Otsdarva

Douglas stood far off to the side, making sure the lamps were aimed right and kept steady. Earlier he had helped with the construction of the entrance long before there was even a crowd. He worked along with the other staff to make sure the event was all set up before anypony arrived. Still, that wasn't the end of his day, no sir. He, like the others had a near endless list of tasks to complete before the party started. Douglas wasn't all too sure about his involvment, but at the advice of a rather primp and proper friend Douglas thought he should at least experience some sort of high life event once in his life. Signing on as a handypony for the Ponywalk was more than an effective means of doing just that! So now, zero hour had arrived and the headliners of the Ponywalk were arriving in their grand Carriages. Far off on the side of the entrance Douglas made last minute checks of everything, making sure all of his responisbilities were set. He carefully moved behind the crowd of ponies leaning against the railing to take photos. Taking peeks between their heads he began to noticed some of the ponies stepping out of their carriages. First there was this couple that emitted something that nopony in the crowd could really put their hoof on. Douglas could feel just what it was though that set them apart, Presence. The Unicorn mare and her Pegasi date gave off the air that this was all for them. "Well, I suppose it sure is a sight to see." Douglas mused as he moved about his duties behind the crowd. Grabbing one last peek at the couple he glanced over the mare's figure, she was quite striking and yet something seemed off. Vaguely familiar even. "Ah shoot, this'll be buggin' me all night." he grimaced as he reached his destination. Taking the stand of a lamp into his mouth, he gave a slight jerk, turning it to face just the perfect direction as specified by the lighting tech. Looking out again he caught the sight of another mare stepping out of a carriage, dressed in an elegant green gown she took it upon herself to stick her head high and walk with grace. Douglas was begining to feel that this would become a rather frequent occurance as he could see the incoming carriages. "Surely they must pander to the cameras the way I haggle with prices, they're probably more relaxed when not putting up with these extravagent events." Douglas thought as he watched the graceful mare reach the end of the red carpet, suddenly losing sight as the paparazi turned their clammor and photos to the next carriage. He could feel his spirits dampen as he listened to the ruckus of the photogs at the arrival of a lavender mare, sadly she didn't seem anywhere as confident as those before her. Truly she had a little misfortune befall her trip, mane in tussle and make-up removed, but as she proceeded shakily down the carpet Douglas noticed a small change in the way she carried herself before she cleared the entrance. It was a geniune determenation, not the over aboundance displayed by those before her and while the cameras had unfortunately shifted to the next incoming carriage Douglas could feel himself wanting to root for her in the Ponywalk.

Douglas let out a laugh when Ginger admited that she had never had to go to one of those adult parties when she was a foal. Taking a quick sip of his drink, Douglas cleared his throat before speaking. "Well aren't you lucky? I got dragged to a few of them when I was little. There just wasn't anypony they could leave me with so I was always kept at my mother's side whenever they did go out. Foal parties are so much nicer, you get to be loud, eat all you can and do stupid things!" Leaning back in his chair, Douglas thought back to his youth. Those were some fun times when he was allowed to stay out late to play. "Never play limbo with a Cactus." He stated out of nowhere, finishing whatever reminicing he was having. Douglas soon turned his attention to Bramble as he continued to switch between the speaking mannerisms of his family. It was uncanny, if even a little funny watching the primp and preen pony go back and forth so easily between the two mindsets. "I must say, my parents weren't as overbearing as your mother seemed to be. Neither was my father so relaxed. There was a time for work, a time for play and as long as I wasn't causin' a ruckus durnin work they hardly kept a leash on me. I believe the most I got was a 'don't go too far from the camp' an' that was it." Douglas took up another cookie and began to munch on it as he thought back on his parents. As much as he liked traveling, he had to admit, he missed them dearly. "That's not to say they didn't care, I've easily worried them both sick on a few occasions." Douglas pointed out, laughing heartily. "I must have taken 10 years off the both of 'em! This one time I went out 'explorin' with a few of the other foals. We got lost around this ridge and couldn't find our way back. Course we didn't know we were lost, too busy havin' fun. We must've played in that ridge till we had nothing left, did everythin' from tag, hide n' seek, rodeo pony, even tussled and fought. There was this one filly that would always come with us, I tell ya, she was the roughest foal in the whole trade group. I always found it so embarassin' when she'd beat me. She'd pin me down and wouldn't let me up till I cried 'Uncle.' Pity I lost touch with the ol' gang." Douglas let himself fall into silence as he thought about his old friends and what had become of them.

