Earth Pony Stone Bones [FINAL]

[Dio]

Stone Bones

Th' fair fight is th' only one worth fightin'.

RP Type: Mane RP

Name: Stone Bones, “The Fet Loch Monster”

Sex: Male

Age: Stallion

Species: Earth Pony

Coat Color: Chestnut.

Mane/Tail Color & Style: Roan blaze, fetlocks, and tail. Mane and tail are kept cropped short and meticulously trimmed. Stone Bones doesn’t care that he looks military. He’s army and proud!

Eye Color: Blue.

Cutie Mark: A pair of boxing gloves surrounded by golden laurels. Boxing is Stone Bones’ sport of choice and the laurels are a symbol of victory. On a deeper level, it shows his love of sport and his devotion to sportsmanship and honor.

Physique: HUGE. Years of physical conditioning first as a farmhand, then as an athlete, then as a soldier make Stone Bones a veritable mountain of a pony. Surprisingly quick and well-coordinated for his size.

Distinguishing Marks: Voluntary brands on his shoulders. “Ave Celestia Invictus et Luna Revenio” compound sun and crescent moon brand on his left shoulder, “Follow me!” sword insignia (infantry motto) brand on his right shoulder.

Origin: Born in Fet Loch, traveled extensively in the Hoofington and Baltimare area. Currently stationed in Canterlot with his battalion.

Occupation: Corporal, Royal Equestrian Army, 1st Battalion “The Princess’ Own.” Former semipro boxer in the Hoofington and Fet Loch area.

Motivation: Send enough bits back home to pay for his father’s medical treatment. Serve the Princesses and Equestria as best as he can from where he is.

Likes: Contact sports, hoofball, boxing, enlisted life, simple pleasures, challenging himself physically, dressing Canterlot proper (a guilty pleasure), stupid jokes, a good laugh, a good pale ale, good sportsmanship

Dislikes: Butterbars with no respect for enlisted, bureaucratic red tape, sore losers, ponies who think he’s a cold-hearted killer because of his profession

Character History

The most benign of all benign beginnings, Stone Bones was born to a family of farmers in the hamlet of Fet Loch, just north of Hoofington. The oldest of many foals, Stone Bones often found himself working alongside his father to put food on the table and grow enough in their fields to sell in the markets. Life on the farm was hard work, but in the little downtime that they had, Stone Bones and his siblings often engaged in physical contests: races, wrestling, applebucking, and Stone Bones’ personal favorite: boxing.

Stone Bones’ father was a small-time champion in the informal boxing leagues in Fet Loch and Hoofington. Even after working hard in the fields, he could be found hitting the heavy bag hung up in the equipment barn or practicing hoofwork in a nearby meadow. Stone Bones looked up to his father and often tagged along when he went to compete in the ring.

Finally, a young Stone Bones worked up the nerve to ask if he could box, too. Far from seeing it as a waste of time, his father proudly welcomed him to the training ring and took him under his proverbial wing. Training alongside his father, Stone Bones grew both strong and quick from practice, conditioning, and farm work. It was during one of these intense training bouts that everything suddenly clicked for Stone Bones. The hoofwork, the striking, the feinting; all of the technique flowed together in one intricate dance. It was then that he gained his cutie mark, a set of boxing gloves wreathed by golden laurels, a symbol of his athleticism and desire to master the sport. His calling decided, Stone Bones eventually joined his father’s league to compete.

League bouts were brutal, but Stone Bones consistently used his reach and superior strength to strike knockout blows on his opponents. As he continued to participate in matches, Stone Bones gradually grew complacent. He relied more and more on his ability to rapidly overwhelm his opponents but had little staying power in a fight that involved complex maneuvering. As his informal coach, his father noticed this and stepped in to inform him of his poor habits. However, Stone Bones, being young and brash, had already made up his mind how to fight.

Then one day, his father was injured in a farm accident. Unable to work for a time, he was also prevented from participating in an upcoming league match. It was decided that Stone Bones would take his place. The colt could not have been happier to prove his mettle.

Stone Bones trained hard for the upcoming bout, practicing his strikes and his swing. Finally the night of the bout came. As he stepped into the ring, Stone Bones looked at the middling stallion before him and snorted in contempt. This one was shorter than him and less muscled. He had no reach and no power. How could he possibly lose?

Stone Bones was wrong. Despite lacking his reach and his hitting power, his opponent was surprisingly quick. No matter what he did, Stone Bones couldn’t land a hit on him. What should have been a quick victory turned into a farcical defeat. Stone Bones went home shamed. He had not only made a fool of himself, but also his father!

Bones returned home expecting the worst. Dishonor. Being kicked out. The last thing that he’d see would be the look of disappointment on his father’s face. But instead, he found his father sitting up in bed, a lantern on, waiting for him. The look on Stone Bones’ face told the whole story.

“I’m sorry,” was all he could muster.

“Son,” his father said, understanding instantly. “I love you, and that isn’t going to change for anything. You’re my son, and I will always love my son whether he wins a hundred bouts or loses them all.”

