Characters / Spectrum Equus Prime

Index: Equus Prime | The PHL and UNAC | Imperial Equus | People and Ponies on Earth

Equestria

The Royal Family - Canterlot

Princess Celestia

HRH Princess Celestia

The Sun Princess and ruler of all Equestria. Reunited with her sister three years ago, Celestia must deal with the reality that, in another world, she turned to evil, and brought a genocidal war upon another world.

While Luna is the deuteragonist of Spectrum, Celestia holds the distinction of being the most ubiquitous character in Spectrum, appearing in all but one of the stories set in Equus.

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• A Day in the Limelight: Alongside Cadance, the side story The Rose of Florentina focuses on her. Celestia Regina meanwhile is a more proper example, showing her in the first few months after Luna's fall and focusing on her efforts to keep Equestria united.
• The Ace: She's very, very competent at her job, able to defuse conflicts without spilling a drop of blood and expertly organises an international conference in only two weeks. She's also the only pony known to have wielded all six of the Elements of Harmony, which gave her distinct mane colour.
• Adaptational Badass: Compared to her much less collected depiction in the original Other Side of the Spectrum, by a long shot. She's portrayed as much more competent here, expertly organising an international conference in a mere two weeks.
• Adaptational Sexuality: Celestia is strongly implied to be asexual and explicitly celibate - contrasting the original Spectrum's portrayal, where she took scores of lovers before she turned one thousand years old.
• A God I Am Not: She insists to Imperial Redheart that she's not the goddess of ponykind, in stark contrast to her fallen counterpart.
• Big Good: She holds this position for the story, acting as primary driving force during the Concordat's negotiations and leads the charge for the war effort.
• The Chessmaster: She orchestrated Nightmare Moon's escape over several years, having counted upon Twilight to redeem her sister.
• Celibate Hero: Never bothered with raising a family and there's no indication so far she's attracted to anyone.
• Cool Big Sis: For Luna, she is her most trusted confidant and companion despite some bumps along the way.
• Gondor Calls for Aid: In "An Understanding Dawns", she invokes the power of the Concordia Maxima to call for the aid of the other nations on Equus.
• Hidden Depths: Under her pen name Sunny Skies, she's a five-times featured children's book author on Equestria Daily. Her self-illustrated work comes up several times in Chapters Twenty-Five ("Family") and Twenty-Six ("Here's To You"). Celestia Regina reveals that her storytelling skills came from the times she read bedtime stories for Luna.
• The High Queen: Not the oldest ruler present at the Convocation of the Creatures - but definitely the one almost all the others look up to. Her skills in diplomacy is why she's the de facto leader of the Concordat, being just about the only leader universally well-regarded or at least respected amongst those gathered.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: Implied. Luna notes her attempts to be just another regular, mortal pony, such as cooking her own breakfast.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Not so much these days, where she is very much a Nice Girl, but she was snotty and abrasive in her younger days (according to Luna, that is), she nevertheless has a soft spot for her younger sister and swiftly attempts to protect her when she thinks she's in danger.
• The Kirk: To Luna's McCoy and Galatea's Spock.
• Light Is Good: Due to not being corrupted like her counterpart was.
• Lonely at the Top: She keeps up the smile, but Cadance notes internally in their first meeting that Celestia, immortal like few others, and without her younger sister for a thousand years, is the loneliest pony she ever knew.
  • She chooses to keep to her own corner during her own family gathering in Chapter Twenty-Five, away from even Luna, Twilight or Cadance - especially notable because Galatea, of all ponies, got to talk and bond with others there.
• Married to the Job: Unlike her sister, she never had any interest in raising a family, choosing to dedicate herself as Equestria's caretaker.
• Middle Child Syndrome: Averted. Of her three sisters, it can be argued that she is the most accomplished of them all, having ensured peace in Equestria for a thousand years and makes a living as a successful author.
• My Greatest Failure: Two of them, even. One is losing Luna, her beloved sister, while the other is losing her daughter and student Sunset Shimmer.
• Muggle Foster Parents: Inverted. She is the immortal adoptive mother of Sunset Shimmer and Spike, a regular unicorn and a dragon respectively.
• Nice Girl: A kind-hearted mare who cares very much for her subjects. Her entire reasoning in aiding humanity after her counterpart fell to darkness boils down to just because she wants to help.
  • She's also quick to accept Galatea as her sister, despite Luna and Galatea's own objections, and is eager to know her better.
  • The Rose of Florentina reveals that she seriously considered leaving Cadance alone, because taking her home to Canterlot would mean taking her away from her family. This, despite evidently wanting company, shows her selflessness.
  • Celestia Regina shows that she cares very much for the wellbeing of children, prioritising them over everything else when she came to Vanhoover.
• No Indoor Voice: When push comes to shove, like when Redheart proves difficult to crack, or when a unicorn captain attempts to punish his subordinate, she brings out her own Royal Canterlot Voice.
• Really 700 Years Old: Like her younger sister.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Of course! She keeps an even tone even when Alex threatens Fluttershy, though she's not pleased in the slightest.
  • When she arrives to deal with a 'rebelling' city, Vanhoover, in Celestia Regina, she quickly ascertains the true situation and defuses tensions within a day. She lets the city off and allows food supplies in before she even sets foot inside the city, and later removes the commanding officer for acting without informing Canterlot of anything.
• Strong Family Resemblance: She resembles her mother the most out of her family, down to her mane (which was once pink in her youth, compared to her mother's red).
• Tranquil Fury: It's not easy to enrage her, but when she gets angry, like when Alex threatens Fluttershy or when Galatea is unable to safely bring Luna back from Earth, she's this.
  • Celestia Regina shows her snapping at Captain Ironhoof when he attempted to have his servant beat. It's notably the only time in the entire story that she outright raises her voice at all, breaking into the Royal Canterlot Voice.
• Try to Fit That on a Business Card: Not to the extent of her counterpart, but her full title is Celestia, Princess of All Equestria, Stewardess of the Sun.
• Tough Leader Façade: She's vastly calmer in this iteration than she was in the original story. She also engages in some Realpolitik, treating even Chrysalis with a polite attitude despite their enmity.
  • The Rose of Florentina shows that for all her efforts in leading Equestria (and rather successfully at that), deep down, she's a lonely mare who just wants her sister back.
  • Celestia Regina, set during the early months following her sister's banishment, shows that beneath the mask she is a compassionate, caring ruler forced to keep up a smile despite longing to have her sister back by her side.

Princess Luna

HRH Princess Luna

The Night Princess and co-ruler of Equestria. Still relatively fresh out of her thousand-year imprisonment, Luna seeks to do right this time as a leader. But as the crisis unfolds, she finds her path increasingly intertwined with her sister's faithful student...

While she's initially just a secondary character, as Celestia's Number Two, her role in Spectrum since Act II has rapidly increased to the point that she's effectively become the deuteragonist of the entire story.

