Apolline Allura

Name: [colour=#282828]Lightning Dust[/colour]

Age: [colour=#282828]Mare[/colour]

Sex:[colour=#282828] Female[/colour]

Species:[colour=#282828] Pegasus[/colour]

Eye colour: [colour=#282828]Goldenrod[/colour]

Coat:[colour=#282828] Aqua Green[/colour]

Mane/Tail:[colour=#282828] Both Lightning Dust's tail and mane are a two-tone combo of saffron and dark goldenrod. Her tail is kept decently groomed, and her mane is always slicked back, save for two bangs that stick out slightly.[/colour]

Physique: [colour=#282828]Not visibly so, but lean, and definitely aerodynamic. Lighting Dust's consistent exposure to wind resistance has increased her endurance and speed greatly, making her more than a match for even the fastest pegasus.[/colour]

Residence: [colour=#282828]An apartment in Southern Cloudsdale. Nothing amazing, but whatever. It's not tacky at least.[/colour]

Occupation: [colour=#282828]Weather Pony/currently suspended Wonderbolt in training.[/colour]

Cutie Mark: [colour=#282828]A single white lightning bolt surrounded by a number of stars. Attained early in fillyhood when she managed to perfect her speed technique in an exercise with her mother. For months, she had been harassing her over the importance of acceleration. After a brief period of time, it became all too clear that as much as she hated studying at the time, she'd have to if she wanted to learn how to reach top speed and not lose any on turns. In learning about currents as well as slipstreams, she was able to blow past her mother easily and lap around her in a race. It's a symbol of her never-ending determination and dedication to becoming the best flyer in Equestria, as well as her ability to take to learning new things quickly.[/colour]

Likes:[colour=#282828] Testing herself and her limits, total and complete victory, good competition, good associates, root beer and secretly...science..just a little.[/colour]

Dislikes:[colour=#282828] Losing at anything. Any task or competition that doesn't challenge her in any way possible. Being told to mind other ponies.[/colour]

Character Summary: [colour=#282828]Born to former stunt ponies turned parents, Lightning Dust came up watching and eventually learning flying tricks from her mother and father. She had always admired the sacred pegasine practice of flight, and desired to go higher and faster than anypony ever could. Her parents would take her to see the Wonderbolts, Equestria's longrunning air force/stunt group. They were truly an inspiration to her, being the only ponies she ever knew who could outfly her parents even. Dust was homeschooled by her parents in the art of flight, thus leaving her a bit out of touch with her peers when she was younger. While others would be hanging out with friends and socializing, she'd be out cloudbusting and breaking personal records. They also tutored her in science, specfically in aerodyamics, with a bit of basic training in chemistry. She disliked the lessons at first, wanting them to be as practical as flapping her wings, but upon attaining her cutie mark, discovered that they were a way to unlock her potential even further. Out of this came one of her own original moves even. One of the most important things her father, had told her was to be the best she could ever be, and her mother, added onto that, "...and then when you get there, get even better than that, and never stop.". Unfortunately, to one as single-track minded as she, Lightning Dust had taken it to mean that she was to be the best no matter what the cost.[/colour]

[colour=#282828]As she got older Dust had a habit of challenging others to races, and making sure to humiliate them when she did so just because it was within her abilities, which were above average with the level of training she was receving from her parents. Being the best to her meant that everypony knew it. Dust had never had friends per se, or at least, friends that could handle her reckless and dangerous ways for long. Ponies came and went, attracted by the initial charisma that she exuded, and the respect she instantly had for anypony who could match her, but in time, they distanced themselves. This resulted in a bit of regression into comparmentalizing others as her betters, her equals, or everypony else. (Everypony else being those she felt herself better than.) Though it has resulted in a bit of loneliness, she has resolved to care less about it. Nopony came with her out of the cradle aside of her parents, and she wouldn't need any for when she left either right? She moved out as she entered marehood, and took up a job as a weather pony to pay the bills while pursuing her desire to become a Wonderbolt.[/colour]

