Dissonance Art Blog 6: Heroes of ages past · 11:51pm Jul 29th, 2019
So here for a change some past characters: Obsidian and Verba's old companions. I enjoyed the freedom of designing their armor, as here I didn't have to stick to the canon armors from the show, which I'm not a big fan of.
Starting with Diamond Dust, we have a heavy armor, a mix of chain and plate. I was pleasantly surprised with how imposing the "shoulder pads" make her look. ( I hesitate to call them so, because a horse's shoulders are elsewhere entirely. The way they're attached, they're more like armbands, except she doesn't have arms either). Normally certain level of magic makes armor redundant, but Diamond Dust is a dedicated support, both prone to being preoccupied with her teammates, and becoming a primary target. If I were to give her more protection, the next point would probably be a faceplate, as the eyes are a major week spot for Equestrian ponies. As she relies entirely on magic, she doesn't carry any weapon - though at one point I designed horn blades for unicorns, a sort of bayonet mounted on the forehead of the helmet.
Shooting Star and Winter Gem wear lighter, though still elaborate armor, more suited for extended periods of quick movement that their tasks often require. Shooting Star's Loyalty is actually socketed into his face plate, serving as a magical prostetic eye in addition to its normal powers. Just like Obsidian, and all the other non-unicorns in the unit, he also bears runic tattoos, increasing the versatility of his innate magic.
The blades on his bracers are angled for thrusting down, at an angle that allows him to stand on the ground, but would be very uncomfortable for walking. They're designed almost exclusively for pegasi. A similar blade for a unicorn or an earth pony would be angled upwards instead, allowing his kick to stab into the opponent's belly.
Finally, Surprise wears a much simpler armor, with several small, unadorned plates over a gambeson. This is because she's primarily a scout, and her armor is often either changed or painted with camouflage - elaborate embossings would only needlesly complicate matters. This also explains a helmet with unprotected ears, sacrificing protection for improved auditory perception.
While Shooting Star is yet to appear in any of my works, all the girls have short scenes in Tales of a Hidden World book 2.
