Bellosh

And here's another Twi fan greeting ya'! Just curious, but what is Everypony all about anyway? I only know of a limited number of MLP forums, and Canterlot is the only one I post at.

Ingrid Marie beamed as she saw Piccafilly trot to greet her. The guidance counselor fondly remembered the former student of Princess Celestia’s School; one of the top-ranked members of her class, as a matter of fact. Counselor Marie recalled how after Piccafilly earned her cutie mark, the student came to her puzzled as to what exactly her mark represented. After hearing Piccafilly’s tale of how a mule couple found her lost in the Everfree Forest, the counselor suggested to Piccafilly that her heart assuredly wanted to follow the mules’ generous example. Giving the student some food for thought regarding future career options, Counselor Marie told Piccafilly of the rising number of foals in Equestria becoming orphans, thinking that the student would be suited to work at an orphanage or other charity after her graduation. At least, that was how Ingrid remembered things.....

Seeing the orphanage and its caretaker before her today, Ingrid took delight in the fact that Piccafilly listened to her heart. Taking the caretaker’s hoof into her own for a firm hoofshake, Ingrid greeted her back; “Good morning to you too, Piccafilly! I say, you do have a lovely establishment here.” Ingrid blushed as Piccafilly referred to the older mare as her favorite teacher; as a guidance counselor, she didn’t consider herself a teacher. Well, except when she substituted for a sick instructor or when giving private tutoring sessions for students; admittedly, she still did a lot of tutoring. Regardless of what she regarded herself as, having a huge positive impact on the lives of her students is why Ingrid wished she’d never have to quit her job as guidance counselor, even long after her bottles of Just for Mares no longer let her disguise her slowly-graying mane.

Ingrid Marie’s mind drew a blank when the orphanage caretaker mentioned who her assistant was; “Sorry, I don’t know Misty Magic. I’m sure however that she’ll be a good assistant. Once again, I must thank you for letting me teach magic to the unicorns here!” Giving Piccafilly one final smile, Counselor Instructor Marie made her way over to Room 12; thanks to the open door, Ingrid could easily hear the rancorous laughter coming from the classroom. Curious, the instructor walked in only to see a most humiliating sight; a yellow unicorn mare, standing right in front of the doorway, was being drenched by a magic rain cloud. Perhaps Ingrid was a bit too hasty with her initial optimism; now that the instructor had a good look at Misty Magic, the assistant reminded Ms. Marie of one blankflank years ago who failed her entrance examination by accidently conjuring duplicate dragon eggs.

Shaking her head, Instructor Marie couldn’t dwell on the past any further for the time being; she had a classroom to restore order to! Glaring at Misty Magic all the while, Ingrid warmed up her horn to prepare a simple cloud dissipation spell. A couple of seconds later, she sent a tiny blue-colored blast of magic at the cloud, making it vanish and causing the rainstorm to stop. There was nothing Ingrid could do about the wet floor at the present moment; she’d have to send for a janitor. Refocusing her thoughts towards her lesson plan for today, Ingrid hoped that her magic demonstration would be enough to silence the heavily-amused schoolfoals in the room.

Hello there; welcome to Canterlot! Is there a Mane 6 pony that you happen to prefer over the others, or do you like a secondary character better?

A few days ago, Dr. Spin Tale experienced a revelation while hosting a Canterlot Army Historical Society Q&A event at his museum. One of the attendees asked the panel, featuring retired veterans of the Royal Equestrian Army, about their opinion on current veteran’s benefits provided by the government. One of the former soldiers joked that all the serviceponies really wished for was just one holiday honoring them. Everyone there had a good laugh but as the Q&A concluded, Dr. Tale couldn’t stop dwelling that holiday comment.

