Fanfic / The Equestrian Wind Mage

The Equestrian Wind Mage is a The Legend of Zelda/My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic crossover series written by Lord Siravant.

The legendary Sorcerer of Winds, Vaati, has gotten bored with being evil, and, instead of battling the Hero of Legend as was bound to happen, he instead attempts to flee the battle to parts unknown to start a new life. However, a mishap causes him to be catapulted across dimensions and appear in the magical land of Equestria, where he is immediately found by Twilight Sparkle. As Vaati begins to adjust to this new world, he finds himself entangled in the shenanigans of the Mane Six. Unfortunately for him, evils not of Equestria have big plans in store for both the world of Hyrule and the world of ponies...

It is split up into seasons, with three planned in total, each with their own individual arcs that tie into a larger story. The first, which is complete, deals with the events of Vaati first coming to Equestria, and has him involved in many events that take place in the show's canon, with a few original episodes and diversions thrown in. The second arc, which has also been completed, deals with the coming of Ganondorf to Equestria, while even darker forces use the distraction to further a terrible plot against Equestria. The final arc will deal with the complete bridging between Hyrule and Equestria, and the efforts of the armies of the Dark World, led by King Dethl, to free their master, Majora, from his prison so that he may bring ruin to both worlds.

A link to the first season can be found here.

A link to the second season can be found here.

A link to Season 2.5, an interlude that covers the Time Skip between the second and third seasons, can be found here.

A link to the third season can be found here.

The stories can also be found on the author's Fanfiction.net page here.

A manga adaptation is also in the works, which can be found here.

Beware of Late-Arrival Spoilers between seasons.

As of March 2021, Lord Siravant has declared he intends to rewrite the series in its entirety, and the current tropes officially refer to the "classic" version.

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Tropes:

The following tropes appear in Season 1

• Abusive Parent: Scootaloo's mother died, leaving her with an abusive, drunken monster of a father. Vaati eventually gets her out of it.
• Action Dad: Vaati basically becomes this once he adopts Scootaloo.
• Always Chaotic Evil: Actually subverted with the monster races. They were cursed by Demise in ages past to serve the forces of darkness. The ones that serve Vaati even learn to become friendly with the citizens of Ponyville.
• All There in the Manual: The universe timeline explains a lot of background information for this story's version of Hyrule.
• An Arm and a Leg: Diamond Tiara, while transformed into a krylock, lost her front left leg and back right leg in a fight with Vaati.
• Anti-Hero: Vaati may be reformed, but that doesn't mean his first instinct towards enemies isn't to try and kill them.
• Arbitrary Skepticism: Vaati calls out Twilight on not believing in curses, given all the magic that does exist in Equestria. Later, when Celestia confirms that curses do exist, he doesn't hesitate to rub it in Twilight's face that he was right.
• Artifact of Doom: Majora's Mask, which doesn't even bother with a host this time around and acts completely on its own.
• Ascended Extra: Both Nigellas the Wizzrobe and Maulgrim the Darknut, who the author only intended to appear in Episode 6. But then they became so popular with the fanbase that the author began to include them in more escapades, eventually making them secondary characters.
• Badass Army: The monsters that back up the defense of Canterlot during the Changeling attack.
• Badass Boast: As they're trying to escape King Sombra, Shining Armor asks Maulgrim if he can run in all that armor. His response?
  Maulgrim: Little shrimp, I can run with a mountain on my back.
• Bears Are Bad News: The Ursa Minor that interrupts Vaati and Trixie's duel.
• Being Evil Sucks: The whole series is started by Vaati finally realizing this.
• Berserk Button: Do not threaten Twilight, Luna, or Scootaloo. Vaati will end you.
  • Don't kidnap Rarity. Maulgrim will not be pleased.
  • Also, don't ever let Vaati catch you bullying someone. EVER.
  • Plus, don't call Maulgrim a chicken. He will make you regret it.
• Black Knight: Maulgrim the Darknut, a rare heroic example.
• Blood Knight: Every time Vaati encounters one of the villains, his first thought is usually whether the villain in question will put up a worthy fight.
  • Vaati's monsters, who all express disappointment at being told to allow the Changelings to surrender.
• Blow You Away: Well, Vaati is the Wind Mage.
• Breakout Mook Character: Maulgrim and Nigellas, a Darknut and Wizzrobe who both become secondary characters.
• Break the Haughty: What Vaati does to Trixie. In fact, he breaks her so much, she leaves Ponyville depressed.
• Bug War: The Canterlot Wedding Battle was an extremely short-lived one, with the Changelings so thoroughly decimated that many thousands was quickly reduced to a few hundred in less than an hour.
• Canon Discontinuity: Everything after the Crystal Empire episodes will officially break away from canon and establish a new continuity. As a result, Twilight will not become an alicorn.
• Crapsack World: Hyrule in comparison to Equestria, due to the numerous wars it's had, as well as the lingering results of the first one against Majora.
• Crisis Crossover: While it starts out with mainly Slice of Life episodes, eventually it becomes clear that villains from Hyrule are now aware of Equestria and seek to destroy it too.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Vaati is quite accustomed to dishing these out.
  • To be specific, he single-handedly defeated Discord, Queen Chrysalis, and King Sombra (though Sombra at least put up a better fight).
  • Let's not forget how the Wizzrobes easily bested the Diamond Dogs.
  • Or the disaster that was the Canterlot Wedding Battle. The Changelings didn't stand a chance against Vaati's monsters.
  • Vaati's on the receiving end when he attempts to fight an Ursa Minor.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Vaati did not have a happy childhood, and he still does not like talking about it.
• Deadpan Snarker: Vaati.
  • Twilight gets a few good ones in too, as do Luna and Nigellas.
  • Even Maulgrim gets into it once or twice.
• Demonic Possession: Dethl possesses Diamond Tiara as part of a plot to kill Scootaloo.
• Demon Lords And Arch Devils: The demons of the Dark World have their own royal heirarchy similar to Ancient Greece, with numerous kings lorded over by a High King.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Nobody was expecting Vaati to actually defeat Discord single-handedly, though this was because Vaati took him by surprise and didn't give Discord a chance to defend himself.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Dethl tries to kill everyone Vaati cares about all because he's sore about Vaati turning good.
  • Since murder is such a rare crime in Equestria, Diamond Tiara was sentenced to spend the rest of eternity in Tartarus after she tried to kill the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Thankfully, it doesn't stick after she's revealed to have been possessed against her will at the time.
• Dreaming of Things to Come: Princess Luna has this ability, but unfortunately, Dethl is implied to be capable of tampering with it.
• Dream Weaver: Luna is a friendly example. Dethl is not.
• Driven to Suicide: Diamond Tiara, though she's unsuccessful.
• Emotion Eater: The Changelings, of course.
• Enemy Civil War: After Demise was killed in Skyward Sword, his throne in the Dark World was unoccupied, leaving a massive power vacuum that three lesser Demon Kings, Dethl, Bellum, and Malladus, raced to fill. Dethl won, with both of the others killed as a result.
  • Season 2 will have Vaati's monsters and Ganon's monsters fighting each other, though only because they have no choice but to obey their masters.
• Evil Laugh: Dethl frequently indulges in this, often as a way of making his presence known.
• A Father to His Men: Maulgrim is this to his fellow Darknuts.
  • And Vaati is apparently this to all his monsters.
• Final Battle: The fight against Sombra for control of the Crystal Empire is the final conflict of the first season.
• The Final Temptation: During the final fight with Sombra, he casts an illusion to show Vaati all the things he could have (rule over Hyrule, Princess Zelda, etc.) if he just returns to evil. And it almost works, until Luna intrudes on the vision and reminds Vaati of all the friends he's made in Equestria, giving him the strength to fight off the illusion.
• Follow the Leader: This interpretation of Vaati has proven to be popular, spawning a number of spin-off fanfics and even a Garry's Mod series, though Word of God makes it clear none of these are considered part of his universe.
• For Want Of A Nail:
  • Vaati's curbstomping of Discord gives Celestia the chance to reform him much sooner than in canon.
  • Similarly, Chrysalis' defeat at Vaati's hands leaves the heroes with a chance to convince her to try to coexist with Equestria.
• Freudian Excuse: Vaati's justification for turning to evil was because he wanted to become powerful so nobody could use him or hurt him anymore.
• Friend to All Living Things: Fluttershy, which makes her one of the more tolerable of the Mane Six, as far as Vaati's concerned.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Dethl is a literal example. He was originally the villain of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and didn't even appear until the Final Boss battle, and is, in general, a forgotten villain. Now, he's the ruler of the Dark World, The Dragon to Majora himself, the secondary antagonist of the whole series, and one evil bastard to boot.
• Fun Personified: Pinkie Pie, of course, which grates on the much more reserved and temperamental Vaati's nerves.
• God of Evil: Majora is specifically stated to be this. Before he was imprisoned, he caused horrible damage to Hyrule, and some of the effects, according to Vaati, are still felt today.
• Good Feels Good: Vaati finally admits this to himself after he saves the Crystal Empire from King Sombra.
• Good is Not Nice: Vaati prefers to defeat villains through violence, which gets him called out by the more peaceful Equestrians quite often.
• Great Offscreen War: The First War Against Majora, which ravaged the world, and some of its effects can apparently be felt today, though we can't see them as of yet, due to the story taking place in Equestria for now instead of Hyrule.
  • Having "First" as part of its title is the first clue we get that this calamitous event is doomed to repeat itself, and we'll get to see it all first-hand.
• Happily Adopted: Vaati is surprisingly a good surrogate parent to Scootaloo, as he knows what it's like to grow up without someone to love them.
• Hates Baths: Vaati, apparently. At least he has magic to do it for him.
• Heel–Face Turn: The whole series is a result of Vaati's.
  • Discord's eventually reformed too.
• Hell Gate: Any portal to the Dark World. And to add to the horror, Dethl can open new ones at will.
• Hell Hound: The Hounds of Majora, which are loaned to Sombra by Dethl to aid his conquest of the Crystal Empire.
• Hero of Another Story: Doctor Whooves, naturally; Derpy is apparently his companion.
• "Hey, You!" Haymaker: A Darknut cheerfully offers his greetings to a Changeling before crushing its skull with his mace.
• Hive Queen: Queen Chrysalis, naturally.
• I Let You Win: Vaati throws his final fight with Link in order to get out of the villain business. And in Season 2, he reveals he threw their original fight in order to escape Ganondorf's control.
• Immortal Immaturity: Being stuck in the Four Sword for most of his immortal life did not give Vaati much of a chance to mature, and he often acts like an utter child. He eventually gets better.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • Discord still gets reformed, just a lot sooner than in canon.
  • The Crystal Empire is still saved from King Sombra, only it's Vaati who does the deed in this.
• Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: The Diamond Dogs, who aren't let off nearly as easily with Vaati around as they are in canon after Rarity is found.
• Interspecies Adoption: Vaati, a Minish who pretended to be a Hylian and became a demonic entity, adopts little Scootaloo, a pony, after saving her from her abusive drunkard of a father.
• Jaw Drop: The collective reaction of the Wizzrobes when they see how intensely Twilight is studying Vaati's library.

