Snowshoe

"Now layered I can do. And no need to feel bad about not knowing...I figure with how small Appleloosa is, I'll have to learn how to work mare manes soon enough." Dapper Dan admitted with a laugh, getting to work by first brushing out her mane. "A marching band led them out of town? That's strange. Then again, makes a bit of sense I guess." he said. It seemed odd that a one-pony band would be able to lead a group of voracious parasprites from a town, but then again, he'd heard of ponies able to control snakes simply with a flute. "But what's to stop them from spreading elsewhere, or coming back?" Dan asked. He could only imagine how devastated Appleloosa would be if the parasprites got loose in their town. After all, there was only really one major orchard, which, if destroyed, would be a disaster.

Muggo' Ale heard the pursuit behind him, and at the same time, got inspiration from the lack of pain in his leg. Either he hadn't injured it that bad, or the injury had healed. He moved as best to the side of the tunnel as he could and stopped. "Keep runnin', I'll catch up! I got me a plan!" he called out to the others, working quickly to untie the rope that held the log to his leg as the makeshift splint. He quickly tied the rope across the way between a rock and a stalagmite. If all went well, their pursuers wouldn't see it and trip, causing a pileup that would delay them. To add to it, Muggo' bucked the piece of wood down the tunnel, hoping it caused some confusion. With his little plan complete the Earth pony took back off, running hard to catch up to the group again. He did, but was now their rear-most guard, unable to get back to his old position in the line. "Keep us goin'!" he managed to call out in between breaths. He was breathing hard from the exertion, but being an Earth pony, he had enough stamina to probably outlast his companions at the pace they kept running.

Muggo' Ale had been about to point out that Blueblood could use a bit of 'energetic pursuits' to liven himself up a little, but then remembered that the Prince had very little in the way of a common sense of humour, and decided to drop it. "Aye, we've got ya covered in the guardin' department. A guardspony, a prospective guardspony, an' I, who's seen me fair share of brawls. Ya'll be safe, no worryin'." he assured the Prince. While his companions were skilled with their weapons, Muggo' was skilled with good old fashioned hoofticuffs. If it came down to a fight, which he sincerely hoped it didn't, Muggo' would probably go in with just his hooves, though maybe he'd bring a knife or somesuch along for utility purposes, or a makeshift weapon in a pinch. In addition to what Fire suggested, Muggo' also spoke up. "Or anythin' else ya might be able to bring to the proverbial table that'll be of use. Skills ya might have an' all that. For me part I know basic first aid an' survival skills, an' how to handle meself with me hooves in a fight, but that's about it." he said. He took a sip of his drink, taking another moment to look around the room. He fought hard to keep himself from reacting, via grin or chuckle, to seeing a couple at a table a few behind Blueblood, where the stallion appeared to be much, much older than his mare companion. Such was the world of the rich, he figured. He had to admit, not a world he enjoyed that much. Maybe it was because he was used to the raucous environment of his bar, but everything seemed too...subdued. There was very little laughter or cheer throughout the room, just a lot of hushed conversations. It almost made the room feel oppressive with how muted everything seemed to be. Still, he wasn't here because he liked the environment, he was here because, much as he found Blueblood strangely amusing and yet a bit too nose-in-the-air for his tastes, the stallion had a missing father, and to Muggo' family was everything. He was here because he truly wanted to help, be it to find the Prince's father, or get him closure.

The first pony Rain Maker met of the group was the aptly named Silver Heart, based on the colour of the pony's coat. She hadn't heard the introduction, and, quite honestly, didn't even notice her until she suddenly felt a few bits of debris being tugged from her wing. It made her jump a bit in surprise, but she smiled warmly nonetheless, happy to see somepony who was so altruistic as to just come up and help get her dusted off. "Not really, I've had worse. Thanks for your concern, though." she said sincerely. The pony looked around the group as another spoke up, this one introducing herself rather wordily as Serendipity, a rather good looking mare from Las Pegasus, a place that Rain had to admit she hadn't visited yet, but wanted to. So she was a croupier...whatever that meant. Rain Maker was never one for other languages. "I write adventure novels. Kinda like Daring Do, except, well, nothing of mine's really properly been published yet. I've actually been adventuring mostly for inspiration, really. Find new things to write about and all that." she said. After a moment, she added, "And what's a croupier, anyways?" Before Rain Maker could get an answer, the team's leader spoke up, the mare she assumed was named Ice Storm. She herself was ready to go, so she nodded at what Ice said. "Yep! I'm all ready to go. This is going to be great!" she said confidently, fluttering her wings a little to dislodge any stubborn twigs that hadn't been pulled out already. She turned and gave Silver Heart another thankful smile, then turned back to Ice, her wings folding to her side. A careful eye would note her left wing folded a little more gingerly than the other. It wouldn't impair her flying ability, just be sore for a few minutes. "I hear nopony every ventures in here." she mused casually, a chuckle coming from her lips. "Spooky, isn't it?"

