Astalakio

By the sounds of it my subjects are a little more easy-going than your lots'. I'm doing a Bachelor of Arts in Film and English. So while you may think that means sitting around and reading books and watching films, it's actually a lot more difficult. But it is mainly sitting around reading books and watching films...

I hear ya man. But it'll make the holidays all the sweeter, right?

And give it time, you never know, it might get better yet

Wow! You've certainly done your bit toward the holiday cheer!

Welcome to the herd, li'l sis.

Try not to get us both banished to the moon, okay?

P.S.

I've heard of MLP:FiM, but what in Equestria is MLP:FiS?

Update: I'm down visiting the family this weekend, and now I can safely say: mission accomplished.

All it took was showing her some songs, and now, after asking all about the characters and the premise, she's ready to watch the episodes. Tonight I'm going to watch the first two episodes with her

Didn't I say, all it takes to convert a neigh-sayer into a brony is MORE PONIES!

She'll be joining this forum too very soon.

I SO want to download this, but the fact my mom uses my laptop occasionally is scaring me from the idea of her seeing them and asking what they are...

...So, I guess I'll have to pass...

Aww. At this point in my own bronidom, I'm not even bothering to hide it. I even drop Pinkie Pie out onto my desktop every now and then while my family's around, so that when they ask, I can be like "Hm? Oh, that's Pinkie Pie. She's just chillin'".

Well, all I can think is that the more bronies there are in the world, and I'm sure the number is escalating, then the more likely we are to run into one another. Let's hope so, anyhow

It's kind of ridiculous given how much group effort goes into the huge numbers like At the Gala and Winter Wrap-Up, but I REALLY like Cupcakes XD

I always feel so full of joy when I hear that bouncy ukulele start up

I have another one that is similar if you'd like to see it =3

Wooow

Hrm, I think I like the first one better because it's more like a loop. I really like looped GIFs for some reason >.>

One more thing about Window Ponies, by the by, is that although you've got loads of background characters (DJ-PON3 is in the next update), we're somehow missing Celestia O.o and also Granny Smith - if we had her we could have her, Applejack, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom all trotting up and down together

-now has ponies running on her screen- SQUEE

You'd think that the novelty would wear off after a while, but nnnnope!

I also find your avatar to be magical

I don't know how well known this is, but I discovered this program thingie yesterday called Window Ponies. It's a lot like Desktop Ponies, where you've got little sprite versions of all the characters of FiM running around over your screen, interracting with one another and being cute, but the difference is that these ponies just sit on your windows and task bar and don't get in the way as much, but are still adorable and ridiculous amounts of fun to watch.

The site is over thar -> http://windowponies.blogspot.com/

The download link is over thar -> http://www.mediafire.com/?8qp7r609u3pphjc

Unfortunately, it's not as 'complete' as Desktop Ponies, which has more characters, better animations etc, but it's a fair trade if you ask me.

Also, I discovered that with Desktop Ponies, if you right-click a pony you can control it by using the arrow keys (my initial reaction was something along the lines of: I CAN CONTROL PRINCESS CELESTIA WITH THE ARROW KEYS. EQUESTRIA IS MIIIIINE!!!)

No idea how much of this is common knowledge and if I'm just being a foal, but I thought it was worth sharing all the same (I did a quick search of the forum and no topic came up that I could see it mentioned in).

Betterbones watched and listened attentively as Arnica instructed him upon the treatment of his patient, and didn't say anything as she left the room. He raised an eyebrow as he watched her go. He was quite impressed. Not at the medical advice she had given him, of course, he'd already thought of that, but the fact that she wasn't scared to teach him how to treat his patient when she'd only just been hired was quite admirable. Clearly, she was true to her word that she cared about the wellbeing of ponies and wanted to help them. That, or she just felt bad about knocking Orange out through sheer fright.

He turned his attention to the salt packet he had been left. He doubted he would need to use a drip to rehydrate Orange, the problem wasn't that severe. He would just make sure he drank it when he awoke. He wouldn't be happy - saltwater wouldn't be a pleasant change from vodka - but he was here to be treated for his injuries, and that included any possible dehydration.

"This has been a pretty odd day, hasn't it?" He asked, and looked to his unconscious patient as if expecting an answer, "It's not just me, is it? No, I didn't think so."

