Astral Shade (Zaria)

By Paper Willow

• December 6, 2013




Age: 17-ishy Depends

Gender: Female

Species: Unicorn

Cutie Mark: Zaria's cutie mark is a half moon with three outer dots and inner swirls. She acquired it at an older age than most when she discovered she had a love for the arcane and mystic in general. So long she had looked for one specific field such as alchemy, magic, lore, ect. until finally one night while on one of her nightly strolls in the Everfree forest she decided she just loved it all.

Personality: Zaria is a bit awkward in her ways. Being as she grew up so separate from the world she has a hard time relating to normal ponies and often finds herself coming off as too blunt, strange, or just plain creepy. While she really cares deeply for all that manage to earn the difficult title of friend she doesn't know what to do and often mistreats them. Sounding rude, uncaring, or indifferent. Zekora often compares her to a crab. Soft, pink, and squishy on the inside but hides between a dark red shell and nips at anything that tries to come close even if it makes no threat to her.

Backstory: Zaria's father was a Zebra and her mother was a Unicorn. Her mother, a well respected scholar in Canterlot, was on an expedition to the homeland of the Zebra's when they first met and quickly fell for eachother. The relationship could not last as her mother would not stay for ever and her father wanted nothing more but the freedom of the distant plains so she returned to Canterlot only to discover months later she was pregnant. During birth Zaria's mother knew she would not make it so she had her assistant swear to bring her to someone who could care for her and this he did. Two months old Zaria was taken to Zekora where she grew to become her apprentice. Eventually though, as all teenagers, she wanted to meet other ponys and see the world but upon entry of Ponyville found that zebra's were not exactly welcome. In attempt to hide who she was she began to use the Unicorn name her mother had given her Astral Shade, opposed to the one given by her father's home tribe when a letter was sent by Zekora telling of her birth and requesting they give her a proper tribal name, Zaria.