• Ace Custom: Her Minotaur-forged obsidian armor.
• Action Girl: Whether it's by sword or magic, Luna is a force to be reckoned with.
• Adaptational Badass: Like most characters, she is this to her canon version, who's often hit with The Worf Effect with her sister.
• Adaptational Personality Change: A minor example; she doesn't turn into Nightmare Moon after viewing Twilight's memory, indicating that like her sister, she has a more composed personality compared to the original Spectrum's depiction of her.
• A Day in the Limelight: The central character of the side-story In Night's Garden, which tells the story of her life and times.
• Ascended Extra: Originally just a supporting character, she becomes much more outright significant to the plot as time goes on, starting from her becoming one of the major POV characters in Chapter Thirteen ("Concordia Maxima"). She becomes the central character of Act II, and the deuteragonist of the story overall from thereon.
• A God I Am Not: She reveals to Maxine that Equestria doesn't actually have an official organized religion, and neither she or her sister ever viewed themselves as goddesses.
• All for Nothing: She once raised a loving family, but chose to return to Equestria and rule by her sister's side, despite feeling unappreciated. Then Sombra wiped out most of the family, and took the Crystal Realm with him when he fell, leaving Luna mad with grief and envy of her sister.
• Armor Is Useless: Averted. The suit of obsidian armor she wears protects her from everything from spears to magic, but not (magically enhanced) dragonfire.
• "Ass" in Ambassador: Luna personally thinks she's terrible at diplomacy, so she asks Cadance to do it in her stead. Deleted material for Chapter Nineteen ("When The Dust Settles") shows that she really is bad with handling bureaucracy.
• Audience Surrogate: A little downplayed, but Luna is the first pony from Prime Equestria to see how thoroughly different the Empire is, and the first to see the day-to-day life of humanity.
• Authority Equals Asskicking: The single most powerful combatant in Boston after Discord gets petrified. Apart from Twilight's anti-magic sword and dragonfire, nothing comes close to outright harming her.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: She dearly values her first meeting with Twilight at Nightmare Night, as the first pony to reach out to her. To the point that it becomes the reason she falls in love with her. It is this experience that convinces her to tell the Archmage that she's still the same pony, deep down.
• Big Entrance: Her arrival in Boston catches everyone's eye, clearing the overcast sky above Boston and silhouetting her against the full moon.
• Blow You Away: She puts her pegasus side to good use during her fight with the Archmage, taking advantage of the fact that she's more versatile than her opponent.
• Brutal Honesty: Outright admits she doesn't trust Galatea, believing something is off about her. Later, she bluntly tells the Archmage that she won't be joining her side.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Though she does just fine in confessing her feelings for Twilight to her niece and heir Cadance, Luna is unable to straight up say it to Twilight. Nor could she admit to her sister that she accidentally created a mental link between herself and the Archmage.
• Caring Gardener: She tends to her lavender in her spare time, and describes ruling as an immortal over her subjects as tending to a garden. It's become such a defining part of her character that she gets an entire side story themed around gardens and her life and times.
• Compensating for Something: Like her fellow alicorns, Luna has a disguise in the form of one of the Three Tribes; Celestia disguises herself in the unassuming form of a pegasus and Galatea disguises herself as an equally, if not moreso unassuming earthpony. Luna's disguise, meanwhile, is just her younger self, light-blue mane and all, minus wings. This makes her the tallest, most magically capable of the three.
• Cool Sword: She conjures up and wields a black longsword when fighting in close quarters
• Creepy Good: Though she might be redeemed, Luna still has... rather dark aesthetics, especially her black obsidian armor. And then there's her forcing her way into the Archmage's mind in her mist form.
• Cultured Badass: A powerful, skilled Warrior Princess who gardens in her spare time and has a fondness for old myths.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Wears a full suit of obsidian armor by Chapter Fourteen ("Silent Night"), giving her an intimidating look - but she's as redeemed as ever.
• Despair Event Horizon: In the past, that is. Her transformation into Nightmare Moon, in conjunction with her jealousy, triggered by the loss of her family and the Crystal Realm.
• Dreaming of Things to Come: At the end of Chapter Twenty-Four ("Unveiled"), she experiences visions of none other than alicorn Twilight.
• Dream Weaver: As per canon. She uses her skills to show the Convocation of the Creatures the war on Earth through Alex's memories.
• Friend to All Children: Very distressed when she sees human children suffering in the Conversion War. She often emphasizes the suffering of children, such as demanding to know if the then-infant Lucie Heavensky deserved to face death at the hooves of the Empire.
• Genki Girl: Not normally one, but in her disguise as "Claire de Lune", she's considerably more cheerful and casual.
• Good Is Not Nice: See Brutal Honesty and Action Girl above. When push comes to shove, she won't hesitate to fight valiantly. Not even if it's someone she (might) love.
• Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: Her disguise for Chapters Nineteen ("When The Dust Settles") and Twenty ("Accept The Dawn"), complete with a pair of sunglasses.
• Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Averted. Her helmet stays on for the entirety of Chapter Sixteen ("An Angel's Wings).
• Hidden Depths: Likes gardening, as it turns out - her lavender is all over the Hall of Unity. She also has a certain fondness for stories and storytellers.
• Incoming Ham: Very loudly makes her presence known over Boston, courtesy of her Royal Canterlot Voice.
• Intergenerational Friendship: With her descendant Princess Cadance and Lord Darkhoof, and later Lady Cadenza. Also discussed by her, as she's outlived many friends over the millennia.
• In the Blood: She's a Warrior Princess, like one of her daughters.
• It's All My Fault: Luna still has a guilt complex stemming from her transformation into Nightmare Moon. She later blames herself for accidentally killing Redheart, having unknowingly triggered her killswitch, and letting Discord get captured.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mostly a very cordial Nice Girl type, nevertheless she isn't very pleasant towards her older sister Galatea initially, showing great distrust towards her, but it all stems from her worry over her other sister Celestia having to deal with the grey mare alone.
• The Lancer: To her sister, acting in a more direct capacity against the Solar Empire in Act II. This is especially shown to contrast with Queen Celestia, who sends in her own Dragon Archmage Twilight Sparkle to deal with her in Boston instead of confronting her directly.
• Lady of War: A little more rougher around the edges when she really throws down, but Luna keeps up a regal appearance, from her demeanor down to her elegant armor.
• Lightning Bruiser: Throws both the Archmage and Spike into a skyscraper and not a second later speeds off to catch a falling Cadance, hundreds of meters above.
• Locked into Strangeness: After Act II, a few locks of her mane, just over her forehead, turns into the much lighter shade of blue of her youth due to the battle with the Archmage exhausting her.
• Magic Knight: Wears a full suit of armor when she and Discord travel to Earth. Shortly after, she fights the Archmage both with a sword and with her considerable magical skills.
• The McCoy: To Celestia's Kirk and Galatea's Spock. This puts her at odds with Galatea's uncanny, nonchalant demeanor.
• Missing Mom: Mistmane, who disappeared three thousand years ago, is her mother figure, having taught her the ways of gardening. No one knows where she disappeared to.
• My Greatest Failure: Several, rivalling one another. Turning into Nightmare Moon has been weighing heavily on her, as it meant leaving her sister alone for a thousand years. Losing her family is another. Redheart's death is also another chip on her shoulder.
• Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: She means well, really! It's just that she has a rather dark aesthetic around her. This is best exemplified in Chapter Sixteen ("An Angel's Wings"), where in a Perspective Flip we see the Imperial Guard's view. Any other time, it would simply be Luna. Here, she's utterly terrifying to behold.
• No Indoor Voice: While she's definitely eased her use of the Royal Canterlot Voice, she's the one to read out the Queen's letter to all the delegates, loudly. Put to great use when she loudly announces Alex's survival to all human forces in Boston.
• No Social Skills: Downplayed. While she's considerably improved since "Luna Eclipsed", she still feels that she's way out of her depth when dealing in diplomacy and usually leaves her sister to do the greetings. This is brought up during Chapter Nineteen ("When The Dust Settles"), when she tasks Cadance with establishing diplomatic relations with UNAC.
• Not So Stoic: Almost loses her patience when she sees Pharynx ruin one of her lavender pots. And then there's her pouting behind closed doors when she's talking to Celestia about Galatea. Her mask completely breaks when she confronts Archmage Twilight about the fall of the Reindeer. Finally, she breaks down in Tears of Joy when she meets with a grown-up Pipsqueak, one of the few familiar faces to her (apart from Cadance) that sided with the PHL instead of the Empire.
• Number Two: To her sister.
• Outliving One's Offspring: She outlived her husband, her daughters, most of her family in the Crystal Realm, and for the longest time it was believed that she outlived her entire bloodline... until Cadance emerged.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Her 'disguise' is basically her younger form, minus wings, and that's about it.
• Physical Goddess: The strongest being on the field in Boston, and withstands any and all attacks from the Imperial Guard's rank and file. Even her moment of weakness came because she was holding back against the Newfoals, combined with her near-crippling fear of puppets. The only two opponents on the Empire's side that came close to beating her were the Archmage and Spike.
• Present Absence: Despite being absent in The Rose of Florentina for obvious reasons, her absence is keenly felt by Celestia, and she seeks Cadance out precisely because she's the last family she has from Luna's side.
  • Again, in Celestia Regina, where her recent banishment is a heavy weight on Celestia's mind, colouring every interaction she has with everyone else. Her banishment is also the reason Vanhoover's citizens marched, as they were loyal to her memory.
• Really 700 Years Old: Like her older sister.
• Replacement Goldfish: Heavily hinted as one in the Archmage's eyes, to replace and fill the hole left behind by her Taken for Granite counterpart. Luna, however, calls her out for it.
• The Sacred Darkness: A powerful dreamweaver who protects her subjects' dreams.
• Shock and Awe: Liberally uses lightning in battle.
• Ship Tease:
  • With Archmage Twilight, as the latter reflects on their closer friendship in Imperial Equus and holds her hoof as she does so. Later, after things go sour, it's heavily implied through Cadance's observations that Luna has a crush on Twilight. Chapter Seventeen ("Thus, Lift Me Up") has heavy romantic undertones between her and the Archmage, and despite having been engaged in a fight to the death before she treats the Archmage affectionately with a lot of hoof holding. It's heavily implied that while Archmage Twilight's feelings are much stronger given the fifteen year gap over Prime Equestria, Luna harbors some feelings for her stemming from Twilight's kindness during Nightmare Night. Chapter Twenty ("Accept the Dawn") finally all but outright says that Luna has fully realised her feelings for Twilight, awkwardly asking Cadance for modern dating advice.
  • Chapter Twenty-One ("Nostalgia") shows her acting awkwardly to a blissfully oblivious Prime Twilight, sneaking in glances here and there and acting all flustered when the latter catches her staring. Later, it's noted that Luna is sitting next to Twilight during Lyra's speech.
  • Chapter Twenty-Three ("Castles In The Air") ramps it up by having an extended conversation between the two of them, where Luna steals glances at Twilight, and the two bond in the Hall's archives.
  • Chapter Twenty-Five ("Family") doesn't prominently feature Luna, but she's seen being teased by Celestia regarding books to share with Twilight, and later it's mentioned they've been talking on the regular. During the family photoshoot, they stand next to one another.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: Shuts down Archmage Twilight when she preaches the Empire's ideals, pointing out it doesn't justify committing genocide against humanity.
• Super Smoke: Displays the ability to transform into mist, and uses this to her advantage against the Archmage.
• Super-Strength: Strong enough to throw a massive, house-sized adolescent Spike into a skyscraper, matches him blow for blow during their battle and were it not for the Archmage, would have overpowered him entirely.
• Tears of Joy: After having mostly kept her cool throughout Act II, she breaks into tears upon seeing a grown-up Pipsqueak in the PHL, and just as enthusiastic to see her as he was as a colt.
• Tomato in the Mirror: While she's a little unnerved and mistrusting of her 'sister' Galatea, deeming her to be uncanny and soulless like a puppet, Luna later admits to Darkhoof that she has no idea if she herself is truly alive.
• Tranquil Fury: When she's not outright enraged, that is, she openly voices her displeasure at the Empire to Twilight's face in a subdued anger.
• Troll: Fobs off the responsibility of dealing with Blueblood onto Cadance because she can't stand him. A Running Gag is her giving Cadance more and more responsibilities as the story goes, like dealing with UNAC's diplomatic representatives.
• The Un-Smile: She put on what she hoped was a polite smile when she confronts Pharynx over her ruined lavender. Darkhoof's reaction tells her it's anything but polite.
• Vague Age: Avoids confirming how old she is when speaking with Darkhoof, but the way she talks about a Minotaur legend implies she was there when it was written. She also freely admits she sees herself both as an old mare and a young mare.
  • Later Averted; she's confirmed to be three thousand years old.
• Warrior Princess: A very capable magical user and not a shabby swordsmare, either. Despite some setbacks, Luna ultimately gets the upper hand (hoof?) over Twilight and Spike in every engagement during Chapter Sixteen ("An Angel's Wings").
• Who Wants to Live Forever?: Played with. She admits she has no clue what a mortal life is like, and she isn't even sure she's truly immortal.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Puppets, apparently. Part of why she mistrusts Galatea is because she sees her as one. This later becomes a serious issue when she's very nearly overwhelmed by Newfoals, who are exactly the sort she fears.
• Youthful Freckles: She has these on her face, along with dapples throughout her back. Most of the time, she keeps them covered by makeup or glamour, feeling embarrassed about them.
• You Were Trying Too Hard: Dan Radwick sees right through her disguise precisely because she was overdoing the whole Genki Girl act.

Prince Blueblood

HRH Prince Astron Blueblood

Celestia's rather wayward nephew, who nonetheless promises to make himself useful for the coming conflict.

• Adaptational Heroism: In contrast to both the show and the original story, Blueblood is given a much less obnoxious characterization and a more important role here from the get-go.
• The Alcoholic
• Boldly Coming: Smoothly talks his way into a steam bath with Lord Darkhoof's son.
• The Casanova: Somewhere between this and a Casanova Wannabe. Apparently, and presumably due to the attraction of his royal status, Blueblood is not without success in his romantic endeavors; maintaining relationships is the hard part. Still, it would seem his most cherished liaison was with someone who did not care he was a prince - Captain Celaeno.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Not himself in particular, but his ancestor has had a major falling out with the Reindeer.
• Dream Walker: To a limited degree, as are most members of the Equestrian Royal lineage except for Celestia herself.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Among the royal family, he's this (but they don't outright hate him).
• Generation Xerox: He's reminded by the Reindeer that he shares a lot of traits with his ancestor, Polaris Blueblood. Both the good, and the bad.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: While Blueblood is bisexual, his friendship with Awesome Fire and Shieldwall is never suggested to be any more than a male friendship.
• Hidden Depths: The Prince mainly serves as comic relief in Act I, yet he's shown to have some diplomatic skill. Also, he enthusiastically agrees to support Lyra's expedition into the Unknown.
• Naked People Are Funny:
  • Due to Canterlot standards, Luna grimaces when she finds out he sleeps unclothed.
  • This more blatantly befalls Blueblood after he irritates Awesome Fire to the point of bursting into flames, which accidentally burns his clothes off.
• Prince Charmless: Blueblood's layabout lifestyle places him in this category. His behavior towards Rarity at the Gala was him trolling what he believed to be a Gold Digger.
• Rebellious Princess: A Rare Male Example. If his dreams are anything to go by, Blueblood would sooner be a pirate than a prince.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: His friendship with Awesome Fire is an interesting variation, in that while a lot of banter is involved, Blueblood doesn't quite seem to realize how much he can genuinely annoy Fire.

