I'm finishing up her armor as you can see, but I don't see the harm in posting it now and updating it when I have more time. I really love how she tu rned out and it was also a great learning experience to drawing beaks and claws. I liked a lot already with regards to her design from the movie, but I simply revised it to where she had natural hair and a color palette that was more centered around violets. I like that her armor is turning out to be practical but helping establish that warrior aspect of her. I was a little concerned if that would do the trick to make her less feminine or not. She does have a helmet that I've finished designing, but I will unveil it later on :)

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Name: Queen Novo
Other names: Queen of the Valkyries/Hippogriffs
Race: Hippogriff
Deity Level: Mortal
Gender: Female
Parents: Unknown
Siblings: None
Children: Princess Skystar
Sexuality: Lesbian
Relationships: Princess Celestia
Roles: Ruler of the Hippogriffs
Current Status: Plotting to rescue Celestia from Mount Eris
Magic Affiliations: None

Backstory:
For most of her life, Novo has spent her days residing in the depths of Seaquestria. It was ages ago when the Storm King attacked and forced the hippogriffs into hiding. Many of whom used a magical orb to transform themselves into sea ponies and seek shelter far away from the Storm King's reach. However, not everyone was able to escape. The Storm King captured plenty of hippogriffs who weren't able to make it to safety in time or were trying to defend their homeland. Among those taken were Novo's parents. Many were fearful and did not believe they would be able to stop the Storm King from wreaking havoc across Equus.

As tides came and went, Novo was crowned as queen of her people as a result of her parents' absence. Her hopes were high that she could rally her subjects to take back Mount Eris from the dirty clutches of the Storm King. That dream however, was short-sighted. With many still in fear of the Storm King, she was unable to have enough forces to stand a chance. Her prowess faltered and she too sank into a pit of despair, trying to adjust to seeing Seaquestria as her permanant residence.

It wasn't until the arrival of a new guest that Novo would see her dream come true. An elegant alicorn strayed too far from home and came across the cave that was the entrance to Seaquestria. Exhausted from her travels, the beautiful creature began to rest from a terrible storm outside. During her rest, Queen Novo was made aware of their presence. She cautiously scouted the cavern until she stumbled across the sleeping beauty known as Princess Celestia. There was... something about her that filled Novo's heart with joy, but it was buried deep in the back of her mind. Hardened by the burden of her people, she took Celestia to Seaquestria where she was questioned about her presence. Celestia had only recently heard about the Storm King's attack and wanted to survey the damage and look for survivors. It was during this exchange that the spark of hope was reignited in Novo's heart. A powerful alicorn such as Celestia could mean the odds would be back in Novo's favor. She pleaded with Celestia to help them take back their homeland. A rush of blood filled Celestia's face as Novo put her hooves on Celestia's chest. Celestia choked at the surprising thoughts entering her mind, but she felt helping Novo was the right thing and the hippogriffs would make a great ally to ponykind. She accepted Novo's plea.

With the help of Celestia and her forces, the Hippogriffs launched a counterattack and were able to repel the Storm King's hold on Mount Eris. Queen Novo didn't make it out unscathed, being injured in several areas by wounds around her body. It was a rush of euphoria to Novo and she vowed that the hippogriffs would never succumb to fear and helplessness again. She hugged Celestia and told her how much of a debt she had to repay Celestia. The alicorn shyly brushed it off, but did invite Novo to come to Canterlot. Novo graciously accepted, but knew that her own people had to rebuild first and foremost.

A great reformation took place, overseen by their new queen. Novo ordered the creation of an elite fighting force to defend their mighty territory from invaders. With some of the best armorsmiths from across the world, these warriors were doned with armor unlike the other nations they had known. They became known as the valkyries. Queen Novo spent much of her time learning about commanding an army and conducting war games to make sure her valkyries could tackle any threat that would do their people harm. In addition, their homeland became heavily guarded like a fortress. In the days to come, Novo knew she still needed to find her parents. They were out there, somewhere.

Years later, once Novo was satisfied with the progress being made at Mount Eris, she took up Celestia's invitation and visited Canterlot. However, the visit was nothing that they both expected. Novo, like many other hippogriffs, were not used to being in their natural form again. They took up quirky bird-like behaviors that were only brought to Novo's attention because of Celestia. That was only in addition to the viking-like behaviors that the hippogriffs took on when they became valkyries. Celestia grew heavily embarassed by Novo's blunt and birdy attitude. Novo grew frustrated that things were so much different in their culture compared to her own. Celestia persisted with trying to help Novo grow accustomed to life outside her own domain in the days that followed.

Despite how frustrating it was for Celestia, there was something about that valkyrie that was still very cute, adorable, and... attractive? One evening, Celestia held a formal feast in celebration of the alliance between ponies and hippogriffs. The night didn't go so well as Celestia had hoped, but Novo was trying to be accomodating. Unfortunately, the two began arguing about how to act. They moved to somewhere more private to hopefully resolve the issue without catching more public attention. It boiled over, but something slipped out of Celestia's mouth. Novo couldn't understand why Celestia was still being nice even though she was being embarassed so much. "Because I love you!" It shocked Novo, because she had never experienced love before. Celestia was even surprised and ran away into the castle gardens. Novo went looking for her, only to find Celestia crying. Novo sat next to Celestia and tried to calm her down. Novo confessed that she didn't realize how much it was hurting Celestia's feelings. Celestia shook her head. She said it wasn't Novo that was hurting her feelings. She thought everything Novo was doing was adorable, but public image was something she was very conscious about. Novo almost felt offended and told Celestia that being yourself is when you feel the happiest. Novo shared how she felt when she couldn't do what she wanted to as queen in Seaquestria and hid her ambitions away. Novo said she would try to tone down the birdy-viking thing down a bit, but only if Celestia would care less about what she had to be and more about what she wanted to be. It was a growing moment for the two of them, ending in a delicate kiss.

In the months that followed, the two became inseperable. Celestia allowed open borders between ponies and the hippogriffs. Now, Canterlot had a district specifically for hippogriffs which is where Novo spent most of her time while remaining true to guarding her capital back on Mount Eris. They would eventually marry and have one of the most extravagant weddings Equestria has ever seen. It was a moment that would seal the bond of their alliance, but also the love between Novo and Celestia.

Everything changed when Nightmare Moon returned years later. A coup had taken hold and Novo and her people were ousted from Canterlot. Night eternal had swept over Equestria. Queen Novo had found out what happened to her wife when Celestia came to her in a dream. She was trapped in the dream realm by a powerful spell. Her body was in stasis in the depths of the Canterlot caverns beneath the city. Ever since, Novo has been preparing her valkyries to assualt Canterlot and save Celestia from the clutches of her dark sister. Once Celestia was freed, it might be possible to not only put Celestia back on the throne but to also redeem Nightmare Moon.