brianblackberry

Yes, as long as they are original work and not copies of still other artists work themselves.

I doubt there is any accurate equivalent exchange to American or Canadian dollars or British pounds. We can only guess what standard they use for their currency (sure we can really over-analyze and ask if its a gold standard, or bimetallism, etc). Did find this on the MLP Wiki though when it came to value of items in gold bits: Bag of apples -- 3 gold bits Apple pie -- 2 gold bits Apple fritter --2 gold bits Mug of apple cider -- 2 gold bits Asparagus (1 bundle) -- 1 gold bit Tomatoes (bunch of 3) -- 2 gold bits (2/3 of a gold bit per Tomato) Cherry -- 2 gold bits (The pony was price gouging at the time) In the season three final we saw Fluttershy give four silver bits for a one-way Balloon trip from Ponyville to Cloudsdale. This is the first time we saw bits in silver form. Of course this simply may have been an animation mistake and they should have been gold (the Occum's Razor explanation). They could have also be say platinum and thus worth more, or silver is worth more than gold, or food is considerably more expensive then balloon trips, but it is most likely the first explanation. Of course, no surprise, someone in the fandom has gone into deep analysis about what they are worth.

Carrot Fields gave a broad smile hiding the fact he was shocked Rainbow Dash accepted his offer. They didn't know other all that well and here he was offering her his sanctuary, his workshop, just so the pretty blue peagsus could work on her miniatures. No doubt his little sister, Purple Haze, would give him grief over it, but it was worth it; and besides he was just being neighborly and showing what a good citizen of the Ponyville area he and by extension, the Carrots, were! [colour=#ff8c00]"Feel free tae come by any time!" [/colour] Carrot mused as he watched Dash collect the various supplies for her new miniature hobby. [colour=#ff8c00]"I mean weel, knock first ay course, but usually either myself ur may baby sister ur at haem. I'll let 'er know 'at ye may come by; she is really sweit an' will probably want tae bake ye something."[/colour] Carrot chuckled at that last part; Purple wouldn't be able to resist trying her experiments on a new pony; his only worry was how many questions would Purple pepper Dash with. Carrot's musing over his sister's curiosity was broken by Dash's monologue about her version of the events that day in reverse order, the gray stallion didn't think too much into it until he heard the "you kissing stallions" part in reference to him! [colour=#ff8c00] "ah dinnae kiss stallions! If thaur was any pony eh'd ever kiss in this place, it woods be ye!"[/colour] For a moment for Carrot stood there with complete silence and shock as he realized what he not only said out loud, but really loud! The embarrassed stallion put his forehoof to his mouth while his saucepan eyes darted from side to side. He had to say something to change the subject and fast! [colour=#ff8c00] "Sae yeah! Lunch! Let's dae lunch! Ah bet they hae excellent hay fries an' honey and wheat shakes, I'll buy!"[/colour]

[colour=#dda0dd]Flitter[/colour] Flitter felt warm and relaxed, sure indications that she could indeed handle cider just as well as any pony! She was cool! Well cool enough. Now here she was with Cloudchaser who invited her in the back for some fun, or was it to talk about something important? Nahh… It was to have some fun! In fact Flitter was shocked at how daring Cloudy was being, playing around right out in the hallway?! It sounded dangerous! She know Cloudchaser could be adventuresome and forward but she wasn't expecting this! Flitter started to blush and fidgeted some, she wasn't sure if wanted to be so audacious, even if she was in a flirty and desiring mood. [colour=#dda0dd]"Well…"[/colour] Flitter looked down, she didn't like to disappoint her mare, [colour=#dda0dd]"you know how noisy I can get, remember last time?! Well not that you minded of course…"[/colour] Flitter blushed fiercely at that last statement, remembering some particularly close moments recently. Flitter didn't want to spoil the moment though, so she had a brilliant idea! The tipsy mare stumbled up to Cloudschaser, only managing to balance herself by wrapping her fore hooves around the spiky maned pegasus' neck, [colour=#dda0dd]"sorry… So anyway.. Umm.. Let's get a room 'kay? Then I promise, you can do whatever your heart desires, you mischievous mare you!"[/colour] Flitter gave Cloudchaser a kiss on the cheek and looked about, there was one door nearby that was partially opened; they could use that room! They'll just pay when they come back out, no problem! [colour=#dda0dd] "Here we go!"[/colour] Flitter let go of Cloudchaser and clumsily walked slowly to the door and pushed it open; as she hoped there was no pony inside the bedroom, perfect! [colour=#dda0dd]"Just be sure to lock the door behind you, we don't want anypony walking in on us now do we."[/colour] Flitter gave a flirtatious wink, or the best one she could muster. the plum coloured mare went straight for the bed, which took more effort than usual to climb into. It was nice and soft and if it wasn't for Cloudchaser, she'd probably would fall asleep right there! Instead she just looked back at the one she loved and gave a broad smile, [colour=#dda0dd]"I'm all yours!"[/colour]

I think everyone totally understands that one's family must come first, especially when it is children. Congrats on your new child! Hopefully we will see you again soon.

The strength of RP is the allowing of characters to grow beyond their initial application description; in short, to be dynamic. My oldest OC character, Carrot Fields, actually has quite the short application skimpy on info about him (as I made him a long time ago here when we were just starting). If I added everything that he did or revealed about him, it be two to three times as long. Fortunately you don't have to do that (unless you want to for informational purposes).

