Characters / Spectrum Imperial Equus

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

The Solar Empire

On the alternate Equus, with fifteen years' worth of difference from Equus Prime, the nation of Equestria has expanded into an globe-spanning imperialist power. Originally an alliance of equine nations formed after the disasters of the Wedding Invasion and King Sombra's return led to far more severe consequences due to Prince Cadance's lack of alicornhood, in the present day, the Solar Empire seeks to secure its power on Equus and Earth alike.

In General

• Adaptational Badass: Unlike the original's somewhat Informed Attribute on their reputation, they are far more competent on a rank and file basis, and more emphasis is put on their Mooks' discipline and competence in Moonrise, the reboot's equivalent of the Boston Arc, which focused on the Tyrant's clone instead.
• Adaptational Heroism: Not at all the Always Chaotic Evil villains of the original story. A lot of their rank and file aren't shown to be especially prejudiced towards humans (though of course, a large amount is also just as prejudiced and fanatical as the original Imperials), as they're simply soldiers Just Following Orders.
• Adaptational Villainy: The Solar Empire itself is actually depicted as relatively less villainous than the mindless Always Chaotic Evil it was in the original Spectrum. The existence of the Co-Harmony Sphere is what makes this trope still applicable, since the Empire now has not only ponies, but zebras, hippogriffs and even griffons in its ranks.
• Affably Evil: A trope common to most Imperials; whatever they are, impolite they are not.
• Became Their Own Antithesis: They started out as an alliance against a tyrant who wanted to Take Over the World (Sombra) and a despot who fought by sending in swarms of drones (Chrysalis). In the present day, both these descriptors have become applicable to their leaders as well.
• Bread and Circuses: How they gain the loyalty and service of their fellow equines nations; they simply played nice and placate their population with technological advances and unprecedented prosperity. Just don't ask questions too much.
• Crapsaccharine World: The image the Empire seeks to project of itself is one of Crystal Spires and Togas. Quite literally on the "Crystal" part, as their near-monopoly on crystals in their world has allowed them to jump-start an awe-inspiring technological revolution. If you don't toe the line, life is happy, comfortable and fulfilling... just try not to ask too many questions, or you'll get sent to a mnemosurgery clinic. And that's not going into the true nature of the totem proles...
• The Empire: While they try to present themselves more as The Federation, "Empire" is in their name and is what they are. However, for the most part, they are shown to function as a Hegemonic Empire. The majority of the equine member-nations of the Pan-Equine Co-Harmony Sphere joined because they wanted to.
• Everyone Has Standards: The way Twilight quickly ushered away her non-equine guards the moment Luna brings up the Reindeer genocide implies that if the truth were to come out, the other members of the Co-Harmony Sphere won't take too kindly to this revelation.
• Fantastic Racism: Whereas they are fairly Equal-Opportunity Evil towards equines, they consider themselves enlightened above the non-equine people of Equus. And what appreciation they show for humanity is in the vein of the body-snatchers from Get Out (2017) - they want all that good stuff for themselves.
• Holier Than Thou: As espoused by the Archmage, the Empire sees itself as the rightful judges of humanity's fate, given that they succeeded in uniting Equestria and other equines in Equus while heavily criticizing humanity's actions and Bystander Syndrome when it comes to humanitarian issues. This also hypocritically ignores the Empire's own xenocide against humanity and the genocidal actions they committed against the reindeer and changelings.
• A Nazi by Any Other Name: They're still the xenocidal, expansionist, and hyper-nationalist regime they were in the original Spectrum. Their "Greater Pan-Equine Co-Harmony Sphere" set up to unite their fellow equines under one banner is a dead ringer for Imperial Japan's policies, and Word of God confirms that this time around they also take an Imperial Japanese bent to their ideals.
• Never Be Hurt Again: The Changeling Wedding Invasion and the Crystal War embittered everyone in Equestria and sent them on a pathway down to the Empire.
• New Media Are Evil: Somewhat Played With. In contrast to most Conversion Bureau stories on either side of the pro- or anti- debate, the Solar Empire don't reject technology as inherently evil, and focus less on bedeviling humanity for its technology than for its violent nature. Meanwhile, the Empire itself is willing to use crystal-tech to keep the populace sedated.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Having the resources of half the world at their disposal, rather than consisting merely of Equestria trying to combat all of humanity on its own, certainly levels the playing field and gives Queen Celestia a reason to preserve her alliances with the other equine nations. This is also why they have a more explicitly technological approach here compared to the original version. Why abhor human technology when they can just appropriate some its concepts for their own use?
• Start of Darkness: Twice. The Canterlot Wedding went differently here, to the point that both Celestia and Luna were incapacitated. Then the Crystal War happened, and the end result is an Equestria that resolved to Never Be Hurt Again.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: They do want to integrate humanity's abilities to their society, even if it'll require taking away most of what makes us human first.
• We Come in Peace — Shoot to Kill: Or ponify, as the case may be. The Empire's official policy towards humanity is that they are welcome to enter Equestria at any time - provided they cease being human first. Don't want to become a pony? Well, there's always the Barrier.
  • It's implied that their genocide of the Reindeer resulted from a similar principle.

