Cupcake

Cupcake is a main character of the Soldier's Memoirs saga. He is a male Earth pony enlisted in Skyfall Unit. His role in the team is and demolitions expert, as well as handling heavy weapons and explosives.

Early life
Cupcake is the only member of Skyfall not born within Equestria. Hailing from the Frozen North, Cupcake was born to a family of bakers. His parents held a hope that he would follow in the family business, but after an incident that nearly resulted in the bakery burning down, Cupcake denied his heritage and moved to Manehattan to enlist in the Royal Guard.

During his service in the Equestrian Army, Cupcake discovered an affinity for explosives and pyrotechnics. He was accepted into the demolitionist program after his superiors saw his expertise with hoof grenades and artillery.

The Second Griffon-Pony War
Cupcake was an expert demolitionist by the time the Second Griffon-Pony War began. He was assigned to a team of demolitionists ordered to target and destroy key structures within griffon cities in order to cripple their defenses. During the Battle of Skyfall, Cupcake was part of the team led by Captain Phalanx that charged the gates of the city and blew them open for the army to siege the metropolis. Cupcake remained at the head of the pack, tearing down reinforced structures the griffons had holed up in as well as the roadblocks they set up to hinder the ponies' advances.

Cupcake's team was assigned to follow 2nd Company's campaign across the Griffon Kingdom. At the Battle of Midgard, Cupcake helped set the charges that destroyed the gates of the city, as well as bombing houses and businesses griffon soldiers were using as choke points.

At Asgard, Cupcake's work was made easy when Fleethoof's team annihilated the gigantic gates and walls keeping the ponies out. Once inside, Cupcake decimated what remained of the scrambling griffon defense. He blew open the doors to the Dawnbreaker Stronghold at the climax of the battle, breaching the last line of defense the griffons had before the city was captured.

He fought at the Second Battle of Skyfall and returned home to Equestria disappointed that his skills would no longer be required. Before he could resign, however, Princess Luna offered him a position in the newly formed Skyfall Unit as the team's heavy weapons coordinator and demolitionist.

The Double-Edged Sword
Cupcake was the one who discovered the presence of the Double-Edged Sword in Saddle Arabia hen they attempted to assassinate Princess Cadance during the gala. He found Lightning Flash beaten unconscious without his weapons and alerted the team while corralling the enemies toward his teammates.

Project Union
While operating in Los Pegasus, Cupcake demonstrated his ability to manipulate and control explosions to his benefit when he breached several reinforced doors with plastic explosives, using the timing of the music inside to mask the detonations. Under Fleethoof's guidance, he blew open an escape route for them when the building was consumed in fire. During Skyfall's search for the missing Union operators, Cupcake took great delight in torturing the changeling prisoner, being the one who held her underwater during the water torture.

In Saddle Arabia, Cupcake played an important role in defeating Glider. The changeling, who was armed to the teeth and wearing a protective suit of armor, was weakened by Cupcake's claymore mines and ultimately killed when the larger pony impaled him on a piece of debris and shot him in the head.

The Hunt for Alaric
Following the arrest of Dandridge Clydesdale and the revelation of Alaric's return, Cupcake was sent to reinforce Princess Luna's personal security. Cupcake worked as a bodyguard for the princess, making sure nopony came too close. When his tour with Luna's security ended, he learned of the ambush on Princess Cadance's convoy, her abduction, and the wounding of his teammates. Cupcake immediately returned to work with Skyfall Unit. He was soon recruited for the Operation Black Wraith program to fill the role of heavy weapons and demolitions.

Personality
Cupcake is a very down-to-earth pony. He speaks his mind with the utmost honesty and sincerity, which sometimes works both ways for and against him. While not the brightest tactician or soldier, what Cupcake lacks in intuition, he makes up for in brute strength. The largest and strongest pony in Skyfall Unit, Cupcake can easily take down doors with a single kick. He is aware of his strength though, and is always careful when around his friends.

Being from the Frozen North, Cupcake speaks with a heavy Northern (Russian) accent. As a Northern pony, he also has a deep-seated hatred of Re'emians for their betrayal and acts of violence against his ancestors prior to their banishment.

Cupcake has a very light-hearted sense of humor, and despite his conduct in battle, is a kind and gentle soul. He can find humor in anything and has a good word to say about almost anyone. He is fiercely loyal to his friends and goes into a blind rage whenever they get hurt. Cupcake possesses a dark streak though, and has no qualms about hurting others that would try to hurt him. His anger knows no limits when tested, and if unleashed, hell breaks loose.

Skills
Most of Cupcake's skills lie in his expertise with explosives. From early on in his career, Cupcake was fascinated by the power of explosives and worked hard at learning how to control them and manipulate them to his purposes. Once he was recruited into Skyfall, Fleethoof encouraged Cupcake's intrigue in demolitions, and he soon learned how to use plastic explosives to breach doors and walls, as well as other means.

Cupcake's physical strength allows him to use his heavier weapons with ease, making him an effective machine gunner and offensive asset to the team. His close-quarters combat is a force to be reckoned with, as he could easily break a regular pony in half. His fighting style is a combination of boxing and judo, relying heavily on punches and grapples to subdue his enemies with his strength and size.

Equipment
Like the rest of his team, Cupcake wears a black Skyfall Unit uniform and plate carrier. He also wears a larger vest and additional saddlebags to permit him to carry more explosives and ammunition. He wears a special bandolier solely to carry excess grenades. He also wears a set of goggles to protect his eyes from debris caused by his explosions.

Cupcake carries an Equestrian equivalent of an M249 light machine gun. Depending on the mission, he either carries it loaded with magazines or with belt-fed linked ammunition. His sidearm is a .45 semi-automatic Colt pistol. His preferred type of grenade is the standard fragmentation. Cupcake always carries several explosive charges with him at all times, as well as some plastic explosives and the occasional claymore mine.

Military
The Equestrian Army views Cupcake as unstable and dangerous to himself and others. His borderline obsession with explosives was more than enough to raise a few red flags amongst the higher-ups. It was on these grounds that his superiors pushed to have him discharged prior to his enlistment as a demolitionist. After his magnificent service at Skyfall, however, Cupcake was permitted to remain on active duty during the war. When he returned to Equestria, however, he was granted immunity from discharge for mental instability by Princess Luna, who had seen how Fleethoof had culled the pony's pyrotechnics.

Skyfall Unit

Cupcake is seen as the big brother to all of Skyfall. He has a deep love for his friends and treats them all like his siblings, having fun with them, but also watching out for them when the going gets tough. He has a profound respect and gratitude for Fleethoof for saving his career and encouraging his passion. He looks up to Fleethoof like a father figure of the group and obeys his every word like it was gospel.

Family
Cupcake is estranged from his parents and hasn't seen or spoken to them since he left home to join the Royal Guard over a decade ago. He still harbors some lingering resentment for them after they rejected his desire to serve Equestria and tried to snuff out his interests in the military and demolitions. He doesn't even know if they are still alive.

Sharp Shot
Sharp Shot is Cupcake's best friend. He loves the sniper's nonchalant attitude towards rules and boundaries, as it reminds him of his own defiance of his parents. He can always find the humor in Sharp's jokes, even when they are on dangerous missions. The two occasionally get involved in prank wars when Sharp Shot can't get anyone else to play along with him. The two work cooperatively together in the field and at home, sparring with one another to see who can outwit or overpower the other first.