#great saber

[zoideramy]

Flair

Zoids HMM Great Saber, Kotobukiya

[I'm really happy with how the sun caught the eye panel on this one!]

[samipekoe]

If you look like this show me your sword

[winepresswrath]

oooh OK i went back to check something for that last ask and was struck again by how much Lan Wangji, Zixuan, and Jiang Cheng trust and respect Mingjue that is their general accept no substitutes. The only good authority figure (Xichen exempted if you're Wangji). And then he does what he believes is right and turns down the big chair, leaving a power vacuum open for Jin Guangshan to exploit.

[pudica]

saber and great egret i drew for a friend! sabird...

[typemoonconfessions]

[dingostrash]

How the scene should've gone

Bonus Saber

[cestacruz]

Listen--

Context BTW if you must

[sinister59]

At last, a piece I can say I'm truly proud of! Rivals of the Holy Grail war! (Version 1)

[swan2swan]

I kinda forgot about this part, but Ben taking on a Smilodon is pretty incredible.

[carldoonan]

This Sugary Li'l Sabrecub: "The tots are pawing at the walls; Hyped up for dear ol' Santy Claus. A year of waiting culminates: Will gifts or coal be in their fate?" 🍪🐯🎁

[zoideramy]

Zoids - HMM Great Saber (Kotobukiya)

Finally got this kit finished, detailed, and photographed! It was sitting in my backlog for far too long, I was honestly kind of dreading it. Being an older design, some parts of the Saber's build are difficult, but it actually wasn't as bad as I was expecting. My only other experience with the HMM Saber Tiger was the bootleg, which of course was frustrating and difficult. Some steps were still finicky and others needed glue and minor sanding, but overall not a bad kit if you've got a little patience and some prior experience. Would not be an HMM I recommend to beginners though, haha!

[splitsabers]

Cal Kestis - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Saber Series: Red

[stromulites]

doodle dump

[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.

[ctommy-chileno]

The person who invented Dance Dance Revolution deserves way more money for creating a way of exercising that isn't incredibly boring

[brightoakgame]

Happy Holidays! I was your Secret Santa this year and I have to say thank you, and bless you, for Marybeth. She is entirely my favourite! Tumblr was giving me a hard time, so I hope you don't mind that I posted it on Twitter @mellodrawmatic :') I hope you like it!

(gorgeous gorgeous art credit to my wildly talented Secret Santa, mellodrawmatic!)

Holy cats holy cats holy cats, I am grinning like a maniac over how perfect and stunning she is!! 🥰 Thank you so very, very much to mellodrawmatic for the absolutely beautiful art, and thank you again as well to @crescencestudio for hosting this delightfully fun exchange!! 🎁

And once more, Happy Holidays to all who celebrate! ✨