Penstroke

By not

• May 10, 2013




Age: 14

Gender: Male

Species: Unicorn

Cutie Mark: Penstroke's cutie mark is a quill in an inkwell, which represents his ability to weave any idea into a story. Pen earned his mark while daydreaming on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, when he was struck with sudden inspiration for a school essay. What was supposed to be a hundred-word paper on the significance of cutie marks became two hundred, then three hundred, until Pen finally stopped himself at a thousand. Penstroke had discovered his special talent (and had definitely impressed his teacher, Cheerilee).

Personality: Penstroke is an intelligent, studious pony who usually keeps to himself and those he greatly trusts. Among such friends, however, Pen is quite sociable and enjoys their company. He enjoys reading and writing immensely, as well as practicing magic, which he has a bit of an affinity for. Pen's youth causes him to be quite brash and impulsive on occasion, though he usually manages to overcome these faults, showing maturity rather than the childish behavior of most of his peers. Penstroke is cool and calculated a lot of the time, though emotions sometimes muddle his decisions, and he recognizes this, and so never elects to be the "leader" of any group. He will not, however, hesitate to provide advice to friends, or even strangers, and relishes in doing so. Pen is not very brave, though if a friend is in danger he will jump into action, putting their safety above his own.

Backstory: Penstroke was born in the town of Amareillo, north of what is now Appleoosa. His father was a city pegasus, named Dark Clouds, from Manehatten, who had moved to the countryside in order to escape from the smog of his hometown. Pen's mother, Apple Grove, was a unicorn from northerly Neighagra, where she tended to an apple orchard with other members of the extensive Apple family. At a young age, Penstroke's family moved north, to Ponyville, as members of the Apple family ran a farm in the small town. Penstroke grew up there, though he never fully integrated into society like his parents, and kept to himself mostly. Eventually, after a couple of years of living in Ponyville, Penstroke allowed himself to befriend a small group of other foals and fillies, though was never as sociable as most people in the town. He always visited the library, reading and thinking about what he had read, and after discovering his cutie mark, he wrote there, too. When the new librarian, Twilight Sparkle, moved to Ponyville, Penstroke visited the library more often than ever, talking with the librarian and her young dragon, Spike. His mother taught him what magic she knew, though soon he surpassed her abilities, as she never learned much in the way of magic. Penstroke turned to reading and learning from the few other unicorns he knew, and now has a slightly above-average repertoire of spells to use, especially for a pony his age. Pen, having now graduated from the one school in Ponyville, assists his father in the management of weather in Ponyville with his magic, but he longs for something more in his life. What he longs for more of, however, he does not yet know.