#enquire's dra ponies

[enquire]

Gizmo Stardust!

Okay... it's Yamato's time to shine. I'm pretty happy with him! He was fun to draw and pretty easy to pick colors for... I do think maybe he could use a gear bag, or a vest, or something of that nature. I've been trying to only add accessories or clothing when it serves a purpose, so waffling a bit on that here... oh well. Maybe later.

Gizmo Stardust is a prolific inventor who lives in Canterlot with his father and sister. He's also heir to his dad's company, Stardust Industries, which recently became a lot more successful thanks to his inventions. Gizmo's hoofwork is present in many of the technological advancements in Canterlot and beyond.

One example (that brought Stardust Industries to where it is now) was Gizmo's most well-known creation; the airship. The introduction of a new form of flight to Equestria revolutionized the transportation and shipping industries. The airships Gizmo designed elegantly mesh together the mechanisms behind Equestria's balloons and trains, but require very little fuel thanks to sails which function in much the same way as pegasi wings.

Gizmo's also has a family friend, Thrift Twinkle, who he and his sister have known since they were little, thanks to their fathers being friends as well as business partners. Thrift and Gizmo are still pretty close, thanks to being friends when they were foals, and the fact that they got their cutie marks practically together.

This happened while Gizmo and Thrift were working together to save their respective family businesses. It was Thrift's business savvy and creativity which kept them from going under, and Gizmo's invention of the airship which brought both of their companies flying back into success again. Thrift helped Gizmo's inventions get off the ground, and worked to keep him funded until he finally completed his work.

Naturally then, the rebranded 'Phoenix Goods' was the first company to support and benefit from Stardust Industries' latest and greatest invention. And so, they managed not only to save their parents' crumbling businesses, but rocket them into unprecedented new highs.

It was during this process, through creating and helping each other, that both Gizmo and Thrift got their cutie marks. And more than proved their mettle to their parents at the same time. Both of them were overjoyed (and a little relieved, because they were blank flanks a little longer than most, and far longer than Gizmo's sister was)

When the two of them were younger, Gizmo had cheered on his sister when she got her cutie mark. When he got his, she responded in kind, throwing him a huge party and inviting practically everypony she knew to celebrate. It was during this bombastic party that Gizmo met Saber Frost.

He stumbled across him while taking a break from the chaos out on the balcony, where Saber had spent most of the night away from the light and revelry inside. Surprised to find somepony he didn't know awkwardly standing on the outskirts of the gathering with nothing but a glass of punch and a stony look on his face, he struck up a conversation. They hit it off, and Gizmo convinced the other not to leave the party, instead inviting him to join the two siblings for a quiet walk after the celebration concluded.

They may live far apart, but that doesn't stop them from seeing each other pretty often. For one thing, Thrift has reason to visit Canterlot on company business fairly frequently. And whenever he does, he makes sure to set aside time for the trio to hang out.

It was on one such visit that Gizmo introduced Thrift to Saber. They didn't click at first, but Gizmo and his sister, as usual, brought their friends together without too much trouble. Since then, three became four whenever Thrift was in Canterlot.

And when Saber was reassigned, Gizmo helped encourage him to request the region of Equestria where Thrift lived. Knowing his friend would be there to look out for Saber made him a lot less worried. Even though Gizmo knew it was for the best that Saber left Canterlot (and in fact had been trying to encourage and persuade Saber to accept the reassignment for a long time) he still misses their weekly chats over coffee and tea.

I love that I have enough ponies done to start weaving their stories together now. Also here's what he looks like without the hat or goggles:

[enquire]

Mystic Moonshade

I think I finally figured out what to do with Mikako, so here we are.

This design was a little more out there, as I went for making her a zebra/okapi/pony hybrid!

My intent was to give her a connection to other forms of magic, and give her a bit of a mysterious vibe. The one zebra in MLP we get, Zecora, is an expert in potions and obscure medicinal magic/plants, and is a general example of a pony who uses alternative magic in a way.

I think Equestria's non-unicorn based magic; things like alchemy, potions, charms, earth pony and pegasi magic, curses, magical creatures, and of course, spirits, ghosts, and the like, would fit in well with the 'ultimate excorcist' talent. So Moonshade is an expert in all things supernatural, and obscure. (since magic is an everyday thing in Equestria after all) Still focuses most of all on the departed, but she has a lot of knowledge /interest in various stuff.

Her okapi aspects came from wanting to give her extra horns (which might be capable of producing some slightly different magic) and because the markings give here a bit more a mysterious vibe which I liked. It's a bit more detailed, but I think it's fine for now at least. Her unicorn horn functions the same way any other unicorn's would.

Anyway, on to her little background info segment:

Mystic Moonshade is passionate about Equestria's strangest and most unknown phenomena. Ever since she got her cutie mark, she's been uncovering secrets and solving mysteries; from hauntings to ancient artifacts, Moonshade explains the unexplainable. Either via science, magic, or through healing the hearts and minds of the ponies involved.

She's discovered and named several new creatures, placated spirits, and even managed to lift the decades old curse or two. But her biggest strength might not lie in the supernatural, but rather in soothing the hearts of those faced with the problems and occurrences she is called to solve.

When she was just a filly far too young to remember her parents or where she came from, Moonshade fell into a river and almost drowned. She was swept far away, only managing to survive by clinging to a hollow log.

She was spotted by a pony named Spark Stardust, not far from Canterlot, who immediately dived in after the tiny filly. After rescuing Moonshade, he brought her home to stay with himself and his son, Gizmo.

She couldn't offer any explanation as to how she had gotten there, or much of any information about herself beyond her name. The Equestrian Guard opened an investigation into her parents, but without much to go off of, and a huge distance potentially between Canterlot and where she had fallen into the river, they had very little success.