Muggo' Ale was happy that he'd made some kind of improvement, though he could tell by his date's reaction that he still wasn't quite getting it. Oh well. Like perfecting a brew or, well, anything else, it took time, practice, and effort to figure it out. Enough dates out to shows like this, or just practice dancing, and he'd be as light on his hooves as any professional. He did pride himself on the fact that, at least, he wasn't the red-coated stallion off to the side a ways, that had managed to get his hooves tangled up in a drunken attempt to show off to a mare, and fell to the floor. He wasn't the best, but at least he was better than that. He smiled back at Caramel. "Hey, at this point, that's a compliment." he said with a laugh. He couldn't help but chuckle as the crowd drowned out the rest of what she was saying in a roar of noise as the mare on stage took a bow. But they weren't done, far from it, and before long the mare was singing again, this time attracting even more love from the stallions in the crowd by singing in Fancy while her band picked up again, a fast, swinging beat. Once the crowd died down and was replaced by just the song, it was relatively quieter, enough for them to speak again, if they raised their voice enough. "Didn't catch that last bit, me dear. Ya complimentin' me on me dancin'?" he teased with a grin, waiting to see what she was going to do for this next song. Maybe if he played off her dancing, took her lead, it would improve him a bit more.

The name Discord rung a bell with Dapper Dan, though it wasn't immediately clicking. Much of those strange few hours were a bit of a blur, the ones that had Discord in control over much of Equestria, for just a short time. He couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter. "Ballerinas?" he said with a grin. "Now that there's funny." he said, a bit of the Appleloosan twang coming through. At the mention of the Hay family, Dan smiled and nodded. "Yep. No real harm done. Everyone seemed happy in the end, and I remember Hayseed and Haywire were quite sincere in their apologies." he agreed. Nothing really bad had happened, so there wasn't much else to say. If they came back, he wasn't going to look down on the siblings for causing trouble...kids would be kids, after all. He listened to Louise's request and tapped a hoof to his chin for a moment. A permanent? "You'll have to excuse me, Miss LaMare, typically I cut stallion manes." he said with a sheepish grin. "Not entirely up to date on many of the terms, either." he added. Not that he wasn't trained, it's just, well, his father hadn't had any formal training either, having learned directly from his grandfather, who passed it on to Dan's father, then to Dan. He knew how to cut manes mostly by instinct, not any specific terms. "Think it has something to with curls, right?" he asked.

Muggo' Ale nodded at what Dunder said. "Don't ya worry 'bout me none, b'y. Me leg's not banged up that bad. I can probably take the splint off." he said. It wouldn't be ideal but at least he could run on it if need be. He grinned. "I've been through worse, trust me." he said. And with that, he let Dusty charge into the cave, looking back at Dunder. "If ya stay behind, I'm draggin' ya by yer tail." he said simply, thumping the pegasus gently on the foreleg with his hoof before charging up behind Dusty to get their show on the proverbial road. "Train's a movin', Winter. Starn in gear there, b'y!" he called out to the pegasus. He took a moment to stop at the mouth of the cave, grinning at the fight that was probably about to start, then ran after Dusty. "Don't get us lost now, b'y. I got me a bar to run." he teased, looking around for any indicators at all. If he had his knife, he'd be able to mark things off in the stone, like where they were, but they would just have to find some other way of marking that. He couldn't really look back due to the tight confines of the cave, so he trusted the others were behind him.