Leadership

Queen Celestia

HM Celestia

The main antagonist of the story. Commonly referred to as the Solar Tyrant, the xenocidal alicorn despot of Imperial Equestria is engaged in a crusade to "save" humanity from itself.

• Affably Evil: She speaks through text in Chapter Thirteen ("Concordia Maxima"), and is surprisingly far more polite than one would expect. A far cry from the raving lunatic in the original Spectrum. When she appears in person, she acts very close to how her counterpart would.
• Benevolent Boss: Kindly bids Redheart farewell and thanks her for her service. Chapter Twenty ("Accept The Dawn") shows that she's very forgiving of failure as well, calmly accepting that Boston was a lost battle after all
• Big Bad: The main antagonist of the story, of course, and the one to drive humanity to the brink.
• Condescending Compassion: She claims to provide salvation to mankind - through ponification, whether they like it or not.
• Evil Counterpart: For Prime!Celestia, naturally.
• Fallen Hero: Queen Celestia, believe it or not, was once as genuinely kind and noble as her prime counterpart.
• God Save Us from the Queen!: For humanity. For her own subjects, however, she's still well-adored.
• Light Is Not Good: It used to be. Not anymore.
• Modest Royalty: As her appearance in Chapter Twenty ("Accept The Dawn") shows, very little actually distinguishes her from Celestia physically. Only the new, combined sigil on her crown and torc differentiates the two of them.
• She Who Must Not Be Seen: Has yet to make a physical appearance, but she speaks to the Concordat in Chapter Thirteen. She finally appears in person close to the end of Chapter Twenty ("Accept The Dawn").
• Try to Fit That on a Business Card: Her full list of titles; Her Imperial Majesty, Celestia, Sol Invictus, Queen of Equestria, Empress of Europe, Stewardess of the Sun, and Protector of Harmony.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: Believes earnestly in converting humanity, for its own sake.

Archmage Twilight Sparkle

Twilight Sparkle

The Archmage of the Solar Empire, Bearer of Magic, and trusted right-hand of the Queen herself. A believer in the Imperial cause, Twilight wishes to show humanity Equestria's prosperity... provided they accept their sins and convert to ponykind.