No pony ever came forward looking for a missing filly matching her description, and the leads quickly ran dry. After a year, Moonshade had already begun to become a part of the Stardust family, so when the time came that Moonshade was officially labeled an orphan, Spark decided to adopt her.

It took some time for Gizmo and Moonshade to adjust to it, but in time, they became extremely close. Nowadays, the two of them are often seen together, and both support the other in any way they can. Gizmo has created multiple inventions in order to help Moonshade in her work, including a arguably effective ghost detector, and a more practical set of very durable saddlebags with locks for when Moonshade comes across an item with less than stable properties, or that is particularly valuable. Meanwhile, Gizmo's go-to unicorn for help testing his inventions is his sister. They have participated in many experiments together, both scientific, magic, and everything in between.

Gizmo's inventions often rely on magic as much as science, and most of his knowledge on the subject came from Moonshade. He also has gone on many of his sister's quests and travels, helping her bust myths and the occasional ghost.

Moonshade has an uncanny ability to read other ponies. While she cannot read others' thoughts, or anything like that, she can sometimes sense more hidden emotions, and other things like that. If Moonshade says somepony is giving her a bad vibe, it's probably with good reason. This leads to her both being an excellent judge of character and being very good at noticing when something is wrong. For example, she was the first one to pick up on and understand Saber's invisible wounds even though he almost never lets a single glimpse show on the outside. She also has a knack for sniffing out secrets.

This ability of hers only gives her insight into where to direct her attentions, though; it doesn't reveal all, and in fact can sometimes be altogether unhelpful, as the feeling that something is wrong without being able to pinpoint what can be quite frustrating.

Moonshade is more of an extrovert than her brother, being fine with meeting various strangers for her work, and the one responsible for introducing her brother to many of his acquaintances and friends.

Out of the group besides her brother, she is closest with Thrift, as the three of them were childhood friends. She also managed to get Ember to warm up to her impressively fast, despite them not knowing each other for as long or and living in different places. The two of them bonded over their penchant for unraveling supposedly unsolvable puzzles, and reading. Whenever Ember visits Canterlot, she makes it a priority to spend time hunting through the cities many bookshops with her.

Moonshade is not as close with Saber as he is with Gizmo, but they are still good friends, and with Gizmo and/or Thrift often around they are often drawn together regardless. (and happy for it) Saber is one of the few ponies Moonshade often finds herself spending time with in comfortable silence.

It's not like she and Clover aren't not friends, but for some reason, there always seems to be a bit more distance between them, and Moonshade is a bit bugged by the fact that she knows very little about him compared to everypony else. Despite him being very close with some of her closest friends, she is more familiar with most of her acquaintances than she is with him. And for whatever reason, they never seem to end up one on one, either.

I think that's it for her! I always start these background posts thinking 'I don't have enough lore for this one yet' but then end up filling up the post by the end haha. To be honest, I struggled a lot with her design, and going a more unique route helped me land somewhere, but I'm still not entirely sure about it. I'll have to think about it.

Also, I think "mystic" moonshade is alright, but perhaps another first name could be better. Also, Spark Stardust for Hanzo is still up in the air. I'll see if it sticks... I wanted he and Gizmo to have a family naming convention that fit with Stardust Industries, but it is a bit unusual to have the exact same word in their names by MLP standards... I was going for something like the Pie family names, but I'm not too sure about "Spark." It's just okay.

Saber Frost, Cold Steel, and Radiant Ember are my favorite names so far. Coming up with pony names is surprisingly fun. It's great when I can get some phonetic similarities in as well haha. (Radiant Ember - Rei Mekaru anyone?)

[enquire]

Kismet

I imagine anyone following this series could probably guess who I was doing next. Yep, it's Utsuro. This one was kind of interesting. I'm not super sure about the markings (they might be a little too complex? still thinking about it) and his hair was a pain to translate into pony form for me. No clue why he gave me more trouble, but I might end up changing that aspect later because it still feels a little off to me. Also, the markings are sort of part of his cutie mark, kind of like how Luna's is. I kinda wanted to give the vibe of his cutie mark being invasive/changing him. Like his coat has been symbolically tainted or burned from it. He always had some spots and freckles, but after he got his mark, the darker markings + patches/shadows over his flanks and legs appeared.

Anyway, let's get into things...

Kismet was an ordinary earth pony who lived with his family somewhere in Equestria. Like most ponies, he was excited to get his cutie mark, and curious about what it would be.

When an oddly foreboding black mark appeared on his flank one day, strangely accompanied by several new markings, at first, Kismet was just as overjoyed as any former blank flank would be.

However, as time passed, it became clear that Kismet's cutie mark was unique, to say the least. Because no matter what kind of trouble came his way, somehow, it would pass him by completely unharmed.

Good fortune and success followed him wherever he went. Kismet prevailed whenever he attempted anything, and those closet to him were often granted the same blessings.

Soon, everypony wanted to have Kismet around. In the beginning, Kismet was happy to suddenly have so many friends. But eventually, he began to realize that nopony wanted his companionship because they cared about him or enjoyed spending time together.

When a team wanted to win an important game of hoofball, they invited him. When his town's mayoral election came around, the two candidates fought for his support. And the few friends and family Kismet had cared about slowly began to treat him differently.

It shouldn't be a surprise, then, that Kismet came to see the mark as a curse. Once he realized the fortune tied to him was the root problem, he tried everything he could think of in order to make it stop. But no amount of bad luck charms or attempts to control it himself affected the endless good luck.

In the end, Kismet gave up entirely. He left his hometown behind, and started covering up his cutie mark and going by various aliases during his travels. (His current being "Sunset Shores," and using a cutie mark belonging to somepony too distant from him to have the identity theft be an issue)

He tried a few times during this period to start new lives for himself. But inevitably, his good luck would start affecting things around him and the ponies he had met. And in the end, the connection would be made between the two, and Kismet would quietly vanish.