Three days, first thing in the morning. For a trip that could last a while...well, that gave him time to set things up at the bar, say a couple goodbyes, and get packed and ready for a long trip. Muggo' decided to leave the social comment go...he couldn't imagine folks needed Blueblood THAT much that it would take him more than two days to sort out his affairs, but he was just a plebian, right? What did he know? The first course of the meal was served, a plate of hors d'oeuvres, most of which Muggo' Ale couldn't even recognize or even begin to guess at what they were. Oh well. They looked delicious in any case, so he didn't mind much. The Earth pony picked up one small tarte and started to eat it, as neatly and politely as he could managed with his hooves, noting for the first time a rather inordinate number of unicorns among the upper-crust of Canterlot, at least in this lounge. He glanced at Dunder and thanked him for the extra bit of food, then chuckled when he asked his question. "Good to think ahead, but I hope we don't have any need for weapons, b'y." he pointed out. Any violence on zebra territory could result in a bit of a diplomatic incident, much like if they ran into trouble in any of the griffon lands for instance. That, and he could imagine Blueblood probably wouldn't want to get involved in any sort of "scandal" while they were out and about.

Muggo' Ale's expression turned to a sheepish smile. If she was like a mother disappointed in her son, well, he was the son embarrassed about it. He took the admonishing and nodded. "Sorry, but yer gunna have to give me a bit more than that." he said, though he watched her own dancing to try and get an idea of what she meant exactly. Make some mistakes, be exciting...he kept to a basic kind of shifting, hoof-tapping dance to keep himself moving while he looked around the room, trying to get a feel for what Caramel Apple meant. He didn't want to end up embarrassing her again, and ruining part of the date on account of his bad dancing. He thought he figured it out...less following others, and more of letting himself take over. He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating on the music now more than just the beat and what others were doing. Now his hooves, flank, and entire body started moving a little differently. More fluidly, for one thing. And now as different parts of the song played, from different instruments, that affected how he moved, instead of just the notes from the bass and the general tempo of the song. The bartender opened his eyes, looking at Caramel. His new dancing was a bit rough at first, with a couple mistakes and mis-steps, but over all was a lot more on the creative side. A lot more "him", as it were. "Doin' a bit better?" he asked. In his mind at least, he was doing a lot better than before. Still room for improvement, though. "I think ya might have to give me some dance lessons, though." he added with a grin.

Muggo' grinned. If she hadn't already impressed him enough, her coy little bite to his ear to drag him out to the floor was something that would have endeared him rather quickly. There was just something about it that couldn't help but make him grin. It was cute and rather playful. "Let's see if I can keep up then." he said with a grin. He was sure he could, though he was better at darts than he was dancing if he had to admit it. His hooves tapped along the wooden face floor as he faced his date, first just tapping and swaying along to the beat of the song, but eventually following the lead of both Caramel Apple, and the other males in the audience (those that weren't drooling over the singer, of course), he was truly dancing along to the song. "Mr. Band Leader, the arrangement has to change, gimme something, light it up, won'tcha let the boogie start to play?" Muggo' Ale's hooves worked quickly, crossing around each other, hooves weaving in and out as he danced to the fast swing song. He wasn't as elegant as the other dancers, nor probably as creative when it came to dancing, but his hooves weren't getting mixed up and he was holding up surprisingly well for claiming to not be the greatest of dancers. He grinned and sort of slid across the floor to end up next to Caramel. "How's that? Doin' alright so far?" he asked with a grin, not a sign of being tired out yet. He only looked old, after all.

