FiM Cast Captain Shining Armor [FINAL]

[Dio]

Shining Armor

Equestria is my home, but the Crystal Empire is my charge. I’ll do all in my power to protect it just as I did my homeland.

RP Type: Mane RP

Name: Shining Armor, REA

Sex: Male

Age: Stallion

Species: Unicorn

Coat colour: White

Mane/Tail colour & Style: Ultramarine with streaks of navy and sky blue.

Eye colour: Blue.

Cutie Mark: A pink star inscribed on a purple shield, with three more stars above.

Vector by ZuTheSkunk on DeviantArt.

Physique: Fit from REA service, but handsome rather than rugged, as his work is mainly conducted in urban, civilized areas.

Origin: Canterlot born and raised.

Occupation: REA officer, rank of Captain. Currently on special assignment in the Crystal Empire.

Motivation: The love of his wife Cadence. To protect Equestria. To carry out his duties with honor and integrity. Knowing that his sister will someday do great things.

Likes: Canterlot, seeing the world, learning about different cultures and civilizations, accompanying Celestia and Luna, his wife Cadence, ponies with zeal, his sister Twilight, pride in a job well done, wine, tea, the military life, hay fries (a guilty pleasure)

Dislikes: Dishonesty and deception, bugs, apathy, anypony who tries to mess with his sister, boastfulness, office swill coffee, higher math

History

Born to an author and a professor, it seemed unlikely that Shining Armor would follow the path that he did. But from the very beginning, Shining Armor was curious and energetic, testing his magic at every turn and always finding ways to break out of his crib and explore. This only escalated further when his sister Twilight was born. Now he had somepony else to explore with! Between the university and their energetic foals, his parents had their hooves full.

The two siblings could not have been more different. While Twilight was bookish and spurned socializing as she grew up, Shining Armor was out making friends and getting to know the world of Equestria. In school, he viewed every field trip and social event as a new adventure, tackling every social challenge with aplomb.

Playing soldier was not uncommon for colts of Shining Armor’s age. He spent many an afternoon after school linking up with his friends, protecting the citizens of equestria from dragons, criminals, and rogue griffons in mock battles in the parks. They often watched the Guard patrols go by, marching in step with them and saluting the watch commanders just as the soldiers did. By day he would play soldier. By night, he would read of their history and customs and commit to memory the codes of conduct befitting of a soldier.

One day, Shining Armor’s class went to tour Canterlot’s REA garrison. As he gawked at the stately halls, gazed upon the magnificent suits of ceremonial armor that the Guard wore, and listened to the pride in the REA lieutenant’s voice as he described his work, he realized what he wanted to be: a Royal Guard! He went right up to the lieutenant and told him of his intent.

Amused with the colt’s enthusiasm, the lieutenant began quizzing Shining Armor on Guard procedure and history. What began as curiosity quickly escalated to admiration as Shining Armor answered every question with his own personal knowledge no matter how obscure or complex the answer. Shining Armor concluded by repeating to the lieutenant what he’d said earlier: “I want to be a Royal Guard!” Impressed, the lieutenant asked permission to keep him after the field trip, which was quickly granted. He brought Armor before the garrison captain, who also grilled Armor on his knowledge and reaffirmed his dedication.

“I can’t make you a guard right now,” the captain said. “But I know you’ll make a fine soldier some day. Come back and see me after you’ve finished school, then we’ll talk.”

“I’ll be the best, sir,” Armor quipped. “I promise I’ll be back.”

When Shining Armor returned to his class, everypony was staring. What happened? Did he step in something? Was something stuck to his collar? When Armor turned around, it was his cutie mark, the marker of his zeal and desire to learn, lead, and excel. The desire never faded; the dream persisted well beyond a high school whim, becoming a goal that drove him to succeed to the utmost degree.

Upon entering Canterlot University, he enrolled in their ROTC program while studying history and political science. Graduating with honors, Shining Armor finally received his commission as an officer of the Royal Equestrian Army. While most of his duties involved garrison rotations and base guard duty, he carried himself well, even submitting proposals to the watch commander for improving the efficiency of the patrol routes and minimizing downtime during changing of the guard. For his exemplary service, he was promoted to Captain and put in charge of coordinating palace security.

