggles that define who they become. In this universe, Equestria is merely a small country on a much larger planet, controlled entirely by [[TheEmpire one massive empire]], which despite its incredible technological superiority is unable to match the power of magic militarily. Originally started as a simple retelling of the events of the show, it has since expanded into a story told in five Acts, each covering a period of Equestria's history. As stated above, the work is only partly published, so some of these are not public as yet.
* Act I: ''Ascending Star'' - covers the time leading up to the Royal Sisters' overthrow of Discord, along the way setting up the free kingdom of Equestria.
* Act II: ''The First Equestrian Civil War'' - covers a roughly 900 year interval after the conclusion of Act I, wherein the two Princesses must put down a rebellion centered in the province of Ponyville and aided by the Pegasi (exiled after the events of Act I). The Act ends with the first emergence of Nightmare Moon.
* Act III: ''The Silver Age of Equestria'' - covers the 1000 year interval where Nightmare Moon is imprisoned in the heavens, and features Celestia consolidating her power as sole High Princess. Unable to wield the Elements of Harmony since her connection to Luna is broken, Celestia assembles a group capable of unleashing their power, and the Act ends where the show begins.
* Act IV: ''The Fall'' - covers the plot points discussed in the main series canon, from the re-emergence of Nightmare Moon to the defeat of Queen Chrysalis and the changelings.
* Act V: ''Supernova'' - branches from the main canon in order to bring a full conclusion to the main conflicts of the plot, and ends four years after the events of Act IV.
The author has also endeavored to add in his own shots of speculation [[AllThereInTheManual in several essay Appendices]], of which only [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8500169/22/The-First-Equestrian-Civil-War one is currently published]], discussing how magic can be modeled as a programming language and presenting evidence for its Turing Completeness.
The stories have undergone a major {{Reboot}} and continue to be tweaked pending full publication. Act I (the only "current" piece) is available both on [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/64073/sun-moon-act-i-ascending-star FIMfiction]] and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8497214/1/Legends-of-Equestria-Act-I-Ascending-Star Fanfiction.net]], the latter site also containing [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8500169/1/The-First-Equestrian-Civil-War the previous incarnation of Act II]].
----
!! ''The Equestria Chronicles'' contains examples of:
* BrainsAndBrawn: In Act I, Celestia and Luna are set up like this. The elder sister is an intellectual/magical prodigy and [[TheChessmaster a Chessmaster]], but she's next to useless in a physical fight, so Luna has to be the one to defend her.
* ConMan: Young Celestia and Luna initially get by in Discord's Equestria by running {{Shell Game}}s.
* FictionalDocument: The start of Act I sets up the whole story as a history that Twilight Sparkle is writing after Celestia's reign has ended. Quotes from others appear throughout as epigraphs.
* GreatBigLibraryOfEverything: The Imperial Archives in the Empire's capital city of Concordia preserve all accumulated knowledge for the entire Earth, stretching back more than six thousand years before ponies even ''evolved''.
* LesCollaborateurs: ''Ascending Star'' presents the so-called sham court: ponies that recognized Discord as the rightful King of Equestria in exchange for marginally better living conditions. Seeking his favor, they send spies throughout the population in an attempt to find the leaders of LaResistance.
* MeaningfulName:
** The names of all the Masters from Act I are indicative of their chosen elements: Terraria = Earth, Aqua[[note]]Aquos in the original version[[/note]] = Water, Seraph = Fire, Atlas[[note]]Altas in the original version[[/note]] = Air.
** The name of Discord's capital city in Act I, Eridian, references Eris, the Greek goddess of discord.
* MotherNatureFatherScience: in Act I, the two female Ancient Masters command the orders most in tune with the natural world. Terraria seeks unity with the natural order, and Aqua tries to control her world through understanding magic. The two ''males'', by comparison, are far more rationalistic in their goals. Atlas is a mathematician, and Seraph is an industrialist who seeks to rule nature.
* NeverMyFault: Aqua notes this tendency in Celestia during their training and endeavors to stamp it out.
* PromotionToParent: Celestia is as much a mother figure as a sister to Luna, at least at the start.
* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Used to set up Celestia's intellectual prowess, particularly in relation to Luna. [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter Not as much prowess as Aqua, though.]]
* TechnologyIsEvil: one of the antagonists of Act I is a mechanical genius who uses his talents to invent new forms of weaponry and munitions.
!!Trope examples only from the original version of ''Sun & Moon'' (known as ''Legends of Equestria''), which may or may not constitute future spoilers:
* AerithAndBob: a reason is offered as to why some ponies have regular generic names while others have names indicative of their special talents. Since ponies are named at birth but don't receive cutie marks until they come of age, there is just as much chance of the name turning out completely wrong as there is of it lining up right. Since the fallout is potentially very embarrassing, some parents choose not to take the risk and use generic names instead.
