Blithend Blackcore

By H.P. Lance

• December 31, 2012




Age: 22

Gender: Male

Species: Earth Pony

Appearance: ^^That's the one, right up there.^^

Cutie Mark: Thanks to his handmade cloak which he is never seen without, nopony knows how Blithend's special talent manifests itself, or indeed what that talent actually is. Whether or not this constant concealment of his flank is born of shame can't be certain, but Blithend does seem to prefer avoiding the subject.

Personality: Blithend is the first to admit he is not a particularly generous pony, but does insist that he is reasonable in that he will always return a favour done for him. Unfortunately, he isn't presented with much opportunity to show his good attributes, as his relatively intimidating appearance often gives ponies a first impression that merely inclines them to steer clear of him. This fact upsets Blithend more than he lets on, pushing him into a vicious cycle in which the more he is rejected, the more secluded he cannot help but become.<br /> <br />Blithend spends much of his spare time devouring books on magic, despite being an earth pony - Blithend attributes this to a striking fascination with the art, which engrossed him early in life when he watched a young unicorn trying her first spell to lift a feather.<br /> <br />When not reading, he can normally be found writing fiction in his house in Canterlot, where he lives alone. As to why he reads huge volumes of text on real-life, complex magic before choosing to pen an almost equal volume of total fiction: well, Blithend describes it as “a relationship my brain can easily fathom and explain, yet one my mouth cannot.”<br /><br />To the relief of his friends, Blithend isn't totally mute about his opinions or an isolated pessimist; in fact he enjoys analysing situations to find the best in everypony else, a habit which serves to both engage his mind and also improve his outlook on life. Blithend is happiest when either lost in his own world of fiction, or while on an adventure of outdoor exploration with his friends.<br />

Backstory: Again, little is known of Blithend's past except that he hails from Canterlot. The few ponies he trusts also know that his parents abandoned him in his mid-teens after he discovered a lone dragon egg gathering dust in his basement, although the reason why this drove his family to leave him all alone during such an important stage of his life is unclear.<br /><br />Blithend attended the same school as Shining Armour, whom he befriended after being saved by him from an extremely dangerous incident, one about which neither of them seem prepared to speak. To this day Shining Armour knows Blithend better than anypony else ever has, being the only pony in Equestria who knows what hides underneath his trademark cloak. Exactly one year after they met, Blithend asked Twilight's older brother to keep the sorrowful secrets of his past to himself, a request which Shining Armour has always honoured.<br /><br />Thanks to his near-lifelong stance of never removing his cloak, he has slowly become infamous among the locals of Canterlot as the stallion who, strangely enough, 'never takes that weird cape thing off'. Gossip circulates around the city concerning rumours of the nature of his cutie mark - some even whisper that he remains a blank flank, but only Shining Armour knows the truth. Blithend is very aware of his current role as the source of many ponies' conversation and laughter; this piece of knowledge gives him even less reason to smile, something which the stallion does seldom enough as it is.<br /><br />Recently, Blithend has started to act strangely, even when compared to his usually independent and secretive behaviour. Shining Armour suspects that this is due to loneliness, as his marriage to Cadence and increased duties in the Canterlot Royal Guard have clashed with many opportunities to meet, rendering their friendship now the most distant since they first met. Having never introduced him to Twilight (or, on the flip side, so much as mentioned Blithend to his sister), Shining Armour soon plans to travel with Blithend to Ponyville, where the black stallion could perhaps, for the first time in his life, befriend a mare or two and finally open up.<br />