Rain Maker was back in Ponyville and area, yet again. Maybe it was because she was finding it hard to keep too far away from her home in Cloudsdale, or she just really loved the area, but something kept bringing the blue pegasus mare back time and time again. And usually, the forest nearby was a good source of adventure...though she had never really had a chance to delve too deep into it. Most times, the adventures fizzled out long before anything happened. However, the flier she saw this time seemed rather serious about the ordeal, and she hoped that this time she'd get to see why residents were so afraid of the area they called...the Everfree Forest. However, it'd be just like her to be late for it, or barely. She'd taken too long to gather her supplies from her room at the inn and secure her saddlebags, and now she was streaking across the sky, making impressive speed to rival some of the best speed-flyers of Cloudsdale (she could be fast, but was more of a trick-flyer herself) toward the edge of the mysterious forest, hoping she got the right one. There were two that bordered the town and she could never remembered which was which, despite being there quite often. She figured she was right, given that there was a group of ponies standing around talking. From what she understood, the Everfree wasn't exactly a place to idly gossip nearby. "Waitforme!" she called out, out of breath so that her sentence ended up as practically one word. Speeding across the sky was easy...stopping was not. Her hooves dug into the ground as she landed but she still skidded quite a ways, thumping against a tree. Not hard, but enough to knock whatever wind was left in her, out. The blue mare shook her darker blue mane out, trying to dislodge a few leaves and twigs from the unruly curls. "Ah, there we are." she said after she finally managed to take a breath. She grinned, standing there looking, well, a tad bit out of sorts. Her hooves were covered in dirt and grass from her slide, and her left side and mane still had some stray twigs stuck everywhere. Add to that some weather-worn canvas bags hanging from her flanks, and she looked like she'd already been through countless adventures just shortly before this one. "Morning!" she added happily with a grin. Her wings were flared out in excitement (and the left one in a bit of pain), and she seemed enthusiastic, ready to go. "Looks like I got here just in time. This is the expedition into the forest, right?" she asked. "I'm Rain Maker. Author and sorta-adventurer." she added. [Yep. Another mare xD I'd have brought a stallion along to even things out a bit more but I don't have any that could be up here without a contrived excuse...and the only one that does travel doesn't adventure much.]

Muggo' backed up to meet with the rest of his group, still facing the griffons. The other ponies were hashing out a plan while he was trying to think of one himself. He had an idea...but if it didn't work, they'd be trapped. He edged closer to Dunder and pointed a bit with his hoof at the door the griffons had burst through. "Would take a lot o' kit an' grub to keep an outfit like this a workin', an' I'd put a whole bag o' bits down that they don't lower it down the hole." he mumbled to his friend. "If we can get a fight a brewin' between the two, we might be able to get in to that door in the chaos', an' look 'round for a back entrance." he offered. It wouldn't be that hard to egg the griffons into a fight...just throw a rock or something from within a group of diamond dogs to one of the more hot-headed of the group, and it would be simple as that. However, should the plan fail and the fight be over too fast, or the door prove to not lead to any back entrance or other way out, they would quickly get boxed in and re-captured. Still, it was worth a shot, and better than retreating deeper into the caves in his mind. "What says ya, b'y?" he asked. Dunder was, after all, the leader of this little expedition of theirs.

Muggo' Ale was nearby and couldn't help but grin when she accidentally stepped up to the wrong stallion. "I can see how ya can make that mistake, he's quite a good lookin' b'y, like meself." he joked, the warm smile on his face showing that he found it genuinely a little amusing, and he wasn't trying to make her feel bad, or be mean or anything like that. Just a playful tease. He grinned when she absently gave her flank a bit of a shake while she spoke. "Well, ya talk a lot about dancin'. If yer as good as y'are at dancin' as y'are at darts, I think ya might wear me right out." he pointed out. She was quite skilled at darts, and that game was a lot easier to play than dancing to what was probably going to be fast paced swing music. Oh well, he'd manage, somehow. Muggo' wasn't that old, despite his grey mane. He sat down at the table and took a sip from his glass of water, figuring he'd probably need most of that water after the dancing was over. The band was nearly set up, and their singer, a bright blue mare, was up at the front of the stage getting the crowd riled up as the rest got their instruments set up. The musicians started to play, one of the unicorns in the back plucking at a large double-bass and setting up a tempo. Muggo' got down from his chair and smiled, motioning with his head toward the dance floor and heading with his date over to it. The mare on the stage grinned and started tapping her hooves to the fast rhythm of the song. 'Clear the way boys, the lady has arrived. All you handsome fellas, please wait for me to the right. Don't keep me waiting, oooh, thank you for the drink, it's quarter past eleven, I'm not in the mood to think...' Clearly, many of the stallions in the audience were here more for the mare on stage than the rest of her band, based on the cheers, which just made Muggo' grin as he started to move along to the beat of the song, tapping his own hooves on the wooden dance floor.

