Sling Swivel Bio

Name: Sling Swivel
Race: Earth Pony
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Occupation: Farmhand (Green Hoof's Farm)
Home: Green Hoof's Barn
Description:
	Coat Color: Very Light Blue-Gray #7497BF
	Mane/Tail Color: Dark Cerulean Blue #4CBADB
	Hoof Color: Light Purple/Lavender #6E77AF
	Eye Color: Light Blue #0E79A0
Image: http://tinypic.com/r/2vrydxy/8

A bit smaller than the "average" Stallion and perhaps a bit pudgier as well, Sling is not a strong or particularly physically resilient Pony. His eyes are large and quite sensitive to light while his ears are sharp and somewhat animated, turning, twitching and flopping about. Sling's mane is a bit curly and rather unkempt while his tail is similarly wild, though trimmed (poorly) to keep it somewhat manageable. Like his ears, his tail can be just as animated and expressive.

Background:
Born to a middle class family on the US West Coast, Sling dicked around straight out of high school with little direction for a few years. He tried out community college for a time, but didn't sufficiently apply himself and generally found the college environment irritating. Not wishing to be a further burden upon his parents, he considered enlisting in the US Military. With a passion for aviation, he chose the USAF and was accepted after nearly a year of waiting. After completing roughly another years worth of training, including wilderness and water survival courses, Sling earned his Wings as an enlisted aircrew member. This didn't last long, however, and medical issues soon saw his wings clipped.

Luckily retained by the Air Force, despite significant manning cuts, he eventually found himself retrained into a career field concerned with little more than data entry. While it wasn't flying and largely unfulfilling work, he was still being paid decently and lived comfortably.

Though, even that was taken from him when he awoke one fine morning in another world in another body surrounded by others dealing with the very same situation. The first few days in Equestria were something of a blur. Learning to move and function properly in a new body was, at first, difficult for Sling, though he adapted with time. Knowing none of the local language and still in shock in the aftermath of the “Happening”, Sling went along with his fellow former humans as the locals rounded them up and stuck them into temporary refugee camps while the “authorities” decided on what to do with the mass influx of nor/mlp/eople.

The realization that he might never see his home, family or friends again hit hard. Some of the “others” seemed indifferent, some even seemed to enjoy what had occurred, but Sling was not pleased with the situation or the way the Equestrians had treated them. Staving off listlessness and depression in the face of total uncertainty, Sling decided the best thing to do was to take control of the situation to the very best of his ability. The Air Force had taught him to avoid being captured by foreign governments and he saw no reason not to view the present situation as such.

Early one morning, before Sunbutt had done her thing, Sling slipped out of the camp and picked a direction. For months he lived “on the run”, picking up tidbits of Equestrian here and there, eventually learning enough of the language to get by. Life was difficult and he struggled to find work and shelter all the while dealing with the stigma that had been attached to “his” kind.

Some of the locals were kind to him, some gave him work and a place to sleep and others simply ran him out of town as he made his way across the rural west of the kingdom, living as a migrant laborer. Sometimes he encountered other former humans. Some were good folks, others threatened and tried to rob him or worse. Staying positive was difficult and Sling spent more than a few nights in “somepony's” barn or shed where they'd let him rest, tearing up over the memories of his lost life and loved ones.

Some things weren't quite so bad, though, and Sling made an effort to appreciate them. A comfy mound of straw to sleep on, a pleasant sunset, the stars at night... Equestria wasn't a terrible place and it was the little things that kept Sling moving, just putting one hoof in front of the other.

Perhaps still a unwilling to totally accept what had happened, he just kept on moving, living day to day, never staying in one place longer than an offered job would last and sometimes leaving before. Beyond surviving, he truly had no real plan.

When the first winter in Equestria came on, Sling found work increasingly difficult to find. He'd found most of his temporary employment on farms, but as the snow started to fall, the farmers had no need of him. Winter was a difficult time, and without the kindness of several locals, Sling would have perished after falling ill.

When the spring came, he was back on his hooves again and back on the road, looking for work, a meal and a roof over his head, but the hardships of winter had forced to him to consider things in the long-term as well. As he made his way back across the west, he heard tales and caught rumors that suggested the “others” had been pushed off into frontier communities, some of which might still be functioning. He put off the decision, however, and stuck with what he had.

As spring turned to summer, he continued to live day by day, unwilling to lay out any sort of goal when life seemed so fickle. It had become easier to just go with the flow, though, summer soon turned to fall and the threat of winter and a few close calls wore down his resolve.

As the days grew shorter and the bountiful fall harvests wrapped up, Sling made his decision and turned himself in to the much-despised Royal authorities, asking about the communities of former humans. Soon enough, he was packed onto a train and headed north to one such settlement...

Personality:
Sling is generally polite and helpful towards most he meets, though not particularly sociable or quick to trust or form bonds. He is typically more comfortable on his own than with others, though since arriving in Equestria he really hasn't had the opportunity to attempt to make friends. Being a homeless loser does that.

Sling takes great pride in being honest, upstanding and self reliant and finds accepting assistance or support from others difficult. He often feels that he is a burden upon others and this tends to push him to act alone. He has piss-poor self-esteem, a perfectionist streak and can be a bit socially awkward.

Once comfortable with others, Sling can be, at times, rather obnoxious and animated, often prone to telling the same stupid stories over and over again. He can be very empathetic and compassionate towards those for whom he cares and will work diligently for others when, for himself alone, he would feel no such compulsion. Meaningful work brings out the best in him and gives him purpose. A community to be a part of might be the very thing he needs to survive in Equestria.

Likes:
Sleeping
Beer, but not hard liquor
Good Food
Music of most sorts
Books
Running
Honest, hard work
Dogs! Especially Arrow

Dislikes:
Lots of things
The Equestrian Government, particularly its Heads of State
Bright lights
SJW's
Layabouts, Parasites, the Lazy
Communism
Arguments, though they may sometimes be inevitable

Skills, Knowledge and Experience:
Amateur Marksmanship
Amateur Gunsmithing
Minor Automotive Maintenance
A vast array of (likely useless) knowledge on Earth History and technology, specifically of a military nature
Wilderness and Open Ocean Survival (Thanks, Air Force)
First Aid and CPR (Thanks, Air Force)
Loading and handling cargo and computing aircraft weight and balance (Thanks, Air Force)
Performing menial, laborious tasks for long periods of time (Thanks, Air Force)