Snowshoe

Dapper Dan looked up, laughing as the donkey walked in. "I can always use more singers, friend. Get two more and we'll have ourselves a regular quartet." he said with a grin, hopping out of the chair and extending a hoof toward Thorn. "I'm Dapper Dan, owner of the place. A mane trim, hmm? Just a simple trim, or anything else?" he asked. He wanted to make sure his customers were happy with what they got, so he always made sure his customers told him exactly what it was they were looking for. Mix in a fair price with some chatter about the daily going-ons around town, and he had quite a few regulars.

[This is just going to be a basic little thing. Come in, chat, hang out, get a manecut, whatever. Just go give Dan a thread for his actual job xP] ---- Dapper Dan made his way down the stairs at the back of the shop. It was time to open up, and see who would come by. Business wasn't exactly booming, what with the size of town and the lack of frequency of visitors to the town, but he couldn't complain. He had bits coming in, and a nice place to stay, so everything was fine. His grey shirt was on, with its pockets at the front to hold his tools of the trade, and his glasses were set firmly on his snout. He could barely see without them, and he always had them with him. The shop was small, and rather modest. A huge window in the front offered a good view of the street, and just one chair, a comfortable one for the ponies to sit in while he worked. Beyond that, there was a little waiting area with old books and magazines, and a few things for sale for personal grooming. He specialized mostly in cutting male manes, but bits were bits, and he would work at a mare's mane...if he had some coaching from her as to what exactly he was doing. Dapper Dan stepped outside, now used to the heat of the desert, and looked at the barber's pole next to the door. With a soft glow of red ochre from his horn, the pole began to spin, indicating he was open...which he reinforced by turning the sign around in the window with another quick burst of magic. All that done, Dan sat in one of the waiting chairs, slid a magazine toward him, and opened it up. He knew he'd be rather bored, until someone came by...and there wasn't much else to do. He kept the shop spotless, his tools clean, and all that. After a few minutes of paging through the magazine, Dapper Dan started to hum to pass the time, eventually just singing quietly to himself. Contrary to his natural, normal voice, which was a slightly higher than average pitch, he sang in a deep baritone. His love of older music came through as Dan began to sing. "Life could be a dream, sh-boom...if only my precious plans would come true, sh-boom...If you would let me spend my whole life lovin' you, life could be a dream, sweetheart..."

Timbre Swing tipped back his drink, taking a long sip of it and enjoying the mix of flavours before turning to look at the others around him. He grinned, listening to the talk about the royal guards. So being a royal guard wasn't that difficult, hmm? Seemed like a fun job, but he liked what he was doing. He wouldn't change it for the world. Then, she was corrected by the older stallion, sitting nearby to the rest of the group. "I would not, uh, totally be convinced zat taking zee...lesser guard posts would be zat bad." he commented. "After all, I would consider it an 'uge honneur to even 'ave zee Gold." he explained. You had to take pride in your job no matter where on the ladder you were. He tilted his fedora back and grinned at Muffin Top. "I would recommend zis, zee Black Stalliongrad. It has strange taste, but is good." he said with a chuckle. "But zere is lots of choice. What does your maman make for 'ome brew?" he asked.

[Woops, forgot about this myself xD] This was definitely turning out to be an adventure. Rain Maker grinned and looked over at Vacant Thought, bopping him lightly on the side with her right front hoof. "C'mooon!" she said with a giggle. "Don't be such a wuss! It's just a forest. Don't you Earth ponies have some like, connection to the forest?" she teased. "Besides, we're in a group. Nothing bad is going to happen to us. I say let's go!" she said. Without much after that, Rain Maker walked straight up to the forest and stepped inside, looking back at her companions. "See! Nothing to fear! Come on, let's go see what there is to see!"