* BigBad: The Emperor, leader of a highly advanced race of lizard-like creatures and also supreme ruler of a planet-wide empire, of which Equestria is "but a speck". He would prefer that Equestria function like a normal province instead of like a secluded protectorate, and eternally threatens to force Celestia to accept his technology. In Acts I & II (as far as the story was published), however, he has all of two scenes and looms more as a BiggerBad, with Seraph taking the role instead for Act I and ultimately [[spoiler:[[VillainProtagonist Celestia]]]] for Act II.
* BreadAndCircuses: the kingdom that Celestia has built by the end of Act II comes to resemble this, by using weather control to establish a stable food supply and [[spoiler: her cutie mark spell]] to nudge ponies into lives that make them happy.
* ConflictingLoyalty: comes out in a big way with Princess Luna in Act II, when she and Celestia agree to split responsibility for the country between day and night after the disastrous [[spoiler: Battle of Ponyville]]. Luna swore undying personal loyalty to her sister but cannot stand idly while the freedom she fought for is destroyed by Celestia's dictatorial governance.
* DoingInTheWizard: In one of the Appendices, the author points out that Celestia's cutie mark spell is remarkably close to an inference engine, similar to a declarative programming language. He goes on to model magic as an imperative language, and even proves that magic is Turing complete within the universe!
* ILied: Celestia gives one of these after tricking Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon into activating the Elements of Harmony with her. (For context, all Luna wanted was for things to go back to the way they were before the monarchy, so Celestia promised to use the Elements to reverse the spells she was holding the population in check with).
* FallenHero: Here, the hero who falls is [[spoiler:Princess Celestia]], whose FatalFlaw is her supreme confidence and pride. When faced with the decision to either admit her failures or continue on her path, she invariably chooses to continue doing things her way. During The First Equestrian Civil War, this eventually leads to her [[spoiler: destroying the entire town of Ponyville to teach ponies that revolution is futile]].
* MagicAIsMagicA: The story makes clear several rules concerning the way unicorn magic works. Most important is the distinction between magical power and magical complexity. While any unicorn, regardless of study or skill, can cast simplistic spells (such as the standard telekinesis), and can cast very ''powerful'' versions of these spells when properly motivated (i.e. being able to lift large objects or throw items with great force), skill and instruction are required to master ''complex'' magic. So only a pony that has studied extensively can work with transmutation, teleportation, time spells, thought control, etc.
* MeaningfulName: Celestia's birth name, Celeste, obviously shares a root with the name that she will adopt for herself. Averted for Princess Luna, as her birth name, Claire, has absolutely nothing to do with the moon.[[note]]There ''is'' a famous French song called "Au clair de la lune", which in English translates to "In the light of the moon," but that was probably unintentional.[[/note]]
* NotSoDifferent: when Celestia meets [[spoiler:Discord]] for the second time in Act II, he reveals that he [[spoiler: was once a unicorn like her]], but was driven to accept the power of dark magic when his whole family was killed in a meteorite strike. Over time, the dark power consumed him, turning him into the creature he is today.
* RomanticismVsEnlightenment: the conflict between The Emperor (Enlightenment) and the citizens of Equestria (Romanticism) is clearly one of these. The Emperor favors a completely technology-driven society, built on the principles of mechanization and a rigid social structure. The inherent ideals of the ponies instead favor a more communal and friendly society.
* TechnologyIsEvil: When Celestia assumes the throne, she goes so far as to ''explicitly'' declare this, and strictly bans its proliferation.
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: happens once in Act I when Celestia goes to get her revenge on Seraph, after he [[spoiler: tries to kill her and assume the throne]]. All it takes is one look for everyone else to realize that she does '''not''' want help.
* TheCorruption: the unnatural blending of [[spoiler: light and dark magic that is Celestia's cutie mark spell]] functions this way for the Everfree forest, slowly twisting it from a beautiful, peaceful place into the corrupted strangeness that it exhibits in the present. It doesn't help Celestia's psyche either.
* TheManBehindTheMan: Subverted with the Emperor, who shows up after Celestia and Luna first defeat Discord in Act I, refers to himself as Discord's (and now their) "boss", and offers them an ultimatum: allow Equestria to integrate with his Great Empire, or else he will destroy them and repurpose the land as needed. The Act II epilogue explains that he "allowed" Discord to serve as governor of Equestria after their first meeting but couldn't really affect the chaos spirit, who just did as he pleased anyway.
* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler:Discord]] reveals in Act II that he was originally a unicorn, before being driven to accept the power of dark magic by SurvivorGuilt after a meteorite strike killed his entire family. Over time, the power corrupted his form.
