Birthday Bios: Herald Angel

Hark! The Herald Angel sings!

…what? It’s as good of a pun as any, it’s one of my favorite carols, and my Christmas celebration isn’t over (still have a get-together with Dad’s side of the family—since I have a lot of older cousins on that side that are married and have kids of their own, we’ve decided that Christmas Day is the we stick to our immediate families and the 26th be the get-together—thus, I have an extra day of Christmas!). Herald was created out of a dumb Christmas joke anyway.

But, nonetheless, it’s his turn for a bio.

Herald Angel was born in Neighton, Salt Lick Valley, to Moonlight Silvermane and Cloudburst, preceded by older siblings Silver Lining, Dewdrop, and Electra. His family consisted of mainly pegasi, with only his mother and sister Dewdrop being earth ponies instead. And having just celebrated their Hearth’s Warming that year, they were extra cheery in greeting the newest member of the family.

Herald was a very sweet little colt from day one, but was also very timid. It was fairly common for him to whimper and cry when meeting a new pony for the first time, and it often took a lot of convincing for him to warm up to the new pony. While his cries were usually kind of quiet, he did have strong lungs that were capable of screaming if he wanted to. He was just not all that fond of attention, especially from the abrasive Electra.

However, his mother discovered a way for him to shake off his natural skittishness: trick him into singing a nursery rhyme. When little Herald was coerced into singing, he’d forget all his fears and let the tune carry him away into bliss. She always made sure to tell him that when he was nervous, he should sing himself a little song to make himself feel better. He heeded that advice, though his songs were just under his breath whenever he was in public.

He dreaded the first day of school when it arrived. A new setting with too many new faces was high on his list of things he didn’t like. He wasn’t allowed to sing in class, even to himself, so he was completely frozen in his seat in class. He could only squeak during role call, and blushed when he was laughed at.

Lucky for him, a little unicorn filly named Kindly Light decided to approach him at lunchtime and share her cookie with him. She did most of the talking, but she did come over with the express purpose of getting to know her new classmate, especially one that was all alone. In asking him about his favorite things and making him laugh at one point, she had managed to make Herald comfortable at school.

Now, he typically didn’t play with the other foals unless Kindly invited him along. Most of the nicer foals didn’t know what to make of him, and there were always the classic schoolyard bullies, so he was still nervous around them. An episode with Kindly trying to invite the grumpy Flora Peace into a playground game ended with them somehow upsetting her and getting shoved and bitten. Herald did not like that filly, as she just mad for no apparent reason.

Which is why when in third grade, he was confused when she had a change of heart and apologized for being so mean. Thinking it was a trick, he still kept his guard up for a while, and was thankful that he could fly so that he could go up a tree quickly and easily if needed. He was too reticent to convince Kindly to keep her guard up, as the unicorn was prone to forgive easily, so he just waited until Flora slipped up to validate his fears.

But, even when Flora did relapse back into that angry filly, she apologized and kept on trying to be sincerely kind. Herald was amazed, and asked Kindly if she knew why Flora was suddenly trying to be so nice. As it turned out, her brother got into a terrible accident, and it made her realize how much of a meanie she was being to him and others, so she was trying to fix everything that she could.

It took a bit for Herald to warm up to Flora, but he soon found that he liked her new attitude, and that she was fun to play with now. As a matter of fact, she had turned around enough for most of the class to accept her. Though Herald was still the quiet one, he still participated as much as he could.

With his family and his friends Kindly Light and Flora Peace encouraging him, Herald mustered up the courage to participate in the class talent show, and amazed the class with the fullest extent of his singing talent. He never quite realized how angelic his voice sounded until then, and letting himself and all his loved ones know was what led to his cutie mark.

Now, he was content on just joining foal’s choirs and singing in those until he was old enough to join Salt Lick City’s Tabernicker Choir—having the spotlight on just him once was enough, and he didn’t think he’d be able to sing for a large crowd by himself. Plus, he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to handle the pressures of fame. Plus, he wanted to at least have an education uninterrupted by tours.

But, his uncle Windswept Goldenmane, former star and current host of the Shining Vocals competition, had other ideas when he learned of the young pegasus’ talent. He suddenly started being close to him, citing that “we’re both singers, so we can talk” and tried to talk about the benefits of fame and fortune. Herald was confused, since Windswept hadn’t really cared before. He tried to express what he really wanted, but was cowed into accepting that maybe Uncle Windswept knew better, since he was older.

This went on through Herald’s adolescence, between events like the family moving to Salt Lick City (his father got a promotion; Herald still kept touch with Kindly and Flora), his brother Silver Lining’s wedding (and later, his sister Dewdrop’s), and awards won by family for excellence. Herald dreaded special events, where Windswept would swing by and hammer it into his head that the life of being a famous singer adored by millions was the life, and that there was no need to hide.

By the time Herald was an adult, Windswept had dragged him into many events that would shine a light on Herald’s talents, threatening him with some sort of harm to a personal item if he did not cooperate. Herald always felt sick to his stomach at performing at these small and rowdy venues, and didn’t like being forced to be around some rather lewd individuals. He at least tried to maintain control by choosing what he wanted to sing, and he was going to sing something clean, dang it!

At last, Windswept made him audition for the Shining Vocals in Las Pegasus. Herald tried to lose to get away, but unfortunately, he learned that his uncle bribed the judges to have him pass anyway. He tried to protest the unfairness of it all, but Windswept wouldn’t have it, claiming once again that he knew best. Also, Herald should not try to sabotage himself, or else.

So, the main competition was held in the Crystal Empire, and Windswept got dirt on the judges for that year—Windswept’s ex-wife Starsong, Sapphire Shores, and Countess Coloratura. The last one had to cancel for family reasons, but luckily, Cheese Sandwich showed up to replace her just in the nick of time. But, Windswept thought Cheese was an idiot and wouldn’t notice anyway. In any case, Herald was not to tell anypony of the dirt, or else he wouldn’t get to attend school like he wanted. Besides, why would he want to live a normal life anyway and join some namby-pamby choir?

So, Herald kept getting pushed to compete, and merely waited for the blackmail to work its magic each round. He felt awful about the entire thing, but being stuck under Windswept’s hoof made him feel powerless to do anything about it. Making friends with the goofy Nimbus cheered him up a little, but it also made him felt worse because Nimbus, his twin sister Cirrus, and every other contestant was competing fair and square.

However, Windswept’s plot fell apart in the strangest way. Cheese Sandwich’s brother had eavesdropped on a conversation between Windy and the female judges and got tied up and stuck in a closet for it, and his escape somehow led to a melee in the Crystal Stadium that the competition was held in. Seeing the entire mess, Herald’s guilt reached a point where he confessed the plot to Shining Armor and Cadance after they stopped the melee. He led the Crystal Guard to Windswept’s dressing room, where they found the evidence of the blackmail and arresting Windswept.

Herald was free to go home to Salt Lick City, though he took the time to get to know new friends Cirrus and Nimbus, plus their family and the Sandwiches (they were friends with the brother, Tomato). He found their names familiar, but couldn’t quite place where they were from until later, when he corresponded with childhood friend Flora Peace and discovered that they were the friends she made while attending school in Manehattan. He honestly found that hilarious.

Now, he’s preparing to finally get to go to college at Salt Lick’s local university, and he’s the happiest he’s been in years. He has plans to sign up for the choir there, and hopes that he’ll be eligible enough to someday be a part of the Tabernicker Choir.

While he still prefers to blend in and be unseen, he’s a little more open to singing solo.