So that was that. Muggo' sighed and relaxed, not noticing how hard his heart had been beating. That had been close! "Yeah. Think I might get a heart attack, but I be good." he said with a wry grin toward the other earth pony. "Ya did good there, b'y. Ya think quick on yer hooves, that's good." he complimented. He had no idea what he would have done had the manticore turned on him. Fought it, for sure, but that might end badly. He looked up when Dunder arrived and grinned. "Well! Ain't that a surprise!" he said with a laugh, thumping Dunder Blust on the back while they hugged. "How ya gettin' on! Or better yet, how ya feel, gettin' to use that sword for once?" he said with a grin. Muggo' Ale turned to the mare that had been stuck on the reservoir when the manticore arrived. He grinned and swept his hat from his head as he did a bit of a bow, before setting the bakerboy hat back in it's usual place atop his mane. "It's nothin'." he said modestly. As if. One wrong step, and his father would have gotten the bar back, and no more family business. Still, now he had a great story to tell...especially if he embellished it a little. "Couldn't leave a nice young mare like yerself high an'...well, high an' dry might not be the best o' terms, eh?" he said with a laugh. "Glad to see yer okay though. Try not to freeze up, not literally o' course, like that again." he said. When the mare's friend came over, he chuckled. "Ya did right, b'y. Gettin' her off the ice helped us get that biniky beast outta here." he told Page Turner, chuckling. To Parhelion's question, he also had an answer. "I hope not, b'y. But if he does, well..." Muggo' reeled back and bucked the air. "Douse him right in the face, I will."

Hence the quotation marks. We have expies of Germany and Italy in the form of Germaney and Itaily, but Cadence's name opens the possibility that an expy of Italy is now canon. I didn't mean literally France and Italy are part of the RP xP

Wait...push the manticore to the centre of the reservoir? Would that even work? It had wings after all...but maybe the manticore hated water. If it didn't they might be in trouble...after all, the reservoir was, as far as he could tell, landlocked, and rapidly melting. As he charged toward the reservoir, he saw a familiar grey pony. Dunder Blust, and using his rapier too! Now that was a sight. But he had no time to stop and contemplate. Muggo' Ale was almost at the reservoir's edge. He jumped on, feeling the ice crack a bit more under his weight, but not as much as the manticore's. Still, in an effort to speed up the process of dunking the manticore in the reservoir, Muggo' ran right up to it when it was distracted by the other's snowballs, reared back, and slammed his front hooves onto the ice. The impact shattered a piece under the manticore's back left paw, causing it to dip into the ice cold water. Muggo' retreated a little in case the creature got angry and attacked him, and felt his own hoof slip into the water. He hopped back, landing on another piece of ice, then again, landing on the shore. "Ya sure this'll work, b'y?" he shouted the question at the green earth pony that suggested it.

Muggo' tapped a hoof to his chin. Did he have that? He looked back at the box, mumbling to himself. He named off a few bands that formed an eccentric mix...everything from Hoofington-area sea shanties to orchestral scores from long past, to modern music. He was pretty sure he had one of Pon3's works in there somewhere. "Ah, here she be." he said, pulling the vinyl record gently from the box with his teeth and setting it upon the turntable. A few cranks got the internal mechanisms going properly, and he set the needle down upon it. The first strings of the song played, and he turned back to the bar. Muggo' Ale listened to Ink's description of the book and set his hat down on the bar, shaking out his shaggy gray mane. "That sounds like a good bit of work, b'y. How'd it not get a bigger followin'?"

Googleing "insomnialeptic" brings up your application as the first results. Being that -leptic comes from the Greek word for attack or seizure, it can technically make sense, but I've never heard nor seen the term before. I've only seen -leptic used in terms like epileptic, or narcoleptic which is the entire opposite of insomnia. Being the curious man I am, can I get the citations for the term? Like Socrates, I like to consider myself ignorant on everything and learn all I can.

I actually like this character, quite a bit. Being that one of my favourite (non-pony) characters is similar to Insanity here in that he too has a spirit caught inside of him, and so does a member of my favourite band (Russell Hobbes from the Gorillaz), I enjoy the idea quite a bit, so long as it's kept from straying too far into grimdark territory (I noticed some of the voices being Rage and the like). It seems like a great character that just needs a bit of tweaking to fit with the boardcanon, but not a whole lot as to totally compromise who she is. I do have three questions though: - If she's shy, what drove her to race? I'm thinking of like Fluttershy, who in Hurricane Fluttershy was too paralyzed with fear to properly fly. Admittedly, it is because of her being taunted in her youth, but the same concept can apply: if Insanity Dash is too shy to enter into Ponyville, or leave her house for the first few days, then how did she build up the courage to race in front of an audience? Was it a personality that took hold, or was it her own self steeling herself to fly? - This one's just a small detail, but the Canterlot scientist. How did he come to learn that Insanity had skill with potions, if she lived in Ponyville and had only entered the public eye during the race? - Why did her parents go to the Everfree in the first place? I may have missed that, but I'm just curious. Were they explorers? Archaeologists, scientists, historians? Or possibly refugees? The latter, refugees, is the vibe I'm getting at the moment, due to them being from a griffon land, taking the child with them without leaving it with a caretaker in a safe place, and forgetting about her for an entire day without doubling back or making an attempt to find her. Don't get discouraged. I know the questions and critiques can seem harsh, but we're not being mean. I'd genuinely like to see Insanity Dash flying about the RP, and with a little bit of tweaking she could be there easy.

