History Characters / FriendshipIsMagicHistoricalFigures

* BadassCrew: They were the Mane Six of the ancient era, a group of heroes that travelled Equestria fighting evil and darkness together.

* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: When acting as bait to diver the dragons, Flash Magnus is given Netitus, a legendary fireproof shield, to protect himself from the dragons' fire breath.

A wizard from the dawn of Equestria's founding, who knew Celestia and Luna 1000 years ago. He was mentor to them, as well as Clover the Clever, and created more than 200 spells. Regarded as the most powerful and genius unicorn in history, he has a wing in the Canterlot castle archives named for him, and is idolized by Twilight and other studious unicorns across Equestria. Despite being so important, his fate is unknown, even to Celestia and Luna; apparently he just vanished without a trace one day. The Season 7 finale "Shadow Play" marks his first on-screen appearance in the show, five seasons after he was first mentioned.

* TheAce: Regarded as ''the'' most powerful unicorn wizard in all of Equestria's thousand-year history. Unicorns like Twilight and Sunburst consider him a paragon of what they could achieve through hard work and study, and his spells tend to be some of the most powerful and complex. The Pony of Shadows states that he is slightly more powerful than Twilight currently is, despite her being an alicorn. The Season 7 finale provides this dialogue:

* FatalFlaw: Arrogance and cynicism. He's one of the most powerful unicorns ever and he knows it, but this puts him on a pedestal where he looks down on others. Even the other Pillars, his comrades, he treats more like a leader giving orders than as a friend. [[spoiler:The major reason Stygian turned to evil was because Star Swirl and the Pillars jumped to the conclusion and assumed his ritual with their artifacts was for something nefarious, and Star Swirl rejects any suggestion that he might be wrong about Stygian and there being a chance he could be reasoned with.]]

* TheSmartGuy: It's uncertain how much of an education she's had, but she's a excellent lateral thinker with a good memory and eye for details. She even appears to have a decent working knowledge of magic.

* AdaptationalSpeciesChange: [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends The original Somnambula]] was a human witch; this version is a pegasus.

* TheCynic: In a show where TalkingTheMonsterToDeath is practically a tradition to reform them, Star Swirl quips "I doubt we can save our homeland with a ''conversation''!" and "Once a villain, ''always'' a villain." [[spoiler:When he realizes his inability to see the good in others is what directly caused Stygian to become the Pony of Shadows, he has a MyGodWhatHaveIdone JerkassRealization.]]

* TheArchmage: He is an obscenely powerful mage regarded by unicorns as the greatest of them in history.

** Twilight dresses as him for Nightmare Night becoming a "[[WholesomeCrossdresser Cross]]player" by doing so.

** In ''Legends of Magic'', he is a classic MentorArchetype, which is more in-line with how Season 7 would portray him.
* EarlyBirdCameo: He shows up first in the comics (The ''Reflections'' arc in particular) before finally making a physical appearance in the season 7 finale.

* FatalFlaw: Arrogance and cynicism. He's one of the most powerful unicorns ever and he knows it, but this puts him on a pedestal where he looks down on others. Even the other Pillars, his comrades, he treats them more like a leader giving orders than as a friend. [[spoiler:The major reason Stygian turned to evil was because Star Swirl and the Pillars jumped to the conclusion his ritual with their artifacts was for something nefarious, and Star Swirl rejects any suggestion that he might be wrong about the Stygian and there's a chance he could be reasoned with.]]

* KnightTemplar: "Shadow Play" reveals him to be this. Sure, he genuinely wants to protect Equestria; however, his gung-ho willingness to ShootTheDog before another, more-peaceful solution is quite concerning. [[spoiler:In fact, this is revealed to have caused the PoorCommunicationKills moment that led to Stygian's StartOfDarkness in the first place -- which finally forces Star Swirl to eat some humble pie and reconsider his outlook.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Seems to do this a lot in the comic series. In the ''Reflections'' arc, he really should've destroyed his notes after realizing the trouble dimension hoping would cause to the multi-verse. This led to Celestia managing to re-create the spell and the events of the arc that followed. Lastly, his trying to warn people to stay away from the tainted pond via a sign in Chrysalis's story ended up splitting the tree holding her and her kind and unleashing them across Equestria the first time.

* TheVoiceless: Rockhoof doesn't speak a word during his story.
** SuddenlyVoiced: He speaks in the Season 7 finale.

* ContraltoOfDanger: She sounds a lot like a non-rhyming Zecora once she finally speaks, [[VocalDissonance in contrast to her appearance and personality]].

* UnfazedEveryman: While the other pillars are magic users and warriors, Somnambula is just a plucky village girl that gets involved with magical threats and deal with them without batting an eye. According the comics, the prince invited her to move in to the palace as a counselour, but she chose keep her simple life along with the other villagers.

