Cookie Pusher, foreign service officer

1. Lectern’s New and Used Books: Summer Break and Fall Semester
2. Foreign Nationals of Unusual Importance
3. Diplomatic Overtures
4. Mister Cook Goes to Canterlot
5. Talking Heads
6. Virga
7. The Campus (set fifteen years after the end of MLPFIM)

Preliminary note: For purposes of this character description, terminology and references are borrowed from US Department of State practices. As much as possible, however, these are genericized or glossed over in actual storytelling to avoid specific mention of actual nations or other place names, following the lead laid down by the scriptwriters for the Equestria Girls franchise.

Background
After graduating with honors from university, Cookie Pusher applied to become a foreign service officer—a diplomat. He passed the gruelling written exam, oral assessment, and security investigation, and was placed on the hiring register, making him eligible to receive a commission and employment as an FSO. However, no appointment was immediately forthcoming, and he was within a few months of expiring from the register, after the standard eighteen-month eligibility period, when a very unusual assignment came up.
   The rather cryptic assignment offer intrigued him, and with the added pressure of a very real possibility no other assignment would arrive before he expired from the register, he jumped at the opportunity. He would be a political officer, but assigned domestically rather than to a mission abroad, which in itself is very unusual. When he received the full briefing detailing the background of one Sunset Shimmer and the nature of her arrival in his nation, he was flabbergasted but even more interested.
   He began by gathering additional information, interviewing every adult individual he could who had come into extensive contact with Sunset and her newfound friends. After working his way through that list—and reporting everything back—he finally confronted the Human Mane Seven in the backyard at Lectern’s New and Used Books, in a meeting engineered to provide at least a modicum of privacy. He set about allaying their initial wariness with all his considerable charm and eventually became a sincere friend, in a rather avuncular manner. Since then he has kept tabs on them, occasionally acting as an advisor or counselor in one fashion or another.
   Eventually the decision was made at the highest levels to establish diplomatic contact with the nation at the other end of the portal, but selecting a representative to send proved more difficult than usual. The available pool of candidates was limited and not everyone in it would adjust well to passage through the portal, the very existence of which was classified. Somewhat by default, then, Cook (as he prefers to be called) caught the additional assignment of representing his nation to Equestria; in fairness, riding herd on a group of high-schoolers, even magical ones, was not exactly a full-time job.
   The unique difficulties posed by the portal and how it handled access between the two worlds, as well as his youth, resulted in Cook being ranked as a chargé d’affaires en pied instead of a full ambassador. Rather than establish a permanent mission in Canterlot, he would represent his nation from the other side of the portal, communicating or visiting as needed. While unusual, such arrangements are not unheard of in the world of diplomacy, and the princesses understood full well the practicality of the arrangement, endorsing it willingly and apologizing for not sending a mission in return.

Personality
Cook is highly intelligent, witty, and charming—all very necessary traits for a successful diplomat. He also has a somewhat poetic bent that occasionally gets him grief when it finds its way into one of his reports. His sense of humor, while generally good-natured, sometimes can be barbed, and when the situation does not preclude it, he is entirely willing to tease or troll those around him. He is not by nature malicious, though he is not above returning it should it come his way or the way of someone undeserving.
   In general he is confident and quick-thinking, secure in his sense of self and his ability to grasp the world around him. He also is the soul of discretion, and takes his security clearance and diplomatic responsibilities very seriously—even going so far as to learn shorthand and to develop the habit of carrying a pen and notepad. His temper is not short, but is fiery when it does emerge; he does not shout, but does raise his voice.

Appearance
The thirtyish Cook is short and slight, not much taller than the girls and not as strongly built as Applejack or Rainbow Dash. He is not an athlete, but neither is he soft or out of shape. His features are regular and moderately handsome in a youthful leading-man sort of way. For visual reference, think Matthew Broderick in Out on a Limb. His complexion is stone gray and his hair is crisp and dark, cut moderately short and parted on the side. His eyes are disconcertingly pale, making his stare a bit disturbing; he has made an effort to cultivate the effect, finding it useful in a confrontation.
   His wardrobe ranges as widely as he can afford, though by preference he leans toward polo shirts and slacks with loafers. He is likely to have an outfit for almost any occasion, including a tuxedo and an expensively tailored business suit. His eyesight is good (or he wears contacts; undecided) and for sunglasses he uses a pair of rather pricey glacier glasses. He rarely wears headgear except when protocol requires it. He prefers coats over jackets.
   In Equestria he is a unicorn, short and slight for a full-grown stallion, with a color palette similar to Octavia Melody’s other than eyes of a brilliant and very light gray. His magic glow is a pale gray, almost white. His mark is a silver serving tray with three oversize chocolate-chip cookies on it.