Blue Shield

Blue Shield is a main character in the Soldier's Memoirs saga. He is a male unicorn enlisted in Skyfall Unit as the team's combat life saver and field medic. He is a battle-hardened, classically-educated doctor trained in treating battlefield trauma.

Early life
Blue Shield grew up in a military family. His father, a retired Royal Guard lieutenant, pressured him into joining the Equestrian Army and serving his country from a young age, despite his medical cutie mark. Blue Shield resented his father's hardened disciplinary personality, however, and chose instead to become the opposite of how he perceived his father: a pony who saved lives instead of taking them.

Blue Shield attended college at the Canterlot University of Medicine, training to become a surgeon at the Canterlot Royal Hospital. However, disillusioning experiences with patients and other doctors left him rethinking his life choices. When offered a position at the Royal Academy to become a field surgeon, Blue Shield reluctantly accepted, graduating ROTC training just before the start of the Second Griffon-Pony War.

Second Griffon-Pony War
Blue Shield served as a field medic and trauma surgeon for the duration of the war. His disciplined training at Canterlot proved its worth when he saved his colleagues in the field using some unorthodox or unusual means. In the day alone, he managed to save approximately fifty lives with a mortality rate of four. After the fighting, Blue Shield wanted to continue with the rest of the army, should any of them need his care, but Captain Cuirass ordered him to remain in Skyfall and tend to the dozens of injured that were left behind to recover.

During his stay in Skyfall, Blue Shield tended not only to the Equestrians, but to the griffons as well, earning a little bit of a reputation for being a bleeding heart. When the princesses returned to leave the Griffon Kingdom after the failed negotiations, Blue Shield tended to a couple of their bodyguards that had fallen ill to a local infection. However, as he was treating them, the griffons launched a surprise attack on Skyfall. The princesses managed to escape via long-range teleportation, but Blue Shield and the other Guards had to flee the city before they were discovered. There, they waited until they were picked up by Fleethoof's squad.

Blue Shield accompanied Fleethoof and company through the destroyed city, unable to save any of the soldiers that had been caught in the ambush. When they found Princess Cadance and Cuirass captured, he made sure they were healthy and ambulatory before attempting to escape via the Royal Family yacht. When Valiant was badly injured, Blue Shield rushed to save and stabilize the injured pony, making sure he survived the trip back to Equestria, where he was taken to Manehattan General to receive care. Blue Shield remained in Equestria, finally satisfied that he had found a useful place for his talents.

Skyfall Unit
Blue Shield was recruited into Skyfall Unit by request of Fleethoof as a token of his gratitude for saving Valiant's life, and was so impressed with his performance at Skyfall that he personally requested he join as the team's combat life saver. Blue Shield was reluctant at first, wanting nothing to do with harming others, but agreed to aid and protect the others. In his time with Skyfall, Blue Shield was able to use his medical knowledge to analyze Night Shade's delirium and treat the members of Fireteam Union after receiving injuries during a mission. He assisted Fleethoof in defeating Lightning Strike after he turned against them, but refused to partake in the torture of a changeling prisoner, staying around only in case she required emergency treatment.

He was assigned to Princess Luna's personal security after the revelation that Alaric was attempting to get revenge against Equestria. Although he saw no action, he hurried back to duty with Skyfall to treat the wounded once Cadance's convoy was attacked and his teammates were grievously injured. He was then recruited into the Operation Black Wraith program by Fleethoof to serve as the team's combat life saver.

Personality
Blue Shield is the voice of reason amongst his friends. He is very level-headed and passive, preferring to not get directly involved in any action or conflict. He is very observant, often noticing minute details others might overlook. His pacifist nature gives him a great distaste for hurting others in any case, and will only fight back if his life is threatened. He is a very sensitive soul and exhibits signs of perfectionism and an inferiority complex, remembering every life he was unable to save and blaming himself for it.

Unlike many of his other teammates, Blue Shield is the most culturally accepting member of Skyfall. He treats all those in need indiscriminately, as any death greatly offends him, especially in the case of innocents. He generally disproves of using force and violence as a method to obtain what is needed, and is much more diplomatic, preferring to talk his problems out than settle them with his hooves. He is a quiet, book-loving unicorn that keeps to himself unless explicitly needed.

Skills
As a classically-trained physician, Blue Shield possesses many skills an emergency room operator would have. He works well under pressure, and his practiced magic allows him to have precise control over his medical tools for optimal use. Being somewhat of a perfectionist, Blue Shield works fast, but efficiently. His knowledge of a variety of ailments, both physical and mental, give him a leg up in understanding his enemies. Blue Shield loves puzzles, and is one of the more clever ponies in Skyfall, making him an excellent problem-solver.

Equipment
In addition to his standard issue Skyfall kit, Blue Shield carries extra large saddlebags to tote along surplus medical supplies. He always has an assortment of painkillers, anti-venoms, bandages, cauterizers, and saline bags to keep his team at the peak of their performance. He also carries additional water and food when the team will be out in the field for extended periods of time.

Despite the mandate of the Royal Guard, Blue Shield refuses to carry a primary weapon. He carries the standard nine-millimeter pistol with him, but only draws it under extreme duress. He does, however, keep a small folding knife on his person as well as a set of scalpels to use for utility and medical purposes.

Military
Blue Shield has always had a disdain for the military, seeing them as little more than paid killers with a strict set of rules. His father is mostly to blame for his warped views on the military, as after he enlisted willingly, he found it the perfect place to hone his medical skills. Being raised in a military home, Blue Shield is familiar with the chain of command and nuances of the Army, and it shows in how he conducts himself. During the Second Griffon-Pony War, Blue Shield was a role model to his fellow medics, giving tips and pointers where he could to help others save lives.

Skyfall Unit

Within Skyfall, Blue Shield is seen as the angel on Fleethoof's shoulder. His drive to do good while avoiding violence makes him an advocate for benevolence, usually keeping them team placid in even the most trying of situations. He is well respected for his knowledge on the pony body, especially by Cupcake, who marvels at how much the unicorn knows.