[colour=#282828]By the time she had finally managed to make it to the academy at last, she was secretly overjoyed to find a pegasus who thrived on her own ability the way she did. Rainbow Dash her name was, and the two raced one another for the top spot as they proceeded through the ranks and academy records of the rigorous Wonderbolt training regimen. Unfortunately, as so many times had happened previously, Dash began to take issue with Dust's loose cannon style. She easily waved away each and every time she was called out as a minor inconvinence for their fellow flyers for not being as competent. This reached a head when Dust was promoted to Lead Pony, and Dash was given the position of Wing Pony. During one particular exercise, they were tasked with cloudbusting, and Dust found it the best idea to create a tornado in order to pull the entirety of them in and destroy the piles of fluff, regardless of the potential it had of harming other teams.[/colour]

[colour=#282828]Even worse, Rainbow Dash's friends had appeared right then, as the whirlwind spun out of control, and buffeted their hot air balloon. Through deft moves and determination to keep her friends safe, she managed to get them out of harms way to the applause of many. Due to her dislike of how Dust handled the situation, Dash decided to resign from the Wonderbolt's training course. Of course, when Captain Spitfire caught wind of this, it became the last straw for her regarding Lightning Dust. She paused Dash, promoted her to Lead Pony, and had Lightning Dust escorted from the premise.Presently, her status as a Wonderbolt-in-training is still up in the air. But for now, her record shows that she is suspended for poor conduct and behavior unfitting of the Wonderbolt name. Lightning Dust is still quite bitter about the situation as a whole, and for now is back to her weather pony job in the meantime.[/colour]

Personality: [colour=#282828]Due to her sheltered life, Lightning Dust was a bit spoiled early on, lavished in the love of both her parents, and not being given much responsibility beyond learning what they taught her. Coupled with the lack of interaction with others her own age and her eagerness to pit herself against the world, her social outlook culminated in a "devilpony-may-care" persona. There are bright spots, and moments where she has found companionship to be a boon, but only for so long before she chases it away with her showboating attitude and antics. As such, she acts as if the only company she really needs is her own when she's alone, but a bit of humble pie and a friend who is willing to stick with her through it all could change that.[/colour]

Technique: [colour=#282828]Though an athelete, Lightning Dust is by no means dumb muscle. Her parents had taught her a fair amount of science in order to optimize her abilities in flight. While she isn't as cerebral in her practices, the basics of wind resistance, longitude and latitude as well as certain reactions (chemical, aethertic or otherwise) have stuck with her. This has allowed her to produce at least one self-taught move of her original creation: The Photo Bomb. By manipulating light particles while flying at supersonic speeds, Lightning Dust can cause them to collide with one another by a strong flap of her wings. This results in a cameralike flash when she does so, and she does this upon landing. It can blind onlookers for a split second.[/colour]

[colour=#282828]

[/colour][colour=#282828]This idea was derived from Rainbow Dash's "Filly Flash" technique, whom considering the parallels, I found appropriate.

[/colour]

[colour=#282828][/colour]

Because she annoys you in general, or because it was feeling over-done?

The entirety of the character bothers me in lieu of the popularity she has with the fans. Her only true notable qualities seem to be wall-eyes and klutziness. I could have sworn that the periphery demographic came to love and appreciate this series because of the wit, lore and excellent character design and development. Derpy Hooves exhibits none of these traits, and yet people can be made to believe that the series is about her, or that she has some great eligibility as a character because she "belongs" to the fandom, never mind that it was a mere animation error that even brought her to life from the pit of hell known as 4Chan.

The thing with the fandom that I've noticed recently is that it seems like the people who are obsessed with their own headcanons, the presence of Derpy, and the possibility of fanservice, are the ones who tend to go down the pessimistic road of claiming the 'fandom is dying.' How about watching the show for the original reason why you liked it in the first place?