The Royal Family - Crystal Realm

Princess Cadance

HRH Mi Amore Cadenza

Ruler of the Crystal Realm, and the Princess of Love.

• A Day in the Limelight: The Deuteragonist to Luna's Protagonist in Act II after Discord gets petrified. It's Cadance who ends up making contact with humanity proper with Luna being occupied by the Archmage. Her time in the limelight continues with Chapter Nineteen ("When The Dust Settles") and Twenty ("Accept The Dawn"), serving as the primary POV character for Prime Equestria's first proper contact with humanity. The story's second Interlude, "Child of Crystal" is also almost entirely from her point of view as she tells the story of how she got her wings.
  • The second half of The Rose of Florentina is from her POV, as befitting her status as the title character.
• Anger Born of Worry: When she catches up to Luna in Chapter Twenty ("Accept The Dawn"), she isn't exactly happy with her, given that the last she saw of her, she was coughing out blood because of her fight with the Archmage.
• Badass in Distress: Gets knocked out by Imperial Shining Armor and rescued by Luna while she falls from the Great Equestrian.
• Berserk Button: Downplayed example. Luna notices her conspicuous absence when Chrysalis arrives at the Hall of Unity.
• Big Damn Heroes: Comes to Luna's rescue after Discord gets petrified.
• Dead Guy Junior: Her name is the same as her long-dead ancestor, Princess Amore, clueing in Celestia to her ancestry and familial ties.
• Determinator: Refuses to abandon her village when they lose their drive to work and care for one another, taking it upon herself to shoulder the burden, even after Prismia offers her freedom.
• Dream Walker: Which comes in handy for making long-distance calls from the relative isolation of the Crystal Realm.
• Happily Married: With Shining Armor. Which makes it all the sadder when she sees that her husband's counterpart has taken up a new wife.
• Heart Is an Awesome Power: Easily puts the Archmage and her guards to sleep with a simple babysitting spell, and tracks down Discord with a love charm. This love charm also enables Luna to infiltrate the Archmage's mind.
• Hidden Depths:
  • She's actually a very capable diplomat, though part of that is helped by the PHL being very receptive to her.
  • Turns out that Cadance has dabbled in Ogres and Oubliettes with Shining Armor.
• Intergenerational Friendship: With her 'aunt' (actually ancestor) Luna.
• Long-Lost Relative: She's the long-lost descendant of Luna, found by Celestia in a far-off village.
• The Power of Love: The Princess of Love is her role, of course.
• Magical Nanny: Was one to Twilight, Lyra and many other foals in their childhoods.
• Messianic Archetype: Downplayed and invoked. Luna tasks her with establishing diplomatic relations properly with UNAC, as the PHL would trust her more, a counterpart of one of their leaders, than they trust the Princess of the Night. The imagery is invoked by the Chapter Sixteen title, "An Angel's Wings".
• Moses in the Bulrushes: Found abandoned deep in the forest, it's revealed that her parents were murdered by the Storm King, and she was taken to safety by none other than Prismia herself.
• Ms. Exposition: Fills in Stephan on Prime Equestria once they do get to talk one on one, after Luna gets occupied fighting the Archmage.
• Morality Pet: To Blueblood.
• Nice Girl: A kind, polite mare, as befitting her role as the Princess of Love. She immediately comforts her counterpart even after she was yelled at by her moments earlier, and tries to convince her that they can still save Imperial Shining Armor.
  • The Rose of Florentina reveals that her kindness is such that she is willing to go with Celestia, all because she saw a lonely old mare who needed her family by her side.
  • Wallflower of Canterlot shows that she's kind to even Sunset, who finds herself unable to outright hate her despite her jealousy over her status as an alicorn.
• Spanner in the Works: Her arrival catches the Empire off guard and throws their Crazy-Prepared scheme out the window.
• Warrior Princess: Like her aunt/ancestor Luna, though more downplayed compared to her.
• The Watson: Luna fills her in on some finer details during Chapter Sixteen ("An Angel's Wings"), including the charm to track down Discord and how Fluttershy's mane plays a role.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Lady Cadance thinks of her as one, but this isn't, as she mentioned, necessarily a bad thing.
• The Worf Effect: After handily beating the Archmage, she gets the receiving end of this when Imperial Shining Armor and his new wife fights her.

Prince Shining Armor

HRH Shining Armor

The Captain of the Royal Guard and husband to Princess Cadance.

• Cool Big Bro: To Twilight. Naturally, she is devastated to see his counterpart is participating in the xenocidal campaign against the humans.
• Happily Married: With Cadance.
• Nice Guy

Canterlot

Awesome Fire

Awesome Fire

A unicorn alumnus of the Guild of Engineers, formerly of the Royal Sky-Navy. Also a friend of Prince Blueblood's with an unusual fire-related ability.

• Burning with Anger: When pushed, Awesome Fire will literally burst into flames. However, he firmly denies having any Kirin blood in his veins. His friends know better than to press him on it.
• Butt-Monkey: A mild example during his introduction in Chapter Twelve ("To Seize The Day"). Blueblood uses him as a cannon for their party games (echoing the gag with Pinkie and Twilight in A Canterlot Wedding) and Shieldwall keeps upstaging him. He does get his own back in the end, at least on Blueblood.
• Embarrassing First Name: Dislikes the name "Awesome" because it reflects his working-class origins. And, frankly, can you blame him?
• Friendly Rivalry: Fire specialises in fire-related engineering and fire-based weaponry. Shieldwall is well-named as a shielding engineer. They're always trying to outdo one another.
• Meaningful Name: He's a unicorn with a very powerful firepower, and something of a pyromaniac.
• Smug Smiler: His mostly commonly-described facial expression is him smirking.
• Social Climber: Fire is from a working-class background and has risen in Canterlot society thanks to his engineering skills. Contrary to what one might expect, his closeness to Blueblood seems not rooted in sycophancy, but a genuine Interclass Friendship.
• Suddenly Shouting: Although Fire manages to keep his composure much of the time, his moments of anger are decidedly not Tranquil Fury.
• Surrounded by Idiots: He often appears convinced he's the Only Sane Man in Canterlot.
• Those Two Guys: Serves as this with Shieldwall in his scenes around Blueblood, though Fire appears to be on closer terms with the Prince.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: His attitude towards Blueblood and Shieldwall is somewhat abrasive, yet it's mostly banter.

Shieldwall

Shieldwall

A young earthpony engineer and another of Blueblood's friends in Canterlot.

• Always Someone Better: How Awesome Fire feels about him, much to the former's annoyance. No matter what, the unicorn never seems able to craft a firearm capable of penetrating the earthpony's shielding. And at the party in 'To Seize The Day', Shieldwall continuously upstages Fire.
• Friendly Rivalry: With Awesome Fire.
• Gadgeteer Genius: Shieldwall is an earthpony and he manages to consistently craft shields that block a certain unicorn's firepower.
• Interclass Friendship: Shieldwall is a middle-class Canterlot. His two closest friends in the story are Prince Blueblood and the socially-climbing fellow engineer Awesome Fire.
• Meaningful Name: His engineering speciality is armor and magical shielding. Given this, it's probably appropriate that he's not a unicorn like Fire or Blueblood, but a stocky earthpony.
• The Napoleon: Fairly short, which stands out more besides his two unicorn friends, who are both quite tall.
• Surfer Dude: Displays shades of this demeanor in his appearances.
• Those Two Guys: Is this to Blueblood, next to Fire.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Quite happy to wind up Awesome Fire. Shieldwall's friendship with Blueblood seems a lot more easy-going, though.
• With My Hands Tied: A variation in 'To Seize The Day'. When Shieldwall shows up at the party wearing a wall-climbing amulet of his own making, Fire dares him to climb a statue without it. Shieldwall pulls off the challenge.
• Young Future Famous People: And not in a good way, given that Alt!Shieldwall is a leading antagonist in Light Despondent - Remixed.

Moondancer

Moondancer

A studious unicorn mare and a former classmate of Twilight and Lyra.

• Adaptational Wimp: Her original Spectrum self served in the military.
• Childhood Friends: With Twilight and Lyra.
• A Day in the Limelight: Much of Chapter Twelve ("To Seize The Day") revolves around Twilight's attempts, with the help of Lyra, to reconnect with Moondancer.
• The Smart Guy: With Twilight and Lyra, she was considered one of the top students in her class.
• We Used to Be Friends: Especially with Twilight, and Lyra to an extent, though she visibly showed more concern to Lyra.

Headmaster Spell Nexus

Spell Nexus

The Headmaster of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.

• Cool Teacher: To the point that this is just about the only thing Lyra, Twilight, and Moondancer all agree on when the former two tried reconnecting with Moondancer.
• Mr. Exposition: He informs Twilight of the function of runes.

Sunset Shimmer

Sunset Shimmer

A unicorn mare and Celestia's adoptive daughter, as well as former student prior to Twilight Sparkle. Has yet to make an appearance in the present day, but Celestia misses her dearly.

• Beneath the Mask: Behind the arrogant and ambitious mask, Sunset Shimmer is really a lonely girl who fears that her adoptive mother favours her adoptive sister more than she.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Non-romantic example - Celestia avoids mentioning to her that she's bringing an alicorn into the household. But while it's true that Sunset ended up jealous of Cadance, she was actually more upset at Celestia for leaving her without so much a proper heads-up.
• Everyone Has Standards: While she's intensely jealous of Cadance's status as alicorn, and unable to understand just why she became an alicorn, Sunset can't bring herself to outright hate her, feeling that it wouldn't be fair.
• Fiery Redhead: To the point that Cadance initially mistakes her for Burning with Anger when she meets her in person, and though she most definitely isn't literally on fire, she's definitely ticked off.
• The Ghost: She's mentioned several times in the present day, but has yet to make an appearance in the present, only appearing in a short cameo for The Rose of Florentina and a major role in Wallflower of Canterlot. Finally, she takes center stage in Sogno di Volare.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Implied. Celestia avoids mentioning to Sunset that she's retrieving Cadance, who has become an alicorn, and going by why Sunset left through the mirror...
• Happily Adopted: Sogno di Volare reveals that she wasn't just Celestia's personal student, but her full blown adoptive daughter. Celestia still misses her to the present day, to the point of leaving a spot open for her in the family photo scene come Chapter Twenty-Five ("Family").
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Pre-Mirror, at least. While she may be abrasive and blunt, she isn't a bully. She recognises that it would be unfair to hate Cadance for what she is, and she doesn't take the time to take out her frustrations at Wallflower despite her vulnerabilities.
• The Lost Lenore: To Prince Astron Blueblood, which given the sort of person she is, partially explains his current state.
  • To Wallflower Blush (the pony one), though hers is more of a crush.

Ponyville

Lyra Heartstrings

Lyra Heartstrings

Our hero. A young mare who's always dreamed of meeting the mythological creatures known as humans, she finally gets her wish when Alex Reiner appears in the Everfree, only to find that this meeting is not going to be a pleasant one...

