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Characters / Divided Rainbow

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A list of characters pertaining to Divided Rainbow.

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Herd Bellerophon

    Bellerophon ‘Lero’ Michaelides 

Twilight: Yes, but... you know that I'm the only one that can find the cure.  You can't help them.
Lero: That, I take as a challenge, my dear Miss Sparkle.
Our protagonist. After finding himself as the only human in Equestria during the events of Xenophilia, he eventually settles down in a herd with Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Lyra. After the Swap, he takes it upon himself to help the rest of his friends in any way he can, until Twilight finds a way of curing the problem.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Lero has his moments.
  • Determinator: No matter what he has to suffer, he will not allow the swapped Element Bearers to ruin all each other's lives.
  • Dogged Nice Guy: He is conscientiously determined to be nice to everyone.
  • Exotic Extended Marriage: Though he's not officially married, yet, this is his relationship with the mares of Herd Bellerophon, in a nutshell. Spike's like a younger brother to him.
  • For Happiness: If Twilight were unable to find a cure for the Swapped, Lero could ultimately live with that, as long as they were all honestly happy.
  • Freakiness Shame: Swapped!Rarity 'remembers' Lero going through this, before they got together as a couple.
    Lero: What girl in this world would ever fall in love with a being like me?
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Upon mistakenly concluding that Swapped!Dash just isn't capable of loving him the way her former self was, Lero accepts her rejection with heartbreaking grace and selflessness. Even after leaving Dash's cottage, he focuses on the silver lining.
    “At this point, I’ve done everything in my human power to win Rainbow Dash back, short of outright tying her down and forcing her to love me. Which is not real love at all... And yet... look at how she is now! We’ve done so much. We were there for her. She’s independent and in control of herself. Her animals aren’t a threat to her anymore; she’s overcome them all... And above everything else... even if she can no longer appreciate us as family... we’ve still built up a much stronger friendship, haven’t we? We can come back and visit her later, as the best of friends! Isn’t that great, Spike?”
  • Made of Iron: Lero’s body can take some damage.
  • No One Gets Left Behind: First, Lero comes to decide that "loving the part of Dash that's in Rarity isn't enough. I can't let any part of Dash suffer." After his first taste of real success, Lero then raises the bar for himself, and sets his sights on helping all five of the swapped.
  • Puny Earthling: Some ponies have magic, other ponies have wings, but practically all ponies are blessed with more raw bodily strength than Lero. Furthermore, Lero is a guy in a world where the dominant species has a superabundance of females and a scarcity of males; so girls are instinctively geared to protect guys. Thus, ponies tend to treat Lero with a certain degree of delicacy, but he just takes it in stride.
  • Single Specimen Species: This is pretty much Lero’s role, as Equestria’s sole human, (and refugee from the World-Before-Equestria.)
  • The Speechless: After Mr. 7 temporarily destroys his voice, Lero becomes this for a few chapters.
  • The Unchosen One: Twilight Sparkle is the only one who can actually cure the Swapped. But Lero's taken it upon himself to do everything in his power to ease their pain, and make it possible for them to live normal lives. And he's very proactive about it.
  • Understanding Boyfriend: Given the circumstances he's in, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more understanding boyfriend than Lero.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifter: While he doesn't have the power to shapeshift himself, Lero willingly allows himself to be shifted into pony form by Twilight.

    Twilight Sparkle 

"Well, on one hoof, it’s a relief knowing that a cure DOES EXIST.  I was starting to worry this was just a wild goose chase, and that my friends’ condition was now untreatable.  On the other... I’m the only one who can find it. So no pressure!"'
The second mare to join Lero's herd, Twilight was initially very shy when it came to romance, but got much better as her relationship with Lero developed. When her attempt at casting Starswirl's last spell goes horribly wrong, she works relentlessly to fix her mistake, and deal with the crippling guilt at seeing the trouble she's caused.
  • The Atoner: To a crippling fault. She feels responsible for casting Starswirl's unfinished spell, resulting in a lot of swapping and havoc in Equestria.
  • Badass Bookworm: She still is this.
  • Battle Couple: Twilight and Rarity actually show signs of being this when they first arrive home, and believe their house has been broken into.
    • Twilight, Rarity, and Lyra coordinate their magic against the Gufferflork with surprising efficiency, despite never having actually fought together in this fashion before.
  • Determinator: She's so determined to fix her screw up that she works relentlessly on finding a way to reverse the spell, to the point of overworking herself.
  • It's All My Fault: If you thought Twilight was guilty of this in the show, you haven't seen anything yet.
  • She's Back: At a certain point, Twilight finally comes to terms with what she's done enough to begin actively trying to modify Starswirl's unfinished spell.
  • Unwitting Instigator of Doom: All she wanted to do was test and see what Starswirl’s incomplete spell did.