I was one of those after the episode "The Last Roundup" where I was annoyed because I couldn't have a conversation with someone about the episode without them gasm-ing over the blond pegasus having a voice. I like Derpy just fine, but what about the other 21 minutes of the episode? Did no one else watch it? I even heard some people say they seriously had to take a break from the episode after Derpy talked because it was giving them an adrenaline high that kept them from focusing on the episode. Wow, really? Again, I don't have a problem with Derpy, I just think people need to chill the buck out. It's just a cartoon. We should really just relax. If you're someone who really thinks pandering can be a problem here, perhaps you're focusing too little on the foundation of the show, the mane six, the morals, the character antics, the horse puns, and the fact that in Equestria friendship=magic, which since the first season has increased in value and is being executed very well, even through it's third season.

Points all well made, and again, thank you for pointing that out river.

An 82 takedown record in Burnout 3, which is by all accounts frankly ridiculous. Also, 5,000,000 points on the all mountain jam in SSX3 with the challenge score being 1,750,000

NUFF RESPECT DUE

I beat all five episodes of The Walking Dead without crying.

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIES

CLEMENTINE ;A;

"Friends? Her?" said Miasma, surprised. "She looks like the kinda pony where 'friend' means shield. I don't think we can trust her, but whatever. It's Molly's call."

She took another sip of the mead--this was a strong mug right here--and then looked over to Mjolna and Darkest Dawn before turning to Destiny again. "And what is it with you ponies and these names? I've never heard one of you not named after a noun, or something in latin. Like, you're called Destiny," Miasma moved around her to point a finger at her covered up flank, "but your destiny is some kinda tramp stamp that you get to wear forever." She laughed. "Even the males! That wouldn't fly with us gryphons."

Meanwhile, the other unicorn watched them all from afar, hot water steaming from a small cup at her table. Another weakling had joined their ranks. Another sacrifice for the burning maw of Naskralar.

The two fools, the pegasus and the gryphon would do well as the diversionary group to keep Naskralar's attention. The earth pony seemed capable, but then, this was speaking by earth pony standards, which were well below her own as a unicorn. Magic was true might. Any creature who could wield it directly had the world at their control.

Looking over to Destiny, the maneless unicorn's lips curled upwards slightly. "Soon enough old friend...you will see..." she whispered.

'Curses!'

Why oh why did Ghost Writer decide to have such wonderful hearing then and there? Spotlight had even bothered to parse the word so that she wouldn't catch onto the plural! There was hardly any point in heading up to the gala without the entirety of the troupe. They were a group, a unit, a collective! To be without one was to be without all! Not that this would stop her in the least.

What Spotlight lacked in subtlety, she made up for in bombast, peer pressure, and sheer excitement.

"Miss Rarity," she said as they continued through the direction of the many different dresses available, "my dear Writer is the slightest bit ill from the bump on her head from this morning, and requires bed rest, and will do so after we have purchased her dress for the gala--"

She said all of this with a cheery, bright smile, and not stopping to give Ghost Writer a chance to speak, spotting a positively dazzling black and gold number and trotting over to it. She continued to babble on about possible colour combinations, coordination, and the viability of velour wear versus satin. There were so many different kinds of combinations that Spotlight almost lost track of herself before finally coming to the conclusion, "Miss Rarity, I must ask you, what do you think would look best for my friend and I?"

Before she turned away to point in some direction, she gave Rarity a small but hopefully understandable wink before turning to point in an arbitrary direction and frantically yelping.

"Ghost! Your quills are on fire again! I smell the feathers burning from here!"

All I know is that the lack of Derpy is refreshing. :3

...this one is embarrassing, but I figure it deserves points for the dedication I gave it.

Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate for the original XBOX. I unlocked every single outfit, and every character within the course of maybe two days. Nonstop playing, and I had to do it on every difficulty. Even the ones where the AI'd be super cheap.