• Adaptational Badass: For both her original Spectrum version and canon counterpart (who is an alicorn), being both strong and capable enough to go to to toe with Princess Luna (who also had a case of this compared to her canon version).
• Adaptational Villainy: Zigzagged. The original Spectrum story had her be completely subjugated under the Empire and Forced to Watch her life being taken over by a mockery of her personality. The Archmage, at first, appears to be completely into the Empire's ideals, meaning she's doing this out of her own free will. The truth is far more complicated than it appears.
• Affably Evil: Hardly a mean bone in her body when she comes face to face with Luna, treats her guards well, and appears to be unable to comprehend that what the Empire is doing amounts to genocide. She even pulls a Last Stand to hold off Luna while her guards escape.
• Anti-Villain: Far more of her original personality is intact here, and she acts unsettlingly like Twilight. A glimpse into her mind shows that she feels horribly guilty for what she did as the Archmage.
• Anguished Declaration of Love: Her 'I love you' to Luna gets cut short by the latter's ejection out of her mind.
• The Archmage: It's in her title. She's the head of magical research for the Solar Empire, including the creation of the potion.
• Arc Villain: For Act II, taking on this role after Redheart's death.
• "Ass" in Ambassador: Downplayed. She fills in for Lyra for a hastily scheduled interview, and her inexperience with public speaking results in an ultimately disastrous interview that all but paints Equestria as xenophobic, just before the war began.
• Authority Equals Asskicking: Considerably more powerful than Prime Twilight, and capable of going toe to toe with Princess Luna.
• Bling of War: Wears a brighter and more ornate suit of armor to contrast Luna's.
• Break the Cutie: Fifteen years of wars, trauma and increasingly twisted experiments done by her hasn't been kind to her.
• Cool Sword: In addition to her magical talents, she wields an anti-magic sword that can be split into twelve shards.
• Crazy-Prepared: Her plan to capture Luna and Discord goes off without a hitch. First, she teleports an anti-magic cage around them both, counting on Discord being a Smug Snake and Luna reining him in to placate him. Then, the very same room is set up so that she and the Elements of Harmony can petrify Discord first if her attempts to convince Luna fails. Finally, she carries with her an anti-magic sword made with the same material that killed Sint Erklass in case Luna doesn't go gently. The one thing she didn't count on was Cadance being an alicorn.
• Curb Stomp Cushion: Despite being ultimately outmatched by Luna's versatility as an alicorn, Twilight still comes close to beating her at several points in a Wizard Duel.
• Dark Action Girl: A dangerously powerful mage - and handy with a sword, too.
• Defiant to the End: Attempts to pull this off against Luna. Luna, however, has a different plan in mind.
• The Dragon: To Queen Celestia.
• Ear Ache: Gets her ear blown off by Ana.
• Even Evil Has Standards: For a given value of evil anyway. She's adamant on not using children for testing the potion's prototype, but Sunburst (who, to his credit, isn't comfortable either) points out that either they finish the potion or there's only the Barrier for humanity. Later, she's also horrified by Celestia's plan to use the Newfoals as foot soldiers, and to convert thousands at the same time.
  • On a lighter note, she's also not exactly on board with Chancellor Neighsay's Equestria-first leanings.
• Evil Counterpart: To Prime Twilight, obviously.
• Exhausted Eye Bags: Luna notices that she's had three days worth of a lack of sleep. Doesn't make her any less dangerous, though.
• Fallen Hero: Was once just as idealistic as her counterpart. Fifteen years later, all the trauma and torment she's gone through has shaped her into the mare she is today.
• Foil: To Weaver. They are major antagonists for their arcs, both are loyal servants of the Empire, powerful magicians and talented swordsmares, and both believe deeply in the Imperial cause. But while Weaver knows full well what she's done and the gravity of her service, the Archmage continuously denies her share of guilt until Luna shows her otherwise. Unlike Weaver, her identity is widely known and she serves as a public image for the Empire.
• The Ghost: Does not make an appearance in person in Act I, but makes her full appearance in Chapter Fourteen ("Silent Night").
• Innocently Insensitive: While she did mean well, it didn't ever occur to her that asking environmentalists to abandon Earth is a huge, huge insult to their cause.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Carries with her a train full of emotional baggage over the atrocities she committed including human experimentation, insisting that it had to be done.
• Made of Iron: Survives being thrown into a skyscraper. Granted, she was protected by her magic and Spike.
• My Greatest Failure: Deep down, she feels horribly guilty for being unable to fulfill her promise for the Newfoals that they would live freely instead of being conscripted.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Her attempt to clean up a PR scandal for Equestria resulted in making things worse thanks to poor wording and brainwashing.
• Nice to the Waiter: Treats her guards well and with respect, something they return in kind.
• Obliviously Evil: She's apparently unaware of just how horrible the war truly is to Earth, or the depravity Equestria has sunk to. Or so it seems.
• Older and Wiser: Fifteen years older than Prime Twilight, with streaks of gray in her mane.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Redheart notes that her letter was unusually untidy and written in haste when giving the order to prevent Alex from escaping.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: The Crystal War hasn't been kind to her, leaving her with lasting trauma.
• Ship Tease: With Luna, of all ponies, mentioning how she and Alt!Luna became closer in the Crystal War. Downplayed, though, as Prime Luna points out she's not the same Luna that she lost. The fact that Luna uses a tuft of her mane to find Twilight the same way as Fluttershy's to find Discord, however, implies it goes both ways. Chapter Seventeen ("Thus, Lift Me Up") ramps up the romantic tension between them, and the end of said chapter all but confirms she harbours feelings for Luna.
• Tragic Villain: Chapter Seventeen ("Thus, Lift Me Up") reveals much of her actions is done out of a misguided intent to do good... and that she's being manipulated into doing it by Queen Celestia.
• Trauma Conga Line: Chapter Seventeen ("Thus, Lift Me Up") is one for her. Or rather, it shows the long, long line of events that leads to her present day state, from the Crystal War, to losing Lyra as a friend, to her colossal guilt over Spike's crippling and the potion's creation.
• Unreliable Narrator: Her memories have been tampered with, to the point that she subconsciously omits details on her own.
• Unstoppable Rage: She loses it when she gets shot in her ear, which shattered her trust in Luna as she had been trying to convince her to join her side.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: Seemingly believes in this to convert humanity, in order to cleanse the Earth. However, Luna proceeds to call her out for this.
• Villainous Breakdown: Breaks into a panic when Luna manages to trap her. A little before this, she completely flips when she sees Cadance.
• Villainous Underdog: She's essentially just a (very talented) unicorn going up against a Physical Goddess in Moonrise. It takes all her skills both with magic and her anti-magic sword, the Imperial Guard's efforts, and Spike to even the odds.
• Villainous Valor: Bravely holds a Last Stand against Luna to buy Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo some time.
• Villain Protagonist: She serves as the main Imperial POV in Boston as well, and her genuine care for the troops under her command is especially shown here.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Cites environmental reasons as well as humanity's own actions to justify her own. However, Luna wonders just how much comes from her conscience or if she's trying to convince herself otherwise.
  • Chapter Seventeen ("Thus, Lift Me Up") reveals that she really does believe in the Empire's cause for good, namely the Co-Harmony Sphere... but finds herself disgusted by herself and how far she had to go to achieve it. The stranglehold placed on her mind strongly implies her reality and the world are two very different things.
• We Used to Be Friends: Laments that she lost both the Lyra and Luna from her world. Conversely, has a much more violent reaction to seeing Prime Cadance, having been embittered by her Cadance's betrayal. Chapter Seventeen ("Thus, Lift Me Up") reveals that her claims of friendship with Lyra wasn't an embellishment at all; they really were friends, to the point that Twilight worried about Lyra's well-being when the war started, not knowing she had defected.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: She initially refuses to test the potion on children, bluntly refusing the suggestion. Tragically subverted when she is forced to do so anyway out of necessity.

