Characters / Spectrum The PHL And UNAC

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

United Nations Allied Command

Formed in the wake of Queen Celestia's assault on humanity, UNAC is humanity's primary rampart against the onslaught of Conversion. An umbrella organization overseeing all human military operations, it frequently collaborates with the humanitarian organization known as the Ponies for Human Life, formed by the human-sympathizing Ambassador Lyra Heartstrings of Equestria. Currently, Captain Alexander Reiner of the USMC, a friend of the late Heartstrings, serves as UNAC's military liaison to the PHL.

In General

• The Alliance: The Allied Command comprises most member-states of the United Nations, bringing together most of humanity's military assets under a single umbrella command.
• Enemy Mine: By necessity, long-time rivals and enemies are forced to band together, with the Solar Empire as their common foe.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: Perennial great powers France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom are all a shadow of their former self, though they still wield considerable political influence.
• Government in Exile: Since all of Europe has been consumed by the Barrier, the seats of France, Russia (to an extent), and the United Kingdom on the UN Security Council have effectively been turned into honorary positions, bordering on The Remnant.
• Real-Person Fic: While their appearances are largely [[The Cameo cameos]], the Secretary-General and the politicians who sit on the UN Security Council are all real people, though only the Secretary-General and the leaders of Russia and China actually occupied their positions at the time of writing the story;
  • Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
  • President Tim Kaine of the United States of America.
  • Prime Minister Sayid Javid of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
  • President Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the Republic of France.
  • President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation.
  • President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China.
• United Nations Is a Superpower: Downplayed Trope. National interests still exist, but many of the remaining human governments have chosen to defer to the Allied Command to co-ordinate their military operations against the expansion of the Barrier.
• We ARE Struggling Together: UNAC isn't a single authority, and many countries still have their own clashing interests.

UNAC-Affiliated Military - U.S. Marine Corps

Brig. Gen. Robert Gardner

Robert Gardner

A Brigadier General of the USMC. Prior to Alexander Reiner's rising through the ranks, Gardner was his superior.

• Colonel Kilgore: Held the rank of Colonel during the attack on Defiance. He certainly gives off this vibe, at any rate.
  • By the time of the main story, Gardner holds the title of Brigadier General, bringing him a step closer to General Ripper.
• The Faceless: We only get to hear his disembodied, warbling voice in Alexander Reiner's pained recollection of his promotion following the massacre of Defiance.
• Jerkass: To quote both DoctorFluffy and JedR in the author's notes for Chapter 5 of Light Despondent - Remixed: "Gardner's a dick." His actions in the chapter have him try to throw his weight around, forcing a traumatized child to be interviewed alone without concern for her mental state.
• Semper Fi: Not exactly a positive depiction of the trope, mind you.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Maybe. He could just as easily be a Knight Templar who happens to fight on the side of UNAC.
• Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Alex is not happy to be told by then-Colonel Gardner that he "did well" at Defiance.

UNAC-Affiliated Military - Teutonic Knights

Maj. Stephan Bauer

Stephan Bauer

The German leader of the colloquially-named Teutonic Knights, a unit specialized in close-quarters combat.

• Badass Normal
• BFS: His signature weapon of a claymore returns from the original Spectrum, minus the morphing ability.
• Demoted to Extra: Has a diminished role in Act II compared to the original Spectrum.
• Mr. Exposition: He provides Cadance with some much needed exposition on UNAC's military situation in Boston.
• Supporting Leader: The highest ranking UNAC leader still in Boston, after Shining Armor's dome cuts it off from UNAC supply lines.

Sgt. Thomas Harwood

Thomas Harwood

A British SAS soldier who recently joined the knights as a medical officer.