Being alone was somehow more tolerable than being lonely while surrounded by others. So Kismet simply drifted from place to place, not making connections, and never allowing anyone to really get to know him.

On a few instances, his path led him to several other outcasts. Ponies who had nothing, were failures, or had nopony to trust or rely on. Kismet couldn't help but see himself in them. And the ways in which his fortune changed those ponies' fates were some of the only times Kismet ever felt anything positive about his mark.

Though after the connection was made, and things began to deteriorate, Kismet would disappear again. The gratitude and reverence was overwhelming. That being said, he never regretted them, and eventually, he came to realize that somewhere along the way, one pony whose path had crossed his was different. There was one pony who he had helped, who had seen what he was, and yet still saw him before any of the rest.

Perhaps that is why she, and she alone, was able to find him again. After traveling halfway across Equestria, the two of them met once more. And so, Kismet no longer travels alone.

Also, above are examples of what it looks like when he covers up his original cutie mark.

Right: "Sunset Shores" with Clover Shore's cutie mark. Left: Blank flank version. (he doesn't always bother with replacing it)

Last few notes: Kismet's fortune is probably a little different given the universe and how cutie marks work. It still makes his life miserable but doesn't necessarily completely drag the meaning from everything. At least not quite to the degree divine luck does. Just a *bit* less intense but still a curse.

And there isn't a despair cult, world-ending tragedy, nor any killing games in the works here, so there's that too...

[enquire]

Clover Shores

Gonna post this one in-between hehe. Here's Yuki Maeda. Hmm. This is the second Clover Shores post, isn't it?

Clover Shores lives in a small town near the sea. His mother, and several of his friends, also live there, and he spends most of his time with them. Clover is often the one holding his friend groups together, and mitigating conflicts when they arise. He isn't particularly confident, but he can be outspoken when he needs to be.

His cutie mark reflects his desire to spread joy and make connections, but Clover Shores lives a pretty ordinary life for the most part. So maybe it isn't a surprise that he kind of longs to be more special or exciting than he perceives himself to be.

Not much happens in his little town, though. At least, not usually. Until one day, when he and his mother suddenly disappear without a word to anypony.

It's been a year or two since then, and though his friends are still searching, it's difficult to keep up hope when not a single lead has appeared in all that time. And in a remote, almost unknown town like theirs, there isn't a lot of interest in the case, especially after so long....

Edit: I changed my mind, and changed him from a unicorn to an earth pony.

[enquire]

Horizon

Back with more DRA ponies folks (Woohoo!) It's been a bit...

It's Haru's turn! I made him a pegasus (naturally) though he does have a little griffin ancestry in there somewhere. This contributes to his coat/mane being a little feathery in places and him having wings more suited for gliding/long distance.

Horizon is an experienced flier, who has broken a few records for flight distance and duration. He once flew all the way across one side of Equestria to the other, and is somewhat known in aviation circles for these feats.

He loves being in the sky, and sometimes hovers above conversations purely because he likes his hooves being off the ground. This extends not only to his own wings, but also various aircraft, as Horizon is an excellent pilot. He has experience with hot-air ballooning, pegasi-drawn chariots, and even sky-diving and parachutes. His skill with even the highest altitudes makes him the perfect partner for less experienced fliers, or spotter for those attempting more risky endeavors.

Horizon has also spent a lot of time piloting airships, and often offers his services to Stardust Industries. He was very excited to be one of the first pilots for Gizmo's newest creations, and helped iron out many of the kinks and test the airships' endurance, stability, and safety.

He is part of another friend group, which I am working on doing next. They all live in the same town, but Horizon travels a lot for his work, and besides knowing Thrift and Gizmo, has met a few of the other cast members just because of that.

He and Thrift get along really well, and Thrift is basically an honorary member of Horizon's friend group too at this point. One of his other close friends gave him the nickname "Hori-zing" and sometimes Hori is used, but most ponies call him Horizon.

[enquire]

Thrift Twinkle

I haven't drawn ponies in a long time, but started getting nostalgic after revisiting some of the later FiM seasons. I've had a few DRA pony ideas and sketches around, and after finishing this one for Teruya, I do kinda wanna continue with the rest...

Anyway, this is Thrift Twinkle, an earth pony with a penchant for trends and a talent for making and selling. He has a passion for experimenting with new styles, even if they don't all end up gaining popularity. Thrift can often be spotted wearing colorful coat and mane dyes, flashy hats, or even rainbow horseshoes.

Not all of his friends are completely onboard with his wild ideas, but most of them are still happy to spend time sketching, creating, and sewing with him. He's an excellent gift giver and is incredibly loyal to the ones he cares about most, like his friends and his father, Phoenix Hotcakes, who pretty much taught him everything he knows.

I kinda doubt too many folks are interested in seeing more DRA ponies, but this one was pretty fun so I might post more of them.

[enquire]

Hello again! Dunno when you’ll be back online, but when you do return, could you tell me of any potential DRA ships you have? Additionally, do you plan to make them canon or ship-tease them in your pony AU?

Hello again! :D

I hope you're ready for an info dump because I have a lot of thoughts about class 79!

Ships... the age old question...

I'm honestly not the kind of person who gets heavily invested into a lot of ships. That being said, I do enjoy them a lot, especially when it involves a cast I am as attached to as class 79! And one of those handful of ships I am highly invested in is a DRA ship, lol. (It's Kinjomae... and to be honest, a really big part of my DRA special interest is filled by those two characters, and Utsuro, in general if not together)

Kinjo and Yuki tend to end up being with central roles in most of my DRA related thoughts, art, and writing, it just kind of sneaks in, regardless, somewhere.

