Pony POV Series - Shining Armor Arc / Characters

The characters from the Shining Armor arc.

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Misfit Actual (Shining Armor's Squad)

Consisting of Captain Shining Armor Sparkle, Sergeant Thunderchild, Lance-Corporal Ellis Bitter Apple, and Privates Captive Audience and Running Gag, Misfit Actual is the command squad of Princess Cadence's bodyguard platoon. The squad is later joined by Private Garnet Chambers, a medic, and a number of members are promoted over the course of the story.

General

Anti-Hero Substitute: To the Mane Six.
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: On the Day of Chaos, all of them (save Shining Armor, who's having fever dreams in sickbay) are subjected to Discord's games and turned into twisted parodies of themselves... except for Running Gag, who merely starts telling jokes that are actually funny.
Band of Brothers: Though as Equestrians they may also qualify as True Companions.
Badass Crew: A tight-nit crew of guards and pretty dang badflank.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: To a degree that would put the Mane Six themselves to shame. They are foul-mouthed, easy to rile up, goofy, rude, frequently take the piss out of each other, and are probably the best guards Equestria has to offer.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Due to Alex Warlorn having a falling out with their creator, they (except for Shining Armor) do not appear nor are mentioned in the Finale Arc.
Expy:
- All of them are similar to a member to the Mane Six in one way or another:
- Shining and Twilight share the Only Sane Man, role of The Hero, and a personal connection to a Princess (Celestia is Twilight's mentor, Cadence is Shining's friend and Love Interest).
- Thunderchild and Rainbow Dash are the more laid-back and goofy Lancers.
- Captive Audience and Rarity are the aloof, but kind ones.
- Ellis and Applejack are from the Apple family, and are both Badass Normal.
- Garnet and Fluttershy are The Heart of their respective groups.
- Gag and Pinkie are the Fun Personified Cloud Cuckoo Lander.
The Squad: Shining Armor's command squad.
Thou Shalt Not Kill: The entire squad, as ponies, are very opposed to killing and prefer using nonlethal tactics. While they're willing to kill as a last resort if absolutely needed, they generally take any nonlethal possibility that presents itself to deal with the enemy. Even when they need to use lethal force against Kabuto due to how dangerous he is, they still try to nonfatally wound their target and Garnet outright admits she wished they'd never needed it.
True Companions: Have a very close friendship and would die for each other.
Undying Loyalty: They're loyal to each other as family.
Vitriolic Best Buds: They take shots at each other, but they love one another as any Band of Brothers should.

Captain Shining Armor

Voiced by: MasakoX

Captain of Princess Cadence's bodyguard retinue, a gentlemanly soldier, Twilight Sparkle's BBBFF, and dorky at times but serious when he has to be, Shining Armor is of course, the protagonist of the arc. These events are occurring as his relationship with Cadence that eventually leads to marriage truly begin...