* TheAce: Regarded as ''the'' most powerful unicorn wizard in all of Equestria's thousand-year history. Unicorns like Twilight and Sunburst consider him a paragon of what they could achieve through hard work and study, and his spells tend to be some of the most powerful and complex. The Season 7 finale provides this dialogue:

%%** SuddenlyVoiced: He speaks in the Season 7 finale.

** The comics depict him as being around after Luna's banishment as Nightmare Moon. The show later established he vanished before this event.

* TheCynic: In a show where TalkingTheMonsterToDeath is practically a tradition to reform them, Star Swirl quips "I doubt we can save our homeland with a ''conversation''!" and "Once a villain, ''always'' a villain." [[spoiler:When he realizes his inability to see the good in others is what directly caused Stygian to become the Pony of Shadows, he has a MyGodWhatHaveIdone HeelRealization.]]

* FatalFlaw: Arrogance and cynicism. He's one of the most powerful unicorns ever and he knows it, but this puts him on a pedestal where he looks down on others. Even the other Pillars, his comrades, he treats them more like a leader giving orders than as a friend. His cynicism can be chalked up to living at the dawn of Equestrian history, when unity between the three pony tribes had only been established for a short time and dangerous creatures and evil ponies were popping up all the time. [[spoiler:The major reason Stygian turned to evil was because Star Swirl and the Pillars jumped to the conclusion his ritual with their artifacts was for something nefarious, and Star Swirl rejects any suggestion that he might be wrong about the Stygian and there's a chance he could be reasoned with.]]

** He in turn gets one as well [[spoiler: when it's found out how Stygian became the Pony of Shadows. And likewise dismissing Twilight and Starlight's suggestions of trying to talk down the problem then resort to force.]]

** [[spoiler: The season 7 finale is entirely his fault for not acknowledging his pupil and going off an assumption rather then get any solid facts. Granted his pupil shared the blame for not saying anything as well but Star Swirl acted way too rashly without bothering to help solve the problem.]]

* ShootTheDog: During the flashback sequences of the ''Reflection'' storyline, Star Swirl was less than pleased that Celestia was using the dimensional mirror without him just so she could visit with the alternate universe version of King Sombra, especially since he had warned her that crossing over too much could create a dimensional paradox that would threaten the stability of both worlds. He then sealed the mirror shut, which sent Celestia running off in tears. Even though they later reconciled, it was stated that their relationship afterwards was never the same.

* ContraltoOfDanger: She sounds a lot like a non-rhyming Zecora once she finally speaks, arguably to the point of VocalDissonance in contrast to her appearance and personality.

* ContraltoOfDanger: When she finally speaks, she sounds a lot like a non-rhyming Zecora. Arguably to the point of VocalDissonance in contrast to her appearance and personality.

* EmbodimentOfVirtue: They represent virtues similar to the Elements of Harmony. [[spoiler:In fact, they ''created'' the Elements!] Star Swirl is Sorcery; Rockhoof is Strength; Flash Magnus is Bravery; Somnambula is Hope; Mistmane is Beauty; and Meadowbrook is Healing.

[[quoteright:167:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/star_swirl_the_bearded__tiny_7881.png]]
[--[[caption-width-right:167:Vector by [[http://magister39.deviantart.com/art/Star-Swirl-The-Bearded-Three-s-a-Crowd-429456636 Magister39.]] Used with permission.]]--]

The father of the amniomorphic spell and mentor to Clover the Clever, this influential yet obscure unicorn created more than 200 spells and was the most important conjurer of the pre-classical era. A wing in the Canterlot Archives (the most secure section, in fact) and a shelf in the Canterlot Library of Magic are both named after him. Twilight Sparkle dressed up as him for Nightmare Night during "Luna Eclipsed".

* TheArchmage: He is an obscenely powerful mage considering that Twilight calls him the "most important conjurer of the pre-classical era".
* BadassGrandpa: Time travel makes his exact age unknown but he is definitely old and even Celestia is cowed when he gets angry. No small feat when you remember Celestia is a PhysicalGod.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: His depictions in the main-series comics may make him seem like a senile old stallion, but threaten the safety of Equestria and (as the Sirens and Tirek both found out) he ''will'' put the hurt on you. Neither is he afraid to tell Celestia off when she happens to do anything reckless.

** Not he himself, but Twilight dresses as him for Nightmare Night becoming a "[[WholesomeCrossdresser Cross]]player" by doing so.

