StrongCopper

"Of course." Strong Copper offered back to Mr Rich, offering a small smile. "I fully intend to run a clean and friendly campaign. After all, once all is said and done I know we're going to have to work together." In this case, he didn't want to interrupt the filly if she decided to do some more advertising. That would just be rude after all.

Strong Copper tilted his head as he watched the orange filly perform her song and dance number... even as his ear flicked as he overheard what might have been considered to be a 'private' conversation if the speaker clearly hadn't intended for her words to be overheard by others. Pretending to ignore Mrs Rich's statement, he instead kept his attention on the singing filly and was one of those who offered a round of stomping in acknowledgement and support for her efforts. For an song that had been made up on the spot, it wasn't actually a bad one.

While he intended to run a good, clean campaign going forwards, just the brief interactions with Mrs Rich so far told him far more about her character then one would think... and thus how to use it against her to further his own goals. Once Scootaloo was done, Strong Copper turned to Mrs Rich and offered her an honest smile. Mimicking the tone of voice that she had made use of (seemingly a private conversation, but meant to be overheard), he politely said "Considering how much hard work you must have put in to help lay the foundations of such a progressive system of government, I'm sure your years of experience will be taken into account when it comes time for ponies to vote."

A simple compliment to a mare who had clearly worked hard and volunteered her time to help run the town. It would take some kind of egotistical, vain pony to even consider it to be anything else but a kind word.

Very few would have recognized the unicorn wearing a hooded jumper walking towards the stage. Truth be told he had only just recently moved into Ponyville a little before Hearth's Warming. Strong Copper honestly doubted that the number of ponies in the crowd that he was just about to step in front of could be counted off of on his own hooves...

But he was a child of Canterlot. Even if his cutie mark had absolutely nothing to do with the political scene, one did learn how to read a crowd and do some research in order to figure out who was actually important in a given organization; Spoiled Rich was a well known name in Ponyville and not for the right reasons. In fact, just from his position in the crowd and watching the reaction to her announcement that she was going to run for Mayor would have been enough to prove just how unpopular Mrs Rich actually was.

Would this mean that he actually had a chance at winning an election against her? Sweet Celestia he hoped not. Strong Copper knew himself well enough that he would likely run Ponyville into the ground if he was put in charge, through he would give it his all in order to try and make it work regardless. He had his own reasons for walking up the stairs of the stage, crossing the floor and standing just a little way away from the Riches with a polite, respectful smile on his face as he waited for them to be done with their announcements.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to face the crowd "Hello Ponyville! Following the example of Mrs Rich, I would like to start by offering some congratulations to the resigning Mayor and complimenting her what I suspect has been stressful but highly successful career in public office. I have only recently moved into this wonderful little town, but I've been hearing stories come out about Ponyville for years now. The appearance of Nightmare Moon, the brief reign of Discord, not to mention countless other tales of crisis and disasters both natural and unnatural that has threatened it from time to time. There are plenty of places in Equestria that would struggle to recover from even one of these situations, but Ponyville has taken each and every one of the blows given to it and not only is it still standing, it's thriving!" He paused for a moment in order to let his words sink in, taking a breath to keep himself going; Public speaking wasn't a strong point for him, but when he needed to by hell and high water would he step up to the task.

"Most holders of public office would have either given up due to stress or have been thrown out of office for not being up to the task by an angry public... and yet, after all this time Mayor Mare has continued to serve Ponyville as its Mayor without complaint, but is going to be leaving office with the town looking better then when she arrived. So remember to keep showing her the respect she deserves even after she is no longer the mare to talk to about getting parking licenses and zoning permits."  With his peace seemingly said, Strong Copper turned to leave the stage... before suddenly stopping. Raising a hoof and bringing it down in a small stamp, he chuckled as he turned back to the crowd.

"Almost forgot. My name is Strong Copper and I humbly would like to become your mayor. I'm sure you'll be getting to know me in the coming month, but might as well make it official. Take care of each other, alright?" With that, his hat was thrown into the political ring.

The expression on Copper's face darkened a little as the unlikely became reality: This wasn't Cloudy the Hippogriff. He didn't know how many hippogriffs were in the Everfree, but logic dictated that it should have been a relatively small amount. There was a very real possibility that he had in fact been following the wrong trail completely. While the urge to stamp on the ground and say a couple of curse words that would have offended Princess Celestia herself if she had heard them was strong, he pushed it down as he took a deep breath to stop himself from making the situation worse.