Action Survivor: He may have military training, but he's never been in combat before now. His first actual combat role has him pitted against a small army armed with advanced (by their world's standards) weapons and an insane megalomaniac out for his blood. All things considered, he does fairly well.
Actor Allusion:
- Several of his lines in his arc are based off ones Goku had in Dragon Ball Z Abridged.
- One of note is in 15 when Makarov's Cyborgs show up. Until seeing the pony inside of the cyborg he'd just killed, Shining calls them Androids.
Afraid of Needles: Not that he'll admit it.
Alternate Self: In an extremely weird way, the part of Amicitia that became him was originally Dark World Makarov...who became Shining Armor thanks to Cadence and grew a complete existence. More clarification here.
Arch-Enemy: General-Admiral Makarov considers him such.
Amusingly Awful Aim:
- Manages to unleash a long burst from an automatic weapon without hitting anyone. Slightly more impressive when that includes friendlies. This is explicitly stated to be because he's a terrible shot, however.
- He's even a terrible shot in video games. Apparently he somehow managed to miss at close range with a shotgun.
Back from the Dead: The Blank Wolf gets him in the penultimate chapter of his arc, but he manages to hold onto his Light of Existence (in part due to it not wanting the timeline to turn into Dark World, as it hates Discord) long enough to reach Cadence, restoring him to existence.
Barrier Warrior: We get to see him use it a lot more in this universe.
Battle Couple: Admits his feelings to Cadence just in time for them to fight off the Wolf together. Also helps her defeat Chrysalis, though mainly in passive ways so as not to break the rules of her challenge of Chrysalis for the Changeling throne.
Berserk Button: Don't insult Twilight or the Princesses where he can hear you.
Beware the Nice Ones: He's normally a pretty laid back, fun loving guy. But when he's ticked off, he can be pretty scary.
- While he hasn't gotten physical, but his reaction to Sunset nearly getting killed shows getting on his bad side probably isn't a good idea.
- Makarov hurting his squad resulting in Shining going berserk and trying to outright crush Makarov to death. It's also revealed that he killed the Diamond Dog that killed his uncle.
Big Brother Instinct: Goes into a Tranquil Fury when Blueblood insults Twilight in front of him. Later, when he find out that a thief was using Twilight's name as an alias, he swears to find said thief and use her in a game of "shield pinball" for trying to frame his sister. He also smashes Chrysalis/Cadenza into the throne room floor to protect Twilight.
The Big Damn Kiss: When he finally admits his feelings to Cadence.
Big "WHAT?!": His reaction to hearing about Twilight defeating Nightmare Moon.
Brain Bleach: His reaction to the mental images that the Interviewer's suggesting that Makarov has written his backstory so Shining's mother is his unicorn mother (and thus the two of them are half-brothers) results in. He goes through this again when he sees a vision of the day his parents conceived him.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Chrysalis does this to him, as she did in canon.
Cool Big Sis: Gender-inverted, just like in the show canon.
The Captain: Captain of the Harmony Guard, and of Misfit Actual.
The Chosen One:
- Reznov says there's some purpose he was born for, but cannot tell what.
- He almost gets declared this in Maasailand, but gets the last question wrong.
- It's revealed he was inserted into the timeline to cause it to split from Dark World in the first place. In a twist, he's already completed what he was sent to do and is now filling in everything else about his existence and just living his life.
Close-Range Combatant: Does very well in close range combat with swords and occasionally a Shield Bash, even managing to defeat one of Makarov's Alicorn Cyborgs in a sword fight. Good thing too, considering his aim at long range is Epic Fail worthy. He later reveals that's why he trained to be good with a sword.
Crazy Enough to Work: Somehow manages to cast a shield and then teleport himself and a group of Griffin special forces away in 2 seconds in order to escape an ambush. He mentions that such precision and strain is normally very difficult to work out, is something he's never done before, and if it failed he and all his allies would've died. He also states afterwards he has no idea how he pulled it off and probably could never pull it off again.
Dark Secret: In the past, when a Diamond Dog killed his uncle using a spear, Shining lost himself to rage and rather messily killed the Diamond Dog. His 'dark secret' is that he has "blood" on his hooves from the incident.
A Day in the Limelight: Is a minor character in the show, but he's the main character of a story arc here and gets a lot more characterization.
Deadly Force Field: He can also use his shields offensively, like using it to crush enemies, or shooting it as a ball.
Deadpan Snarker: Has his moments. Calls it "classic Equestrian wit."
Death Glare: Is capable of one if he finds himself with a Big Brother Instinct.
Determinator: Very determined to do his job right, and live through any problems.
Divine Parentage: He's one of four pieces created by the original Amicitia before her death, and he was the only piece that she focused on the most. This technically makes him the "son" of an Alicorn goddess.
Does Not Know His Own Strength: As he reveals during his "No More Holding Back" Speech in Chapter 17, this is justified, because the last time he tried to find out how strong he really was, a Diamond Dog had just killed his uncle, and his power killed the Diamond Dog. So this whole time, he was holding back until Makarov threatened his squad, causing him to overload the Anti-Magic necklace that Makarov had put on him, project a force field around and crush the machine that Makarov was using to manipulate reality. He then used his shield magic to shut down the shield protecting Makarov from the effects of his own Iron Curtain, and then turned his attention to Makarov himself!
Epic Fail:
- He's a horrible shot, so any attempt to shoot anything ends like this. Highlights include managing to hit a barn several miles away from his intended target, missing a room full of enemies with a machine gun at close range, and being proud of managing to hit three targets with his gravity buster spell...only one of which he actually aimed at. This extends to video games, where he somehow managed to miss at close range with a shotgun.
- The one time he actually hit something was the Wolf with a flare gun. It eats it.
A Father to His Men: Though the main group are around his age.
Fed to the Beast: Surprisingly, he's never been on the receiving end of this, but in a rare heroic example dished it out to Makarov.
Flash Sideways: Some of his dreams turn out to have been visions of the correct timeline.
Foil:
- Shining's idealism, especially in Technical Pacifism, exists in stark contrast with the rest of his subordinates, let alone the Columbian and Hooviet forces.
- As "children" of gods, Shining is the opposite of Makarov. Amicitia created Shining for a noble purpose, being the one thing that protected the Light World timeline from the Dark World. Makarov was created by Pandora to be a story character, but quickly got out of control and wanted everything to revolve around him. Doubly so, as it eventually turns out he and Makarov are the same person, in a sense.
First-Person Smartass: His Deadpan Snarker tendencies carry into his narration quite a bit.
For Want Of A Nail: He is the nail between the Light World and the Dark World.
Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: He has a Freak Out when he learns about the SAS (Equestrian Black Ops, essentially), and that a unit was tailing Twilight during the confrontation with Nightmare Moon. Captain Baseplate has to headbutt him to get him to calm down.
The Good King: Due to marrying Cadence after she overthrew Chrysalis to become Changeling Queen, he's now the Changeling King.
Groin Attack:
- Received one from Makarov during their fight. It had enough force to leave him with painful bruising though armor. Poor stallion…
- Got another one from one of his ex-girlfriends when he was younger.
Head Desk: Does this a number of times in reaction to the frustration to the situations he finds himself. Given how his life has been going, it's rather hard to blame him.
Heart Is an Awesome Power: His special talent is shield magic, exceptionally strong shield magic, but still shield magic. He manages to get a lot of variation on that talent, from simply shielding himself and allies to his 'Gravity Buster' spell, which amounts to shooting a super condensed sphere of shield magic as a projectile. Too bad he's a horrible shot.
Heroic RRoD: Injures himself maintaining his shield from constant barrages and attacks during the second confrontation with the Hooviets.
Humble Hero: Saved the world, but no pony but himself, Cadence, and Minuette will ever know he did. He's just fine with that.
I Hate Past Me: When seeing visions and memories of his past, he gets really angry at his past self. He was a Terrible Artist when he was younger, and he initially only cared about Cadence's looks and treated her as a prize to be won.
Immune to Fate:
- According to Reznov, due to the very reason the Stalker is after him, his future AND past are completely unpredictable, even considering fate in the Pony POV Series has many roads. Instead of going down a river, he's described as being adrift at sea. However, this also leaves him immune to Makarov's powers, meaning he's the one with the best chance of stopping him.
- It's revealed in Act 19 Part 2 (Episode 141) that Shining is displaced in time and instead of being in the present moving towards the future, he's in the past trying to catch up to the present.
In the Blood:
- While he's got a widely different personality than Twilight's, he still shares some traits with her, such as how thoroughly he keeps track of everything that's going on and having a high degree of power (though only in his Special Talent, he's still impressive). He also admits having Twilight's habit of over-thinking things when he was five. Cadence's response?
  Cadence: It is genetic.
- His magical ability, while not on par with his sister, is still powerful, implying powerful magic runs in his family. Being one piece of a dead goddess and her "son" not withstanding...
It Has Been an Honor: To the Griffin special forces group helping him before pulling off his Crazy Enough to Work plan, since if it failed, they'd all be killed by Makarov's army.
It's Probably Nothing: To most of the anomalies surrounding him, at first. Eventually he realizes he's a Weirdness Magnet, much to his annoyance.
Large Ham: Has his moments.
The Leader: Leader of Misfit Actual and the Harmony Guard.
Literal Split Personality: It turns out, the reason for his abnormal existence, and the reason the Wolf is after him, is that he's a piece of Amicitia that she separated from herself as part of a gambit to create a timeline separate from Dark World. However, unlike his 'sisters', he lacks her memories and seems to be more of a normal pony than what they are due to the majority of Amicitia's sacrifice being devoted to making him while the other three were made from what was left over. In a gigantic irony, the part of Amicitia that became him was originally Dark World!Nameless who became the original Shining and a complete being thanks to Cadence then got absorbed by Eclipse.
Male Gaze: Tries very hard not to stare at Cadence when her mane is wet.
Master Swordsman: While not as good as Nikolai, he's still very good with a sword and even wins a sword fight with one of Makarov's Co-Dragons with the sword in his mouth due to his magic being weakened at the time. According to him, he started his training with his uncle Cool Sun and continued it when he joined the guard.
Obfuscating Stupidity: The Interviewers suspect this, and are ultimately right.
Oh, Crap!:
- Has a reaction to a Zebra in the hospital screaming at him 'The wolf, the wolf, it is hunting you, it is close by' in Zebrafrican. He has another in response to realizing Cadence is about to get rather far away from him meaning the Wolf is free to come after him. He has one more in response to Cadence revealing she saw the Wolf too.
- Has another, more comical one, upon realizing the emissary from Maasailand thinks he might be their messiah, in part because given his luck, it wasn't entirely unlikely he wasn't.
Only I Can Kill Him:
- Shining Armor is immune to Makarov's powers, meaning he's the only one capable of bypassing them to stop him if Reznov is to be believed.
- Mother Deer addresses this in more detail: Shining's unique situation means he's the only one who can truly kill Makarov, but he's also the only one who can lure the Wolf to Makarov and get him deleted to erase his taint from existence.
- Part of this might be the fact the part of Amicitia that birthed him was originally Dark World Makarov before Cadence caused him to become the original Shining Armor and become complete. He was then absorbed by Nightmare Eclipse, which is how this happened. So in essence, he is Makarov.
Only Sane Man: To Misfit Actual. Usually.
Pals with Jesus: Is close friends (and the love interest of) the personification of Harmony. He also seems to be on friendly terms with Pandora, the Goddess of Imagination, for stopping Makarov, to the point she seems to invite him over for tea in her realm while he's suffering from fever dreams.
Papa Wolf: Towards his squad, his sister, and the civilians under his watch. Hurt any of the above and his playful disposition disappears FAST.
Pay Evil unto Evil: He feeds Makarov to the Wolf, erasing him from history. However, there's no doubt Makarov deserved it or that the world was better off without him ever existing.
Pieces of God: Is one of four pieces of Amicitia she split herself into, and the main piece she was aiming to create. The other three became the Watchers.
Properly Paranoid:
- Sort of. While a large deal of his paranoia was ultimately unfounded (at least in chapter 13), his paranoia of the Wolf turned out to be correct.
- 13.5 reveals his paranoia about the 18th and the Wonderbolts wasn't entirely unfounded, as in the past there have been confrontations and problems arising.
Psychic Nosebleed: As a result of the Heroic RRoD mentioned above.
Put on a Bus: Him and his wife Cadence were on their honeymoon during the events of the Finale Arc, only briefly appearing for the events surrounding the birth of Half-Light Midnight. Considering who comes next chronologically, they need it to avert Happy Ending Override, which will go against the theme of the POV series. The couple returns from their honeymoon in the epilogue...only to receive a direct order from Celestia that IT has returned in the Frozen North and were sent to investigate.
Rage Breaking Point: Makarov pushes him across this by forcing him to watch his poison gas attacks and then attempting to murder Twilight right in front of him. Shining snaps, unlocks his full power, and proceeds to smash Makarov's Paradox Engine, then try to crush Makarov himself to death.
Rank Scales with Asskicking: As shown in his fight with the Hooviets, he's a very able soldier.
Rank Up: Starts out the arc still as a Lieutenant, just before his promotion ceremony.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Is pretty good to the guards below him and pretty good to them all around.
Remember the New Guy?: His Arc seems dedicated to averting this by giving him a backstory and justifying why he didn't appear until season two by showing where he was. However, it justifies it another way and plays it for drama: he quite literally didn't exist until his arc began.
Right Man in the Wrong Place: More or less how he ended up trying to save the world from an insane General Ripper. He's Princess Cadence's bodyguard, not a special forces officer, but still manages to kick immense amounts of flank and have to save the world. Even more so considering he was The Chosen One not to defeat Makarov, but to be the nail separating the main timeline from the Dark World. He just happened to be immune to Makarov's powers and thus the right man to destroy him.
Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory:
- Seems to remember things that the Wolf has altered, such as it turning Makarov's tripods into tankettes. He also is immune to the effects of Makarov's Reality Warper powers.
- After Makarov is erased from existence, he remembers the damaged timeline in full.
- He also got caught up in the rumors along with Cadence.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Becomes a Prince marrying Cadence. Doesn't stop him from stepping in if needed. Ultimately becomes the Changeling King when Cadence overthrows Chrysalis.
So Proud of You: His reaction to Twilight saving the world... well, after he gets over the shock.
Shipper on Deck:
- A mild example, but he has a short list of stallions he'd be okay with dating Twilight (all of them his soldiers, incidentally), and out of all of them, seems to think Captive Audience would be the best match.
- He also admits that Running Gag and Garnet make a cute couple, but doesn't want to push them (plus, it's apparently funnier to watch how they act around each other).
Stranger in a Familiar Land: After Makarov's demise, he's left unchanged from the Makarov timeline despite the timeline being repaired and has to adjust to all the changes that result. Downplayed as he also has a new set of memories for the new timeline, but it's still confusing for him.
Superpowered Evil Side: The two times his true power has surfaced, it's when he's been consumed by rage and he attempts to crush the attacker to death with a shield spell.
That Came Out Wrong: There is a Running Gag (not the pony) of a series of these between him and Cadence. He's not amused.
This Is Gonna Suck: His reaction to finding out a regiment of the Eighteenth Pegasus Legion are going to be Zebrawa, along with the Wonderbolts and the Pegasus Guard (now part of the Night Guard). The former hate the Wonderbolts with a passion while the Pegasus Guard contain many Wonderbolts fans (and have a good number of ponies go from it to the Wonderbolts), all but ensuring an in-universe flame war between them.
Thou Shalt Not Kill:
- He has a strong aversion to killing and shows genuine concern over whether the enemy lives or dies, and he is also the only one who sticks with non-lethal stunning spells in combat. This is because of the incident that led to his uncle's death, where Shining lost control of his anger and rather brutally killed the Diamond Dog responsible.
- He ends up killing one of Makarov's Co-Dragons, and even though it was ultimately a Mercy Kill, he still feels guilt over it.
Training from Hell: Puts himself through this in chapter 11, involving having a group of Unicorns fire the closest thing they could get to Makarov's Wave-Motion Gun spell at his shields. The Pegasus Interviewer even lampshades it, causing Shining to explain after how close Makarov came to killing him and others, he's going to be dang sure he's ready if they end up meeting again.
The Unchosen One: Turns out that while he is The Chosen One, it was only to split off the timeline from Dark World. He just happened to be immune to Makarov's powers and defeat him. Doesn't stop him from doing it.
Weirdness Magnet:
- His presence seems to attract the most bizarre phenomena, a key one being a literal Bete Noir.
Shining Armor: (Upon finding out his impending meeting with an agent for intell will take place in a supposedly haunted Abandoned Hospital) ...When did I become a Weirdness Magnet?!
- Even when they get to Zamunda, which seems pretty lean on supernatural threats, he still ends up getting involved in a mix up where the hosts mistook him for a married female major from another group, attacked by a honey badger, having one of his squad pursued by a 'Badger Cat Alliance', and waking up at four in the morning staring into the bathroom mirror in the middle of getting a glass of water.
- He compares notes on the subject with the Doctor, and actually argues with him over who's the bigger one.
- It turned out that even with Makarov erased from existence, he's still one of these.
Shining Armor: We'd had to face another blasted Eldritch Abomination! Why can I still say that after we got rid of the last one?!
- And then it turns out he's the entire reason the main timeline exists.
What You Are in the Dark: Saved the world from Makarov but no one but Cadence and Minuette remember it ever happened. He's just fine with that.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: If pushed far enough.
X-Ray Vision: Has a spell with this effect, he's just not very good at it and doesn't like doing it anyway.