• Consummate Professional: Acts the part, and he certainly disagrees with Viktor Kraber's cavalier attitude.
• Deadpan Snarker: Especially when bantering with Ana, his Love Interest.
• Knight in Shining Armor: At least tries to be. It's mentioned that his childhood dream was to be a knight.
• Hypocrite: Detests Kraber for trying to do his job as a medic while also being a frontline soldier most of the time - but he also admits to this, remarking that he's still given a sword.
• Interservice Rivalry: Ana briefly mentions that he's not the biggest fan of the penal squads - given Kraber is one of them. Kraber's cavalier attitude puts him off, for one.
• The Medic: Serves as one under UNAC's military.
• Odd Couple: With Ana. She is a soft-spoken civilian-turned soldier, while Harwood is a career soldier turned medical officer.
• Officer and a Gentleman: Cordial and polite, though perhaps he pushes a bit for the "officer" aspect of the trope.
• Official Couple: With Ana, but due to the war, their relationship is more downplayed than anything.

UNAC-Affiliated Military - Other

Cpl. Maxine Radwick

Maxine Radwick

A cynical, American member of the UN Blue Helmets - who also happens to be Alex Reiner's estranged half-sister

• The Comically Serious: She's this to Luna.
• Dark and Troubled Past: She lost her daughter during the war, fueling her bitterness.
• Deadpan Snarker: She's not at all amused by Luna's teenage antics during their visit to Jarden.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: It's hard to see, but it's there. For all her suspicion towards ponies, she isn't all that hostile to the PHL her brother is running. Later on, despite her well-deserved reservations towards Luna, she still comforts the Princess when she gets embarrassed.
• Morality Chain: Luna specifically asks to see her hometown because she wanted to see what humanity held dear.
• Outliving One's Offspring: Her daughter's death.
• Parental Favoritism: Was this to Megan, which drove a wedge between her and Alex.

PHL

The Ponies for Human Life were founded by Ambassador Lyra Heartstrings as a humanitarian organization to support mankind in the face of Queen Celestia's campaign of extermination. Despite its primarily humanitarian aims, the PHL possesses a formidable military wing, outfitted with the latest in magically enchanted and technologically advanced weaponry.

PHL High Command

Amb. Lyra Heartstrings (Alt)

Lyra Heartstrings

The greatest martyr for the cause of human-pony friendship.

• All-Loving Hero: Lyra has such a reputation amongst the PHL and its allies. In reality, she was not immune to Fantastic Racism towards the Changelings. However, this is an attitude she grew out of once it became clear Equestria was going full He Who Fights Monsters.
• Alternate Universe Reed Richards Is Awesome: Compared to her Prime counterpart, of course.
• Ambadassador: And not just to humanity. In the years on her Equus following the Crystal War, Lyra built up her credentials with diplomatic missions for the development of the Pan-Equine Co-Harmony Sphere.
• Defector from Decadence: She was initially a supporter of establishing a Co-Harmony Sphere with the other equine nations of Equus, but grew steadily disillusioned as the project's imperialist ambitions became clearer.
• Martial Pacifist: According to her reputation.
• Messianic Archetype: To a certain extent, though it receives less emphasis than it did in the original Spectrum.
• My Greatest Failure: Lyra's unpleasant experiences with getting brainwashed by Chrysalis during the Wedding Invasion left her with some Fantastic Racism against Changelings. This prompted her not to speak up, in spite of her qualms, when the Changeling Purges began. She came to regard this as the greatest mistake of her life.
• Posthumous Character: Has been dead for years by the time the main story begins, having gotten captured by the Empire aboard the Thunderchild off the coast of Iceland.
• Rebel Leader: As the founder of the PHL.

Miss Cheerilee (Alt)

Cheerilee Cherry

Lyra's successor as leader of the PHL.

• Badass Teacher
• Celibate Heroine: Contrary to the original Spectrum, Cheerilee is not in a relationship with the main human character, nor is there any hint she's seeking a relationship. Her duties take up more of her time than ever.
• Friend to All Children
• The Chains of Commanding: Hanne Adler observes that she still looks uncomfortable leading the PHL in Lyra's stead.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: She listens closely to what Princess Cadance has to say, and immediately takes charge, holding her own against Putin's arguments, and throws her support behind establishing formal relations with Prime Equestria.
• Rebel Leader: Took up the mantle after Lyra was captured and executed by the Empire.