    Spike 

"The way I see it, the more I can keep you away from Rarity, the happier we’ll all be!"
Acting as the little brother of our various herd members, Spike had little difficulty accepting his new family members. But when the Swap results in his long-held crush taking on Rainbow's interest in Lero, Spike finds himself struggling to overcome his jealousy.
  • And Your Reward Is Clothes: After her equilibrium, Applejack rewards Spike with a set of new clothes, which he proudly wears.
  • Berserk Button: Seeing Lero and Rarity grow closer... emotionally and especially physically.
  • Bratty Half-Pint: He can be more than a bit self-centered.
  • Deadpan Snarker: But of course.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: He's extremely envious of Rarity's new-found interest in Lero and barely makes any effort to hide it.
  • Foil: To Lero, starting from Chapter 21, when he decides he's going to get equilibrium for Applejack, but he's going to do it without anyone else's help.
  • Hypercompetent Sidekick: In addition to everything else, Spike can almost singlehandedly keep all the animals under control.
  • Little Boy Seeks Big Girl: Ssh... don't tell anyone this but Spike's got a huge crush on Rarity!
  • My God, What Have I Done?: After he and Lero go to visit Dash at her newly-rebuilt cottage is rebuilt, he holds himself accountable for not doing more to be there for Rainbow Dash.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: For everything else wrong between these two 'brothers,' at heart, they still are brothers.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Receives one from Lero when he shows little concern for Rainbow Dash's well-being.

    Lyra Heartstrings 

"All I can do from here is assure you that, as with all obstacles, a way exists for us to adapt to our present ordeal.  Adapt, and eventually overcome.  Also, to remind you how deeply you are loved.  Twilight loves you.  Spike loves you.  And I love you so much too."'
The final mare to join Herd Bellerophon, Lyra can be something of an enigma at times. Despite her whimsical sense of humour and tendency to provide sagely wisdom, she is nevertheless one of the most dangerous unicorns owing to her martial arts mastery, and someone who should be underestimated at your peril.
  • Blatant Lies: Feeds Rainbow Dash a HUGE bald-faced whopper about how she psychically inserted martial arts skills directly into her head. But it was done with the intention of preventing Rainbow from going insane.
  • Fantastic Fighting Style: The Still Way.
  • Not So Stoic: Within the Xenophilia mythos as a whole, Lyra Heartstrings is depicted as the most coolheaded and unflappable member of Herd Bellerophon. Indeed, it's an image she strives to maintain within Divided Rainbow. The truth of the matter is, she's heartbroken with losing Rainbow Dash as a herd-sister, and has great qualms about accepting Rarity as her replacement... though she's determined to be strong about it.
  • Sixth Ranger: Isn't physically there to help Herd Bellerophon deal with the ordeals until the tail end of Chapter 16... but has been entirely making up for her long absence since then!
  • Warrior Therapist: Since returning home from her martial arts sabbatical, Lyra's focused herself on trying to heal the psychological wounds within Herd Bellerophon, itself. However, in the face of a physical threat, such as the glufferflork, she won't hesitate to put her Still Way arts to use.
  • Written-In Absence: In Chapter 16, Lyra finally returns home and begins actively participating in the plot. Prior to this point, Lyra has been on a Still Way sabbatical since before the story began, (Although a letter is received from her in Chapter 7.) The rest of Herd Bellerophon must write to her constantly to keep her up-to-speed with all the swap-related madness happening at home.

    Rainbow Dash 
[Listed under the Swapped Five]

    Rarity 
[Listed under the Swapped Five]

