Characters / The Avatar of Albion

The original Avatar of Albion mainly focuses on a small, tightly knit group of characters, with brief appearances by others. However, its various sequels and spin-offs have an expanded cast of characters that come from every facet of life in the British Isles.

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Canonverse Equestrians

The Element Bearers.

The Mane Six are much as in canon. In AOA, when faced with the events happening in David Elliot’s world, they determine that it is their moral duty to go back with him and help him. Any characteristics that apply to the "canon" mane six also apply here.

• The Ace: Rainbow Dash is one of the best flyers in the ERAF. Understandably.
• Break the Cutie: several examples.
  • Pinkie Pie gets it bad.
  This wasn't much like a party.
  • Rainbow Dash uses her Sonic Rainboom as a weapon. Five minutes after arriving on Earth. Given that she's untrained and has never fought before, this is naturally not a fun experience.
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Pinkie Pie. 'Nuff said?
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Pinkie Pie is... surprisingly good at this whole "soldier" business, considering who she is.
• Heroic BSoD: Applejack kills a TCB version of one of her family. This does not go down well.
• Reluctant Warrior: All of them to an extent.
  • Fluttershy really, really does not like fighting. I mean really.

Lyra Heartstrings.

Everyone’s favourite anthropologist - or in AOA, a Cryptozoologist.

• Alternate Character Interpretation: Though she's loosely the fanon Lyra, she refers to herself as a Cryptozoologist rather than an Anthropologist, and she references being interested in other things.
• Break the Cutie: Sees herself die the first minute or two she's on earth.
• Future Me Scares Me: Lyra is shaken by seeing her future self.

True Grit.

A Royal Guard OC who joins the Mane Six, Lyra and Ditzy on their trip to Earth.

• Ascended Extra: Shares this with his TCB counterpart: the TCB Grit started out a cameo role in Chapter Three, and the Canonverse one ended up being one of the main characters.
• Badass Normal: Like the TCB variant, True Grit is a normal enough Royal Guard who happens to be badass enough to survive everything thrown at him.
• Breakout Character: Became surprisingly well received, one commenter even saying that they forgot he was an OC. It's hard to tell which came first, his increased role or his increased popularity.
• Original Character: One of the most prominent in the story.

Ditzy "Derpy" Doo.

Ditzy Doo is the friend of Doctor Hooves that joins Lyra in trying to find out about the human…

• Action Mom: Though her version of Dinky is not involved, she is still a motherly figure and desires to fight at least partly because she believes she would not be a worthy mother otherwise.

Equestrian Resistance.

The Equestrian Resistance is the name given to the ponies both in Equestria and on Earth fighting against the Solaminan Empire.

True Grit (TCB).

The TCB version of True Grit.

• Ascended Extra: Started out life as a nobody, but even though he dies in a flashback, he still ranks as being pretty important to the mythos.
• Badass Normal: Nothing special about this guy, and yet he ends up being Elliot's right hand - well, right hoof.
• Posthumous Character: Everything we see of TCB True Grit takes place in the “past” relative to the main story, be it flashback or Interlude.

Errant Flight.

A flyer in the Equestrian Resistance Air Force.

• The Ace: Last survivor of the old Grey Squadron.
• Colonel Badass: Technically “Wing-commander” Badass, but it’s the same thing.
• Despair Event Horizon: Passes one after the death of the original Grey Squadron.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Dies fighting during the final battle.

Lyra Heartstrings (TCB).

• Break the Cutie: What little we see of her has her descend from vaguely optimistic in her earliest days in Britain to grim and dour in her last.
• Heroic Sacrifice: dies trying to protect Elliot from a magical attack.
• Interspecies Romance: An unrequted one - Lyra is in love with David Elliot, but never tells him before her death.

Ditzy "Derpy" Doo (TCB)

• A Father to His Men: Ditzy was pretty much this to her Grey Squadron.
• Posthumous Character: Everything we see of TCB Ditzy takes place in the "past" relative to the main story, be it flashback or Interlude. Wait...

