Unicorn Fletcher [Ready]

[Dio]

Fletcher

Would I have done it differently? Absolutely. Would it have changed a thing? That’s the question for the ages isn’t it?

RP Type: Canterlot Chronicles

Name: Fletcher

Sex: Male

Age: Stallion

Species: Unicorn

Coat Color: Ultramarine blue. Bone white blaze. Bone fetlocks.

Mane/Tail color & Style: Bone white tail and mane, both trimmed, but not buzzed short as is typical of REA regulars. Single streak of ultramarine blue in his tail. Tail is tied back during combat and competitions.

Eye Color: Violet

Physique: On the shorter side. Physique is hardened and compact from REA conditioning, but not overly bulky as would be typical of a combat infantryman.

Pony Generator

Cutie Mark: Red crosshairs superimposed upon an arrowhead of bone white, representing his impeccable aim and unwavering commitment to perfection for himself.

Residence: Born in Fillydelphia. Assignments have taken him to The Borderlands, Stalliongrad, Beakbreak City, and Canterlot. Currently assigned to Canterlot.

Occupation: Former REA officer. Now REIN investigator.

Unique Traits: Fletcher is a mathematical genius who is not only capable of crunching numbers at lighting speed, but also flawlessly associating those numbers with his senses. A prime example of his ability is his talent in archery. Fletcher can calculate the flight paths of his arrows in his head and then adjust his aim, draw strength, and stance to ensure that the arrows will hit their targets every time. This also applies to objects other than arrows be they knives, stones, or flagons. His mathematical talents also make him uncannily good at reading accounting ledgers, though he rarely exercises them in such a manner.

Fletcher is also a capable caster, having mastered his own personal magic bow and standard REA magic missile spells. While on the whole magic missiles are more reliable due to their unerring accuracy, Fletcher considers it cheating and thus avoids their use under most circumstances.

Character History

The son of an astronomer and a math teacher, Fletcher was always a precocious unicorn, even as a child. In elementary school, his head for numbers was proven time and time again as he smashed completion records for basic arithmetic tests and left his teachers speecheless. Though the rest of his academics were merely average, his mathematical skill was far above and beyond what could be expected of his age. However, Fletcher quickly got bored with merely manipulating numbers. Only the careful encouragement of his mother the math teacher and her constant supply of both engineering and abstract math problems kept his academic ennui in check.

Fletcher was introduced to archery during a Physical Education rotation in school. The first time he picked up a bow with his magic, he discovered he could not only "feel" the ballistic properties of his arrows, but assign hard numbers to them as well. By memorizing which numbers gave him the correct results, he was able to place his shots with impeccable accuracy. His classmates made light of his ability to see the trajectories of his projectiles in his head until they realized that he was consistently hitting bullseyes from distances where other colts couldn't even hit the target. In the final tournament at the end of the class, Fletcher performed flawlessly. He scored bullseye after bullseye, much to the chagrin of his classmates and the amazement of the collected crowd, thus earning him his cutie mark.

Fletcher's parents were not the only ones with an eye on him during the contest. Recognizing his potential talent, an REA recruiter present in the crowd immediately offered him an enlistment contract with a hefty bonus to put both his sharpshooting skills and his mental prowess to use for the Army. Shortly thereafter, Fletcher enlisted in the Royal Equestrian Army, being posted to Stalliongrad.

While on leave in Canterlot, his swagger and harrowing tales of pirate-fighting on the frontier (true or not) attracted the attention of more than a few eligible mares, but only one managed to hold his attention for long. Fletcher met Caesura at a jazz club in downtown Canterlot while she was studying to become a classical violinist. She shared his thirst for knowledge, his interest in books of all kinds, and his preference for classical music and quality gin. A whirlwind courtship resulted in them being married shortly after.

After his first posting to Stalliongrad, Fletcher switched tracks, attending Officer Candidate School in Canterlot. Returning to Stalliongrad as a Second Lieutenant, Fletcher climbed the officer ranks with exemplary service and unwavering dedication. Despite the distance, Fletcher always made time to return to Canterlot for Caesura whenever he could spare the leave.

It was shortly after his promotion to Captain that his unit was attached to a Stallian Guard team conducting anti-piracy patrols along the Stalliongrad-Talonopolis Trade Spine. Though details of his tour are still partly classified, it is known that his unit seized several tons of contraband from Aquellian freighters and participated in several combat actions against sky pirates. Due to the rapid tempo of operations, Fletcher’s leave was delayed indefinitely, preventing him from returning home to his wife.

