Stargazer

By Blitz Boom

• March 26, 2016




Age: 45

Gender: Male

Species: Non-Pony

Appearance: Stargazer is a large Bat Pony, and is exactly as shown in the picture.<br /><br />The beard isn't because he is old as mummydust, he just likes it and have let it grow out well over the years.

Cutie Mark: None. Stargazer never found his special talent as a colt, and he lost the interest in trying over 20 years ago, though he do wonder what might have been. <br /><br />It might come in an RP at some point though, depending on were things go. If another helps him find it, I will give credit here when time is.

Personality: Stargazer is polite, referring to others as *sir* or *ma'am* before he knows any names, and sometimes after.<br /><br />He's loyal without fault to Princess Luna, as well as to Princess Twilight, but he won't get all up in a tiff if somepony insults them. He's more in control of himself than that.<br /><br />He haves a very laid down attitude towards other races, not judging them unfavourably until he have seen them do something, though he will seek out the more strange or rowdy ones to get his own impression of the individual.<br /><br />At times, Stargazer can seem moody and, but that's just him having a lot to think about at times or a mountain of paperwork. Something that he doesn't like to do either.<br /><br />Sometimes he also appear tired as his duty sometimes haves him staying up for days, basically eradicating any sleep pattern he might once have had.

Backstory: Stargazer never wanted to grow up and be a Night Guard. In fact, up until he actually adorned the armor, nopony thought that the troublemaking colt were going to have anything to do with the guards, except being arrested by them.<br /><br />From the bat pony foal was found in a forest near Baltimare until he were about 10, he were tossed between homes with regularity, sent back for reasons varying between so many reasons that it were hard to keep track off, though could be sorted down to mostly his foster parents not liking the looks they got from others when they saw him with them, abuse that others took notice off happened to him and reported in, or just them not being able to handle the behaviour issues of a bat pony over a regular foal.<br /><br />The shaky grounds under his hooves, no long term friends as he were moved from town to town, and betrayal he felt more and more as others left him, didn't help him either as it made him resentful and prone to lashing out. Eventually it culminated in it being impossible to find any foster families for him, and he were essentially left in the orphanage in Canterlot. 5 years that gave him the most stability in his life up to that point, yet 5 years he hated too, as he knew how unwanted he he were.<br /><br />Eventually he started to drift away from just lashing out and being crude and rude to others, and went into petty crimes. He didn't see any problems with what he did, and frankly didn't care if others told him that there were, until eventually, after three years of being little more than a troublesome nuisance that made troubles, smashed things and bullied those smaller than him, the consequences of his actions happened and he were arrested by Princess Celestia's Solar Guards.<br /><br />Sitting in his cell he had some time to think over things whilst the long list of crimes that he had done over the years were recited and piled up. Yet the fool that he had been so far, he didn't feel anything about it other than wondering what this guy's problem were and shouting at him.<br /><br />The words pretty much died in his mouth when he were told that all things added up, he stood to 20 years jail, or 10 if he were of good behaviour. Being faced with the imminent consequences he for once was unable to say anytthing and was taken back to his cell to await the proper trial a few days later.<br /><br />The day after however, he got a visitor to his cell where he had basically wandered in circles and hit the wall, screaming about being stupid between bursts of just sitting still and think about what were to happen. At least until said visitor got into his sight and his thoughts came to a screeching halt.<br /><br />Even though he weren't exactly of an unknown breed, Stargazer hadn't seen another bat pony at this point for 12 years, and the sight of the one who now stood there, adorning the unmistakable Night Guard armor caught him off guard. The stern, examining looks in her eyes however, were what made him keep his mouth shut as she got closer to his cell and starred at him from between the bars in silence.<br /><br />*...20 years. Do you understand what that will do to you?*<br /><br />When she spoke he still didn't know what to say. There were questions, like why one of the Night Guard had also taken to see him, but something told him that it would be bad to say anything, so instead he just slowly nodded his head to the question.<br /><br />*I doubt you do. It will change you, feast off your anger and make you broken. And that is If you get out without incident.*<br /><br />The seconds ticked by after this before she took a step further, almost touching the bars now as her eyes narrowed on the scared Stargazer in front of her.