• Ascended Extra: Compared to her role in the original, Lyra will be playing a bigger role overall.
• Adaptational Personality Change: Somewhat less of an airhead than she was in the original Spectrum.
• Agent Mulder: To Twilight's Agent Scully.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: While almost as smart as Twilight, Lyra has none of Twilight's work ethic.
• Childhood Friends: With Twilight and Moondancer.
• Conspiracy Theorist: Of course. Her end of the living room is covered with conspiracy theories and tabloid news, ranging from "Princess Celestia Runs Cake-Smuggling Ring!", "Moon Prince: Prince Blueblood Gets Cheeky at Palace Window", "Yes, The Wedding Invasion Was An Inside Job", and "I Was Mind Controlled by a Bug Queen" (which, of course, is the only one that we know is true), not to mention the books she collects, such as Ponyland: Fact or Fable? and The Dream Valley Conspiracy: What They’ll Never Tell Us.
• The Hero: Plays this role, contrasting her Out of Focus treatment in the original.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Despite being obsessed with conspiracy theories, she is completely unaware that her own girlfriend is a secret agent.
• Nice Girl: Is generally patient and nice, and provides a calming presence for Alex while he's still mistrusting of the others.
• Opposites Attract: Personality-wise, Lyra hasn't much in common with Bonbon.
• Sixth Ranger: Acts as such to the Element Bearers, more so than in canon.
• The Smart Guy: When she was in school with Twilight, she and Moondancer were considered the next-smartest people in the room.
• The Watson: Asks some important questions to Alex as he recovers in the hospital.

The Element Bearers

The wielders of the Elements of Harmony.

• Ascended Extra: They'll be playing bigger roles in the reboot compared to the original. Twilight, especially, serves as one of the most prominent point of view characters.
• Nice Girl: Which is jarring for Alex, as their Imperial counterparts are not this.

Twilight Sparkle

• Agent Scully: To Lyra's Agent Mulder, expressing doubt over the ancient legends.
• The Atoner: Feels immense guilt over shunning Moondancer. In Chapter Twenty-Six ("Here's To You"), she tries to make it up to Moondancer by hiring her as the caretaker of Golden Oaks Library while she heads off to Saddle Mareabia.
• Childhood Friends: She, Lyra and Moondancer went together to Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns. For the most part, she and Lyra rekindle their friendship well enough in Act I.
• Comically Missing the Point: She chastises Lyra for teleporting without a license, and doesn't mention, y'know, the fact that Lyra is capable of teleporting at all.
• Deuteragonist: Twilight plays this role to Lyra in Act I, having almost as many POV segments as she does.
• Innocently Insensitive: As in canon, Twilight had a falling out with Moondancer thanks to a missed party. Unlike canon, however, Moondancer isn't as readily forgiving.
• The Leader: Falls into this default role to the rest of the Element Bearers.
• My Greatest Failure: How she feels about letting down Moondancer by missing out on her first party.
• Oblivious to Love: Blissfully unaware of Luna's growing feelings towards her.
• Ship Tease: With Princess Luna, as of Chapter Twenty-One ("Nostalgia"), with the Princess sneaking in glances towards her, while she herself starts to linger on Luna's appearance more than before.
  • In Chapter Twenty-Three ("Castles In The Air"), the two share an intimate moment in the Hall of Unity's archives, talking long into the night.
  • By Chapter Twenty-Five ("Family"), they've been talking regularly, and later they're seen standing next to each other during the photoshoot
• The Smart Guy: More so than Brilliant, but Lazy Lyra.
• Suddenly Shouting: Launches into her iconic rant about the implausibility of a typical Conversion Bureau scenario in this fashion.
• We Used to Be Friends: With Moondancer and Lyra, partially, but as Act I progresses she renews her friendship with Lyra.

Rainbow Dash

• Big Damn Heroes: If certain events hadn't transpired, starting with her returning to Ponyville to fetch her new Daring Do, Alt!Redheart would likely have gotten away with Alex's locket and killed Lyra.
• Spanner in the Works: Her arrival at the scene in Ponyville is arguably the deciding factor in Imperial Redheart's defeat - accidentally exploiting a loophole that prevents her from attacking an Element of Harmony.

Pinkie Pie

• Hyper-Awareness: Typical of Pinkie.
  • She senses there's something off about Nurse Redheart. And unlike Lyra, she doesn't conclude that Redheart is a Changeling. Though, nor does she guess the truth.
  • Whereas no-one else notices, Pinkie instantly identifies a cloaked Galatea as an alicorn thanks to the outline of wings beneath her cloak.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Pinkie is seriously shaken up by seeing the false smiles of the Newfoals in Alex's dreamscape.
• The Pollyanna: In Pinkie's mind, her most important question to Galatea is about the dour alicorn's birthday.

Applejack

• Brutal Honesty: When Alex details the Empire's propaganda about pony perfection, Applejack is the first to object.
• The Stoic: She's the most emotionally reserved of the Element Bearers in the face of the horrors they're learning of.
• True Companions: Although they're close to everyone else as well, it's briefly mentioned that she's Twilight's closest friend.

Rarity

• Fan of the Past: Apparently, she does like her ancient legends.
• Hidden Depths: Whereas Twilight ordinarily occupies the role of The Smart Guy, it's Rarity who reaches a Bat Deduction about the nature and function of Alex's runes.

Fluttershy

• Break the Cutie: It's her misfortune that she's the pony Alex chooses to threaten before he comes to trust the Prime!Equestrians.
• Ship Tease: Despite the story being set around Season 3 in the timeline of Friendship is Magic, her closeness to Discord is further along the lines of later scenes.
  • There's even some substantial Did They or Didn't They? subtext to her and Discord's "vacation" to the Tauren Isles.
  • Chapter Thirteen ("Concordia Maxima") outright shows a kiss.

Bonbon Sugarbean

Bonbon Sugarbean (Alias: Sweetie Drops)

Lyra's girlfriend... and also an undercover agent for Celestia.

• Adaptational Badass: A curious case - she matches her canon counterpart's backstory, but she's also much more actively involved in the story than her original Spectrum counterpart.
• Odd Couple: She's a curious match for the conspiracy-theory obsessed Lyra - she is a secret agent.
• Spanner in the Works: Takes matter into her own hooves, and finds out Redheart's deception independently from the others.

Vanhoover

Icewind

Icewind

A pegasus Royal Guard hailing from Vanhoover, dispatched to Ponyville alongside his partner who becomes entangled in the mysterious events centered around a peculiar creature and veteran guardsmare.

• Adaptational Early Appearance: Appears much earlier than his original story counterpart.
• The Cameo: Appears in The First Second of Eternity, hanging out with his superior officer Snow Mist.
• Casanova Wannabe: Acts the part, though Redheart is more receptive to his charms.
• The Dulcinea Effect: His tragic mistake is believing the Imperial Redheart and acting by his otherwise noble demeanor.
  • Snow Mist lampshades this when he suggests going after a dark-maned mare at the bar (Galatea in disguise), remarking that he usually likes redheads.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red Oni to Winter's Blue Oni, as he's a rather spirited guard compared to his more subdued partner.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: He's harboring trauma from the Canterlot Wedding Invasion, leading to his icy demeanor when faced with the possibility that Redheart could be a Changeling.
• Those Two Guys: With Winter Truce.

Winter Truce

Winter Truce

A bookish, uptight pegasus Royal Guard from Vanhoover stationed in Ponyville with his partner, Icewind.

• Future Badass: His counterpart died a war hero for the Solar Empire.
• Not So Above It All:
  • Despite his professional attitude, he still offers to cover for Icewind if he does go on his date with Redheart.
  • In The First Second of Eternity, he makes a risque quip towards his superior officer, Snow Mist, regarding her date night.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue Oni to Icewind's red, as he maintains a professional attitude compared to his partner.
• Those Two Guys: With Icewind.

Snow Mist

Snow Mist

A laid-back, cheery pegasus Royal Guard officer of Vanhoover. Winter and Icewind's colleague and superior at the time of Luna's return.

• A Day in the Limelight: She's the other POV character of "The Watcher's Night", the last chapter of The First Second of Eternity.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Mentioned in passing by Galatea in Chapters Twenty-Three ("Castles In The Air") and Twenty-Five ("Family"), and it's revealed in The First Second of Eternity that they slept with one another once.
• Hidden Depths: She used to be a weathermare before joining the Royal Guard.
• Nice Girl: A laid-back kind-hearted mare, determined to help her colleagues in any way. She offers a few words of wisdom to her one-night-stand, Thalia actually Galatea in disguise.
• Second Love: Played With. It's clear that she isn't actually Galatea's second love, as she Really Gets Around. But she's the only other lover shown narrative-wise.
• Scars Are Forever: Keeps her right wing close to her body to hide a nasty scar, stemming from a factory accident.
• Stepford Smiler: Beneath the cheerful, laid back outlook is a mare hiding severe insecurities regarding her future and career.

Chaosville

Discord

Discord

The draconequus Lord of Chaos, an uncertain ally to Princess Celestia in these strange times.

• Dropped a Bridge on Him: Non-lethal take. Two chapters into Act II, and he's Taken for Granite.
• The Gadfly: Typically, Discord enjoys riling up Twilight and her friends, though Fluttershy seems to be complicit in this when he dresses up as her using one of Pinkie's own costumes.
• Reality Warper: As in canon, this is his default power. However, it's shown that it can be limited by certain forms of anti-magic. Nor does it help him when the Imperials bring out their own Elements.
• Smug Snake: Oh, yes. His overconfidence leads him to underestimate the Empire's ability to counter him.
• Ship Tease: There are an increasing number of hints over Act I that he and Fluttershy are an item, finally culminating with a kiss in Chapter Thirteen ("Concordia Maxima").
• Taken for Granite: In Chapter Fifteen ("Two Faces"), Archmage Twilight and the Imperial Bearers turn him into a statue for a third time, without even letting him get a punch in.
• Take That!: The petrification scene in Chapter Fifteen ("Two Faces"), per Word of Vox, was as much a Deus Exit Machina as it was a riposte to the widely-disliked characterization of Discord in the original Spectrum.
• Wild Card: Discord doesn't care much about humanity's plight, but he does very much care for Fluttershy.
  • Galatea warns Celestia and Luna not to tell Discord about the heart-shaped locket, for fear he may perceive it as a threat to his freedom.
• The Worf Effect: Discord gets turned back to stone by the Imperial Bearers before he can do any fighting. There is a little bit of Worf Had the Flu in effect since he was weakened by his previous fight with the Krampus, but the Bearers don't even give him the chance.

The Concordat

An alliance of nations called together by Princess Celestia to deal with the inter-dimensional crisis on Earth.

Adlaborn

Sint Erklass

Sint Erklass

The ruler of the reindeer and the "Spirit of Hearth's Warming and Bringer of Gifts".

