Bellosh

Yeah, I hope the two of you had an awesome wedding yesterday!

[colour=#008080]~SHE WHAT????~[/colour]

Instructor Marie could hardly believe it when Cantrip claimed she turned a caterpillar into water. Two things at once came into Ingrid’s head; first off, what possessed the orphan to do such a thing in the first place? Secondly, how did Cantrip have the ability at such a young age to reassemble atoms to form a different object? Transformation spells usually took years for unicorn students to master. All of these questions would have to be answered later though… Ingrid preferred meeting Cantrip in private to address these issues.

For now, Ingrid’s inquisitiveness didn’t show too much as she moved on to the final portion of her in-class questioning session. [colour=#008080]“Could you levitate this[/colour] *SQUEAK* [colour=#008080]tissue box for me?”[/colour] the instructor asked, pointed to the tissue box dropped by Misty Magic, who by the way, currently saw fit to mop the floor herself. Ingrid sincerely hoped Misty wouldn’t be too disruptive doing her clean up work. At any rate, once Cantrip demonstrated her telekinetic powers and Ingrid could see for herself how easy or hard it actually was for the filly to accomplish the task, the instructor would have a clear idea of the filly’s true ability level. With that done, Ingrid would then go on to another student.

Seeing Champagne wave at him, Spin Tale quickly smiled back at her. Champagne always provided exceptional service, Dr. Tale fondly recalled, and she also enjoyed hearing about his work running the Canterlot Army Historical Society and its museum. The curator wondered why he never attempted to convince Champagne to subscribe to the Society’s quarterly journal. Spin swiftly put this question out of his mind as he drank out of his grape juice glass. Yep… tasted as divine as always. Spin wouldn’t know how he could possibly live his life without grape juice like this. Content to stay silent for now, Dr. Tale merely listened in on Campagne's conversations with the other patrons.

It was yet another fine morning in Canterlot, and Dr. Spin Tale was eager to take on another day as curator of the Canterlot Army Historical Museum. The doctor had about an hour or so before he opened up his doors for business, so Dr. Tale decided to treat himself to an early dose of his favorite treat; grape juice. With the museum all clean and his mane all groomed (Dr. Tale hoped he did a good enough job with his mane), Spin trotted out the museum doors (his living quarters resided just above the actual museum), and commenced his journey to one of his favorite watering holes; “The Fiery Vine”.

Spin Tale frequented “The Fiery Vine” for quite some time now, ever since it first opened. Among opening up during morning hours, Dr. Tale always liked the bar’s nature as an all-in-one establishment. During evening hours he particularly liked playing in the arcade, or sitting down at a corner table with some of his miniature war-gaming buddies. At least, he used to do those things a lot back before he graduated from Canterlot University. Nowadays, the curator mainly comes for a bottle of grape juice approximately once every day, either during morning or night hours. On rare occasions, Dr. Tale even held meetings of the Canterlot Army Historical Society at “The Fiery Vine” instead of the usual location at the museum.

As “The Fiery Vine” laid less than a few blocks from the museum (another plus for the curator), it took no time for Spin Tale to canter over to the bar. Opening the wooden door, Dr. Tale saw that a few customers had already entered the premises. Taking a seat on a stool in front of the counter, the curator patiently waited as the barmaid attended to the needs of another customer; an army officer by the look of him. Dr. Tale had time to spare, for now…

Just as expected, Cheerilee showed some astonishment that yes, Apple unicorns were quite real and not a rural legend. Ingrid Marie however was pleasantly surprised how the earth pony took it all in stride, unlike some of the earlier ponies she encountered. Ingrid’s grin grew even wider as Cheerilee revealed she was a schoolteacher. For almost all her professional career, the only educators Ingrid knew as acquaintances or close colleagues all taught magic to unicorns. Encountering a grammar instructor who taught general knowledge to all ponies was a new experience for Counselor Marie.