Warden Green Fields

Green Fields

The Warden of Europe, charged with overseeing ongoing colonisation efforts.

• Affably Evil: Not a sign of a petty bone in his body in his interactions with the Archmage.
• Early-Bird Cameo: He was first introduced in a flashback, as the Trailblazer Captain who managed to capture Spike and Rarity after their attempted flight.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Has a daughter, Chamomile, who despite their relative estrangement is still remembered fondly by him.
• Old Soldier: Has been serving Equestria for decades - he was the Guard Captain who escorted a young Cadance to Equestria.

Imperial Guard

High Captain Shining Armor

Shining Armor

The High Captain of the Imperial Guard, currently leading the Co-Harmony Sphere's forces in Boston.

• Curb-Stomp Battle: Delivers one to Prime Cadance.
• Battle Couple: With his new wife.
• Supporting Leader: He's technically the highest ranking Imperial military commander on the field in Boston, but most of the Imperial POV focuses on Twilight.

Captain Sparks Timber

Sparks Timber

The unicorn Captain of the 15th Fillydelphian Regiment, escorting a Trailblazer unit on a mission in Boston.

• A Father to His Men: He's notably distraught by the death of one of his NCOs, Red Shift, during Boston.
• Authority Equals Asskicking: He successfully holds back Kraber's unit while the rest of his soldiers flee with a petrified Discord, then evacuates as well.
• Mook Lieutenant: A rank-and-file leader of the Imperial Guard.
• Godzilla Threshold: Against the protests of his deputy Fire Flare, he orders the use of Newcalves - heavily modified Newfoals - against a tank.

Nurse Redheart

Redheart

A spy for the Empire, she was sent alongside Alex in Prime!Equestria to stop him from getting help for humanity.

