Professor Search's Logbook

by Croswynd

Novell Light

There are few beings in the world who are as intriguing as Novell Light.

I recently met the young pegasus pony on an expedition near the humble town of Hoofington. Since then, Novell has managed to save my life several times through a combination of bravery and intelligence in situations that would paralyze lesser beings.

His coat is the color of new-fallen snow, while his mane is a stark contrast of deep brown, a fact that led me to save his life at one point. Flying through a snowstorm with a white coat is a recipe for disaster, let me tell you.

But I digress. Aside from his physical appearance, Novell demonstrates a peculiar blend of naivety and intelligence, one that often causes him to come up with solutions to problems others would fail to conjure. As a result, Novell comes across as an excellent tactician—one who also happens to listen to the advice of his compatriots before making decisions. In fact, while it may not be a weakness, per se, his reliance on others to formulate his plans could lead to him floundering if others are not around to help him.

In contrast to his quick-thinking, Novell is rather weak physically, a trait I have no doubt he inherited from his mother. While not as prone to being blown away at the slightest breeze as she, Novell is easy to overpower, evidenced by several occasions where he has overestimated his ability to plan against unpredictable beings.

Overall, however, his naivety has slowly eroded in the face of several traumatic and unforseen events. He has, regrettably, experienced far too much for a pony his age, though I do believe it has made him more confident in himself, as he realizes he is not as useless as he once thought.

Of course, for one without a cutie mark, such thoughts are understandable. I suppose I should have mentioned his most distinguishing feature first, but after our travels, I've come to realize that the mark on one's flank is not necessarily as important as the pony who does or does not wear it.

Still, it does bother him not to have a physical manifestation of his purpose, though I do have my suspicions on what exactly that is.

As his friend, I will do my utmost to help him achieve his place in life.

~Professor Search

Author's Note:

When I first started writing Unmarked, I thought of an intriguing prospect—what if there were an adult pony who did not have a cutie mark? I had never heard of anything like this, so naturally, I decided it was enough to base a story on it. Apparently that worked, since Unmarked is now the longest story I've ever written.

To be honest, there's a lot of me in Novell. His coat and hair color combinations mirror my own in real life and his problem, that of not knowing where his place in the world was, was one I shared. You could argue that he is a self-insert, though I tried to differentiate him somewhat. Obviously only the people who know me would be able to tell right of the bat, but still, the point remains.

He's also not even my favorite character, to be honest. I've written better. Novell is just so... me, two years ago. I was pretty bad then. Still, Novell's been growing up throughout Unmarked. He's had to, with events playing out as they have been. The sequel will put him through even more trials, bereft of certain ponies who he normally relies on.

Overall, though, I've treated him more like a vessel to tell the story than an actual character. I'll work on that.