Sergeant / Staff Sergeant Thunderchild

Shining's Number Two and closest friend. A Manehattanite Pegasus who has talents with thunder and lightning, as well as a weakness for the wingspans of pretty ladies. And flanks. And pretty ladies in general really. Nonetheless, he is a competent and dedicated NCO.

Big Damn Heroes: Arrives in the nick of time to save Shining Armor from Makarov, managing to be the one thing the General-Admiral hadn't planned for.
The Blind Leading the Blind: Private Ranger seeks dating advice from him. He suggests he try a guitar solo because chicks dig them. Because he somehow came to think Ranger's girl was a Griffin on the crew.
Casanova Wannabe: Pictures himself as quite the lady's stallion, but...well, see The Blind Leading the Blind. That said, he at least seems to have a genuine crush on Fluttershy.
Don't Call Me "Sir": In a variant, uses "Don't call me sarge" after giving a Changeling an ass-kicking.
Et Tu, Brute?: Has this reaction when Carpenter Bee, a member of the Harmony Guard, reveals himself to be a Changeling and tries to take him out. However, Thunderchild managed to fight back and escape.
Fan Boy: Of the Wonderbolts.
Genius Bruiser: Turns out he's got a degree from the School for Gifted Pegasi. He just generally doesn't show the genius part.
Hidden Depths: It turns out he's got a degree in Weather from the School for Gifted Pegasi.
I Am Not Left-Handed: He has the ability to fire lighting directly from his body instead of drawing it from a cloud. He generally keeps this secret.
Lady Killer In Love: Mentions even though he's normally confident around girls, he's nervous about talking to Fluttershy, who he feels he's genuinely in love with.
The Lancer: For Shining, his Captain.
Love at First Sight: Claims to feel this when he sees a picture of Fluttershy. Whether this goes anywhere has yet to be seen. Doesn't stop him from admiring the wingspan of various flying species they come across, or claiming Spitfire has the best flank out of the Wonderbolts.
- By the end of the Wedding Arc, Thunderchild has finally asked her on a date, and the both of them (plus Fluttercruel) seems to enjoy themselves. Cadence herself noticed that Thunderchild seems to be "behaving" himself.
Let's Get Dangerous!: Notable as despite his personality, when put in serious situations, he's typically very competent and capable, to the point Shining trusted him to lead a group to take out a dangerous cyborg during the SA Arc. Despite to some degree the military playing less of a role in the Wedding Arc, this trait still shows up, as when ambushed by a squad of Changelings, despite being in a terrible situation, he manages to keep his head and fight out of the ambush, then take charge of the situation.
Male Gaze: While he is very attracted to wingspans on mares (and Griffons), he states that Spitfire has the best flank out of the Wonderbolts.
Number Two: To Shining.
Rank Up: Promoted due to time in grade in the correct timeline.
Sensor Character: Uses a Pegasi magic spell that basically acts as aerial recon, noted as one that Guard pegasi are taught. Unicorns have a similar spell, but the pegasi have longer range as they're higher up.
Shock and Awe: Sends a powerful lightning bolt down to short-circuit Makarov's Death Dome spell. Lightning Manipulation seems to be his Special Talent and in general he's exceptionally good at it. Good enough at it to get into the School for Gifted Pegasi.
Smarter Than You Look: He's actually a graduate from the School For Gifted Pegasi (the pegasus equivalent to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns) with a Weather degree, and thus has a large amount of knowledge about the weather and lightning. This fact surprises ponies due to his Casanova Wannabe personality, which frustrates him.
Spanner in the Works: For Makarov. Makarov didn't even know the guy's name, let alone think he'd foil his plot.
- Chrysalis seems to be aware of this, presumably due to her knowledge of how things went in that timeline, and tries to have him taken out. He escapes by taking out the hit squad sent after him.
Stalker with a Crush: To Fluttershy. Shining and Cadence both point out how creepy this is.
You Are in Command Now: With Shining Armor brainwashed and out of contact, Thunderchild ends up being in this position during the Wedding Arc. All things considered, he's done a good job so far. He hands things over to Cherry Coke when they meet up, but is still the acting leader of Misfit and gives orders in the field.

Lance-Corporal / Corporal Ellis Bitter Apple

Voiced by: Ryan Germain

A member of the Apple family, a friendly Earth Pony from the town of Savvaneigh with an affinity for mechanical work.

The Big Guy: As is tradition in the Apple family.
The Clan: Is a member of the Apple Family, Applejack's cousin to be exact.
Demolitions Expert: Apart from probable foalhood shenanigans with high explosives when helping out his pyromaniac friend Heath, as part of his guard training he went on an explosives course. His only mentioned use of these skills so far has been to take care of an inert firework at a wedding. Unfortunately he hadn't finished the bomb disposal part of the course yet. Fortunately he had armor and a facemask so he was uninjured.
- He's also tasked with blowing up the guest house (as per custom) when they leave Zamunda and has to wrap his head around the idea of 'too much explosives'.
- According to Shining, he's actually well versed in all manner of explosives and the fact an explosive was used in an attack he couldn't identify was a bad sign.
The Engineer: Earned his Cutie Mark fixing cider presses on his farm.
Expy: Influenced by another Ellis in his mannerisms, mode of speech, mechanical background, and his hometown of Savanneigh. Oh, and did he ever tell you about the time his accident-prone buddy Heath figured she could build her own rollercoaster...
First-Name Basis: Prefers to go by Ellis, since his namesake is Ellis Bitters, a type of apple his family makes, something people tend to forget.
Heroic BSoD: The fight with the Hooviets, specifically seeing the Hooviets kill a pack of Diamond Dogs, sends him into one of these. He manages to recover rather quickly, however. This never happened in the new timeline, since the Hooviets were gone and the Diamond Dogs were captured.
I Need a Freaking Drink: After Sunset and Ranger's deaths; however, as he laments, his strong constitution means that he can't get drunk that easily.
Noodle Incident: Once made a cider still mass driver. He refuses to divulge any more details.
Rank Up: Due to his actions and the mental fortitude shown in that he was able to recover from his Heroic BSoD, he's promoted from Lance-Corporal to Corporal.
So Proud of You: How he reacts to finding out his cousin Applejack was one of the heroes who saved the world from Nightmare Moon. The Apple Family as a whole probably felt the same way.
Southern-Fried Private: Well, he is part of the Apple family.
The Storyteller: Seems to be always telling one about his family. If nothing else, the rest of the group find him preferable to Running Gag's jokes.
- One indication he's royally clopped off at Chrysalis brainwashing his cousin and Shining Armor is him outright admitting he's not in the mood for stories right now.
Thousand-Yard Stare: When he slips into a Heroic BSoD following the fight with the Hooviets in Liberty City.
Tranquil Fury: Variation. While he is royally clopped off to find out his cousin and Shining have been brainwashed by Queen Chrysalis, his guard training lets him remain composed and in control, just become much more serious to the point of not being in the mood for his normal stories. Cherry Coke even points out Ellis is scary like this due to his normal demeanor.

Private / Lance-Corporal Captive Audience

Voiced by: Godzillawolf

A competent and cool-headed Unicorn born in Hoofington, Captive Audience is the son of a Brigadier-General and comes from a long line of Guardsponies.

Cold Sniper: As much as allowed under Shining Armor's command. Turns out to have been specially conditioned and cleared to use lethal force where others wouldn't but is needed.
Creator Cameo: Voiced by one of the Beta Readers/co-writers for the fic.
Fanboy: Has a moment of this upon seeing some Canons Pain (Pench for Bread Canons, essentially giant mobile ovens). He gets quite excited and goes on a speech worthy of Twilight Sparkle about their history. In general he's a huge military history buff and will take any opportunity to speak about it.
Friendly Sniper: Most of the time though, he's this. Marksmanship is actually his special talent.
Hero of Another Story: During the wedding, he apparently ends up on an adventure with the Doctor.
Hidden Depths: Shows a surprising amount of knowledge about the history of the Hooviet Empire and apparently reads quite often. He's also one of the only stallions he knows that Shining would trust if he wanted to ask Twilight out.
I Did What I Had to Do: His justification for shooting a Diamond Dog pinning Shining in the head. He later explains more thoroughly that because Shining Armor is poor at teleportation, let alone with another pony (even Shining has no idea how he managed to perform the one he did later), and was pinned down, it was the only option he had, which is held up during the hearing.
Interspecies Romance: Ends up becoming an Official Couple with Minuette, who's a Time Lord. Though it's ambiguous as to rather or not her destroying the Master changed that or not.
Military Brat: Apart from his father being a Brigadier-General, generations of his family have been Guards. The family even has a Pretentious Latin Motto^note reflecting on this.
Official Couple: With Minuette.
- At the very end of the Wedding Arc, he proposes to Minuette and they're now engaged.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: During the Wedding, he ends up on an adventure with the Doctor involving erasing the pony verse Daleks from existence, stopping Dracozilla, and fighting some lizard monster to save a village in order to get his engagement ring for Minuette.
Punny Name: His given name and his rank. At least until he was promoted to Lance-Corporal.
The Quiet One: Tends to keep to himself, contrasting his more open friends.
Rank Up: Due to his actions in the Hooviet ambush when he saved Shining's life, he's promoted from Private to Lance-Corporal.
Sensor Character: Uses the Unicorn version of a scan spell, spotting that poison joke was suspicious.
The Smart Guy
Super-Senses: Has a long range vision spell he uses to help with his archery.