And for the lulz, Halo 3, a match two years ago on Narrows. When my friends are flying off the end of the ramps to either section and hit each other in midair, I shoot through one, killing the other as well. One of my few moments of fun with the Battle Rifle.

...and maybe just because of how epic it was that it could go on that long, but Soul Calibur 3. My dad had Zasalamel, and I had Xianghua. Ten minute duel with no weapon abilities and 1% health.

Spotlight had the grace to look shocked. Miss Rarity was quite a looker.

Though she'd never concede it, the snow white coat, similar to her own but only more...fetching had plenty to do with it. Her mauve coif was also a sight to see as well. In short, she knew she was looking at the finest sight in Ponyville. A "rarity" indeed. She also looked familiar, as though she had--

"Princess Platinum?" said Spotlight, stunned now at the appearance of said actor. "From the Hearth's Warming play in Canterlot last year! You're a premier fashionista as well? What else can't you do?"

And so began Spotlight's thirty second rant of gushing and fangirling all over Rarity. She was at the very least, so excited that in her mirth, she prepared to tangent to reason behind the visit.

"--and now that I think about it, the designs of those costumes were simply superb! If I had known that was you, I'd have been here sooner and--"

'SPOTLIGHT. STOP. BREATHE. DIGNITY.'

Spotlight paused, took a deep breath, and focused her eyes before lifting a hoof. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said in subdued tones, audibly forcing her excitement down, "I'm Spotlight of the Traveling Players, and this is my playwright, Ghost Writer."

She gestured toward the other unicorn, all meek looking and out of sorts amongst so many ponies. Spotlight briefly pondered her well-being before, 'Oh she's a big filly, she'll be fine.'

"We're both here to find dress," she leaned into Rarity's ear to add the plural "es" to the word before leaning away, "for the Grand Galloping Gala. Any appearances in one of your numbers will surely make it the best night ever!"

She DID have to laugh at the nickname. Hairless was an accurately descriptive moniker for the deathly serious looking mare who had just insulted her. And Destiny's power sounded rather useful, for keeping all the loot together if nothing.

And then ponies just kept coming.

Could there be one more gryphon at least? Of course not. This was cold. Cold did not bode well for anything with wings. Not that Miasma hadn't thought to handle that before she came by. Hidden within each of her wings was an enchanted piece of ruby, emitting heat and warmth through her plumage, and ensuring her safe usage of her about-face appendages.

That one that called her a coward...she was gonna get it later. Bald b--

"[colour=#b22222]Excuse me...Sorry to interrupt all of you but, I'm looking for this one place, 'Mount Naskralar'. I was wondering if any of you knew how to get to there. I sort've overheard you guys talking about it...If you all are heading there, would I be able to tag along?[/colour]"

The pegasus in front of them just screamed "red shirt" at Miasma just by his talking to them. He wasn't looking for this journey intentionally, was he? Or mentioning it like it was some walk in the park or something? But just as soon, she prevented herself from the facetaloning she was about to go through. That one unicorn had taunted her, calling her afraid. Miasma was better than that, no question!

"Ask the big girl over here," Miasma jerked a thumb in Mjolna's direction. "I'm gonna go get a refill..."

And with that, she walked off toward the bar, passing the unicorn with the marble shards attached to the harness under her cloak. They shared a contemptuous stare as they went by one another, and her claws flexed. They'd settle this after the adventure was over, Miasma decided.

She ended up in front of the bar, mug full of mead once more, and gravitated over to Destiny. "Yo..."

"You two showed up at the same time... D'you know that frosty broad?" she said, pointing at the other unicorn mare.

Uhm, there's Rap, or how I call it : " The hatchling of a "Culture" about lacking culture" songs about murder or beating women aren't my thing.

Latino music deserves extra Wammie, because it's just Rap + SpanGrish also I seem to grow a special hate towards music composed for phone's ringtone sake due the idiotic AD's those 'services' have.

