This is an essay I’ve been meaning to write for a very long time, but due to some recent events, I feel it is time for me to write this for all on Canterlot.com to read.

Why have I applied for so many minor FiM Cast characters?

The answer is rather simple: I have a heart for the ‘underdog,’ the downtrodden, the forgotten. This is why I’ve apped for characters that, with the POSSIBLE exception of Flam, no one else really wanted.

As a big fan of the MLP FiM cartoon, I do understand that the main focus of the show is on Twilight Sparkle and the antics of the Mane 6 (with Spike, of course). But to me, there are SO many, many interesting background ponies that (for the most part) never get THEIR stories ever told. This is why from the very beginning of my time here on this RP website, I have applied for ponies that others would probably never desire to use.

For example, I applied for Granny Smith in the midst of Season 1, back when she had few words and very little screen time. No one else wanted her, but I felt I could demonstrate in RP that all older folks aren’t just tottering nuisances to ‘youthful’ society. I was awarded Granny when Granny wasn’t ‘cool’ but I was SO thrilled to see her receive an expanded role in Season 2. No doubt she would be very popular if her app became open now. Older folks have something to contribute to society, which is why I also chose to app for Uncle Apple Strudel and Mr. Waddle as well.

I have to admit, I apped Sheriff Silverstar for purely selfish reasons. I was a HUGE fan of the old time TV Westerns (Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Big Valley, Have Gun Will Travel, the Wild Wild West, etc) as well as ALL John Wayne cowboy films. True, the mustached lawpony doesn’t carry a six-gun or rifle, but he does represent a long line of Old West tradition, which is why I enjoy RP-ing in Appleoosa so much. It’s also why I have OC’s based there like Louise LaMare and Doc Holly Day.

I do love a good villain, and Flam (with his brother Flim) are very unique adversaries in the Equestria universe. As a fan of the old Phil Silvers Show (Sgt. Bilko) I do love the mannerisms of this pair of shifty unicorn brothers. This is why I talked my good friend Boss Hoss into apping for Flim while I apped for Flam. They are a lot of fun to RP with, that’s for sure!

To me, of all the minor background characters, Pigpen may be the funniest of all! Like his namesake from the old Peanuts comic strip, Pigpen has the look and feel of the ‘lovable loser.’ He’s a pony who smells bad, looks dirty and unkempt. To me, Pigpen is THE perfect pony for sanitation duty in Ponyville. What’s the old saying? “It’s a dirty job, but SOMEONE’S gotta do it,” right? The RP ‘Trash and Treasures’ was created by me to showcase the fact that one shouldn’t judge ANY book (or pony) by it’s ‘cover.’ Just because a pony may not practice very good personal hygiene does NOT mean that pony is a terrible waste of space. I think the CMC was too harsh and too rash in their judgment of Pigpen, and this is the main reason why I apped him.

Dr. Stable is, forgive the pun, an interesting ‘case.’ I’m also a huge fan of the old time TV medical dramas such as Medical Center, Quincy, St. Elsewhere, etc. Ponyville residents need good medical attention, so like my OC Doc Holly Day, I jumped at the chance to app for the town doctor. True, there is at least one pediatrician and one veterinarian in town (from ‘Secret to My Excess’), Doctor Stable is the only known Cast doctor (though there are quite a few Cast nurses). To me, he is more than worthy of RP lure in our world of Equestria.

In EVERY case when I apped the seven FiM Cast characters I now have, NO ONE ELSE APPED THEM! In each case, I was awarded these characters by the Canterlot.com RP staff. I wanted THEIR stories to be told, their lives as MLP characters to be further developed for all to see how great these characters truly are. This is why I’ve apped them, and I make NO apologies for that!

I would encourage other members of this website to consider apping Tier 3 characters. Their stories need to be told too, and the exciting part is, they are ‘blank slates’ that can be filled in by the applicant! A chance to put your creative talents to work!