[colour=#CC6699]Martini Paradise[/colour] Martini Paradise just smiled at the rainbow maned pegasus, she wasn't sure if Dash simply didn't register what the barmare had said or simply elected to ignore it. To Martini it was plain as the sun on a cloudless day; these two pegasai had a mutual attraction, and this Rainbow Dash mare all the others spoke about was especially infatuated. [colour=#cc6699]“Well don’t drink too much then; we want you home safe and sound and not flying all groggy.”[/colour] Martini looked outside with concern, it was still wet and frightful, surely the blue pegasus didn't have to absolutely leave tonight. [colour=#cc6699] “Still it may be better to sleep here and fly back in the morning, don’t you think? That storm hasn't cleared out at all yet; stay a while and get to know your new coltfriend more closely.”[/colour] Martini gave a wink as she tilted and gestured with her head in Soarin’s direction. [colour=#cc6699]“You both just let me know if you need anything else, pie, cider, a key, I’ll be happy to provide!”[/colour] The pink unicorn mare returned to the bar, walking slowly and with more a sway then usual as she passed by the yellow Wonderbolt and white unicorn stallion; she was in a playful mode, their blushing and rather flustered expressions amused and flattered her. It was a rare experience, customers usually flattered each other, and she was determined to enjoy every second of it. She smiled alluringly at Pocket Change, [colour=#cc6699]“well you sound like a real Canterlot gentleman; you should use that to take some mare as about town, show them a good time.” [/colour] It never hurt to flatter the customer. Speaking of which, there was the Wonderbolt mare, which strangely enough appeared shy, odd given what she did for a living, but it could be that she is simply shy when it came to teasing. [colour=#cc6699]“Tired of this? Nooooo… I enjoy bartending for a living! The only part I ever get wary of is the constant moving around in seeking employment, but the work itself? I love it! I love mixing the drinks, I love getting to meet all sort of interesting ponies, I love chatting with them, and hearing their stories! I've met guards, Wonderbolts, super-models, actors, heroes, even royalty! Besides if I didn't love it, I wouldn't have this cute little thing…”[/colour] Martini looked back at her own flank sporting her martini glass cutie mark as she shook her rump; she was sure of her destiny, this is what she was meant to do! Martini’s face lit up even more when she heard Wind Rider affirm he knew of her homeland. [colour=#cc6699]“Oh it is a favorite vacation spot for a lot of ponies, although we always got more from Canterlot or Manehattan then from Hoofington, still it is good to hear they come from all over. Have you ever seen the volcanoes? They’re stunning! Sure they are active and all, but it is just a near constant flow of lava and it always goes down the same slopes and no pony is in danger otherwise as long as they watch from a reasonable distance.”[/colour] Martini was about to go on with what else she felt was wonderful about the islands when Misty Morning asked an unusual question Martini swore was directed at her, [colour=#cc6699]“does what hurt, hon?”[/colour]

[colour=#800080]Cheerilee[/colour] Cheerilee liked the suggestion by her tan unicorn compodre of going to an inn after the party and regale all those crazy stories about the adventures of teaching foals, magical or not. Something told the mulberry coloured mare she would need the time to decompress anyway. [colour=#800080]“Well that sounds like a date then Ingrid! I know just the place too; it is a little bar where they serve great fruity drinks ran by a mother of one of my students, Berry Punch.”[/colour] The mulberry teacher turned her attention back to Purple Haze; who had no plans to abandon the hay bale fortress she had constructed for herself and her most prized possession. Cheerilee couldn't blame the little green filly, there wasn't yet a place to put the cake anyway and food products did have a tendency to be destroyed; who knew of Applejack and her friends would have another ready on time. [colour=#800080]“Well my brave little cake guard, I’ll tell you what, we’ll set up some hay bales to place the slices of cake that you can pass through your window there, ‘kay?”[/colour] Cheerilee gave a warm smile and salute to Purple in the hope that will assuage the filly’s fears. Now to finish cleaning and setup things to start a game or two, [colour=#800080]“ponies, if any of you are up to it, I need a couple hay bales in the middle of the floor so to make one large flat surface.”[/colour] Between Ingrid and the now awaken foals, they can get back on track finally and have some fun! Just one more thing to take care of… [colour=#800080]“I think I know what ails you Nursery Rhyme”[/colour], Cheerilee smiled as she looked back to the little tan earth filly resting on her back. [colour=#800080]“Don’t worry; we won’t have to go to the hospital for it either. I may not be a doctor, but I've had my share of sick foals.”[/colour] Cheerilee chuckled as she picked up a large pitcher of ice water with her mouth and filled a tall glass with it. [colour=#800080] “There we go, why don’t you slide on down and drink that while I go and gather up some nice juice for you too; you’ll feel better in no time, courtesy of nurse Cheerilee!”[/colour] [colour=#ff8c00]Carrot Fields[/colour] Carrot Fields sat there on his haunches, his back stumble from going head on with a full oaken barrel only stopped by a soft bag of coffee beans. It wasn't the cleverest of plans but it was the only thing he could think of at the time. As he rubbed his sore head he witnessed in awe as the stunning Applejack managed to do what he couldn't bring the barrel under control. [colour=#ff8c00]“Ah hink ah foond th' coffee ye aw waur lookin' fur…”[/colour] Well at least you haven’t been completely useless, dumbtail. Carrot figured he should go get his sister... she was far better at kitchen stuff anyway. He could just see her now, hopping up onto the counter and delivering orders like a little Drill Sergeant - heck, she could probably even bring this crazy pink mare into line. And he could escape all this awkwardness. Yup, he should go get – Fwash! Suddenly a bright white and purple light flashed near him, when the bright glow dissipated enough to reveal the source… Carrot figured Purple wanted him in here, so he'd just stay in here. Yup. Wouldn't want to disappoint Purple! He needed to be helpful though, show them he was helpful. What did they need doing? First thing he needed to do was get his mouth to work. Wait, wait, think about what you're going to say, first, plan it out so you don't sound like a dumbtail... Well, we should get started on the cake. What do you need me to do? Yes, that sounds good. [colour=#ff8c00]"Aye! We should cake wi' me tae need do? Me help!"[/colour] Carrot stopped, appalled. Ah, there was the problem. His brain apparently wasn't connected to his mouth at all.