• Adaptational Villainy: Was a loyal member of the PHL in the original story, but not here.
• Affably Evil: Still is quite courteous and kind despite her views.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Dies begging for Prime Celestia and Luna's forgiveness as the geas finally breaks her down.
• Arc Villain: Combined a bit with The Heavy for the initial arc, when Alex has to convince the Prime!Equestrians to help humanity while she has to stop him from doing so and figure out how to return to Earth.
• Kill and Replace: Subverted. She just knocked her counterpart out and hid her away while impersonating her.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: While Prime!Redheart also served in the military, she didn't go through five years of total war.
• Ship Tease: Flirts back in kind with Icewind. She certainly entrusts him enough to give him Alex's locket, for one.
• Villainous Breakdown: Slowly loses her cool as she realizes she literally cannot harm Prime!Rainbow Dash despite everything she tries (thanks to the geas placed on her). She later dies crying and sobbing thanks to the same geas, repeatedly asking Celestia and Luna for forgiveness.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Queen Celestia seemingly activates a killswitch in her at the end of Act I, but not before genuinely thanking her for her service.

Spike

Spike

The Archmage's former personal assistant turned battle mount.

• Adaptational Villainy: Zigzagged. In the original story, he was imprisoned for trying to escape with Rarity and tortured for it before being rescued by the PHL and fighting for them. Tragically this isn't quite the case in this story. He did try to escape Imperial Equestria with Rarity like in the original story only he was stopped violently and then forcibly changed and rebuilt into a weapon of war for Imperial Equestria. Whatever is left of him is directed to defend Archmage Twilight and to follow her orders and nothing else up until his capture by Sunny Luna. It's very obvious he didn't choose at all what he became.
• Disney Villain Death: Averted, barely. Luna's finishing move simply knocks him out.
• The Dragon: A literal one for the Archmage. True to the trope, Luna only succeeds in defeating and capturing him, with Twilight escaping to fight another day.
• Mighty Glacier: Contrasting Luna, he's not at all as fast as she is, but every blow that blindsides her sends her flying.
• Super-Strength: Strong enough to stand toe to toe with Luna.
• Tragic Monster: Severely wounded during his and Rarity's attempt to flee Imperial Equestria and later rebuilt as a weapon of war. Both Sunny Twilight and Luna thinks that what Imperial Equestria did to him was horrifying and they can't grasp why Archmage Twilight and Imperial Equestria willingly forcibly changed him and molded into a weapon despite how young he is.
• We Can Rebuild Him: After sustaining wounds during his attempt to defect, the Empire succeed in remaking him into a powerful fighter.

Wonderbolts

Cadet Starstruck

Starstruck (Real Name: Scootaloo)

A Wonderbolt cadet, and Rainbow Dash's protege. Though called Starstruck as her call-sign, she's better known as Scootaloo.

• Adaptational Villainy: Was part of the PHL in the original story, but here she's a loyal member of the Imperial Guard.
• A Day in the Limelight: She's a prominent POV character for Chapter Eighteen ("Moonrise Over Boston"), showing the Imperial Guard in action. Namely, the mission to bring Discord's statue to Imperial Equestria.
• Almighty Janitor: She's just a cadet, but holds considerable respect among her peers and her superiors. Her status as Rainbow Dash's designated successor is an open secret, too.
• Anti-Villain: Her loyalty to the Empire is because of their kindness towards her. She doesn't participate in any overtly villainous actions either.
• Big Sister Mentor: Her idol Rainbow Dash is this, but she's also a mentor to another cadet, Whistle Stop.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Her loyalty to the Empire, apart from her loyalty to Rainbow Dash, also stems from the fact that thanks to the Empire's technology, she can now fly under her own power.
• Hero of Another Story: She's had an adventurous life prior to the war, and how she joined the Wonderbolts is implied to be a monumental achievement thanks to her disability.
• Married to the Job: Somewhat - she insists to Breeze that she's just fine where she is in the Imperial Guard. Breeze's Armor-Piercing Question, however, is whether or not she actually has a future planned after service.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Like many of her colleagues, she's not very overtly villainous. The most questionable thing she does is her laughing at a racist quip made by Green Sprout.
• Villain Protagonist: She briefly assumes this role in the penultimate segment of Chapter Sixteen ("An Angel's Wings") then takes center stage in Chapter Eighteen ("Moonrise Over Boston").
• We Used to Be Friends: Had a major falling out with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders that left her hesitant in making friends.

Cadet Whistle Stop

Whistle Stop

A cheerful Wonderbolt cadet and Scootaloo's partner.

