Bolèro Ravel is a professional musician from Haytaly. He now lives in Ponyville, which he moved to in order to alleviate the stress of his hectic schedule. Despite this, his workload is still rather packed, due in no small part to his being the percussionist of the Philharmonic Symphony of Equestria.
Backstory
Bolèro was born in Haytaly to wealthy aristocratic parents, and from the very beginning they stressed education. From almost the time that he began to speak, they enrolled Bolèro in a series of prestigious private schools. He did quite well and enjoyed these classes, but none more than his music class. He immediately rose to first chair of his school's percussion section. This led to him getting his cutie mark a few years later, long after most ponies knew what his special talent was.
After graduating from his high school in the top 10% of his class, he stayed in Haytaly for a while. However, after after a row with his parents that ended in violence, he left Haytaly and moved to Canterlot. He enrolled in the Canterlot School of the Musical Arts, and began playing anywhere he could: clubs, festivals, winter wrap-ups, and other, less respectable venues. However the life of a musician began to take its toll on Bolèro's health. He suffered from insomnia and panic attacks, and began to develop various gastrointestinal problems. Desperate, he dropped out of the college and retreated to Ponyville to escape the stress he faced in Canterlot. To his surprise and relief, however, he found himself deeply attracted to the relatively relaxed and and pleasant atmosphere of the village, and he settled down, buying a cottage on the edge of Ponyville. His health returned to normal, although he still suffers from occasional episodes of illness (see below). He no longer has any problems sleeping.
He later auditioned for the PSoE, and was accepted. He continues to play with other bands and musical groups.
Personality and Interests
Bolèro is polite and easy going, but can also be quite nervous and shy, despite his job requiring him to interact with other ponies. He becomes particularly flustered when speaking to mares he finds himself attracted to, and this has resulted in him being single for his entire life, Bolèro's tastes are generally high-class; he enjoys classical music, expensive suits, and fine dining restaurants. However, he also has a taste for dubstep, paticularly Vinyl Scratch and Neon Lights, and likes the Daring Do series of novels. He also wears an earring in his right ear, despite such a thing being forbidden in the society of his parents, and of Canterlot.
His magic glows red, and is not particularly strong, being used mostly to lift heavy objects and to light firewood, but he is not bothered by this. Contrary to what some ponies think, he does not use magic to play his instruments
Health
Bolèro is somewhat sickly. He was born deaf in one ear, a condition known as Unilateral Hearing Loss (UHL), and this causes problems in his daily life, especially given his choice of career. It causes him trouble with his balance: he is constantly stumbling into both ponies and objects alike. He is also forced to position his good ear facing the pony he is talking to if he is to have any luck understanding them. Thankfully, near-religious use of ear protection when playing as well as regular medical visits have both left him with one ear that is in virtually perfect condition.
When Bolèro enrolled in the Canterlot School of Musical Arts, he was not prepared for the extreme amount of stress he would have to cope with as a musician. As the heir to one of the wealthiest families in the Sifilly region of Haytaly, he had always lived a life of comfort, and he was not able to adapt to the massively packed calendar he would have to work with, He lost weight, and suffered panic attacks and excruciating episodes of sickness similar to food poisoning. After moving to Ponyville, his health has dramatically improved, though he still has occasional panic attacks and suffers from vomiting when under extreme stress. Because of these issues he does not drink alcohol, as it only aggravates his stomach.
He was once a smoker, but due to his numerous health problems he broke the habit, not caring to contract a lung disease, not least because his mother had died of tuberculosis.
Relationships
Due to his busy work schedule and also because he was sheltered as a foal, Bolèro has few ponies he is close to. However, he is always seeking to remedy this and gain new friends. A few stand out, both good and bad.
His Parents
Bolèro has very poor relations with his parents. While as a foal he tried to love them both, as all foals do, his mother never returned the love, always looking at him with irritated disapproval. His father did show affection toward his son, but in a different way: he abused Bolèro. Meanwhile, his mother, so desperate to raise a good (in her mind), wealthy child, was infuriated by Bolèro's love of music and indifference to the workings of Haytaly's political system, where she had a great deal of power. Eventually, she snapped and disowned her son, causing him to flee to Canterlot.
Rarity
Rarity was one of the first ponies that Bolèro became acquainted with in Ponyville,and they quickly became friends, sharing a common interest in the high-class. Eventually Bolèro developed a crush on the mare, and asked her out to dinner, just as friends, he said. During the meal, however, he realized that friends was indeed all that Rarity wanted to be, and while the two still talk, it isn't as it used to be.