Carrot Fields felt pretty stupid about his comment after Dash's retort; she was right, of course - he wouldn't want a bunch of stallions kissing him! His comment was just juvenile fantasy, and he certainly wanted to get past such dumbtail statements. Still, he couldn't help but think about the topic of Dash and kissing in general, muttering in a quiet, barely audible tone,[colour=#ff8c00] "Oi'd rather be kissing ye then any other pony here."[/colour] Oh no, he'd actually said that out loud! Carrot was glad the subject quickly changed to the miniatures before them. Hopefully, she'd no heard anything. Still as welcome as the subject change had been for him, Carrot was still taken aback from Dash's initial assessment that such games were just for "eggheads". He was about to speak up in defense of the game when the blue pegasus' tune suddenly became one of admiration. [colour=#ff8c00]"Actually, fans do all sorts a things tae tell their own Daring Do stories, miniatures like these, board games, artwork, an' everything!"[/colour] Carrot didn't write any himself, but he had read more than a few fan fictions in the fanzines. The gray stallion couldn't help but think how it was so hot for a cute mare to be into "egghead" Daring Do stuff, getting adorably excited over the miniatures. He wasn't going to tell Dash that, but he did have an idea,[colour=#ff8c00] "Oi have a workshop at me farm - ye're welcome tae use it tae work on yer miniatures, an' store 'em there, if'n ye want tae!"[/colour] Carrot blushed embarrassingly, though he didn't know why - it wasn't like he was asking her on a date or anything, just a place she could use for her hobby. Still, he was nervous about it, and wasn't sure which answer would make him even more nervous, an emphatic no, or an enthusiastic yes.

I found this image through Reddit today which offered an interesting alternate theory to happened to Twilight Sparkle when the magic from the Elements of Harmony all hit her and gave the appearance that she was destroyed. In this scenario the Magic from the Elements accidentally destroyed her as the end result of her attempt to solve the spell of Starswirl the Bearded and underestimating the sheer power of the elements. Her spirit was brought into the afterlife by Celestia, who is essentially a god (in the ancient pantheon sort of way) and showed her life before her in the ethereal realm before taking Twilight to an afterlife where she is given a heavenly world to "live" in so her spirit will be happy. Meanwhile in the mortal realm she had passed away, her friends left to morn. I realized that this scenario will never happen in the show for obvious reasons, but it is definitely a plausible alternative 'what if' given what we saw in the finale of season three; at least the idea would serve as an interesting basis for an alternate universe of fan driven stories and art/comics. In short, what do you all think of this as an idea?

Trixie didn't understand what exactly fueled the darkness as to make it so opaque as to resist the glowing of her horn, which should have illuminated everything in the room with a dull purple hue, but she was astute enough to recognize it as some kind of powerful spell. Anything more than a few feet from her horn was shrouded in a impenetrable black like fog but without the smoky appearance of a cloud, only the eerie wall of pitch that surrounded her, all around the small sphere of light that centered on her horn. They had to tread carefully, for who knew what other magical charms were cast about them in the shadow. When Rain Leaf asked for more light, Trixie forced her horn to glow even more brightly, although her increased efforts had little effect against the persistent darkness. It was all she could do to keep close to the peagsus so to not loose him in the mire when he spotted something interesting… The "door" Rain Leaf pointed to appeared to be an artistically ornate but disquieting rectangle mural carved into the wall; the fiery mare that was the central feature had but one eye, which was represented by a beautiful blood red ruby. From what Trixie could tell is it looked like she was lording over a village or villages, but much of the rest of the relief had been eroded which made it unclear to what any of the individual structures were. [colour=#6699cc]"This is certainly a grotesque mural! Still, I the Great and Powerful Trixie is sure this is the clue we seek! Why else would Trixie lead us to this room?!"[/colour] The Doctor did say something about "the peering ruby", didn't he? Trixie stood closer to see if there were any associated writing, her horn almost touching the stone as she squinted her eyes in an attempt to decipher anything of note. It felt as if the darkness was strongest at this point, almost as if it was working to hide any secrets the carving may reveal. As she moved her head up, her glowing horn came in contact with the ruby eye suddenly causing a massive blue spark of energy, which momentarily lighting up the room and knocked the azure unicorn mare back several feet. Trixie shook her head as she looked up wide-eyed; what she witnessed both amazed and frightened her. A beam of light shot out from the ruby across the room, illuminating the entire domed expanse in a way her horn could not. Instead of hitting the far wall though, it shot through what appeared to be a small perfectly circular opening cut into the brick, edged with ornate coloured stones. Trixie stood up as she continued to look in awe having just enough light to see the speaks of water from the storm outside illuminated by the beam as it exited the other side, "[colour=#6699cc]isn't that the direction of Hoofington?"[/colour] As Trixie stepped back to get a better view of the whole spectacle she heard a click as one of the stones of the floor depressed beneath her hind hoof. The unicorn froze, her eyes even wider than before. At first there was silence for a couple seconds, then the room started to rumble and shake, [colour=#6699cc]"that's... Not good!"[/colour] As the first stone from the ceiling fell before her her, Trixie turned to her pegasus companion and yelled only one word, [colour=#6699cc]"RUN"![/colour]