I like interpreting them in a queer platonic or more ace-leaning relationship as well. Not always, but I've made a habit of it. So yeah they're going to have a relationship of some sort in this au too.

To specify, I am referring to DRA1 Yuki; I don't really ship the real Yuki and Tsurugi together. To me, they are two very distinct characters with different personalities from each other despite their similarities, not just memories... I won't get into all that (a post for another day perhaps) but in context of Kinjomae, only one of them is his Yuki, who knows and cares for him.

Exploring the relationship between Tsurugi and (actual) Yuki Maeda is still super interesting though, and I can understand why people ship it, there's loads of interesting places to go with it.

Also, I'm the kind of fan who can be swayed to accept almost any pairing or headcanon, especially in the context of the respective work (art/writing, etc) I really think it's possible to execute pretty much anything in a convincing manner if done well, and that applies to ships and stuff. Are there some ships and/or headcanons that give me the ick? Yup. Are there some I just don't like? Yeah. It just takes a lot for me to really get to a level where I hate something.

Uh, let's see... there are a few other ships I tend to immediately think of, even if I'm not as invested!

Ayame/Akane (may or may not be teased or explored in the pony au)

Satsuki/Haru (they'll probably be canon, I mean... it's satsuki and haru)

Rei/Teruya (I love their dynamic, regardless of the type of relationship they have)

Utsuro/Akane (they are super fascinating and it would feel remiss not to include this one in some manner)

I'm not sure yet what I'll do in this AU with everyone, we'll see. Including friend groups: I want to make more 'mane 6' type groups from the rest of the cast but I haven't finalized any of them besides the main one yet.

That's one of the things that makes me love class 79 so much; they feel very real to me, individually and how they all interact with each other. I'm invested in them as a group, and in all the little friendships and groups within the class. So I might spend more time thinking about them in terms of friendships and other relationships than pairings, except for Kinjo and Yuki of course.

My favorites of those are:

☀︎ haru, satsuki, and teruya

tsurugi, yamato, and mikako

teruya, tsurugi, and rei

best siblings yamato and mikako

the if only group: teruya, tsurugi, rei, yuki, akane, yamato, and mikako. (who also happen be most of the mane 6 for my pony au, and are my favorite characters along with Utsuro, pretty much.)

I love this cast a lot if you couldn't tell by now.

My least favorites are Mitch and Kizuna, though. I don't dislike them, but Kizuna in particular I am really neutral toward compared to everyone else.

I feel like I just... don't have a grasp on what kind of character she is at all? Her story in the game combined with her FTEs left me pretty conflicted about her. It feels like there were many opportunities to give more insight into her, but none of them worked for me.

I mean, we get to meet her mom, and even that didn't give me any more insight into her childhood or personality at all... which is kind of hard to ignore when the time we spend (or being told about via FTES) with Ando, Keisuke, Ryutaro, and Midori all give their respective family members more context and anchors we didn't have before. Plus the tiniest whiff of Juu we get speaks volumes for Tsurugi's upbringing, it is very easy to fill in the blanks.

As much as it is a tradition to hate on Mitch, I don't really hate him as a character: he works perfectly well for the kind of role he's meant to fill, (I mean, he's designed to be a case 1 killer first and foremost) and personally, I find it a lot easier to add layers to him than Kizuna because he has a base I can wrap my head around, unlike Kizuna, even if it is a really simple one.

Anyways...

As a bonus, here are some of my favorite rarepairs:

mitch/uehara

teruya/uehara

teruya/haru

almost any rei pairings (I usually pass on the very gloomy and incoming divorce vibes of tsurugi/rei though) maybe partially because I (personally) have difficulties seeing Tsurugi being in relationships with women. Sorry, but I can't undo it. He's just gay in my eyes. And/or ace and homoromantic.

I think that's the end of my thoughts for now. Thanks for prompting another ramble I appreciate it.

⋆⁺₊⋆ see ya later ! ⋆⁺₊⋆

[enquire]

Scarlet Courtesy

I was going to wait to post this one until I had both in the set, but Akane's birthday was 8/15 so I figured might as well post some late bday art now that I've finished it! Happy birthday Akane Taira!

Here we have Scarlet Courtesy, the first pegasus in this cast so far. She's a determined and loyal sort, who has spent many years working in Canterlot. (There's a lot of work for maids among Canterlot's upper crust.)

She's made quite a name for herself since those early days, when she was barely scraping by, and wasn't often treated very well. Nowadays, she is no longer based in Canterlot, but if she were to take on work there, ponies would be fighting for the chance to be the client of the illustrious Scarlet Courtesy. She is much more aware of this, and is still around in the first place, because of a certain pony who helped her during a very dark time.

She's traveled over most of Equestria, using her work as a reason to explore the world and meet ponies. Of course, there was another goal she had in mind, too. Eventually, she succeeded in this too. Though he may wear a different cutie mark now, and use a different name, she could never forget him.

So, now, they travel together, instead of alone.

[enquire]

Saber Frost

It's funny because this was the first one I had a sketch of and yet it took three other ponies to get to. But here he is! Tsurugi Kinjo gets the pony treatment too.

Saber Frost is a member of the royal guard (basically MLP military/police/security/body guards for the princesses btw) He's a unicorn, but also part kirin, which is why he has a few kirin traits. His emotions don't seem to affect his physical state as much as the typical kirin, but he does have something of a partial nirik form that comes out rarely. (only if things get really, really out of hand)

Also, when he's experiencing intense emotions, he might start giving off sparks as his hooves start to burn. Wearing horseshoes helps with not setting fires, but he can still be caught leaving singed hoof prints behind sometimes. This can make whatever is going on behind his stony expressions a lot more in the open.