Muggo' dipped his head as soon as he heard the pegasus coming in, expecting a blast of wind and snow. Instead, he heard the cries. Monster? Reservoir? He unhitched himself from the wagon, stuck his hat on his head, and thundered toward the reservoir, following Parhelion's path. A manticore? He knew of them, and knew he had to do something. He was almost as fast as a pegasus, his hooves thundering along the ground as he made his way to the reservoir. Sure enough, there one was, leering at a young blue mare with spiky hair. "Was ya born on a raft? Get out of there!" he roared to the mare. Years of working the bar had made it so that Muggo' Ale's voice could boom quite loud. "Get yer starn in gear! Move!" he added, charging the manticore down. It seemed fearless, but inside, Muggo' knew this was absolutely crazy. But something had to be done, and he was the closest at the moment. If only his father could see him now. Heck, if only his mother could...a manticore at Winter Wrap Up. That would have surprised her. Muggo's hoofsteps ended as he leaped through the air, slamming into the side of the manticore and at least taking it's attention away from Cloudchaser long enough for her to get away. He regained his footing, staring the monster down. "Come on then, b'y! When I'm done with ya, Celestia help ya!" he said, hoping the threat was enough to get it to back down. Likely not, but still, worth the try.

The sound took Muggo' Ale by total surprise. Parhelion was literally screaming down out of the sky, past him and the tree. He had to quickly put a hoof up to hold his hat down, his tail and mane fluttering back from the blast of air. "Gotcha, b'y! Watch yerself when ya come down, don't need ya clippin' a wing!" Muggo' shouted back, his voice booming. He trotted along, stopping at the next stop, though this was a building, not a tree. He removed his hat, holding it in a curled fetlock, and began to wave it to signal his speedy pegasus friend.

Cadenza actually is a music-based term. It literally translates to "Cadence", but can also translate to rhythm, or intonation. So...maybe Cadence is secretly a DJ? "I love Rhythm"? The perfectionist in me also hopes they pronounce it correctly, and not butcher it...although Italian is easy to pronounce properly. I may have mentioned this already, but I'm personally happy that that means not only does "France" exist in Equestria, but so does "Italy", or at least the equivalent languages. A possibility of seeing more locales, perhaps? That's what I'd like to see out of S3: keep with the Mane 6, but more forays outside of Canterlot/Ponyville. I'd like to see more of Manehattan, or another episode in Appleloosa, or some of the newly named towns like Baltimare and Las Pegasus (inb4 Hangover: Ponyville edition).

[Pfft, why not. Might be fun to see what comes up ^^] Name : Muggo' Ale Gender : Male Gender preference (Optional) : Female Location : Filldelphia Age : Stallion, getting to my prime. Species : Earth Pony Species preference (Optional) : Anypony's good. Cutie-Mark (Optional) : A rosewood tankard. How would you describe yourself, physically? About average height, maybe a mite taller than the average stallion. Definitely on the stockier side than most stallions my age. Green coat, with a light peach colour around me hooves and the paint on me flank. Me mane's grey, and always has been...doesn't mean I'm that old just yet. A little unkempt in the mane and tail department, but with my line of work, any styling wouldn't hold up. How would you describe your personality? Boisterous, in a way. I like to sing, laugh, make others laugh, and just generally have a good time. Comes with the job...gotta keep my customers happy and coming back, after all! There's very little in this world that'll get me down, and I'm almost always chuckling or enjoying myself. I'm also a bit on the teasing side...expect playful little verbal jabs once in a while, though nothing serious nor truly mean. What things in life are important to you? Family. You gotta stick up for your family, keep them close, and keep loyal to them. I also like to travel. Even I'll close the pub down once in a while to go for a vacation..Equestria's a beautiful place, and there's a lot to see. In the end, I guess the most important thing is to make sure that, at the end of it all, there's been no real regrets. I also like some small things too, like music, books, the occasional discussion about what's going on in the world. What's your idea of the ideal first date? Something lower key. A good chance to get to know the other pony, without letting any pomp or flashiness get in the way. I'd rather know exactly what I'm getting into. Doesn't mean there can't be anything fun, though. Anything from a trip to a Wonderbolts show to a casual stroll along the streets, or just even lunch somewhere would be fine. What are you looking for? A mare that doesn't mind all that much that I'm stuck with the pub most of the time, and doesn't mind settling down a little. Oh, sure, I'll get off me flank and go on an adventure, but I've got a busy bar to run, and I want to make my father proud...after all, he's expecting an heir for the family business, and I'm getting older. I'm not that picky though...if you find a mare that you think would work, and she happens to be somepony that lives off excitement, I may see how it goes. Ya never know. Anything else you think we should know? I mentioned many times I work at a pub. It's The Prancing Pony in Fillydelphia, near the docks. I'm also...well, I might as well say it, I'm not the greatest when it comes to talking to ponies one on one. Chatting with customers in a bar is one thing, but casual face to face meetings is entirely different for me.