No need to apologize, even if it crashes and burns, we still have season 4 of FiM. I can perfectly function as a fan of Friendship Is Magic while at the same time completely disregarding Equestria Girls (although I will watch initially to give it a fair shot).

Cheerilee came trotting back out with a half-full bucket of soapy water in her mouth with rags hanging off the side when Bumpkin informed the schoolmare not to worry about it at all. Cheerilee placed the bucket down with an unsure look upon her face; she didn’t like the idea of somepony else cleaning up her class’ mess, especially the host, but Apple Bumpkin’s smile was that of pure sincerely, and it was getting late… [colour=#800080]“Alright Apple Bumpkin, since you asked and all.”[/colour] Cheerilee turned to the class and smiled, [colour=#800080]“looks like we are moving on to the apple pie and juice, everypony gather around the table!”[/colour] Cheerilee sat down next to Apple Bumpkin on a small stool as she watched the light yellow Apple pony pass out the pie slices. The small stools and more numerous hay bales used as seats surely added to the authentic farm atmosphere. Cheerilee started to feel pretty comfortable, the country atmosphere finally catching up with her and putting her at ease. Well finally relaxing and soaking in the laid back country feel an idea suddenly came forth like a light bulb over the school mare’s head; she knew the perfect way to wrap up this trip, well perfect to a primary school teacher at least. [colour=#800080]“As you are getting your pie and juice class, why don’t each of you share with the rest of the class what lesson or insight you have learned today? Applebloom, since you were first in line, perhaps you would like to start us off?”[/colour]

http://www.nytimes.c....ewanted=2&_r=2 Yep. They look like the High School girls I remember. Blue and yellow skin..Wings...Cat ears on the tops of their heads. Long tails. Of course, my High School was on Three Mile Island. They actually don't have tails, if you look closely, it is that their hair extends down long enough and are tied to give the false impression of tails, but they don't actually have any. It is a strange mixture - The kept the colours of the ponies, the equine like ears, and even wings for the pegasai/alicorn but dropped the muzzle for a nose, tails for hair extensions, and horns for the unicorns; it is if they couldn't decide between humanized ponies and anthros so they went for a look somewhere in-between the two. I sort of understand why, Hasbro still wanted them identifiable, but honestly if you are going to have them on Earth, just make them otherwise totally human and have them be identifiable by the style and colour of their hair and a cutie mark somewhere. Heck if you needed to keep the pony colours, they should have been more like this: Oh look, their clothes fit their personalities too! Seriously why are the fandom versions better: Truth is Trixie looks good no matter what! Heck as I mention before, it be also preferred just to make them completely human: Oh look, again identifiable and their personas show through; how hard is that?* My main worry though isn't the art designs it is the fact the show will be much like that other cartoon aimed at preteens and young teens with high school characters with a twist, Monster High. Monster High isn't necessarily bad but it rarely if ever rises from the standard for young girls shlock you would find on American television, the stories being about the typical high school drama and petty concerns and the characters having little depth beyond their Flanderized personalities. *Problem with truly human is if you did it like the characters above, eventually some racist schmuck will decry "why is Twilight black" or something; using pony colours avoid that ugly side of fandom and America.