Though flutterscotch seems to have handled most of the points I'd present quite well, I cannot stress enough that this music, be it referenced as hip-hop or rap; it represents a movement. When you say culture lacking culture, you more or less are getting at a way that an entire race communicates with itself. In hip-hop, there are many different backgrounds and places and people being represented. If you'd like to condemn the genre, you could do so by labeling gangster rap, which is the subset of the music of which you speak.

And even then, the subgenre of gangster rap is very insightful, considering the impacts that artists like Ice Cube or Public Enemy or Mos Def had on the music industry as a whole.

The songs containing the language and/or subject matter that you so despise are really only reflections of the conditions in those areas where they came from. What's more, other genres aren't without their songs with such things. Metal, Rock, Alternative--plenty of different genres include these things, and yet they aren't the center of them. Likewise, murder and misogyny aren't the center of hip-hop. That's simply a fault of your lack of exposure.

And that's okay; I sure as heck didn't get down with metal until I heard System of A Down, and then other genres in rock like psychobilly.

I leave you with two great songs, between the times, so that our argument doesn't specifically last in the 90's (the golden era of hip-hop, in my opinion).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrhHH3_t218 And one from way back when. :3

"So instead of being big and friggin' scary, they're big, friggin' scary, and smart." deadpanned Miasma, dabbing at her blazer with the napkin she kept in her breast pocket. "Just great."

In truth, facing down some of the most powerful creatures in existence should have been a selling point to Miasma. And in some cases, it was. Adventure was in her job description for crying out loud! So what was this feeling creeping up her spine? What was this doubt-

"You've scared the poor thing."

The voice came from behind Miasma, and another hooded figure standing next to her now. "Wyrms are nothing to be taken lightly, child." said the comparatively shorter midnight coloured unicorn mare, pulling her hood away to reveal her maneless head. "They will not hesitate to remove you." She turned her head toward the gryphon, "Unless they're hungry of course."

The look of simple surprise on Miasma's face at the new arrival not seconds after Destiny's appearance quickly turned into a rather heated stare. Who did this pony think she was, coming out of nowhere, calling her afraid?

"Hey, you. I ain't afraid of nothin'." she said, pointing a claw back at her, though the darker unicorn had already turned her attentions back to the other ponies.

"We are certain to face Naskralar in mortal combat. I doubt there's the slightest chance of him being the exception to any of the rules of dragonkind, much less wyrmkind." she continued. A white glow emanated from her horn before settling around her chest. From within her cloak arose sixteen shards of marble snapping together slowly in midair, shining with enchanted magics to form a crude rectangle with serrated edges on one side. "You will need more than courage and knowledge to face him. You will need power."

"Oi, I'm talkin to you-" said Miasma, pushing the shards out of her way and stepping directly into the mare's circle.

Not that she cared to talk back to her...directly. "This cowardly lion will serve as a healthy snack for him, I'm sure." she said, walking past her and over to the bar. "I will acquire my own drink, and when the time comes, we shall be on our way, yes?"

Miasma seethed as she watched the other mare head in the direction of the bar, the marble shards separating and storing themselves in the harness underneath her cloak. "I vote we institute a one unicorn limit." she said to Mjolna.

She tapped upon the door with a hoof lightly, unsure of how to directly approach a place of such repute, if only for the fact that her greatest clothes were made by ponies far away. The catalogs of all the most popular styles lay in neat stacks under Spotlight's bed back at the trailer. The mare wasn't accustomed to meeting with one of the ponies actually responsible for creating new garments.

"Oh yes, of course, mmhm," said Spotlight, skating over Ghost Writer's question with ease, "yes, picking up dresses..." she lowered her voice to a murmur when it came to the plural suffix involved in the word.

