Story Notes: Saturday · 4:13am Feb 10th, 2021
Y’all remember when I mentioned that when I was stressed out you got cute stories about cute ponies doing cute pony things?
Well.
So I spent the last two days mostly putting injectors in a Ford 6.4L diesel. I got a few other things on the side, mostly while waiting for parts that should have been ordered before I needed them, but whatever. Point is that by an hour past quitting time today (or yesterday, depending on where you are), I got the Ford running again, and while I suppose it isn’t running worse than it was before is a minor win, it isn’t running better either.
In fact, it’s running exactly the same, which is the perfect segue into today’s fic, and today’s important friendship lesson. Somewhat edited.
admiral biscuit: I did fuel injectors in a Ford 6.4 diesel and it doesn't run any better than it did when I started. At least I didn't diagnose it.
Which means I ought to write a cute little story to make myself and everyone who reads it feel better.
Problem is, I've got an idea for a really stupid Big Mac comic tragedy stuck in my head and I really need a better idea.
Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Fic: A human's trying to fix their lawnmower so the pony next door offers to eat their grass.
A pony-run lawnmowing company.
FanOfMostEverything: The question is whether the pony lawnmowers give you a discount if you provide salad dressing.
...
admiral biscuit: What's a good name for a frustrated human who owns a lawnmower? Who's handy enough to have a Craftsman Mechanic's Tool kit, but not handy enough to get a lawnmower running?
Bugsydor: Mr. Craig Hendershot.
FanOfMostEverything: Only if he owns an unreasonable number of lawn gnomes.
admiral_biscuit: Okay, I'm sold.
On both things.
Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Fic: I am pleased at what this server has accomplished.
...
admiral_biscuit: It's gonna make for a fun blog post, let me tell you.
admiral_biscuit: How about a bitchy neighbor who would would complain if the grass was too long?
FanOfMostEverything: I'm feeling Henrietta Bundermann
admiral_biscuit: is a group of unicorns a blessing, a luck, or something else?
Bugsydor: blessing
FanOfMostEverything: They certainly call it a blessing. What earth ponies call it can't be said in polite company.
admiral_biscuit: what musical genre do most ponies prefer?
just a general, what would most ponies enjoy?
While munching on free grass
My gut says musicals
Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Fic: Humans would probably be freaked out by the reality-bending that pony musicals tend to cause.
For better or worse, you didn’t get all the gnomes.
As for the musicals, you can bet the choices weren’t random.
Jekyll and Hyde
The Count of Monte Cristo
Hamilton
But we did get gnomes (and ponies), and that's what really matters.
Always important to bring in the gnomes before mowing. Some pony could chip a tooth.
I had a drip from my bathspout. By the time I was done, I'd cleaned out all the fittings down to the bare pipes, and reinstalled fresh seats, valves, stems, seals, etc. Still the same drip.
Makes me glad that my first step was to ignore for 9 months.
The count of monte cristo one is specially awesome. Gotta see the 6 of them later.
A pony eating ramen! I'm dyin'!!
A blessing of unicorns (said sarcastically if you're an earth pony)
A flock of pegasus (which translates to "get out of my garden you varmints" as said by the earth pony waving a broom at said pegasus)
A stomp of earth ponies (as emphasized by all the earth ponies around said earth pony, as it complains bitterly at the bar, commiserating at their loss of a nice crop of roses that night after work)
Ah, sorry you've been having a stressful time.
Hah, and thank you, aid-providing chat people. :D
And thanks for the blog post, and writing. :)
Oh, I must have gone to bed before you checked for permission with everyone. Feel free to put my name where appropriate.
... did anyone check the HPOP?
5451547
A flock of Pegasi (NOT 'pegasuses', one pegasus, many pegasi) is called a 'Constellation', as in 'a constellation of pegasi soared gracefully around Cloudsdale, before settling in the amphitheatre'.
imgur.com/download/Q6LTsz7/
5451547
A "blessin'" as in "bless their hearts"
See, what you need is a 7.3
Another delightful story! Thanks, Admiral.
My take on the naming of groups of Ponies...
A Wing of Pegasi (Air Wing, but nopony says the whole thing)
A Quarry of Earth Ponies
A Charm of Unicorns
5451471
5451514
Ponies are smart enough to not eat gnomes, I’m sure. Maybe not foals, but adult ponies know better.
5451518
Ignoring the problem is very much a valid solution.