Private / Lance-Corporal Running Gag

Voiced by: Boegela

A Manecunian Pegasus with a love of bad jokes, Running Gag is the youngest member of The Squad. The others may cringe at his jokes, but he remains a vital part of the team.

Animals Hate Him: At least cats. Apparently, being attacked by them is a common enough occurrence to elicit a Oh, No... Not Again! reaction.
Battle Couple: Played with once he and Garnet hook up. They're in the same platoon, so they do fight together, but they don't really fight together any more than the rest of the group.
Break the Cutie: Doesn't take Ranger and Sunset's deaths well, getting drunk and sobbing as he hugs Garnet.
Broken Angel: Makarov blows his wing off with his Desert Deer. Thankfully, Garnet manages to save his life, but can't save his wing. It's also undone with Makarov's timeline being erased.
Cannot Tell a Joke: Well known for being extremely bad at telling jokes. He thinks he's funny; nopony else does.
- The one time he actually tells a good joke, it's because he has a concussion. Think about that...
- In a bit of irony, his inability to tell a joke reassures to Garnet and later Cherry Coke's group that he's not a Changeling during the invasion. That said, by that point his jokes have gotten a little better and sometimes gets a good one.
Chekhov's Skill: Has practiced voice mimicry for the sake of some jokes. This allows him to impersonate Makarov on the radio and send a Hooviet attack squad in the wrong direction.
- His language copying ability becomes this during the Wedding Arc when it allows him to pretend to be a Changeling by replicating their language.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: While 'moron' might be a tad strong, he has a habit of telling extremely bad jokes and being a tad danger prone. He's also a trained soldier and not only capable of knowing any language, he also knows some Neighponese ninja tricks and is without a doubt a valuable asset to the team.
Cloudcuckoolander
Florence Nightingale Effect: Seems to develop a crush on Garnet when they first meet, when she's treating his concussion (though it could just be a result of said concussion). As of Part 11, it seems it's mutual.
- Official Couple: As of part 14, after she gives him The Big Damn Kiss for the Chekhov's Skill moment above. He proposes in the finale and they spend the Wedding Arc engaged.
Hidden Depths:
- Despite his love of bad jokes, the All There in the Manual details explain he's the stealthy member of the team when he needs to and is quite agile a flier.
- He is also a very good manega (manga) artist, if his meeting with Rarity during the Wedding Arc is any indication.
Kid-Appeal Character: The youngest of our heroes.
Let's Get Dangerous!: Despite his personality, he's still reliable in a pinch and has several times used quick thinking to great effect. Ellis even mentions he's better than him at thinking under pressure during the Wedding Arc, when Misfit Actual finds themselves in occupied territory.
Meaningful Name: Overlapping with Punny Name too.
Omniglot: Stated to have a gift with languages, his special talent (telling jokes certainly isn't). Similar to Fluttershy's ability to instantly communicate with any animal, he's capable of speaking any language so long as he's heard it a few times, even if he hasn't heard the entire language.
- We actually see it in action during the Wedding Arc when he copies the Changeling's language and uses it to be a Sheep in Wolf's Clothing.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Played with; while he DOES get more serious when the situation calls for it, the jokes never stop coming.
Orphaned Punchline: A…well, Running Gag with him.
Plucky Comic Relief: Tries to be this, but fails miserably.
Post-Kiss Catatonia: After his first kiss with Garnet (which happens to be The Big Damn Kiss).
Punny Name: Both his original rank and actual name.
Rank Up: Cadence promotes him on the spot after the Chekhov's Skill moment above.
Sheep in Wolf's Clothing:
- Does this to fool Makarov's troops by impersonating Makarov in the Shining Armor Arc.
- Does it later during the Wedding Arc. The Changelings assume all the Guards are gone, so they assume he's one of them, which his Omniglot talent lets him play the part of flawlessly by copying their language.
Theme Naming: He has two siblings named Couch Gag and Overly Long Gag, both of which were named after the circumstances of their birth.

Private / Lance-Corporal Garnet Chambers

Voiced by: TBA

A medic from Yokeshire, added to the team when the Princess realized the squad lacked a member that should have been a first-aider. She quickly becomes friends with the others, especially with Running Gag...

Badass Normal: Out of all of Misfit she seems to qualify as this the best. Her talents are as a medic, as opposed to Thunderchild, Audience, and Gag's talents, which are more combat based, and lacks Ellis' explosive expertise. Despite this, she has no problem keeping up with the others and manages to kick her fair share of flank. She also manages to find ways to use her medical knowledge to her advantage.
The Big Damn Kiss: Gives Running Gag one after he saves the group from a Hooviet attack squad by impersonating Makarov on the radio and sending them in the wrong direction.
Combat Medic: She's more than capable of taking part in combat with the others when it comes to it.
Florence Nightingale Effect: Running Gag got a crush on her when she was treating his concussion. It seems she returns his feelings.
Love at First Sight: Admits this was the case between her and Gag.
The Medic: Her intended role; the squad had no one who could provide healing, so she was brought in to fix that problem.
Improvised Weapon: During the Wedding Arc, she ends up trapped in a closet in the infirmary with two Changelings right outside, and uses needles filled with tranquilizers as these to subdue them.
Official Couple: As of Part 14. He proposes in the finale and she accepts.
One of the Guys
Only Sane Woman: Probably the only one of Misfit Actual who isn't a Cloud Cuckoo Lander.
Rank Up: Promoted due to time in grade in the correct timeline.
Shout-Out: Her name comes from Princess Garnet and Rebecca Chambers.
Sixth Ranger: Literally. Cadence gets her reassigned to Misfit Actual not just so Shining has a medic on standby, but because regulations dictate that units need to be composed of six members.
So Happy Together: Is genuinely frightened Misfit Platoon is cursed with this trope due to Sunset and Ranger's deaths, what Chrysalis did to Shining and Cadence, and her not knowing where Captive Audience and Minuette are or if they're alright. She's afraid something will happen to her and Gag as well, though the Interviewers talk her through her fears.
The Squadette: There are other female troopers in the platoon, but Garnet is the only female in the main command squad. Of course, Gender Is No Object in Equestria, at least in terms of the Guard, so it's not all that unusual in her case.
What Does She See in Him?: Was apparently asked this by the interviewers. Her answer is simple and rather touching: Gag's a sweetheart to her, is always there for her when she needs him, and she knows he'd never leave her, feelings she returns.

Princess Cadence and her Entourage

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence to her friends (i.e pretty much everypony...), and her trio of loyal Hoofmaidens.

Princess Cadence

See here for more details.

Sunset

A Pegasus Hoofmaiden who acts as a messenger for Cadence.—-

Break the Cutie: Being mistaken for a spy, dangled out of a airship with her wings bound by an overzealous soldier isn't easy on a pony.
Heroic Sacrifice: Dies trying to save Ranger after the pair successfully save a Caruban airship pilot, as well as helping to prevent a larger storm that would have threatened hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. Celestia even posthumously awarded her a Solar Horseshoe and gave her a hero's funeral alongside Ranger, being buried in the royal catacombs.
Hidden Depths: She's actually from a circus family and apparently very good at it.
High-Altitude Interrogation: The unfortunate victim of one due to being mistaken for a spy by an overzealous soldier. Her wings were magically bound at the time so she was in very real danger.
Killed Off for Real: While stopping a storm in Caruba, Sunset went to save Ranger from falling due to a metal shard, and the two of them are electrocuted to death during her attempt.
Mistaken for Spies: Due to paranoia about a Hooviet spy and a typo, she was mistaken for one. Also happens in the corrected timeline, but as a result of paranoia over a threat by Nightmare Moon cult.
Official Couple: As of Part 11, Ranger's her coltfriend.
Rescue Romance: Was saved from aforementioned High-Altitude Interrogation by Private Ranger (A trooper in Misfit 1-2), and seems to have taken quite a shine to him.
Shipper on Deck: Alongside the other Hoofmaidens, is trying to steer Shining and Cadence together, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
Together in Death: She and Ranger die together saving a Caruban pilot's life, and are last seen being given the chance to have a wedding in the afterlife. Celestia also had them buried together.

Minuette

A Unicorn Hoofmaiden who helps arrange the Princesses schedule, as well as taking care of most of the other paperwork and information much of the time. She harbors a dark secret that may prove to be a threat to the universe.