Other Exempted Individuals

    Discord 

"It's not JUST Ponyville. It's EVERYWHERE. I've altered the perceptions of almost every living thing on this planet, sapient or not, so that they’ll fall in perfect lockstep with what those five believe about themselves! Ask any pony you care to! From the Crystal Ponies of the Crystal Empire, from Chrysalis and her changeling brood to the sands of Saddle Arabia... no one’s gonna believe your version of things! Because I specifically zapped them not to!"
The reformed Master of Chaos, Discord has been tasked by Celestia with modifying the memories of everyone on the planet to uphold the facade created by the Swap. Nevertheless, he still enjoys causing mischief when he can, even if he's mostly preoccupied by current events.
  • Big Brother Is Watching: Always. The other characters are never really alone.
  • The Dreaded: Mortal ponies all remember the 'Day Of Chaos,' and fear a relapse into his old habits. Even the Sicklefins.
  • The Extremist Was Right: Without the Bewitchment, it would only have been a matter of time before all of the Swapped ponies would have been called out on living the wrong lives. Which would resulted in them going on insane killing sprees. Which would've resulted in 5/6ths of the Element Bearers needing to be put down. Which would've resulted in everypony being rendered vulnerable to the sort of all-powerful baddies that the Elements Bearers routinely protect the world from!
  • Masquerade: Responsible for the creation, maintenance and constant updating of the Bewitchment.
  • Pals with Jesus: Discord takes quite a shine to Lero after first meeting him, and he ends up dropping in on him often. He's already good friends with Fluttershy... and it's later shown that he extends the friendship to Swapped!Rainbow Dash.
  • Reformed, but Not Tamed: He's pretty much the same Discord we see at the end of 'Keep Calm And Flutter On.'
  • Shipper on Deck: Soon after Swapped!Rainbow gets her equilibrium, Discord helps her realize what kind of feelings she's come to develop for Lero.
  • Troll: Discord enjoys the hell out of tugging Lero's chain.

    Star Sparkle 

Star Sparkle: Frustrating, was it? Loopy is a thousand miles away and your darling Rainbow Dash really doesn't enjoy the, ah, pleasures of her own sex all that much. It must have seemed like quite the opportunity.... Heavens know if I were in this sort of situation I wouldn't hesitate.
Twilight: Y-you really know? You know?!
Twilight Sparkle's reluctant mother. Abrasive, condescending, rude, and many other unpleasant labels, she is not a welcome sight for many, and is liable to lead to significantly raised blood pressures.
  • [Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: She might now show it much, but she does still care about Twilight, as shown when she warns Rarity not to hurt her.
  • The Bus Came Back: Many chapters pass between her first appearance and her second.
  • Calling the Old Man Out: Boy, does she ever.
    Star Sparkle: So the secret stays secret, my daughter goes mad and the world ends anyway, is that it? And they say you're a benevolent ruler.
  • Dirty Old Woman: Openly hits on others, including her daughter's herdmates. Rarity even has a few 'memories' of her.
  • Lady Drunk: Star certainly does love her booze.
  • Obnoxious In-Laws: Rude and snarky as ever, none of Herd Bellerophon are particularly sorry when she leaves.
  • Troll: She delights in getting under other ponies' skins, and unfortunately is very talented at doing so.

    Princess Celestia 
"My heart goes out to you and your friends. All I can tell you is to not lose hope. I have unflinching, unwavering confidence that you will be the one to set your friends back on the right path. Have faith in your abilities, for you have already made so many incredible achievements, my faithful student."
Twilight Sparkle’s beloved mentor, the all-powerful ruler of all ponydom and the sun... is most conspicuous by her near-complete absence and passivity. Like the TV episode on which Divided Rainbow is based, Princess Celestia arranges for Twilight to unwittingly trigger her friends’ Swap... and lays the burden of curing them entirely on her student’s shoulders. Operating behind the scenes, volunteering no words of guidance for her protege... Celestia’s ultimate goals and endgame for engineering this mad state of affairs are, (for the moment at least,) swathed in mystery.
  • Because I Said So: She's been nothing, if not tight-lipped.
    Star Sparkle: If you trust her so much, why are you hiding the solution from her?
    Princess Celestia: What information I choose to reveal to Twilight is not your concern, Star Sparkle. Who are you to tell me otherwise?
  • Endless Daytime: One of the reasons Starswirl needed to cast Soul Synthesis on her.
  • Figure It Out Yourself: What Celestia is counting on Twilight Sparkle to do.
  • Hospitality for Heroes: She throws the Element Bearers a HUGE financial bone, by gifting them each with an enormous sum of money 'in recognition of their heroic endeavors on behalf of the crown.' This money is a tremendous boon: it pays for an expensive hospital operation for Big Mac, it saves Applejack's business from going under, and it allows Rainbow Dash to purchase a new cottage after the glufferflork's attack.
  • Hot God: Gender-inverted; Lyra finds it a fair statement that, over the course of her long reign, every stallion and mare has crushed on Celestia at some point in their lives.
  • Lunacy: Two words: Solar Phases.
  • The Power of the Sun: The whole reason Celestia is the Princess of the Sun is because she was swapped into that role. Originally, she was the Moon Princess!
  • Quest Giver: She assigns her student the task of fixing Starswirl's spell, mails her a few words of encouragement when Twilight wrote her after the Swap hit, and from there... hasn't really contributed much else, admittedly.
  • Swapped Roles: She and her sister were the first victims of the Swap, when Starswirl had first created it.