Following his father’s forgiveness, Stone Bones trained harder than ever, actively seeking critique from his peers and pouring effort into fixing the flaws in his technique. Finally, he returned to the ring once more, his pride shelved and unnatural clarity in his mind. As he faced down that same opponent’s sneering face, Stone Bones made his move. A single blow, tweaked just so, elegantly slipped past his opponent’s guard and felled him in one lightning-fast stroke. The crowd stood awestruck for a moment at the feat, but soon burst into cheers at the return of the champion’s son.

His first success led to many others. Stone Bones rose through the ranks, gaining minor fame in Fet Loch and Hoofington as the “Fet Loch Monster.” Stone Bones never forgot the lessons learned in that defeat. He always kept his wits about him and did his best not to let hubris fell him.

However, in spite of his successes, tragedy befell the family. The injuries sustained by his father turned out to be crippling and left him unable to work. With most of the money from sales going to upkeep the farm, Stone Bones’ family could do little more than watch their patriarch suffer. Stone Bones was determined not to let this continue.

The money from prize fights was substantial, but transient. In need of more stable income than subsistence farming and sporadic matches, Stone Bones turned to the Army. A recruiter happened to be at one of the matches that Stone Bones fought in. Far from being poached from the ring, Stone Bones actively sought out the uniformed stallion and promptly told him that he was in need of enlistment. Stone Bones resolved to use the money from his Army pay and enlistment bonus to ease his father’s suffering and eventually properly treat his injuries.

Stone Bones turned out to be a perfect fit for the Army. His combination of great stamina, intimidating appearance, and down-home honesty made it easy for troops to rally around him, making him a natural choice for NCO track. Though still low on the totem pole, Stone Bones works diligently to secure funding to send back to his family back home, one day hoping to see his dad in the ring again.

Personality

Stone Bones is a simple pony; honest, straightforward, and stalwart in his beliefs. This is a pony who does not believe in half-flanking things. His bluntness and firm sense of accountability has made him an instant hit among both his platoonmates and the officership. His current platoon commander is already grooming him for staff sergeant.

Despite indications to the contrary, Stone Bones is not terribly confident in his leadership ability. Every bit of leadership Stone Bones does is less leadership and more a contagious determination to complete the mission. Though he functions well under field conditions, Stone Bones balks at filing reports and handling the administrative aspect of command. Though he rarely complains, Stone Bones is a slow reader and finds it difficult and frustrating to get useful information out of the paper reports that come his way.

A life as a farmhand has taught Stone Bones a lot about hard work and just as much what’s healthy for the fields and his platoon, and how to track predators and keep them away. He thoroughly enjoys his platoon’s ruck marches into the Eponnines and the mountains around Solstice Heights, finding the crisp air a refreshing change from drill on cobbles in C-lot or the stone floors of the barracks. Suffice to say that he loves the enlisted life.

Stone Bones always carries himself with pride, though it stems from the esprit de corps he feels from the REA rather than any personal arrogance. The brands he carries on his shoulders speak as much. They were acquired entirely voluntarily after his first year in the REA. On his left shoulder, the words “Ave Celestia Invictus et Luna Revenio” in Old Equine (“Hail Celestia the Unconquered and Luna the Returned”). On the right, “Follow Me!” the motto of the infantry.

Despite his experiences in in the REA and all the friends he’s made, Stone Bones’ heart remains at home. He will make enough bits to get his father treated and he will go back to Fet Loch one day. That day just hasn’t come yet. Some might see him as slow, single-minded, or backwards because of his “country background,” his below-average reading abilities, and his simple dreams, but Stone Bones takes it in stride... usually. Sometimes harsh words still hurt in spite of his military discipline and devotion to the army “family” he now holds dear.

Stone Bones still boxes when he can, participating in the intramural REA clubs to keep his skills sharp. Funnily enough, Stone Bones has developed a liking of fine suits and perhaps an infatuation with the culture that goes with it, presumably from osmosis from Canterlot denizens, though he is still rough and tough “Bones” to his platoonmates.

Inspired by Brooklyn Supreme.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

How is this Application coming along?

[Dio]

Coming along. Missing a few details so still currently WIP. Just pushed an update to the current material today, actually. Cutie mark and stuffs will be forthcoming.

[Dio]

Finalized. Before I put it off any longer.

[brianblackberry]

Its a great app and he is a great guy, I guess my only concern is I don't feel there are any real character flaws, which may make it pretty difficult to have any plot hooks for him. The only shortcoming I read him having was his over reliance on power as a young boxer, but in the classic sports story sense, he overcame that to be a champ (there isn't anything wrong with that). Now of course I don't mean to suggest to wreck this character by making him all emo or angry or whatever cliche overwhelming flaws define all too many characters. All his positive traits: hardworking, honest, caring, strong, and brave are all fine and I see no reason to remove any of them, I guess I am just asking what personal challenges does he have to overcome?

I am only being this picky because I suspect you would want that level of critique.

[Dio]

I can do the tweaks you suggested, but I'm strapped for time right now. I will try to address this after Bronycon when MAYBE my work projects have calmed down a bit.

[Dio]

Incorporated Brian's tweaks into personality. Shall we give it another go?

[brianblackberry]

Looks great to me; I'll add it to the list for the final stamp.

[Armony]