Mi Amore Cadenza

Twilight and Shining Armor’s parents were often busy with bookkeeping and teaching. Still, they needed somepony to watch Twilight while Shining Armor was at school. Their answer came in the form of a very special pony, Mi Amore Cadenza. Upon their first meeting, Cadence and Shining Armor immediately hit it off, becoming fast friends. While Shining Armor attended school in the city, Cadence took care of Twilight between her own classes. In their downtime, they carried on endlessly about what they had learned that day and what adventures they planned on having the next day.

Even after Twilight grew up, Cadence and Shining Armor kept closely in touch. Finally, they met again in Canterlot; Shining Armor now a handsome captain in Her Majesty’s Royal Equestrian Army and Cadence now a beautiful alicorn Princess. The embers that had been smoldering for years finally ignited, with Shining Armor proposing marriage shortly after. The changeling incident only served to reinforce their unique bond. Their love now tempered in the flames of conflict, they stood ready to face anything -- together.

The Crystal Empire

There was never any doubt in Shining Armor’s mind that Cadence was a very important pony. But when he and his wife were suddenly summoned to Celestia’s throne room, he finally understood just how important she was. Celestia tasked them with a very important job: defending the Crystal Empire from attack until Twilight could recover the Crystal Heart, a relic of immense power.

Keeping Cadence safe and in good spirits was as much a trial for Armor as it was for the princess. Seeing his wife suffer to keep safe the ponies of the Crystal Empire was never something that Armor desired, rendered even more difficult when his magic was crippled by King Sombra’s corruption. But in the end, Twilight was able to locate the Crystal Heart, restoring Cadence’s magic, and driving Sombra out for good.

When Cadence was finally revealed as the Crystal Princess, Shining Armor requested reassignment to the Crystal Empire to be with his wife and to help bring the Empire back up to speed with modern Equestria. While he still maintains ties to the REA in Canterlot, he currently makes his home in the Crystal Empire as security coordinator and prince consort.

Personality

Shining Armor will never hesitate to put himself in harm’s way to help another pony, be it the average pony on the street or Princess Celestia herself. He maintains an open-door policy at his office at the garrison and welcomes occasional stops to chat in addition to his scheduled meetings. Despite his choice of military career track, Shining Armor is not as uptight as much of high society Canterlot. His no-nonsense attitude and trust in his command to do its job has endeared him to the enlisted mares and stallions in the Guard and earned the grudging respect of the officership. He is able to transition between addressing officers and enlisted with ease, making him a valuable asset to the Guard.

While he is very straightforward and to the point on duty, the Captain is friendly and informal when off duty. Shining Armor does his best not to bring his work home with him, feeling that the stress of the job should remain firmly within the confines of the garrison. He retains his gregarious and fun-loving nature from his youth and never hesitates to extend the hoof of friendship if he can help it.

Twilight will always be his kid sister and best friend. Even grown up, they make time for each other to swap stories, play games, read books, and reminisce about old times. Cadence will always be his lover, confidant, and complement. Nopony is as near or dear to Shining Armor’s heart and he never hesitates to let her know it. Whether the newlyweds are engaged in playful banter or enjoying a quiet moment together, the bond they share is unmistakable and nigh unbreakable.

Miscellaneous

Though Shining Armor never liked large bugs before (especially centipedes), his brush with the Changelings escalated his dislike to a minor phobia. While he rarely loses his cool, his discomfort is immediately obvious if something with chitinous plating and more than four legs walks into the room.

The Captain is intelligent and well-read, sharing a love of books with his sister. However, while Twilight gravitated to the hard sciences, Shining Armor focused on social sciences. He holds dual degrees in history and political science, with concentrations in military history and international relations, respectively.

Shining Armor was once asked to be a poster model for an REA recruiting office. When he agreed, one of the stallions in his unit pasted captions to the posters as a prank. This spawned a rash of similar pranks across the base, quickly elevating Shining Armor’s handsomeness to memetic status. The incident gained him the nickname “Ridiculously Photogenic Stallion” among the Guard which still persists in some circles today, much to his chagrin.

