GingerbreadSpy

It was, in fact, probably something Cinnabar Star had read in a romance novel. She tended to eat those up like candy. The dark red Crystal mare gave a snort, looking a little offended again. "You told me to describe my ideal stallion, so I did. I know that there's no such thing as an "ideal" stallion. I'd just be happy if somepony actually showed up for the first date, for once! I mean, look at me. I'd be a nice mare to have as a special somepony!" Her lip started to quiver a little. "It just doesn't seem fair, doc."

Donut Joe blinked in surprise when Sweet Surprise asked him if he would like to go to a party with her. Then, that must mean... She wasn't just interested in him because he was a customer! The disappointment left replaced by a little excitement. "You wanna go to a party with me, huh? I gotta say that sounds like it'd be a lotta fun!" He beamed widely at her, then blushed a little. "Heh, I'd have thought a sweet mare like you would already have some stallion to do things like that with."

(OOC: I thought it was QuickLime's turn to post. Might be better to try PMing next time, so the thread doesn't get clogged up with OOCs. I'ma gonna take a turn, I think.) "Being a guard is a very fulfilling job!" Moon Walker said proudly, as he trotted along. "Canterlot is a beautiful city, as you can plainly see, but hey, that's got to be natural for a royal capital, right? As you can see there in the distance, that's the royal palace. It is only open to the public on special occasions and during touring session intervals. Depending on the current level of security in Canterlot, the first floor of the palace and the royal gardens will be open for touring to the public. This week, we have been enjoying a high level of security with minimal threat potential, and I believe tomorrow, they'll be having another touring session. Miss Zecora, if you will be here that long, it's really something you must see!" "Now, where we are right now is often called "Gift Shop Central" because it's located so close to the train station. Many short-time visitors will spend hours browsing the shops in search of souvenirs from their time of being in Canterlot. It's not a bad way to spend your time, but you definitely don't want to miss out on the many great things to see here." Sometime later, they reached the edge of the city, and Moon Walker gestured to a row of binoculars set up along the railing of the edge of Canterlot. "For instance, there are various look-out areas. Canterlot's prime location up in the mountains has afforded it a very nice view. I wouldn't say you could see all of Equestria from the look-out spots, but you will see some breath-taking Equestrian landscapes." He waved his hoof at Pyro and Zecora. "Go on and take a look!"

(OOC: Gugh, why did I think I had already posted sometime? SORRY! I hope you guys weren't waiting on me too long!) The Daily Turnip was the exact opposite of prestigious, but Honeydew beamed with pride, because in her mind, it was THE best newspaper. The compliment helped worked to cast her suspicions to the side for a moment. Oh, they were still there. She was almost CERTAIN that accent was fake, but then, she'd seen plenty of ponies use fake accents before to look more exotic. No, there was something else off about the model. In any case, maybe it would help if she tried lowering the model's guard first. Instead, she casted her suspicious gaze on the little griffon, looking her up and down. "Hm. So, I'm rooming with two kids. Coincidence?" She walked past the griffon and slid open the door peering out. "Something bigger must be happening around here than I thought. And SOMEPONY doesn't want ME to know about it." No big deal. Once everypony had fallen asleep, she'd start investigating this peculiarity further. She closed the door, and her eyes snapped back to the young griffon. "You look a little young to already be engaging in unspeakable acts of evil in the name of fashion," she said slowly. She outright stared at the young griffon when she hugged Valen, as if the designer was already committing some act of unspeakable evil right in front of her.

Donut Joe smiled at the DJ unicorn; although, it appeared her charming attempts had been ignored. It wasn't that he hadn't noticed; it just he wasn't sure what to make of it. For all he knew, she could have some kind of bizarre eyebrow condition. "Not as easy running the donut business outside as it is inside, but I think I'm managing. If it's donuts you want, yous have come to the right place because nopony makes donuts like I make donuts, lemme tell you." He gave a wide gesture at the stand in front of him. "I don't got as much variety as I usually do, but I've got the basics covered. What would you like? Got your jelly-filled donuts, cake donuts, your average donut with sprinkles, long johns, even got a couple of custard-filled." He seemed rather proud of the donut stand's set-up, even if it was less than what he was used to working with.

"I'm a reporter from Manehattan. I'm going to have to see proof," Honeydew said, seeming to agree with Watermelon Gush. "A mud pony would be destroyed without mud. Are you afraid of being utterly destroyed, Mud Pie, IF that's your REAL name?" She didn't seem to care that she repeating herself. She saw it as important that the mud pony saw that she was on her guard and would tolerate no attempts to lower her defenses. "So, go on. Clean yourself up. I'm waiting." Without a thought, she picked up the bowl of fruit salad and started munching on it, still keeping her eyes trained on the pegasus colt.