Doctor Whooves (Alt)

Doctor Whooves (Alias: Time Turner)

The eccentric Head of Research & Development.

• Badass Family: He's the patriarch of one, the Whooves Clan.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Eccentric, but his expertise on time and space are the PHL's ace-in-the-hole when it comes to matching the Empire's near-monopoly on portal technology.
• Happily Married: Even while surrounded by war, the Doc and Derpy are the most affectionate couple in the story. The people around them actually poke fun at him for this, as their own coping mechanism.

Captain Spitfire (Alt)

Spitfire

The Captain of the newly-christened Rogue Bolts 1st Air Batallion and de facto military expert of the PHL.

• The Captain
• Defector from Decadence: Formerly a high ranking member of the Imperial Guard's Wonderbolts, and certainly the highest ranking member to defect.

Lt. Vinyl Scratch (Alt)

Vinyl Scratch

Lieutenant of the Blue Fire 1st Strike Battalion. Formerly one half of the inseparable duo of Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch, this DJ has endured a lot since her best friend died on the first day of war.

• Anti-Hero: She's one of the more ruthless members of the PHL, displaying a Pay Evil unto Evil mentality.
• Author Avatar: Somewhat for Kizuna Tallis, as Doctor Fluffy and TheIdiot sometimes call her "the real life Vinyl" due to her love of Electronic Music. It also helps that she cosplayed Vinyl for the 2015 Las Vegas Electric Daisy Carnival.
• Bash Brothers: Together with Allie Way.
• Celebrity Survivor: Went from a hard partying DJ to a hardened resistance fighter.
• Cool Shades: But of course!
• Cynicism Catalyst: If one bad day can send you over the edge, hers was witnessing Octavia get murdered by the Royal Guard.
• Hero-Worshipper: Regards Lyra as the best of ponykind.
• He Who Fights Monsters: She has no qualms with using brutal methods to put her enemies down.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Her crude exterior belies a loyal friend.
• Magic Music: A weaponized bass cannon, to be exact. She can also use music as a hypnotic distraction.
• Musical Assassin: In more than one sense, as her loudspeakers can be used as sound-based weapons.
• Odd Friendship: Despite Kraber being on a PHL penal squad, and Vinyl herself arranging for Aegis to get sent there alongside him, she and Kraber get along fairly well. Amongst other things, they've washed the dishes together... using Vinyl's dubstep dishwasher.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: She does not sleep well for it, and is one of Lady Cadance's patients as a result.

Lady Cadance (Alt)

Mi Amore Cadenza

The Head of the Department of Psychological & Spiritual Well-Being, and a disgraced Princess of Equestria. Unlike her counterpart, Lady Cadance hasn't ascended, leaving her with stunted wings.

• A Day in the Limelight: She prominently appears in Chapter 21, reconnecting with counterparts of her friends and family on Prime Equus
• Always Someone Better: Initially, she isn't too thrilled that her counterpart is a full-fledged alicorn, and all she sees is what she should have been, but isn't.
• Berserk Button: Her stunted wings. Don't mock her about it. Chrysalis, meet hoof.
• Dream Walker: She even leaves a construct of herself, in the form of a wispy mare, within Alex's mind to help preserve his sanity.
• I Hate Past Me: Zigzagged, in more than one way. She's initially hostile to her counterpart, who is both a past version of herself and also a version of her that's already achieved what she did not. This doesn't last long, and she bonds with Princess Cadance soon after.
• In the Blood: She works as a healer (though of the mind), like her ancestor Princess Equinox - Luna's daughter.
• My Greatest Failure: She's heartbroken over losing Shining to the Empire. She also thinks that she herself is a failure, having seen what she could be like in the form of Princess Cadance.
• Noble Fugitive: Cadance's status as a princess-in-exile has not gone unnoticed by the PHL or the human public, to whom she is a symbol that stands in opposition to Celestia.
• The Power of Love: But of course. While she hasn't ascended to alicorn status, she's still adept at her abilities and uses them for therapeutic purposes.
• Rebellious Princess: A minor princess of Equestria, in rebellion against her tyrannical aunt.