((OOC- Sorry it took me a while, wanted to post earlier, but work was brutal and I had to postpone stuff for a little while)) Martini Paradise stood in the back area of Ponyland, her horn glowing as she counted the various bottles that had just been delivered by the regular pegasus crew. She didn’t care for leaving the bar, especially since the poor mare working up there was scheduled to go home now, but she had to make sure every bottle was accounted for. The evening was just beginning and with it the busiest time of the day, when all the local guards and REA members came in to wind down once their duty shifts were over. As the pink barmare floated the last bottle into its place, she turned to the winged duo and smiled, [colour=#cc6699]“looks like everything is in order, thanks again, fillies!” [/colour] Now that the mundane tasks of inventory were taken care of, Martini could get back to what she loved best - bartending and schmoozing it up with the customers. The pink unicorn trotted up to the mare who had been attending the bar in her absence, a younger white unicorn with a blonde mane.[colour=#cc6699] "thanks for staying after, hon, I didn't expect the delivery to come so late today. Have a good night and all!"[/colour] The other mare smiled and started to trot out from behind the bar before she stopped, suddenly remembering something. [colour=#daa520]“Oh! There is a brown unicorn stallion with a dark gray and white striped mane - he wanted something with absinthe! 'Kay, Thanks! Bye!”[/colour] Martini nodded, reaching out with her magic for the ingredients, floating them around her in a slowly circling orbit. Absinthe's preparation ritual was flashy, but very calm and soothing; an interesting mix - suitable for the drink. A spoonfull of sugar, a shotglass of absinthe - she dipped the sugar into the tipped glass, letting it soak up the green devil, while an ornate glass and a spoon full of tiny holes the shape of horseshoes settled onto the bar before her. She drew the teaspoon of sugar out of the shot glass, the green, soaked sugar still in it, and a spark from her horn lit the spoon into a bright flame. She floated it there in the air, letting it burn away, the alcohol-soaked sugar carmelizing on the spoon, as she dumped the remainder of the shot glass into the larger, more decorative one, and followed it up with a slow, easy pour from the absinthe bottle, a little over a horn's worth. The bottle settled back into place on the shelf, without her normally flashy thump - absinthe was poured, and sipped, slowly. A sugarcube settled onto the slotted spoon over the glass, and as she blew the burning spoon out, ice cold water dribbled from another bottle over the sugarcube, slowly melting it into the green, till the mixture had more than doubled. Then the spoon, covered in a faintly greenish-brown carmelized sugar, dipped into the glass to stir the mixture, sending that one more extra smokey flavour into the drink. Now to find that stallion… Martini looked about the large room; fortunately there were still only a few ponies about, so it didn’t take but a few seconds to spot the thin stallion. What Martini didn’t anticipate was the company he was keeping, a pretty rose coloured unicorn mare and none other than Princess Cadance herself. Martini had met the Princess once before, in this very bar, along with her husband, Shining Armor, and was instantly taken by how personable and social the pink alicorn was. Well she managed to hit it off with the beautiful princess once, surely she can do it again, and with luck Cadance would remember her. Martini trotted happily up to the sitting trio, floating the absinthe drink before her, [colour=#cc6699]“here you go sir, one smooth absinthe drink for you!”[/colour] She sat the green concoction on the table before the stallion and turned to his lovely companions and gave a warm smile, [colour=#cc6699]“my name is Martini Paradise and I’ll be serving you tonight, would you two lovely mares like anything to drink?”[/colour]

Braeburn watched as Willow Wisp divided the black apple, inside it really was a darker blue instead of the normal white. It was quite off-putting for a moment, but he trusted Willow, and if she said they tasted great, they surely must! Besides this wasn't really any stranger than zap apples, and look how wonderful those were! [colour=#daa520]"Ah love how blue and black go so well together, don't y'all?" [/colour] There was never such a thing as flirting too much. Braeburn smiled warmly as he took the half slice into his hooves, he listening to the countdown, at three he took a great big bite of the midnight coloured fruit. It was quite tart, but sweet,almost like biting into a sour apple candy yet still distinctively the flavour of an apple itself. He was amazed - such a fruit really did open a world of possibilities! It didn't take but a few seconds for the goldenrod stallion to consume the rest. [colour=#daa520]"Hooooweee! That was some tart, sweet apple! Ah can definitely see a market for these, as long as we can get ponies to look past the colour. Ah reckon that won't be a chore!"[/colour] What a day! Braeburn woke up expecting just another regular work day in the orchard, and instead he'd helped grow a magical and mysterious tree, discovered a new kind of apple, and most importantly, somepony special. [colour=#daa520]"Maybe, this new discovery will be ah new Apple family apple!" [/colour] But he wasn't looking the apple core. Braeburn leaned forward and gently kissed Willow on the shout. Visiting for Zap Apple harvest? Sounded like a perfect Apple date.

While Cheerilee hadn't faltered enough to end up any sort of bubbling mess, she had teared enough that other ponies would notice - exactly what she didn't want. She feared that she had failed her class, her generous hosts, and even her guest, Zecora. Despite those fears, Cheerilee - disheveled, teary eyed, and covered in apple juice suddenly found herself in the center of a close knit group hug with several of her pupils. Pupils whose only concerns were her well-being and apologizing for any perceived wrongs they may have done. Truth was, they hadn't done anything wrong on purpose - every disaster was born of accident, inexperience, or misunderstanding. They feared they had failed her! Nothing was further from the truth. The purple earth mare hugged her students back, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to rush forward - not out of stress or fear, but of happiness. Cheerilee was so proud of her students! [colour=#800080]"It's alright, class, and thank you. I am fine, I just slipped, that's all, and we all slip up sometimes, don't we?" [/colour]Cheerilee tearfully smiled, [colour=#800080]“don’t worry, my little ponies, none of you did anything wrong. We are all in this together, learning together. Sometimes in that we make mistakes and take missteps, but what is in important is that we all learn something valuable and positive from the experience.”[/colour] Cheerilee gave her students a big group hug, she was certainly feeling better now. [colour=#800080] “now how about we take Miss Bumpkin up on her kind offer and have ourselves some apple juice and pie, but first we need to come together as a group and clean this messy floor for her, okay class?”[/colour] Cheerilee gave a smile and wink, confident they’ll follow through on that.