But bragging and tooting my own horn can be such fun! Of course, it is good to let people know ahead of time that one's ego may, in fact, be the size of a small (or fairly large) planet. Anyway, I think this is an excellent post for the newbies! It's good to get to know people as people first.

But of course! Seriously, though, I'm excited!

As the player of Fancy Pants, might I just say: Splendid! I would be ever so delighted to roleplay with you dear lady!

Yay! A Fleur!

I don't really think any of the characters are Mary-Sue like. They all serve a purpose and flow well in their stories. Even Rainbow Dash, a character I dislike, has fairly decent characterization. The woeful lack of character development consistency bothers me, too, though.

Fancy Pants finished a sip of his tea before he looked up. He did, in fact, recognize the khaki-coloured unicorn. It was practically his job to know everypony who was anypony, but he had a good eye and ear for faces and names, anyway. He gave a charming, little smile. "Ah, Dr. Merlot! Jolly good to see you." He nodded to a seat in front of him. "You are certainly welcome to join me; please take a seat." He gave a suitable pause at the mention of negotiations. He could never be sure who was listening, and he preferred to keep such matters as private as possible. The task was nearly impossible with so many reporters taking up residence in Manehattan, but that didn't mean he could speak as freely as he pleased. Integrity had to be upheld, after all. "Negotiations are ongoing," he said politely. "But I must say, this city is ever the delight to visit. It's almost like a new experience every time. I'm sure you know much better than I do about new experiences, though. Do tell me how the wonderful world of archaeology has been treating you." He took another sip of his tea before setting it down to give Dr. Merlot his attention.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! :'(

Well, I don't think you should feel uncomfortable unless you do go out of your way to be mean and nasty. And from what I've seen of you so far, there's been no such indications of meanness and nastiness. Also, I am burning with Mudkip questions.

Honeydew clearly did not appreciate being splattered with mud, but it appeared she was less concerned with the mud and more concerned about what was clearly a mud pony in front of her. Strange, though. As far as she knew, mud ponies couldn't stand on clouds or fly. Honeydew eyed him suspiciously and pushed Watermelon Gush back with a muddy hoof in an oddly protective gesture. "Be careful. Mud ponies are known for luring their victims into a false sense of security, so that when you least expect it they can pull you down to the center of the world and keep you there as a slave FOREVER." She stood up straight and pointed an accusing (and still muddy, though, apparently some of it had gotten on Watermelon Gush when she had pushed her back) hoof at the pegasus colt. "You want to explain what you're doing here, Mud Pie, IF that's your REAL name?!"

"Well, if we're talking about ideals, which I know there's no such thing as a perfect stallion, but if there was..." A dreamy smile came on her face. "He'd be tall and strong but sweet and adorable. He'd have a rugged coat, but these wide, almost innocent-like eyes that can smoulder at you in just the right way. We'd go on long walks on the beach and kiss over plates of noodles..." She trailed off and gave a drawn-out, happy sigh. She seemed pretty content in her little fantasy.

I'm also not a big fan of Rainbow Dash, but I don't believe in outright hating or bashing characters even if I don't like them. It makes me sad that dragons grow into monsters and their growth is accelerated by greed; why can't there be such a thing as non-greedy and non-monstrous adult dragons? I think Discord's redemption has always been a possibility (although, I agree with the majority: it should've been handled better). I wish there were sea ponies. I feel sorry for the donkeys, mules, cows, etc. as they seem to live in a world where ponies reign supreme. I am seriously bothered by the fact that the ponies from Saddlerabia do not have cutie marks but are otherwise awesomely designed. I like Spike. I like Iron Will. I think Rarity doesn't get enough credit for being such a well-developed, balanced character with a fair amount of hilarity potential. I want to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bonding as friends in a way that doesn't involve them being mean to other ponies.

Interesting! I thought perhaps you might have been a little uncomfortable about it (particularly where the First Impressions thread was concerned). Now, my next question... Do u liek Mudkips?

So, you like being bitey, then?

Is it odd to be highly attracted to talks about chemicals? (Maybe this is why I had trouble passing Organic Chemistry, I was too busy being distracted by the nerdsexy) Wait. That wasn't my question. QUESTION! This biteyness you describe... Well, here's my question. Why so bitey? (Insert Joker face here)

Fancy Pants sat at an outdoor table by a small, expensive cafe in an upper-class area of Manehattan. He didn't take trips to the big city often, and he was here on some business regarding a dispute between the mayors of Manehattan and Fillydelphia. Rather dreadful business it was, too. But as he was valued for his ability to handle such delicate matters, here he was. He had to admit it was nice to be able to get away from the constant chatter of his usual entourage, but he didn't like the lack of conversation that had replaced it. He had almost assuredly been recognized as the "most important pony" from Canterlot, and it had made some of the upper-class denizens of Manehattan a little wary of approaching him. It was absurd, in his opinion. He would hardly have sat out in the open if he did not welcome being approached. Oh well. He took a sip of his tea in the proper manner befitting an upper-class unicorn trained in etiquette.