Dame Moondancer (Alt)

Moondancer

The Head of the Department of Cultural Preservation.

• Alternate Universe Reed Richards Is Awesome: This is true for all ponies of the PHL to varying degrees, and while it may be downplayed with Moondancer in that she isn't some great fighter, the alternate-universe version of her is years ahead of who she used to be.
• Fan of the Past: To the point it's her official job description to preserve what she can of humanity's past.
• The Smart Guy: Stated to be in a league with Twilight and Lyra when it comes to intellect.

Mister Gladmane (Alt)

Gladmane

A rather shady character who acts as the PHL's Head of the Department of Equestrian Liaisons.

• The Dandy: He certainly likes to keep himself foppishly dressed and coiffed.
• Slimeball: In charitable terms, his demeanor could be described as "oily".

Miss Pineapple Nectar

Pineapple Nectar

The PHL's liaison in Public Relations to the American military-industrial complex.

• Captain Ersatz: Of Pineapple Cutter. She has the same idiosyncratic diction and attitude, but her mannerisms and position within the PHL are changed from the original Other Side of the Spectrum.
• The Unsmile: She smiles constantly, but it never looks quite right.
• Verbal Tic: A lack of commas and adding "yes" at the end of certain sentences.

Captain Thunderwing (Alt)

Thunderwing

An officer for Admiral Rebecca Kleiner's Stampede Fleet, effectively the PHL's naval arm.

• Interspecies Romance: With Admiral Kleiner.
• Mr. Exposition: Informs the PHL leadership of going-ons in the Pacific.

PHL 1st Regiment

Cap. Alex Reiner

Alexander Reiner

The human who arrives in Prime!Equestria, kick-starting the whole story. Liaison between UNAC and the PHL, he finds himself out of his depth when dealing with an entirely new universe alone.

• Adaptational Nice Guy: Compared to Marcus Renee. He's still done questionable things and is very hardened by his experiences, but his actions weigh heavily on him and Alex is significantly cooler-headed than Marcus was.
• Aloof Big Brother: He is one to his sister, Maxine, something she pays in kind.
• Dark and Troubled Past: His father died in The Gulf War and his mother did not take it well. She went on to remarry another man and had another child, with whom she played blatant favorites, to Alex's resentment. And that's not even getting into his experiences with the war.
• My God, What Have I Done?: He's had to do some sickening things through the war, including one particular incident in the HLF enclave Defiance that ended with a pregnant woman killed.
• Parental Issues: Alex did not have the easiest relationship with his mother.
• Runic Magic: Retains the magical rune tattoos his predecessor possessed.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: The war has not been good to him, as the flashbacks show.
• Supporting Protagonist: He is the story's main human character, but not strictly speaking the hero.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Marcus Renee in the original Spectrum story.

Agent Ana Bjorgman

Anastasia Bjorgman

A Norwegian PHL Agent, serving as a sniper and part-time chemist/researcher, and currently stationed in Boston.

