OC: Onyx Quill

[Onyx Quill]

 Name: Onyx Quill
 Type: Earth Pony
 Gender: Stallion
 Age: About 26
 Cutie Mark: A Quill and Inkwell


 From a young age, Onyx Quill was always fascinated by his grandfather's stories about fighting dragons in distant lands. His grandfather told stories of daring battles against long odds, and of fighting to protect his home. They provided a great way to pass the time on the small farm where Onyx lived.
 
 Little Onyx was always full of wanderlust and curiosity about the world. He often liked to run off from the farm and hop trains to distant towns and cities. This, of course, got him in big trouble with his parents. He also loved reading and, most of all, writing his own stories.

 The happiness of his youth was short-lived, however. When he was sixteen, his family's beet farm failed after a series of bad harvests. They were forced to leave Onyx's foalhood home in Hoofsdell and move into a homeless shelter in Hoofington. His relationship with his parents, Agate Spade and Juniper Sunrise, became especially strained during this time. He was in his rebellious "teenage" years, and their desperate financial situation made for some serious arguments and a lot of  hurt feelings.

 Around this time, the Great War began when Germaney invaded Prance to avenge their King. Princess Celestia declared war on the Germanes, and pledged to stand against their acts of aggression. Patriotic fervor was running high in the major cities of Equestria.

 In the Fall of 1914 (1314 by the Equestrian Calendar) Onyx decided he couldn't handle living in the homeless shelter anymore. Despite his parents' objections, he left for Canterlot in Leaf's Fall (September) of that year. For four months, he kept himself busy, fed, and off the streets by working various odd jobs. He saw various recruiting drives for the Equestrian Army, and heard news from the front. Thousands of ponies, mares and stallions from the ages of 17 to 40, were joining from all over Equestria.
 Onyx himself gave little thought to joining the army at that point. Coming from an isolated farming village, he'd never been especially patriotic. The goings-on in Canterlot were of little interest to the farm ponies of Hoofsdell. Places like Germaney and Prance might as well have been on another planet.

 After Hearth's Warming 1314, Onyx was running short of money. Faced with the prospect of going back to the poor house in Hoofington, he joined the army shortly after New Years 1315 (1915). He went through basic training at Fort Hurricane near Canterlot. After passing, he was assigned to C Company of the 5th Royal Fusiliers. His unit arrived in Prance, Sun Solstice (June) 1315 (1915). They trained for six months for front line service. Onyx's first deployment to the trenches was in New Dawn (January) 1916, during the Battle of Amel. He took part in an ill-fated patrol and had to take control of the situation when his Sergeant and Corporal were both killed. For his actions, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. At Amel, he also took part in an attack on the Germane lines. He was promoted to full Corporal shortly after the unit was relieved.

 Onyx's unit took part in the bloodletting at the Battle of the Selle in Sun's Fire (July) 1916. C Company was part of the first wave that attacked the Germane lines at Bridemont Redoubt. Though they captured and held their objective, the cost was woefully high. Out of 154 ponies in C Company before the first two days, only 47 were still able-bodied when the 5th Royal Fusiliers were relieved on 3rd of Sun's Fire. Onyx lost several friends in that first battle. The 1st-2nd of Sun's Fire were the worst days of the war for him to that point. 

 The Battle of the Selle went on for over three more months. During that time, 5th Fusiliers took part in several more important combat actions. Particularly at the Battle for Passendell in Leaf's Fall (September) 1916.
 The war was far from over...

 5th Fusiliers were rushed to the front in Snowfall (December) 1916 when Germaney launched their desperate Winter Offensive. On a ridge in a forest called the Wood of Shadow, 5th Fusiliers made a brilliant stand against the enemy. Cut off from resupply and surrounded on three sides, they held out for over a week against constant mortar and artillery fire. They faced several large attacks from the Germane enemy, but never broke.
 Onyx, a Sergeant by this time, was instrumental in keeping his unit's morale up and organizing defenses.

 Onyx would later serve in the last battles of the war in mid-1917. Germaney's army had crumbled due to mismanagement and mutiny. Their "slain" King hadn't been slain after all, and returned from imprisonment.
After the Armistice between the King, Celestia, and the Empress of Prance, 5th Fusiliers got sent to Helheim Island to root out holdouts loyal to the Germane Usurper.

 In many ways, the Battle of Helheim was the worst, most horrific battle of the war. Onyx might occasionally talk about the Selle or Wood of Shadows, but NEVER Helheim...

 After the last battle, Onyx served on occupation duty in Germaney itself for a few months before 5th Fusiliers were sent home.
 For several years now, he has traveled Equestria as a wandering storyteller/writer. He keeps himself busy to avoid thinking about the war. He has slowly started to come to terms with his experiences, and may talk about what he went through in the war to close friends.

[Onyx Quill]

 When you first meet him, he comes across as friendly but shy. He's a bit of a jokester/prankster. As ponies get to know him better, they find out about his love of books, reading, and making new stories. Most of the time, he's happy.

[Onyx Quill]

M

[Onyx Quill]

 This is what he looks like.

[Onyx Quill]

 Name: Selle
 Type: Earth Pony
 Age: About 17
 Cutie Mark: A Fleur de Lis.
 Talent: Art
 Appearance: Cream white coat, lavender mane.



 Young Selle hails from Prance (France). She's a recent immigrant to Manehattan, after losing most of her family and friends in the Great War between Prance and Germaney.

She comes across as shy, at first, due mostly to her discomfort with the Equestrian language. When speaking her native Prench, she's much less shy. Once you get to know her, she becomes incredibly honest about her feelings and opinions. Often abruptly so. She has a good sense of humor, and a generous spirit.

[Onyx Quill]

Here's Selle

[Onyx Quill]

(Can't get Selle's picture to show up))

[Onyx Quill]

 Name: Dewshine
 Type: Unicorn
 Age: 29
 Cutie Mark: A gold star on a dark blue background
 Talent: Combat Magic
 Appearance: Aqua coat with a lime green mane.

 At first glance, she looks like a rather beautiful unicorn noble. She carries herself with an easy grace. Hailing from a minor noble family in Canterlot, her dream was always to attend Princess Celestia's magic school, but she was never quite good enough with magic to get in. She joined the army shortly after the war between Prance and Germaney broke out. She first worked in a posting behind the front lines, but soon was assigned to a combat unit after front line units took heavy losses in the early battles of the war.


 Dewshine is fearless. A veteran of the Great War, she took everything it could throw at her and threw it right back.

[Onyx Quill]

Here's Dewshine