#her build is based off of Rockhoof's like body type i guess

[dailypearldoodles]

Day 118

Empires!Pearl but ponyfied! The empress of the Gilded Helianthia herself!

I styled this after those stylized illustrations of the Pillars, at first I wanted to use the style from like the first episode and from the Journal of the Two Sisters, but I couldn’t find any good refs and also this one gives me more room for detail. 

Legend has it that she was originally an earth pony who cultivated a barren land for years before it became the city it is now. She singlehandedly protected her land and her people from a demon that terrorized many of the nations elsewhere. In gratitude, the land she raised made her an alicorn. Although she only rules over one city (more of a city-state actually), she is well respected across the other nations and her city is home to the best crops throughout the land.

Also she has a sword. I didn’t want to cover up her cutie mark but the belt is where her sword and scabbard would be. She usually still uses her mouth to wield it out of habit, but she’s skilled in magic as well.

After centuries of prosperous years, the Gilded Helianthia fell along with many of the other nations around it. The empress spent her last moments making sure all of her people were safe away from the calamity, and died next to a good friend. It is said that her life force was tied to the land itself. When her land burned to the ground, she burned along with it.

Some ponies say that if you find where the Gilded Helianthia once was, you’ll find a small farm with the healthiest crop you’d ever seen, surrounded by the loving, flourishing land.

But it’s all just an old mare’s tale, isn’t it?