<br /><br />*Tell me, does that sound like a life to you?*<br /><br />"W-Why are you here?"<br /><br />The mare stood rank again after the question were asked and withdrew a key from a pocket, throwing it up and down on her hoof long enough for her to know that he were following it closely.<br /><br />*I'm here because I don't see the hardened criminal the Solar Guards do, but a foal without discipline or purpose that went too far. Something I think you finally realise yourself now, which is why I want to give you a choice.<br /><br />Either you stay here, and you take the sentence that you are given, or...*<br /><br />The key stopped as her words did, though Stargazer wasn't focused on it anymore either, but on her.<br /><br />"Or?"<br /><br />*Or you follow me, and I give you a purpose that takes discipline, and requires you to clean up your act. A life in armor, instead of a life in chains.*<br /><br />A weak laughter escaped him after a little of being baffled by what he heard from his visitor.<br /><br />"The Night Guard? Why would you want somepony like me there?"<br /><br />*Because I believe in saving others instead of condemning them.*<br /><br />The mare wandered forth and stuck her hoof between the bars. The one that were holding the key to the cell door.<br /><br />*You have one chance, what will you do with it? Stay here for the next 20 years, or leave your back to your old ways and finally make something of yourself?*<br /><br />It was the first act of kindness that Stargazer had been faced with for a long time, even if it were more like a stern ultimatum. To face himself and man up, or to be the brat he usually were and stay in here.<br /><br />It was no surprise that he picked the first and went with Officer Olden Moon. The mare had well expected that much, though she hadn't been sure if he would be able to stay the course.<br /><br />Stargazer had his issues in the first year with the try-outs, resisting the urges to do what he always did instead of following the strict, specific orders and training he were subjugated to, and trying to socialise for the first time in years. Yet through it all, he remembered how close he had been to having no life at all, and though he had his moments of lashing out still, the disciplinary actions that were taken on him seemed punishment enough from his tutor as she could see him improving.<br /><br />Two years passed, before one day he stood on the small podium the Night Guard had access too and were handed the armor that signified him as no longer a trainee, but one of them in both body and spirit. A day that he still remember as the first time he felt like he were doing something right, and had something to be proud about. A moment where he were not alone, but with others that accepted and welcomed him.<br /><br />The next 10 years went by like the past 20 had barely existed for him. He slowly began to climb the ranks by being both staunchly faithful to his duty and his fellow guards, which required him to learn of the moral grey areas of life as for example gambling were pretty normal amongst the Night Guard. Elder Moon also taught him well in knowing when to simply try to scare sense into/talk with small time pranksters before they went too far to try and veer them away from criminality when he could, which she was happy he seemed to take to him.<br /><br />After 12 years though, something else happened in his life as a new mare joined the Night Guard that more or less immediately caught his eye. Though as he wasn't exactly too suave or experienced with mares - he had never had a special somepony or even tried to get one before - it took two years before his clumsy advances were acknowledged by her.<br /><br />They started to date slowly about a month after the night when he, influenced by enough alcohol to drown a minor whale in, finally just flat out told her how he felt and then... Well, he couldn't remember, as the alchohol had finally shut his higher brain functions off after that and impacted his memory, but she told him the day after that she had said that she liked him too and then took it from there.<br /><br />Further two months passed before they were shockingly informed that the mare, Sugarbloom, were pregnant, which as first didn't make sense to them, but they figured out eventually.<br /><br />Things became a little strenous the next months as the pregnancy carried on where the distance seemed to grow between them until the day that she collapses in the middle of a visit to the guard halls and went into labour, giving birth to a healthy foal in the infirmary before being transported to the actual hospital.<br /><br />On the way there, Stargazer kept close watch over his marefriend and their newborn, and as they came in and both her and their foal fell asleep, he sat watch and thought over things for a good, long while whilst she were sleeping.<br /><br />He had never seen himself as a father, and though he had known that it were likely his child - something that he were completely certain about now as the foal were born a bat pony and he knew she had seen none of them before they started dating - the consequences had not really hit him full on before that.