Tender Heartsong

He is an Ascended Alicorn with an orange-brown coat and mahogany mane. Hi s form is large and buff, unlike most alicorns. Ten has black hooves, bright reddish eyes, and a b road face.

Hi s cutie mark is a single red heart, surrounded by pink then gold. In the center is a white music note.

Backstory
Tender Heartsong was originally an Earth Pony from Galloppolis. He was always huge for his age, but tended to look after the smaller foals rather than pick on them. In fact, he even got his cutie mark by standing up for a small unicorn foal who was being picked on, by using his words and not resorting to brute force. Someponies say that very foal was Crimson Reign himself, but it has not been confirmed or denied. His cutie mark at the time was a simple red heart with a gold music note inside of it.

Ten grew up working deliveries for his parents, and for other ponies. He could easily haul wagons and carts, and had no problem taking the weight or the time to do things right. In his teen years, he would even cart around elder ponies to where they needed to go. Many times he would even help Seahorse Ponies back to the waters when it rained, and kept their secrets as well.



One day he left home to go to Ponyville, having received a letter from his childhood sweetheart and penpal, Cheerilee who needed help, worrying as the conflicts of politics and racism began to spread. By the time he arrived in Ponyville, it was too late... and he found the place ransacked and torn through discrimination, and no sign of Cheerilee. Tender Heartsong stayed there, helping to rebuild, and taking charge of some of the fixings himself, trying to restore the town, and always hoping Cheerilee would return.. or that he would at least find out what happened to her. As the town began to rebuild itself, Ten came across little ponies with no homes and nopony to love them and care for them. One by one, he began to take them in. As he took them in, he also added on to his little shack, which grew and grew into the shape of a horseshoe and would become known as the Ponyville Orphanage. It is said that many of those who have rebuilt Ponyville were once cared for and raised by Tender Heartsong at that very orphanage.

Word spread of the orphanage and eventually, the inevitable happened. Little foals began to come on their own, sometimes carts at a time from different locations. Then Ten's life changed forever. A wagon's wheel broke when going down an old downhill road, sending the wagon spinning out of control towards the quarry. Tender Heartsong was strong, but not fast and raced after the wagon, which had a group of street ponies in it from Manehatten. Pegasi tried to help lasso and stop the wagon, but they lacked the strength. Ten managed to get alongside the wagon and slow it by ramming his side into it, and ultimately get in the front of it and stomp down, using his body to brace it. Little colts and fillies tumbled from the wagon in the process. While they had minor scrapes, their lives were safe... save for one. A small filly went over the cliffside, and ended up stranded on a large teetering boulder. It was thrown off balance from her weight. No matter how hard the little pegasus filly tried, she couldn't fly yet. And the pegasi who helped stop the wagon weren't going to make it to her on time...

Tender Heartsong had only a moment to decide as he saw the boulder tilting, and the little filly struggling to not fall. Battered and bruised, the earth pony stallion leapt down, slamming his weight into the boulder. Like a catapult, his weight would force one end down, and send the filly up into the air. He watched as she went up and over the cliffside to safety, while he began falling among the rocks. It was assumed he fell to his death.

Ascension
Tender Heartsong found himself floating rather than falling, and opened his eyes to see a brilliant, bright colorful sight. He still describes it as pure magic, and a true sense of love and care, pure warmth of the soul. He remembers a female voice speaking to him, singing.. but nothing else, and doesn't remember what she said.

A group of mares and stallions braved the quarry paths to go retrieve Ten's body for proper burial and memorial, as was only right. What they found though was no earth pony. Tender Heartsong was laying on his side with a set of magnificent wings and a horn, though unconscious. His cutie mark had changed also, gaining layers of colors outlining the red heart and the music note had turned white.

He was carried off to the Ponyville Hospital, where he woke to a bunch of clinging fillies and colts, lots of hand-made cards and gifts, and looks of awe and shock. He was the first alicorn seen since the disappearance of the Royals. Crimson Reign even appeared, and had a private word with him... However, that didn't alter Tender Heartsong any. While many expect him to take over as a Prince, he hasn't.. In fact, Ten had only returned to caring for the young at his Orphanage. He has shown no interest in politics or challenge, but he does use his newfound abilities to better care for his charges, and he has appointed himself a Protector of Ponyville. His foal lullabies have also been of huge help, soothing the little ones of their nightmares and helping them to sleep since Princess Luna isn't around to watch over their dreams.