• Action Girl: Downplayed example, but she makes up her lack of strength with a pinpoint accurate aim.
• Affectionate Nickname: "Little Duchess".
• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: When she runs out of bullets, she outright begs a converted Tanner not to convert her. Thankfully, Harwood manages to prevent it.
• Amicable Exes: With Hanne. It's mentioned they had a relationship once, but there's no trace of any hostility at all.
• Animal Motifs: Deer. Some characters describe her as doe-like. The ethereal reindeer seen in the campfire also adds to this.
  • She also briefly muses that she wanted to become a pegasus.
• Ascended Extra: Introduced much earlier than in the original story, and is the main human POV for the Boston segments. Act II has her as the Tritagonist, representing the human side.
• Audience Surrogate: The war-torn Earth, and by extension humanity's current situation is introduced through her perspective. She continues this role in Act II.
• Buffy Speak: English isn't her first language, so she often applies this to describe things.
• Hearing Voices: She associates the voice in her head as something different from her conscience, and Chapter Sixteen ("An Angel's Wings") hints there's more to it than it is.
• Humble Hero: Despite being the one responsible for almost killing the Archmage, a very important official in the Solar Empire, she tries her best to downplay this achievement, pointing out that she didn't even manage to finish her off, simply strike a glancing blow.
• Innocent Blue Eyes: Turquoise-blue, symbolizing her mildly upbeat nature in the face of war.
• Important Haircut: Gets her hair cut a little short in her second appearancr, as it was too long for military standards. She insists on keeping her bangs, though.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Downplayed, but she swiftly dispatches a unicorn guard behind her before anyone else in the room even knew he existed - with two shots to the horn.
• Mildly Military: Not a very militaristic person even though she's on the front lines.
• Naked People Are Funny: Prince Blueblood catches her sunbathing in the nude, in the Hall of Unity. Of course, Equestria's lack of a cultural taboo on nudity means it flies over his head that humans don't usually go in the nude.
• Nice Girl: Soft-spoken, polite, and as friendly as a Friendly Sniper can be. This is particularly shown when she interviewed the Newfoal Sunbeam - formerly Sharon. She even tries to talk to the recently converted Tanner before he leaves her no choice in putting him down.
• Odd Couple: With Harwood. He's a career soldier turned medical officer, while she's a soft spoken civilian turned soldier.
• Odd Friendship: With cynical, gruff, deadpan Hanne Adler. Also with her snarky partner Frieda.
• Official Couple: With Harwood, though their relationship is more downplayed than anything.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Averted. It's mentioned how each PHL agent possesses the reputation of a One-Man Army, but Ana is a full head shorter than Harwood, and Chapter Four ("Nightfall Over Boston") shows that she's anything but.
• The Pollyanna: Surprisingly upbeat and optimistic for a woman who's lived through five years of an apocalyptic war of survival.
• The Power of Rock: Her Hidden Depths. She knows both Creedence Clearwater Revival and Led Zeppelin, and she can rock a mean guitar!
• Precision F-Strike: Lets out a small curse when she realises she and her unit walked into an Imperial ambush.
• Renaissance Man: Her work as an agent of the PHL apparently entail chemistry, research, and combat duty.
• The Smart Girl: A talented chemist and researcher, in addition to her marksmanship.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: She had no way of knowing that following her orders to try to assassinate the Archmage ends up ruining Luna's plan to redeem her.
• Verbal Tic: Her lines are usually punctuated by "Heh", at the start, middle, or end.

Agent Frieda

Frieda Pinfeather

A griffon scout partnered with Ana, acting as her spotter.

• Dark and Troubled Past: Bitterly mentions being singled out as a 'foreign agitator' for the sole reason of being a non-pony who didn't support the Co-Harmony Sphere.
• Genius Bruiser: Turns out she's also a data analyst for the PHL.
• Odd Friendship: Notably more eager to fight compared to Ana.
• Slasher Smile: Ana notes her unpleasant grin when talking about sniping.

PHL - Ze'ev Squad

Lt. Yael Ze'ev

Yael Ze'ev

An Israeli PHL woman with a frightful temper, and an axe to grind against most HLF.

• Hair-Trigger Temper: In contrast to the original Spectrum, though, this gets her demoted and reassigned more than once.
• Knight Templar: Doesn't really like to think of the PHL's three-way conflict with the Solar Empire and the HLF in anything other than black-and-white terms.
  • This doesn't do her many favours, since the HLF of the Spectrum reboot are subject to an Adaptational Heroism which the PHL leadership grudgingly acknowledge.
• Reassigned to Antarctica: First she's reassigned to the direct command of then-Colonel Gardner, and by the main story, she's in the rather unglamorous position of heading a penal squad.

Sgt. Heliotrope

Heliotrope

Yael's right-hand mare.

• Gadgeteer Genius: Managed to build her own invisibility flightsuit.
• Psycho Prototype: A variation in that her psychosis has nothing to do with her unique flightsuit, but the crystals made to use the suit are so rare it has never been replicated, and Heliotrope happens to be a bit unhinged.