* DependingOnTheWriter: Because Star Swirl was TheGhost in the TV show apart from the occasional in-series artist's rendition for a long time, his entire character is ripe for interpretation whenever he does appear, giving some wildly inconsistent portrayals across the franchise. In the ''Reflections'' comic arc, he's a borderline GeniusDitz who strikes a balance between Twilight and Pinkie Pie's personalities. In ''[=FIEND=]ship Is Magic'', he's TheComicallySerious who breaks into a rap with the same gravitas as one would expect Gandalf. And in ''Legends of Magic'', he is a classic MentorArchetype. When he finally appeared in "Shadow Play," he was TheCynic who believed that no one could change from being a villain. This even extends to his design, which either shows him mustachioed or not, while his coat ranges from white (season 4) to blue (''Rainbow Rocks'') to gray (everywhere else).
* {{Expy}}: Of [[Literature/HarryPotter Dumbledore]] and [[Literature/LordOfTheRings Gandalf]]... [[WizardClassic along with a lot of other wizards.]]

** [[spoiler: The season 8 finale is entirely his fault for not acknowledging his pupil and going off an assumption rather then get any solid facts. Granted his pupil shared the blame for not saying anything as well but Starswirl acted way too rashly without bothering to help solve the problem.]]

* PalsWithJesus: He was around when Equestria was founded, and was Celestia's personal advisor, as shown in issue 17 of the IDW comic and ''Literature/TheJournalOfTheTwoSisters''.
* PlotTumor: He was mentioned a few times in Season 2 as a particularly powerful and famous historical sorcerer. Expanded worldbuilding over the series' run establishes him as one of the founders of Equestria, a personal friend and mentor to Celestia and Luna, and connected in some manner to several major antagonists.
* PosthumousCharacter: He helped found Equestria a thousand years ago: obviously he isn't around anymore. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted. He is very much alive but trapped outside of space and time. Twilight and her friends manage to undo the spell that sent him there.]]

* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: He shoots down the idea of trying to reason with the Pony of Shadows, snarking "I doubt we can save our homeland with a ''conversation''." He doesn't seem to realize that TalkingTheMonsterToDeath can work sometimes, most prominently with Starlight herself.

* DependingOnTheWriter: Because Star Swirl is TheGhost in the TV show apart from the occasional in-series artist's rendition, his entire character is ripe for interpretation whenever he does appear, giving some wildly inconsistent portrayals across the franchise. In the ''Reflections'' comic arc, he's a borderline GeniusDitz who strikes a balance between Twilight and Pinkie Pie's personalities. In ''[=FIEND=]ship Is Magic'', he's TheComicallySerious who breaks into a rap with the same gravitas as one would expect Gandalf. And in ''Legends of Magic'', he is a classic MentorArchetype. This even extends to his design, which either shows him mustachioed or not, while his coat ranges from white (season 4) to blue (''Rainbow Rocks'') to gray (everywhere else).

* TheGhost: Played with. He's been mentioned a lot in the show, but every depiction of Star Swirl himself so far has been stylized artwork of some sort. He appears for real in the official tie-in comics.
%%* GoodIsNotNice: He is shown to be this in "Shadow Play", as he is willing to banish the Pony of Shadows to Limbo rather than consider other alternatives.
%%* GrumpyOldMan: In "Shadow Play" he's given this characterization, being dismissive of the Mane Six's heroics and particularly Twilight's magical talent and knowledge, and acting as though they don't realize the danger he's trying to stop. However, this probably has something to do with Twilight and the Six accidentally releasing the Pony of Shadows and not fully knowing about their adventures instead of not respecting them. By the end of the episode he's been given his dose of humble pie and mellows out, complete with apologies.

%%* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: He shoots down the idea of trying to reason with the Pony of Shadows, snarking "I doubt we can save our homeland with a ''conversation''." He doesn't seem to realize that TalkingTheMonsterToDeath can work sometimes, most prominently with Starlight herself.

* WhatTheHellHero: Gives one to Celestia in the ''Reflections'' storyline of the comics for allowing her romance with the alternate universe Sombra to cloud her judgement and leading her to risk the stability of both worlds.

%%** The season 8 finale is entirely his fault for not acknowledging his pupil and going off an assumption rather then get any solid facts. Granted his pupil shared the blame for not saying anything as well but Starswirl acted way too rashly without bothering to help solve the problem.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Seems to do this a lot in the comic series. In the ''Reflections'' arc, he really should've destroyed his notes after realizing the trouble dimension hoping would cause to the multi-verse. This led to Celestia managing to re-create the spell and the events of the arc that followed. In the ''Fiendship'' mini series, when he couldn't beat the Dazzlings, he's forced to banish them to the human world. Granted it weakened them but they still had power to cause discord and, what's more, put them in close proximity to the magic portal where they felt Equestrian magic and kicked off the events of ''Rainbow Rocks''. (Really, it's a miracle they didn't find the portal itself.) Lastly, his trying to warn people to stay away from the tainted pond via a sign in Chrysalis's story ended up splitting the tree holding her and her kind and unleashing them across Equestria the first time.