Ambiguously Human:
- After the Master's demise, her retaining her Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory and her uncertainty of how the Wolf's powers effect Time Lords leaves it ambiguous if she became a pony or remained a Time Lord. Word of God refuses to confirm it either way.
- Her conversation with the Doctor at the end of the Wedding Arc implies she's still a Time Lord. Though in an uncharacteristic move, when one reader suggested that Minuette might now be Romana, Word of God immediately responded that she's not.
Amnesiac Dissonance: There's implications that she's the Master, such as the tarot reading she got in 16 and her beating out a certain drum beat... This has been confirmed as of Chapter 18.
Angel Unaware: Is very strongly implied to be an amnesiac Time Lord.
Beware the Nice Ones: Feeds the Master to the Blank Wolf, refusing to ever let him hurt anyone ever again.
Break the Cutie: The whole Hooviet attack and finding out Captive Audience had to kill in it was hard on her.
- In general, Makarov's endgame does this to her in part because her true nature as a Time Lord allows her to see just how royally he's twisting up the timeline. She recovers for the most part, however.
A Day in the Limelight: Towards the end of the SA arc, gets more focus due to attention being given to the subplot of her trying to escape her fate of becoming the Master again. She also seems to have become a mane hero in the Wedding Arc.
The Dog Bites Back: After putting up with verbal abuse from the Master for months, she feeds him to the Blank Wolf on the first chance she gets.
Doorstop Baby: Reveals she was this, being six months old when she was dropped off. This was because she's The Master using a Fob Watch. After the Master is erased, her adopted parents become her biological ones.
Enemy Within: The Master. Until she destroys him.
Fed to the Beast: Not her, but she feeds the Master to the Blank Wolf, freeing herself from his influence.
Female Gaze: Seems a little too eager to examine a bruised area Shining sustained...
Gender Bender: Is actually a female regeneration of the Master. Even when he speaks to her from her fob watch, the voice is described as male.
Heroic Sacrifice: Is fully willing to erase herself along with the Master if it stops him from ever getting loose. Doubly so as she does so in a You Shall Not Pass! to protect Shining. Subverted, however, in that she survives (the Master, however, does not).
Hidden Villain: The Master. Minuette is the only one who seems aware of his presence in this universe period, and also the only thing keeping him contained.
Interspecies Romance: She's a Time Lord and ends up becoming an Official Couple with Captive Audience. Though it's ambiguous as to whether or not she becomes a pony after destroying the Master.
Jekyll & Hyde: Minuette is Jekyll and the Master is Hyde. While the Master is still sealed in the Fob Watch, he speaks with her through it and often tries to tempt her into opening it and releasing him. An unusual case, as Jekyll is neither the original persona or the submissive one. In the end, Minuette wins and destroys the Master.
Let Us Never Speak of This Again: See Noodle Incident.
Noodle Incident:
- Apparently, she and Cadence had a very awkward moment her first day due to Minuette thinking her job included brushing Cadence's teeth. They swore to never speak of it again.
- There's also the question of how the Master ended up becoming her in the first place.
Official Couple: With Audience as of the finale, after erasing the Master.
Oh, No... Not Again!:
- Her reaction to Running Gag being attacked by a cat, which is apparently a common occurrence.
- Has this reaction when Spike ends up burning Bon Bon trying to hit Moth... again.
Redeeming Replacement: To the Master, who was sealed in her Fob Watch until she fed him to the Blank Wolf.
Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: Comes with being a Time Lord. She retains it even after destroying the Master for good.
Right Man in the Wrong Place: The position she ends up in during the Wedding. With Chrysalis having fooled most of the Bearers and brainwashed two, she, Twinkle Shine, Lyra, Moth, and Bon Bon end up having to save Moon Dancer from Chrysalis' control and being the only ones aware of the impending invasion. She doesn't hesitate to decide to do something about it. A little less so than the others by virtue of formally being the Master and possibly being a Time Lady, but still counts.
Say My Name: As the Master is begging her to spare his existence, she makes him call her by name after he's spent his entire time onscreen calling her as a 'fool' or just a 'invention' of his.
Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can: Was the Master's can until she fed him to the Blank Wolf.
Shipper on Deck: Alongside the other Hoofmaidens, is trying to steer Shining and Cadence together. And she's probably the least subtle of the group.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: Does this to the Master when he tries to get her to open her fob watch and release him.
Split-Personality Takeover: The Master tries to do this throughout her storyline, but ultimately, Minuette is the victorious persona by feeding him to the Blank Wolf.
Stranger in a Familiar Land: Due to being a Time Lord (the Master to be exact) she remains unchanged from the previous timeline and has to adjust to the changes. Downplayed as she also has new memories for the revised timeline.
Take a Third Option: According to Queen Tiamat, she'd either be stuck as the Master's jailer forever, or inevitably have to become him again with her only hope being her goodness would offset his evil or The Power of Friendship would let her perform a Split-Personality Takeover, neither of which are extremely likely. She takes one of these by feeding him to the Blank Wolf as part of a You Shall Not Pass! to save Shining, giving herself a life of her own and destroying the Master for good.
Taking You with Me: Was fully willing to sacrifice her existence to destroy the Master once and for all. Thankfully, while he was erased from existence, she survived and gained a life of her own.
Time Stands Still: Is capable of doing this with a spell by the time the Wedding Happens, but it's extremely taxing, especially if done with multiple people.
Took a Level in Badass: Being a You Shall Not Pass! on the Blank Wolf and destroying the Master for good certainly qualifies. Takes another one in the Wedding where we get to see exactly why she went to Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns.
White Mage: Knows some medical spells.
You Shall Not Pass!: Pulls this on the Wolf to give Shining time to get away by using the fact the Master is a bigger threat to the timeline than him.

Twinkleshine

A Unicorn hoofmaiden who takes care of the appearance of the Princess.

Afraid of Needles: When its announced that the ponies need to make sure to get vaccinated for diseases they'll encounter in Zebafrica, she's... hesitant to get hers. Apparently she even cut and run at one point.
Break the Cutie: Hasn't happened to her (so far), but some commentators seem to think it's only a matter of time. Word of God is neither confirming nor denying if anything is planned.
- It finally happens when Sunset dies. It makes her feel her lack of an Official Couple severely, and eventually has her snap after the funeral, chiding Shining Armor for never opening up to Cadence the way she's opening up to him.
Energy Weapon: Has the ability to fire them due her light-based magic.
Twinkle Shine: Lasers are just light.
Let Me at Him!: Seems rather too eager to charge at things like Samurai bodyguards and choirs of Griffins.
- She also apparently beat up some bullies at school for harassing Twilight with Molestia Articles.
Light 'em Up: Her magic revolves around light apparently. Comes in handy when her light magic proves powerful enough to blind an entire room, giving the heroes the distraction needed to fall back. She can even shoot lasers.
Noodle Incident: Cadence once decided to race Sunset, but needed a handicap. She carried Twinkle Shine for it. It was apparently an unpleasant experience and now she gets rather uncomfortable every time Cadence goes flying.
Reincarnation: Of G3 Sparkle Works, according to Pinkie Pie.
Right Man in the Wrong Place: The position she ends up in during the Wedding. With Chrysalis having fooled most of the Bearers and brainwashed two, she, Minuette, Lyra, Moth, and Bon Bon end up having to save Moon Dancer from Chrysalis' control and try and stop the invasion. She doesn't hesitate to decide to do something about it.
Shipper on Deck: Like the other Hoofmaidens, wants to pair off her Princess and the gallant Captain. Like the others, she's as about as subtle as an airstrike. Played for drama after Sunset's death, when she snaps and tells Shining to just finally tell Cadence he loves her.
Took a Level in Badass: We see her actually do some offense in the Wedding. She helps save the heroes by blinding the entire villain group and keeping changelings at bay with a wall of light. She's a Gifted Unicorn for a reason.

Misfit Platoon

The rest of Shining's platoon, and the rest of Cadence's bodyguard entourage, consisting of the sections Misfit 1 and 2 (split into squads 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, and 2-2) plus the specialist squad Misfit 1-3. Most members of the platoon are Bit Characters but a few have had some focus.

Private Ranger

Big Damn Heroes: Comes to Sunset's rescue when she's in danger after being mistaken for a spy.
The Blind Leading the Blind: Asks for love advice on his next date with Sunset. While Shining Armor and Ellis give him good advice, he then asks Thunderchild and The Lord Flashheart. Thunderchild's advice (perform a guitar solo) is at least useless when dealing with ponies and as for The Lord Flashheart? See Brain Bleach.
Brain Bleach: Is in need of some after making the mistake of asking The Lord Flashheart for love advice. It's apparently so disturbing he gets permission to have it literally erased from his memory.
Private Ranger: "Why a flying helmet... And wet celery... And how can you even do that with an egg whisk? I... I don't think she'd like it...."
Bruiser with a Soft Center: He may be military, and as such, pretty tough, but when asking for love advice, he's actually rather timid and shy.
Cynicism Catalyst: His death turns out to be what turned Lone Ranger into the raving, deranged psychopath he is in the Wedding Arc.
Heroic Sacrifice: Dies rescuing a Caruban airship pilot from his stricken craft, as well as helping to prevent a larger storm that would have threatened hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. Celestia even awards him the Lunar Horseshoe posthumously and gives him and Sunset a hero's funeral, burying them in the royal catacombs alongside Equestria's heroes.
Killed Off for Real: While helping stop a megastorm in Caruba, he gets hit by debris. Sunset tried to rescue him, and they were both electrocuted to death in the process.
Last-Name Basis: He's only ever referred to as "Ranger" or "Private Ranger."
Meaningful Name: His talent is using Pegasus magic to detect other things in the air, and how far away.
Rescue Romance: Saves Sunset when she's mistaken for a spy and falls in love with her. They eventually become an Official Couple.
- They die together saving a pilot's life during a megastorm in Caruba, and are both buried together and seen preparing to be married in the afterlife.
Sensor Character: To the point he's pretty much a Pegasus airborne radar.
Together in Death: With Sunset. Celestia has them buried together in the royal catacombs. They even get married in the afterlife.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: He had no idea that dying would turn his father into a deranged villain.

Cadence's Flotilla

Cadence's entourage travels aboard the Air Navy frigate HHS Invincible, accompanied and escorted by three other ships around the world. As a result, there are a fair few minor characters from those ships.

General

Airborne Aircraft Carrier: Not to the degree of ships used by allied forces, but each of them carries at least one "light" airship, well suited for providing a Gunship Rescue .
Cool Airship: Four of them: Frigate Invincible, Corvettes Falcon and Dreadnought, and the Science Vessel Enterprise
Curb-Stomp Battle: The three warships versus three Hooviet ships, the largest of which is on par with the Corvettes. One ship is pretty much annihilated, the other two are disabled and forced to deploy their emergency balloons. All this happens from a single volley.
Home Base: For Cadence, her diplomatic party, and her Guard as they travel the world.
Shout-Out: Each ship is named for both various Royal Navy ships of a similar name, and often another fictional ship - Final Fantasy (all four), Star Wars (Falcon), Star Trek (Enterprise). Of note is that the real, presently-afloat Royal Navy ship HMS Enterprise is a science vessel - making HHS Enterprise the only one of the flotilla to actually perform the same role as her namesake^note.