Portrait

Shining Armor in Guard Commander’s ceremonial armor.

Old application:

Captain Shining Armor

No matter where I go in Equestria or what my station is in life, you will always be my sister, Twili. Never forget that.

RP Type: Mane RP

Name: Captain Shining Armor, Her Majesty’s Honor Guard

Sex: Male

Age: Stallion

Species: Unicorn

Coat colour: White

Mane/Tail colour & Style: Ultramarine with streaks of navy and sky blue.

Eye colour: Blue.

Cutie Mark: A pink star inscribed on a purple shield, with three more stars above.

Vector by ZuTheSkunk on DeviantArt.

Physique: Fit from REA service, but handsome rather than rugged, as his work is mainly conducted in urban, civilized areas.

Origin: Canterlot born and raised.

Occupation: REA Captain

Service Record:

• Cadet. Canterlot University Reserve Officer Training Corps. Graduated cum laude with degrees in history and political science.
  
• 2nd Lieutenant. 1st Battalion “The Princess’ Own,” 83rd Magus Regiment. Served on garrison duty throughout Canterlot. Promotion to 1st Lieutenant after faithful service and assignment to Princess Celestia’s protection detail during one of her trips abroad. Offer extended to transfer to IV Order of the Honor Guard shortly afterwards. Transferred to Alpha Squadron, IV Order upon review of his credentials.
  
• Captain. IV Order “Hoplon,” Her Majesty’s Honor Guard, Royal Equestrian Special Forces. Promoted to Captain and given command of Alpha Squadron after his former commanding officer was promoted to OPCENT administration. Assigned as the commander of the security escalation during the Changeling incident.
  

Motivation: The love of his wife . To protect Equestria. To carry out his duties with honor and integrity. Knowing that his sister will someday do great things.

Likes: Canterlot, seeing the world, learning about different cultures and civilizations, accompanying Celestia and Luna, his wife Cadence, ponies with zeal, his sister Twilight, pride in a job well done, wine, tea, the military life, hay fries (a guilty pleasure)

Dislikes: Dishonesty and deception, bugs, apathy, anypony who tries to mess with his sister, boastfulness, office swill coffee, higher math

History

Born into a family of unicorn scholars and professors, it seemed unlikely that Shining Armor would follow the path that he did. But from the very beginning, Shining Armor was curious and energetic, testing his magic at every turn and always finding ways to break out of his crib and explore. This only escalated further when his sister Twilight was born. Now he had somepony else to explore with! Between their university work and their energetic foals, his parents had their hooves full.

The two siblings could not have been more different. While Twilight was bookish and spurned socializing as she grew up, Shining Armor was out making friends and getting to know the world of Equestria. In school, he viewed every field trip and social event as a new adventure, tackling every social challenge with aplomb. In spite of their differences, he always did his best to make time for and look after Twilight, handling homework, playdates, and bullies with equal ease.

It was during a bullying incident that Shining Armor discovered his affinity for shield spells, using his aetheric barriers to shield a young Twilight from a particularly persistent schoolyard bully’s hooves. Regaining her composure, Twilight quickly seized the opportunity, sending the bully flying with a burst of magic and a splash of snark, something the two siblings still laugh about to this day. It was this event that gained Shining Armor his cutie mark, representing both his desire to protect his fellow Equestrians and his devotion to family, specifically his sister. Twilight and Shining Armor share an exceptional sibling bond, reflected both by their similar cutie marks and their strong affinity for the arcane.

Playing soldier was not uncommon for colts of Shining Armor’s age. He spent many an afternoon after school linking up with his friends, protecting the citizens of equestria from dragons, criminals, and rogue griffons in mock battles in the parks. They often watched the Guard patrols go by, marching in step with them and saluting the watch commanders just as the soldiers did. Gradually, his playful pastime became a quiet appreciation for the armored ponies that watched over Canterlot day and night.

One day, Shining Armor’s class went to tour Canterlot’s REA garrison. As he gawked at the stately halls, gazed upon the magnificent suits of ceremonial armor that the Guard wore, and listened to the pride in the REA lieutenant’s voice as he described his work, he realized what he wanted to be: a Royal Guard! This dream persisted well beyond a high school whim, becoming a goal that drove him to succeed to the utmost degree.