Saber participated in the changeling invasion while serving on the Canterlot royal guard. Like most of his compatriots, he still has a lot of animosity towards the changelings, who are obviously not on good terms with the ponies due to the whole invasion thing and their queen being a bit of a megalomaniac.

He used to really only focus on his work, but meeting Clover, Thrift, and Radiant after being reassigned away from Canterlot has slowly gotten him to open up and relax a bit. Though he does miss his best friend back home, being away from Canterlot, where a lot of bad memories have happened, and his dad lives, has been pretty good for him so far.

Out of the group, he's the closest with Clover, but Radiant and Thrift have managed to worm their way into his heart too. As a group, they're pretty close and work together well. Well, mostly. He and Radiant can get into some pretty big fights at times. Thankfully, Thrift and Clover can be pretty pacifying when they need to be and nothing too serious has ever gone down.

Also, Radiant constantly calls him "Frosty" and other frost-related nicknames. Thrift and Clover usually just call him Saber.

[enquire]

Radiant Ember

Back with a second DRA pony! Rei Mekaru, this time. I knew she'd be a unicorn, and I thought it would be appropriate for her to be a crystal pony, but the rest was a bit more difficult to pin down. Her crystal-y hair and the color palette especially.

Ok so, this is Radiant Ember! She's a professor known for her skill in turn-of-phrase more than magic or any other subject. (Though she is highly proficient in every field she teaches) Radiant's mark reflects her often fiery words and her talent.

Her current clothes were designed by Thrift Twinkle as a gift. While Radiant didn't make a big show of excitement beyond a simple thank you, it quickly became the most worn piece in her wardrobe.

She spends a lot of her free time with Thrift Twinkle and the rest of their friend group. If a fight occurs, she'll likely be on the sidelines offering colorful commentary. Or right in the middle, if whoever is stirring things up needs to be taught a lesson.

[enquire]

Sunbeam Carnival

Back at it again! This time with our favorite ultimate clown, Satsuki Iranami! I think this might be my favorite color palettes so far... It really came out just the way I wanted for her!

Alright, let's see... Sunbeam grew up as part of a traveling circus, run by her family, who are all earth ponies. She has 20 siblings, and because of that, rarely got attention or care from their parents.

This was made worse by the competitive culture surrounding her family... the ponies who shone brightest during performances, and attracted the largest crowds, would be showered with gifts and praise. The siblings at the top were the most loved, it seemed, while ponies like Sunbeam, who struggled to keep up, were usually left neglected and unseen.

However, Sunbeam always kept a smile on her face, probably mainly due to the fact that one of her brothers was always looking out for her despite it all. Callisto was often at the top of their familial 'rankings' and yet, always made time for Sunbeam, and for the most part, took over the role their parents failed to provide.

Callisto became more and more disillusioned with their family dynamics as time went on, and even if Sunbeam couldn't quite see what he did, she too, began to think things could be better.

Callisto chose to focus on the one pony he knew he could protect, Sunbeam, who would follow him anywhere, and who he knew their parents would let escape their grasp. Once Callisto was old enough, the two of them left the circus behind, and he did his best to create a new life for them. Sunbeam was his biggest supporter, always being there for him, and bringing much joy and many smiles to his otherwise mundane life.

While Callisto no longer considers himself a circus pony, he still carries the skills of an acrobat, and Sunbeam never gave up her own talents. Their family could never ruin being a clown for her, and her talent always had, and always would, mean far more than it ever had to them. For Sunbeam, being a clown meant making ponies happy, and bringing sunshine into her own life and those of her loved ones. Nothing their family did ever changed that.

Eventually, thanks to that talent, she would bring new ponies into their lives, one by one. Without really even realizing it, she manages to brighten the lives around her, not just for her brother, but also for her friends.

[enquire]

Clover Shores

Alright back to posting dra ponies again. This time, we have Yuki. We're getting into the ones I wanted to do most now haha.

Clover Shores is the most recent addition to their friend group. He gets along with pretty much everyone, even the more distant or prickly ponies he meets. Due to a combination of him being a bit of a social chameleon, a fair amount of patience, and his avid curiosity, Clover has a pretty high success rate when it comes to getting close to others.

However, from the opposite direction, perhaps things don't come as easily. Clover may collect secrets, but he rarely seems to give his own away. Only a few trusted ponies know much about him beyond the basics. And his biggest secrets remain unknown to all.

Sometimes, Clover Shores takes a bit to respond to his name. And his mark doesn't have much of any obvious ties to his personality or talents. Not that he seems to have any particular stand out talents, anyway. Unlike Thrift, Radiant, or any of the others, he doesn't really seem to tie his identity to any talent in particular, and while he isn't unskilled, he's never claimed to be proficient in anything specific.

That being said, he has a knack at getting through difficult scenarios and has occasionally escaped from unpleasant situations without a clear explanation. His friends have also sometimes benefited from this trait, and so have taken to calling him 'lucky.'

[enquire]

my core four/initial six dra ponies post

Designing Mikako has been a bit of a struggle for some reason, so I figured I'd post some of these and finish the group drawing I've been working on instead.

First, here's a quick lineup of the core four.

From right to left: Radiant Ember (Rei Mekaru), Thrift Twinkle (Teruya Otori), Saber Frost (Tsurugi Kinjo), and Clover Shores (Yuki)

I took away Thrift's rainbow horseshoes and coat dye for this lineup.

I'm still figuring out all their sizes relative to each other, but hey these four look good together color wise, sucess! It's been a while since I've designed characters as a set like this. Drawing stylized ponies is kind of a struggle (particularly the legs send help) but I'm happy with them so far despite that.

I'll probably actually share lore next time but this one'll just be art. I do have some stuff written/thought up about Saber, Scarlet, Clover, and Kismet in particular.