• Amazing Technicolor Population: He's a giant red stag, not a color you're likely to find on real-life reindeer.
• Badass Santa: Is Equus' Santa Claus figure, and is not afraid to fight for a noble cause.
• Big Good: To all of the reindeer, but his role is more prominently up front in A Sun in Winter.
• Dissonant Serenity: Greets and speaks with an Eldritch Abomination as if he's treating with a guest. He also calmly speaks with Blueblood, hinting at his family's uncomfortable past, with the same, cool tone he usually has.
• Friend to All Children: As befitting a Santa Claus expy, he is a bringer to gifts to all children in Equus.
• The Marvelous Deer: Is a giant red stag with enormous antlers. He is even modeled after the Spirit of the Forest from Snow White & the Huntsman.
• Meaningful Name: His name is based on the Dutch version of the spirit of Saint Nicholas.
• Nice Guy: Very much so.
• Parental Substitute: He served as one for Celestia and Luna when they were foals, and still has a parental level of care and concern towards them. He's also this for his granddaughter Ilsa. His counterpart's death and all of the Reindeer on Imperial Equus is why Luna rejects the Archmage's offer.
• Santa Claus: Or an Expy thereof, anyway.
• Time Abyss: Is even older than Celestia and Luna, and outright states that he is the oldest living being on Equestria.

Ilsa Erklass

Ilsa Erklass (Alias: The Snow Maiden)

"The Snow Maiden", Sint's granddaughter, arch-mage, and chief counselor.

• And I Must Scream: She's both an inversion and a subversion. Her consciousness is bound to a magical cloak somehow and seizes control of the body of whomever wears the cloak. In theory, the wearer should be subjected to this, but Ilsa's hosts consider it the highest of honors to be the new vessel for the granddaughter of Sint Erklass and don't mind putting their lives on hold for her. Ilsa, meanwhile, feels shame over having to do this for her own survival.
• Deuteragonist: For A Sun in Winter
• An Ice Person: As befits her title.
• Soul Jar: Ilsa's soul is bound to a magical cloak - the current wearer becomes the reigning "Snow Maiden" and their consciousness merges with Ilsa's.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Drops her tranquil demeanor when speaking with Blueblood and takes him down a notch after she and Sint catches on to his Casanova tendencies, just like his ancestors. She later heatedly confronts Imperial!Redheart before Sint calms her down.
• Time Abyss: While not stated explicitly, she is the scion of an immortal, and before her immortality sets in she was already a full grown adult when Celestia and Luna were both foals.
• Winter Royal Lady: A double example: she clearly draws upon Elsa from Frozen, but her familial connection with Sint and her "Snow Maiden" title come from Snegurochka, a Russian mythological figure who was later recast by the Soviet Union as granddaughter and sidekick to Ded Moroz (Father Frost), their nonsecular Santa.

Ryuppon

Government of Kyorito

Mikado Toshiro Kane

Toshiro Kane

The Mikado of the Eastern Kirin.

• Expy: His personality is based on that of Gendo Ikari.
• Proud Merchant Race Guy: The ruler to a whole society of them, in fact. His detractors claim he's Only in It for the Money.
• The Stoic: To the point that Kane could be said to display traits of the Inscrutable Oriental.
• Wild Card: Toshiro readily attends the Concordia, proposing his country's services in return for a good price, but at the same time, his government has made a deal with the Storm King to stamp our piracy in their waters - even if it means allowing the King to occupy neighboring countries.

Tauren Isles

Government of Delos

Lord Darkhoof

Philip Darkhoof

The proxenos (i.e. liaison) between the Minotaur nation and Equestria.

• Covert Pervert: Hinted at when Darkhoof allows himself a moment's break from introspection to admire his wife's backside.
• Family Man: Being called away from his wife and sons to attend the Concordat is not easy on him. Not helping matters is that his younger son is mentally and physically disabled.
• Genius Bruiser: Befitting the depiction of Minotaurs in Spectrum as a people who value intelligence as well as strength. It's taken the extra mile with Darkhoof in that he wears glasses!
• Gentle Giant: As you'd expect of a Minotaur, he's huge and imposing - but also of a kindly, thoughtful nature, and a dedicated family man.
• Intergenerational Friendship: With Princess Luna.
• Interspecies Romance: After becoming a widower, he eventually remarried with a zebra.
• Special Person, Normal Name: Discord's insistence on calling Darkhoof by his first name points to this being perceived in-universe.
  • Meaningful Name: However, "Philip" does mean "one who loves horses" in Greek; appropriate when you're a diplomatic liaison to a pony nation, and married to a zebra.

The Changeling Hives

Ebony Hive

Queen Chrysalis

Chrysalis

The Queen of the Ebony Hive and an unlikely ally to Equestria.

• Abusive Parents: Despite looking out for her hive, she's decidedly an unpleasant matriarch, especially to Thorax - whom she treats as a literal footstool.
• Adaptational Heroism: Very, very, very downplayed. Her canon counterpart is ultimately irredeemable thanks to her shameless It's All About Me behavior. Spectrum Chrysalis is at least willing to suck up enough to attend the Convocation, though she's still mostly a Jerkass.
• Dominance Through Furniture: She's got a nasty proclivity towards indulging in this, with Thorax a particular target, though Pharynx isn't safe either.
• Enemy Mine: Shaping up to be one with Princess Celestia and the other nations of Equus against the Solar Empire.
• Ephebophile: As if Chrysalis weren't objectionable enough, there are strong suggestions that her relationship with Papillate is of this nature.
• Evil Is Petty: Goes to great lengths to keep Garble in a dog carrier because he bragged about taking Canterlot, somewhat of a sore spot for her.
• God Save Us from the Queen!: Her invasion of Canterlot did occur a few short months before the beginning of the story. And Changelings have a bad reputation in general on Equus.
• Jerkass: Though she has a jovial demeanor, she's still the same jerkass that invaded Canterlot. This is best seen in how she treats Thorax and Papillate.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Despite her unpleasant behavior, she's right in that Garble needs his vaccinations.
• Kick The Son Of A Bitch: She bullies Garble because he bragged about taking Canterlot for himself. Granted, Chrysalis is arguably worse than Garble.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Drops her jovial act when it's revealed Garble isn't vaccinated, as a plague wiped out a Changeling hive.
• Parental Favoritism: Not that it's made clear if Thorax and Aphid are her biological children or not, but's clear that she favours Aphid, praising her constantly while she treats Thorax like a footstool.
• Token Evil Teammate: The only truly morally ambiguous leader to answer the call, and the only one who was openly hostile to Equestria before.
• Troll: She orders a few Changelings to attack Ember and Garble's campsite before breaking up the fight. When Ember confronts her about it, Chrysalis has this to say:
  Chrysalis: "My mistake. I thought that was how you dragons say 'hello'."

Thorax

Thorax

A Changeling drone in Chrysalis' hive, who unexpectedly becomes a confidant to Princess Ember.

• Because You Were Nice to Me: Why he opens up to Ember - she spared his life.
• Butt-Monkey: Chrysalis uses him as a literal footstool. Before that, Pharynx straight up mandhandles him and tells him to give up on Ember. Before that, Ember managed to best him in single combat. Even his counterpart gets easily thrown aside by Princess Luna at the Canterlot Wedding.
• The Cameo: Chapter Seventeen ("Thus, Lift Me Up") shows that he was at the Canterlot Wedding.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Takes a while for him to admit that he really does genuinely like Ember's guitar playing.
• Defeat Means Friendship: Takes a liking to Ember after she spared his life. Ember, meanwhile, is mildly weirded out, and lampshades that it only came to be after she tried to kill him first.
• Digging Yourself Deeper: He flubs his defense of why he complimented Ember's guitar skills, from claiming that he thinks it was what Garble would have said, to admitting that he said it because he didn't know what Garble would say, and finally admitting that he honestly liked it.
• Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Averted. While Chrysalis doesn't exactly hit Thorax, her use of him as a footstool is shown as outright pitiful, not funny, and Ember is notably discomforted by the situation.
• Hidden Depths: He's very observant and savvy, despite his social standing - his scene in the Gallopoli beach shows that he looks up to Princess Celestia, and what she's been doing at the Convocation, and seeks to follow her example.
• Interspecies Romance: He's attracted to Ember. Pharynx isn't exactly happy about it, and Garble even points out that he doesn't have a chance with her.
• Nice Guy: He listens to Ember's stories and genuinely compliments her guitar playing. This is part of the reason why she opens up to him first.
• Ship Tease: With Ember, of all people, starting from the moment he, disguised as Garble, gave her a compliment he later admitted was genuine. Garble catches on, and he admits that he knows he has no chance with her. A princess and a guy like him?
• Shrinking Violet: Around Chrysalis. Ember helps him grow out of it.

Pharynx

Pharynx

A Changeling soldier in Chrysalis' hive, brother to Thorax.

• Big Brother Instinct: To Thorax, deep down. Despite his harsh words and Big Brother Bully tendencies, he manages to get Ember to let go of Thorax during their fight. He also swiftly orders Aphid to stop Chrysalis' cruel prank on Thorax when he realises what she's planning.
• Brutal Honesty: Believes that the Concordat isn't going to truly work out given their differences. Later, he marches up to Thorax and firmly demands that he stop playing around with or crushing on Ember, believing that it's not appropriate for a drone to do diplomacy with a princess, and the fact that she's a princess, and his brother is a simple drone.
• The Cameo: Like Thorax, Chapter Seventeen ("Thus, Lift Me Up") shows that he was at the Canterlot Wedding.
• The Comically Serious: Very seriously insists that Luna's lavenders are actually a safety hazard, because enemies can hide in them. Luna is not amused.
• Everyone Has Standards: Pharynx may liberally apply Tough Love to his brother, but he's never outright cruel to him, and he swiftly intervenes (albeit indirectly) to stop Chrysalis' petty and cruel prank on Thorax.
• Hidden Depths: His observation of the politics simmering under the surface of the Concordat show that beneath his rough and tough appearances, Pharynx possesses a keen mind.
• Jerkass Has a Point: He's completely right that the Concordat consists of a large variety of creatures with their own self-interests at heart.
  • Sadly, it also turns out to be true that Thorax longing after Ember is going to cause him emotional pain.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Like his canon counterpart, Pharynx may be unpleasant at times, but he has his brother's best interests in his heart.
• Tough Love: Pushes his brother around, but genuinely wants the best for him, even if it means bluntly telling Thorax to drop hoping for Ember's affections.

Aphid

Aphid

A mostly quiet Changeling drone in Chrysalis' hive, and a friend of Thorax and Pharynx.