Cheerilee then asked about Ingrid Marie’s job; standing to attention with a dramatic yet comical pose, Ingrid pointed to her herself and proudly responded; [colour=#008080]“Well, I’m the guidance counselor for Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns! It’s my job to help talented unicorns with their advanced studies and to ensure their future success as magic practitioners.”[/colour] Realizing how boastful she might have looked, Ingrid sheepishly grinned and trotted over to the gift table. [colour=#008080]“Sorry for that display there,”[/colour] Ingrid apologized while keeping her head turned towards Cheerilee; [colour=#008080]“But I really do love what I do…”[/colour] Fondly sighing, Ingrid used her magic to reach into her saddlebag, levitate her wrapped present (tagged “From Your Aunt Marie”) and place it on the gift table. Completing that task, the counselor focused her attention back on Cheerilee; [colour=#008080]“However, I’ve never had the opportunity to mentor young earth ponies or pegasi before. How’s it like teaching all types of ponies in your classroom?”[/colour]

Before Cheerilee could reply, a little earth pony foal jutted in to introduce herself as Apple Bloom; the birthday filly herself! Ingrid Marie noted how inquisitive the child was; it didn’t take Apple Bloom long to point out Ingrid’s apple cutie mark and the fact that she was a unicorn. Well… time to answer the birthday girl’s questions. [colour=#008080]“Well sweetie,”[/colour] began the grinning Ingrid; [colour=#008080]“Ingrid Marie’s my name, and actually, I’m actually one of your aunts. Not everypony in your family is an earth pony, after all.”[/colour] Winking to Apple Bloom, Ingrid nervously continued onwards (the filly’s predatory pacing didn’t do much to make the unicorn feel comfortable); [colour=#008080]“Actually, I’m uhh… a bit of a distant aunt, you see. As a matter of fact, today’s the first time I’ve met anypony in my extended family.”[/colour]

Yeah, that Crystal Empire stuff is kinda old news by now. I always lurk EQD for up-to-date spoiler infomation.

So Cantrip wasn’t exactly the most sociable of ponies… fair enough. Ingrid Marie worked with such students on numerous occasions as part of her duties as guidance counselor. With only a few exceptions, Ingrid eventually succeeded in establishing a rapport with seemingly uncongenial students. All she had to do was treat the pupils in question as normal equine beings and provide particular attention to their pressing concerns. So far, Cantrip had not acted out of the ordinary or caused deliberate mischief, so this gave the instructor much hope.

What Cantrip did not need at all was a tissue box, which at that moment levitated in front of the distressed filly. Ingrid facehoofed; suddenly she felt trapped in a comedic double act where she was the straight mare and her new assistant was the… wait a second; wasn’t Misty Magic supposed to get the janitor to clean up the puddle she caused by her impromptu shower earlier? Swiftly turning around, she saw Misty still standing there using her horn to power the levitation spell… the wet floor was still there too. “[colour=#008080]Ahem,”[/colour] Instructor Marie coughed as she glowered at her assistant; [colour=#008080]“Shouldn’t you be getting a janitor to dry the floor?”[/colour] At the very least, Ingrid wished for a few brief moments of peace in her classroom with Misty out and about on a quest.

Bringing her attention back to Cantrip, Ms. Marie then politely asked; [colour=#008080]“What is the most advanced magic spell that you can comfortably use?”[/colour] For magic instructors this was a standard, if cliché, routine. But it was not only a proven way to first establish how proficient a student was with magic, but it also usually gave the foal confidence right off the bat that they could learn more sophisticated spells.

EDIT: "Cantrip" had previously been spelled "Catnip". The spelling has been corrected.

Hmmmm, that rainbow melts into a water river of some sort. Curious......

Hmmm, that thought did occur to me. It could very well be a two-parter finale to Season 3 instead of an actual straight-to-DVD movie.

The best luck to the two of you!!!

I've always been a sucker for John William's early soundtracks, especially the ones for the Star Wars Original Trilogy and Indiana Jones films. I honestly wouldn't know where to start, so here's a good track as any:

http://youtu.be/wgXiEnkAquY

That part after 1:10 always gets to me.

Eh, a movie can't be that bad of an ill-omen for the future of the series. South Park got its movie way back in the third season, and it's been chugging along just fine ever since then.

[colour=#008080]~Geez, these foals undoubtedly are easy to amuse. I’d bet they laugh just from hearing somepony burp~[/colour]

Ingrid Marie’s eyes rolled as the class snickered at a filly’s earsplitting sneeze. Noting that the offending sneeze came from the filly with the questionably-intense stare, the instructor decided that she might as well call on her first. Not noticing that Misty Magic didn’t call for a janitor like she had requested, Ingrid proceeded to calm down her class; [colour=#008080]“Now now, settle down everypony.”[/colour] Once the classroom quieted again, Ingrid looked at the filly with the red mane and gave her a smoothing smile; [colour=#008080]“Perhaps you’d like to be the first volunteer to tell me your name?”[/colour]

If your place serves grape juice, then I'll probably have my OC show up.