Of all the various things commemorated by Equestrian holidays every year, the mares and stallions of Her Majesty’s Defense Forces were not one of them… the Griffons meanwhile had at least two holidays honoring their soldiers! Equestria may not have faced a war in at least a hundred years, but that didn’t mean that serving in the army was not without risk and sacrifice. Thus, when Spin Tale heard news that the Royal Princesses were soliciting letters from their subjects, the curator decided that it would be worth it to at least ask Celestia about the matter. In his cramped office a floor above the museum's public exhibits, Dr. Tale took a piece of paper and began writing with his quill …

Dear Princess Celestia,

Greetings; I am Dr. Spin Tale, and I curate a non-profit museum dedicated to examining the experiences shared by past-and-present soldiers of the Royal Equestrian Army. Recently, it has come to my attention that there is no royally-recognized holiday commemorating active-duty and veteran serviceponies. Considering all the effort our soldiers make to keep Equestria safe, I find it curious that such a holiday does not yet exist.

I understand that some ponies believe that our country does not require further nationally-observed holidays. However, I am interested in your thoughts on declaring a day of remembrance for our soldiers. I understand if you do not wish to create such a holiday, but I am sure the ponies serving in your army would appreciate this simple gesture.

Thank you for the peace and justice you have provided our homeland throughout the ages, Your Majesty. May your reign, and that of your sister’s, last for another thousand years.

Your Loyal Subject,

Dr. Spin Tale

President & Curator-in-Chief

Canterlot Army Historical Society

Spin Tale chuckled as he finished writing his correspondence. If he were actually sane like any other pony, he would have instead begged the princess to have most of his debts forgiven. That probably would have been an improper thing to ask of Celestia though; plus, Dr. Tale prefered not being in somepony’s debt anyway. Satisfied with his letter, the curator had it mailed the next morning… along with his latest student loan payments.

Howdy there! Do you have any favorite fanfic authors, stories, or genres? Because I like reading fanfic too on occasion.

During her last (and first) visit to Ponyville, Counselor Ingrid Marie heard that a new orphanage in town was seeking professionally-skilled volunteers who could help out… even teachers of magic for the unicorn orphans. It had been a long time since Ingrid actually instructed students in a classroom setting; not since her Neighton Prep days. As far as Ingrid knew though, nopony qualified to teach magic lived in the immediate Ponyville area, while the most skilled local sorceress hasn’t even finished her magical studies yet. Ingrid may not have taught any classes recently, but she still tutors unicorns in their magical studies when they need help, and she has the instructing experience that most unicorns wouldn’t have had!

Resolved to both give the unicorn orphans the magic education they needed and to give herself a reason to travel to Ponyville more often, Counselor Marie managed to convince the administration of Princess Celestia’s School of Gifted Unicorns to give her a few workdays each week to help out the orphanage, should she opt to continue volunteering there. And so Ingrid found herself one morning cantering over to the Equestria Orphanage, eagerly wondering who her new magic students would be…

Character: Ingrid Marie

"Acceptance Post": At first, it began innocently enough for Counselor Ingrid Marie. Some jerk pony sent her junk mail advertising a silly game claiming to have no rules and how it’s the best ever. Ingrid knew where to promptly send that letter; to the trash can. The next time the exact same letter came, it was not so amusing. This time, the letter came with several pictures of her walking outside of Ponyville and Ingrid’s parents working on their apple orchard outside of Canterlot. Her mom and dad looked older than she remembered, and the photographer looked like he or she was hiding someplace when taking all the shots. Alarmed, Ingrid sought the help of the Canterlot guards to help track down her stalker. Their investigation suggested that it was the work of a prankster colt that flunked out of Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.

Satisfied that the stalker was apparently apprehended and punished, Counselor Marie tried to forget about the letter… that is, until a third invitation appeared on her office doorstep at the School. Now, the letter, along with a picture of a lavender unicorn mare, was pinned onto a potted lime cactus. Ingrid did not like at all what this meant; not only did the mystery writer knew of her… unease around cacti, but they knew full well that the guidance counselor witnessed the moment where the prodigy Twilight Sparkle lost control of her magic and accidently turned some ponies into plants. Who knows what else this fiend has discovered about Ingrid?