• Klingon Scientists Get No Respect: Averted with the Darknuts. Maulgrim even claims that blacksmithing is as worthy a profession as a warrior's.
• Knight of Cerebus: Dethl.
• Living Shadow: When Dethl hasn't taken a definitive shape, it's described as being a formless shadow entity of pure malice, its only defining features being two glowing yellow eyes.
• Loners Are Freaks: Vaati's strange appearance isolated him from the other kids in his orphanage and the general neighborhood, making him an easy target for bullies.
• Loony Friends Improve Your Personality: Though Vaati sure as hell won't admit it.
• Mister Exposition: Vaati often fills this role when discussing things about Hyrule with the ponies.
• Monogender Monsters: Dethl is officially genderless, but does not mind being referred to by masculine pronouns.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Vaati has a breakdown after he realizes he could have hurt Twilight during his fight with Discord.
  • This is what drives Diamond Tiara to attempt to commit suicide after she's imprisoned in Tartarus.
  • Vaati suffers this again once he discovers the krylock he had almost killed was a forcibly-transformed Diamond Tiara.
  • Celestia, once she realizes what really caused Diamond Tiara to try to kill the Crusaders.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Discord finds himself on the receiving end of this, courtesy of Vaati.
• No-Sell: When Rainbow Dash jousts Maulgrim during the Crystal Fair, she body-slams him in the chest, only to knock herself out while the Darknut is barely affected.
• Non Sequitur, *Thud*: After the above No-Sell moment, Rainbow has enough time to slur out "But I dun wanna feed Gramma while she's in the bathtub" before passing out.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Vaati is only convinced to give Discord a chance at redemption when it's pointed out how similar his situation is to Vaati's own.
• Obviously Evil: Chrysalis!Cadance. Vaati and Twilight both see right through her ruse, and are flabbergasted that the others don't. After Chrysalis's cover is blown, Vaati gives the rest of the Mane Six a harsh reprimand for doubting the friend that holds their entire circle together.
• Oh, Crap!: Trixie when she realizes how outmatched she is by Vaati.
  • Discord, when he saw Vaati's transformation right before he got his ass kicked.
  • The Changelings once Vaati's monsters appeared.
  • And finally King Sombra, when he realizes his power's been nullified by the Crystal Heart's magic, leaving him powerless to stop the Crystal Ponies from powering it up and blasting him to smithereens, just like in canon.
• Out-Gambitted: Once Vaati discovers Queen Chrysalis's ruse during the Canterlot Wedding episode, he secretly transports all his monsters to Canterlot, and then allows the Changelings to attack, which triggers an utter massacre once his monsters reveal themselves.
• Out Scare The Enemy: When Vaati's Palace of Winds shows up in Equestria, a bunch of teen dragons try to take it for themselves. Vaati responds by summoning his monsters to scare them off.
• Papa Wolf: Vaati flies into a homicidal rage after he discovers who tried to kill Scootaloo.
• Parental Abandonment: Vaati was apparently orphaned at a very young age, his mother having died in childbirth and his father nowhere to be found.
• The Power of Friendship: Vaati and Discord are both reformed by it.
• Proud Warrior Race: Darknuts, in particular. Even before Demise fucked them over, the Darknuts commanded a lot of respect from the other monster tribes for their prowess in battle.
• A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Vaati was this to Ezlo. Even though he's reformed, Vaati apparently doesn't apologize for it, feeling that Ezlo treated him more as a house maid than an apprentice.
• Puppy-Dog Eyes: Twilight does this to get Vaati to agree to allow visitors to tour the Palace of Winds.
• Really 700 Years Old: Vaati.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Vaati delivers a particularly cruel one to Trixie once she realizes that challenging him to a duel was a big mistake.
  • He also delivers one to Discord after his Curb-Stomp Battle.
  • And another to Queen Chrysalis after hers.
• Redemption Equals Affliction: Diamond Tiara may be a bully, but she still did not deserve what happened to her: Dethl, eager to punish Vaati for turning to good, picked up on Diamond's hatred for Scootaloo and then possessed her. Under Dethl's control, Diamond tried to burn down the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse, with them still inside. Luckily they were saved, but Dethl then fled, leaving a confused and disoriented Diamond to be captured. Because Dethl left no trace of its presence, all the blame was pinned on her, and she was sentenced to spend eternity in Tartarus. And then, to twist the knife in the wound further, she tried to kill herself by getting a monster to bite her, but instead of dying, she was turned into a monster herself. And then Dethl found her, took control of her again, and unleashed her on Ponyville in another attempt to kill Vaati's friends and loved ones. Vaati, not knowing this, nearly killed Diamond before her true identity was discovered, giving her barely enough time to be saved. Though she has thankfully been returned to normal and the truth about her actions discovered, she is permanently crippled as a result (Vaati cut off her front left leg and back right leg in his fight with her), and her life basically ruined.
• Reformed, but Not Tamed: Vaati.
  • Discord too, to a lesser extent.
• Religion of Evil: The Church of Majora, which is not mentioned until the very last episode.
• The Reveal: Dethl's identity is not confirmed until the last episode of Season 1, leaving many fans fervently guessing who it was until then.
• Sealed Army in a Can: The monster tribes have been cursed with this existence, being stuck in a lifeless void until summoned to do the bidding of whoever summoned them.
• Ship Tease: Princess Luna develops a crush on Vaati due to the things they have in common, and Vaati has picked up on it, embarrassing Luna at every opportunity.
  • Also implied between Rarity and Maulgrim, though the author is also on the fence about this one, due to not being fond of OC/canon ships.
  • Some fans also seem to be detecting Twilight/Nigellas undertones, but Word of God says that this was unintentional.