Master Chief Spartan

Senior NCO and leader of the Air Naval Cavalry on board the Invincible and by extension, the whole diplomatic flotilla. An experienced veteran trooper. When the correct timeline is restored with Makarov's defeat, the Air Naval Cavalry become the Royal Marines.

Big Damn Heroes: Shows up with Thunderchild along with several attack shuttles full of troops to drive off Makarov.
Expy: Of the Master Chief, obviously.
Rank Scales with Asskicking: Leads the Air Naval Cavalry component of Cadence's guard, and as shown during the fight with Makarov in Liberty City, is probably one of the best fighters in said guard.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Something he has in common with Shining.
Semper Fi: Presumably has become a Royal Marine in the true timeline.

Commander / Captain Hanneigh Shepard

Voiced by: Lindsey Lloyd

The Captain of the Invincible, and technically the most senior pony in the entire flotilla as a result (even technically outranking Cadence: Invincible is her ship!). However, she is a Reasonable Authority Figure and generally keeps herself concerned with running the ship.

Action Mom: She's the senior Naval officer (and by extension, the most senior non-Princess in terms of actual rank) of the flotilla and has two children, both in the Air Naval Academy.
Big Damn Heroes: Shows up with all the armed ships in the fleet in order to rescue Misfit Actual and the Rebels from the Hooviets.
The Captain: Of the Invincible and by extension, Cadence's entire fleet.
Expy: She's based on Commander Shepard from Mass Effect... or rather, Commander Shepard's mother. Her twin son and daughter on the other hoof...
Good Is Not Soft: Is a prime example of this applying to Equestrians, as three Hooviet airships found to their cost.
Rank Up: Is eventually given a promotion to the actual naval rank of Captain, and given command of a larger ship, the DefenderEverfree Forest.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Understands fully that Captive Audience had no choice when he killed that Diamond Dog, and only goes through with a hearing because it's protocol (and even then, votes against a full Court Martial).

Lieutenant Commander / Commander Hornblower

The Executive Officer of the Invincible. Named after another Hornblower.

Ascended Extra: Before the end of the trip to Zebrafrica and Makarov's removal he doesn't really appear as much as others, thanks to having less reason to interact with Shining Armor and vice-versa. However, he becomes The Captain when Captain Shepard takes command of another ship.
The Captain: After his promotion.
Mr. Exposition: Often explains the nature of Naval trivia and statistics.
Number Two: As First Officer of the Invincible to Shepard.
Rank Up: To Commander, becoming The Captain of the Invincible.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Like his fellow officers.

Lieutenant Commander Manes Bond

An intelligence officer and the Second Officer of the Invincible.

Berserk Button: Treating Con Mane stories like they're how real spies operate. At least, in the Makarov timeline, as in the post-Makarov timeline, it pretty much IS how Equestrian spies operate!
Expy: Named after and inspired somewhat by James Bond.
Hero of Another Story: He's been going around in places like Columbia meeting with Hooviet spies (though in that case unplanned), and in Zebrawa, is the one doing most of the hoof-work investigating the arson attacks.
It's Personal: The missing ship Defiant had his parents aboard, influencing his support for Shining meeting with Reznov. Makarov's removal from the timeline prevents their deaths.
Number Two: Becomes this as First Officer to Hornblower when Shepard leaves for her new command.
Punny Name: Manes Bond. Get it?
Reasonable Authority Figure: Like Commander Shepard, is understanding of Audience's actions. When they're off the record, Bond compliments him for the good shooting. Even more an example of this post-Makarov as he's now far less serious.
Spy Speak: Has a spell that helps do this, letting him and whoever he wants to talk to hear the conversation normally, but everyone else just hears either complete gibberish or a completely different conversation.

Squadron Commander The Lord Flashheart

The commander of the flotilla's light airship compliment. Don't ask him for relationship advice.

Ace Pilot
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Given his reputation for being an erotic adventurer of the most deranged kind, and that he's high-ranking, he presumably is this.
The Dreaded: At least, his relationship advice causes mental scarring.
Gentleman Adventurer: Presumably to a point, but given his other quirks, probably not as Gentlecoltly as one would expect.
Informed Ability: Thanks to not actually appearing, most of his reputation is what others have said.
Lovable Sex Maniac: Well, certainly the latter. Possibly the former given no one has set fire to him yet.
Spell My Name with a "The": Is always referred to as The Lord Flashheart.
The Voice: Hasn't actually appeared yet in person. He traumatised Ranger and flew a fighter airship in a Big Damn Heroes moment (taunting the Hooviets in the process), but that's about it.

Flight Lieutenant Ace Rimmer

Flashheart's second in command, a friend of Shining, and occasionally stands in for him.

The Ace: It's even in his name.
- Ace Pilot: Good enough to be picked to fly new airships, and certainly kicks flank when he shows up in one for a Gunship Rescue.
Affectionate Nickname: Calls Shining "Sparks".
Catchphrase: Much like the character he is based on, except involving muffins. Commander Bond notes that when he uses it in-story it's the first time breakfast has actually been the next meal.
Deadpan Snarker: Mocks Makarov's Hollywood Tactics to his face - praising his strategy of doing the exact same thing as he did the last three times as a "novel application of psychological warfare" aimed at causing the enemy to have a false sense of security - and Makarov accepts the compliment. What a guy.
Expy: Of Ace Rimmer (What a guy!)
Forgot About His Powers: Seems so used to airships he's forgotten his wings are where his magic is.
Hellish Copter: Doesn't think much of Hooviet helicopters. Even when they don't have cheese in the fuel tank instead of petrol.
Phrase Catcher: He is one of these, of course. What a guy.
Shipper on Deck: Outright tells Shining he should make a move on Cadence, and assures him that even if it doesn't work out, they're good enough friends that it shouldn't damage their relationship.

The Anti-Hooviet Rebels

Mother Deer

See here for more details

Dimitiri "Dima" Makayovsky

A Roe Deer and once-loyal Hooviet soldier who switched sides and is now the military leader of Mother Deer's rebel forces. Solomon / Makarov's half-brother.

Back from the Dead: His death was undone when Makarov was erased from existence by the Wolf. Presumably as an Equestrian Lieutenant thanks to a Flash Sideways dream of Shining's...
Cain and Abel: The Abel to his half-brother Solomon's Cain.
Dying Moment of Awesome: Gets shot dead center protecting Gilda, manages to keep going for several minutes, then lets himself die, knowing that such an easy death will screw up Makarov's "script" and piss him off thoroughly.
Early-Bird Cameo: Appeared in one of Shining's dreams in 14 (though it seemed to be in the timeline were Makarov didn't exist) before appearing in person.
Energy Weapon: His gun can shoot lasers.
Insistent Terminology: Refuses to refer to Makarov by that name, always calling him Solomon. He explains this is because Makarov is a name given in honor, which he doesn't deserve. It's later revealed this is because they're half-brothers and Makarov killed their parents and betrayed him.
Psychic Static: He and the other Rebels mentally recite things as if they're Hooviets just in case Makarov manages to get in their heads (thus why anything from his perspective before his proper debut made him out to be a Hooviet).
Rank Scales with Asskicking: While we haven't seen much fighting from him, he's the leader of the Rebels (though second to Mother Deer, he seems to call the shots when it comes to fighting), Mother Deer entrusted him with a supernatural weapon and given how the SA Arc typically treats this trope...
Rebel Leader: Leads the Rebels fighting against the Hooviets.
Shout-Out: His main weapon is the Leon Laser.
Swiss-Army Weapon: His gun can be turned into a Cool Sword.
Taking the Bullet: Does this for Gilda, then refuses medical help in order to screw up Makarov's plans even more.

Natasha

A female Roe Deer rebel sniper.

Action Pet: She has a dog named "Chitzkoi". He's her spotter as a sniper.
BFG: Carries a Sniper Rifle firing 14mm rounds, the same round as the heavy machine guns on the Hooviet transports.
Cold Sniper: Fairly casual about killing at least a dozen enemies.
Friendly Sniper: Is generally a nice deer, but she's also a skilled sniper.
I Call It "Vera": Has a modified sniper rifle she calls "Sasha". She's rather protective of it.
Scope Snipe: Does one accidentally.
Natasha: "I didn't mean it, he moved..."

Nikolai

A Red Deer, the soldier caste of the Hooviets. Naturally, he's a rebel soldier.

Master Swordsman: Technically a "swordsbuck", but same idea. Seemed to be almost showing off when he disarmed and KO'ed a knife-wielding Griffin.
Shout-Out: Named after 2000AD's Nikolai Dante. His swords aren't from a Weapons Crest and he hasn't used them much on-screen but he did say Bojeimoi.

Kamarov

A Musk Deer, normally used as messengers and merchants in the Hooviet caste system, but skilled with potions and other medical knowledge.

The Medic: The Rebel's medic.
Shout-Out: Named for a Modern Warfare character, but considerably less useless.

Zangief

A Moose, normally the farmer/worker caste, he puts his size to use for Mother Deer's rebels.

The Big Guy: He is a Moose after all. According to Shining, he's a little taller than Mother Deer.
No-Sell: A Griffin Mercenary punches him in the head. Said Griffin breaks his hand while Zangief is just mildly confused.

Victor Reznov

Voiced by: Seth Chamberlain

A Deer spy who was once a member of the Secret Police. Learning the truth of what the Hooviets were really up to had obvious results.