    Princess Luna 

"There may be a solution. We, my sister and I, have knowledge of the spell Twilight cast, particularly related to its first 'victims', for want of a better description."
The Princess of the Moon and ex-Nightmare.
  • Divine Date: When Luna first appears in-story, she's dating all of Herd Lucent, (Star Sparkle's herd.)
  • Lunacy: When she was initially swapped into the role of Moon Princess, she caused the moon to grow brighter and brighter, week after week, until it shone with the sun's former retina-blistering level of brilliance. Then she outright set the whole thing on fire.
  • The Night That Never Ends: Sought this as Nightmare Moon.
  • The Power of the Sun: She, not Celestia, was originally the Sun Princess, until Starswirl's unfinished spell changed her.
  • Sixth Ranger: Of a sort. Discord reveals that Luna's been put on his exemption list in Chapter 9. It's not until Chapter 27 that she makes her true debut.
  • Swapped Roles: She and Celestia were the first victims of the Swap, when Starswirl had first created it.
  • That Man Is Dead That Mare Is No More]]: Princess Lumina.
    Princess Luna: Celestia of the Night Sky, Lumina of the Sunny Day... that's who we used to be. But after this... Well, I am Luna of the Moon, now and forevermore.
  • The Royal We: Often refers to herself and Celestia as if they are a single entity.
  • Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Feels more comfortable speaking this way.
  • You Are Not Alone: Luna's quick to assure Star Sparkle that she hasn't gone mad.
    Princess Luna: When we heard you speak of Twilight Sparkle and her herd we could not quite believe it were so: that you are aware of the truth that Rarity has taken the place of Rainbow Dash in the herd of your daughter.

Swapped Five

    Rarity 

"All these nightmares you’re having... us breaking up, me leaving you, me forgetting you... those are just dreams.  This is reality.  I haven’t left you and never shall.  Someday, you’ll be up there in a handsome white tuxedo, and Twilight, Lyra, and I will be right beside you in our beautiful bridal gowns and Spike will be our ring-bearer.  Our lives will be as happy together as we've always been.  Then Twilight’s going to find a way to help us have daughters and sons of our own.  And if they should all look like you... then I’ll be all the more honored as a mother."
The fashionista-turned-weathermare, Rarity initially had no interest in Lero, until the Swap convinces her she was first in love amongst her new-found herd members. Despite taking on several elements of Rainbow Dash's personality, she still maintains most of her classy and generous nature, which along with her natural beauty makes it very difficult for Lero to resist her affections.
  • Abhorrent Admirer: Rarity can come onto others a little strong, sometimes, particularly when she believes the object of her affection is 'already' a long-time lover of hers. Given time, though, others generally grow to love her back in turn.
  • Cry into Chest: She does this to Lero in Mr. 7's cave, believing she's responsible for the condition he's in.
  • Good Parents: As the matriarch of her herd, she is a good mother to those who are also a part of the herd.
  • Happily Married: It really didn't take long for Swapped!Rarity to seize control as the lead mare of Herd Bellerophon... but since she genuinely loves each and every member of the family, they've all grown to be perfectly happy having her as the family matriarch.
  • Hotblooded: A trait passed along from swapping with Rainbow Dash; Rarity manages a surprising balance between being ladylike and pure boisterousness.
  • Humans Are Special: Swapped!Rarity loves humans, and adores practically everything about them, from stories of planet Earth to every aspect of their physicality! Well, except for toes. Toes she just finds odd.
  • Humans Need Aliens: As much as Rarity loves Lero, well... there's a reason she always feels the need to 'white knight' him the way she does.
    Lero had no wings. No magic. A pair of hands that didn’t even have claws at the end like Spike’s. Earth ponies had stronger bodies than him. He was completely at the mercy of all ponykind, and knew it. And so many ponies were always so guarded around him because he admitted to being an omnivore, while being perfectly willing to adopt a meatless diet! And they raised such a stink, just because a few of the teeth in his mouth were pointy. Teeth that could easily be kicked out with a sturdy buck. And it was all he could do to be genuinely grateful, every day, that ponies were as good-natured as they were.
  • Instant Expert: With weather magic.
  • Knight in Shining Armor: In keeping with the matriarchal nature of the Xenoverse, it’s the princesses who’re expected to act as the knightly defenders for their princes. Inspired by these fairytales, Rarity always chivalrously seeks to shield her own ‘sweet prince’ from any harm. Thus, whenever someone’s antagonizing Lero, Rarity will be first to step between Lero and the aggressor. Should something endanger Lero’s life, Rarity will battle that thing to the death.
  • Replacement Goldfish: In replacing Rainbow Dash, Swapped!Rarity believes she’s always been Lero’s oldest, brightest flame.
  • Proper Lady: She may have taken on several of Rainbow's characteristics, but she’s still got it.
  • Silk Hiding Steel: More than ever before, Rarity's a girl you do not want to underestimate.
  • Thinks Like a Romance Novel: She still retains this aspect of her original personality, even when she's saving the love of her life from giant monsters.
  • Undying Loyalty: Time and time again, Swapped!Rarity demonstrates how absolutely worthy she is of bearing the Element of Loyalty. She's fiercely, unflinchingly devoted to her friends, all her herdmates and especially Lero.
  • Yaoi Fangirl: Hinted at while Rarity's reading aloud from a book about bonobo socialization. Specifically, the male-on-male bit.
    Lero: Rarity, would you STOP SMILING like that?!