"A group went into the Everfree and got chased out by one or more things... and a hippogriff named Cloudy got split up from the group. I decided to come and see if I could find him... but I seem to have found your trail instead. What are you even doing in here?" Pausing for a moment, he quickly added "And are there more of you wondering about?"

Strong Copper suddenly came to a sudden stop as he came across what appeared to be his target. Bird like front, pony like back parts... male. This seemed to be ticking off every box on the check list... apart from the last one. Tilting his head, Strong Copper called out "Cloudy?" in order to ensure that this was the right hippogriff and there wasn't a whole colony of the shape shifting buggers hiding out in the Everfree this whole time and nopony knew about it.

Copper paused for a moment in his search. He had suspected that Cloudy was going to prefer flying in an attempt to make his escape, but he had been betting that the nature of the Everfree Forest (IE, that it was a tightly packed forest) would have forced the Hippogriff to travel on the ground in order to try and avoid flying into tree branches or getting stuck in the foliage. It was a gamble that had not paid off and time had been wasted because of it... but all he could do was accept the mistake and move forward with a new plan.

Using the few clawmarks he had been able to uncover in order to get an idea of what direction that Cloudy was fleeing in, he turned his gaze upwards in order to look for signs of passage. He wasn't looking for disturbed greenery or the like (a stiff breeze or a passing bird would easily remove or give a false lead, not to mention his concerns about the plant life being a bit more hostile then he wanted), but actual signs of damage that couldn't be replicated easily by just moving a few twigs around. Broken twigs, claw marks on bark, branches that had a number of leaves violently removed by something going past. Plus even if they were sporadic, there were still the odd claw makes on the ground to help get a loose idea of what direction Cloudy was heading. 

Copper was experienced with dangerous animals and plant life and he had taken the time to do some research on the Everfree before he had ever seen or set hoof in it himself. Sure, it wasn't the same as getting first hoof experience with the location itself, but unlike many who had gone into the Forest, at least he wasn't going in inexperienced or blind to the nature of the risks it had to offer.

Those who had written about the Everfree had made a point to mention how easy it was to get lost within it. Paths disappearing mere moments after walking along them. Some had argued that the Forest itself was a living entity, possessed of a savage intelligence of some sort... but Copper doubted that the Everfree was a hive mind. It was alive in the sense that a forest was a living breathing entity, but to believe it could plot and scheme was paranoia. That said, he didn't trust the plants themselves... Some of Iggy's ramblings from earlier had made him wary as he slowed his pace from a gallop to something more cautious but unafraid.

The Everfree was a dangerous place after all. Rushing to the aid of someone in danger blindly would just as likely to endanger himself then anything else. Still, the trail left behind by Iggy and Jasper in the ground itself was a good indication of where he needed to go... all he had to find was were a third trail made up of hooves and claws broke away from theirs and he would have a baring to work with.

Strong Copper shook his head at the offer for help. "I understand that you're concerned about your friend, but you going back into a wilderness that you don't have much experience with would just risk making this situation worse. I'm already going to be worrying about your friend Cloudy, I don't need to be distracted by the possibility that you've gotten yourselves lost as well."

Having identified his quarry and the tracks that would hopefully guide him to where the hippogriff had broken away from the pack, Strong Copper started to gallop head first into the Everfree. He had a panicking sea bird to find.

As incoherent as the now named Iggy had been, between her and Jasper something was made quite clear: There was a third being somewhere in the Forest who was in serious trouble and needed help now. Narrowing his gaze as he stopped thinking and entered professional mode, he asked two questions and barked one command as he walked past them and focused on the forest itself, clearly noticing the signs of the pairs tracks they have left behind in their mad dash to escape the Everfree. "Alright, I want you both to stay here. You're in no condition to head back in and you'll just be more a liability than a help right now. What is your friend and how far in did you end up going?"

While he fully intended to follow the tracks of the pair in order to try and locate their third party member, knowing what he was looking for would be kind of important. A panicking flier wasn't going to be leaving many tracks in the dirt and considering the exotic nature of the group so far, he didn't want to mistake who he was looking for as a threat.

Strong Copper's ear twitched as he paced himself at a fast trot towards the sound of screaming... or at least, he started to do so after the second wave of screams. One generally had to confirm that the yelling and screaming was not just coming from the inside of his own head after all.