Back from the Dead: Since he was killed by Makarov who no longer exists, he technically never died in the first place - and was actually the Roedinian ambassador in Columbia in the true timeline!
Dead All Along: Is actually one of Makarov's victims...
Defector from Decadence: Implies he once fell as hard for the Hooviet's propaganda as the rest of the country, but eventually became a Double Agent for the Hooviet's enemies. Post-Makarov, he's now working for the Roedinian government under Mother Deer.
Double Agent: Stated to be such and said to have information on Makarov's plan. It turns out he's been one for a long time. We find out later that he's a member of the Rebels.
Posthumous Character: Killed by Makarov by the time the heroes meet him.
Seers: All his speech of the use of leylines seems to imply this. He also claims to know more about the Wolf. Oh, and he's a ghost....
Spirit Advisor: May have been dead before he ever met Shining.

Other Notable Characters

Sergeant Cool Sun

Shining and Twilight's uncle, a Sergeant in the Guard and a clear role model for Shining. Killed in action roughly a decade ago.

Affectionate Nickname: Called Shining "Kiddo" and Twilight "Sprite".
Cool Uncle: Was one to Shining and Twilight, as shown in the supplemental fics written by LZ.
Dying Moment of Awesome: Implied. He was awarded a Lunar Horseshoe posthumously, implying however he died was something impressive, and Shining said he died protecting someone close to him. He died protecting a young Cadet Shining from a Diamond Dog, and is surprised to get his medal on the way to the afterlife.
The Ghost: Due to being a Posthumous Character, he hasn't appeared in person in the main series. Subverted in LZ's Recursive Fanfiction, where he's a recurring character.
Heroic Sacrifice: Shining says he died 'protecting somepony dear to him,' implying he died like this. Shining turns out to be that person; Cool Sun protected him from an attacking Diamond Dog.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How he died.
Interservice Rivalry: Shows up when Twilight spots some Guards on an airship while camping with him when she was a filly. When asked if they should wave or salute, his reply is they should moon them.
Killed Off for Real: Notably, it's stated by him himself that erasing Makarov would not bring him Back from the Dead.
Posthumous Character: Shining says he was awarded a Lunar Horseshoe posthumously, and his death seems to have hit Shining hard. How he died has yet to be revealed though.
Spirit Advisor: Appears to Shining in the abandoned hospital in Columbia, and later in a dream, though the former instance was actually a vision of what reality would be like if he lived - i.e. if Shining didn't exist....

Spoiler Character

Gilda

Rainbow Dash's former best friend and a female Griffin. Changed to Griffon in the current timeline.

Back from the Dead: Her death is undone when Makarov is erased from existence.
Berserk Button: Dropped all forms of snark upon looking at Discord. It turns out that she was unlucky enough to be in his range when he busted out and was regressed to a more primal (see:pony-eating) self. She understandably hates him for it.
Contrived Coincidence: What happened in the fixed timeline between the events of her visit to Ponyville and the Finale Arc? She effectively had to relive a Griffon version of the POV series all by herself!! On top of that, she found herself to trying to make amends with Rainbow Dash right in the middle of the Final Battle.
Dying Moment of Awesome:
- Survived Solomon's attempt to kill her without any ceremony, only to grab a Grenade Launcher that he'd had shot from his antlers by Audience. Not only does she inflict catastrophic damage on the Iron Curtain, letting the Wolf in, but she goes out fighting when Solomon tries to finish his job.
- Subverted in the Finale Arc. After pulling a You Shall Not Pass! on Nightmare Nhilis so that the others can recharge for round 2, all she got for her trouble was pretty much a demolished skeleton complete with internal and external bleeding. Even when she was in her grip, Gilda's response is to chant the Junior Speedsters cheer to her face. Thankfully, Princess Fidelitas saves her life and subs in for her to buy more time for the main group to recharge.
11th-Hour Ranger: Shows up at the climax of the Shining Armor arc, fights alongside Misfit Actual in the Final Battle, and ends up being crucial to the battle being won. She proceeds to repeat the same thing in the Finale Arc by accident!!
My God, What Have I Done?: Admits that she's realized she was the actual jerk towards the mane cast and alienated her best friend, and feels guilt over it.
The Nose Knows: Uses her sense of smell to help navigate Makarov's fortress and locate Misfit Actual. Justified, as Griffins are ponies' natural predators, even if they've long since stopped hunting them.
Really Royalty Reveal: Is revealed by Nightmare Nhilis to be the last known living descendant of King Guto XIV. Her royal name is Princess Grizelda and she got it from being one of the last Royal Gryphons from her maternal grandmother's side. This fact is known only between them and the readers.
Refusal of the Call: The reason why she doesn't want to take up the rulership of Giffonstone despite being a legitimate candidate? She doesn't want be immediately hounded by the possible debts King Guto XIV and his family accumulated over the centuries since the Idol of Boreas was stolen.
Semper Fi: A member of the Columbian Marines, heavily based on the USMC just as their nation is basically the Griffin States of America in the Makarov timeline.
Shotguns Are Just Better: Seems to be her main weapon, due to being with the Columbians.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: Blows off Nightmare Nhilis taunts about being an expendable one-off character. Turns out being raised in Giffonstone gave her a very different outlook on life which was the perfect counter to her Breaking Speeches.
Took a Level in Badass:
- Has become a Colombian Marine since we last saw her, and while she's still a rookie, is very capable of kicking flank in the Makarov timeline.
- Is a member of the Royal Griffonstone Guard in the fixed timeline. Subverted as the reason she was conscripted was due to being the cook.
Took a Level in Kindness: Even the Interviewers note, she's a much nicer person than she originally was.
Unexpected Character: Who would have expected she'd show up in Shining Armor's Arc? Or the Finale Arc as well?
Unwitting Pawn: It's implied that Makarov orchestrated her ending up in the battle intentionally as part of one of his games.
- It's revealed that said game was having her die while Shining couldn't protect her, making him feel he failed the only other Equestrian Makarov didn't want to kill personally and hurt Rainbow Dash. Dima foils it, however.
Walking Spoiler: Her entire presence in the story is a rather large spoiler.

First Lieutenant Cherry Coke

A colleague of Shining Armor in his former regiment prior to taking on the job as Cadence's bodyguard.

Butt-Monkey: A little more prank-prone than his fellow officer, to the point that Shining anticipates him being pranked on the day of their promotions.
Closet Geek: On the first day of training to become an officer, he urged Shining to give up a Dungeons and Dragons expy if he wanted to be taken seriously, but admitted he loved the game himself.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Still liked amongst his platoon despite aforementioned monkeydom, and gives words of encouragement to nervous junior officers at a promotion ceremony.
You Are in Command Now: During the Wedding for Misfit's group, due to being the only commanding officer available.

Brigadier-General Observant Audience

A mentor figure to Shining and father of Captive Audience.

The Brigadier: Of course.
A Father to His Men: Literally in one instance, but overall looks out for the welfare of those under his command and has their respect.
Military Brat: His father was also a Guard.
Rank Up: His main appearance so far was as a Colonel Badass in a flashback that was actually a Flash Sideways.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Reassures his subordinates when they are worried and is overall a nice fellow.

Graffer, Poindexter, and 8-Bit

Shining's foalhood friends from his Oubliettes and Ogres group. 8-Bit is Button Mash's father and owns an arcade.

Proud to Be a Geek: The whole group give off this vibe.
That Came Out Wrong: During an O&O game, Poindexter made his character female and in love with Shining's character. At one point, he dramatically shouts, "I TOSS MYSELF IN FRONT OF MY BELOVED PALADIN!" The others stare at him in shock before he clarifies he meant his character tosses herself in front of Shining's character to shield him.
Unwilling Roboticisation: According to Word of God, Poindexter was turned into a cyborg monster by Discord's Rewriting Reality plan.

Antagonists

General-Admiral Makarov

See here for more details.

The Blank Wolf

The Blank Wolf / The Wolf / The Stalker/ Blanky

Voiced by: Louis Badalament

A shadowy figure that stalks Shining Armor wherever he goes.