Reading this reminds me of the ridiculous post an anti-pony friend sent me today, attempting to convince me Friendship Is Magic is misandrist (that is, anti-male); it is a common trope that I get based on the idea in order to have female empowerment, men somehow must be emasculated, as if equal rights were somehow a zero sum game. Sure some of the male characters are portrayed as dumb or goofy (like Snips and Snails), but as Weesh pointed out, several are positive role models (Big Mac, Braeburn, Shining Armor), other are shown with wealth and power (Fancy Pants, Filthy Rich, Hoity Toity), I could go on. For Spike, I would add that he is dependable and loyal. Who is always there to help Twilight in that moment of need when the other five need rescuing or otherwise incapacitated? Spike. Fancy Pants lampshades the rich guy trope; he is respected and admired (and even possibly feared) by the other ponies in high society but he treats everypony with courtesy and respect and kindness. For Braeburn I would also add he is an entrepreneur; this may be true of Pony Joe as well. Filthy Rich - Also a good father who cares deeply for his daughter. 1. It is important only in the sense that males should not be stereotyped or typed cast when shown or have dialog. We all know the show is aimed at a female audience and seeks to show that audience positive female role models, so that should be paramount. There is no need for male-female parity, because there are so many male dominated shows for kids out there already. 2. At first I wasn't too happy, because we only really had a few male figures of note, any other were unnamed ponies with goofy voices. Snips and Snails were parodies of the whole "boys have cooties" thing, but as the show went on the portrayal of various male characters improved. 3. Probably Shining Armor if I had to pick one. He is a success on his own (captain of the royal guard) who was elevated to prince; he is powerful (cast a spell to protect the city of Canterlot); brave, loyal, good humored, humble, and compassionate. 4. No I don't think it does.

[colour=#ff6699]Martini Paradise[/colour] Martini Paradise smiled widely as she tried to keep herself from laughing out loud upon hearing Pocket Change's explanation about why he found the Wonderbolt's uniforms so alluring; his straight laced exposition only added to the humor for the barmare, it was cute and it helped some he was rather cute too. Martini almost fell to the temptation of looking over the dashing sky blue Wonderbolt stallion standing at the table with a more probing eye, her focus only returning to the white unicorn when he inquired about a drink suggestion, [colour=#ff6699]"oh I have just the thing; something to warm you up on this damp, chilly night!"[/colour] Martini’s horn glowed in a soft green hue as bottles floated in around her, orbiting slowly around her head as she brought up a mug of hot chocolate; one after another, the bottles tipped over, spilling out a stream of spirits into the dark brew - raspberry liquor, white creme de cacao, a dash of stallionoya, all mixing in a dark swirl into the mug. One last trick, she dabbed a bit of whipped cream on top of the hot mixture, which immediately started melting, and topped that white melting mess with a bit of shaved dark chocolate to cap it off. Finished, Martini placed the drink in front of the white stallion, [colour=#ff6699]"here you go handsome, enjoy!"[/colour] She gave a playful wink. Speaking of pegasus in uniforms, the one at the bar tossed a flirtatious remark Martini's way. The pink unicorn smiled warmly, such compliments about her appearance were not that uncommon, it was expected really with the nature of her job and all. Sometimes they were considerably cruder than she was comfortable with, and a few could even cross into obscene, but she had ways of dealing with verbal ruffians. Misty Morning’s remark on the otherhoof was quite sweet, abet unexpected from a Wonderbolt. [colour=#ff6699] “Thank you dear, you are quite stunning in that outfit yourself, if you don’t mind me saying, it certainly shows how you have been definitely keeping in shape, don’t you think so, Pocket Change?”[/colour] Martini gave a playful smile in the unicorn stallion’s direction, teasing over his earlier remarks; she was having fun now. Before Martini could do any more teasing or flirting, she needed to make sure all the customers were taken care of and Wind Rider appeared to have forgotten about the inn's other offer, [colour=#ff6699]"well as I told you all before when you first arrived, you all are welcome to use the rooms in back to rest for the night. It is courtesy of the owner of Ponyland for bravely fighting this awful wild storm , so no need to wear out those tired feathers trying to get all the way back to Hoofington, hon." [/colour] Martini turned around to levitate another mug to the barrel of hard cider, pouring the cool drink to a nice, large frothy head before placing the mug in front of the brown pegasus,[colour=#ff6699]"As for your other question, I am not actually from Canterlot, just fortunate enough to find steady employment here, at least for the time being. I am actually from the Gallopocus Islands, ever heard of them? I’ll tell you more about them when I come back if you like, I just need to refill the mugs of the two googly eyed pegasai at the table first"[/colour]. The pink barmare trotted over to the table with Sorain' and Dash, floating in a soft, green aura, a couple mugs of fresh cider with her. [colour=#ff6699]"Here you go you two, a couple more ciders courtesy of Ponyland and Pocket Change"[/colour]. It didn't take a genius to see there was a level of infatuation between the two, although neither appeared willing to acknowledge that, at least yet. The young mare was the most obvious, hanging on to every word Soarin' said. Martini just gave a playful smirk,[colour=#ff6699] "if you want anything else, more drinks, pie, or a single room for the night, you let me know, okay?" [/colour] [colour=#cc99ff]Flitter[/colour] Three mugs of apple cider, that was how much Flitter had so far, at least she thought it was three, perhaps it was four? Not that it mattered, she could handler her cider, she wasn't some egghead that never went out and only drank those fruity juices advertised to foals; no, she was cool! She was also feeling lonely, not something she was used to lately, and worse Cloudchaser was just a little ways away, which usually made Flitter feel more comfortable but right now her partner was the source of her anxiety. What could be so bad as to hide it from your closest friend? Flitter's clouded and inebriated mind started to wander into more unlikely but scary possibilities when Cloudchaser finally approached her, as nervous as before. At least the spiky maned pegasus was apologetic, and being very cute about it too, [colour=#cc99ff]"oh hey Cloudchaser…" [/colour] Flitter gave a rather goofy smile and she stood back on all fours, or at least tried to, [colour=#cc99ff]"whoaaaa…"[/colour]. Flitter stumbled and grabbed on to her partner with a hug, partly out of happiness they were talking again, and partially to steady herself. [colour=#cc99ff]"Sorry about that Cloudy, hon"[/colour]. Flitter gave an awkward smile, embarrassed about her own lack of fortitude and curious about what Cloudchaser would say next, only to be surprised by her bold suggestion! Flitter rubbed her muzzle against Cloudchaser's, [colour=#cc99ff]"ooh, so that is how you want to tell me! You mischievous, sly pony youuuuuu… Did I tell you that you're kyooooot? Well you are!"[/colour] Flitter trotted rather clumsily into the back hall and leaned up against the wall outside of one of the rooms, figuring Cloudchaser must have the actual spot all picked out. The woozy mare tried to toss an alluring, bedroom eyes expression Cloudchaser's way but in reality it looked much more like a goofball, blushed grin, [colour=#cc99ff]"ready when you are…."[/colour].