A new resident of Ponyville, Copper had been in the process of sorting through one of his moving boxes when the screams finally reached him. At first he had been inclined to ignore them since he had discovered fairly quickly that there was a trio of mares who lived nearby who ran flower stores that just seemed to be set off by just about anything and everything. However, as the screaming got closer and easier to discern it became clear that one of the screaming voices was male. That had been what convinced him to abandon his unpacking efforts. 

Reaching the edge of the Everfree Forest, a strange sight befell Copper. Dragons were an uncommon sight to be sure, but it was the mare next to the dragon that honestly caught his attention more. He... had never seen anything like her before and the surprise in his face at the discovery was clear to see. Still, there was something that needed to be done first "Everyone alright here?"

Strong Copper wasn't one for crowds or holiday displays... at least, not this year at any rate. Normally he would have taken the time to go back to Canterlot or visit one of his sister's places for the annual family get together, but he was still unpacking his stuff into his new place in Ponyville and his family understood that he was a little to focused getting himself set up to be able to travel. Winter was really the only time of year that he was able to do such a time consuming practice anyway: It was the time of year were most (through of course, not all) of the big and nasty creatures of the wilds hunkered down for the season and most sane ponies did the same. Sure it wasn't perfect, but it was the closest to an off season that he got and he was going to take advantage of it. 

Of course, his plans to simply enjoy the night tucked up in a chair by the fire and reading a book while enjoying a cup of tea was dashed by the discovery that he was out of tea to enjoy. Thus he had dressed up and gone outside to brave the elements in the somewhat vague hope that there might have been a store still open where he could stock up... as well as get an idea for if there was anypony in Ponyville that really put in the effort when it came to decorating their homes for the holiday to show off when his family came by next year... or even better, scout out a possible contender for the 'wooden spoon' award.

He would have avoided the gathering at the town square altogether if it wasn't for ingrained instinct kicking in. When something that looked like a flying red brick plummeted towards the town square, clearly on an impact course and high pitch screaming filling the air, Copper's mind instantly labeled the object in question as a sudden and dangerous threat and he had galloped towards where he believed it was going to either crash land or touch down on or near a bunch of innocent ponies. With fears that something from the Everfree had not been as asleep as one might have liked and had been lured out by all the shining lights, he sprinted into the square, several spells already in mind to be called up as he looked around quickly to assess the situation...

...Only for it not to be a dangerous situation at all. From the cheering on the foals to the giggles and laughter of the adult ponies, as well as the sled and the slowly being fixed up Scarlet Hooves, Copper paused for a moment as his face was flushed with embarrassment. Not a threat or danger to anypony, just a somewhat risky and comedic entrance. Glancing side to side for a moment to see if anypony had possible seen his charge into the square with intent of a fight, he slowly and shyly started to shuffle backwards to see if he could discreetly make an exit before that changed...

Thank you for taking the time to look it over!

I took your advice and removed the section in question. I admit that the only reason I put it under 'Unique Traits' was because it didn't seem to fit anywhere else, but honestly it's better off without it.

Name:

Strong Copper
Sex:

Male
Age: 

Stallion
Species:

Unicorn
Eye colour:

A lovely shade of light blue
Coat:

A pale yellow/orange color
Mane/Tail:

A dark Copper
Physique:

Strong Copper is a rather tall and lanky, standing taller than average, yet lacking bulk - something smaller yet stronger ponies could take advantage of. However, while he is clearly bookish in nature, the nature of his work has resulted in him being rather physically fit and quite nimble when the need arises. 
Residence:

Copper travels a lot due to the work that he does, but relatively recently he has settled down in the town of Ponyville. It's a good location that allows for relatively easy, quick transport to other parts of Equestria as required and it's location near the Everfree Forest ensures that there is generally something for him to do near home. 
Occupation:

Animal Control/Monster Hunter/Mercenary: Strong Copper's lot in life is to deal with the many situations that arise when the dangerous creatures that roam Equestria (both Mundane and Supernatural in nature) and pony kind meet. 
Cutie Mark:

A magnifying glass overlooking the footprint of some strange animal.
Unique Traits:

Underneath his hoodie jumper, Strong Copper's body is covered in a series of old scars and bite marks of various sizes and depths. While most of the smaller ones are harder to spot due to his coat growing to cover them (if improperly), the eye is drawn towards two large, claw like scars that run along his torso, simply to big for the coat to even attempt to grow over. 

Copper also has a surprisingly wide variety of spells in his play book, the vast majority of them being combative in nature. While many of them are designed more to stun or repel a target, there are a select few he rarely speaks of that are only brought out in situations were the threat is such that lethal force is required. 