No longer assured that anypony can help her, Ingrid Marie poured over the letter late at night in her office even when the School was supposed to be deserted. She looked over every word to see what this “great game” was all about. The counselor didn’t ascertain much, other than that she’d be working in a team possibly performing questionable or even illegal activity. Ingrid wanted no part in this supposed game… but she felt the sinking feeling that she wouldn’t really have a choice in the matter. Glaring at the letter with a stare than could petrify a cockatrice, Counselor Marie resolved to give Tartarus to whoever this mastermind was when the time came to meet them…

Stupid Joke: Question: What do you get when you combine Celestia and Luna?

Answer: TWILIGHT!

1. Good call with the Orb; I was considering giving it that sort of power too, but I decided against it when I wrote up that first brief.

2. I think it's about due time that Merlot gets 'acquainted' with at least one of our adventurer ponies, don't you think? (*cough* prologue idea *cough*)

Ingrid Marie still wasn’t quite sure she knew what she was doing. A couple of weeks ago, she received a letter originating from the Sweet Apple Acres orchard inviting her to a young filly’s birthday. The filly, Apple Bloom, seemed to be a distant niece that Ingrid hadn’t even heard of until today. For that matter, Ingrid barely knew who her distant relatives in the Apple family were at all, save for the current family matriarch and the one Apple mare that helped save Equestria a couple of times… Applejack, was it? At any rate, Ingrid hardly ever mingled with her extended family throughout her entire life, and up until the birthday invitation, never received mail from her far-flung relatives.

Ms. Marie was tempted at first to simply disregard the invitation to Apple Bloom’s birthday party, but a part of her contained a nagging curiosity about her Apple family. She had been thinking more and more about them recently; perhaps now would be a good opportunity to get in touch with them? Ingrid mulled on going to the birthday party for more than a week, only resolving at the last minute to go. In haste, Ingrid purchased the best birthday gift she could find on short notice; a boxed My Little Princess doll. Looking like a mutant cross between Princess Celestia and Mi Amore Cadenza, it was apparently all the rage among the little fillies of Canterlot who loved to play with her and comb her mane. Ingrid had absolutely no idea if Apple Bloom liked My Little Princess or not, but hey, stuff happens when you buy presents for ponies you don’t know.

Giving a glance at her saddlebag containing the wrapped present, Ingrid Marie slowly made her way over to Sweet Apple Acres. She had to ask numerous times for directions, which took longer than necessary because a couple residents couldn’t believe that an unicorn dressed in city-clothes was actually a member of the Apple family. Ingrid briefly halted at the orchard entrance, still nervous whether her trip here was really a good idea. After stopping to take several deep breaths, Ingrid forced a smile and trotted towards where the party was set up.

*gulp* Here goes nothing.

Well it's now official: Ingrid Marie is the newest addition to the Apple Family. It's gonna' be fun RPing with you kind blokes.

Saw a praying mantis for the first time today. I managed to snap a couple of pics; maybe I'll upload one of them in the near future.

Greatest moment of my day today? Visiting Fleet Week Sea Festival. Some pictures:

Dr. Spin Tale grunted as he neared Sweet Apple Acres. Living in Canterlot, the doctor had only visited Ponyville once before a few years back, when he needed a few of the local library’s archival sources for a student research assignment. Absentmindedly, Dr. Tale wondered how the librarian was doing… an old mare if he recalled correctly. Maybe she finally went into retirement and found a new librarian to fill her horseshoes? Ah well… today was the birthday of Spin Tale’s dad, and Spin wanted to surprise his father with some apples straight from Sweet Apple Acres.

Dr. Tale remembered from his foalhood days how his dad, Corporal Little Horn, developed a liking for Apple Family apples back when his unit was stationed near Ponyville. Apparently, Little Horn’s parents frequently teased their son about his acquired taste in fruit, them being grape growers and all. Spin had to agree with his grandparents on that issue… but he’d put that aside just this one day to make his dad happy.