• Shout-Out: Doctor Whooves, naturally.
  • Whooves even states that he is in Equestria because the Zerg destroyed his TARDIS.
  • The author gives a nod to Waking Nightmares, which this fic was partially inspired by, by having the Doctor and Derpy mention the Slender Pony. Word of God states he did this before he even knew about Slendy's cameo in the show.
  • Some of Majora's traits are inspired by his portrayal in Hyrule: Total War, which this fic was also partially inspired by.
  • And last, but not least:
    Vaati: What's the matter, 'Great and Powerful Trixie'?! You expected a man, but instead found a god?!
  • After Rainbow Dash knocks herself out fighting him in the Crystal Fair joust, Maulgrim asks the Crystal Ponies "Are you not entertained?!"
• Signature Laugh: Dethl's guttural laugh: "Gwo hoh hoh hoh hoh!"
• Sinister Scythe: Sombra's signature weapon.
• Slice of Life: Mostly, except for the fights with Discord and Chrysalis, and anything even remotely involving Dethl.
• Sliding Scale of Antagonist Vileness: Many of Hyrule's villains are treated as more of a threat than those of Equestria.
• Smarter Than You Look: Both Trixie and Chrysalis underestimate Vaati due to him not being a pony, referring to him as a hairless ape.
• Soul Jar: Played with by Majora's Mask. The dark god created it himself, housing a piece of his own soul within it so he could continue to manipulate events in the world beyond his prison. While destroying the mask certainly wouldn't kill him, it would definitely render him unable to communicate with his minions.
  • Until he's finally released, that is.
• Speaks Fluent Animal: Vaati, a byproduct of his Minish heritage.
• Spell My Name With An S: Dethl is spelled with an "L" rather than an "I". This is because the author thinks the canon name is stupid and likes the Fan Nickname better.
• Spontaneous Choreography: Naturally this happens a lot, which confuses and annoys Vaati to no end.
• Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Vaati, due to his frequent Curbstomp Battles of antagonists from Friendship Is Magic proper. Even the one he didn't curbstomp (King Sombra) was still defeated by him.
• Start of Darkness: Vaati, as a child, was bullied relentlessly for being different as well as an orphan, and thus never made a single friend. Then he was finally brought under Ezlo's wing, but when Ezlo didn't immediately start teaching him magic and mostly had him do chores, Vaati snapped and stole the Wishing Cap for himself.
• Straight Man and Wise Guy: Maulgrim the Darknut and Nigellas the Wizzrobe.
• The Stoic: Maulgrim.
• Superpowered Evil Side: Vaati's demon form, which he normally uses when fighting.
• Teens Are Monsters: The Minish bullies that tortured Vaati as a child were all significantly older than him.
  • There's also the teen dragons who take possession of the Palace of Winds when it shows up in Equestria, and threaten Vaati, Twilight, and Celestia if they don't leave. Unfortunately for them, Vaati's minions are real monsters, and they chase them out.
• These Hooves Have Killed: The Mane Six join Vaati's monsters "fighting" the Changelings, and though their actions happen off-screen, they are heavily implied to kill a few Changelings before the latter surrender. Twilight in particular does not take it well.
  • It's worse than that. Season 2 reveals she developed PTSD from it.
• Undying Loyalty: Summoned monsters are magically bound to obey whoever summons them. Luckily for Vaati's monsters, their boss is reformed, which instills this instinct in them for real rather than as a result of magic.
  • Maulgrim admits to Rarity during the second season that he and the monsters will fight and die for the ponies of their own volition, rather than because Vaati says so.
• Universe Chronology: The author posted an official timeline for his particular Zelda 'verse on his DeviantArt page, which can be found here.
• Unusual Euphemism: Nigellas's rather hilarious oaths. "Din's tits!" is one of his more common ones.
  • "It's colder than a Kholdstare's nest out there!"
• Villains Want Mercy: Usually happens when Vaati doles out horrific beatdowns to antagonists. Chrysalis in particular is reduced to a whimpering wreck, actually crying as she pleads with Vaati for her life.
• Villain Team-Up: Sombra allies with Dethl in order to gain aid in reclaiming the Crystal Empire, in exchange for serving as the Church of Majora's representative in Equestria.
  • Chancellor Cole and Ghirahim are both working for Dethl too.
• Voice of the Legion: Dethl is implied to have a voice that sounds like several deep voices speaking at once.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Vaati tears the rest of the Mane Six a collective new one for their actions towards Twilight during the events of the Canterlot Wedding, even going so far as to say that they shouldn't bother with the Elements of Harmony, because he doesn't think they'd work anymore.
  "Oh, let's see! Maybe it's because of YOU?! Maybe it's because the whole lot of you abandoned Twilight when she needed you most, thinking she was a jealous liar when every word she spoke was the truth?! I saw her when I sent my Eye Sentry down there to watch over her while she made her way back here, and she was a complete wreck. You completely shattered her faith in all of you! You might as well have defecated on the Elements themselves, because now that you weakened your bond of friendship with the one who holds all of you together, they are completely and totally worthless! No, we're going to get through this through the sweat of our brows, the strength of our backs, AND THE BLOOD OF OUR ENEMIES!"
  • Vaati is on the receiving end of this himself when he tries to kill a hospitalized Discord. Luna was not happy.
• The Worf Effect: Sombra is the first villain whom Vaati isn't able to curbstomp, and is actually on the receiving end during their first fight.
• Would Hurt a Child: Vaati, when he's sufficiently enraged.
  • Granted, the child in question was Diamond Tiara, who had just tried to kill the Cutie Mark Crusaders. But given that she was possessed by Dethl at the time, that would make him a straight example.
  • And of course, Scootaloo's father, who was abusive towards her most of her life and tried to kill her once Vaati intervened on her behalf.