He had started off patientless and bored, and, through a series of strange and unpredictable events, had ended up scaring a pegasus that she would have to have her wing amputated, watching the victim of an explosion get progressively more intoxicated, hiring a new doctor for the practice, and finally fearing that he was going to be made into a delicious meal for one. To some, that would sound like all the ingredients for a bad day. For Doctor Betterbones, it was the most fun he'd had in weeks. To think that just this morning he was complaining about how still and boring the place was. Well, ask and you shall receive, apparently.

One thing was for sure, Betterbones reflected as he trotted off to find some water to mix with the salt, and that was that it wasn't too quiet around here anymore.

[Reckon that's a wrap, guys? Can't think of anywhere else we can take this thread, particularly. If you can, though, feel free to continue. Otherwise I suggest we have a time gap and start a new thread, maybe the next morning? We could have Orange make peace with Arnica and Betterbones show her around SH, for example?]

Yes! Let's all go to Brony and make it just like Ponyville!

And while we're at it, we can SING about it

Sorry to hear of your loss

It's always painful to lose a companion.

Our thoughts are with you.

Watching the spark and flare of those gleaming surgical tools as they began to hover around in a circle, Doctor Betterbones saw his life flash before his eyes. He was disappointed to say it was actually quite dull.

He couldn't believe it! He had hired a madmare! He didn't know how he could have overlooked this poignant detail - how he could have missed the fact that this innocent young doctor was actually a soup-sipping psychopath! She didn't come to Solstice Heights to escape the bustle of Canterlot! She was probably trying to escape the authorities of Canterlot!

His heart began to race and he realised that for the protection and self-defence of both his patient and himself, he was going to have to fight Arnica. He watched her as the tools circled ominously. She was still young. He had experience on his side. He reckoned he could handle her. He knew an extremely powerful sedation spell that he had only used once or twice on dangerous patients... but it would have to do in this case.

Even as he tried to steel himself and prepare the spell, Arnica suddenly toppled over onto her back into a fit of laughter. But this wasn't murderous laughter - this wasn't soup-making laughter...

Betterbones began to connect the dots just before Arnica admitted it was all a joke. His pulse still pounding, he waited a moment for the magic energy that had been gathering around his horn to fade away, and then sighed in massive relief.

"Phew..." He huffed, "You, uh, you really had me going there..." He shook his head disbelievingly, "You certainly have an... odd sense of humour, don't you?" He asked, still trying to catch his breath, and smiled a little, "I can work with that."

There was a thud beside him and Betterbones wasn't actually surprised to see that Orange had hit the floor in unconsciousness again.

"Oh..." He muttered, "Would you... look at that? Don't worry-" He added, looking back up to Arnica before she could panic, "I get the impression he does that a lot. Just, er," For the second time that day, Betterbones used levitation magic to raise Orange up and replace him on a more comfortable surface. Luckily, this time there was a bed at hand rather than just an old table. The doctor muttered something about him being over-excited, that was all, and that they'd have to swiftly explain the truth of things to him when he woke up, or risk the damage of another door.

Orange now settled on the comfortable bed, Betterbones relaxed. He reflected for a moment on just how bizarre this day had turned out to be. He was vaguely thankful that not every day was this exciting after all. He didn't think his heart would be able to handle it.

"Hey," He said suddenly, looking to Arnica while standing beside Orange's bed,"I leave a concussion patient to get drunk and you scare him into unconsciousness." He grinned again,"I think we're going to make a great team!"

Having lingered behind a while in his office, trying to remember what he had forgotten after Arnica rushed off in a hurry, Doctor Betterbones eventually appeared in the doorway to Orange's room beside his new colleague. His horn was glowing and floating beside him in the air was a packet of chocolate chip cookies.

With wide, interested eyes, he surveyed the situation. Orange appeared to be appealing for his life. He did that a lot, Betterbones reflected, and Arnica had rushed off in such a flurry of concern that he thought he'd better assure her that Orange wasn't in any immediate danger. He thought he'd better assure them both, in fact.