• Animal Motifs: Her behavior is decidedly cat-like, from the way she sneaks into the room to scuttling away under the bed, to spying on Ember from an elevated spot, to rubbing her head on Chrysalis' chin out of affection.
• Big Brother Worship: It turns out she views Pharynx and Thorax as her siblings, and regards Pharynx as cool.
• The Cameo: Word of God says she's the Changeling blasted by Pinkie's party cannon at the Canterlot Wedding, shown in Chapter Seventeen ("Thus, Lift Me Up").
• Elective Mute: The only hint that she's this instead of The Speechless is because she says exactly one line of dialogue in her appearance. See Shrinking Violet and The Quiet One below.
• Genki Girl: A very energetic little drone, despite her not talking much.
• Nice Girl: Despite being a Chrysalis loyalist who'd throw herself on the ground for her, Aphid is a perfectly pleasant little Changeling, giving Thorax back massages whenever he feels too weighted down. Then she also obeys Pharynx's orders to stop Chrysalis' cruel prank on Thorax without a second thought, and tries her best to cheer him up when they overhear Ember's dismissal of him.
• Intelligible Unintelligible: She really doesn't talk much, but Thorax understands her gestures perfectly.
• The Quiet One: Doesn't talk much in her appearance, and communicates non-verbally with Thorax, who understands her perfectly nonetheless.
• Shrinking Violet: According to Thorax, but mostly an Informed Attribute going by her behavior. She does, however, hide from Ember the moment Thorax pointed her out.
• The Thing That Would Not Leave: Apparently just started hanging out with Thorax and Pharynx one day, to Pharynx's chagrin, as she keeps butting in.
• Undying Loyalty: To Chrysalis, acting very reverent towards her queen. Zigzagged, though; despite her public worship of her, it's clear that Aphid has enough of a conscience to (covertly) go against her orders.
• Vague Age: She acts childish at times, spending her time making sand castles when out on the beach, and Chrysalis describes her as just a year shy of drinking age... which isn't specified on Equus.

Dragonlands

Princess Ember

Ember

The daughter of the Dragon Lord and his representative at the Convocation of the Creatures.

• Adaptational Jerkass: Arguably Adaptational Villainy. Because Spectrum is set around Season 3 of the show, this is at a time when Ember hasn't yet learned about friendship; best seen in her willingness to raid a party of pigs for supplies, and her verbal abuse of Garble.
• A Day in the Limelight: One of the major POV characters in the doorstopping Chapter Thirteen ("Concordia Maxima").
• Because You Were Nice to Me: She doesn't say it outright, but this is why she opens up to Thorax - he's the first person to talk to her normally.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Hinted to exist between her and Garble. And Thorax.
• Brains and Brawn: The brains to Garble's brawn.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Despite her Adaptational Jerkass, she's slowly dropping her harsher exterior thanks to meeting Thorax several years earlier than her canon counterpart.
• Genius Bruiser: Pulls a fast one over Thorax in their fight and beats him hand to hand.
• Hidden Depths: It's explained she knows how to read and write thanks to having spent three years as a student of the Kirin Court, on her father's investment.
  • She also enjoys playing the guitar.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While lacking the character development of her canon counterpart, Ember slowly unwinds in the presence of Thorax, who so far is the only one she feels comfortable around.
• Noble Demon: Not exactly the person she is in the show canon, but she still has some standards even when raiding.
• Pet the Dog: After raiding the pig family, she lets them know they've been left with their water supplies so they can survive in the desert. This might count as Bait the Dog, though, since it turns out immediately after that she stole the littlest pig's prized guitar.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: Like most dragons.
• Rebellious Princess: Ember hates being called "princess" and wants to make a name for herself. She, however, isn't above using it to pull rank.
• Ship Tease: With the Changeling drone Thorax.
• Token Evil Teammate: What she starts off as, although she does have more of a conscience than Garble.
• Would Hurt a Child: Emotionally if not physically, considering her lack of qualms about snatching a guitar from a little boy.

Garble

A teenage dragon who is tasked with accompanying Ember to the Convocation of the Creatures.

• Adaptational Heroism: In a Noble Demon sense that brings him in line with Ember's Adaptational Jerkass. He's still a belligerent, none-too-bright teenager, yet he's also got a sense of duty; meaning he'll guard Ember, even if he doesn't like it.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Considering one of the Changelings tried to trick Ember by disguising themselves as him...
• Birdcaged: The fate inflicted on him by Chrysalis in Chapter Twelve ("To Seize The Day"); stuffed into an oversized dog-carrier for having the temerity to suggest he could mount an invasion of Canterlot where hers failed. Her excuse is that he hasn't been properly vaccinated, but it's clear what the real reason is. He doesn't get released until Chapter Twenty-Three ("Castles In The Air").
• Blood Knight: Rather too eager to kick around the pigs during his and Ember's raid. That said, he's not afraid to take on someone his own size or bigger, as seen when the Changelings later fall upon them.
• Brains and Brawn: The brawn to Ember's brains.
• Butt-Monkey: On the way to the Convocation with Ember, he really gets the short end of the stick when Queen Chrysalis joins their group.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Garble's habit of wearing beatnik attire while secretly performing his poetry is explicited referred to as "dressing up" by an amused Ember. In case you didn't get it, an remembrance by Garble just a few paragraphs earlier states this was the real reason he got kicked out by his parents, not the molt as is meant to be custom among dragons.
• Dumb Muscle: His tail is his signature weapon.
• Hidden Depths: Who'd have thought Garble could be loyal? Also, the Hidden Depths given to Garble of his love for beat poetry in the show are confirmed canon in the Spectrumverse during Chapter Twenty-Four ("Unveiled").
• I'll Be in My Bunk: There is a moment during Chapter Twenty-Six ("Here's To You") in which the text, without explicitly stating it, implies that Garble has retired to the Expedition flagship's showers to let off steam in this fashion. Well, he is a teenager...
• Noble Demon: He absolutely hates having to accompany Ember, but he'll do it because he was ordered to.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: Par for the course for a teenage dragon, he's very proud of their rough and tough culture.
• Token Evil Teammate: Only when put next to Ember. Then he gets put next to Chrysalis.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: Just when he's finally got free from being Birdcaged in Chapter Twenty-Four ("Unveiled"), and even had a moment to indulge in his beat poetry, Ember pulls the trick of getting his beatnik attire "mistaken" for a sailor's outfit so he can get press-ganged into the crew of the Expedition Into The Unknown.

Griffonstone

The Pretender Queen Grizelda

HM Grizelda

The young pretender to the Griffonstone throne, and the only griffon leader to answer the call.

• The Chosen One: Believes the call went to her of all griffon leaders for a reason and seeks to prove her worth with it.
• The High Queen: Tries to be one, at least. She knows she's just one of many claimants to the throne of Griffonstone, and seeks to prove she's worthy of it.
• Modest Royalty: The griffons are a scattered, nomadic people, so naturally they don't have much in the way of fancy equipment. Grizelda, for one, isn't quite used to dining formalities, and like her people sleeps in a modest tent.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Calms down Ironclaw when the old general has a split second reflex on seeing Ember - dragons don't exactly have the best relationship with griffons, as they raid griffon caravans.

General Ironclaw

Ironclaw

Queen Grizelda's closest advisor and her main benefactor, an experienced mercenary.

• Adaptational Nice Guy: Much kinder than his original version, though he remains prideful.
• Old Soldier: A veteran of many raids around the Griffonstone territory, who's since taken to supporting Grizelda's claim.
• Number Two: To Grizelda.

Saddle Mareabia

Lady Amira al-Husan

Amira-bint-Ramaha of House al-Husan

The Saddle Mareabian ambassador to Equestria, matriarch of the al-Husan family.

• Aristocrats Are Evil: Played With, in that she's more Ambiguously Evil. She's portrayed as generally benign in personality and demeanor, but other characters note that she places her family's priorities at the forefront, and the PHL know that her Imperial counterpart is a Vicereine of the Co-Harmony Sphere.
• Ascended Extra: Remember those two delegates from what was called "Saddle Arabia" at the end of Magic Duel? Yep, Amira's the pink one.
• The Good Chancellor: Is heavily implied to occupy a rank second-only to the Malikah of Saddle Mareabia, although exactly how "good" she is may be hard to ascertain.
• Sickeningly Sweethearts: In contrast to her habitual facade, Amira veers into this when interacting with both her husband Qabil and her favorite fellow-wife Haifa.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Has a cool and distant demeanor when exercising her public office, while shown to be far more warm and affectionate with her family.

Master Qabil al-Husan

Qabil-ibn-Alhurala of House al-Husan

The court sorcerer of Saddle Mareabia, patriarch of the al-Husan family.

• Adventure Archaeologist: Is noted to practice archeology in his downtime.
• Badass Bookworm
• Collector of the Strange: Qabil's family library is reputed as one of the most extensive and valuable on Equus. Unfortunately, his devotion to expanding on the collection landed him in Erebus two years prior to the story, due to choosing the Liber Grogar to add to it.
• Recruiting the Criminal: A variation in Chapter Twenty-Three ("Castles In The Air"), when Princess Celestia and Amira visit him in Erebus to consult him on Alexander Reiner's runes, which have been traced back to origins in Saddle Mareabia. In exchange for Qabil opening up the family library to researchers, Celestia agrees to shave a few years off his prison sentence.

The Unknown

The regions outside of Equestria and the known world. Amongst other things, the Unknown is said to contain the Sunken Dream Valley, where ponies first came from.

Galatea

Galatea

The mysterious Scribe of the Stardust. Her purpose is to be the historian of the world. The looming war brings her out of hiding and into contact with the Equestrian leadership.