Also, here's one of Saber and Ember, in the middle of a heated argument, with poor Thrift in the background. Clover wasn't around that day so he has to put up with it on his own. Saber probably started this somehow and likely deserves whatever verbal lashing Ember is about to give him, I imagine. You can ignore that I didn't bother with the details of Ember's crystal hair lol.

And finally, I was able to finish this hangout for them all. This group is kind of the main 6 of this little AU, (initial six? fun group names anyone?) though Gizmo and Moonshade aren't always around, since they live in Canterlot. And other characters carousel through of course.

The still unnamed small main town (if you have any ideas let me know I haven't thought of any appropriately horse pun filled or cozy sounding names yet.) is near the mountains. This scene is from one of Gizmo and Moonshade's visits to see the other four. Nothing like hot cocoa around a campfire. It was pretty nice to just work on a piece like this for a while. Adding all the little details and not worrying too much about it being 'good' you know? just self indulgent, cozy art.

I'll be honest, I don't think I've ever drawn mlp magic before in full, that turned out a little ehh... and there are other things that bug me about this. (mikako/moonshade's design may or may not be accurate later lol) But honestly being able to draw and make art is kind of more than enough for me at the moment haha. It made me smile on a bad day, imperfections and silly ass subject matter be damned.

[enquire]

Legacy and Tragedy (background story 1?)

I think it's time to talk about what the deal is with Saber and his dad.

This little backstory is going to be a smidge more dark for the my little horse show alright.

It's fineee, ok, ponies die in MLP.

To be honest it's not that bad. I mean it could be worse like uh... certain things that happen in the original dra canon.. ehem anyway this may be a little out of left field but bear with me here. I felt Saber needed a backstory of somewhat equal weight for it to still feel like it's him, and fit in the way I want it to...

ANYWAY I am rambling about my dra pony au again so buckle in.

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Ever since he could remember, Saber Frost knew who he was supposed to be. Being raised by his father Cold Steel, his life was surrounded by the Equestrian Guard since he was just a foal. He watched his father rise through the ranks, until he held the title of Captain of the Equestrian Guard.

They were different from Day and Night Guard; ever servants of the royal family. Instead of performing meaningless ceremonial duties, and being easily swept aside by almost any threat, the Equestrian Guard actually protect and serve everypony.

That's what Saber had always been told, and believed. He strove to follow in his father's hoofsteps and become the kind of pony who saved lives, and kept everyone safe. The kind of pony who ensured justice was done.

Cold Steel taught him everything he knew. How to defend himself. How to track down missing ponies. The proper way to care for your gear, and the best methods of investigating crime scenes. How to subdue criminals. How to prioritize during an emergency. How to make necessary sacrifices.

Everything Saber understood about the world, he saw through the same lens. And so, he, and his best friend, a unicorn named Keen Blaze, vowed to become heroes together.

Saber and Keen rose quickly through the ranks. Though Keen was always a few steps ahead, Saber was proud of his accomplishments. Even if his father was disappointed when Keen gained the rank of Lieutenant instead, Saber wasn't competitive. Maybe, part of him preferred to stay in Keen's shadow, where the pressure was less. Supporting his friend, and protecting each other.

But safety never truly lasts. This is a lesson Saber thought he had already learned. It had been drilled into him ever since he was a foal. The reality was, he had never truly known it. Until the day changelings descended down upon Canterlot, taking the castle and incapacitating the Royal Guard.

Spies had already infiltrated the Equestrian Guard, claiming their headquarters and taking several of their own as captives, including Keen Blaze. When the Captain of the Equestrian Guard realized what had happened, it was far too late to recover lost ground.

Changelings swarmed the city, attacking civilian and soldier alike. The princesses were nowhere to be seen. It seemed as though the few brigades of the Equestrian Guard still standing were the only thing left between Canterlot and annihilation. And if Canterlot fell, the rest of Equestria could, too.

So, he came up with a plan to destroy their own headquarters. Doing so would take out the great number of changelings using it as a base of operations and remove access to the catacombs below, stopping the invading army from escaping underground.

Two birds, one stone.

But when he gave the order, Captain Steel was met with resistance for perhaps the first time. Many of the ponies under his leadership had qualms about the hostages still trapped inside, most of whom were sworn members of the Guard, just like them. Companions, and friends.

Cold Steel pointed out that they could very well be changelings, disguised in order to prevent retaliation. And that if not, their comrades' sacrifice would protect the safety of Canterlot and ensure the changeling menace was driven back before the worst came to pass.

But hesitation was natural, wasn't it? Nopony spoke. Until Saber, seeing his father without support, came forward and stood by his words.

After that, more ponies fell in beside him. A tide shifting in favor of the Captain and his plan.

Saber was among the unicorns whose magic took the building down. When it was done, at first, the guard was triumphant. Black, broken carapaces and shattered bug wings signaled their success. The bugs still left alive fled to the other side of the city, leaving the district quiet at last.

But not al the bodies left in the rubble belonged to changelings. The captured ponies had not been fake. Saber was the first to spot burned, brown fur. He forced the wreckage aside, but it was too late. Keen was already dead.

The cheers faded as more and more comrades were found broken and lifeless in the remains. And before the guard could recover enough to take back the rest of Canterlot, a wave of magic exploded from the palace, expelling the invading changelings and rendering the sacrifices made completely, utterly, pointless.

Saber kept staring, half expecting the body of his friend to be wreathed in green flame. For the corpse of a changeling to be revealed instead. But when the bugs were purged from Canterlot, Keen's body remained there, untouched.

Even as several years passed, part of Saber was left behind in that moment. Nightmares and shadows, ever present, almost cemented in his mind by the familiar parapets and streets of Canterlot. And echoing in his father's cold voice and stony expression.

