Earth Pony Valiant Warrant [READY]

[Slazer]

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria

Name: SSG Valiant Warrant

Sex: Female

Age: Young Mare

Species: Earth Pony

Eye Colour: Sapphire Blue

Coat: Valiant’s coat is a light charcoal grey, short and impeccably groomed as becoming of a Guardsmare of her rank, complimenting her filed and buffed hooves well. Her face is marked by small clusters of freckles just under and beside her eyes, each slightly asymmetrical to the other. When on duty, she wears the typical golden armor of the Royal Guard- helmet included at all times. Off-duty, she typically goes au natural after wearing heavy plate for hours on end.

Mane/Tail: Valiant is a redhead, pure and simple, with a simple comb-and-brush style brutalized by hours and hours of exposure to the inside of her helmet while on duty. The end result can be called frizzed at best, and she doesn’t make much of an effort to straighten it out at the end of her shift. In contrast, Valiant puts a great deal of effort into her much more visible tail with wonderful results: her tail is short, smooth, and clean at all times, styled with care to be presentable.

Physique: Growing up in the vast expanses and heated climate of the Borderlands, Valiant developed a strong body that was further refined through her REA training regimen. Her musculature is impressive, though it is less bulky muscle than toned limbs; the only part of her that seems inordinately large is her barrel, which is sizeable enough to put some stallions to shame and gives her a good deal of physical strength- particularly in the hind legs. Standing at slightly above the average height for a mare her age and built strong even by frontier-pony standards, Valiant is a powerful presence to anypony unfamiliar with her.

Residence: Dodge Junction (Hometown) / Varies (Stationing)

Occupation: Royal Equestrian Army, Staff Sergeant

Cutie Mark: A round golden shield emblazoned with a lion.

History

Valiant Warrant was born far on Equestria’s frontier in the little-known plains-town of Dodge Junction, to a pair of dairy farmers named Cast Iron and Gruyere. She was something of a surprise addition to the family, as both ponies- parents to six males ranging from a preteen colt to three full grown stallions and everything in-between- believed that Gruyere was past the age of bearing foals when she became pregnant with Valiant. Unplanned though she was, the couple were overjoyed to finally have a daughter and had great plans for how to raise her.

All the best-laid plans in Equestria could not prepare the two for the hoof-full that little Valiant proved to be. The lone filly among six rough-and-tumble stallions, she was often isolated from her brothers in her early years, as she was simply not strong or fast enough to keep pace with the plains-ponies on the family’s vast cattle fields. She longed to be accepted, and tried to build herself up in the same manner as they had: working the fields, handling cattle, moving hay and milk, and enduring hours upon hours in the harsh environment of the Borderlands without complaint. Her decision to follow her brothers’ lead in life put her at odds with Cast Iron, who had envisioned a more feminine filly for a daughter and constantly tried to pique her interests in more ladylike activities such as sewing and cooking- to relatively little success and ever increasing frustration. For much of her preteen and early adult years, Valiant and Cast Iron maintained a distant relationship, with many of their interactions being Iron hounding her about her choices in life and Valiant adamantly refusing to change. Valiant’s efforts eventually paid dividends, becoming accepted by her entire family sans her father for whom she was, respected for her work ethic and physical prowess, and somewhat feared for her loud, far-carrying voice that supposedly once cracked a window.

After achieving her self-set goal, however, the filly found herself lost on familiar ground: she had gotten everything she had ever wanted in her life, and yet she felt unfulfilled- like something was missing. Though she continued to work the farm alongside her brothers for months after these feelings began, they all noticed that her heart was no longer in it. Even her long-suffering father began to worry about her well being as she became more and more distant from her family.

Things came to a head when Cast Iron didn’t return home from checking the outer fencing of the farm one day. Despite the tension between them, Valiant still cared for her aging father and organized a search party from herself and her brothers, fanning out through their land and then beyond into the wilderness. It was eventually Valiant who found him caught in a pitfall trap just past their borders, the old stallion having been lured away by a trio of renegade Diamond Dogs hoping to ransom him off for precious gems. Confronted by the three rogues, Valiant stood her ground and used her imposing figure and powerful voice to intimidate them into fleeing, saving her father and herself. Standing in defiance of danger, Valiant felt oddly at peace- carried by a sense of confidence she had never known as a farm-mare.

Though she couldn’t explain it, it was in those moments that Valiant discovered the missing piece of her life, her cutie mark- a round golden shield emblazoned with the likeness of a lion-, and the simple truth that her destiny laid beyond the borders of the family farm. As her father recovered from the ordeal in the following days, she told her family that she was going to leave the frontier to join the Royal Equestrian Army- the one place in Equestria she felt she could be of the most use.

While almost all of her family supported her decision, her father remained silent on the matter and merely returned to bed. This reaction did not surprise Valiant, and as she gathered her belongings and made her way to the train station, she gave up hope of ever earning her father’s respect. However, as she prepared to board the train, she was surprised and pulled aside by none other than Cast Iron, who had endured significant pain to reach her before she left for inner Equestria. He told her heart-to-heart that, while she had not become the daughter he expected to have, she had grown up into a fine young mare that he was proud to call his daughter, even if he had failed to show it in her youth. With her father’s approval at last, young Valiant left her old life behind to forge her own path in the guard.