"Mm, two pies for the price of one."

'Fraid not, my normal username is 4wheel which more or less stuck with me back when I used to play ps2 games online. As for this username, it's the callsign of a Mech pilot in the game "Armored Core: for Answer."

Douglas looked over the others slowly, taking in their replies. The frigid night soon began to nip at his withers as yet another pony joined them. Then the Pegasus mare give a little cheer before giving into the stress of her injury from rearing up. "Excuse me, miss. Do you want to rest those hooves? It might help what injury you may have. The cart's empty if you want a ride." Douglas spoke, he felt like it wasn't his place to speak up, but he wasn't one to let another pony strain themselves without at least offering assistance. He slowly shuffled a bit, feeling the cart rub against him as he did. Ideas for the party? Douglas thought it out for a little moment before nodding his head. "Well, I suppose we could go find someplace to eat if everypony is feeling hungry. Are there any good places around here?" Douglas wasn't too familiar with Trottingham, it being rather rare for him to get a delivery to this city. Still, even if it was just moving about the town and admiring the lights then he was fine with whatever the others wanted to do.

My Theme would have to be "Soul On Display" by Daiki Kasho. It just get's my blood pumping.

@ Starfox, sadly I could so see that as my split too... Honestly though, mine would probably become that of a bad driver and have no depth perception. I race go-karts for a hobby for those who wonder why I would become a bad driver. I may not be Senna or Earnhardt but I'm rarely at the back of the pack. For my OC, Mr. Trotter would probably become frail, tall, and uncoordinated. A nice contrast to his strong, stocky physique.

*sigh* I really should write a fanfic. I used to write so much, practically several chapters a day. Now-a-days, I rarely write at all. Maybe it's the change of subject, or lack of a muse, I don't know. I would really like to write something fantastic once again. Now on the subject of fan fics that I've read, well then lord knows I've read thousands, when you limit it to just MLP it's still in the hundreds. lol The Colour You Bleed is a rather nice one! http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1052/The-Colour-You-Bleed The Discarded Son is also a fine tale, even if it may seem a little touchy with the subject matter to certain ponies. http://www.fimfiction.net/story/5151/1/The-Discarded-Son/The-Discarded-Son

Douglas nodded to Survey as he spoke, letting him finish through what he assumed was a mix of chattering teeth and slight awkwardness before replying. "Well, I suppose I've been alright. Had to work on the Holiday, just finished running this delivery from Hoofington. The weather has been rather drastic, hasn't it? As much as I enjoy the cold this is a little much!" Douglas laughed, looking over the other ponies Survey had been traveling with. There was a Pegasus who seemed to be slightly nurturing a sprain of some sort. She gave Douglas a rather unsavory look at his arrival, he figured it would be better not to pry for the time being. Especially after she offered to hold a small party, Douglas didn't want to be rude by counting himself amongst them when he only just arrived. He thought a good way to at least not feel like a moocher would be to cough up a few bits as well. "If you're all planning a little party then I'd like to chip a few bits in as well. If you don't mind me tagging along? My cart's empty and I got fresh coin in the pocket!" he offered, wondering what the Pegasus had in mind. Finally he looked over to the third pony, a young filly with a cloak resembling that of a guardspony or a knight? Douglas wasn't too sure, but she seemed like a sweet little thing. She was even well mannered from the way she had spoke to the Pegasus. This was a nice group of ponies and while he first regretted not spending the holiday relaxing at home, hanging out with this small group would surely be a more entertaining way of spending Hearth's Warming.