    Rainbow Dash 

"Hey, Lero...you’re very thoughtful for doing this. I just want you to know that when you run away screaming from this house, I won’t hold it against you."
Lero's lead mare and greatest love, Rainbow initially hid her attraction to him until her impulsive behaviour got the best of her, signalling the beginning of their relationship. With her memories now swapped with those of Fluttershy, she's somewhat mystified by Lero's sudden friendliness with her, but with her sudden inability to control her animals, she'll take all the help she can get...
  • Amnesiac Lover: The original Fluttershy was Lero's most distant friend, and this is what Dash now believes she and Lero have always been. However, his dogged helpfulness has done a lot towards raising her esteem of him.
  • Chickification: In-universe; the Swap does to Rainbow Dash, robbing her of all her brash, brave badassery.
  • Damsel in Distress: Her new Butterfly Mark has made it all but impossible to leave a cottage full of animals that have banded against her; willing to do her no end of injury, keep her up all hours of the day and night, not to mention she doesn't actually have the skill set required to be a proper animal caretaker. Yes, she DOES need help.
  • Domestic Abuse: Dash suffers this at the paws of all her animals.
  • The Empath: The Butterfly Mark has cursed Rainbow Dash with this. Whenever one of her animals die, it causes Dash terrible anguish in her brain.
  • Innocently Insensitive: When she kisses Spike all over in front of Lero for getting her animals to fall asleep.
  • Instant Expert: Well... not so much 'instant,' but once she gains equilibrium, Dash is suddenly a lot more knowledgeable about animals.
    The bafflement on Fluttershy’s face gave Rainbow Dash the giggles. “It’s true!” she told her pink-maned friend. “When hyenas ‘laugh,’ it’s not because they find something funny. They usually do it just before they’re about to attack or BE attacked by lions or other hyenas.”
    “Well, you’re the animal expert,” Fluttershy conceded with a pout. She stuck her tongue out at Lero as she saw him visibly restraining a laugh of his own.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: When Lero visits her cottage after it's rebuilt, she's appalled and heartbroken when she realizes how profoundly she's hurt Lero's feelings.
  • Poor Communication Kills: Lero's left thinking that Dash is no longer interested in his company, once her animal problem is solved. Nothing could be further from the truth.
  • Prodigal Hero: Rainbow Dash grows to be so impressed by how lovingly everyone in Herd Bellerophon always treats her, that she ultimately decides to join the herd as well, and is accepted in with great enthusiasm. Being Swapped, though, Dash is ironically oblivious to just how 'prodigal' she is.
  • Race for Your Love: An interesting twist on the trope; at one point, Dash and Lero race each other.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Decided enough was enough when she saw that all her friends regarded her as a hapless damsel in distress. Speeded the process by listening to an audiobook of Iron Will's.
  • Unrequited Love Switcheroo: Dash and Lero suffer from a brief spell of this at one point.
  • Yaoi Fangirl: Although, she, herself, is 'bent towards guys,' well...
    Of course, then another part of Rainbow Dash reminded her what good friends Mac and Lero both were. The two of them were rather cute together whenever they were out and about town, having fun with one another...
    She shook her head violently to dispel the sudden lurid mental images that assailed her. No, Bad Dash, she really shouldn’t be thinking about the two of them like that!