"Ahem." He said, "As he says, Orange was in a small explosion." He trotted past Arnica into the room, "It caused grade two concussion, a sprain in his left leg, singed wing tips and minor bruising along the ribs." As he listed off these things, he used a hoof to point to the different parts of his patient he was talking about, giving the impression that he was some sort of teacher in a lecture hall. "I managed to convince him to stay here for the night so I could keep an eye on him, and after that, well, I didn't have the heart to take his vodka away from him. Besides," He grinned like a schoolboy, "Nothing wrong with his liver. You can rest easy, Doctor, this one's not going to fall to pieces any time soon."

He glanced down and, seeing the orange pony grovelling on the floor, he had to wonder at the accuracy of that last promise.

"Don't worry, Orange, Arnica is a doctor like me, and, like me, she's just concerned for you. She's not going to turn you into soup..." He paused, "At least, I don't think she is..." He added thoughtfully, and when he looked up at Arnica it was with a similar expression of fear to the one that Orange wore. "You... don't do that to ponies... do you?"

He took a careful step backward so that Orange was the pony closest to her. He couldn't be certain of anything, could he? He mentally berated himself, and made a note that, in the future, he would find out if potential co-workers had a habit of turning ponies into soup before hiring them.

Think I might be overdosing on Rainbow Dash if this keeps up O.o I wonder why they scheduled two RD-centric episodes one after another? Seems odd to me...

Anyway, I liked the episode, as always, but out of all the ones so far, this one probably wasn't as fun for me because I guessed who Mare-Do-Well was before she even appeared, so the rest of the episode I was just going 'It's so obvious!'. I actually said to myself when she showed up 'I bet she uses unicorn magic and pegasus wings. That'll be my proof', and, right on cue, there it was.

Oh well, it is a kid's show after all.

Also found the absence of the spoken letter at the end to be a bit strange... I like to hear the moral of the story laid out for me at the end

Also, now I've watched this episode, I've caught up on all of them! I've been watching one per night since episode four of season 1, and now I've got NOTHING until the next one airs! Withdrawal symptoms in three... two...

Thanks Doc!

Finished! 50,136 words and a finished story on the 26th of November. That was okay, but it'll be nice having the extra time now to work on uni stuff

They had gone into the office, but Betterbones was distracted with thinking about what Arnica was saying, and so didn't actually go and get the cookies when they entered.

From what she said, it sounded like Arnica was similar to him when it came to values. It would be impossible to tell how proficient she was when it actually came to applying medical care until the situation arose where she was needed. However, he valued heart over skill any day, and since Arnica had the will to help others unconditionally, it appeared to Betterbones that she was fine doctor material already.

"All sounds good to me!" He told her, "Welcome to the practice!"

It might have sounded like he had made his decision rather quickly, and more than a little blindly, but he had thought it through. Besides, looking back, some of the best decisions he had made in his life were split-second ones.

Even if it was usually too slow around here to need multiple doctors, there were days like today when he definitely could have used the help of another. Not to mention, it was often very lonely here, away from the place he had grown up and from his family. It made him miss his daughter, and having another pony around would probably help take his mind off that. He would be the first to admit that that wasn't a very professional thing to hire somepony based on, but it was a factor he considered nonetheless.

"There are plenty of empty rooms around..." He added, and began looking around his office distractedly, as if he had lost something, "Feel free to set up office in any of them. Since I've been the only doctor in town up 'til now, and there always needs to be a doctor here in case of emergencies, I've been living in the building, and will probably continue to do so. If you've got nowhere to stay, feel free to do the same - there's plenty of space - or if you have somewhere else in mind, I've got no problem with you coming into work in the morning and leaving in the afternoon... do you ever do that thing where you walk into a room and forget why you went there?"

He tapped a hoof thoughtfully on his chin.

[OOC: We'll get back to you ASAP, Haserman. I seem to have unintentionally abandoned you over there ]

If we keep up this run, we'll have one of each! O.O

Well, definitely not 'average'

Mine were

No - The team have realised we like Big Macintosh's eyyups, so they'll probably eliminate everything else about him -_-

Yes - Don't see why not.

Yes - Probably in the finale?

Betterbones listened carefully and attentively to what Arnica said by way of explanation of her purpose. She seemed a little nervous. Perhaps that was why she had forgotten to actually mention what she did. Although she had said she worked in a hospital in Canterlot and was looking to start a practice, she could have been anything from a psychologist to a general practitioner to a financer. He hoped she wasn't a financer. That would be the least interesting thing.