Perhaps that is why Saber chose to leave Canterlot, going over his father's head by giving in to his friends' advice to request reassignment. To a small town Thrift, and two friends he had yet to meet, called home.

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here's an alternate untinted version for color reasons

It was fun getting to write down some of the deeper lore for this silly little au... I will likely do more of this sort of thing in the future. Hope anyone who read all that enjoyed it. I might actually write some stories too, who knows.

p.s. If you're curious, Steel left the kirin village (or some other kirin location) a long time ago. Probably because he had a difference of opinion with them, or didn't have any interest in being 'silenced.'

Saber was born in Canterlot, so he doesn't remember the village or have a connection to his heritage. His mother (an unnamed unicorn) isn't around anymore, and Steel raised Saber by himself.

p.p.s. I uh kinda forgot to mention this but I am working from the idea that there are three factions going on, two of which are Celestia and Luna's respective royal guards, and the other which takes on the role local authorities, militia, etc would fill. Kinda how the Wonderbolts are essentially an air force. The Equestrian Guard might have its headquarters in Canterlot, but it's based throughout Equestria. The Day/Night Guards (who let's face it, are indeed often kind of useless and largely ceremonial) are not Equestria's army, internal security force, or anything; that's where the Equestrian Guard comes in.

[enquire]

On our earlier discussed subject, I really want to describe what my pony headcanons are for each Ultimate and why I believe they’d be suited to that species. I’m interested to see how much you agree.

Mitsuhiro Higa: Earth stallion with a rough, muscular build, given his talent. Earth ponies are typically portrayed as being in-tune with nature and having an advantage over Pegasi and unicorns when it comes to strength, and Mitch’s talent would require him to have physical strength and endurance, would it not?

Kiyoka Maki: Earth mare. Kiyoka’s talent is shooting, which sounds like it could be helpful for the type of lifestyle that earth ponies tend to live.

Kizuna Tomori: Earth mare. Honestly, I could see Kizuna as a Pegasus too, as her talent is related to performing stunts (which pegasi sometimes do as a profession), but I still choose earth pony because they can also perform much of the same athletic stuff that pegasi can.

Ayame Hatano: Pegasus mare 100%. She’s the Ultimate Sprinter since she’s the fastest runner, so what if her pony counterpart had the title of being the fastest flyer? 👀 (We got Rainbow Dash 2.0 up in the chat.)

Kanata Inori: earth mare. Her being a unicorn crossed my mind, but I was reminded of Nurse Redheart from Friendship Is Magic and I couldn’t dispel the association, so there ya go.

Kakeru Yamaguchi: Unicorn stallion. See, lawyers are typically pretty smart people, and unicorns are often stereotypes as the brainiacs of the pony world, so it checks out for me. I imagine he’d have a Big Mac-like body build as well, given how swole he is in canon.

Kinji Uehara: Unicorn stallion. ‘Nuff said.

Haruhiko Kobashikawa: Pegasus stallion. His talent pertains to aircraft and Pegasi fly. That’s it.

Satsuki Iranami: Earth mare. She’s basically the DRA version of Pinkie Pie, and I knew it’d be wrong to make her anything else.

Yamato Kisaragi: Unicorn stallion. He’s a genius; unicorns are smart. That’s it.

Mikako Kurokawa: Unicorn mare. Her talent vaguely relates to magic and spirituality, and unicorns are the only breed capable of that power.

Teruya Otori: Earth stallion. He reminds me of Pipsqueak from Friendship Is Magic.

Rei Mekaru: Unicorn mare. Does this really need an explanation?

Tsurugi Kinjo: Unicorn stallion. I could honestly see him being a Pegasus due to their speed, strength, and ferocity, but him being a unicorn reflects his intellect and philosophical side.

Yuki Maeda/Utsuro: Earth stallion. Yuki is considered a generic, bland kid with no real interesting qualities or talent. Earth ponies are the most basic form of pony and lack the magical capabilities of their unicorn and Pegasi counterparts, so it only makes sense to me he’d be a generic earth pony.

Akane Taira: Earth mare. Earth ponies are better suited to labor than the others, and what’s Tiara’s talent, if not to serve others?

I hope you enjoyed!

woah an ask! And being rambled to about dra ponies no less!!

Anyway, I think I had similar thoughts for most of these, I'll go ahead and respond to each of these...

Mitsuhiro Higa: I was between earth pony and pegasi for both him and Ayame. I considered making him a pegasus, and possibly going with the idea that he would be capable of filling both pegasi and earth pony type roles (in terms of sports, I mean) but honestly I think earth pony definitely suits him more. Strength and endurance are pretty crucial for football. Or uh, hoofball, I suppose.

Kiyoka Maki: I thought about making her a unicorn in order to have her specialize in projectile spells, but being a unicorn didn't really fit and yeah, I agree. She's one of the only members of Class 79 that seems to have a fairly ordinary home life and life in general (despite her talent) and is a lot more down to earth (haha down to earth) I think that makes earth pony the best choice. And also, earth ponies probably use tools and weapons more often as they're kind of at a disadvantage, so it fits with being a weapons expert or markspony.

Kizuna Tomori: I'll be honest, I haven't thought about where Kizuna fits in or what kind of pony she would be yet. I can't decide if a pegasi or earth pony would be better. One aspect of it that I feel like hasn't been mentioned is that pegasi characters can be more expressive or energetic (this is part of why I made Yamato a pegasi as well) I think the ability to gesture with wings could potentially fit cheering, but I do see earth pony too. Cheerleading does require strength. I'm not sure.

