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Sketcha-Holic


A goofy little miss that's here to write and draw to her heart's content. Her imagination doesn't know when to shut off.

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  • 78 weeks
    Droppin' By

    Hello, I was in the neighborhood and had just realized that my last blog post was a bit of a downer, given that it was around the time of my Grandma's passing and funeral. I think I oughta leave you folks with something a bit more upbeat or at least something neutral.

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    1 comments · 312 views
  • 105 weeks
    Okay

    Thanks to those who gave condolences on my last blog post.

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    0 comments · 271 views
  • 106 weeks
    Venting

    Been dealing with a lot of stress and heartache the past couple of weeks.

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    2 comments · 299 views
  • 108 weeks
    Who Wants to See Babies?

    I'm just poppin' in to talk about our livestock.

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    2 comments · 272 views
  • 117 weeks
    And Now, A Newsletter

    Huh, back in July I said I oughta talk more around here. It's now the day after Christmas and I have not, in fact, talked more around here.

    So, I'll give you the rundown on what I've been up to since then. Warning, it gets a little long in talking about last summer's vacation and about a new fixation I have.

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    0 comments · 247 views
Mar
11th
2016

Birthday Bios: Jasper Horseshoe · 2:40pm Mar 11th, 2016

I based this scoundrel on Flynn Rider from Tangled. Which is funny because that character was being chased by a horse for a good chunk of the movie, and Jasper here… is a horse.

Now, let’s see what the story behind Bluejinx’s father is.


Jasper Horseshoe was born in Ponyville to humble grain farming ponies Spade Plow and Misty Hill, preceded in birth by his brother Builder Bud by a couple of years. While growing up, he could easily be described as mischievous, galloping off to adventure ever since he learned to run.

There had always been comparisons between him and Bud. Bud was the serious and responsible brother, while Jasper was the carefree and spirited brother. Bud was the well-behaved student with the high marks; Jasper was the troublemaker that didn’t care about school. Bud made sure the farm thrived and helped build new houses in Ponyville; Jasper often left to try to explore the Everfree forest, always having somepony rush him out before something snagged him. Bud was the heir; Jasper was the spare.

Jasper hated being compared to his older brother, feeling like that there was literally no point to his existence if ponies were just praising Bud for everything. Even getting his cutie mark didn’t change things, with local bullies mocking it and telling him his destiny is to “get out of town” (he got it by outrunning a bear). With big brother being an innovative builder destined to help Ponyville grow and little brother just having a talent of galloping, there was no point in Jasper sticking around.

So, when he was just a teenager, Jasper ran away from Ponyville.

He wandered aimlessly, unsure of where he wanted to go. All he had brought were the thick vest on his back, a small bag of food and bits, and a canteen. He had run out of food by the time he walked to the San Palomino Desert, and when his canteen ran out, he nearly died of dehydration.

Ironically, a band of outlaws that were planning to rob him decided instead to help the poor boy. Led by a mare named Roanie, the gang brought him to their hideout, where they nursed him back to health. Jasper was grateful for their moment of kindness, though he was a little unnerved by the fact that he now had a debt to pay, and his bag of bits wasn’t enough. So, he figured that he’d repay the debt by joining the gang.

At first he didn’t like that their schtick was traveling across Equestria to rob ponies of their treasures. However, Roanie and her husband Peppermint Stride convinced him that it was their way of sticking it to the uppity ponies of privilege, who had screwed each member of the gang one too many times. Remembering his own childhood of being overlooked in favor of his brother, Jasper found himself agreeing with that sentiment. He was a troublemaker anyway; best make it a career.

For the next several years, each robbery he was involved in was truly an adventure, and made good use of his galloping talent. Whether it’d be chasing a stagecoach, ambushing somepony in the woods or slipping into a small town bank and making off with the loot, Jasper would feel a thrill in his body. He always outran the authorities of each town they came across, enough that he had reason to brag about it. He never laid a hoof on anypony, but he never stopped any of the gang members from beating those ponies they robbed. He didn’t care; nopony cared about him, so why should he care about anypony else?

It all changed for him one day when the gang attacked a group of five outside of Nickerlite, thinking that it’d be easy pickings. It was a big mistake, as they were overpowered by the group’s two large stallions, as well as stabbed repeatedly by a feisty unicorn mare with a pencil.

Jasper, however, ended up face to face with one of the prettiest mares he had ever seen, getting lost in a pair of eyes that reminded him of chocolate. Unfortunately, the mare he was staring at was the younger sister of the pencil wielder, and he got stabbed a few times before he was grabbed by a larger pony. Much to his dismay, Roanie and the gang had retreated, abandoning him to whatever fate awaited him.