The young doctor nervously brushed his mane as Prof. Smirk failed to recall Spin Tale’s name. Dr. Tale mentally chastised himself for assuming that the professor would remember him; the former student never bothered socializing with the eccentric instructor outside of lectures and office hours. Ashen Smirk may have been an interesting mentor, but he was not the sort of pony Spin (and many ponies, for that matter) usually socialized with. And obviously, the professor taught many other students during his tenure besides Spin. Dr. Tale’s eyebrow rose upon hearing of Prof. Smirk moving to Stalliongrad; with Smirk gone from Canterlot University, perhaps the history department finally had an opening available for a new professor! Spin Tale made a note to himself to make further inquiries tomorrow; not that being President and Curator-in-Chief of the Canterlot Army Historical Society was unrewarding however. A professorship though was something the young stallion spent the last few years yearning for.

Meanwhile, Spin Tale felt something was a bit off about Prof. Smirk today. Just now, he tried cracking a joke which was very unlike the professor he knew. For that matter, Smirk didn’t make any effort to show displeasure over Dr. Tale’s attempt at small talk; Spin remembered the previous (and until today, the only) time he tried doing so with Smirk… it didn’t end well. Finally, Spin noted how the professor kept on yapping for a long time without trying to incite an argument. Something truly was up with Ashen Smirk; frankly, the curator didn’t want to know about it. Dr. Tale was just glad he wouldn’t have to bore himself to death waiting in a line.

At last, Prof. Smirk inquired about how Spin Tale was holding up… if Spin’s memory served him well, that was another thing Smirk never did back in the old days. Dr. Tale readily obliged; “Ah, Dr. Spin Tale here has been doing good for himself.” Spin figured he ought to tell the professor his name before going on. “My parents retired a couple years ago, so I now run the Canterlot Army Historical Society. I’ve spent much time relocating our stuff to a spot that can actually hold a modest-sized museum, exhibits and all. Everything’s been… heh heh… chaotic, but all things considered, the Society’s doing great!” Dr. Tale had no desire to let Prof. Smirk know about his career setbacks and financial difficulties; those were Spin’s problems for him to deal with alone, and he didn’t want to end up in the debt of anypony else.

“So Professor,” Spin Tale mockingly asked; “How do you plan on getting around in Aquellia? You do realize that the only way of travelling anywhere in Griffon cities is by flying, right?” Griffons were not known for making their buildings accessible to non-fliers, prompting Dr. Tale to amuse himself with the mental imagery of Prof. Smirk vainly struggling his way upwards into a Talonpolis archive, airborne Griffons laughing at him as he kept on trying.

Maybe it's going to be something like an episode guide, perhaps?

According to the Hub's FB page, Season 3 will be officially announced 30 days from now. I guess we won't be seeing any new episodes until November, probably.....

As the class quieted down, Ingrid Marie made a quick overlook of her class. Most of her young unicorn students today didn’t look anything out of the ordinary. However, she felt something was off with the white-coated filly with the red mane. Judging by the filly’s intent, Ingrid surmised that she either deemed herself already proficient in magic or else she was just a run-of-the-mill troublemaker. Both possibilities meant that the instructor needed to keep an extra eye on her, but in the former case, at least Ingrid could tutor her in private later should the filly be receptive to it.

Bringing her attention back to Misty Magic, Instructor Marie listened how the assistant offered to lend her hoof. “Alright,” Ingrid stated matter-of-factly; “I’ll need you to call a janitor over here so they can clean up the puddle on the floor.” If no volunteer janitors were available, Ingrid dreaded requiring Misty to clean up the mess herself. “Now then, I’ve got a class to teach.” Gently trotting around the puddle, Ingrid made it to the front and center of Room 12.

“Hello, my little ponies,” Instructor Marie warmly addressed to her pupils; “My name is Ingrid Marie, and I’m your new magic teacher.” For the next portion of her introductory lecture, Ingrid’s voice shifted to produce a more authoritative tone as her students needed to take her next words seriously. “Now before we begin, I would like to use this time to remind you that practicing magic… will not be easy. Anypony is bound to make mistakes when attempting a spell for the first time. I ask then to mind your classmates’ feelings and not make fun of them if they perform a spell wrong. Instead, give your friends the encouragement they need, and they’ll help you out too if you have trouble with a spell.” Ingrid didn’t like having to lay down the law, but going by the class’s reaction to Misty’s antics, the instructor felt it necessary to get that part out of way.