Dapper Dan nodded. "If he's the one behind weird creatures like that, I'd agree. Something just ain't natural about that. Not quite sure what, just..." he said, shaking his head. "I hope these cougars aren't a threat to us. I'd hate to imagine how hard they would be to catch and get out of the town." he commented. That would be a mess, trying to catch critters made of cacti. He waited for Miss LaMare to sit down, then got to work, first wetting her mane with a spray bottle of water, then levitating over a comb and combing it out. Dan was just levitating over some scissors when the Doc asked his question. He grinned, albeit a little sheepishly. "Fairly well, if I'd have to say. Though I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to this kind of stuff." he admitted. He adjusted his glasses with a hoof while he turned for a moment to address Louise. "Any particular still, Miss LaMare?" he asked. After that he turned to look back at Holly Day and the Sheriff. "Yep, you got it. And I have, actually. Sent a few letters her way, got a few back." he said. He actually did like Haymaker, quite a bit. He'd have to make an effort to head out toward the Nimbusgait Lakes, and go say hi. "Kind of a pity that she couldn't stay here longer, but I figure she's got to work and all that." he commented idly.

Muggo' Ale couldn't help but flash a grin when Bluebood spoke about seeing the ponies in the lounge everyday. There was no hint of arrogance to it, it was said so matter-of-factly that he couldn't help but grin and remember just how big of a class difference there was between them. Here Muggo' was, average-joe bartender, who would never have thought himself close to ponies of the calibre that sat in this room, and there was Prince Blueblood, rich duke who probably was on a first name basis with everyone there. And of course, all of that came crashing down with his next sentence, which was dripping with arrogance, but Muggo' held his tongue. Was it still arrogance if Blueblood was being honest? The green-coated bartender leaned forward a little unconsciously to have a better look at the map as Blueblood spoke. He followed the red line with his eyes, nodding at appropriate moments. Straightforward enough. At the mention of floating islands though, Muggo' looked up at the Prince. "Floatin' islands...I'm gunna go out on a pier here an' say that's not a literal thing." he said. Zebras didn't have wings, at least to his knowledge, and no way to get to flying islands. He sat back and pretended to contemplate it, not that he needed to much. He knew what his answer was already, especially at the mention of the Cupid. He'd seen that airship multiple times, and the thought of going on it, well... "Ya got me for this. A flight on the Cupid's worth it in me mind. An' besides, we're helpin' ya find yer Dad, an' that's definitely got me wantin' to do this." he assured Blueblood. He looked at Dunder, who had nodded his approval. "Looks like ya got yerself a team then. When do ya plan on settin' off?"

No, really! http://www.npr.org/2...lays-not-my-job The hosts were playing a game. They asked him about something he should know nothing about. The particular excerpt, spoilered due to length: Yeah, colour me surprised.

Well you know my character at least: Dapper Dan, resident barber and newcomer to Appleloosa. See my character log on the left under my name for details. And good idea for a thread, Appleloosa needs some love.

Muggo' Ale grinned as she teased him about knowing the song. "Just this one." he admitted with a laugh. He got off his chair with the intention of getting the water as he'd said when she asked her question. He pointed with a hoof toward the other end of the room. "Door on the left." he said with a smile, though he knew she'd be able to figure it out on her own once she got over there. With that he went upstairs to find the bar as busy as usual. Many had meandered a little closer to the stairs to listen to the musician while they enjoyed a few drinks with some friends. Muggo' stopped to greet a few regulars, then hopped over the bar to collect a tray and two glasses of water. With that done, the green-coated earth pony jumped back over the bar, gripped the tray in between practised teeth, and trotted back downstairs to their table. He set the tray down and sat back down in his chair, waiting for Caramel's return, though he'd probably end up going out to the little colt's room shortly himself. Speaking of that, he took a sip of water, then trotted off there himself. By the time he returned to his seat, and to Caramel Apple, the country music singer was just on the tail end of his last song and getting a rousing bit of applause from the audience. Muggo' Ale looked over at his date as the stallion walked off, and a larger group got ready for their set. "So, ya a fan o' this band?" he asked casually. He'd heard them play a few times, and did quite enjoy their music.