Joining the REA on the cusp of adulthood, Valiant dedicated herself to military life. She trained hard and often, studied logistics, squad tactics, and military theory through advanced classes following basic training, and cooperated with her fellow soldiers on and off duty. Her drive impressed her commanding officers, and she was often assigned to important stations and diplomatic functions both within and without Equestria’s borders. Her superiors held up her achievements and sense of duty as an example for others to follow, and she received plenty of opportunities to practice her public speaking whilst delivering speeches to cadets following in her hoof-steps in boot camp.

Valiant’s enlistment unfortunately coincided with two of the most turbulent years in Equestrian history: as a young Private, Valiant helped maintain calm in Fillydelphia during Nightmare Moon’s brief, but frightening return on the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, and during the Changeling incursion over a year later, then-Sergeant Valiant led an attempt to retake the castle barracks and free the soldiers trapped within with the aid of several guardsponies who had not yet been taken, but ultimately failed. Nevertheless, her show of valor during the crisis did not go unnoticed.

In the present day, Valiant is now a Staff Sergeant with several commendations and medals to her credit- and her career shows no signs of slowing down. Recently, she has begun to angle for a higher position within the Canterlot garrison ranks- perhaps even Captain of the Guard, now that the chain of command has been shaken somewhat due to recent events.

Character Summary

Valiant Warrant is a pony defined by her drive, her courage, her ambition, and her desire for respect. She sees no borders or limits to her capacity to achieve and excel, and pushes herself above and beyond what others expect of her to gain their recognition. She faces any challenge head-on, consequences aside, and doesn’t believe that any situation is impossible or any danger unbeatable. The only time she ever lost hope in any cause was when her father seemingly refused to ever accept her for who she was, and even that was proven to not be the case through perseverance. To her, there is no such thing as a no-win scenario; there is only how hard she must work to beat the odds.

Despite this extreme overachiever attitude, Valiant is a surprisingly laid-back pony off the clock. She frequently spends time in local hang-outs wherever she’s assigned, making sure the other off-duty guards stay out of trouble while keeping an ear to the ground for the latest gossip. A country gal at heart, she enjoys good-natured mischief and sometimes sets pranks for her fellow guards- innocuous things such as mane dye in the soaps and the occasional whoopee cushion array hidden in the lounge couches. Additionally, though she would never admit it, part of her father’s incessant exposure to fine arts rubbed off on her: in the years since leaving her farm, she’s become something of an amateur chef and occasionally volunteers in the mess halls of her stations to assist the cooks- though always after making them swear that she was never there, she never cooked, and she most certainly did not enjoy it, fearing that her image among the rank and file would be tarnished if her secret ever came to light.

As a pony from hard living, Valiant carries a certain degree of optimism at all times. No matter how tough things may seem, there’s always a way to push through and succeed. While this determination is certainly a virtue, it also makes her perhaps one of the most stubborn ponies who ever lived. As she sees no challenge as impossible, she cannot recognize when a situation is truly unsalvageable, and will press on despite the dangers to herself or to others. Perhaps even more egregious, she occasionally cannot see the differences between her own experiences and the problems of others, and will press her advice into places where it’s not needed or wanted.

Despite her achievements, Valiant’s way of approaching life comes with its own set of difficulties. When things need doing and something beyond her control is in the way, she can become agitated quickly and occasionally forget her manners- and her indoor voice. After years as an NCO, she has also become somewhat accustomed to the majority of her social circle being required to follow her commands, and will sometimes ask things of civilian ponies in a manner that suggests an order, not a request. Valiant will typically acknowledge these flaws if they are pointed out, but despite her best efforts, they rarely change in the long run.

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[Bellosh]

Before I stamp this app, I'm going to have to ask you to remove the reference to Shining Armor. OC apps are not allowed to mention cast characters without approval from cast RPers; it's not up for you to determine if Capt. Armor gave your OC a medal or not.

[Slazer]

Duly noted and edited. I was a bit confused because when I read the rules for WoE, I only saw that predetermined friendships or similar relationships were not allowed. I thought that being decorated would be fine, given that the only relation Valiant had with Shining Armor was that he happened to be the C.O. of the garrison she was posted at, at the time.

[Lux]

I noticed you have another mentioning of Shining Armor that needs and edit:

With Shining Armor’s transfer due to commitments in the Crystal Empire, the established chain of command within the Canterlot division has been shaken, and Valiant is angling for a higher position within the REA- perhaps even Captain of the Canterlot Guard.

Rather than even mention Shining, you can say that Valiant wants to train to advance in the ranks to see as high as she can get. Really with the rules we don't like any mention of cast characters. In this case by making it ambiguous as to who she served under it eliminates any relationship with a cast character.

[Slazer]

Edit made, if a bit haphazardly since I do not have much time to commit to it right now. I may go back and re-write the edit later.

[Bellosh]