Such reminisces came to a crashing halt though once Spin Tale saw the line outside of the apple orchard. The doctor intended for his trip to be a swift one; seeing the line put him in a somewhat foul mood. Taking a quick look-around to see whatever could be causing such a line, Dr. Tale eventually spied the promotional banners posted around. “A kissing booth?” Spin exclaimed in incredulity; “Really?” The stallion did not have the time for this; he didn’t want to miss the next train back to Canterlot. But… he was already here, and his dad would really appreciate that fresh apple bushel as a birthday gift. Adjusting his tie and rolling his eyes, Spin Tale trotted over to the line, resigned to his fate of waiting in what now appeared to be a very, verrrrry slow moving line.

I've been playing bits and pieces of it for the last couple of days now. Looks really swell, so far.

I already mentioned this on Skype, but I'll be able to have Ingrid Marie from Canterlot volunteer as a magic tutor once her app gets final approval.

Hi there! You made a smart choice in picking Twilight as best pony.

While Spin Tale was waiting in line, he had a look at all the flavors available. Of course, he tried to find grape-flavored fudge but it didn’t seem like the shop made any today. *sigh* Typical. Well… perhaps the cherry fudge would do the trick (assuming the red-colored dessert actually had a cherry flavor, but nine times out of ten, it usually did). Frozen cherry drinks were right up there along with his beloved grape juice as far as favorite drinks were concerned, so perhaps cherry fudge would be just as sweet tasting? Soon enough, Dr. Tale was at the counter getting asked for his order.

“Hello; I’ll be having two cherry fudges today, please.”

I'm interested too: I'm just waiting for a new character of mine to get approved, and I'll sign her up.

PS: "The Great Game" and "Tournament of Shadows" are both terms for the struggle between the British Empire and Czarist Russia for control over Central Asia.

I believe villians are regarded as NPCs, and thus don't need to be approved characters. Steel and Phil use NPC antagonists in their "City of the Griffons" adventure-RP.

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My vote goes to Apple Bloom.

What field will you be majoring in when you go to university?

Idea shoot-off Round 2:

(Relic) The Orb of Overwatch: Said to be a medium-sized crystal ball made of ultra-rare "moon diamond", which naturally glows in the absence of other light. According to legends, a paranoid princess used the Orb to gaze at anything and anypony from afar to detect signs of rebellion... that was until she ond day vanished, and the Orb with her.

(Villian) Merlot: Hailing from a prominent family of grape farmers (hence his name), this smoothly-dressed archaeologist obtains antiquities and sells them to private collectors. When not getting his hooves dirty (which is rare, since he uses other ponies to do his dirty work), Merlot can be seen enjoying the pleasures of high-society life. While many do-gooder treasure hunters revile the stallion, Merlot sees such ponies as careless hypocrites whose methods needlessly damage archaeologial sites.

I guess this will mean that Goldeneye 007 may finally be re-released on modern Nintendo consoles?

(Artifact) The Celestial Chalice: rumored to have captured the blood of Princess Celestia after she was wounded in her ancient showdown with Nightmare Moon, anypony who drinks from the Celestial Chalice will supposedly be granted immortality. Take a wild guess as to what this relic is based off of....

(Villian) General Pummel: A honorable high-ranking officer in Equestria's Honor Guard, Pummel takes all percieved threats to Equestria's harmony seriously. As an admirer of the Griffin military, the general has associated in the past with a couple of his opposite numbers in Aquellia, who recently suffered disgrace due to an embarrassing incident. Should these ex-griffin officers suck up their pride, they will find General Pummel to be a valuable ally, just as long as he won't have to betray Princess & Country.

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I might come up with more later.

A Lyra fan, eh? Do you buy into the belief that she obsesses over anything human-related?