• Break the Cutie: Boston isn't exactly kind to her, from her suffering from a broken wing to one of her superiors being killed right in front of her.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Her parents were killed during the Crystal War.
• The Load: For Chapter Eighteen ("Moonrise Over Boston"), her injured wing means that she can't really help Scootaloo or her fellow Imperials.
• Morality Pet: Scootaloo takes her under her wing during boot camp, and she's been playing the role ever since.
• The Pollyanna: Despite her injury, she remains a very cheerful mare indeed. Scootaloo later elaborates on this to Breeze, explaining to him that Whistle's parents were killed during the Crystal War.
• Token Good Teammate: Probably the nicest Imperial seen in the entire story by far, and doesn't do anything villainous whatsoever other than laughing at a racist quip.

Loyalty Guard

Weaver

Weaver (Real Name: Unknown)

A personal assassin and spy of Queen Celestia's, charged with conducting "black ops" the Solar Empire considers too sinister for public knowledge amongst the Alt!Equestrians. Though she's a devout follower of the Tyrant, there may be more to this unicorn than it first seems...

• Anti-Villain: In that she's aware of the evil in her actions but believes it serves a great good.
• Affably Evil: A polite, soft-spoken, humble lady... who will destroy you, your family and your species if given the order to by her goddess.
• Appropriated Appellation: "Weaver" is a name first given to her by Alt!Sint Erklass after she revealed she was a Dream Weaver.
• Arc Villain: For Joy to the Worlds.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: She is a Canterlot unicorn and a Knight of the Realm.
• As the Good Book Says...: A rare example where the person quoting biblical passages uses them to support their own non-Abrahamic faith. For example, after she first brings down Sint Erklass, she compares the situation of the reindeer people (who, unlike humanity, are being straight-up slaughtered by the Empire) with Abraham sacrificing a ram in Isaac's stead.
• Author Avatar: A running gag amongst Team Spectrum is that Weaver is one for VoxAdam, jokingly referred to as "FemaleEvilPonyVox", a term coined by co-author Sledge 115 in Joy to the Worlds. The truth of the matter has been met with Shrug of God, although the writer in question admits to basing some of her personality on his own experiences.
• BFS: Her weapon of choice is an orichalcum sword that can magically split into thirteen shards.
• Cultured Badass: Surprisingly knowledgeable about human culture, which she sees as a source of inspiration, even as the Solar Empire is busy wiping out all trace of mankind's existence.
• Depression: Suffers from melancholia, or clinical depression, which she calls her "black dog". In his final moments, Sint speculates this may have driven her insane and over the Despair Event Horizon, turning her into the murderous fanatic for Celestia she is now.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Weaver succeeds in killing Sint Erklass, the oldest living being on Equus.
• Dream Weaver: She, or an apparition of hers, appears at the end of Chapter Seventeen ("Thus, Lift Me Up") of the main story, apparently to enforce the brainwashing done on Twilight Sparkle.
• Expy: A courteous, sword-wielding assassin who knows they can't live in the "better" world they want to bring about? Word of Vox confirms that Weaver is based in part on The Operative.
• Hidden in Plain Sight: She's hidden among the PHL ranks, and succeeds in reaching Prime Equus by Chapter Twenty-One ("Nostalgia").
• Implacable Man: No matter what Sint throws at her as they fight, she keeps coming back for more.
• I Owe You My Life: Having lost her mask and cloak in the explosion, her face becomes known to Crumpit, the pegasus captain who saved her while she was falling. Rather than invoke He Knows Too Much and kill him off, she lets him go with a caution (though she may well have erased his memories afterwards).
• Knight Templar: Her awareness that she isn't a good person doesn't stop her from seeing her cause itself as still just.
• Lady of War: For a Canterlot aristocrat, she's very good at handling herself in a no-holds-barred duel.
• Light Is Not Good: The color of her coat is white, and some of those who glimpse it describe her as "the pale mare".
• Malevolent Masked Men: She wears a mask to protect her identity while committing her crimes. It's shaped like the upper half of a human face.
• The Men First: Following the explosion of the "North Pole" mountain on Equus (which, admittedly, she herself caused), Weaver ignores her own wounds to provide treatment for the injured soldiers under her command.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: Whatever her personal feelings on the subject, this mare will carry out Queen Celestia's orders one way or another. Although sometimes, she does herself leave room for personal initiative.
• Necessarily Evil: Sincerely convinced that Celestia is paving the way towards a brighter future for humanity and ponykind, yet also believes it will require sacrificing a lot, including her own soul.
• Obliviously Evil: Played with. She sees herself as unworthy of continuing to exist once her work of "bringing harmony" to humanity is complete, yet seems willfully blind to the fact that her cause is in and of itself evil. She also doesn't seem to quite realize the horrible consequences the war has had on Imperial Equestria itself.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Joy to the Worlds' narration never refers to her by name, except towards the end when she adopts the codename "Weaver".
• Pure Is Not Good: Much to Sint's dismay, her genuine, untainted love for Celestia and the human race alike allow her to draw from the mystical zodiac atop the North Pole to power her magical capacity.
• Red Baron: Some of the ponies she commandeers only know her as "Celestia's Sword". By the end of the story, she herself adopts the nickname "Weaver".
• The Spook: Next to nothing is known about who she is, or her past.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: Will kill anyone her goddess orders her to create a more harmonious world.
• Villainous Breakdown: Briefly undergoes one when Sint calls upon the magic of the mountain to rebuff her attack, but she soon gets over it and accordingly adapts to the situation.
• Villainous Valor: Chooses not to lie to the Tyrant about the escape of Sint and his grandchildren, knowing she will be punished for this failure.
• Villain Protagonist: The Deuteragonist of Joy to the Worlds alongside Sint Erklass.
• Visionary Villain: She genuinely wants to create a better and more harmonious world for all.
• Warrior Monk: Not part of any official order, but she worships Celestia as her god and leads a relatively ascetic lifestyle.
• White Mask of Doom: Inverted in that she's a white unicorn wearing a flesh-colored mask.
• Worthy Opponent: Weaver never shows any sign of hating mankind or pro-human ponies. While offhandedly mentioning Lyra Heartstrings to one of her subordinates, she even wonders if he'll notice the lack of scorn in her voice.
• Would Hurt a Child: Disturbingly, she sees it as her task to do reprehensible actions like this precisely so other ponies don't need to get their hooves dirty.