The following tropes appear in Season 2

• One-Winged Angel: Grey Hoof as Nightmare Grave.
  • Demise transforms into a massive demonic beast during the Final Battle.
• Actual Pacifist: Twilight and Fluttershy have to be talked into being willing to actually fight Ganon's forces.
  • This comes into play during the fight for the Element of Kindness, as they respectfully talk the Lizalfos and Volvagia into surrendering without a fight.
• Agony Beam: Majora is less than pleased that Ghirahim allowed Daring Do and Ahuizotl to escape, and promptly punishes him accordingly.
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us:
  • Ganondorf occupies Canterlot as his headquarters for his conquest of Equestria. Fortunately, Vaati is smart enough to A) see this coming, and B) know that the ponies can't win a straight up fight, so convinces the Princesses to evacuate to the Crystal Empire and leave Discord behind to mess with Ganon's forces.
  • After securing himself in Canterlot, Ganondorf sends Phantom Ganon to lead an army in an assault on Ponyville, in order to break the ponies' will. It ultimately fails.
  • Upon learning that the Princesses are holed up in the Crystal Empire, Ganondorf marches the bulk of his army there to deal with them in order to solidify his control of Equestria.
• And I Must Scream: When Grey Hoof found out the other Sunnytown ponies were helping Vaati, Zecora, and the Mane Six take back the Element of Honesty, he had them tied to wooden stakes which were used to light the room they fought him and the Stallord in. Since the Sunnytown ponies couldn't die, that meant that their punishment would never end if Grey Hoof hadn't been defeated.
• And This Is for...: When Chrysalis finishes off the Gohma Queen, she claims it's for every one of her changelings that the Gohma killed.
• Ant War: Once Chrysalis returns to her hive with Vaati and the others, she releases her Changelings and leads them into battle against the occupying Gohma.
• Anyone Can Die: So far, the death toll includes Grey Hoof, Pipsqueak, Babs Seed, Fleet Foot, Flash Sentry, Octavia, Caramel, Seaswirl, Roseluck, Shanzom The Golden, Cloud Chaser, and Raindrops. Subverted in the end of the season, however, when all but Grey Hoof, Pipsqueak, Babs Seed, and the thirteen other victims of Dethl's dream monsters are resurrected by a World-Healing Wave.
• Arc Villain: Ganondorf.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The Helmaroc King claims this is why it serves Vaati, because he defeated it in battle. Twilight gets him to admit that it's actually because he's come to see Vaati as a friend.
• The Atoner: The Sunnytown ponies realize the error of their ways once Twilight reveals the truth about Cutie Marks to them, and offer to help them fight Grey Hoof and the Stalfos guarding the Element of Honesty, even if it doesn't lift them from their curse. And as it turns out, it does.
• Attack Its Weak Point: When fighting the Gohma, and Twinrova's Armos Knights.
• Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Shining Armor claims that Ganon and Majora have done this by threatening Equestria, saying that while the ponies are peaceful by nature, they will fight to protect what's theirs.
• Awful Truth: Majora claims that one of his intentions towards Equestria is to reveal this about the Princesses and Equestrian society. So far, we have no idea what it is, or if it's even true.
  • He later claims that this truth is that Celestia is actually a Well-Intentioned Extremist who: united the pony tribes by force; used Sombra's rise to power in the Crystal Empire as an excuse to try and annex it (leading Sombra to beginning to use dark magic to defend himself); eventually put Cadence on the throne in order to complete this; and banished Luna to the moon because she was beginning to doubt her, Mind Raping her into Nightmare Moon as an excuse, and having the Elements of Harmony later used to Mind Rape her back, now as an obedient follower. All that being said, considering who's saying this, it should be taken with a grain of salt.
• Back from the Dead: Not only are the other Sunnytown ponies freed from the curse, but Ruby is restored to life.
  • King Sombra has been successfully revived by Ghirahim, and put in charge of building up the Church of Majora's power base.
  • Everyone killed during the Battle of the Crystal Empire, as well as Shanzom The Golden and the Wizzrobes who aided him in Cloudsdale, are revived by the Elements of Harmony's World-Healing Wave.
• Back-to-Back Badasses: Rover and Pinkie, and Rarity and Rainbow Dash during the battle between the Changelings and Gohma.
• Berserk Button: Applejack is pissed when she finds out what happened to Applebloom in Sunnytown, and singles out Grey Hoof in order to make him pay personally.
  • Princesses Celestia and Luna do not take the sight of how soundly Ganondorf beat The Mane Six lightly.
  • When Luna learns that Dethl has been attacking her subjects in her domain (the dream world)... "furious" doesn't do it justice.
• Bestiality Is Depraved: Vaati ostensibly declares this as the reason why he and Princess Luna haven't officially hooked up, though it's obvious he's still interested despite himself.
  • The author himself explains this is why he's hesitant about shipping them together, as he disapproves of bestiality.
• Big Bad Ensemble: Ganondorf and Dethl. Ganon isn't even aware of Dethl's presence.
  • True Final Boss: While Dethl is The Unfought (aside from a brief duel with Luna that he flees from) and Ganondorf is defeated in the penultimate chapter, the final chapter has the Mane Six fighting the reborn Demise.
• Big Boo's Haunt: The Everfree Castle Ruins, which is infested with undead.

• Break the Cutie: Dethl targets each of the Mane Six with horrifying nightmares that each correspond to their respective Element in some way.
• Breather Episode: Chapter 11 is technically the first part of the sub-quest for the Element of Loyalty, but focuses mostly on some humorous attempts by the Mane Six to get Vaati in better physical shape, which is all pretty light stuff after all the fighting, and the actions of Majora's minions. Even Rarity's Dethl-induced nightmare, which occurs here, is much lighter than Applejack's and Fluttershy's.
• Call-Back: When The Mane Six decide to brandish weapons to stand a better chance against Grey Hoof's undead minions, Pinkie Pie pulls out the candy cane battle axe she used in season one, chapter four.
• Calling the Old Man Out: When Daring Do reveals that she's Rainbow Dash's mother, Rainbow chews her out for abandoning her. However, her anger burns out when Daring breaks down in tears of shame, and they reconcile.
• The Cavalry: The Diamond Dogs serve as this during the battle of Ponyville, showing up in time to help rout Ganon's forces.
  • Maulgrim rallies nearly half of Ponyville, Vaati's monsters, the Diamond Dogs, the creatures of the Everfree, and the buffalo as a relief force to break Ganondorf's siege of the Crystal Empire.
• Cerebus Syndrome: This season is significantly darker than the previous one, and the author promises the final season to be even darker.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Ghirahim does this to Daring Do.
• Culture Clash: The fact that Equestria is far more willing to forgive former enemies than Hyrule causes a heated argument between Twilight and Vaati over whether or not to help the changelings against Ganon.
• A Day in the Limelight: Daring Do got an episode all to herself as she confronts Ghirahim and the Church of Majora.
  • The episode after that focuses solely on the denizens of Ponyville as they fight off Ganon's forces while Scootaloo confronts Majora.
  • Two whole chapters focus on all the heroic characters outside Vaati and the Mane Six's group, as they fight to rescue the Crystal Empire from Ganon's forces.
• Deader than Dead: The Mane Six use the Elements to turn the Triforce of Power against Demise, their combined power destroying him once and for all, and all his influence.
• Deal with the Devil: Ganon recruits Grey Hoof and the Bone Fiends by promising to lift their curse. However, Vaati is quick to point out that they're more useful to Ganon as undead, and he will most likely not keep his word.
• Death of a Child: Dethl kills several foals in their sleep, including Pipsqueak and Babs Seed, just to make Luna suffer.
• Death Seeker:
  • When Luna meets Ganondorf's core personality, she finds he wants to die from all the evil that Demise's curse is making him do.
  • Shanzom makes it clear that he hates serving Ganon, and accepts his defeat and death at the hands of the heroes gracefully, as it frees him.

• Despotism Justifies the Means: Ganon gives a Motive Rant about how having power gives him a right to rule with an iron fist.
• The Determinator: Queen Chrysalis managed to crawl all the way to Appleoosa despite being badly injured and exhausted.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Fluttershy's Stare is strong enough to break Ganondorf's control of Volvagia, leaving her free to leave to hand over the Element of Kindness without a fight.
  • Derpy, The Doctor, and Maulgrim managing to take out Phantom Ganon during the battle in Ponyville.
  • Discord and the CMC managing to take out Majora's Avatar also qualifies. The latter three even get their Cutie Marks for it!
  • Nigellas and Vinyl Scratch taking out Mothula counts too.
  • Vinyl gets another one during the Battle of the Crystal Empire when she kills Argorok in order to defend a wounded Octavia.
  • The Mane Six destroying the reborn Demise once and for all.
• Dracolich: Stallords are, according to Vaati, the reanimated skeletons of dragons. The heroes fight one as the very first boss.
• Dragged Off to Hell: After Grey Hoof is forced to face the truth of his actions, the Everfree drags him off to face true punishment.