Ayame Hatano: I was in between pegasi and earth pony for her but you've sold me yup this makes sense. Speed = pegasi, and now we can have a rainbow dash esque character too. (Thrift is our Rarity equivalent in a lot of ways haha)

Kanata Inori: Another one of the characters I've not gotten to as much, but I wanted her to be an earth pony too. Even though a unicorn with healing magic crossed my mind, I definitely had the same feeling. Also, now that I think about it, all the doctors that come to my mind first are earth ponies. Besides Redheart, I think Ponyville's vet, and the male pediatrician in town are both earth ponies too.

Kakeru Yamaguchi: I also haven't spent much time on Kakeru yet, but unicorn is my immediate instinct too because of him being a lawyer, yeah. Definitely would be a buff pony too I think. I might have made him a kirin, considering his lawyeral persona and connection to flame, but not sure I want to have another kirin alongside Saber (even if he's only half) and his dad. Hmm... that being said, it could fit in with others perceiving him as scary... argh now I'm undecided again haha.

Kinji Uehara: Yup. He's pretty curious, thoughtful, and insightful. All of those suit being a unicorn. And I picture him having light-related spells, and his magic color being like candelight or a yellow shade. Only doubt here is that if he had wings, he could have more angel motifs, I suppose.

Haruhiko Kobashikawa: Yep yep. He has to have wings, without question. And pegasi are often more energetic and lively, which suits him.

Satsuki Iranami: I haven't decided on her either, but yeah that was kind of my initial response too! for the same reasons... I think her having some level of earth pony shenanigans going on would suit her, and yeah. Pinkie pie. What else can I say.

Yamato Kisaragi: Yamato's creativity and intelligence almost made me give him a horn. But so many of the cast I gave the unicorn status to already, I did so because of this kind of reasoning, and it felt like there were too many of them. I landed on pegasus because of how pegasi characters are sometimes shown to be more energetic and excitable, and because I liked the idea of him being able to use wings as extra 'hands'/using them expressively. That being said, I still see the unicorn idea 100% here.

Mikako Kurokawa: I am currently trying to figure Mikako out for this AU. I at first, thought unicorn too, for the same reasons, but I did consider her being an earth pony as the idea of her being a magic or spiritual specialist (and having talent in that) despite not being a unicorn, kinda meshes with the excorcist/supernatural aspect when you stick it into MLP. I think I'm more leaning toward unicorn though, as I couldn't really pin that idea down into something I felt like worked well enough. There aren't a lot of examples (besides pinkie...) of earth pony magic manifesting as other things besides strength, but earth pony magic tying into her abilities was what I was going for. Like sensing ghosts, reading minds/thoughts by vibe... I'm not sure. Like I said, I never really pinned it down, so probably going to make her a magic user. And bonus, her brother asking her to do various spells or otherwise helping him test stuff while inventing would be fun.

Teruya Otori: I was tempted to make him a unicorn for the funny factor but yeah he's definitely an earth pony. Also while I didn't consider pipsqueak while making him they're both small and pintos so I see that haha. Also I kept Thrift short even after growing up too lol. (all the ponies in this AU are adults, like the mane 6 because it fits better for my purposes) I just... I wanted him to draw him tiny and adorable. Also it's kind of fun to have one of the crafty/creative ones be an earth pony.

Rei Mekaru: Absolutely. I think it speaks for itself.

Tsurugi Kinjo: Agreed. While Tsurugi is strong-willed and strong-bodied, I felt his intelligence and mindset suited unicorn more. And of course, the half-kirin thing came later, and I fell in love with that, so. Also, I think being a unicorn suits his combat style more (magic can be used for precision attacks, shielding, and restraining enemies). Pegasi also strike me as being more free, or fluid, which Tsurugi most definitely is not. I suppose his stubbornness, difficulties with change, and rigid mindset, are the main thing you could say earth pony would align with, but yeah I still think unicorn was the best choice.

Yuki Maeda/Utsuro: 100% on Utsuro. He should be ordinary looking; it should be weird that anything supernaturally lucky is going on; and that's earth pony. Also he's just... very passive and not energetic. And being able to fly doesn't seem right for his personality/story to me either.

The only reason I made (the real) Yuki a unicorn is because I had made (DRA1) Yuki one, and I think I'm going to go back on that... I edited him without the horn and it just fits better I think.

As for (DRA1) Yuki, all I'll say is there are reasons I gave them all separate designs. (and a reason I did what I did with the Clover Shores designs) I'll wait until later to get into that. I have plans to drop some more in depth lore and things like that as I go. There are reasons I made him a unicorn. I will also say, he doesn't have any special skill with magic and mainly just uses it to pick things up.

Akane Taira: Hmm. This is a good argument. I sort of chose pegasi on a whim. I wanted more pegasi in the cast, and felt like it suited her aesthetic. However, being an earth pony is certainly associated more with lower social status in MLP and I didn't even think of the labor aspect. I'm not necessarily tied to her being a pegasus, but I do like the idea of her using her wings while performing her duties, maybe even using them to help her dust or things like that. I also have this silly image in my head of her carrying Kismet around which might have influenced this a little. (plus, if ayame is also a pegasi they could fly together which is nice)

Phew, that's all of my thoughts so far!

You got me thinking about this more. Especially the ones I haven't thought as much about yet. None of the undesigned ponies are set in stone yet, and I may change my mind about some of this once I get to designing them lol. Also, I am thinking about the characters roles in this AU and their relationships when I pick their races, too. Plus the whole numbers thing, which makes me a little picker about who gets to be a unicorn because I want to include earth ponies and pegasi too ofc.

(I also didn't even get too much into some of them being non-pony races, either... I kind of want a few more, and I do have some ideas on who and which ones...) But I'll hold off on that for now, or I'll keep going forever here lol.

Thanks for leaving an ask, I hope you enjoyed my ramblings. :)

I didn't have my asks open before (oops) but asks are totally welcome, especially about this au or any other ones I may post about.