[i'm just waiting to see if anyone else is going to reply first.]

Done his second song, Timbre Swing literally rode his contrebasse back toward the case. With his left rear hoof on the hoofstand, he kicked off the ground with his rear right hoof, keeping perfect balance as the instrument rolled deftly across the floor toward the case. He hopped off and tipped the fedora off the top, letting it land on on his head. He secured the instrument in its case, then trotted over to the bar and grinned. "A Black Stalliongrad, s'il vous plait." he asked the bartender with a grin, before turning to look at the conversation going on. It seemed to be about the Royal Guard, centred around Strife. He'd sit and listen in for a bit before going back to play some more. [black Stalliongrad = Black Russian, if you know a little about drinks ^^]

Muggo' Ale leaned against the cart, bowing his head and closing his eyes for a bit. He took in deep breaths of air to try and fill his lungs and clear out the ache of hauling stuff all day. He'd have to get some food soon, but for now he could help clear the trees. It looked like they needed just one final, hard push from everypony to get this stuff done properly. After about two minutes he raised his head, set his hat, and grinned. Muggo' made his way to the harness and hitched himself in, then looked up for Parhelion. He waved, unsure of where he was, to get his attention, then started to trot along the path into town.

Someone found the Forumnomicon again?

My messy, classic XP desktop.

Doesn't having Derpy called by name count as canonization? I think somewhere along the line that counts as graduating up from background character.

A whole lot of this. All day. For the last two days. Large image alert. My expression the entire time:

Rain Maker was too distracted preforming her namesake with the help of Rainbow and Dunder, not noticing the pony run into the shed, until the sound of the foam expanding out and covering the fire. The heat was gone, as was the sizzle of the water on the fire. She was mostly safe from the blast of foam, but she still hopped down from the cloud, gliding to the ground toward the jump of foam and ponies that was Muffin Top, Rainbow Dash a few feet away, and the owner of the cottage. She landed among the foam, looking around and chuckling. "That was pretty cool." she said with a grin, walking over to help Rainbow Dash out of the foam heap she'd fallen into. "That was some crazy fire. I've never seen anything burn like that." she commented, looking back at her compatriots in trying to help get rid of the fire.

Ollie McTwist is a young skaterpony who lives in Solstice. I may come up, as he doesn't get a lot of RPs.

Dapper Dan nodded. He too wished she could stay, but she did have a job, after all. He smiled at her and nodded. "Of course! I'll be around here to talk later." he said. She was quite the interesting character. He went to sit nearby at a table and looked around until he heard a bit of commotion. Apparently the owner of the frog that had caused the ruckus earlier had been found. He swept his hat off his head with a bit of magic and left it on the table, and looked back as Haymaker gave her brother a good one, right across the snout. He winced a little, almost as if he could feel the hit himself, it had been that good of a punch. Yeesh. He had to remind himself not to annoy her. That explained her boxing glove cutie mark, though. He watched the dancers, trying to memorize the steps for the next hoedown that he would attend, and his eyes went back to the stage. He saw Haymaker, who seemed calmer now, and...well, not as happy as before. It seemed...almost like she was crying? Dapper Dan hadn't heard the comments made about her, and he didn't know her own conflict over her temper and boxing ability. So, he simply tipped his glasses a little higher up on his snout with the tip of his hoof, and when she looked over, tried to catch her attention. He gave the red-maned mare a warm, encouraging smile. He'd probably get up and dance the next dance, but for now, he was still learning...lest he get his hooves in a tangle and knock somepony over.

[No idea. It's finals season though, I suspect that might be it.]