• Dungeon Crawling: Vaati and the Mane Six will have to do this in order to recover the scattered Elements of Harmony.

• Enemy Mine: The ponies of Sunnytown join with Vaati and the Mane Six to recover the Element of Honesty from Grey Hoof and a Stallord.
  • Ganon is oppressing everybody, including the Diamond Dogs, Changelings, and Griffons, leading to team-ups between those groups and the heroes.
• Enemy Within: Inverted. When Luna manages to enter Ganon's mindscape when he falls asleep, she meets his original, rather nice, Ganondorf personality, which has been subsumed by Demise's curse. He helps her figure out what the heroes are going to need to do to defeat Ganon.
• Eternal Recurrence: The one Demise's curse created is a plot point, and it's revealed that Ganondorf will be corrupted into an evil monster even if he himself isn't evil that time around. The Mane Six ultimately end it by permanently destroying Demise, resulting in Ganondorf being Killed Off for Real
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Ahuizotl genuinely loves his pet cats and Daring Do too, surprisingly.
• Everyone Can See It: Vaati and Luna's mutual infatuation, by this point.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Celestia calls out Ganon for not understanding The Power of Friendship, and that's why he's always lost.
• Evil vs. Evil:
  • Ganon is brought to Equestria instead of escaping into Hyrule because Majora believes he will interfere with his plans if he returns, and so hopes that Vaati and his friends will deal with him in the meantime.
  • If the Mane Six hadn't destroyed him, Demise intended to return to Dark World and reclaim his throne from Dethl.
• Eviler than Thou: Ganon is significantly stronger than Vaati, leading to the Wind Mage being on the receiving end of a curbstomp for once.
  • It's happened twice.
  • Ganon and his Gohma clearly prove to be worse than the changelings.
  • Ghirahim quickly puts Ahuizotl in his place leading to him teaming up with Daring Do.
• Exact Words: When worrying about fighting Shanzom, Rainbow Dash points out that Vaati had made a wish to be the most powerful wizard alive. He says that that's true, but that Shanzom wasn't alive when he made that wish.
• Female Monster Surprise: Turns out Volvagia's female.
• Final Battle: The battle against Ganondorf and Demise in Canterlot Castle.
• For the Evulz: Dethl takes great pleasure in the fear he brings to others, and is considered to be sadistic even by demon standards!
• Genius Loci: The Tree of Harmony, otherwise known as Gaia, is revealed to be the living spirit of the Everfree forest. And she sends all her predators to help fight off Ganondorf's forces.
• Giant Enemy Crab: Pincer Gohma, which are the Gohma's soldier caste. In accordance with popular fanon, Rarity makes an offhand comment about her distaste for crabs.
• Giant Spider: A pair of Armogohmas help defend the queen. They don't last long.
• Gondor Calls for Aid: When Maulgrim calls on the Diamond Dogs to aid the Ponyville volunteers and Vaati's monsters in acting as a relief force for the besieged Crystal Empire, he is surprised when they arrive in the company of pretty much every predator of the Everfree, sent by Gaia to aid in purging Ganon's evil from Equestria. And on the way to the Empire, they're joined by the buffalo tribes, who had heard of the danger and come to help.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Majora, who is still sealed and thus working through Dethl.
• Heroic BSoD: While all the heroes are hit hard by Ganon's quick victory at the beginning of the season, Vaati pretty much shuts down until he's talked out of it.
  • Played for laughs when Rainbow Dash realizes that, since Daring Do is her mother, and now romantically involved with Ahuizotl, Ahuizotl might potentially become her stepfather.
  • Played completely serious with Luna when she fails to save Pipsqueak (and several other foals) from Dethl.
  • Played straight by Vaati when the Elements of Harmony release Demise from Ganondorf's body.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Ahuizotl's cats distract Ghirahim long enough for Ahuizotl and Daring Do to make their escape.
• Hijacked by Ganon: Inverted. Another villain is working behind the scenes, using Ganondorf as nothing more than a distraction so it can recruit allies without being discovered. Also, it's repeatedly mentioned throughout the story that Ganon is himself ultimately just a puppet of Demise's reincarnated hatred, which manifests separately during the Final Battle.
• Hive Queen: The Gohma Queen, of course. Fittingly, Chrysalis, the Changelings' Hive Queen, is the one who kills her.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Demise takes the Triforce of Power when he's resurrected... but the Elements communicate with it and cause it to begin resisting him. When the Mane Six stab him with the Spear of Harmony, their power meshes with it and kills him Deader than Dead.
• Interspecies Romance: Scootaloo mentions Diamond Dog/Pony couples to gross out Vaati too much for him to go back to sleep.
• It Gets Easier: Fluttershy is horrified to realize this, though Discord talks her out of a Heroic BSoD resulting from it, helping her realize that sometimes you have to take a life to save others.
• It's All My Fault: Despite reassurances from his friends, Vaati is determined to blame Ganondorf's arrival in Equestria on his own arrival weakening the barriers between worlds.
• Keystone Army: When the Gohma Queen is killed, her brood all turn on each other.
• Killed Off for Real: Demise's curses are broken when the Elements destroy him for good; this includes the one on Ganondorf, resulting in him dying once and for all soon afterwards.
• Kneel Before Zod: Ganon, of course, does this all the time. As does Demise, upon being reborn.
• Knight of Cerebus: Ghirahim's presence quickly ends the semi-playful rivalry cycle between Daring Do and Ahuizotl, forcing them to team up against the Church of Majora.
• Knight Templar: Grey Hoof is utterly convinced that everything he's done has been for the good of Sunnytown.
• Lady of War: Rarity is the first one of the Mane Six to pick up a weapon in order to have a better chance against Grey Hoof's undead minions.
• Last Villain Stand: Ganondorf's armies are crushed by the allied pony forces at the Battle of the Crystal Empire, his power is sufficiently drained by his own personal battle with the Princesses, and by this point the Mane Six and their allies have regathered all of the Elements (except Magic, which he's kept on himself), defeating all his Boss-level monsters in the process. So, he flees back to Canterlot in an attempt to regain his strength, only to be hunted down and confronted for the Final Battle.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When the idea of recruiting aid from Link to fight Ganondorf is put forward, Vaati asks them not to even try. Pinkie then reassures him by saying that Link won't show up until next season.
• Leave Him to Me!: Applejack demands this of the others when facing Grey Hoof, telling them to go help Vaati fight the Stallord.
  • Queen Chrysalis makes known that she wishes to take down the Gohma Queen herself.
• Lizard Folk: The Lizalfos and their kin, along with Volvagia, are used to guard the Element of Kindness.
• Loophole Abuse: Sul-Kat-Na, the leader of the Lizalfos troops, uses the fact that Ganon never gave the order to not surrender as an excuse to accept Twilight's offer to do so.
• Love Redeems: Ahuizotl's love for Daring Do causes him to have a Heel–Face Turn.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: A non-villain related example, as Daring Do turns out to be Rainbow Dash's mother.
• MacGuffin Guardian: Since the second season plays out more like a proper Zelda story, Ganon places each of the Elements of Harmony under the protection of a powerful monster — the Element of Honesty is guarded by Grey Hoof and a Stallord, the Element of Kindness by Volvagia, the Element of Generosity by the Gohma Queen, the Element of Loyalty by Shanzom, and the Element of Laughter by Twinrova, while Ganon keeps the Element of Magic on his person.
• Mind Rape: Dethl's nightmares.
• Monster Lord:
  • Sul-Kat-Na, an Aerolfos, is the ruler of the Lizalfos clans.
  • Shanzom the Golden, most powerful of all Wizzrobes, is revived by Ganon to guard the Element of Loyalty.
• Mook Lieutenant: When Ganon enters the Battle of the Crystal Empire personally, he leaves command of his forces to a Moblin chieftain named Karuna.
• Motive Rant: Grey Hoof goes into one of these and can't understand why the rest of his fellow Sunnytown residents turned on him. Applejack is quick to shoot him down.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Grey Hoof's reaction when the Element of Honesty forces him to see the truth of his actions.
• My Greatest Failure: Daring Do's is abandoning her daughter Rainbow Dash at birth, out of cowardice.
• Night of the Living Mooks: Ganondorf raises an army of Stalfos and ReDeads, which are aided by Grey Hoof and the Bone Fiends, to guard the Element of Honesty in the Castle of the Two Sisters.
  • The Lich Queen of Misery Mire, Gomess, apparently was the first to use the undead as her servants.
• No-Sell: Ganondorf actually overpowers the Elements of Harmony, though this is because he has the Triforce of Power protecting him.
  • Even then, it's implied that it was difficult, and he only won because of his stamina.
  • Once Applejack gets the Element of Honesty back, she's able to shrug off Grey Hoof's death magic.
• Noble Demon: Sul-Kat-Na is an honorable being, who only serves Ganondorf because of the curse Demise lay on the monster races. When Twilight promises to find a way to break it, he agrees to surrender.
• Non Sequitur, *Thud*: When Vaati gets blindsided by a Helmasaur in the Diamond Dog mines, he mutters out "No, Ezlo, I said two teaspoons of sugar in my waffles" before passing out.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The Equestrians can instantly tell how serious Ganon's arrival is, since Maulgrim is visibly terrified.
• Oh, Crap!: Everyone's reaction to Ganon's arrival in Equestria.