    Pinkie Pie 

Pinkie Pie: Now, if'n yew don't mind, ladies... and Lero... Ah'm gonna get to work, so ya’ll best go do the same.
Cloudchaser: Uh, we are gonna start making it rain. You sure you don’t want to be inside, miss?
Pinkie Pie: Chores ain't gonna do themselves.
Upon being swapped into Applejack’s old life role, Ponyville’s premier party queen finds herself back to being the joyless farm girl she never wanted to be in the first place. Frustrated beyond measure at suddenly “losing” all the agricultural skills she “always had,” Pinkie’s turned sour, snappish, and completely obsessed with farming, often taking out her vexations on friends and family alike.
  • Animal Nemesis: While nowhere near as bad as Captain Ahab, Pinkie Pie has a considerable grudge against the glufferflork.
    Pinkie Pie: Ya came over mah farm. Ate mah pigs. Nearly killed mah brother. Nearly drove me crazier than espresso-drinking squirrels! But we’re both getting better, thanks fer asking!
    Pinkie's Lye Gun: BLAM!
  • Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Pinkie Pie retains this aspect of her personality, making a bad situation worse; not only does she do a poor job on the farm, but this results in her constantly switching tasks and leaving jobs half-finished.
  • Cool Big Sis: Becomes this to Apple Bloom upon reaching her equilibrium.
  • Funetik Aksent: Just look at the quote above for an example.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Devises a shotgun that shoots lye pellets in perpetration for the glufferflork. A gun capable of being used by Earth ponies!
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Underneath all her snappish, overworked sourness, Pinkie still holds deep love for all her friends and family, (even Apple Bloom.) Sometimes, she even shows it openly.
  • Sibling Team: With both her siblings. First Apple Bloom, then Big Mac, after he's out of the hospital.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivers one to Fluttershy after she tries to strong-arm Lero into teaching her jokes in the hospital, demanding that she 'grow up.'
  • Took a Level in Kindness: After Lero pointed out the true meaning of the Apple Mark, she becomes thoroughly lovable.
  • Workaholic: All of Applejack's work-yourself-down-to-the-bone doggedness, with zero actual farming skill. until Apple Bloom 'reteaches' her how to farm properly.

    Applejack 

It fit his body as smoothly as the socks on his feet.  The fabric wasn’t even itchy or anything.  Truly, for Applejack, this was progress.  But when he looked in the dressing room’s mirror... egad!
There are struggling artists who insist themselves to be slaves of their own creativity. And then there’s Applejack. Day and night, the former farmer shuts herself up in Carousel Boutique, chained to her sewing machine in all but the most literal sense, guided by an insatiable ‘muse’ who favors quality over quality and uniqueness over actual wearability.
  • Funetik Aksent: The first time he encounters Swapped!Applejack, Lero's surprised she got to keep her drawl.
  • The Muse: Characterizes her new dressmaking compulsion as a 'muse...' but she's first to admit that it's gone completely deranged and out-of-control.
  • The Muse: Characterizes her new dressmaking compulsion as a 'muse...' but she's first to admit that it's gone completely deranged and out-of-control.
  • Thinks Like a Romance Novel: Applejack inherited some of this trait from Rarity. Rarity, herself, still retains the lion’s share.
    Lero had never heard Applejack sigh so lovey-dovey. “Awww... how sweet, it’s jest like a fairy tale!”
    Rarity perked up at that. “A fairy tale? You really think so, Applejack?”
    “Yew bet yer purdy little horn Ah do! The handsome prince, captured by the huge, slavering beast, and the brave, beautiful mare who loves him follows the monster to its lair to do battle and rescue him!”
    The unicorn laughed delightedly. “Well, when you put it that way... yes, it did all feel quite adventurous! Classically so! Very much a fairy tale!”
  • Workaholic: Well, at least she's productive.

    Fluttershy 

Fluttershy: So the only reason you didn’t laugh at my jokes was because you couldn’t.  If your voice had been working, you’d have laughed fit to split, right? Right?
Lero: (weakly smiles)
Though she’s lost her Butterfly Mark, this formerly timid wallflower has now metamorphosed into one of the most social butterflies in Ponyville... for all the good it does her! Taking her (new) role as the Element of Laughter with absolute seriousness, Fluttershy is compelled to clown around with all and sundry, rattling off a bottomless procession of jokes... all of which would leave a five-year-old rolling his eyes.
  • The Apprentice: At a certain point, she begins studying comedy with Lero as her mentor.
  • Cannot Tell a Joke: Didn't like her last joke? Well, maybe you'll like her next one!
  • Friend to All Children: Apparently, all of Swapped!Fluttershy's old caretaker instincts have been redirected towards babysitting Pumpkin and Pound Cake.
    “How are Pound and Pumpkin doing these days, Fluttershy?” the aqua unicorn asked.
    This question transformed Fluttershy’s whole attitude. From the nearly skull-like, tightly-wound jokester’s grin, her smile softened into something more natural, maternal, and honest. The smile of Fluttershy’s old self, or at least very close to it. “Oh, Pound and Pumpkin are both such adorable little dears... cute as a pair of puppies!” The yellow pegasus unconsciously made a cradling gesture by her chest. “Oh, how I love watching them and laughing with them and playing with them and feeding them their milk!”
  • Parental Neglect: In Swapped!Fluttershy's memories of her fillyhood, it didn't bother any of the Pie family, parents included, to wake up and find her missing from the house (at least until it was time to farm rocks).
  • Sad Clown: Though she rarely shows it, it hurts Fluttershy that nobody finds her funny.
  • Secret-Keeper: She becomes one for Herd Bellerophon, after she gains Fourth Wall Awareness.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Gets asked this by Pinkie Pie, for selfishly trying to force Lero to teach her jokes right there in the hospital.

