Royal Riff

Royal Riff is a male Earth pony with a light purple coat, white mane and tail, orange eyes, and a cutie mark of two white G-clefs. He is unnamed in the show, but he is named in merchandise. He has a speaking role in Putting Your Hoof Down.

Development and design
Royal Riff shares his mane and tail style and colors, eye color, and cutie mark with "High Note", shares his design and mane and tail color and sometimes eye color with S04E22 Unnamed Earth Stallion #9, shares his design with Caramel, Cherry Fizzy, Golden Delicious, Wensley, "Black Stone", S04E06 Unnamed Earth Stallion #5, "Burnt Oak", S04E06 Unnamed Earth Stallion #2, "Cormano", S04E08 Unnamed Earth Stallion #12, "Gingerbread", S04E22 Unnamed Earth Stallion #2, S04E22 Unnamed Earth Stallion #1, S04E24 Unnamed Earth Stallion #6, "Strawberry Cream", S04E24 Unnamed Earth Stallion #4, S04E26 Unnamed Earth Stallion #1, and sometimes S04E20 Unnamed Earth Stallion #1, shares his coat and eye colors and sometimes design and/or cutie mark with S04E22 Unnamed Earth Stallion #7, shares his mane and tail style or sometimes design with "Sunburst" and "Starburst", shares his mane and tail style with Doctor Horse, "Serenity", S04E12 Unnamed Unicorn Stallion #1, "Dewdrop", S04E22 Unnamed Unicorn Stallion #2, S04E24 Unnamed Unicorn Stallion #1, "Sunlight", "Cloud Break", "Silverwing", "Toffee", and sometimes "Star Bright", unicorn "Sir Pony Moore", and Top Marks, shares his mane style with Ace, "Black Marble", and sometimes "Arpeggio", shares his tail style with S04E10 Unnamed Unicorn Stallion #1, S04E08 Unnamed Earth Stallion #6, S04E08 Unnamed Earth Stallion #10, and stallion "Snappy Scoop", resembles "Karat", and has a similar color scheme to "Earl Grey".

The Crystal-Glitter mini-figure first toy of Royal Riff was, as with most of the fourth wave of mystery pack toys, leaked in mid-November 2011, and a promotional photo of both it and the European version of its corresponding collector card was, along with promotional photos of the packaging and other twenty-three toy-and-card pairs for the fourth wave of mystery packs, leaked in late November 2011; both of these leaks preceded the release of Royal Riff's debut episode The Mysterious Mare Do Well.

Depiction in the series
Royal Riff appears in The Mysterious Mare Do Well, cheering for Mare Do Well after she repairs for the dam and as she flies through the sky. He later appears several times in The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, before, during, and after The Flim Flam Brothers, and once in Hearts and Hooves Day during The Perfect Stallion. In Putting Your Hoof Down, he has a brief speaking role when Fluttershy beats him up and throws him from a taxi carriage.

In Too Many Pinkie Pies, Royal Riff appears outside Golden Oak Library complaining about the Pinkie Pie duplicates in Ponyville. In One Bad Apple, he wears a carrot costume in the Summer Harvest Parade and is also briefly seen watching the parade from the crowds. He appears during Twilight Sparkle and Trixie's first duel in Magic Duel and at the Crystal Empire train station in both Just for Sidekicks and Games Ponies Play.

Royal Riff appears in the Crystal Empire stadium crowd in Flight to the Finish, several times as a Crystal Pony. He also appears at the beginning of Rarity Takes Manehattan, numerous times in Pinkie Pride, and twice in both Simple Ways and Filli Vanilli. He watches the migration of the Breezies in It Ain't Easy Being Breezies and attends the after-party of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' play in For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils. He is seen several times in Leap of Faith, during the Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic song and at the Ponyville swim meet; in Trade Ya!, sometimes with green eyes; in Inspiration Manifestation, being trapped in a crystallized Town Hall with Berryshine at one point; in Equestria Games; in a flashback to Leap of Faith in Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1; and in Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2.

In season five, Royal Riff appears at the end of The Cutie Map - Part 2, shops at Davenport's Quills and Sofas outlet in Castle Sweet Castle, appears in Apple Bloom's dream in Bloom & Gloom, attends Cranky Doodle Donkey and Matilda's wedding in Slice of Life, watches a mime perform in Princess Spike, attends the friendship party in Party Pooped, appears in Ponyville's shared dream in Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, and watches the Sisterhooves Social in Brotherhooves Social.

Appearances
Times are approximate.

Merchandise
Royal Riff is depicted with the same design as Big McIntosh and named in the fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth waves of mystery pack toys and collector cards, the European versions of which state that he "makes up songs!" and the U.S. versions of which list his name with a trademark symbol and state that he "makes up songs to sing together with friends!" The eighth wave's packaging, Crystal Princess Celebration printed insert advertising, Little Brown's Mini Pony Collector's Guide pages 161 and 164, and Tesco's website show a pink-maned not-officially-released version of Royal Riff's Neon-Bright mini-figure; this version was leaked in late November 2012, preceding the released version.

Royal Riff also appears with his name listed with a trademark symbol in Enterplay's collectible card game, which is the first time that he is simultaneously referred to by name and depicted with the same design as in the show. His card α #78 C lists the quote "I know just the tune for the occasion!"

Quotes
"Hey! Ahh... Oof!"

- Putting Your Hoof Down

"I know just the tune for the occasion!"

- Enterplay collectible card game α #78 C card of Royal Riff