  • An even bigger one occurs after Scootaloo reveals to Nigellas and Maulgrim that Majora is behind all the chaos.
• Our Dragons Are Different: Both a Stallord and Volvagia appear as guardians of the stolen Elements of Harmony.
• Parental Abandonment: Daring Do is Rainbow Dash's mother, who abandoned her with her father at birth, out of fear that she wouldn't be a good parent. She deeply regrets this.
• Party of Representatives: The Changeling Queen Chrysalis, Rover the Diamond Dog, Zecora, and Gilda all join up with Vaati and the Mane Six over the course of their quest.
• Puppeteer Parasite: Parasites of Majora, which can infect people and objects that bear Majora's visage or pertain to him in some way.
• Redeeming Replacement: Vaati becomes this for Ganon, as he gets the Triforce of Power after Ganondorf is Killed Off for Real.
• Redemption Promotion:
  • Once Chrysalis and the Changelings ally with Vaati, they systematically whoop the Gohma's collective asses.
  • Same goes for the Diamond Dogs, who are able to defeat their Lizalfos jailers after Vaati frees them.
• Rousing Speech: Maulgrim gives one to the Ponyville volunteers joining up to be The Cavalry for the besieged Crystal Empire. And when they do arrive during the battle, he gives another one.
• Samus Is a Girl: Turns out, Volvagia is female. Vaati's shocked to learn this.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Majora, a situation his demons have been working on rectifying for centuries.
• Shout-Out:
  • The author even throws in a nod towards the reviled CD-i games:
  Ganon: (to Vaati) You will join me, or else you will DIE!
  • There's also one towards Family Guy with this little exchange:
  Scootaloo: Dad!
  Vaati: *sleeping*
  Scootaloo: Dad!
  Vaati: *groans tiredly*
  Scootaloo: Daddy!
  Vaati: Ugh...
  Scootaloo: *Sigh* Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Daddy, Dad, Dada, Daddy...
  Vaati: For the love of the Goddesses, Scootaloo, WHAT?!
  • Grey Hoof becomes an alicorn named Nightmare Grave during the Boss Battle against him.
  • Applejack uses the Element of Honesty to force him to see the truth of his sins in a manner akin to the Penance Stare.
  • The Siege of the Crystal Empire is one long shout out to the Siege of Minas Tirath.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: Applejack consistently shoots down Grey Hoof's attempts to justify himself, ultimately using the Element of Honesty to force him to see the truth for himself.
  • Ganon receives several such moments during the Battle of the Crystal Empire. First, Cadence and Celestia give him a joint "The Reason You Suck" Speech on what a horrid ruler he truly is, Celestia later tells him how his refusal of The Power of Friendship is his true weakness and why he keeps losing, and finally, Nightmare Moon literally tells him to do this when he's gloating over his inevitable victory.
• Soul Jar: Majora infects a replica of his mask that Scootaloo wore as her Nightmare Night costume with one of his Parasites, allowing him to spy on the Palace, and more importantly, to get to Scootaloo.
• Super Mode: The Mane Six's Elements of Harmony fuse with their weapons and power them up enough that they can fight Demise head-on and ultimately destroy him. It's later revealed that the Elements fused with their bearers like the Triforces did with Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf.
• Storming the Castle: Given that it's playing out like a standard Zelda game, the Mane Six and Vaati will have to do this several times over the course of the story in order to retrieve the Elements and stop Ganon.
  • The retrieval of the Element of Honesty is a literal example, as Ganon's stashed it in the Castle of the Two Sisters.
• Superpowered Evil Side: Luna shows during the Battle of the Crystal Empire that she can shift into Nightmare Moon at will.
• Take That!: Majora's "dark truths" about Celestia just sound like pretty much every argument ever put forth by the Tyrantlestia crowd.
• Take Up My Sword: As the purified Ganondorf lies dying, he passes the Triforce of Power on to Vaati.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Ahuizotl says that this is why he won't let Ghirahim kill Daring Do. The truth is a bit more complicated than that.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Majora's Avatar gives one to Discord, belittling his powers as childish antics, before nearly killing him.
• This Cannot Be!:
  • Grey Hoof's reaction when the Element of Honesty protects Applejack from his death magic.
  • Phantom Ganon's reaction when Doctor Whooves and Derpy manage to mortally wound him. To which Maulgrim only has one thing to say before finishing him off:
  "This is Equestria. And here... anything is possible!"
  • Ganondorf himself, upon realizing he's about to lose the Final Battle.
  • Demise's reaction to the Trident of Power being destroyed by the Mane Six.
• This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: During the fight with the Gohma Queen:
  Chrysalis: You're mine, bitch!
• Tragic Monster: Volvagia. In this incarnation, Volvagia is the child of Gleerok, and lived with her on Mt. Crenel back in Hyrule. One day, when Volvagia was very young, an evil presence invaded Mt. Crenel. Gleerok tried to get Volvagia to safety, but when she turned around, the evil presence turned her into a vicious monster that didn't even recognize her own child. Volvagia had no choice but to flee from its mother. When Volvagia returned some days later though, it discovered that its mother was dead, slain by the Hero of Legend, whom the Gorons praised. Volvagia never forgave the hero or the Gorons, and eventually grew into a monster.
• Training the Peaceful Villagers: Vaati mentions that it may be necessary for the monsters to train the ponies in the ways of war in the unfortunately likely event that Ganon will send troops to besiege it. It works.
• Villainous Breakdown: Ganondorf falls apart during the Final Battle, as he can't comprehend the fact that he's about to lose.
• Villainous Crush: Ahuizotl is in love with Daring Do, and keeps up his evil schemes just to have an excuse to keep running into her. He finally confesses his feelings to her at the end of chapter 12 to give her the confidence she needs to confront Rainbow Dash about her own secret.
• Villain Team-Up: Ganondorf recruits Grey Hoof to aid him in protecting the Element of Honesty.
  • Majora intends to recruit Ahuizotl and his followers, in order to form a base core for the Church of Majora's presence in Equestria... and then to kill Ahuizotl himself when he's no longer necessary. Ahuizotl is smart enough to see this coming, and flees with Daring Do before it's too late.
  • We later learn that Veran, Onox, and Yuga are also affiliated with Majora, and that Majora wishes to recruit Grogar as an ally.
  • Sombra recruits Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer to the Church of Majora; the former with promises of finally becoming an alicorn, the latter in order to spread her twisted views on harmony.
• War Arc
• The War Has Just Begun: Even as they're celebrating Ganon's defeat at the end of the story, the heroes know that Majora's followers are still out there. Indeed, the last scene shows Dethl gathering the various villains he's assembled in order to plan their next move.
• The War Room: Vaati apparently has one in his palace.
• We Need a Distraction: The rest of the Mane Six distract the Stallord long enough for Vaati to attack it from behind and finish it off.
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: The huge influx of power Vaati received during his first rise to power eventually drove him mad, and he didn't recover his sanity until he had it knocked back into him by Ganon during his second escape from the Four Sword.
  • Grey Hoof is considerably more unhinged after being turned into an alicorn by Ganon.
• Wizard Duel: Vaati versus Shanzom.
• The Worf Effect: Thanks to the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf is easily able to defeat Vaati and the Elements of Harmony.
  • Ghirahim hands Daring Do her ass and nearly kills her, if not for Ahuizotl's intervention.
  • Discord doesn't fare very well against Majora's avatar. Though unlike the above examples, the CMC ultimately help him turn the tables and beat the Avatar.
• World-Healing Wave: The Elements Of Harmony let one of these off after defeating Demise, resurrecting everyone who was killed during the battle for The Crystal Empire, as well as Shanzom and his fellow Wizzrobes, in addition to freeing the monster races from Demise's curse.
• Would Harm a Child: Majora and Dethl intend to Mind Rape Scootaloo to the point of breaking her completely, and then using her as a weapon against Vaati. They ultimately fail.
  • Dethl, meanwhile, unleashes multiple dream monsters into the dreams of fifty Equestrians, fifteen of which manage to kill their victims, which include Pipsqueak and Babs Seed.
• Wrecked Weapon: During the final fight with Demise, the Mane Six focus the Elements' power and destroy the Trident of Power.
• You Are Not Alone: Dethl's nightmare attack on Twilight takes the form of Celestia rejecting her as a student, and her brother and friends turning on her as a result. When comforting her afterwards, Vaati tells her that will never happen, since at the very least, he will never abandon her.
  • Twilight does something similar with Pinkie after her own nightmare attack.
• You Shall Not Pass!: Shining Armor pulls this on Ganon during the Battle of the Crystal Empire. He doesn't die, but it still doesn't end well for him.
  • The various allies picked up by Vaati and the Mane Six do this with the last of Ganondorf's monsters during the Final Battle, while they take on Ganon himself.
• Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: The bulk of Ganondorf's army is wiped out during the Battle of the Crystal Empire, but rather than face down Vaati and the Mane Six there, he abducts the unconscious Princesses and flees back to Canterlot in order to regain his strength for the Final Battle. And even when he's defeated, they still have to fight the reborn Demise.