Sgt. Viktor Kraber

Viktor M. Kraber

Kraber, in his element. Art by Doctor Fluffy.

A South African-born German surgeon who lost his family to potioning during a birthday party.

• Adaptational Karma: In the original The Other Side of The Spectrum, Kraber was allowed to serve as a full-on operative of the PHL after Aegis vouched for him. The PHL are not quite as accommodating in Spectrum, where Kraber becomes placed on a penal squad. Aegis doesn't get off too lightly, either.
• Amoral Afrikaner: At first. He's... trying.
• Animal Motifs: Wolves, or African Wild Dogs.
• The Atoner: Is working to become this as of Light Despondent and later the main story - his friendship with Aegis, Heliotrope, Quiette Shy, and other PHL members and desire to redirect his murderous impulses solely towards the Imperial Equestrians are evidence of this.
  • Although how well this applies gets discussed by other characters. Thomas Harwood, in many respects a Foil to Kraber as a military medic, tells Kraber to his face that if he truly sought redemption, he'd swear off weapons and dedicate himself to the Hippocratic Oath. Not that it helps Kraber's case that, well, would you feel comfortable getting treated by him?
• Author Avatar: Sort of. While Fluffy is probably not at all similar to him, he has referred to Kraber as a good match for how he plays video games: well-intentioned, but seeing violence the way some people see hammers.
• Ax-Crazy: His sanity is all but dangling by a thread, which can be both a help and hindrance. However, he's a bit more self-aware about it than other examples, freely admitting that he's crazy and very, very traumatized. It's also implied on some occasions that he was a bit unhinged before the Barrier came.
• Berserk Button: Is practically a walking pile of them;
  • Shieldwall and Pinkie Pie's very existence, for their involvement in his family's deaths.
  • Insinuating that he abused his family.
  • Perceived insults to his intelligence.
  • Being called a rapist.
  • Summers insinuating that Kraber's family was better off ponified causes him to, simply put, explode and beat up him, Gardner, and Smoky. He wins.
  • Gardner's claim that they tried to "peacefully" arrest him so enrages him that he lapses into Tranquil Fury.
• Cluster F-Bomb: This is, after all, a character whose previous version said 'fok!' well over 500 times in one story.
• Crusading Widower: Kraber's whole crusade against Alt!Equestria boils down to his desire to avenge his wife and children.
• Cuteness Proximity: Immediately after Yael mentions him probably doing something evil, he's seen cooing and losing any seriousness while cuddling a Samoyed puppy.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Lost his mind after finding his children were ponified, and joined a German HLF faction. Exactly what he did there has been kept vague. It's implied this may stretch back into his college years, too.
• Deadly Doctor: Kraber seems to take as much pleasure in healing people as hurting them. He's accordingly nicknamed "The Night Surgeon".
• Foreign Cuss Word: Constantly.
• Friend to All Children: After a fashion, but it is one of Kraber's most consistent displays of Everyone Has Standards that he doesn't like bringing harm to children or seeing them get hurt.
  • How much of this is up in the air, however, as in his time with the HLF, he laughed when his unit murdered an entire family of ponies, children included.
• Hair-Trigger Temper
• Heel–Face Turn
• Interspecies Romance: By the time of the main story, his friendship with Aegis has evolved into this.
• It's Personal: Towards Alt!Pinkie Pie, who ponified his family at his twin kids' birthday (which he hired her to plan out). And Shieldwall, who was also there.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Abrasive, alcoholic, lecherous, hard to deal with... but his heart's usually in the right place, unless it involves the PER.
• Love Redeems: While it isn't the sole factor at work, the feelings that grow between Kraber and Aegis help the former along on his Heel–Face Turn. The main story makes it clear, though, that this trope only really works on the personal level; the wider ramifications of Kraber's misdeeds are cast in a more critical light.
• Major Injury Underreaction: Kraber's pain tolerance is, simply put, inhuman. He survives being thrown seven stories, bouncing, hitting the ground and breaking several bones, gets back up, and manages to make a reference to how much he hates The Vorrh by Brian Catling.
• Official Couple: With Aegis.
• Omniglot: Grew up speaking at least four languages - Afrikaans, English, Hindi and Hebrew. And he knows even more, such as German, Turkish or Polish.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Kraber's the Red Oni next to practically everyone else on the page, but the dynamic plays out mainly between him and Aegis.
• Relationship Upgrade: In the original The Other Side of The Spectrum, the status of Kraber's relationship with Aegis was kept to Platonic Life-Partners with some Ship Tease. Here, they are officially a couple.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: As presented by the main story, in any case. Turns out that putting effort into bettering yourself, forming a bond with someone amongst the people you once wronged and despised, and committing a great deed of heroism in the process are not sufficient to receive acceptance from said people. Because for all intents and purposes, Kraber is a mass-murderer who just happens to have redirected his impulses, and the PHL, despite their own moral failings, recognise this fact; they'll make use of his skills on the battlefield or in the operating room, but they will never give him free rein, nor absolve him.
• Textual Celebrity Resemblance: Looks uncannily similar to Sharlto Copley. In fact, Fluffy actually modeled Kraber after him.
• Trading Bars for Stripes: The position Kraber is in with the PHL, by the time of the main story.
• Tragic Keepsake: He still keeps the stuffed animals that belonged to his children, and sleeps with them.
• Triple Shifter: Somehow managed to be an actor while working his way through medical school in Boston.
• Would Hurt a Child: It's ambiguous if he did so himself, but he and his HLF unit murdered a family of ponies, with the children first.