Alas, Poor Villain: While it is the Big Bad, even Shining acknowledges it was Nothing Personal and the Blank Wolf was only doing its job. It dies crying that it failed its mission. Even more tragic as Shining wasn't a threat to the timeline and it more or less died due to following its programming.
Always a Bigger Fish:
- Makarov turns out to be no match for it once it finally catches his scent. Celestia later reveals it's more or less supposed to be this to Mary Sues Shadows Who Make try to force into timelines.
- Plays this to some of the Rumors during the Rumor Arc, though not to the degree it once did as it hasn't had time to regrow back to its full power yet.
Animalistic Abomination: Looks like a huge shadowy wolf, but is actually an incredibly powerful Cosmic Entity intended to act as Clock Roaches for the timeline. It's actually an angel created from Rota Fortuna's severed wing, which doesn't make it any less eldritch an entity.
Back from the Dead: Resurrects during the Finale Arc, on the heroes side this time, though is still weakened.
Badass Adorable: It resurrects as a puppy during the Rumors Arc. It's still a high level cosmic entity capable of doing serious damage, even though it's weakened.
Big Bad: Alongside General-Admiral Makarov. It's willing to chase Shining across countries to get him and erase him from existence, and will stop at nothing to do so. And then it eats Makarov alive.
Blue-and-Orange Morality: It's supposed to be incapable of feeling desire, according to it, so as to not become like the Mary Sues it's supposed to protect the universe from and when it develops it due to being awake far longer than it ever had before, it seems disgusted with itself.
Canis Major: A huge shadowy wolf.
Clock Roaches: Is trying to erase Shining Armor to 'repair' what it sees as a damage timeline. It also does so to Makarov, erasing him from time and undoing the damage he caused and after Makarov's demise is shown erasing other threats like him. After resurrecting, it helps the Crusaders fight the Rumors.
Cosmic Entity: Is described by Celestia as being a law of nature and more or less a guardian of the timeline, deleting anything it sees as a threat. It is powerful enough to Curbstomp Makarov and boot the Incubators out of the timeline when they tried to expand to it. It also helps the Crusaders fight the Rumors.
Creator Cameo: Voiced by the producer of the audio adaptation.
Curbstomp Battle: More or less any battle it's in, it dishes out one of these until it accidentally hurts Cadence and is stripped of its immortality. Even then, it doesn't go down without a fight.
Dark World: Whenever it chases Shining, it seems to drag him into one where they're alone and everything seems to stand still outside of them.
Demonic Possession: Seemed to possess Shining's friend Gaffer during one of their games and try to erase Shining via it.
Determinator: During the final battle, even after being rendered mortal and severely wounded, it continues to try and delete Shining to its last breath.
Divine Parentage: According to side stories, it was created by Rota Fortuna and considers her his "mother".
Early-Bird Cameo: The Blank Wolf first appeared in a short story written by the author in 2011.
Expy: Of the Dahaka.
Finishing Move: It seems to favor a bite to the throat to finish off its targets.
Fluffy the Terrible: Sweetie Belle names it 'Blanky' during the Rumors Arc. Granted it's a puppy at the time, but it's still incredibly strong.
Glass Cannon: After being stripped of its invincibility for accidentally harming Cadence, it's still unearthly fast and extremely dangerous, but is still vulnerable to damage and able to be killed. However, it's still Made of Iron and takes a large amount of severe injuries to finally put down due to raw determination.
Guardian Entity: Of the timeline itself.
Guardian of the Multiverse: It and its alternate selves serve as this, explicitly meant to prevent the universes from colliding in ways they shouldn't and killing threats to them.
Heel–Face Return: During the Finale Arc, it resurrects on the heroes side this time, protecting Sweetie Belle from shadowy monsters that came after Sweetie. Justified, as it was only a villain because Shining Armor was a distortion in reality, which is no longer the case and the Crusaders are The Chosen Ones by the Gods to save the world.
Hero Antagonist: Its only after Shining Armor due things beyond both their control. He's the Guardian Entity of the timeline, and most of the things he hunts are very much things that need to be erased from existence. As such it instantly stops being an antagonist when it revives in Rumors, as the heroes are helping fix creation.
Hero Killer: When it shows up, Shining's only valuable options are run like Pony Hell or get close to Cadence. And not for lack of trying other solutions.
Home Field Advantage: It is much more powerful in the place where it was born, allowing it to ignore some of its usual limitations like not being able to come near a god.
I Have Many Names: Is said by Reznov to have this, the Rebels calling it the Stalker for example. Shining generally just calls it the Wolf while Makarov calls it the Psoglov. Eventually it's revealed by it while seemingly possessing Gaffer to be called the Blank Wolf.
Implacable Man:
- Nothing Shining Armor did could stop it, guns didn't even phase it, and it's implied to have followed Shining Armor all the way from Equestria, considering that's when the weird happenings started. At the very least it pursued him all throughout Liberty City while he was on a speeding train. On top of that its powerful enough to tear through walls and metal like its tissue paper. Only Makarov's Death Dome spell or being caught at ground zero of a sizable explosion and falling into the ocean seem to be enough to halt it, and that only temporarily stopped it.
- Once it picks up on Makarov's scent, even Makarov's power can't truly hurt it and the Death Dome only slows it town and it begins tearing through it until it realizes Makarov's weakening enough it'll collapse anyway.
- The poem about it that it gives while seemingly possessing Gaffer pretty much revolves around its status as this.
The blank wolf.
It follows you. Everywhere.
Every step you take, it takes another.
It follows your path, hunts down your actions.

Blank wolf, tireless hunter.
Blank wolf, perfect tracker.
Blank wolf, never stopping, never resting.

Not white for white is a color.
Not an animal for animals hunt for only for food.

The blank wolf, never tiring, never resting, never stopping.

Blank wolf. Always following. Always hunting.
It never tires. It never falters. It never yields.

It follows you. Without beginning, and without mercy.

Blank wolf. It is not blank, nor a wolf. But no name fits it better.
- Even after it's rendered mortal, it still takes an unholy amount of injuries before finally dying, and keeps coming after Shining until it breathed its last breath.
- Even death didn't stop it, as it came back to life.
It Can Think: Is gradually revealed to be far smarter than it appeared, to the point of outright luring Shining Armor into a trap in 22. It shows more of this in episode 23.
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Eating Makarov alive and erasing him from existence.
- Booting the Incubators out of the universe and deleting the Master also qualifies.
Mary-Sue Hunter: According to Celestia, it's more or less designed to erase Mary Sues Shadows Who Make try to insert into a given timeline to protect creation from them. Makarov slipped through the cracks because he was made by Pandora. Unfortunately, it also targets Shining Armor...
Nigh-Invulnerable:
- Being at point blank of an anti-armor explosion and falling into the ocean with an exploding tripod just slowed it down. It's invulnerability seems to work either by erasing the attack that hit it from time (as it often does with whatever Shining does to try and do to escape it) or just plain No Selling it.
- Due to being made to not act against the gods, Cadence Taking the Bullet for Shining Armor results in it being stripped of its invincibility, making it able to be hurt and killed.
Noble Wolf: He's a Hero Antagonist that generally just tries to protect the universe from outside threats.
No One Could Survive That!:
- Subverted - Shining Armor isn't convinced what happened to it during the fight with the Hooviets was enough to kill it. He does not appear to be happy he was 100% right.
No-Sell: The only thing that even phases it is Makarov's Death Dome spell. But shown when Shining shoots it with a flare gun and it eats the shot.
- Doesn't think much of Makarov's use of a "Water Sword".
".yoU seeM tO bE confuseD witH someonE elsE"
Nothing Is Scarier: The fact we've yet to find out where it came from makes it even more terrifying. And when we finally do it only makes it that much scarier.
Nothing Personal: It has nothing against Shining Armor personally, and is just doing its job. This is made clear during the final battle when it doesn't truly WANT to erase Shining because it knows he's the nail between the main timeline and Dark World.
Our Angels Are Different: It's eventually revealed this is what it is when its sibling, the Angel of Balance, Cardinal, is created from Rota Fortuna's blood like he was created from her severed wing. Confirmed by Word of God.
Paranoia Fuel: In-Universe, it serves as this for Shining Armor.
Purposely Overpowered: Is a Nigh-Invulnerable juggernaut that can erase things from existence with one attack, is capable of taking targets out of sync with reality were they can't get help, and will track beings across the entire world. However, in universe it's the Guardian Entity of the entire universe and reality's immune system, so it has to be overpowered.
Rasputinian Death: After being rendered mortal, it takes a high speed crash through several of Shining's forcefields, getting driven hard headfirst into the ground, multiple sonic blasts from Cadence, crushed under a giant cube of forcefield energy, sandwiched between two forcefields with enough force to break bone, impaled on a sharp piece of stone, and finally plummeting from a high height onto a bunch of sharp rocks to finally kill it. And even then, it manages to get to its paws and dies inches from Shining. It eventually resurrects, proving even that wasn't enough to permanently destroy it.
Real Life Writes the Plot: According to Word of God, the original Blank Wolf story the creature came from was inspired by his edits on various wikis repeatedly being undone, making him feel as though something was following him and erasing traces of him.
Resurrective Immortality: Even if its killed, it will eventually resurrect.
Ret-Gone: Anything it eats is erased from existence. It tries to do this to Shining Armor. Ultimately does so to Makarov and the Master.
Sleep-Mode Size: When it resurrects in the finale arc, it's now a puppy. It still curbstomps a horde of shadow monsters to protect Sweetie Belle. He briefly grows back up to finish off the Hound, but instantly reverts to this size afterwards.
Summon Bigger Fish: According to Mother Deer, Shining needs to lure it to Makarov and get him deleted from existence to truly defeat him. It ultimately does so.
Strange-Syntax Speaker: The words are rather normal, but how its (rather simple) sentences are formatted is in reverse, with the LAST letter capitalized instead of the first and the punctuation mark at the beginning of the sentence instead of the end. It loses this when its weakened as punishment for harming Cadence.
Team Pet: To the CMC post resurrection.
Time Master: It seems to have the ability to revert anything it gets its claws on to a previous form, such as turning a gun into a bow and Makarov's tripods into small tanks. It also has a habit of making more or less anything Shining does to try and escape it from ever happening during their chases, something that Shining tends to exploit since it also means any collateral damage he causes never happened.
Villain Song: Well, 'Hero Antagonist Song', but it gets one in the Grand Finale of the arc while chasing Shining Armor.
Wild Card: Attacks both Shining Armor and the Hooviets and is stated to be both a threat to Shining Armor and one of the ways he may have to kill Makarov. It also appeared to Sweetie Belle, but didn't attack her and simply vanished. It's decidedly on the heroes side during the Rumors.
Worf Had the Flu: Is far less effective during the Rumors to the point of needing the Cutie Mark Crusaders' help to defeat Moon Howler, but this is only because it had just resurrected and hadn't had the time to grow back up to its full power.

Characters / Pony POV Series - Shining Armor Arc

Misfit Actual (Shining Armor's Squad)

Princess Cadence and her Entourage

Misfit Platoon

Cadence's Flotilla

The Anti-Hooviet Rebels

Other Notable Characters

Gilda

Antagonists

The Blank Wolf / The Wolf / The Stalker/ Blanky

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Characters / Pony POV Series - Shining Armor Arc

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Misfit Actual (Shining Armor's Squad)

Princess Cadence and her Entourage

Misfit Platoon

Cadence's Flotilla

The Anti-Hooviet Rebels

Other Notable Characters

Gilda

Antagonists

The Blank Wolf / The Wolf / The Stalker/ Blanky

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Index

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