The following tropes appear in Season 2. 5

• All There in the Manual: This "season" is a collection of connected oneshots that fill in the five year Time Skip between Seasons 2 and 3.
• Anyone Can Die: Just like in the last season, but this time with no handy resurrection available. So far, the list is Pokey Pierce, Allie Way, Blues Noteworthy, Boxxy Brown, Rainbowshine, Shoeshine, Silverspeed, and Carrot Cake.
• Arc Welding: The Alicorn Amulet is explained to have been crafted by Sombra.
• The Atoner: Diamond Tiara, both for her previous bullying, and more importantly, for what she did while possessed by Dethl. Notably, Discord's apparently offered to restore her lost limbs, but she's refused, so that there'll always be a reminder of what she did. This leads to her accepting the Bargain with Heaven offered to her.
• Bargain with Heaven: Ooccoo offers one to Diamond Tiara on behalf of the Golden Goddesses, to become their champion in Equestria in order to seek atonement for what Dethl made her do.
• Battle Couple: Luna and Vaati, starting in the Battle of the Everfree.
• Big Damn Heroes: Chrysalis pulls this off twice during the Battle of the Everfree, first saving Celestia from an Armogohma, and then Vaati from Iemanis' avatar.
• Breather Episode: Chapter 3, coming after the Battle of the Everfree, is focused mostly on Twilight, Pinkie, and the rest of Ponyville putting together a birthday party for Vaati.
• Deal with the Devil: Grogar states that he's been promised the Equestria Girls realm to rule in exchange for his service to Majora, and says Majora is promising Tirek Termina for the same purposes.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Vaati and Chrysalis work together to destroy Iemanis' avatar.
• Dreaming of Things to Come: Diamond Tiara has a dream vision of the role she'll play in the war against Majora.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: A lot of Ponyville citizens get this treatment during the Gohma attack.
• Eviler than Thou: Tirek is one of the most evil beings in MLP canon, but even he is in awe of Majora's power.
• Fighting a Shadow: Rather than show up himself, Iemanis sends a Gohma King avatar to lead the attack on the Tree of Harmony.
• For Want Of A Nail: Grogar talks Tirek out of trying to sweet talk Discord into an alliance (as per canon), and also cuts short his rampage before it truly begins and attracts the Princesses' attention.
• Gondor Calls for Aid: When Rover realizes that the Gohma are in the Everfree, he goes to Ponyville to ask for aid from the ponies and Vaati, who contact the Princesses (who also alert the Changelings). And Gaia asks for help as well, in the form of the Everfree's predators and the Sunnytown ponies.
• Heroic BSoD: Vaati and Pinkie are in prolonged ones after the Battle of the Everfree.
• He Knows Too Much: Grogar kills the pony Tirek was draining when he showed up, and who promptly overheard their entire conversation.
  • When Sombra reclaims the Alicorn Amulet, he not only kills the shopkeeper possessing it, but also burns down his store, in order to cover his tracks.
• Horrifying the Horror: After seeing what the Elements of Harmony did to Ganon and Demise, Dethl is worried that they might be as effective against him.
• It's All My Fault: Vaati blames himself for all the deaths that occurred as a result of the fight with the Gohma, as he didn't take preventative measures to deal with Majora's forces. Luna snaps him out of it by reminding him that no one else who knows about Majora saw it coming either.
• Keystone Army: Just like the previous fight with the Gohma, when Iemanis' avatar is destroyed, they turn on each other.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: While it hasn't been outright confirmed yet, Iemanis' comments during the Battle of the Everfree strongly implies that Dethl is Vaati's father.
• Mama Bear: Cheerilee defending her students during the Gohma attack.
• Master Race: Iemanis clearly feels the Gohma are this.
• Mood Whiplash: Chapter 3 is a Breather Episode after battle against the Gohma, involving throwing Vaati a birthday party, but in its last scene shows Sombra reclaiming the Alicorn Amulet and killing the shopkeeper possessing it.
• Multiversal Conqueror: According to Grogar, Majora isn't planning on stopping with Hyrule and Equestria, or even their attached dimensions. He's going to go after all worlds.
• Papa Wolf: Mr. Cake turns into a certifiable badass during the Gohma attack in order to protect his family. Sadly, he doesn't survive it.
• Sadistic Choice: During the Battle of the Everfree, Iemanis gives the heroes the choice of defending the Tree of Harmony, or Ponyville. In the end, the main group stays with the Tree, while Celestia goes to Ponyville.
• Villain Team-Up: Tirek joins the Church of Majora's growing Legion of Doom.