"Sure do. I like to cut loose as much as anypony else. Gimme some balloons, a little music, some cake, and you've got yourself one happy stallion over here." Donut Joe beamed at Sweet Surprise, then frowned a little. "Eh, it's been a while since I've gone to a party, though. I've been waaaay busy taking care of my shop."

Today marked a week and three days since the storm had separated the Changeling from the other Changeling scouts. The crash-landing on the island had not been kind to him. One of his wings was broken, he had sprained a leg, bumped his head, and suffered from scratches everywhere. Along with that, a week and three days without any love to feed on meant he was operating with a level of hunger he had never experienced before. He longed for the guidance, unity, and comfort of the hive. Without the hive, it was harder to think, harder to make decisions, harder to figure out what he should be doing. His attempts to get off of the island were all for naught. The raft he had tried building had washed away with the tide, he couldn't build a catapult to save his life (which was precisely what he was trying to do), he had no way of knowing how to take care of his injuries so that he could fly off the accursed island and back to the hive. It was understandable that he had started to despair. The despair only deepened when he realized that he could barely remember what the Queen looked like or who he had been in the hive. It was distressing to have such an ingrained identity within the hive start fading away like so many grains of sand on the shore. But hope came that day. As he looked out longingly over the ocean, he noticed a dot on the horizon. A dot, which as it grew closer, took the form of a ship. This was the Changeling's chance. Somebody had to be on that ship, most likely somebodies of the pony variety. That meant he might be able to feed. A ship also meant he could finally get off the island and perhaps find a way to get back to the hive. He laid in wait, watching as the crew left the ship. A FEW DAYS LATER... The Changeling had been trying to decide what he should do first. He could try ambushing one of the ponies, taking their form, and then feed on any love he might receive from other ponies. But with his injuries, the chance of successfully ambushing anypony was slim at best. He could try stowing away in the ship while everyone was distracted by... whatever they were doing there, but there was no telling how long he would be able to hide without being discovered, and he was already very hungry as it was. His stomach was already threatening to give him away with the noises it was making. It was starting to get dark, and the Changeling retreated to the cave he had been taking shelter in. The sound of howling made him shudder as it usually did. He had yet to run into any howling creatures, and he hoped that he could avoid running into them until he could make a decision about what to do. He quickened his pace. The sprain in his leg had gotten a little better, at least. There was another howl, and it sounded like it was closer. Too close. The Changeling looked back, blue-green compound eyes darting wildly for signs of a threat. He narrowly missed being pounced on by a timberwolf and took off at a run. The formerly sprained leg pained him in protest, but another look back told him three hungry timberwolves were ready to gobble him up at the nearest opportunity. He soon realized that timberwolves were not entirely mindless predators when they managed to corner him near a downed tree that was far too massive for him to climb over. Flight was obviously not an option, either. The Changeling bore his fangs, and his one good wing managed to make a semi-threatening buzzing noise. His horn glowed a neon-like green as he attempted to change into a more threatening form, but the green glow produced a spark that sputtered and quickly died. He was far too weak from hunger to do any shape-shifting. The timberwolves were unimpressed and continued to advance. One of them prepared to lunge. The Changeling tried not to cower, but he did close his eyes and hope being torn limb from limb by timberwolves was not as painful as it sounded.

The young filly was probably hoping for too much if she expected Honeydew not to get into some sort of trouble. She was peering curiously underneath the porch, but before she could manage to get into trouble, trouble found her first. A bucket landed on her head, blocking out her vision, but to Honeydew it seemed sudden enough for concerns about her vision or the sun to arise. "Who turned out the sun?! GAH! Celestia must be up to something! And I can't see!" She was running around in a panic before she ran into a tree, and the bucket shook loose. She grunted and took the bucket off of her before spotting a pony coated in mud that was raining down on him. Honeydew gasped. "MUD PONIES FROM THE CENTER OF THE WORLD!" She pointed a hoof at the "mud pony." "Stay back, fiend! I know five different kinds of Pony-Fu, and I'm not afraid to kick your flank from here to Stalliongrad if you take one step closer! I refuse to be a mud mare!"