Vicious Villains and Brutal Beasts

    Mr. 7 

To Lero’s eyes, the seven-legged spider almost looked to be deflating itself as it pumped its corrosive juices into the minotaur, only to then bloat up like a tick as it sucked back in. Deflate and inflate, inject and absorb, back and forth, in and out, until the mighty minotaur was no more than a shriveled, desiccated heap, literally just skin and bones. The spider then moved on and did the same to the warthog the hunter had been carrying. Afterward, the monster pulled back and let himself have a spell of rest to settle his stomach... the way Lero and his mares did right after they’d eaten a sumptuous Hearth’s Warming Eve feast.
Plummeting 9,000 feet through the briars of a Bramble Tower was excruciating enough. But the seven-legged horror Lero was fated to face was almost enough to make him wish he hadn’t survived the fall...

    Angel Bunny and the Cottage Critters 

At the bottom of the stairs, he found Rainbow Dash, lying on her side, moaning in pain. An entire warren of rabbits was using her body as their trampoline: brown bunnies, gray bunnies, spotted bunnies, but the one with the cruelest and nastiest sneer of all was Angel Bunny. Angel was bouncing up and down atop her head as though it would split open like a rotten melon if he kept at it long enough.
Realizing that his caretaker had inexplicably lost all her care-taking expertise, Angel Bunny saw his chance to usurp power from a girl he'd never truly respected to begin with. Seizing upon the flimsiest excuse, (Rainbow Dash eating an apple he wanted,) Angel Bunny rallied the rest of the animals to his cause and launched a coup. Spiteful, vicious, and completely intractable, he and all the animals under his command are now sadistically committed to the long-term goal of destroying Rainbow Dash; psychologically or physically, whichever comes first.

    Glufferflork 

The luckless chickadee was snapped right out of the air by a huge gob of white. Dash’s Butterfly mark spasmed fiercely, and she gave out a shriek, clutching her temple as though it had been struck by a dart. It slid around from the side of the cottage; the size of a tow truck. To Lero, the flork resembled a massive accumulation of semi-translucent white-colored candle wax. It was possible to see the chickadee dissolving within its shapeless waxen blubber.
A vast mass of living acidic ooze hailing from the Everfeee Forest, the gluttonous glufferflork is responsible for putting Big Macintosh out of commission when it decided it had a craving for live pork, fresh off the farm. Later, it decides to make a buffet out of the critters in Rainbow Dash’s cottage...
  • Blob Monster: What the glufferflork is.
  • Hungry Menace: Unusually for a blob monster, it seems to prefer animals over sapient beings such as ponies and humans. But this, in and of itself, poses a serious risk to Rainbow Dash's sanity.
  • Kill It with Ice: How Rarity kills it.

    Exit Wound 
  • Cluster F-Bomb: Fecking right Exit Wound loves her fecking f-bombs, and she'll fecking detonate them with fecking impunity.
  • For the Evulz: Admits this to be her reason for entertaining Honeydew's one-note racism.
  • Funetik Aksent: Speaks with a grotesquely thick Irish brogue.
  • Names to Run Away from Really Fast: An 'exit wound' is a wound made by a bullet or some similar projectile as it passes out through the body.
  • Sir Swears-a-Lot: Didn't yeh fecking read the bit about her fecking f-bombs just above? Of course, Exit knows a lot more profanity than f-bombs.
  • Swapped Roles: With Honeydew.
  • Trigger-Happy: She really loves shooting people.

More Equestrians

    Starswirl The Bearded 

Lero: Why didn't Starswirl name this spell 'Starswirl's Inescapable Torment!?'"
  • The Archmage: The role Starswirl fulfilled in life.
  • Evil Sorcerer: Dead as he is, Lero quickly comes to hate Starswirl through and through, believing him to be one of the most depraved and sadistic wizards to have ever lived.
  • Grumpy Old Man: Carried this attitude for the majority of his extremely long life, even when he'd transformed himself into a physically younger stallion!