Sgt. Aegis

Aegis (Real Name: Claw Hammer)

Art by Doctor Fluffy.Kraber's ever-present, enormous, and long-suffering earthpony friend, whose function really boils down to "keeping Kraber from doing anything stupid". He has two foals that he dotes on.

• Action Dad: Has two foals, a son named Rivet and a daughter named Amber Maple, who are currently in foster care, by virtue of neither him nor Kraber being in a good enough situation to serve as parents.
• Adaptational Karma: A downplayed trope, as it's debatable how much this is an earned fate. In the original Spectrum, Aegis served to embody Kraber's changed attitude towards ponies. The rebooted story, however, does not gloss over the trail of bodies Kraber left amongst Aegis' own comrades. While Aegis wasn't initially aware he was harboring a notorious fugitive during Light Despondent, the fact he then sought to cover for Kraber is deemed by the PHL to be aiding and abetting, which results in a black mark upon Aegis' previously-spotless record that gets him placed on the same penal squad.
• Alcoholic Parent: Downplayed. Though he's most definitely not abusive, he has an alcohol intake that could rival Kraber's.
• Bash Brothers: No matter what, he has Kraber's back, and Kraber has his.
• The Big Guy: He's larger than the average pony. Word of God is that this was an accident because, when drawing Kraber, DoctorFluffy wasn't sure how big Aegis was supposed to be.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Light Despondent expands on his backstory, revealing he was a normal family stallion whose well-meaning wife went off the deep end during the Crystal War, becoming a paranoid and broken mess. Later on, she adopted a pair of Newfoal orphans, while ignoring her own children. She eventually left Aegis for a Newfoal, forcing him to escape to Earth with his children.
  • Aegis associating with Kraber also didn't do him many favors in the long run, since it led to having the custody of his children taken away from him and getting branded an accomplice to a murderer by the PHL.
• Deadpan Snarker: Him and Kraber being lovers doesn't hold Aegis back from referring to Kraber as an "edgelord".
• Gun Nut: To a lesser degree than Kraber - he doesn't Squee at the thought of new weapons, but he's just as excited by big weaponry as Kraber is.
• Hidden Depths: Implied to like superheroes, considering that he says his current alias reminds him of a superhero name.
• Morality Pet: Though he wouldn't like to be referred to as a pet, it's shown that Aegis is one of the few things during the war that's actually kept Kraber sane. Relatively speaking, that is.
• Nerves of Steel: Very little can scare him. This makes him a good counterpoint to Kraber.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Deconstructed. As Aegis helping and sheltering Kraber in Light Despondent is a cornerstone of Kraber's Heel–Face Turn, him suffering for it by getting separated from his children and assigned to a penal squad seems like an unduly harsh fate. However, the main story makes the point that Aegis's "good deed" which strengthens Kraber's change of heart is only good when seen through Kraber's Sympathetic P.O.V.; when considering that Aegis is assisting the murderer of several of his comrades, it becomes a lot more ambiguous. The PHL leadership responded accordingly.
• Only Known by Their Nickname
• Only Sane Man: Forced to play this role to Kraber, who, as it turns out, is very grateful for it.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: A calming, more relaxed counterpoint to Kraber's boisterousness.

