Sand Ironhoof

By HigurSan

• November 15, 2012

Age: 27

Gender: Male

Species: Alicorn

Appearance: He stands a good bit taller than the average earth pony, but still shorter than Celestia. Most of his height is comprised of long slender legs. They have small nicks up and down their skin betraying marks of battle. His left eye has a small slash over the eyebrow area. Otherwise he seems to by in phenominal health, his muscles as tightly strung as a violin string.

Cutie Mark: His cutie mark is a wind pattern light tan swirl mixed with an orange sun in the background. Tell-tale signs of removal attempts mark his flesh, but the picture is as clear as the day it appeared.

Personality: Sand is a fairly hard-hearted person to everypony around him, often expecting the worst. He does hope for the best in those that meet him, but his silent pessimism can be tiring. When set to a goal, he persues it with a startling single-mindedness in which all other things became insignificant. This can be as broad as enjoying himself to specifically which cake he should buy. For long periods of time he tends to isolate himself from others, only joining other company when absolutely neccesary.<br /><br />To a few special ponies (as most people of this type do) he lowers his outer shell for brief glimpses of what he is truely feeling at the moment. This is often reserved for life-time friends, or his worst enemies. On the inside he believes strongly in honor, duty, and the rights of everypony. Some small hints suggest that he has an obsession with Princess Celestia, though often these are merely rumors.

Backstory: Sand is one of the wandering ponies that tend to dot the landscape for the majority of Equestria. Many are always on the move, some seek adventure, well he seeks freedom. His parents were part of a small community that lay on the border of a great desert, surrounding a quiet oasis. In time, other ponies came and settled in the quiet spot. This attracted unwanted attention, specifically of those who dwelled in the desert proper.<br /><br />Sweeping out of the sandy dunes and rocky outcroppings, vicious creatures of all kinds swept onto the sleepy community. Many ponies fled only to be driven into the desert, where they would surely die of starvation or thirst. Some were killed on the spot in the initial rush. A few, maybe less than ten, hid until the raiders were gone. Sand's name before then had been Stillwater.<br /><br />Seeing that his parents had been driven into the desert, he set out in search for them. What he found there is vaguely defined at best, but it changed him. Harsh lessons on survival were learned quickly, leading to his continued life. The brutal ferocity of the desert dwellers made his heart hard. Eventually he emerged, and began his wandering.<br /><br />His alicorn lineage is full of blank spaces and several intersections that have not been clearly defined. At best, Sand guesses that he is perhaps a seventh generation Alicorn, far down the ladder of blood rank. As such, his magic powers are fairly standard for regular unicorns, while he flies slightly slower than normal Pegasi.