Dapper Dan glanced over at the stallion not far away, grinning. Braeburn seemed exceptionally chipper, which was saying something given that, from what he could tell, that stallion had boundless amounts of cheer and energy. He fought not to laugh, looking back at Haymaker and smiling a little sheepishly at her compliment. He stopped at the refreshment table with her, taking a moment to help himself to a glass of water. "Thanks. You've got some fancy hoofwork yourself, Haymaker." he said sincerely. She'd done better than he had. He nodded in understanding at what she said...after all, the mare had come down here as part of the band. He didn't mind letting her go for a little to finish up the set. "Of course you can. I'll be here, probably out by the refreshments here." he said with a smile. Before he had a chance to add anything else, Doc Holly Day came over with Haymaker's siblings. He smiled at their apology, as they did seem sincere in it, and heck, there was no harm done, really. "Have fun up there, Haymaker. I'll be around." he assured her with a warm smile, giving her another quick hug and letting her head off onto the stage. Confident in his dancing skills, and not really wanting to miss out on the fun, Dapper Dan looked around the crowd and saw a group of mares. Most of them found partners with other stallions in the town except one. Not wanting to be left out for the dance, and figuring neither did the mare, he trotted over, to ask her for a dance. It was just a for-fun type deal...he'd rather have had the last dance with Haymaker, as she'd told him, but she was busy right now, and figured she wouldn't mind terribly. He fell into position with the rest of the ponies, and while he stumbled around at first, the young barber finally figured out the right steps, and was square-dancing with the best of them.

This was going to be fun. "We can switch on zee verses." Timbre Swing said, knowing just what song he was going to try. He grinned, walking toward the fountain in the middle of the square. With his hoof, he set his hat a little better on his head, looking back at Sapphire Shores. "Let's see 'ow many ponies we can get to, uh...liven up." he said, clearing his throat and tapping his hoof gently against the fountain to give himself a timing. If the cadence of his tapping was anything to go by, the song was going to be rather lively. "A-wop bop a-loo mop, a-wop bam boom!" he started suddenly, startling a couple that had been nuzzling a little ways down the bench. He grinned to himself, tapping his hooves to the beat in a sort-of dance along the stone fountain. "J'ai une femme, s'nomme Roux! Elle me fais tellement fou! J'ai une fe~mme, s'nomme Roux! Elle me fais tellement fou!" he sang, a fast, up-beat, and for once, actual words, though in Fancy, not in Equestrian. He was a much better singer in his native language. "Elle connaisse bien ce qu'est l'amour, et c'est le type que je cherche pour!" he continued, grinning at Sapphire and motioning with his hoof. Her turn. [To the tune of Little Richard's 'Tutti Frutti'. Took me for /ever/ to come up with words that rhymed with each other and fit into the same style in French.]

That was one of the most epic ways of putting it ever, just sayin'.

Somehow, three barges worth of fireworks all exploding at the same time in three large fireballs just seems more AMURRIKAN than if they went off timed. I don't know why. I think it's just a massive explosion to celebrate a holiday that does it. (Just jokin' around, but it's funny either way).

Muggo' Ale let himself get a little lost in the music, idly tapping his left forehoof against the table for a few short moments at one point, timed to the beat of the song. He couldn't help it, it was a rather catchy tune. When the song ended, he, like Caramel and the others, clapped. The stallion was definitely talented, and while the song itself wasn't something he'd listen to on a record, he had to admit it was quite well done. "Aye." he agreed in a whisper of his own. Not bad at all. Once the clapping died down the stallion started up another song, one in a different style, and one that Muggo' happened to know. It had been taught to him by a musician that had passed through. And, much like the song before it, it was about a mare, although this one was a little more simple: a more traditional folk staple, and a lot more cheery in theme. "Hey, I got a gal, at the head of a creek, an' I'm goin' up to see her, 'bout three times a week..." Muggo' caught himself unintentionally singing along, though very quietly and to himself to keep from disturbing anyone (especially the musician). He smiled sheepishly to himself when he realized what he was doing, and stopped singing. Instead, he looked over at Caramel and leaned over to whisper to her. "This one ends on a bit more o' a higher note." he assured her with a smile. Sure, maybe it was a bit of a spoiler, but hey. The stallion sang on about the mare who lived at the end of a small creek known as Ripple Creek, and how it was tough to cross, but the stallion always made the trip to be with his love. "An' because I know this one, I'm goin' to get some water. Can I get ya anythin' while I'm upstairs?" he asked, still in a whisper. [Had to stretch my brain there to think of another country song to add to the "playlist" as it were. Old Kentucky folk song called "Cripple Creek", happened to have a dulcimer version of it bookmarked.]