History:

Born in Canterlot, Strong Copper was the youngest of four foals and the only colt in the family. Raised by loving parents who provided everything he needed to the best of their ability Strong Copper tried a number of things in his youth, ranging from working with machines to taking self defense classes of both a physical and magical nature. His passion seemed to lay in reading about history and mythology but no cutie mark graced his flank for his enthusiasm on the subjects.

Strong Copper came into his mark a bit later on in life when he left the safety of Canterlot's walls and traveled to visit a cousin that lived in Appleloosa. The frontier town had been under siege by a strange force that had been terrorizing the town without being directly seen in return; Despite the constant unearthly howls at night that kept everypony awake and on edge and the implied threat that it was just waiting for somepony to step out of sight of everyone else for just a moment to strike, Strong Copper managed to keep a cool head and called upon his knowledge of mythological creatures to discover that the creature terrorizing the town was a creature of fear and terror known as a Taraxippus.

Having exposed the creature's true nature, Strong Copper (With the help of his cousin) managed to convince several of the town's ponies to help him set up a trap for the Taraxippus after explaining to them in great detail what it was, what it did and how to stop it. While doubtful at first about using a plan that a blank flank adolscent had come up with the continued assistance of his cousin, the fact that they really were at their wits end and the young colt seemed to know what he was talking about managed to win over enough ponies to properly set up the trap. When the trap was sprung and the Taraxippus was safely contained within it, Strong Copper went into lecture mode as the town ponies gathered around to see what had been tormenting them during the night about what the creature was and helping to ease their fears of it by enlightening them to its true name and nature. It was sometime during this lecture that Strong Copper gained his cutie mark and his destiny reveled itself.

While he has been on several jobs over the course of his life so far that have taken him far and wide (including one job that required him to defend a ship from a Nuckelavee while traveling by boat, an act that required him to fight it to stall for time while a team of pegasi worked together to create enough rain clouds to drive it away), the one that Strong Copper considers the most dangerous was a manticore that had contacted rabies. The poor thing was too far gone and completely rabid by the time anyone had known about it or its aliment and after it mauled a pony whom was distracting it so that a small group of colts and fillies to escape from it's rampage when it attacked a settlement there was only one solution left... Copper has its tail mounted on one of his walls.

Strong Copper has three elder sisters named Copper Nickle, Jade Star and Swift Iron. Swift Iron is actually the only pegasus in the family and the sister Strong Copper is closest too. His parents love and support him but it is quite clear that they do not exactly approve of his dangerous life style.

Character Personality:

Copper has always been a lover of learning about history, myths and legends. Even as a young foal he loved listening to stories and as he grew older he could spend days binge reading any book that drew his attention at the time. He was also somewhat introverted and even as he grew up he preferred the peace and quiet of his own company over large gatherings or parties, but time has allowed him develop socially to the point where he can interact with others rather easily when he wants to. That said, while he might be somewhat shy and socially awkward at times, when someone takes the time to befriend him they'll have earned a friend for life.

Copper can be considered an incredibly brave pony; despite whatever fears and doubts that he might have about a situation, if lives are potentially at stake he will go forth and do everything he can to protect life and deal with the threat at hoof. He actually considers himself somewhat crazy because of his willingness to hunt down and if need be fight and deal with dangerous and/or supernatural monsters, but somepony has to do it and he is normally the only one that actually knows what the creature is, what it can do and if need be how to take it down as painlessly and as swiftly as possible.  

A guilty pleasure of Copper's is his love of conspiracy theories. While he recognizes that most of them are just completely insane, he likes to learn about them anyway because he gets a small kick out of them and occasionally some of them have a grain of truth to them. Occasionally he'll even make up one or two such theories himself, but to his credit he does his research so there is at least some degree of truth to his stories with the 'theories' part being logical dedication to fill in the gaps. 

He has taken the time to write down some of the information about the monsters and beasts he has seen or has heard about... he has even considered writing down some of his hunts as stories but to date he hasn't done so.

A romantic at heart, Strong Copper hasn't had the pleasure of meeting the mare of his dreams just yet. Maybe one day through...

Character Summary:

A bookish nerd from Canterlot who lives in Ponyville who's ended up as a monster hunter/ member of animal control who deals with the many nasty creatures who roam the world. An empathic stallion who has seen situations go really bad a number of times and has taken the lives of a number of beasts and creatures of both a mundane and supernatural nature.