There was a mild amount of chatter and such that could be heard from outside, which easily meant customers were already there. Oh how Spotlight hated the lines! 'If I had known minding Writer's sleeping schedule would lose us out on a first in line spot, I'd have dragged her out of bed hours ago!' hissed the pegasus in her mind as she pushed the door open.

Upon her entry, Spotlight gasped. What a place! Such lush and yet subdued colour! The interior reflected the sense of style and true craftsmareship of the outside. It was beautiful.

"Splendor and wanderlust and--ooh, is that velvet red?" Her voice dropped low with the tone of one who was very fond of the colour and material. Spotlight could have just jumped up and positively exploded into flight, but it was important to maintain herself. It wouldn't do for a pony of her caliber to simply just up and overexcite in front of all these country ponies. Trotting back, she locked her fetlock in Writer's and dragged her on in.

"Oh just look at all the new things she has together." said Spotlight, trembling with excitement. "And oh, I do believe this one is in your colour..."

At some point though, it became apparent to her that the only one who could truly offer good judgement--neigh, divine judgement--on dresses for both her and the unsuspecting Ghost Writer was the creator herself.

"Miss Rarity?" she called out from the crowds, not entirely sure what she looked like, but searching for a pony heading in their direction at her clarion call.

Ponyville!

How...country.

Leading actress and occasional Playcolt model, Spotlight traversed the little town of Ponyville, severely unimpressed by the overall look of the place. Yes there was the absence of arrogance and egotism that plagued it's neighbors like Canterlot and Cloudsdale (not that she couldn't fit into those kinds of places)... And yes the Sweet Apple Ciders were to die for, but it didn't wow her like she'd have assumed it would. The houses were too...homey. The hustle and bustle wasn't as thick as it was in say, Manehattan. It was alive, but only but so much. Spotlight decided to amount it to what Brace called "soul". It was a much more personal kind of place, and she could hear ponies calling the other ponies by name, which meant that this was a place of community. Nopony could be so familar in the bigger cities she had visited. Not something she was entirely unfamiliar with, being from the Badlands and all.

Although Lefferded, the marginally larger settlement that it was had a rather twisted soul, in the form of bandits and such that swept through the area on a daily basis.

But!

Things had changed for the pegasus and her family since moving them from that pit, and Spotlight was living larger than ever. Or at least, she planned to by the time she retired. But that would require her not to spend the vast sums of money she earned during every tour on jewlery and drinks while the other half was already guaranteed toward her family. And oh dear, her mother had even sent her a letter saying she was expecting in anywhere from two to three months. She cursed her mothers fertile grounds for such a thing...it was much better having been the only child.

All the same, now was not the time to consider such things. There was a very special appointment to be kept, and it just so happened to be at the rather interesting building in the center of the town square. Spotlight found herself impressed at last, and briefly wondered why she hadn't seen the carousel shaped building, or the cake shaped one across from it when the train was approaching Ponyville. With her playwright, boss and bestie, Ghost Writer in tow, she pointed excitedly at the sign.

"The Carousel Boutique!" She turned her head to Ghost Writer, "Where, as told to me by Hotiy Toity himself, every garment is chic, neat and magnifique!"

Spotlight's wings fluttered and she wished she could just up and dance on her hind legs without the contents of her saddlebags spilling onto the floor, but alas, she settled for a broad and happy grin.

She cringed slightly when the owner of the inn was indicated. He looked like he could have used a bath and a few hundred years off his life clock... Maybe a new eye too. Not that Miasma had any intention of mentioning these things. If she was getting a free night out of that old codger, he couldn't be half as bad as he looked. It was a spot of light in this quest that she'd be loath to take for granted.

Mjolna was a lively one, that was for sure. And almost did a number on her shoulder where that hoof had clapped her, good goddess. The gryphon had met more than a few workhorses in her short career, but 'ol Molly beat out just about all of them. She flexed just by moving alone.

"Nothing but the clothes on ou--" she stopped, and then looked at herself. Then back to the earth pony. Mjolna was already naked. "Right..."

