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Barley Mayberry [Ready]


Bellosh

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Roleplay Type: World of Equestria RP – OC

Name: Barley Mayberry

Sex: Male

Age: Stallion

Species: Earth pony

Eye colour: Maroon

Coat: Purplish-gray

Mane/Tail: Barley’s light-gray mane is done in a crew cut style. His tail is also similarly light-gray coloured. When out in public, Barley wears a dark-red cavalier hat trimmed with a light-pink plume. Accompanying the hat are a dark-red tweed jacket and a pink buttoned-up waistcoat beneath it.

Physique: Potbellied and somewhat out-of-shape, but has an average height for a stallion his age.

Residence: Trottingham

Occupation: The Sheriff of Trottingham... or so he likes to portray himself as anyway. Barley actually earns a living as a musician for a local acting troupe, Ye Olde Trotting Troupe.

Cutie Mark: A light-silver fife, displaying Barley’s love to delight others with his fife-playing.

As long as he could remember, Barley Mayberry had been playing the fife. First getting one as a birthday present when he was just a young colt, an easily-amused Barley took great delight in being able to play music anywhere he pleased. With all the time he spent playing his fife, it didn’t take long for him to become a decent fifer. However, this might have eventually turned out to be all but a mere foalhood phase for Barley had he not chosen to take his act to a Reinaissance* faire in Trottingham.

When it turned out that the musician who then worked with Ye Olde Trotting Troupe couldn’t make it to the Reinaissance faire, young Barley volunteered to take that pony’s place. While the colt’s fife-playing abilities weren’t up to the level of a master, he adequately served well as a replacement considering he only had thirty minutes to understand what he was getting into. Earning the respect of the troupe for a job well done, Barley earned his cutie mark almost immediately thereafter.

History:

Hailing from a family from Trottingham brewers, Barley Mayberry’s parents expected him or one of his other siblings at first to eventually take over the family business when he came of age. Obviously, the destiny Barley found for himself precluded him from a future in brewing ales, but his mother and father were content to see their son choose a different path in life. For the most part, the lad had an unremarkable foalhood save for being considered a delightful (if hapless) guy to be around by his friends and siblings as well as serving on the school marching band.

When he became a stallion, Mr. Mayberry enlisted in the Royal Equestrian Army, and naturally he took his fifing talents with him. While he was a exceptional member of the REA band, his abilities whenever deployed on guard details were quite lacking. Not quite perfect soldier-material, Barley was not offered a chance to reenlist when his tour of duty expired.

Heading back to Trottingham, Barley Mayberry hooked up with the Ye Olde Trotting Troupe; because the veteran members fondly remembered him, Barley landed a gig playing musical accompaniment for their performances. For the next several years, not only did the stallion play his fife, but he’d occasionally branch out into acting as well. While never star-caliber material, Barley’s hilariously over-the-top acting won him at least a few cult-followers.

Despite getting the chance to live his destiny, the stallion gradually started feeling discontented after a few years with the troupe. Did his talent with music and his intermittent acting opportunities mean much in the grand scheme of things? Were there better ways for Barley to serve his community? It was during this mid-life crisis when the stallion, acting in a play set during Trottingham’s past that he gave his most memorable performance yet; that of an overeager but lovable Sheriff who stole the show from the main stars.

With the accolades he won for his role as the Sheriff, Mr. Mayberry figured that maybe he ought to become a Sheriff full time! Henceforth he declared himself the Sheriff of Trottingham, and to this day he serves as the unsanctioned long leg of the law in the town. Since Barley has yet to cause severe harm or foul in his new “role” in life, nopony has seen fit to put a halt to the stallion’s activities.

Character Summary:

Ponies who first meet “Sheriff” Barley Mayberry of Trottingham could be forgiven for assuming he’s not the brightest tool in the shed. Frequently boastful in his self-appointed role, his swagger all too often transforms into cowardice when presented with a problem beyond his abilities. The earth pony also seems to show no understanding of the concept of privacy, having become a habitual eavesdropper and interloper in ponies’ affairs when out patrolling the streets. Trottingham itself is practically a crime-free town, limiting Barley’s “duties” to catching stray animals, reprimanding trouble-making foals, and finding lost items; Barley’s effectiveness at these tasks can vary wildly from adequate to grossly-incompetent on a day-to-day basis.

Fortunately, “Sheriff” Mayberry hasn’t yet quit his day job as a member of the Ye Olde Trotting Troupe. While his fife-playing are masterful indeed, his acting style requires a more acquired taste to appreciate. To be specific, one has to enjoy Barley’s tendencies to overact and utterly chew up the scenery whenever possible. When he’s not in one of his fearful states, Barley can be just as bombastic whenever he’s in his Sheriff persona. Fans though can take heart that the earth pony’s bombast doesn’t equate to arrogance, as Mr. Mayberry makes sure to reward those who enjoy his acting and musical work with autographs and other means.

It can be shocking then to learn that Barley Mayberry is very much a timid stallion when he’s “off-duty”. Easily amused, it doesn’t take much for a pony to impress Barley through either storytelling or talent exhibition. While not greedy at heart, the fact that the stallion doesn’t live on very much leaves him vulnerable to the lure of con-artists and get rich quick schemes; even if Barley initially earns riches from a hair-brained enterprise of his, Barley’s ineptitude ensures that he’ll find a way to spend all his bits or have his project come crashing down.

When all is said and done though, Mr. Mayberry is a dependable and worthy friend for those with the pleasure of knowing him. If a pony simply shows friendliness to Barley and not appear to cause trouble in any way, he’ll be all too happy to return it in kind. The stallion will go to absurd lengths to ensure the well-being of his buddies; even if he has to ignore his other responsibilities and commitments in the process. For this reason, “Sheriff” Barley Mayberry is ultimately regarded as a pony worthy of being befriended.

*Yes, I just ponified the Renaissance. Sue me.

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