Prince Blueblood.

Formerly everpony’s favourite idiotic Prince, now ruler of all Free Equestrians.

• From Nobody to Nightmare: counts as one for the Solaminan Empire, since he starts as a sort of low-level defector and ends up as the head of the Resistance Government.

The War Doctor Hooves/the Blue Doctor Hooves.

Originally arriving on Earth in his "Time Turner" incarnation, Doctor Hooves forced himself to regenerate after the death of TCB Ditzy and is now a pony-form version of the War Doctor.

• Expy: Surprisingly, not one of David Tennant or Matt Smith as is usual the case with Doctor Hooves in MLP, but of The War Doctor, the Author's favorite.
• Heroic BSoD: A very brief one leading to his regeneration into the War Doctor Hooves.
• Redemption Equals Death: Twice - first when he regenerates himself into the War Doctor Hooves to make amends for Ditzy’s death. The second time when he is mortally wounded fighting the corpse-Luna.

Grey Squadron (Pre-Manchester).

• Expy: Another expy, this time of Rogue Squadron from the Star Wars novels. You can tell.
• Posthumous Character: Everything we see of most of Grey Squadron (Errant Flight notwithstanding) takes place in the “past” relative to the main story, be it flashback or Interlude. Hang on a minute...
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: between Lightning Dust, Ditzy Doo, a gambler called Royal Flush, the Wing siblings and all the other oddities in this group, it's a wonder they function.

Grey Squadron (Reformed).

• Expy: See pre-Manchester Grey Squadron.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: carrying on the fine Grey Squadron tradition, this group is an eclectic bunch including Silver Spire ("my wings are yours"), Bright Wonder (a Surprise Expy), and the canonverse Pegasi.

Desert Wind and Sapphire Steel.

A pair of Exodite ponies we meet in ‘’The Avatar of Albon’’ who join the Mane Six’s squad.

• Ship Tease: These two are vaguely implied to have a thing going on (and Desert Wind is broken up about her death), but it's only teased, never stated.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Desert Wind is the Red Oni, and Sapphire the Blue Oni.

Wallace Springfield/Well Spring.

A Converted former Royal Guard who is freed from his brainwashing by Elliot.

• The Atoner: Feels he has to atone for fighting for Solamina.
• Token Heroic Orc: Other than Hell Blazer, he's the only Converted on the side of "good".
• That Man Is Dead: Has this reaction to the use of his Convie name.
  “THAT IS NOT MY NAME!”

British Defence Force.

"British Defence Force" is something of a misnomer - the BDF are the remains of the human race's armies. Composed of soldiers and other personnel from hundreds of nations - those we see include German, Australian and American troops, as well as mentions of Japanese military personnel - the BDF, alongside the Equestrian Resistance, is the last, ragged line of defence for the human race against the Converted.

In General

• Break Out the Museum Piece: M1 Garands, bolt-action rifles and a bunch of other old shit aplenty, here.
• Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits: Though slightly downplayed, they're this up to eleven - they let such characters are the Dead Men and the Knights of Albion be part of their armies, and are made up of soldiers from across the world.

David Elliot.

David Elliot is the Avatar of Albion: having joined the British Army before the Barrier reached Britain, he has been involved in several campaigns across the country during the course of the war. As the Avatar of Albion, he is imbued with special powers and has become an icon to the people of Britain, a role he grudgingly accepts. It is his destiny to fight Solamina to the death.

• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Avatar of Albion trumps everything: Elliot even lampshades this in the story.

"May I remind you of a few things, Major. Firstly: my rank as a Commander is entirely honorary; I've not been considered part of the regular army since I was transferred to special operations, and my official army rank is and was Major. The soldiers follow me because of my status as Avatar of Albion... not because of my rank. Command is aware of that fact and has frequently exploited it as a propaganda tool."