Mjolna traipsed off and came back in a few seconds, mugs full of drink. Miasma had very few pony brews, but she couldn't disrespect the place by refusing to try their beverages. It looked like mead, actually, the little bubbles rising to a foamy surface of golden liquid. She took it from her and nodded her head politely, "Thanks."

There was some sequence of words bothered her, even as she raised the mug to her lips, before she could take the first sip, she lowered the mug and asked the wrong question.

"If the handle to that broke," said Miasma, observing the mare holding onto her drink via the hoof in the handle, "how would you drink that?"

The gryphon went back to sipping her mead before she failed spectacularly at preventing a spit take and getting the stuff all down her green blazer and shirt.

"And what the hay do you mean, Wyrm?"

Blaze went pink once more when she realized her literary folly, but laughed off the embarrassment. So many books had she ready when she was younger! She really would have to get to another copy of A Single Note. It was no big deal that Rose had taken a few things from the Dead World series. They were honestly quite original in their own right, even if that series itself was derivative from old notes of ponykind from years past.

[colour=#ff0033]"Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery when tempered by one's own thoughts and actions,"[/colour] she said cheerfully to Rose, [colour=#ff0033]"besides, we all need a little inspiration sometimes." [/colour]

Earth Writers words on history were rather interesting, and caused Blazed to consider a viewpoint that she found herself agreeing with herself. History was important, as the old saying went. How could a pony know where they were going when they never knew where they came from?

[colour=#ff0033]"This explains why it feels like a cohesive visual of equinity. Canterlot is probably the most relatable place for a pony there is, regardless of the breed."[/colour] said Blaze. She turned to Rose. [colour=#ff0033]"Dear Rose, where in our wonderful Canterlot do you live by the way? I'm out in Solstice Hills at the last cottage on the left."[/colour]

"Well, sister of the hammer," said the gryphon, "I didn't come all this way for nothing."

An adventure through a frozen tundra with a pair of ponies for dragon scales. This was a pretty big game to get into, but Miasma was confident in her abilities to handle trouble, wherever it sprung up. Sharp talons and quick wings. Two things that never failed her. And even so, she could tell Mjolna wasn't somepony she wanted to be on the wrong side of. Her appearance matched with the simple aura of strength emanating from her, an earth pony who no doubt made use of her impressive muscles on a daily basis.

And Page Turner seemed quite knowledgeable, hence the name that implied one who read many books. He didn't look to be much of a scrapper, but surely he'd be of some kind of use if he already knew about the mountain they were about to travel to. How much he knew had yet to be seen.

"So Molly," Miasma addressed the earth pony with a nickname rather quickly, "is there a place where we can strap up, get supplies or something? Or are we going in dry?"

She was much more used to train chases and confronting diamond dog bandits around here. But work for coin was always a welcome prospect to the young gryphoness. And the speech of the mare at the center table had certainly given her reason to listen. Miasma did feel however, that in this place, she was a bit overdressed, or more appropriately, looked very much out of place. Her default style of men's formal wear did not mesh well with what was essentially amounting to a fantasy quest. A little thing like that wouldn't stop her, but it was indeed a pet peeve of hers.

Maybe she'd find some armor on this excursion. Finders keepers and all. But first, she needed to introduce herself.

"Dragons and legends. I'm more concerned with the bottom line." said Miasma Vice, clad in a green dress vest, white dress shirt, black formal tie and dark green blazer. She stepped forward, standing next to Page Turner as he spoke. "The name's Miasma. Here's my card," said the gryphon, interrupting the two of them, and setting down two laminated cards on the table listing her as an adventurer for hire along with her address in Talonopolis. "My mother's an adult dragon so nothing I haven't seen already in that department. Unless this one has like, electric fire or something... You ponies really oughta get out more."