Corp. Quiette Shy

Quiette Shy

A mute, wounded unicorn with a sour attitude, who works with Yael.

• Sour Outside, Sad Inside
• The Voiceless: What she would be, due to a wound to her throat, if she didn't use a speech-box to get around it.

Corp. Oscar Mikkelsen

Oscar Mikkelsen

A hideously deformed soldier who stays with Yael and Heliotrope out of loyalty. Apparently, he's "probably not a criminal."

• The Big Guy: Often described as fairly heavyset.
• Heroes Love Dogs: The one constant of his personality other than his size and ugliness.
• Lightning Bruiser: incredibly fast.
• Nightmare Face: Hardened military personnel have recoiled in fear of it.
  Oscar’s face was far broader than the average human’s, with a thick squarish jaw. His nose was flatter on one side and skin seemed to stretch over it slightly, and his mouth seemed to curl on one side. The left side of his jaw was a mass of nodules and scar tissue. One ear was just a series of lumps that barely poked out from the side of his skull. About the only thing you could say that was normal about his face that his eyes lined up.
• The Quiet One: He's more defined by his appearance, and hasn't said much.
• Undying Loyalty: To Yael - to the point he willingly took a demotion to work alongside her.

Lorne Hebert

Lorne Hebert

A heavyset black Cajun soldier with a love of moonshine, and almost preternatural skill with a grenade launcher.

• The Big Guy

Eva Nilsdottir

Eva Nilsdottir

Ze'ev Squad's sniper. Not much is known about her.

• Out of Focus: Of all the characters Fluffy's introduced, she's probably gotten the least development.

Johnny C & Fiddlesticks

Johnny C Heald & Fiddlesticks Apple

A young member of the National Guard and his ladyfriend.

• Author Avatar: Johnny C is one for DoctorFluffy.
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: If someone in Ze'ev squad is going to kick off a bizarre non sequitur, it'll be them.
• Interspecies Romance

PHL - Research and Development

Amethyst Star

Amethyst Star

A gem researcher for the PHL, the mare who applied Alex's runes, and Bonbon's caretaker. She's also Time Turner's eldest daughter, and Ana's supervisor.

• Almighty Janitor: Despite her ambiguous rank, she holds some sway in the PHL High Command. It's implied that she's very high ranked as one of the PHL's head researchers.
• Cool Big Sis: To her (adoptive) little sister Dinky.
• Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: She's the (adoptive) daughter of Dr. Whooves, and she's beautiful.
• Ms. Exposition: Briefs Cadance on where she needs to go during Chapter Twenty ("Accept The Dawn").
• The Smart Girl: She's Time Turner's daughter and a genius in her own right.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Downplayed. She calls out the PHL leaders for almost giving in to their cynicism regarding Prime Equestria.
• Wrench Wench: She's a trained mechanic.

Bonbon

Bonbon Sugarbean

The maddened 'oracle', currently put under Amethyst Star's care. Once the girlfriend of Lyra Heartstrings, whatever was done to rescue her from the Empire accidentally broke her mind.

• Blessed with Suck: She can see into the future, but is an insane and completely broken mess.
• Break the Cutie: Went completely crazy after Lyra's death.
• Mad Oracle: The trauma of Lyra's death caused her to have a "temporal stroke" which makes her able to view the past, present and future at the same time.
• Mouth of Sauron: To Alt!Galatea and later Prime!Galatea.

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