Switchstrike [Ready]

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Roleplay Type: WOE

Name: Switchstrike

Sex: Male

Age: Stallion

Species: Unicorn

Eye colour: Cobalt Blue

Coat: Tan brown

Mane/Tail: Moderately scruffy mane and tail, with black edges with a burnished gold streak through it.

Physique: Average height for a stallion, with a reasonably firm jawline, his body is average for a stallion, though is hidden underneath his armour, the colours of which leading to his unfortunate nickname of 'Pumpkin'

Residence: N/A

Occupation: Sword fighting instructor

Cutie Mark: Switch's cutie mark is a pair of crossed swords, one traditional steel looking one, then one more ornate golden sword that almost seems to be hidden by his coat. He gained his cutie mark back when he was a foal, although a bit later than most in his friendship groups, which was strange considering how much he could do, and yet there was nothing that he excelled at, his friends never enjoyed bringing the situation up, knowing it did demoralise him a bit, however one day his friends took him along to a dojo to learn some self defense, more so he could have something to take his mind off his blank flank.

 

He did well as usual under instruction, loving the fact that not only did it teach you how to defend yourself, it also taught morality and the value of defending oneself instead of attacking others. One day he enrolled in the extra classes where ponies could practice with training weapons, another little change from the status quo to keep things fresh. He found that the moment he picked up the training sword, either with his teeth or magic, that it felt easy to use it, and the movements were somewhat predictable to him, and so he was entered into the competition that the dojo held for its students to test their skills against eachother. He went in the weapons category, and breezed through the competition, only realizing he had his cutie mark when he had stopped celebrating the fact that he had finally won something.

Unique Traits: Switch's unique talents revolve around his use of blades, and the manipulation of those blades. Due to his training and natural talent, he has mastered many forms of unicorn and earth pony sword skills, pegasus combat not being able to be learned for obvious reasons. Beyond that he also trained in his own forms of magic to work with the swords, able to coat his blade in magic to dull the impact, making hits less effective, and unable to cut, but he can also create a blade of magic around blunt swords or even broken ones to increase their cutting ability.

 

History: Switch was born in Canterlot, to a family of moderate wealth gained from the wealth of past generations, and a bit of intelligent investment. Unfortunately this family followed the traditional Canterlot format for the 'rich ponies' looking down on ponies that had yet to find their purpose, and shunning outsiders to their social groups, this was unfortunate  due to Switch's liking for making friends with almost anypony he met, no matter their social standing; it was said that Switch could charm the princes, and also the rats within the same sentence. A natural group leader, his friends never understood why somepony with a personality like his could still be a blank flank, but eventually they found out that it was just that he was using his talents in the wrong areas, perhaps trying to mimic his family despite his ineptitude at the activities that made them rich. And at finding out what his cutie mark was, his family gave him some bits, in exchange for him going off to find a life for himself.

 

Determined to learn as much as he could about his craft to be able to become one of the greatest teachers, he used this money to journey Equestria and beyond, learning all he could from one tutor, before moving onto the next, all the while refining his own personal techniques as well. After a while of learning and practicing, he started training others, though due to his lack of bits at this point, just lived in a wagon that he pulled along behind him, the wagon being filled with all styles of training and live swords, collected from each location he visited. He mostly stayed out of trouble, preferring just to teach other ponies to fend for themselves, and imparting the moral knowledge that he had learned on his travels, however he eventually realised the issue with this technique, as sometimes ponies could only come to him for help once they were helped themselves, so he started using his combat talents to help others; whether it was a set of rustlers in Appleloosa, or Timberwolves on the outskirts of the Everfree forest; he went to try and help where he could, so that he could teach others to help themselves.

 

Character Personality: Switch is a typical teacher; soft spoken most of the time, but ready to speak bluntly and harshly should the situation call for it. He is also a natural leader, charming and good at spotting the strengths and weaknesses of a group, along with the wisdom of knowing how to use their weaknesses as a strength in itself when paired with somepony else with particular strengths, he has a reputation among those that trained with him, and a legacy that he imparts with them, a legacy of his moral code, spreading his words far and wide as he wandered. Naturally he has certain views on things such as violence and militaries although he will never voice these views it should be noted that he has declined many an invitation to work in a military, and only doing freelance tutoring at best for them. Despite this viewpoint, he still carries himself with grace and cheer when doing these jobs, keeping a cheeky smile on his face almost all the time.

Character Summary: Switch is a strange, quirky, and eccentric master swordspony with a heart of gold, and a whole set of interesting looks on life. He has explored most of Equestria, and trained with as many other masters as he could whilst also training his unique magic in his spare time, using it to help where he can, believing the best way to help ponies in need is a combination of active and passive help. 

[RainbowFoxxy]