• Blessed with Suck: His powers are awesome, until he starts coughing up blood.
• Break the Badass: Badass? Yes. Had a good life so far? Nope.
• Cast from Hit Points: His powers work like this, unfortunately. While he’s incredibly strong, it’s taking a huge toll on his health.
• Empowered Badass Normal: He was quite badass before the war started, but he’s now a living embodiment of the British Isles himself, able to take on armies and face Astra Solamina Maxima by himself.
• Gallows Humour: He’s quite a joker when he’s in the mood.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: He's a Major, a 'Commander', and he's a badass.
• Your Days Are Numbered: From the getgo it's clear that he has not long for this earth.

Hell Blazer.

John Constantine. Yes, that one. Except as a pony. Questions?

• And This Is for......:

"This! Is! For! My! Fucking! Hands! That's for my sex life! And this... is for my fucking hair! I miss my hair, you wankers!"

• Cluster F-Bomb: Despite the potion’s best efforts, he swears for England. Which means a lot more than it used to...
• The Cynic: His stock in trade.
• Deadpan Snarker: His usual response to anything.

“Magic.”

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's certainly got a soft spot for his friends and is devastated when Elliot dies.
• Token Heroic Orc: The only Converted (Until Wallace Springfield appears) with free will or good intentions.

The Cults Militant.

Britain has become full of what are referred to as Cults Militant, armed semi-religious organisations.

The Holy Order Of Albion.

• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Any member of the order will essentially be an individual espousing heroism, derring do and swordplay.
• Knight Errant: The entire order is essentially this, especially Eric.

The Dead Men.

• Badass Army: None of them really care about their own lives, since they consider themselves already dead.
• The Determinator: Their leader, the Undead, exemplifies this by destroying a Solar Idol even as it burns him alive, but plenty of them are equally determined to fight on.

Other Ponies and Humans on Earth

The PER.

The PER, as in many TCB stories, are allies of the Solaminan Empire against the human race. They’ve set up shop in the city of Plymouth.

• Category Traitor: Traitors to humanity and regarded as such, much like their counterparts in other TCB worlds.
• La Résistance: They see themselves as this.

Solaminan Empire.

Equestria under Astra Solamina has become a vision of fascist dictatorship.

Astra Solamina Maxima.

Astra Solamina Maxima is the name taken by this version of TCB!Celestia - while not much is seen of her, what we do see demonstrates a ruthless, dangerous figure who is willing to sacrifice millions of her Converted subjects in order to finally destroy humanity.

• Names to Run Away from Really Fast:
• Necromancer: Luna is a Necromantically raised corpse, and the Eternal Guard are her personal army of dead ponies and others that, fortunately, we never see.
• Orcus on His Throne: A pretty fair example of this - we barely see her before the final battle.
• That Man Is Dead: Took the name out of hatred for her former name, Celestia.

Twilight Sparkle.

• The Atoner: As of ‘’Bittersweet Victory’’, she's on a quest to atone for her crimes.
• Break the Haughty: Heart of the World has her live through several parallel versions of her life. Some are pleasant. Some are not.
• The Evil Genius: Heads up the "Archmagi", an elite group of Unicorn mages at the top of Equestria's military hierarchy. Also responsible for a lot of death.
• Necromancer: Poor, poor Spike...
• Villainous BSoD: Ends up having one of these at the end following Solamina's defeat.

Elements of Order.

• Posthumous Character: Ok, really now...
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Most were killed off before the beginning of the story.

Princess Luna.

• And I Must Scream: she's implied to be aware of her nature as a walking corpse.
• Posthumous Character: Although in her case, not such a problem…

The Converted.

• And I Must Scream: Hell Blazer / aka John Constantine describes it as the worst experience of his life, being converted into one. It only lasted for minutes. Well Spring, a Converted
• Getting Smilies Painted on Your Soul: While it’s a milder case than some of its contemporaries, it’s terrible - there’s certain thoughts that they’re simply not allowed to think.
• Happiness in Slavery: Forced, but still true.
• Our Orcs Are Different: While they are briefly referred to as "new foals" in Interlude: Celestia, by and large they go by the term "Converted" as opposed to the more ubiquitous and well known TCB phrase. They're also generally less mindless than other, more well-known versions.