Beings of Equus

Adlaborn

The land of the reindeer, wiped off the face of the planet by Weaver and a regiment of natural-borns.

Sint Erklass

Sint Erklass

The "Spirit of Hearth's Warming and Bringer of Gifts" who meets his end at the hooves of Celestia's Sword.

• Friend to All Children: He's basically Santa Claus. What did you expect? Weaver exploits this by chaining his two surviving grandchildren to a magical tree atop the North Pole mountain; since drawing power from the tree would kill the fawns, Sint is forced to fight at a reduced power level.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Weaver strikes a mortal blow by piercing his lung with her orichalcum-tipped horn.
• The Marvelous Deer: He's a deer version of Santa Claus.
• Parental Substitute: Like his prime counterpart, he was this for his granddaughters Elsa and Anna, and for Celestia and Luna. He is utterly devastated by Celestia's betrayal.
• Santa Claus: Or an Expy thereof, anyway.
• Stay with Me Until I Die: Played With. He convinces his grandchildren to leave him, but Elsa chooses to remain, until the wind blows her away.

Eadmund Heavensky and Lucie Heavensky

Two of Sint Erklass's great-grandchildren, whose entire family is murdered before their eyes.

• Harmful to Minors: Witnessing their whole family get murdered in front of them, along with the rest of their kind, and surviving by themselves out on Earth as the Conversion War raged on.
• Improbable Infant Survival: As the trope is mercilessly subverted (off-screen) by Weaver, readers are left in suspense over whether this'll apply to them or not. In the end, it does.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: Eadmund wants to avenge his family's death, but Lucie and Sint talk him out of it due to believing that "If You Kill Her, You'll Be Just Like Her".
• Shout-Out: Why, to Lucy and Edmund from The Chronicles of Narnia, naturally.
• Taking Up the Mantle: Joy to the Worlds concludes with a dying Sint transferring the last of his power over Hearthswarming to the two fawns.

The Crystal Realm

King Sombra

Sombra

The tyrannical ruler of the Crystal Realm, who waged war against Equestria and was subsequently struck down by Celestia at its close.

• Predecessor Villain: He's this for the Imperials, before they declared war on humanity.
• Villainous Legacy: Long dead by the main story, but his impact on the Imperial history can still be felt. The Crystal War he waged, as a matter of fact, was the catalyst to the creation of the Co-Harmony Sphere and later the Solar Empire.

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