Upon entering Canterlot University, he enrolled in their ROTC program while studying history and political science. Graduating with honors, Shining Armor finally received his commission as an officer of the Royal Equestrian Army. While most of his duties involved garrison rotations and base guard duty, he carried himself well, even submitting proposals to the watch commander for improving the efficiency of the patrol routes and minimizing downtime during changing of the guard. He also served on rotations with Princess Celestia’s personal security detail.

For his exemplary service, his commanding officer recommended him to Operations Command: Central, who offered him a place with IV Order’s diplomatic protection corps. Through several years of service, Shining Armor worked his way to the rank of Captain, eventually coming to command his own squadron of REA Honor Guard. His unit specializes in providing protection services for the Princesses as well as any visiting foreign dignitaries.

Mi Amore Cadenza

Twilight and Shining Armor’s parents were often busy with bookkeeping and teaching. Still, they needed somepony to watch Twilight while Shining Armor was at school. Their answer came in the form of a very special pony, Mi Amore Cadenza. Upon their first meeting, Cadence and Shining Armor immediately hit it off, becoming fast friends. While Shining Armor attended school in the city, Cadence took care of Twilight between her own classes. In their downtime, they carried on endlessly about what they had learned that day and what adventures they planned on having the next day.

Even after Twilight grew up, Cadence and Shining Armor kept closely in touch. Finally, they met again in Canterlot; Shining Armor now a handsome captain in Her Majesty’s Honor Guard and Cadence now a beautiful alicorn Princess. The embers that had been smoldering for years finally ignited, with Shining Armor proposing marriage shortly after. The changeling incident only served to reinforce their unique bond. Their love now tempered in the flames of conflict, they stood ready to face anything-- together.

Personality

Shining Armor will never hesitate to put himself in harm’s way to help another pony, be it the average pony on the street or Princess Celestia herself. He maintains an open-door policy at his office at the garrison and welcomes occasional stops to chat in addition to his scheduled meetings. Despite his choice of military career track, Shining Armor is not as uptight as much of high society Canterlot. His no-nonsense attitude and trust in his command to do its job has endeared him to the enlisted mares and stallions in the REA and Honor Guard and earned the grudging respect of the officership. He is able to transition between addressing officers and enlisted with ease, making him a valuable asset to the Guard.

While he is very straightforward and to the point on duty, the Captain is friendly and informal when off duty. Shining Armor does his best not to bring his work home with him, feeling that the stress of the job should remain firmly within the confines of the garrison. He retains his gregarious and fun-loving nature from his youth and never hesitates to extend the hoof of friendship if he can help it.

Twilight will always be his kid sister and best friend. Even grown up, they make time for each other to swap stories, play games, read books, and reminisce about old times. Cadence will always be his lover, confidant, and complement. Nopony is as near or dear to Shining Armor’s heart and he never hesitates to let her know it. Whether the newlyweds are engaged in playful banter or enjoying a quiet moment together, the bond they share is unmistakable and nigh unbreakable.

Miscellaneous

Shining Armor, as his name suggests, specializes in barrier spells. This was most famously used to shield Canterlot from possible invasion by the changeling swarm. Under normal circumstances, Shining Armor can maintain personal barriers with little trouble; however the city-sized dome he found very taxing. The problem was exacerbated by the slow leech of his power by the Changeling Queen.

Though Shining Armor never liked large bugs before (especially centipedes), his brush with the Changelings escalated his dislike to a minor phobia. While he rarely loses his cool, his discomfort is immediately obvious if something with chitinous plating and more than four legs walks into the room.

The Captain is intelligent and well-read, sharing a love of books with his sister. However, while Twilight gravitated to the hard sciences, Shining Armor focused on social sciences. He holds dual degrees in history and political science, with concentrations in military history and international relations, respectively.

Shining Armor was once asked to be a poster model for an REA recruiting office. When he agreed, one of the stallions in his unit pasted captions to the poster as a prank. This spawned a rash of similar pranks across the base, quickly elevating Shining Armor’s handsomeness to memetic status. The incident gained him the nickname “Ridiculously Photogenic Stallion” among the Guard which still persists in some circles today, much to his chagrin.