Blaze giggled when Rose mentioned the nature of the story, the memorable encounters with the most creatively designed horrors she could imagine. [colour=#ff0033]"The final confrontation with Hades himself was the most thrilling of all the high fantasy I had ever read as a filly."[/colour] she reminisced fondly. [colour=#ff0033]"His attack was a three pronged assault on the hero's conscience, his body and his soul. But he managed to--" [/colour]

[colour=#ff0033]Darn it, Blaze, spoilers! Nopony likes them![/colour]

She shut her mouth quickly with a small[colour=#ff0033] 'eep!'[/colour] and kept a hoof to her mouth as her quill neatly set itself down next to the paper. Her blush was brief, but not unnoticeable, since her coat as well as her face would turn [colour=#ff6666]lighter [/colour]instead of [colour=#cc0033]darker.[/colour] A side effect of having such a deep shade of red as a natural coat, and the worst 'tell' possible. All the same, she continued after a second.

[colour=#ff0033]"It's a great read regardless of the stomach you have, Earth Writer."[/colour] said Blaze with a smile, [colour=#ff0033]"in fact, I'll have to take another look at it when I get home...or just buy a new copy when I can..."[/colour] She looked to Rose, [colour=#ff0033]"When you're younger, your pages tend to get dog-eared and carry a surprising amount of personal notes in the unoccupied spaces of certain pages."[/colour]

The proposal was put together at last, along with a basic idea of what they'd be writing about. Though Blaze was definitely counting on Rose Madder to bring some supernatural themes into it, since they always were a great hook. Blaze would have mentioned that herself in her notes, but she had no idea how to go about the whole thing.

[colour=#ff0033]"What project are you currently working on, Earth Writer?"[/colour] the red pony had just caught on to the notebook he had levitated with him. She studied him carefully for a moment, [colour=#ff0033]"Are you working for a periodical?"[/colour]

Requesty quest, mistah Lovin. :3

My gryphon, Miasma Vice, plox. And hit me up for a thread sometime. I've been waiting.

45b. Blood red or pitch black should also be avoided.

As should pearl white. Or any other color for that matter. :3

Then it can be assumed that there shouldn't be as much to be done for said app, right? As it's been established, no one wants to play Matlida, so an app containing the bare essentials should be satisfactory.

"And I'm Blaze Bright." said the red filly, pausing in her frenetic scribbling to look up at the third unicorn to join the the table. "No relation to the author of that other book on the table," she continued, referring to One Pony. Though Rose's praise had given her some heart, it certainly wasn't enough to get over her phobia of her old work. Or rather, others seeing it. As a writer, it was important that the world could see her in the light of her growth. Past work was difficult to look at because one never ceases to advance between the time that the original is put out and then the sequel.

Rose's reply came in the midst of Earth Writer's reply, and Blaze paused in greeting him, to beam at the other pony. A co-author. Somepony to help 'sharpen the blade at the other end'. That was an old metaphor that grew from Ashsmoke using the term "the pen is mightier than the sword". Rose could organize better, and Blaze knew her strength was in split-second moments of brilliance. With those two things, Blaze'd learn how to master her impulses and become the writer she knew she could be. Rose's magic took the paper she was writing on and she pulled the quill away before it could stain.

"How are you fairing today, Earth Writer? What divine purpose has brought you to two of us today?" said Blaze dreamily, still ecstatic with ideas for the story she was thinking of starting with Rose Madder.

So the solution is to add another character app? Seems a bit...weighty. Then again, I don't keep eyes on the cast apps as often as I should. If Matilda's a character to be apped, currently, then I guess I understand. But it does seem like a bit much work. Especially since one should be able to work supplemental material in and out of a post.

If one needs another for the sake of plot purposes, or even just for the sake of the setting, I think it should be allowed. The difference between them and the Cakes is that they're not as major. Less appearances should mean more liberty to play around with them as long as one isn't dragging Matilda from post to post, right?

The last words he said were "Tell Allura, my master, that he has taught me well," before lack of ponies took him elsewhere.