When he was finally rotated off the Frontier, Fletcher found that the situation at home had deteriorated. His wife had reconsidered their relationship. The Captain came home to an empty house, with only a letter explaining her reasoning to remember her by.

Fletcher was devastated. His entire life, he had been able to control the variables, adjust for subtle differences in environment, and work around obstructions to make his shots ring true both in his career and his personal life. Now, even that was gone. For the first time in his life, Fletcher had encountered a variable he couldn't control or compensate for. Fletcher immediately filed for discharge after the separation, terminating his military service at the earliest opportunity. His apartment lease terminated at home as well, he was fully prepared to return to Stalliongrad, perhaps taking his newfound free time to find himself again.

Prior to his departure from Canterlot, however, he was approached by representatives of the Royal Equestrian Intelligence Network. A word had been put in for him by a higher-up indicating that his skill set might be more useful as an investigator than a soldier. Having nowhere else to go, Fletcher decided to give it a shot. Before long, he was chasing down criminals and shaking down leads, giving himself the engagement he needed to keep his mind off Caesura.

Character Summary

Fletcher is very precise in both his decision-making and his marksmanship and is an incorrigible perfectionist when regarding himself. He is astutely observant of his surroundings and perpetually in search of new information on all subjects. He is a voracious reader and cannot seem to assimilate information fast enough to satisfy himself. Since he is not currently on combat deployment, he spends his off-time in the Canterlot library, acquiring ideas for new spells or methods for improving the efficacy of his current spells.

Despite his analytic nature, Fletcher is neither bookish nor socially awkward. Years on the Frontier working with the rough and tumble ponies of the Stallian Guard have given him a knack for smalltalk and a wit as sharp as his arrows. He is amicable when greeted and eager to swap stories of soldiering on the Frontier with other ponies in the military or intelligence communities. He is slow to anger and fast to drop a zinger if given the opportunity. That said, Fletcher’s tolerance for horseapples is low and he will not hesitate to call out somepony who has stretched the limits of rudeness.

Even when off-duty, Fletcher sticks to a tight regimen of exercise and marksmanship training to maintain both his conditioning level and shooting skills. He reads whatever material he can get his hands on that catches his interest, ranging from mathematical treatises to military history and politics. Fletcher’s apartment in Canterlot is home to several bonsai trees, carefully crafted over years of service.

Fletcher travels often between Canterlot and Stalliongrad, the city he considers his second home, on both business and pleasure. His fluent command of the local tongue and intimate knowledge of local Guard procedures and nuances are invaluable to REIN’s investigations. Fletcher has also picked up impressive estimation and appraisal skills, having been on several raids that seized contraband goods. He is also conversational in "Fancy," a skill acquired working in Canterlot.

Caesura has made no effort to contact him since their separation. Despite the poor outlook for ever returning to her, Fletcher still keeps his wedding band, holding on to the hope that someday they might be able to reconcile.

 

Combat Spells

Magic bow. Fletcher’s go-to spell for long-range shooting. As the bow is composed entirely of aether and formed when needed, it requires no cleaning, restringing, or stowing/drawing, and can be as powerful or as precise as Fletcher needs it to be. Fletcher’s primary marksman spell.

Magic Missile. Standard combat-qualified mage spell that fires a volley of projectiles that strike with unerring accuracy. Fletcher’s missiles manifest as ghostly javelins. The spell taught to REA mages can be tuned to be less lethal; instead of piercing their targets, the missiles can be cast to explode in a dazzling bright light and loud noise which can cause temporary blindness and disorientation.

Utility Spells

First Aid. Patches minor wounds, stops bleeding, and disinfects cuts and scratches, but medical emergencies such as broken bones still require expert attention.

Blink. Fletcher is one of the few unicorns who can teleport at will, though his lack of practice with the spell limits him to short distances only.

Darksight. A utility spell to see in the dark and in adverse weather conditions, especially useful in the snow on the Frontier.

Telekinesis. Cantrip. Unicorn “mage hand” for fine manipulation of small objects.

Light. Cantrip. Unicorn utility spell for illumination.

[Dio]

Ready!

[Bellosh]