Douglas nodded silently as Ginger spoke of the connection between love and sailing, letting her get everything out before replying. Her occasional blush made Douglas chuckle. Still he understood what she meant. "Indeed, it's a Majesty alright." Her sudden change back to opening a cafe allowed him to have a clear mind for the time. "Your father has quite a bit of knowledge. It seems we were all blessed to have family capable of sharing great wisdom with us, even if it doesn't always apply to what we're currently facing." Douglas pulled back a small bit when Bramble began talking with a drawl. He sure didn't see that coming. Still, he could feel it was all in jest and let himself laugh at the attempt. When Bramble's tone changed to a more upper-class voice he began to talk about riding on the sky yachts, describing the sights of the event and the grand feeling of it all. It was amusing to see his view on how differed his upbringing was. "Ah, the whole 'foals are meant to seen and not heard', huh? Yeah, I know what that's like." Douglas watched the conversation slide back to Ginger as she reflected upon opening a business. "Well, it's not like everypony whose ever had a business was prepared when they first opened. Should it happen I'm sure you'll do fine, shoot you got Bramble here to design the place and I can easily move around whatever you need. So what if it takes awhile to get going, that's just the way things work. Don't worry about it for now and just see where you end up!"

"Aye and you'n take care yerself!" Douglas replied cheerily as he finished his final delivery for the night. Walking from the doorway of the residence of his delivery and back to his cart he began to chuckle. Working on Hearth Warming Eve, never in his foalhood would he had believed anypony who told him he would be working on one of the biggest holidays in Equestria. Still, when you're an independent wagoner running deliveries no one else is willing too these things tend to happen. He could only be happy he had a nice beige vest to warm himself in the cold. Being in Trottingham was quite a surprise, Douglas had hoped to just hang around his home of Hoofington until this last minute order came in. He figured he could always use a few extra bits and happily suited up to face the weather. That was all in the past now, though. Here he was, in Trottingham, hooking himself back into his cart when he caught glimpse of a group of ponies moving down an intersecting street. He payed no heed to the group until he spotted the Unicorn at the back. Why he could've sworn to Luna that it was somepony he met some time ago. "Where do I remember him?" Douglas thought. "I know I've seen him somewhere... was it, Ponyville?" That's when it struck him, it had to be. He had to check, even if it wasn't it would be a good way to start a chat. Giving a quaint nod, Douglas put his weight against the cart, slowly beginning to pull it. He reached the intersection and turned onto the street he had seen them walk down. Picking up his pace with the momentum of the cart, Douglas started to close up the distance between the group. The clapping of his hooves ran in rhythm with a whirling of the cart's wheels. Feeling himself reaching speaking distance, Douglas called out. "Excuse me, Mr. Unicorn... you wouldn't have ran the Running of the Leaves a few months back, would you? Survey, was it? It's Douglas, how have ya been?"

Any basis on what the idea behind it is? At the moment it seems like you've just introduced a Heropony without any real indication of where you want to take the Rp. Would you be looking for Rp'ers to be D.I.D.s (Damsels in Distress) or would an evil arch-nemesis be expected?

