All Gen Pony: Saddle Stitch

[theponytheoristMM 14]

 

Name: Saddle Stitch

 

About the character: 

Saddle Stitch is a very mysterious pony. It always seems like when you need her, she's never around. Rather, she's almost always living her best life on faraway, fantastic adventures! Although, she's never one to forget her friends and will send care packages and postcards, she will always be found making new friends in foreign lands!  When she returns home, she can either be found with her head buried in books, or with her hooves in the dirt, in her garden (which Posey keeps up while shes away). She loves to eat, and collect all sorts of oddities and memorabilia. 

 

Creation of the character (Authors Notes): 

While rewatching the "Magic of Friendship Grows" song, from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic- I really got to thinking about much of the unexplored lore that was never touched upon within this series. Many things are left unexplained, and while is leaves a bittersweet taste in the mouths of many, it also leaves the door open for people to speculate and try to tie loose ends together on their own, which is one thing that I personally enjoy doing. With that said, while the subject of who originally found and planted the seed that was given to Starswirl the Bearded, who later grew the Tree of Harmony from said seed with the 5 other Pillars was one I have thought about before, I got to thinking on it yet again. Quite frequently, due to my adoration of the Generation 1 Japanese exclusive Takara Ponies in the MLP line, and their seemingly subtle clues around the scarce art on official merchandise that they have had, I have always been fond of the idea of linking them as being the source to the seed of Harmony's origin. Their box art features Lily of the Valley flowers, which can mean "a return to happiness" in the language of flowers, after all. They seem to be the only ponies in g1 that don't really have any arcane magic or symbols to channel their special skills through, as the other ponies do, throughout history. So one could reason that being without such things is the truest form of happiness or Harmony that the ponies might've meant to have....? 

 

Whatever the case may be, I thought about my love of the pony franchise. I have been a pony fan for well over 10 years now, and my love for it first started with being introduced to g4, which then led to my exploration and like of the many generations prior to g4 and afterward. So I wanted to create a pony that really encompassed the franchise as a whole, from generation 1 to 5. I'm sure, like myself, there are many out there who love all that this franchise and all its generations of fans bring to the table, and will continue to. 

 

While Saddle Stitch appears to be a primarily g1 looking pony, there are elements of features from several different generations to make her more unique. Her name itself is also meant to represent the unity and harmony that was a major theme among g4, and again- referencing back to "The Magic of Friendship Grows" song. The start of the series opens with a book opening, and with this song, it references the first episode with the same book closing on that story of the 6 friends and all they have accomplished. I thought it would be neat to give her the name of Saddle Stitch, because its a method of leather working and book binding- its a stitch that is good at keeping things together- unified. Like friendship. 

 

I also like to imagine that Saddle Stitch is the very pony who created the books that both open and close the FiM series- at the commission of Celestia and Twilight Sparkle. She is a bookbinder in her occupation, after all. How fitting. All the moreso if the ponies that commissioned her to make their books was the same pony who- unbeknownst to them- was the one who could've grown the seed that would grow into the Tree of Harmony? 

 

Her symbol/ cutie Mark is a reference to the g1 Takara Ponies, who she has spent much of her time with- a needle and thread on one side, and a Lilly of the Valley flower on the other- both connecting and forming the shape of a heart. This symbolizes the saddle Stitch technique that is used on bookbinding, but also again, the base intent of keeping things- such as relationships and bonds- together. Both the flower and needle and thread symbolize harmony and happiness.