He was sentenced to working on the Pie Rock Farm, under the eye of Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz. Among other convicted criminals, he was stuck doing the tedious work of chiseling, sorting, and rotating rocks, all the while kicking himself for getting caught in a stupor like that. He was quiet during his time at the rock farm, seeing as those who misbehaved were shown that the Pies were super strong and could easily break even the largest pony. He’d later remark that the Pies were the scariest ponies he’s ever met.

A few months passed by, and he noticed a little lavender-colored unicorn mare just sitting outside the boundaries of the rock farm, watching him intently. Recognizing her as the one that put him in a trance, he tried to ignore her, blaming her for his misfortune. But he was a little too drawn to that pretty face, and he couldn’t hold a grudge for long. So, whenever Igneous and Cloudy weren’t looking, Jasper talked with her, learning that her name was Violet Verses.

A couple of times, Igneous and Cloudy had to shoo Violet away out of concern for her safety, and at one point, Violet’s sister Purple Prose came just to threaten Jasper with harm if he so much as even touched her sister.

Still, Jasper found himself quite found of Violet’s visits, though he found himself on the receiving end of a heavy scolding when he stated that he missed life with the bandits. It hit him hard when Violet outright stated that he nearly robbed her (and she possibly could have gotten killed in that attack); how would that have affected her had he gotten away? Because whatever the answer was, there were a lot of ponies dealing with the hurt arising from the bandits’ selfishness, including Jasper’s.

Jasper thought a lot about it the next few months, realizing that most of the ponies his gang had come across didn’t deserve it just because they were “privileged”. And seeing as the gang never came back for him, it hurt to remember that their one act of kindness toward him had a price. And for the first time in a long time, he wondered if his actual family missed him.

After about a year of doing his duty on the rock farm, he was released for good behavior, and his first action was to go to Ponyville to see his family again. Once there, he discovered that they had indeed been hurt by his disappearance, and he was welcomed home with open arms. His brother especially was happy to see him, and went on to teach him about construction, which Jasper used when returning to Nickerlite. He and Bud even worked together to build a house for him to live in.

While he and Violet would flirt when crossing paths, he didn’t go too far out of fear of Purple Prose. After all, she still didn’t trust him after his years of banditry, and he was going to have to earn her respect before courting Violet. Between fixing wagons, repairing roofs, and helping build homes, Jasper worked to prove that he had turned over a new leaf and was making an honest living. Five years passed before Purple relented and let him marry her sister, and put in a good word for him with the rest of the family.

Jasper had a tendency to treat his wife like a delicate little flower, which Violet switched from drinking in her “princessdom” to being a little annoyed by it. It only grew worse when she got pregnant, and he worried that if the baby was a unicorn, the horn would tear her insides. Violet had to explain that baby unicorn horns were actually covered in soft tissue in the womb, which was taken off after birth—like with hooves.

Their son soon arrived, being nearly the spitting image of Jasper, with the exceptions of the baby being a unicorn and having his mother’s eyes. Jasper was tempted to name the little one Jasper Jr., but Violet turned it down, and instead named him Bluejinx.

Jasper adored his son, and was always proud to show him off to neighbors. He was willing to satisfy the colt’s natural curiosity, and was trying to help him overcome his shyness. Bluejinx was always clinging to his leg whenever father and son went out together, whether it was a short trip to a store or just a picnic outside of town. Even when going to Ponyville to visit his grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousin, Bluejinx still found other ponies intimidating (though he did enjoy playing with his cousin Royal Pin).

Jasper was unsure about having another foal to join then-five-year-old Bluejinx, thinking of his own experience as a colt and not wanting a hypothetical sibling to feel overshadowed by Bluejinx. Violet assured him that they wouldn’t let that happen, as her experience was that of admiring her older sister and being looked out for by her big brother. So, they tried for another, and soon another foal was on the way.

Even though he had settled down, Jasper still had that itch for adventure, and from time to time, he’d go galloping in a nearby field or travel to the mountains to climb them. He usually did so when he wanted to be alone to think, usually involving big news. One particular time had him thinking about how his son would handle being a big brother, and how he couldn’t wait for the moment he and Violet would tell him (they were planning to when she was starting to show). He also wondered if the baby was going to being another colt or a filly.

Then, he took a misstep on the ridge. The fall was too high for him to survive.

Violet was worried when he hadn’t returned home in a few days, and when a search party found his body, she went into deep distress and depression. It was only compounded by a miscarriage not too long after, as well as well-meaning but botched condolences from neighbors. The entire time, Bluejinx was upset and confused over his dad being gone and his mother being so sad.

After the funeral, Violet took her son and moved in with her mother in Manehattan, though Blue worried that his father wouldn’t find him. It took a few more months before it hit him that his dad wasn’t coming to their new home.

Even as an adult with barely any memory of him, Bluejinx still misses his father terribly.

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Comments ( 1 )

Wanderlust is a cruel mistress, as is gravity. Jasper found a place in the world, but a talent in motion tends to stay in motion. At least he left a more positive legacy in his son.

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