So, I've got an ongoing adventure story that's almost entirely all OC, set outside of Equestria at some undefined point before the return of Nightmare Moon. I've got an ongoing problem with my protagonist developing spontaneous Schwartzeneggeritis, and I was thinking of introducing a Corporal Carrot to act as an action-hero lightning rod for when my muse gets ansty and wants to have somepony do something awesome.

And then I thought, why add another "Private Carrot Dog" or "Zuchinni Bread" OC when Carrot Cake is just sitting there. Staring at me, with those sleep-deprived eyes, under an oversized, spiked Franzetta helmet.

I've been looking through the wiki entry, and tonight I'm going to try and marathon the Cake-centric episodes to refresh my memory. Are there any episode-canonical reasons why Carrot Cake couldn't have been a member of a Nightmare Moon-cult mercenary company in his youth? IE, has he been shown to be cowardly; is there anything establishing him or Cup Cake having grown up in Ponyville, or having lived there more than four-five years prior to the beginning of the show? Did either of them interact significantly with Nightmare Moon and/or Luna?

I'm basically looking for reasons to *not* do this. I could easily replace him with a generic OC earth pony slab of meat, if there's enough known history about the Cakes to make it impossible.

Merely implausible would be great, though. Because I've been looking for an anchor-line to draw my narrative forward, and a nice little b-story of "How I Met Your Mother (While Joining A Band of Vicious Mercenaries and Fighting the Undead in Another World)" would add some fun to something that could use a little cheering up.

Sounds like fun, sadly I don't know how to answer the question if he is a coward or not.
I know that he can but they are often with good reason why they freak out. In others, when crisis strike they are calm and collected.
You could make it fit and I would like to see you write it.
Good luck.

5575641 Well, I didn't find any cases of him cringing or panicking in a mob. He technically passes, although his general personality is kinda high-strung and he shows a tendency to be nervy over little things.

Cup Cake shows up in Where The Apple Lies, which places her in Ponyville way too early to fit my they-met-in-the-Company notion unless I want to mark off that long flashback as unreliable narration. Ugh, I knew that episode would be nothing but trouble when it came to canon.

5576560 Sorry about that but good luck with trying to make it all work out I'll be cheering you on.

5578658 So, I actually pulled the trigger on that non-standard "how the Cakes met" story idea. Carrot Cake, assigned as the personal guard and guarantee of the captured Equestrian spy, one Cup Cake. Held sort-of-captive by a sort-of-evil mercenary company full of Nightmare Moon cultists, and drifting through boredom and a certain amount of harmonic evangelical fervour into becoming the Company baker. When she can scrape together enough sweeteners to make proper pastries. Savages don't even have any cinnamon on hoof.

5658086 OK, so do you want me to take a look at it? I wouldn't mind it sound interesting. Either way I wish you good luck.

5659151 Sure, if you like. First chapter Carrot shows up is in "An Orphan of Durand", Cup Cake shows up a while later. Not sure how much sense it would make, just jumping into the story sixty-some chapters in, though. And they are secondary characters, one pair in a herd of secondaries who come trotting on stage for a chapter or two, say their piece, and then move on, or return to the chorus. I'm planning a multi-chapter aria for Cup Cake right now, a six-part allegory on the Equestrian virtues, lightly disguised as foal's tales told in the kitchen. I'm a little anxious that I'm putting too much on her shoulders. I was worried about Carrot Cake not fitting his role, but now I find myself turning Cup Cake into Pony St. Patrick.

5659164 I guess I'll chip away at it in my Read Later File.
The way at it slowly thanks for telling me though.