Douglas let out a short laugh at the quote Bramble offered. "I'm startin' to like the guy the more ah hear of 'em!" Letting his laugh die down, Douglas had a strained swallow of his tea. "Also Bramble... Findin' that special somepony is no easy task. Ma' always said to 'Keep your options open.' I'm not goin' to drone on this, but on the matter of love I feel I should say that it is one of the most complicated of emotions. It can make you feel... I'd say on top of the highest mountain one minute and bottom of the deepest pit the next. I can only hope you find that somepony who truly cares about the pony inside your heart." Douglas put his teacup on the table as he gave a faint smile. He had felt the warm touch of another's love as well as the cold despair when he lost it. Douglas decided it was best if he moved on with what he was saying before anypony could read too deep into his words and call him on it. "So you've both had some form of sailing experience? I'm right jealous. Still, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who would admire such a thing. I don't see too many of them sky yachts, I can only imagine how much different it must be to be aboard one of them." Douglas allowed his mind to continue to think about riding on an airship and it helped bring a geniune smile back to his face. "I think I'll try the water bound ships first though." Giving a glance at the remaining cookies, Douglas fancied taking one more wouldn't hurt as he reached out for one. By now they were mostly cooled and while Douglas enjoyed a nice, warm, soft cookie it didn't matter that they had cooled, they still tasted great. "So then, opening a cafe of your own, huh? Better have these on the menu!" Douglas let out finally, looking over at Ginger. "I'd say that's actually ambitious. Sure it's not scaling a mountain, but you're more or less trying to make something out of nothing. You have to get permits, buy land, hire builders, the whole deal just to have a business to call your own. Then there's the whole marketing, and stocking, and managing... starting your own business is an amazin' feat."

Douglas was happy to see Bramble cheer up as he listened to him list off about finding a way to plan a trip. "Well, just put a little aside and you'd be surprised how fast it builds." Douglas encouraged, as he took another cookie to nibble on. Letting the tastiness hold his attention, Douglas slowly droned out on the conversation for the time being. Washing the cookie down with a sip of tea, he cleared his throat and prepared to speak. "Dreams of my own?" Douglas repeated, giving his chin a rub. "Hm, Well I adore traveling, seeing what hasn't been seen and all that. But I suppose to one day serve as a crew member on a boat." Douglas gave a faint nod to the idea, feeling sort of content with his words. He then gave a look over Bramble and Ginger's faces to make sure they understood him and figured some further explanation would be in order. "I know it may seem odd to trade work for work, but I remember when I was young and our wagon train stopped in the port city of Hoofington. I had to sit in a wagon while my dad helped some sailors unload their shipment into our wagons. I had nevah seen a boat at that time so it was a fun experience. It might've even been what caused me tah move to Hoofin'ton. Anyway, I watched the boat rock in the waves as the sea air tickled at my snout. It was the...majesty? Yeah the majesty of the ship that appealed to me." "To think that they went where even our wagons couldn't go, to go where you can't even walk was scary to me. That vast water seemed to go forever. Of course back then it seemed like a bore to me. I suppose I sees it as an a romantic kind of meanin' now. Some o' them ponies who worked the boats spoke with us. They was tough, they walked tough, they acted tough, shoot they even talked tough! Though they used language I wouldn't be keen 'an repeating around a lady." Douglas finished, giving a kind smile in Ginger's direction. "I could easily just ride a boat as a passenger, but...well I just don't feel comfortable unless I'm pulling my weight." Letting out an exhausted sigh, Douglas took a sip of tea with a neutral look, waiting a few seconds after his sip before exhaling and smiling brightly.

Beautiful machine.

Douglas sat still as he listened to Bramble speak, he could feel the air being let out of the poor pony's sails as he spoke. Douglas let out a sigh, mentally scolding himself for putting the Unicorn on the spot. He started to form up a response for Bramble, something to cheer him up. "So you don't know what you want just yet. You want to do something with flowers, but you want to see something other than the same old scenery? There's nothing silly about that." Douglas said, casting his gaze to the cookies. "Traveling is nice. You should really try it, better yet, make a plan. Put a few bits away for safe keeping and don't touch 'em, just let 'em build. Then...go on a trip. Ask for some time off and use the bits to pay for your trip." Douglas looked back to Bramble as he sipped from his tea. "Maybe find some work related reason to travel? Shoot, it works for me!" Douglas said, with sly grin and wink. Douglas could only hope he was helping. He could understand Bramble's desire to try something new. And while he didn't specifically say what he didn't want to be seen as, Douglas could feel he knew what the pony meant. To say Douglas didn't see Bramble as feminine or soft wouldn't be entirely true, still he would be more than happy to help how he could. "Anypony can change, you just need the willpower to do so... or the ignorance not to know better."