• A Day in the Limelight:
  • The side-story The First Second of Eternity tells her story and what she has been up to in the millennia leading up to Spectrum.
  • Chapter Twenty-Three ("Castles In The Air") gives her some segments, revealing her views of the world.
• All-Loving Hero: Her distant and aloof facade belies a kind-hearted, gentle mare who has nothing but kind words to say to her closest companions, someone who cares for all living creatures big and small while carrying out her duty.
• Aloof Big Sister: Played With. She initially comes across as one to her younger siblings Celestia and Luna, and spelled out by the latter as to why she doesn't really trust her. Apart from her overall aloof behaviour this is demonstrated when she chooses not to join their breakfast with Sint and Ilsa. Ultimately while she acts the part, Chapters Twenty-One to Twenty-Six finally reveal that deep down, she doesn't want to be aloof, and confesses to her sisters that she wanted to meet them for so long.
• Artificial Human: Equine to be precise. Certainly gives off a somewhat robotic vibe, at first. This troubles Luna, as it raises questions about her own nature as an alicorn created by Sunflare.
• Becoming the Mask: Initially assumes a mortal guise purely as a curiosity and to observe ponykind quietly. It still serves her well, but she actively participates in pony society as well, becoming a drifter working the odd job here and there.
• Beneath the Mask: Galatea presents herself in the present day as an aloof, distant figure, but The First Second of Eternity reveals that beneath this stoic facade, she is a gentle, caring person. She cares much about life and thinks very highly of creatures as humble and lowly as worms, snails and bees. She also spent her life labouring in order to be closer to her mortal kin, and is entirely capable of holding attachments despite her claims of a Friendless Background. Moreover, it's shown that deep down, she really does love her sisters, putting their value as family above their value as princesses.
• Big Sister Instinct: She expresses concern about Luna's depowered nature in Chapter Twenty-Three ("Castles In The Air").
• Cain and Abel and Seth: She is the hidden older sister of Celestia and Luna, only stepping out of the shadows in Chapter Six ("The Trinity Harmonious").
• Characterization Marches On: She starts the story as distant, slightly arrogant know-it-all. By Chapter Twenty-One ("Nostalgia"), this is no longer the case, as she's much more outright humble. Ultimately, thanks to the rewrites, she's far more outwardly humble from her first appearance.
• The Comically Serious: Yes. When her little sister Luna tries to upstage her by asking what 'fun' means, Galatea clinically answers with its definition and points out to Luna that she has been able to keep up with modern linguistics. All without even intending to make fun of her.
  • The First Second of Eternity reveals that she wasn't always like this, having more of a childlike wonder and fascination with the world around her. On the other hand, she sincerely compliments her newfound companion, Broadleaf, on his virility, unaware of the implications.
• Decomposite Character: In the original Spectrum, Faust and the Scribe were basically one and the same. Here, the Scribe's equivalent is given a separate identity and character.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: As of "Unveiled", she's slowly thawing out of her aloofness, bonding with Luna for starters, and treats Celestia's letter very dearly.
• Determinator: She spends time (thousands of years to be precise) chipping at a mountain, simply because she needed some way to pass the time and keep track of it.
• Establishing Character Moment: She's first introduced in disguise as one of the workers employed at Canterlot Palace. Her chat with Celestia demonstrates her polite, affable yet reserved nature, with enough of a glimpse at the emotions just beneath the surface.
• Even the Girls Want Her: As her most recent partner, Snow Mist, can attest.
• Friend to All Children: She cares greatly for the well-being of children especially, paying special attention to little Birdsong and later her grandchildren. She also showed great concern for the children of Vanhoover while in her disguise as Vanhoover's ferrymare.
• Friendless Background: Claims to be this to Celestia. The First Second of Eternity reveals she was lying, having had a close friendship and later romance with a stallion named Broadleaf Heart, and also friendships with many others in the hamlet.
• God in Human Form: She disguises herself as an earthpony, counting on the fact that as the Hufflepuff House of ponykind, no one would pay a grey, dull earthpony any particular attention.
• Hidden Backup Prince: As it turns out, she was this to Celestia after Luna became Nightmare Moon, as a contingency plan in the event that she falls to darkness too. Unusually for this trope, she's the oldest sibling.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Despite her job description as a passive observer, she actually spent most of her life working incognito as a labourer.
  • Chapter Twenty-Three ("Castles In The Air") reveals that she's actually got a doctorate (or rocktorate) in geology.
• Icy Blue Eyes: Her eye colours, as befitting a distant, calculating figure like her. However, in the past, it's actually closer to Innocent Blue Eyes, given her childlike wonder and interest in the world she lives and works in.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: Broadleaf speculates that this is what she really wants - notably, Galatea does not confirm or deny it. Her dreams at the end of the third chapter indicates that, despite living a solitary life, she really does want companionship.
  • Luna accepting her as her sister cracks her stoic facade, and she later pursues a closer relationship with her sisters as a result.
  • Galatea all but confirms it by Chapter Twenty-Five ("Family"), admitting that for all her life all that she wanted was to be with her sisters.
• Inconspicuous Immortal: Despite being a milennia old alicorn and the elder sister of Equestria's ruling diarchs, Galatea chooses to live a pretty quiet life amongst the working class.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: Galatea's existence is hinted at from the Prologue onward, and she actually reveals herself to Celestia and Luna fairly early on in the story, as of Chapter Six, aptly named "The Trinity Harmonious". Reading the story past that chapter is impossible without spoilers about her.
  • The First Second of Eternity, her side-story, outright spoils what she is in the first few paragraphs.
• Mundane Object Amazement: In her time spent travelling and observing, nothing fascinates her more than snails, worms, and bees, thinking of them as special in their own way. She finds snails pleasant to watch, worms a useful if elusive critter, and bees as dedicated, selfless workers.
• My Greatest Failure:
  • Admits as such that she considers her failure to reach out to Luna after her entire family is lost to be her greatest one.
  • She considers her other failure to return to Broadleaf in time to be one as well.
• Mysterious Past: Few details are known about her exploits - she only told Celestia how she came to be, stated her role, and that's about it. The timeline only states that she has been Walking the Earth. The side-story The First Second of Eternity finally averts this by revealing what she has been up to in the past few centuries.
• Nice Girl: She may be distant and aloof by the present day, but deep down she remains a the same kind-hearted mare she was thousands of years ago, despite her hardships. In bed, she spends a good amount of time reassuring her partner, Snow Mist, and encourages her in her chosen career path.
• The Nondescript: Downplayed. While she is very obvious as an alicorn, her disguise passes beneath notice because of her dull colors. This is subverted in The First Second of Eternity, where it's revealed that her hooves are chipped in her disguise as an earthpony, yet she's attractive enough to draw glances. Also fully averted by the final chapter, where Snow Mist is particularly drawn by her eyes and figure.
• Not So Above It All:
  • Despite her generally aloof, workaholic demeanour, First Second of Eternity reveals that there was once a time when even she grew weary of her job, asking aloud how long she was meant to carry it out.
  • She makes a rather suggestive pass at Blueblood, before remarking that it's actually a quip on class struggle. Being her (very distant) nephew, Blueblood is none too pleased.
• Not So Stoic:
  • It's very brief, but Luna's acknowledgment of her as her sister moves her deeply.
  • She outright breaks down in tears when her mother's command prevents her from seeing the sisters she's been looking for.
• Obliviously Beautiful: It's heavily implied that she's actually quite attractive - as her companion Broadleaf points out, she draws stares in their hamlet, but she's comically unaware of it. In the main story itself, she passes beneath notice most of the time, though it's probably because everyone is more fixated on her nature as another alicorn.
  • Averted by the end of The First Second of Eternity; she's very much sexually experienced, and knows how much she appeals to others, easily seducing Snow Mist in the process.
• Odd Friendship: Pinkie is really quick to take to Galatea - going so far as considering the most important question she could ask to be "when is your birthday"! Then again, if you know Pinkie comes from a family of grey ponies...
• Really Gets Around: Yes. Aloof, distant Galatea, The Spock out of her sisters, is also the most sexually experienced out of them, setting aside time in her centuries long travels to sleep around.
• Really 700 Years Old: Has been watching Equestria for centuries. She is also older than Celestia and Luna, her sisters. Her personal estimate of five thousand years however puts her closer to a Time Abyss, and the vague amount of time that passed from her creation to her actions in the present day leaves it ambiguous. The First Second of Eternity shows that a very indeterminate amount of time has passed between her creation and the end of the first chapter, but it's indicated that it spanned centuries.
• Seers: Galatea has an ability to astral-project, but it's limited in that she can only use it around alicorns. This nonetheless explains how she knows so much about Equestria and its governance.
• Ship Tease: With the first pony she's ever met, Broadleaf Heart. The two frequently exchange glances towards one another, Broadleaf fumbles his words around her, and Galatea took it up on herself to watch over Broadleaf as he recovers from an injury, even sleeping by his side. The sixth chapter of The First Second of Eternity shows an extended flashback where the two of them surrender to their feelings and make love by the riverside, though Galatea wonders if this really is a flashback or a fantasy of hers.
• Smarter Than You Look: For all her appearances as an aloof hermit, Galatea is a Doctor of Geology.
• The Spock: She was essentially created by Sunflare to be the cold, logical counterweight to Luna's raw passion and Celestia's even-tempered disposition.
• Statuesque Stunner: Galatea is taller than most ponies even in her disguise as an earthpony, and as Broadleaf notes, she turns quite a few heads in their hamlet. Her one-night-stand partner, Snow Mist, also finds herself attracted to her because of her sheer height.
• Strong Family Resemblance: It's revealed in The First Second of Eternity that she has the same eye colour as her niece and Luna's daughter, Equinox.
• Tragic Keepsake: Her cloak and the way she styles her mane in a braid. The cloak was gifted to her by Broadleaf and Birdsong, and Broadleaf wore his mane in a braid as well.
• Unknown Relative: To Celestia and Luna. She is the oldest in a trio of alicorns crafted by Sunflare to watch over the world.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting: One of Galatea's means of subterfuge is to disguise herself as a grey earthpony.
• Walking Spoiler: See Late-Arrival Spoiler. It's almost impossible to discuss her character in full without mentioning that she is an alicorn and Celestia and Luna's older sister.
• Walking the Earth: She spent millennia exploring Equus, recording its history throughout her travels. The First Second of Eternity expands on this, showing her time cataloging life on Equus from dragons to snails.
• What the Hell Is That Accent?: In-Universe, her accent is all over the place. When they meet in Celestia Regina, Celestia can't decide if it's a Trottingham or a Stratusburg accent, while it also bears resemblance to the Reindeer's (heavily implied to be the Equus equivalent of Irish).
• Working-Class Hero: As it turns out, Galatea spends her time living among the working class, appreciating their work.
• Working-Class People Are Morons: Averted. While she spends time as a worker, Galatea is evidently intelligent enough to have earned a doctorate in the past.

The Storm King

The Storm King

A hulking, vain warlord from the furthest reaches of the South. An enterprising fellow, he endeavours to expand his base of power, and improve his commercial branding. To that end, he seeks to consolidate his power by any means necessary... including, if need be, taking power from the alicorns.

• Adaptational Intelligence: Much, much more aware of the outside world than his canonical counterpart. He knows full well about the alicorns, and has been planning to seize their power for himself for quite some time.
• Archenemy: To the hippogriffs. His actions led to the hippogriffs going into hiding.
• Arc Villain: Set to be one for Act Three.
• Beware the Silly Ones: His motivation to sell himself as a commercial brand is quite self-centered, ridiculous, and petty (as Tempest herself laments). His jolly, laughable demeanor before her also seems to indicate him as nothing more than a petty villain... at first. Beneath the cheerful mask is a murderous, cruel warlord, who is The Dreaded to half the known world outside of Equestria. And on a personal basis, he's orphaned a young Cadance simply because he wanted her potential, and won't waste a second further in disposing of his minions if they failed him.
• Capitalism Is Bad: An unrepentant, vain warlord who indulges in selling his brand, whether by trade or by force. Word of God even lampshades this, outright comparing him to a certain other public figure obsessed with his own image.
• Establishing Character Moment: Twice.
  • In the flashback shown in "Child of Crystal", he treats orphaning a baby as nothing more than an inconvenience, intends to take her powers for his own,and flies into a rage when he finds the child taken from him.
  • In his first proper appearance in Chapter Twenty-Six ("Here's To You"), he alternates between a jovial, cheerful mood and a Tranquil Fury laden state of rage when it appears one of his underlings has failed him.
• Evil Is Bigger: Very large and tall in comparison to his second-in-command Tempest, herself a taller-than-average unicorn.
• Evil Overlord: With a personal army and Magic Staff to boot. He commands considerable resources, enough that the Kirin would rather deal with him cordially than risk his full wrath.
• Flat "What": When he learns the Expedition is headed to Dream Valley. This is contrary to his usual behaviour that it actually unsettles Tempest.
• The Ghost: Often mentioned in the background, he's a constant threat mentioned by the hippogriffs and Abyssinians, who are insistent on prioritising him as a threat during the Concordia Maxima's meetings. He later makes an appearance in the second Interlude, before finally appearing in full in Chapter Twenty-Six ("Here's To You").
• Icy Blue Eyes
• Mood-Swinger: Jovial fellow one second, cold-hearted overlord in the next.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Drops his jovial tone very quickly when Grubber reveals that there is a human present in Equestria, and immediately orders a swift pursuit to the North before the Expedition finds whatever it is hidden in the Unknown.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Rather than take on Celestia head on, he chooses to attempt to find potential alicorns in order to harness their power, and sticks to the shadows in the present day, biding his time.
• The Sociopath: Lacks empathy for anyone who isn't him. He treats the murder of Cadance's parents as just a moment's inconvenience.
• Sorcerous Overlord: Wields a limited ability to do magic himself, channeling it with the Staff of Sacanas.
• You Have Failed Me: Possesses this attitude regarding failure, swiftly ordering Grubber to be strangled for failing to report the presence of a human, initially, and would have gotten him killed had it not been for Tempest vouching for the little guy.
• Viler New Villain: The Empire, for all of its faults and genocidal war waged against humanity, still has some semblances of Well-Intentioned Extremist beliefs as well as Utopia Justifies the Means. The Storm King has neither, appearing for all the world as a vicious, self-absorbed warlord in the two scenes he's appeared in.