Portrait

Shining Armor in Guard Commander’s ceremonial armor.

Edited March 24, 2013 by Diomedes
Fixed broken formatting

[flutterscotch]

♪Oh Shiiiining Arrrrmorrrr:♪

[Dio]

ಠ_ಠ

[Corsair]

The only part I'd change is the bit about Cadence being an exchange student. That would be a detail you'd have to work out with whomever gets the part of Cadence, whether they want that in her background. Otherwise, I love this app.

[AlisonRose]

I agree with Corsair, I don't think that you should be throwing in details like that about Cadence since then if you get Shining Armor and someone else gets Cadence then your stories wont line up at all.

[Dio]

That's what the WIP tag is for

I've already tweaked my local copy and I'll be pushing the changes to Canterlot shortly.

[Bannhammer]

So good

:'I

I can't say anything else, it's too beautiful.

[RCTwilightSparkle]

I would be so happy if you ended up playing Twilight's big brother I love this app

[CrescentBlaze]

dreams dashed...this is...just too good...

[Dio]

Feedback is still welcome.

[AlisonRose]

I think that this character app is....amazing o.o

a few of my friends were going to come to the site and attempt to app as him, but seeing your app they changed their minds D;

[Dio]

Finalized before I get too detail-obssessed.

[Thrylos]

I'm doing Cadance! 0.0 RPing with a mod...I think I would freak out..."Is this reply long enough? Is the grammar right? Will This get me in trouble...?" Just thoughts. But I'm sure its not that bad, though!

[Dio]

Pushed one last round of changes tonight. I'll try to avoid any more last minute shenanigans!

[Davroth]

I find it kind of questionable that Twilight would be able to blast anyone away as a filly, considering that we saw her struggling picking up telekinesis in the flashback, and that was after Shining Armor already had his cutie mark. And that does seem to be the most basic form of unicorn magic.

edit: I don't raise this point because I think it makes this application unsuited for approval, I merely think it's an oversight that should be corrected, because it pretty openly contradicts the show's canon. I don't appreciate that this is treated like a petty attack, to be honest.

[flutterscotch]

I find it kind of questionable that Twilight would be able to blast anyone away as a filly, considering that we saw her struggling picking up telekinesis in the flashback, and that was after Shining Armor already had his cutie mark. And that does seem to be the most basic form of unicorn magic.

I personally think that Twilight may have had issues where her power was uncontrollable and came in bursts and spurts, the largest and most powerful of course when she passed her exam. After all, there had to be a reason she was enrolled in a school for gifted unicorns, and I doubt it was just her devotion to books

Also, nicely done, Dio!

[Davroth]

I personally think that Twilight may have had issues where her power was uncontrollable and came in bursts and spurts, the largest and most powerful of course when she passed her exam. After all, there had to be a reason she was enrolled in a school for gifted unicorns, and I doubt it was just her devotion to books

Possible, but he puts it like Twilight just did it "sending the bully flying with a burst of magic and a splash of snark". That implies she's in perfect control of her magic, or at least that kind of magic.

And she didn't just enroll, she took the entrance exam and showed exceptional promise then. Everyone can take the entrance exam (there's possible a fee involved).

[flutterscotch]

Lauren Faust did state that Celestia didn't give that particular test with the egg to anyone else, it was saved for Twilight because she had a feeling about her. So she had to have something going for her as a filly. And she obviously has performance anxiety (the test and trying to get the elements of harmony to spark before she realized what the spark was). So it still fits rationally.

What little kid is going to be able to be their best in the face of bullies? I know that I am a snark-o-tron and good at comebacks, but when I was a kid those comebacks would only occur to me well after the fact of being in the situation that I could use them. I could see a unicorn and her power being similar, it still takes mental control.

[Davroth]

Lauren Faust did state that Celestia didn't give that particular test with the egg to anyone else, it was saved for Twilight because she had a feeling about her. So obviously she had to have something as a filly.