<br /><br />As him and Sugarbloom had drifted apart, the thoughts had been there to simply leave and accept that the two of them were perhaps not meant for eachother after all and simply help with their foal on the side, but now as he saw her... He knew that he couldn't just do that.<br /><br />He had grown up without parents, and he had sworn to himself that if he ever had a foal that things would be different and that the little life would have somepony there for him or her all the time, and not be part of a split home. Something that, after long time's thinking, made him know what to say to Sugarbloom as she woke up.<br /><br />During the next 10 years, whilst still maintaining his duties as a guard, Stargazer also fulfilled his obligation as a father as well as he could after he that night had told Sugarbloom that he wouldn't leave her behind and that he thought they should try and make it work for the filly's sake. Something he seemed to do well enough as they still kept together, and Jelly Drop grew up happy and with little worry in her life.<br /><br />Yet, they both knew that it were basically a loveless relationship. They both card for the other, but they were not a couple as much as simply parents and friends, which they manage to keep from others until the day came when she visited him on the job and said that she had found somepony special.<br /><br />Others in the Night Guard that were around to hear it were ready to call her out, or be angry as they thought that Stargazer were betrayed, yet they lost their steam when he told them to hold back and congratulated Sugarbloom in finding somepony.<br /><br />Much as he didn't want to break up the relationship cause of Jelly Drop, he had also cared for Sugarbloom finding somepony that could make her heart flutter in ways that he could not. As such, some years prior, he had said to her that if she found her special somepony, she had his blessing to pursue him and find that happinesses, though he reserved the right to watch him closely, in case he turned out to be no good. Something that he thankfully were as it turned out.<br /><br />They took things slowly from there, making sure to transition things so that Jelly Drop were okay over the next year until the two were finally separated, with Jelly staying at her mothers for the most part as she would always have somepony near there, be it her mother or her coltfriend.<br /><br />Not everything were as simple in his life though. With the surprise return of Princess Luna, the Night Guard had a lot of things to handle and a direct leadership over the general to begin to understand, new guard shift in the suddenly lively castle, etc. These days it were fine enough, but the first year or two had been a hectic transition phase, though they did not complain as she were now free of the madness that had taken her away from them to begin with.<br /><br />The day when he got to meet the princess personally were also a great honour to him. Not the time when she assembled them all and addressed them so, or even when she inspected the current higher ranking guards - himself included - and spoke with them each briefly on their purpose and position.<br /><br />No, it were the day when he stood in the great hall and got yet another medal to his belt, delivered to him by Princess Luna herself for 25 years of faithful service, and then had the chance to speak with her personally for the first time.<br /><br />It would not be the last, though he wasn't an advisor as much as simply a minor confidant of sorts. A neutral, unbiased mind that didn't judge her or others, and could be asked for opinions on things now and again. Though eventually it also came to be just when she needed some to talk to or felt bored, making him think of himself not as somepony super important destined to rise to the top, but instead as what she sought him out to be: A friend.<br /><br />Perhaps it were also why she trusted him to do something special for her when she called him in one night and told him that there were a new princess amongst them now. A new member of royalty, and one who could use some help.<br /><br />In the town were Princess Twilight were stationed, a regiment of Solar Guards had already been dispatched to help with things, and she had a few guards of her own to help her, but Luna - either in a fit of paranoia or simply wanting to be certain - wanted to have a presence from her own court there to help as well, and she had chosen him for the task.<br /><br />It were a tough decision for her to ask him, but not for him to accept, just as long as he were promised not to be cut off from Canterlot and his daughter for weeks on end. Something that she had no intention of doing either.<br /><br />So with a week to prepare and get things ready, he now stands in Ponyville, a small town that already the first night showed him that it needed a watchful eye as the sun had set, though what awaits him he doesn't know much of beyond the meeting with the local princess.<br /><br />Still, he have a job to do until then, so it's just to get his helmet on right and get cracking.