Historical Figures

Lady Tau Sunflare

Tau Sunflare

An ancient alicorn who has long since departed this world. She is the mother of Celestia and Luna, and also Galatea.

• Adaptational Name Change: In all previous versions of Spectrum, she was called Faust. Not so much here, though see Significant Anagram below.
• Adaptational Nice Girl: She's much kinder than she was in the original Other Side of the Spectrum.
• Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: Departed Equus to parts unknown with a mysterious figure heavily implied to be the Pony of Shadows, entrusting Sint and her daughters with taking care of the world she left behind.
• Caring Gardener: Like her daughter Luna, she is introduced in a garden, and gently provides Sint Erklass with some much needed wisdom.
• Demoted to Extra: Somewhat. Her presence is greatly reduced compared to the original Spectrum, and her daughters are mostly left to their own devices.
• Light Is Good: Her coat, much like Celestia's, is alabaster, and she is quite benevolent.
• Missing Mom: Nowhere to be seen in the present day, and neither Luna nor Celestia remember much of her anyway. Galatea, however, remembers her imparted guidance well.
• Significant Anagram: Her name is one for Lauren Faust.

Anna Erklass

Anna Erklass

Ilsa's younger sister, one of the two princesses of Adlaborn at the time of Celestia and Luna's birth. A thoughtful, cheerful, romantic doe with a penchant for chemistry. She has long since passed away by the time of the main story.

• A Day in the Limelight: The starring character of A Sun in Winter.
• And I Must Scream: Subverted. She voluntarily subjects herself to become Ilsa's host.
• Ascended Extra: In A Sun in Winter, she's the main character.
• Expy: Of Princess Anna.
• Fantastic Racism: Downplayed, as she mistrusts ponies only because of their continuing squabbles down in Equestria.
• Fiery Redhead: Has streaks of red in her mane, and very passionate.
• Foregone Conclusion: Though the circumtances are unknown, she will eventually become Ilsa's first host.
• Gadgeteer Genius: She created the Great Workshop.
• Posthumous Character: Long dead by the time of the main story.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: With Ilsa. The Snow Maiden is calm and subdued. Anna is very passionate.
• Youthful Freckles: She's younger than Ilsa, and has a freckled patch around her muzzle.

The Architect

The Architect (aka Prismia)

An elusive figure from Equestria's past, one whose secrets grow intertwined with the Conversion War. Better known to the characters, and possibly the readers as Prismia, a sorceress who terrorized Cadance's home village of Florentina. Prismia's actions are what tested Cadance, leading her to become an alicorn and assume her rightful place as Crystal Princess.

• Chekhov's Gunman: With the name "Prismia" initially mentioned fleetingly in Chapter Eleven ("Those On Pilgrimage"), she becomes much more significant once it's revealed that Lady Cadenza never encountered her in the Imperial Timeline. By Chapter Twenty ("Accept The Dawn"), Luna and Cadance are speculating that Prismia may, indeed, by the Architect.
• A Day in the Limelight: "Child of Crystal" shows the events that led to Cadance's ascension, with Prismia present throughout. By the ending, we also find out that it was she who brought an infant Cadance to Florentina, and that she herself is an alicorn.
• The Ghost: Her appearance is never described, despite her significant role. Until "Child of Crystal". And even then, Prismia passes herself off to Cadance as a unicorn. It is isn't until the end that she is shown to be one more alicorn in disguise.
• No Name Given: Nothing is known about her identity, only her title. Luna and Cadance come to suspect, correctly, that she is in fact one and the same with Prismia. Even that, however, is likely not her true name.
• Precursor: She is said to be the last of the Ancient Alicorns.
• Shrouded in Myth: No one really knows who she is, only her gender, and her creations, which include the Alicorn Amulet, the Crystal Mirror and the heart-shaped locket.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Only mentioned in passing until the "Child of Crystal" Interlude, either as "Prismia" or "Architect". Thanks to her actions, Cadance was rescued as an orphaned baby from the Storm King, was raised in the far-off village of Florentina, and ascended to become an alicorn, thus reuniting a joyful Princess Celestia with a descendant of her long-lost sister's family and, in due time, with Luna herself.
  • She also created the Alicorn Amulet and the Crystal Mirror. And as it turns out, a key reason why the Imperial Timeline got as bad as it did was because Lady Cadance never met her in that timeline.
• Stealth Mentor: Prismia's entire scheme in Florentina was a test for Cadance to see whether she was worthy or not.
• Time Abyss: If what Archmage Twilight says is true, then the Architect is many thousands of years old, surviving into the present day. It's revealed that Prismia is actually an alicorn predating the three sisters - making her older than Galatea.
• Walking Spoiler: Good luck reading past the Wham Line at the conclusion of Chapter Nineteen ("When The Dust Settles") without getting spoiled on how the Architect connects significantly to the lives of Celestia and Luna. See Small Role, Big Impact.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Disappears without a trace after Cadance ascends to alicornhood. Part of the ongoing Myth Arc is finding out how she relates to the For Want Of A Nail that split the timelines.

The Krampus

The Krampus

A malevolent entity imprisoned under Sint Erklass' castle, and later the Great Workshop of Adlaborn.

• Armor-Piercing Question: Tries this against Sint, regarding the foals. It doesn't work.
• Big Bad: For A Sun in Winter.
• Eldritch Abomination: A shifting, satanic figure imprisoned within an enchanted snowglobe.
• Evil Counterpart: Going by the classic interpretation, it's this for Sint Erklass.
• He Who Must Not Be Seen: Most of its form is obscured behind its prison, though a horned head and its yellow eyes can be seen at times.
• Hidden Agenda Villain: While it plans to do something with the infant Celestia and Luna, it has yet to reveal anything.
• No Biological Sex: The narrative refers to the Krampus as an it, and its gender is never mentioned.
• Retired Monster: Sint suggests that it has decided against involving itself in the affairs of the world by the present day.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Imprisoned in a giant, magically reinforced snowglobe, with enchanted snow binding it to its cage whenever it tries to escape.
• Supernatural Gold Eyes: A piercing yellow eye can occasionally be glanced from within its prison.

King Sombra

Sombra

The tyrannical ruler of the Crystal Realm, recently deceased thanks to the efforts of Princess Cadance and Spike.

• Adaptational Villainy: The Sombra of the original Spectrum was somewhat of a lovestruck buffoon. This one is explicitly stated to have murdered Princess Amore and most of the Royal Family branch in the Crystal Realm, an act that helped the creation of Nightmare Moon.
• Death by Adaptation: In the original story, he lived long enough to antagonize Marcus, Celestia, and Luna. Here, his defeat is just like the way it was in canon.
• You Killed My Father: He murdered Princess Amore, Cadance's ancestor and a descendant of Luna's.

Mistmane

Mistmane

The famed Neighpon unicorn sorceress who gave up her beauty to restore her friend's and her homeland's own. One of the Pillars of Old Equestria, she becomes acquainted with a young Luna and mentors her in the art of gardening.

• A Day in the Limelight: The titular character of In Night's Garden's first chapter, which revolves around her familial relationship with Luna.
• Caring Gardener: Maintains the Canterlot gardens, teaching Luna how to care for it and imparting her wisdom as well.
• Flower Motifs: The flower of her homeland, chrysanthemum, is her motif, from her brooch to the flowers she grows. As Mistmane remarks, it marks the longetivity of autumn and also funerals, though alternatively, also means love. Her letter to Luna is sealed with a red chrysanthemum seal, as she goes to face the Pony of Shadows, not expecting that she will return.
• I Was Quite a Looker: Downplayed. Though she plainly states that she used to be attractive, Luna insists that she looks just fine, looking like a kindly, elderly mare. This trope also plays into her nightmare where she is beautiful once more, but alone in her destroyed hometown.
• My Greatest Failure: Fears that she wasn't a good enough friend for Stygian, as her friend goes down a darker path. We all know how that ended.
• Never Found the Body: No one ever hears another word from her after she leaves with Starswirl, and three thousand years on, Luna haven't got the faintest clue of what happened to her or Starswirl.
• Nice Girl: Never a harsh word from her, she's very kind and patient in dealing with the rambunctious energy of Princess Luna.
• Parental Substitute: As time goes by, she becomes Luna's mother figure, and admits as such that she's come to view her as her own daughter.

Broadleaf Heart

Broadleaf Heart

A kind-hearted earthpony tracker who encounters Galatea outside of his hamlet. Notably, he is the first pony she's ever met, and develops a close relationship with her.

• Female Gaze: Galatea certainly admires his well-built physique, about as much as he does hers.
• Nice Guy: Polite, well-spoken, and dedicated to the hamlet's well-being. He reaches out to offer Galatea a place in his hamlet several times out of the kindness of his heart.
• Hero of Another Story: Hints of his colourful past are scattered throughout, but Galatea doesn't find out about it, nor will she ever after his death.
• I Will Wait for You: Promises to wait for Galatea's return as she heads out to find her sisters. Sadly, she fulfills her end of the promise several decades too late.
• The Lost Lenore: Ultimately, he is this for Galatea, and they even consummated their relationship (maybe) before she left.
• Smarter Than You Look: It's hinted several times that he's far more educated than the average tracker of that time and age. Galatea expresses surprise that he knows how to count.

Radiant Hope

The daughter of Princess Amore, childhood friend of Sombra's, and Celestia's greatest student a thousand years ago. A powerful unicorn in her own right, she disappeared with the Crystal Realm and hasn't been seen since then.

• The Ace: Celestia remembers her as her greatest student, rivalling Twilight Sparkle.
• Luke, I Might Be Your Father: Scattered evidence throughout leads Celestia to suspect that Radiant, one way or another, is in fact Cadance's mother.
• Never Found the Body: Disappeared with the Crystal Realm, much to Luna's grief. She wasn't present in the Crystal Realm when it reemerged in the present day, and no one has seen her in the preceding thousand years. Celestia, however, suspects that she reemerged earlier and sired a daughter - Cadance.
• Posthumous Character: If she is in fact Cadance's mother, then Radiant has been dead for more than twenty years, murdered by the Storm King.
• Related in the Adaptation: Unlike her depiction in the comics, she's related to Princess Amore, and by extension Cadance and Luna.

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