Carrot Fields hoped explaining how Purple Haze can be too blunt would allow Bolt to opt out of responding to his little sister, instead the beautiful pink pegasus mare actually answered Purple. She didn't say anything about dating per se but she made it clear enough that even the dumbest of the dumbtails could understand her feelings, even Carrot! [colour=#ff8c00]Me! Me! she picked me! Ah didne hae tae ask 'er, she picked me! Wa woods she want tae go out wi' me? Stop bein' a dumbtail Carrot, she obvioosly likes ye jist as much as ye loch 'er![/colour] Despite all the gray earth stallion's inner dialog, to all outward appearances he was just standing there with a big goofy grin on his muzzle. Truth was the twitterpatted stallion would have stood there like that for a good long while if left to his own devices, not saying a thing save for the huge blush and ridiculous grin on his face. However, as indecisive as Carrot could be, his just-as-decisive sister wouldn't have any of that, and she gave him a good, hard flank-bump to say something! Carrot stumbled forward on clumsy hooves at the sudden impact, eyes and mouth snapping open as he tripped. While his front hooves got tangled up, he nonetheless didn't fall, and it took him a moment to realize it was because he was propped up against Bolt, his lips pressed to hers. And that startled him enough that he didn't even try to regain balance!

Braeburn was both genuinely curious and genuinely apprehensive about meeting Willow Wisp's parents. Would they like him? What would they say? Yet again, her dame was a gardener, they would likely have a lot in common, and her sire did sound kind. [colour=#daa520]"Well ah suppose we can arrange that, ah am sure they would love AAAAAAAAAPLELOOSA! Who wouldn't!?"[/colour] Speaking of family, it dawned upon Braeburn at that moment about how his cousins would mercilessly quiz him about his new relationship. He slumped against the shimmering black apple tree and audibly groaned, [colour=#daa520]"ho boy are cuzin' Mac, Abby, and especially cuzin' Applejack going tah tease me without mercy about this, and boy howdy!"[/colour] Braeburn gave an awkward smile towards the black unicorn mare standing next to him, [colour=#daa520]"and they'll be sure t'all pepper y'all with questions too the first chance they'll get."[/colour] The goldenrod stallion's mental flood of prospective teasing was cut short when one of the newly borne black apples suddenly came loose from the tree to bonk him right on the noggin. Braeburn shook his head and looked down at the midnight coloured fruit, he couldn't explained why but looking at its ebony skin, his expression turning from that of worry to a bemused grin. He looked up at Willow and smiled confidently, [colour=#daa520]"no matter what they ask or say though, it'll be ah small price ah am more than willing to pay for the opportunity to be with somepony as wonderful as y'all."[/colour] His eyes suddenly lit up with an epiphany! [colour=#daa520]"Ah have a great idea! mah cousin Applejack is having her Zap Apple harvest again at good ol' Sweet Apple Acres and ah have to visit to pick up mah order and help out an' all, perhaps y'all like to come with, being that it's in Ponyville and all; ah bet y'all would have a great time!"[/colour] Braeburn held up the fallen apple toward Willow and warningly smiled, [colour=#daa520]"wanna be the first to taste test?"[/colour]

This was going exceptionally well for Carrot Fields, not only was he getting great pictures of a group of beautiful mares wearing the most enticing costumes, but Rainbow Dash was fully going along with the scene and posing as Daring Do among them. This was so great! He was sure to cherish these, how could it get more awesome than this? Then the kiss happened. Carrot was lucky enough to be quick on the draw, capturing for posterity the moment one of the dancing mares’ lips locked with Dash’s. Things just went twenty percent hotter! He wasn’t sure if the mares were just teasing Dash or otherwise serious - but he didn't care; content to just get the Best. Pictures. Ever! [colour=#ff8c00]“Ye ur sae lucky, Ah wish Ah was in yer position, but at leest Ah got some great photos. Those mares really loch yoo; Ah didn’t ken ye waur sae popular wi' th' mares.”[/colour] That last statement did bring down Carrot’s emotional high some, after all she was really cool and really cute, it’d be a bummer if she didn’t care for stallions. Carrot blushed and gave a smile. [colour=#ff8c00]"Uh, sae ... let's ... see whit else is aroond haur!"[/colour] He looked around quickly and settled on the nearest table were several ponies sat engrossed in some game. [colour=#ff8c00]"Whit's this?" [/colour] The table itself was full of little home-made terrain of some underground temple with pillars and traps, and a bunch of little pony figures, including a little Daring Do figure, being moved across the table, then dice being rolled... [colour=#ee82ee]"Ooooo... you accidentally triggered the giant scythe..."[/colour]