Summoning a grin, Ingrid continued on with her plan for today; “Mmkay then, who would like to be the first student to introduce themselves?”

Wow, the trailer looks quite awesome! I'm very excited now to see it on opening day.

In hardly any time at all, Dr. Spin Tale got his cherry fudge and trotted off to the side of the shop to nibble at it (but not before thanking the mare at the counter). The fudge definitely met the curator’s standards; it may not have been the best in the world, but it tasted good regardless. However, Princess Cadenza used this moment to take her leave; Dr. Tale was disappointed that she couldn’t stay any longer, but he didn’t show it as he gave her a courteous farewell nod. Come to think of it… shouldn’t he be on his way, too? The Canterlot Army Historical Society wasn’t going to run itself, after all.

However, the museum could also use a high-profile patron or two to help fund the Society. If the gods smiled upon Spin Tale, Duke Polaris’s current conversation will finish up by the time Dr. Tale finished his two scoops of cherry fudge. If not… tomorrow would always be another day. There was no chance the curator would bother with Blueblood though, given his snobbish reputation.

That's actually Tabitha St. Germain's voice in that animation, in case anyone's wondering.

“Waaaaaaiting…….. I’m still waaaiting….” Quietly humming to himself, nothing could cure Dr. Spin Tale’s boredom. While he did glimpse near the front of the line a tall pony looking like Princess Luna herself, Dr. Tale knew it was foolish to bother trying to introduce himself to her. No; it would mean he would have to give up his spot in this wretched line and then go back to the end. Spin had to suck this up, just for today. Still, the curator wished he brought one of his old buddies from university with him today, if only so they could share in his misery. Heck, the stallion even preferred reading the latest conspiracy drivel from that feather-brained Mocking Word than standing around in this Celestia-forsaken queue. Given Spin Tale’s sheer hatred of Mocking Word’s crazed theories, this was saying a lot.

Hearing hoofsteps behind him, Spin Tale briefly glanced behind him out of curiosity to see who the next unfortunate soul to enter the line was. To Dr. Tale’s great surprise it was Professor Ashen Smirk in the flesh, right here outside of Ponyville! Nopony who took a class or two under Prof. Smirk forgot about him. For those students like Spin Tale who succeeded in avoiding the wrath of the professor’s fiery lectures, his one-on-one sessions proved to be rather unsettling and contentious at times. Spin wasn’t sure if he should have counted himself lucky or not for having been one of Prof. Smirk’s verbal sparring partners, but for what it was worth, such debates opened Spin’s intellect to theories and possibilities he never would have taken seriously otherwise. In that sense, Ashen Smirk was a darned fine teacher, and Spin Tale’s experiences with the professor made for many excellent stories to tell.

Back in the present, Spin Tale swiftly turned around upon recognizing the blueish-grey earth pony that used to be his professor. “Professor Smirk!” joyfully shouted the young stallion; “Finally, somepony to share my wretchedness with!” Laughing at his own sarcasm for a second, Dr. Tale then eagerly began to ask the professor questions; “How have your classes gone since I’ve graduated from CU? What are you doing way out here in Ponyville, anyway?” If the young doctor was lucky, Ashen Smirk might eventually get riled up for another debate... which was as good a way as any to banish the monotomy of wasting away in a line.

Ingrid Marie almost made it to the table stacked with wrapped presents when a magenta mare named Cheerilee came by to greet her. The unicorn didn’t know who this earth pony was, but judging by the specific question Cheerilee asked, Ingrid guessed that she was a friend of the family herself. Giving a cheeky smile back, Ingrid responded; “Uhh…. not exactly. I’m actually a distant aunt of our birthday filly here!” Ingrid chuckled for a couple seconds before offering her hoof for Cheerilee to shake; “I’m Ingrid Marie; it’s a pleasure to meet you. So Cheerliee, are you a family friend yourself?”

This Cheerilee seems quite friendly enough, thought Ingrid. Hopefully, Ingrid being an Apple unicorn won’t blow Cheerilee's mind like it did for a couple of the other townsponies…

I also heard that they managed to reopen registration a week ago or so. I'm not sure if tickets are still available now, though.

Pffft, Dr. Robotnik is way cooler than Sonic. Anyway, enjoy your stay here.