The following tropes appear in Season 3

• Abusive Parents: Dethl not only explicitely sired Vaati to create a weapon, he gloats in front of his kid that his mother died of despair when she saw her newborn, right before trying to torture Vaati to death. Can we just say "Father of the Year"?
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us:
  • Majora begins his attempts to conquer both worlds by having the Gohma and an army of the undead led by Gomess attack Hyrule Castle.
  • On the Equestrian side of things, the war starts with Sombra and Onox invading the Crystal Empire.
• Anyone Can Die: The author makes it clear that there will be a large bodycount of named characters in this story. So far, the list includes Flash Sentry and Shining Armor.
• The Bad Guy Wins: Sombra succeeds in reconquering the Crystal Empire, killing Shining Armor and turning Cadence to crystal.
• Bestiality Is Depraved: Link seems to jump to this when he learns about Vaati and Luna's relationship. She's less than pleased at the statement. To his credit, Link immediately apologizes.
  "Finish that sentence. I bucking dare you."
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • Link appears at the very end of chapter 2, just in time to save Zelda from a Shadow Bat.
  • Just when a Stallord is about to overwhelm the Hylian and Equestrian defenders, Diamond Tiara shows up and kills it.
• Blasphemous Boast: During the fight with the invading Gohma horde, Vaati claims to be a god. Majora's Avatar takes offense to this.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: A heroic example. When the Church of Majora makes their first overt attack on Hyrule, the Hylian soldiers are at first psychologically overwhelmed by the hordes coming their way, but the Equestrians fight back easily. As Rarity explains to a stunned Zelda, despite their cuddly exterior, the Mane Six are quite versed in combat, and for them, a Cavalry of the Dead is just Tuesday.
• The Cavalry: Two examples during the attack on Hyrule Castle — first, Diamond Tiara returns and helps Zelda awaken the Silent Realm Guardians, and then Chrysalis and her Changelings swoop in.
• Cassandra Truth: King Daphnes refuses to believe that Vaati has reformed, and convinces himself that all the Equestrians must be brainwashed.
• The Chosen One: Zelda believes that the Mane Six are meant to take up the mantles on the Sages.
• Curb-Stomp Battle:
  • From a legal standpoint, Vaati's trial ends up being this, in a total aversion of the Kangaroo Court his friends were fearing — the prosecution's entire case is basically "he was a villain in the past, so he must still be", which collapses in light of Link and Zelda forgiving him for his past misdeeds, and the endless stream of positive character witness statements from everyone who knows him in Equestria.
  • The Silent Realm Guardians start thrashing the Gohma and Stalfos once they enter the fray.
• Dead Fic: The author stated they're canceling the story in favor of rewriting the series.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Chrysalis kills Iemanis, and then holds off Majora's Avatar long enough for the Mane Six to destroy it with the Elements.
• Dreaming of Things to Come: Like Luna, Zelda has a premonition dream of the coming conflict. Unfortunately, she is also blocked by Dethl.
• Driven to Suicide: Celestia reveals that she tried to kill herself with poison after she banished Nightmare Moon.
• Dungeon Crawling: Like in Season 2, the heroes have to go on a quest to several locations, fighting the monsters living in those places, in order to save the day. In this case, it's to seek out the five Sanctuaries and the Sacred Realm, in order to allow the Mane Six to become the new Six Sages, in order to defeat Majora.
• Dying Moment of Awesome: Shining Armor is fatally burned by Onox, but still manages to throw a sword with enough force to stab the bastard through the heart.
• Fantastic Racism: As Vaati and Nigellas point out, Hyrule isn't known for its tolerance. This is demonstrated when King Daphnes refers to the monster races as "abominations", and automatically lumps Chrysalis in with them based on her appearance.
• Fire-Forged Friends: Zelda seems to be hoping for this by having Link tag along on Vaati and the Mane Six's quest.
• Heroic BSoD: When Vaati hears of Sombra taking over the Crystal Empire and killing Shining Armor, he goes practically catatonic from shock and guilt.
• Info Dump: The story opens with a journal entry of Vaati's covering the major events of the Time Skip.
• It's All My Fault: Vaati blames himself for Majora finding Equestria.
• Kangaroo Court: The Equestrians are concerned that Vaati will receive one of these due to Hyrule's long-standing views on him. However, Zelda, Impa, and Agahnim promise a fair trial, backed by how beloved he is by the Equestrians who will be giving testimony.
• Keystone Army:
  • As before, the Gohma. Except this time, Iemanis' death wipes out the entire species.
  • When Onox dies, his dragon army — which only followed him out of fear — all immediately flee the Crystal Empire.
• Lady and Knight: Rarity and Maulgrim formally establish this relationship for themselves.
• Let's You and Him Fight: The Church of Majora engineer a war between the Gorons and Zoras just in time to distract both races from their invasion.
• Likes Older Women: Vaati points out that this seems to be the case with Spike, whose crush on Rarity has given way to one on Volvagia.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: Dethl finally reveals to Vaati that he's his father, right before trying to kill him.
• Mutual Kill: Shining Armor is fatally burned by Onox, but manages to stab him in the heart before succumbing.
• Mythology Gag: The Changelings still learn how to empower and feed themselves by sharing love instead of stealing it. But this time, it's Chrysalis who learns how to do it first, with aid from Navi.
• One-Winged Angel:
  • When they first appear, Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer have been transformed into Nightmares called Solar Flare and Starfall, respectfully.
  • Shining Armor gives Onox enough of a fight that the latter is forced to take his true draconic form in order to win.
• Only Friend: Link admits that Zelda is his only real friend, since everyone else Hero Worships him. He says he actually envies Vaati for all his friends.
• Race Against the Clock: The Mane Six's quest to become the new Sages is this, both because of the looming threat of Majora's conquest of both worlds, but also because Majora's curse on Vaati will kill him without the Sage's power to remove it.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: During the attack on Hyrule Castle, Sunset and Starlight jointly give one to Celestia, while Majora gives one to Vaati.
• Rescue Romance: Scootaloo develops a crush on Link after he saves her life during the fight with the Gohma.
• Shout-Out:
  • The scene where Daphnes has a breakdown in light of the impending attack and has to be knocked out by Agahnim is very much like what Gandalf has to do to Dethenor.
  • Scootaloo casually knocking out some enemies to prove her worth to take command of the Hylian guards is just like what Captain America has to do with the NYPD during the Chitauri invasion.
• Super Mode:
  • As implied during the fight with Ganon in the previous season, Luna reveals during the fight with Majora's Avatar that she's learned to harness Nightmare Moon's power without letting it control her.
  • While fighting Iemanis, Chrysalis supercharges herself on the energy of all her Changelings.
• This Is Gonna Suck: Vaati, Nigellas, and Maulgrim know that they won't get a good reception back in Hyrule, despite the Equestrians' optimism.
• Thousand-Yard Stare: Twilight is noted as having one of these after hearing of Shining Armor's death.
• Tickle Torture: Luna does this to Vaati in chapter 3 to try and cheer him up.
• Time Skip: Picks up five years after the previous season.
• Took a Level in Badass: During the Time Skip, all three Crusaders have undergone this — Scootaloo is now Captain of the Night Guard, Applebloom is chief engineer for all siege weapons, and Sweetie Belle's magic prowess is now comparable to Star Swirl's.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: After the rest of Majora's forces attacking Hyrule Castle are destroyed, Gomess flees.
• We Will Meet Again: Dethl says this after being driven off from his attack on Vaati by Luna, Twilight, Zelda, and Impa.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Twilight gives Vaati a speech to this effect during his Heroic BSoD.
• You Are in Command Now: Agahnim says this to Zelda after knocking out the mad Daphnes.
• Your Mind Makes It Real: The torture Vaati is given by Dethl in his dream transfers into his real body, leaving him in critical condition.