[colour=#800080]Cheerilee[/colour] As Cheerilee picked up a few of the ribbons and mugs off the floor, was starting to feel better about the party,it could be a success still and she wasn't alone in this, she had help and perhaps a new friend. Speaking of which, the schoolteacher mare turned toward Ingrid and smiled, [colour=#800080]“you had dragons in your classroom?! What in Celestia’s name for, and how did one grow to full size? I have to admit, that does beat anything that has happened in my classroom, and we had everything from fires to magic potions!”[/colour] Cheerilee just laughed, it was all just part of the job caring for the next generation of ponies; truth was she never met a foal who was truly bad, just overly excited, rambunctious, secretly scared, or misguided. Cheerilee gave Haywire a hug as Ingrid singled the little red filly out as particularly worthy of tale. [colour=#800080]“Haywire just likes to keep things interesting, although she can be a daily hooffull, her heart is in the right place.”[/colour] Cheerilee gave a cheerful grin as she turned to her student and winked, [colour=#800080]“thank you Haywire for helping; I guess all those times helping the school really paid off!”[/colour] Haywire wasn’t the only one that managed to keep away from the cider; there was Purple Haze, who also happened to have the one remaining food item somehow not destroyed. Cheerilee trotted up to the green earth filly with a proud smile. [colour=#800080]“Smart move protecting that cake Purple, I don’t suppose you mind putting up on the table and giving a hoof with some of the others? You and Haywire could get some ice water and juice for them, so we all can make sure they’ll fully recover; we have a party to throw after all, and your cake will be the centerpiece!!”[/colour] Each of the foals who did have the "special cider" were slowly waking up, hopefully with some fresh water and juice, the party could go on, although in an improvised way. [colour=#800080]“Well Applebloom, I am afraid that you all had some bad cider, well bad for little fillies such as yourself, but everything will be alright, you'll see. It is your special day after all and every little pony deserves their special day!”[/colour] Although it looked like some of the foals weren’t doing so well, especially the little nurse, Nursery Rhyme, whom Cheerilee slide under and lifted up onto her back so the little curly maned filly could rest there. [colour=#800080]"Nursery, do you need to be taken home, or to the doctor? Or do you think you will be fine with some ice cold water and juice and a little more rest?" [/colour] [colour=#FF8C00]Carrot Fields[/colour] There was one thing that was consistent among the four mares in the room with Carrot Fields, they were all stunning. They all acted different towards him though; Applejack and Dash were friendly enough, but likely because they knew him. The white unicorn though appeared standoffish, was it his kilt? Did she think it was a "skirt" too? Well at least she was polite, I wonder what she normally looked like.. Without all the mess that is. Probably really hot. Then there was the pink one, the one he would like to give a piece of his mind, the one who then suddenly blanketed the kitchen in a mist of white. Carrot waved his hoof to clear the air around him, before he could even finish, there Pinkie Pie was right in his face, muzzle to muzzle as she looked straight into him with those adorable blue eyes. Carrot just blushed fiercely as she said something about never enough cake, he couldn't say anything in response his brain only teasing him with a single thought, [colour=#ff8c00]'Wooldnae ye loch tae kiss 'er reit noo?' [/colour] Carrot shook his head. Oh Luna, why did she have to be so cute? He was supposed to be mad at her. Fortunately she flew off just as suddenly, ending the most awkward situation for him. Carrot initially didn't know what to say as he held the broom Pinkie gave him until he remembered Applejack's suggestion,[colour=#ff8c00]"aye, Ah can ask Purple tae help in haur, she is a reit genius in the kitchen! You remember aw those station treats she made Applejack? Aam sure she can make aw sorts ay sweet treats haur wit' ye! Plus she has uir cake out in th' main room still, so sae can have twice th' cake, but is coffee cake really guid for foals?"[/colour] At least Carrot Fields began to feel better about the situation, maybe there was no need to be upset at all; besides how could he be? Look at all the hawtness around him! He was about to suggest to Applejack to be the one to ask his sister when the pink pony came rolling back into the kitchen, on a molasses barrel no less! [colour=#ff8c00]"Sweit Luna nae!"[/colour] Carrot had to act! Knowing his luck, she'd roll it right into the main room, into Purple's hay fort, and right over his sister's cake! There was only one thing he could do, get in front of the barrel and somehow stop it! Unfortunately in the moment Carrot had to react he could only think of one way to do that, head butting the barrel to keep it from rolling forward. With his head down and a gallop, he did exactly that, unfortunately he hit it a little too hard and sent himself tumbling backwards while the barrel went bouncing towards the back exit and any pony who may have been in the way...