"Here you are." He agreed when she finished.

He was about to put forth that he was indeed looking for help, ask what the role that she was looking for was, and perhaps enquire as to who pointed her in his direction - since if they worked in Canterlot, he might know them. He was distracted, however, by the sight of Orange swaying gently in the corner of his eye - a sight that had become quickly familiar but no less concerning.

"Uh," He murmured, thinking about what Arnica said while moving across to Orange, "Saddlebags, yes, just... stick them..." He looked around the room. It wasn't a particularly densely furnished room. There was a wardrobe, a bed, the washroom, and a bookcase that was in here because he had nowhere else to put it. "Anywhere?" He shrugged, and turned his much-needed attention to Orange.

"Speaking as your doctor, I think you've had enough for now." He told him, looking a little uncomfortable, perhaps embarrassed by Orange's obvious intoxication while under his care, "Why don't you lie down for a bit, take the pressure off that sprain of yours?" Although clearly tipsy, Orange still appeared docile, so he wasn't worried about the repercussions of taking away his alcohol.

"And I'll..." He realised something, smacked a hoof to his forehead, "Cookies! I'll go get the cookies I promised. You - wait here. You -" He turned his pointing hoof to Arnica, "Let's walk and talk."

He didn't wait for a response from either pony, but was quickly out the doorway. He was suddenly feeling an urge to separate his two visitors for the sake of his credibility. He headed toward his office, which wasn't far down the hallway, and trusted that Arnica was following and keeping up with him as he spoke.

"Well, before we say anything," He said, "You should know that living and working in Solstice Heights is a completely different ball game than doing so in Canterlot. Not that it isn't as good or rewarding..."

He came to a stop outside his door.

"I don't want it to sound like I'm trying to put you off," He assured her, "I just want you to understand that things are different down here, and there's a chance that you won't find it to your liking, but if you're willing to try..." He left the sentence unfinished for her response.

Betterbones had been waiting by the door, watching Orange with a mixture of amusement at his wariness and sympathy for his pains, when he heard a voice beside him and looked to see another new pony stood outside the door. It was odd that he was seeing so many ponies he'd never met before today, when, being a doctor in a small town, he knew almost everypony who lived here. It was strange, but it seemed that this was just that kind of day.

"A bad time?" He pondered aloud in response to her introduction, "Well, that depends. It's a bad time for the world to end... or the building to burn down... or to discover I was adopted... but is it a bad time to welcome a new pony to Solstice Heights?" He grinned cheerily, "Never." He extended his own hoof to meet hers in a warm greeting.

Even as he had been speaking, his mind had already been assessing the new pony who stood in front of him. She was female, a unicorn, younger than him, with a white coat, blue eyes and a turquoise mane and tail that was fairly well brushed though unstyled, and he didn't see any signs of physical injuries. That meant that the problem was a mental one, or that there was no problem, and that Arnica was here for another purpose entirely. She had been quite formal in her approach and introduction, which made him think that she was here on business. He hoped that she wasn't from the department of health, since, although he wasn't having a hoof in the vodka that was being downed, it still didn't say great things about his practice to have a patient doing it. In truth, he hadn't been expecting a third visitor that day at all. He had been shocked to have two in a row.

Arnica was wearing saddlebags, and this combined with the way she was stood in the doorway prevented Betterbones from seeing her cutie mark, which was always the best clue about who anypony was when meeting them for the first time. He was sure that Arnica would explain her purpose shortly, but there was no fun in that.

"I am Doctor Betterbones," He confirmed, motioning to himself with a hoof, and then pointing to Orange, "And that over there is my new friend, Mister Dimitri Orangiko Tundra." He said the name with a curiously perfect Staliongradish accent, and then turned his attention back to Arnica, "I observe that you're here on business. If you'd like to talk in private, it's thattaway to my office, and I'll be with you after I make sure Orange is happy with the room. If not, then feel free to talk here, because I'm sure Orange won't tell any secrets." He winked.

His 'observation' was more of an educated guess, but one he was willing to bet the conversation on. Standing between the orange pony with the singed wings and glass of vodka and this newcomer with the look of importance and uncertainty about her, Betterbones couldn't help but reflect that this had been an odd sort of day, but he was enjoying it after the spell of silence that had settled over his practice.