    Honeydew 

"Thought I smelled diseased perversion in the air. Shoulda known it could only be you, monkey-lover."
  • Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: She does know martial arts, and would relish being able to perform them on Lero more often.
    Honeydew: I’ve been trained in Rolling Earth! Fought in tournaments and everything!
  • Boldly Coming: She couldn't stand the fact that Herd Bellerophon is housing and screwing with a disgusting simian like Lero.
  • Bullying a Dragon: She never misses an opportunity to spit her barbs at Herd Bellerophon, no matter how hopelessly the majority of its members overpower her. And she gets bonus points for bullying Spike.
    Spike: Calls me ‘lizard’ and ‘reptile’ and ‘gecko’ and keeps asking me how many villages I plan to burn to the ground when I come of age...
  • Fantastic Racism: Towards humans, who she sees as disgusting simians. She thinks they're smelly, flawed, moronic, ugly, and fragile bastards who'll never be able to protect themselves without pony intervention.
  • Foil: She's the polar opposite of Rarity. For one, she hates Lero for being a human while Rarity loves him despite it.
  • Harmless Villain: Martial artist though she is, Honeydew's skills were too mediocre to face a black belt like the Unswapped Rainbow Dash in the first place. Nor does an Earth pony like her pose much threat against such magical powerhouses as Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Lyra Heartstrings.
  • Maniac Monkeys: To Honeydew, Lero's just a disgusting simian.
  • Mars Needs Women: Gender-inverted; one of the things she can't stand about Herd Bellerophon is their romantic relationship with a human male.
  • Malicious Misnaming: Honeydew never, ever calls Lero by his name. The kindest way she'll ever refer to him is 'the human.' Otherwise, she'll call him things like monkey, gorilla, ape, bonobo, and worse.
  • Shaped Like Itself: Honeydew's cutie mark is a slice of honeydew.
  • Swapped Roles: With Exit Wound
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Melons.
  • Trash Talk: Most of her dialogue.

[[folder:Big Macintosh]]

Pinkie Pie: Ah’ve been WORKING HARD!
Big Macintosh: (snorts) Yeah. Workin' hard. But not smart.
  • Back in the Saddle: After an expensive operation, Big Mac is healed and is able to return to work.
  • Career-Ending Injury: Big Macintosh barely survives his fight with the acidic glufferflork, and winds up hospitalized with all four of his legs in critical condition.
  • Dude in Distress: Pinkie Pie had to rescue her 'brother' from the glufferflork.
  • First Girl Wins: Gender-inverted, due to gender roles in a matriarchal Equestria. Unfortunately, Mac's the second boy with Rainbow Dash, thanks to his injury.
    It had struck her as odd: Mac apologizing to her for being hurt... And the following night, when she’d accepted Pinkie’s offer to share some hard cider (though it took the Apple siblings a bit of convincing to get her to drink), Big Macintosh had even gotten a bit snuggly with Rainbow afterwards, (but then again, so had Pinkie. That cider was strong stuff!) and it made her feel… safe. Comfortable. Relaxed. In retrospect, she realized that she could have easily settled for that once, maybe even let it grow into more given the right circumstances...
    ...But not anymore. Her time with Lero had ignited something more, more intense, more passionate… Something she couldn’t pass on.
  • Interspecies Friendship: With Lero.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivers one to Pinkie Pie after learning she's allowed the apple preserves to contract salmonella poisoning.

    Apple Bloom 

“But... but Pinkie Pie HATES me...”
  • Annoying Younger Sibling: Swapped!Pinkie Pie regards Apple Bloom as this, at the start of the story.
  • Big Brother Mentor: Ends up teaching Pinkie Pie the proper way to farm.
  • Forgiveness: Finds it within herself to forgive Pinkie for treating her so meanly.
  • Promotion to Parent: Or rather 'Big Sister.'
  • Sibling Team: When Pinkie heads out to save Rainbow Dash from the glufferflork, Apple Bloom comes along as a gunner's mate!

    Scootaloo 

Scootaloo: Rarity?
Rarity: Yes, Scootaloo?
Scootaloo: That was the COOLEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN! EVER! IT’S BEYOND HARDCORE!
  • The Apprentice: Ends up learning how to become a weather pony from Rarity.
  • Hero Worship: Seeing Rarity take down the glufferflork convinced Scootaloo that Rarity was the epitome of cool.

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