It might not have been the standard entrance exam, but that doesn't mean there isn't a regular one. For all the other unicorns (It's Celestia's School for /gifted/ unicorns, after all). And my understanding was that Celestia has limited clairvoyance, and that's the reason she knew that Twilight was destined for greatness (at least that's the most common opinion I saw when the topic came up).

And if Twilight was already a unicorn filly with exceptionally strong magic, why would she have those kind of inferiority complexes in her flashback with Cadance( "I'm just a regular old unicorn..")? We never saw any other unicorn filly show any great feats of magic, aside from Twilight's telekinesis, unless it was directly tied to their cutie mark moment.

[flutterscotch]

It might not have been the standard entrance exam, but that doesn't mean there isn't a regular one. For all the other unicorns (It's Celestia's School for /gifted/ unicorns, after all). And my understanding was that Celestia has limited clairvoyance, and that's the reason she knew that Twilight was destined for greatness (at least that's the most common opinion I saw when the topic came up).

And if Twilight was already a unicorn filly with exceptionally strong magic, why would she have those kind of inferiority complexes in her flashback with Cadance( "I'm just a regular old unicorn..")? We never saw any other unicorn filly show any great feats of magic, aside from Twilight's telekinesis, unless it was directly tied to their cutie mark moment.

Because she couldn't control it, and may not have been able to call it up on a whim. And she doesn't have wings and isn't a princess. And she's a kid, and is saying the kinds of things children say when they don't understand necessarily their own importance.

And to argue your case, what kind of entrance exam, even with Twilight's being special, could possibly have been given involving magic, which presumably it would have to involve magic because only unicorns are in the school for gifted unicorns) if young colts and fillies were not able to perform any kind of magic before they got their cutie mark? I find it hard to fathom that they learn magic around the day they get their cutie marks. After all, how was Rarity sewing those costumes before getting hers?

And even beyond this, since RP and show canon are slightly different because we add a personal twist to it to cover all the aspects that we don't directly see on-screen, I am sure that Dio cleared his aspect of Twilight's back story with the person RPing Twilight. Which would make it board canon.

[Davroth]

Because she couldn't control it, and may not have been able to call it up on a whim. And she doesn't have wings and isn't a princess. And she's a kid, and is saying the kinds of things children say.

If she blasts them away with a snarky remark, she apparently is able to call it up on a whim.

And to argue your case, what kind of entrance exam, even with Twilight's being special, could possibly have been given involving magic, which presumably it would have to involve magic because only unicorns are in the school for gifted unicorns) if young colts and fillies were not able to perform any kind of magic before they got their cutie mark?

And even beyond this, since RP and show canon are slightly different because we add a personal twist to it to cover all the aspects that we don't directly see on-screen, I am sure that Dio cleared his aspect of Twilight's back story with the person RPing Twilight. Which would make it board canon.

I didn't say NO magic. We see filly Twilight using telekinesis, and filly Rarity using her gem search spell (or rather, she's being used by the spell).

If any other filly would claim she could casually blast away a couple of bullies with magic in the context of an application, I'm fairly sure it wouldn't be allowed.

But if the common opinion is it's okay here, because Twilight is extra special enough, even though we have no indication that's the case, then I haven't said anything.

[flutterscotch]

If she blasts them away with a snarky remark, she apparently is able to call it up on a whim.

But in this context she had to recover first. Meaning she failed on first try.

[CrescentBlaze]

Im gonna put in my two bits here and agree with Davroth on this one. There was only one instance in the show where Twilight showed an uncontrollable out burst of magic as a filly and it was due to the effect of the sonic rainboom, a truly inspiring and powerful event. And under the presented circumstances in this app it does seem as though it was more at will than unintentional. So going off canon, overall I'm going to say that to me it doesnt seem impossible for her to have an outburst like that under the correct circumstances but I dont believe this is it.

[Davroth]

But in this context she had to recover first. Meaning she failed on first try.

No, she recovered from being kicked by bullies. There is no first try. This was the first try.

[RCTwilightSparkle]

hey guys, apps aren't the place to talk about this kind of stuff, this app is already final. If you want to keep talking about how you think Twi's magic developed take it somewhere else.