I lived in a rental house that had a leak in the hot water faucet in the bathroom. My solution (since the landlord was unlikely to fix it) was put a shutoff valve on that pipe, and only turn it on when I wanted hot water.
5451519
It really is. The art is fantastic, and of course so is the song.
5451520
The grass gets cropped, and that’s what matters.
Also I now belatedly realize that I could have put some Lawnmower Man references in it. Probably for the best I didn’t.
5451532
derpicdn.net/img/view/2020/2/15/2274492.jpg
derpicdn.net/img/view/2018/7/8/1775659.png
5451547
A thunder of earth ponies.
A cacophony of earth ponies.
EDIT:
And let’s not forget an inferno of Kirin.NVM, I did some thinking and decided that it’s a conflagration of Kirin.
An inferno of phoenixes
A disaster of dragons (which could also apply to a single dragon)
5451586
No worries, it happens. And unlike my sometimes-stressful job, there are others where bad days mean people are dead.
They’re the best.
5451591
I kinda thought that, you were offline. I didn’t figure you’d mind, but it’s always respectful to ask.
5451609
That one’s got pizeo injectors and no HPOP. FRP shows as what it wants (desired and actual are close).
It does have a quick bleed-down, but from what I’m seeing in the service manual that’s probably normal. Ford says that you can crack open the high pressure fuel lines on this thing five minutes after shutdown, whereas with most GDI cars (that don’t have a return) it’s something like four hours or a special procedure.
Thing is, I don’t know. I really know very little about this engine. Didn’t even know it had dual turbos until I started taking it apart, and there’s a thingy that was in the way during disassembly and reassembly that I have no idea what it is or what it does.
5451610
Pegasuses
I do like ‘constellation’ for a group of them, though.
5451615
I mean, yeah, that hits kind of close to the mark.
5451620
5451632
Don’t tell me that, tell the customer that.
What I’ve got is a 6.2 Detroit Diesel in a Suburban and a 3.9 Cummins in a potato chip truck. Both simple and reliable and neither of them can muster enough zebraforce to get out of anybody’s way.
5451791
You’re welcome!
A ‘squadron’ would probably also work for pegasi.
As for the charm of unicorns, depends on who you ask. Some ponies might refer to ‘em as a curse.
And then there’s a conflagration of Kirin. . . .
5451965
Been there.
5451983
A splash of Seaponies?
5451977
Ah... this is why I stick with Cat and Cummins.
5451982
i know exactly how that feels. When my '97 quad cab dually f350 worktruck was stock, it moved like a tortoise.
5451971
So CUTE!!
5451620
Blessing, as in:
"I got a blessing of unicorns today at the shop - they stood around for hours, left everything on the floor and then left without buying anything!"
5451547
It does work the other way as well:
"I had a blessing of unicorns around the shop the other day - got Tax Agent and her friend to go through my taxes, saved buckets of bits!"
"A flock of pegasi came by and finally got some water to the far paddock - was drying up something bad and could've lost the crop otherwise"
A stomp of earth ponies (as emphasized by all the earth ponies around said earth pony, as it her visitors that day that made sure the shop and farm won't be lost this year)
5451974
Oh, aye; it could certainly be worse.
:)
:)
5451995
A flood of seaponies!
5451998
I’ve got one Cummins. And an old Detroit Diesel (well, the Cummins is older, TBH).
5452138
I’ll be honest, even with whatever’s still wrong with this dumb 6.4, it still gets up and goes.
I’ve always preferred moves like a tortoise but has bulletproof reliability to speed, but that’s just me. My old Chevy truck with a 4.1L inline six wasn’t fast, but it would run no matter what (even on fire, once) and it would haul whatever you wanted to. It could even go 65 on the highway with a strong tailwind.
5452159
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5452191
lol
Depending on which side of the equation you’re on, that’s the trouble with unicorns.
Can’t go wrong with a flock of pegasi bringing the rain.
Or in more militaristic terms, a stomp of earth ponies informing someone that they’re in the wrong place. “We and the land are one.”
5452651
Ah, Detroit. Smoke plus Noise equals Motive Power, and if it isn't leaking oil it's out of oil... I miss those big two stroke engines and the Sixty Series.
The 6.2l isn't a bad engine, given what it was designed to do. But its predecessor was; The 5.7l Buick diesel. The poster child of bad ideas, and nightmare fuel for mechanics everywhere.
5452671
In my Suburban (when it runs), it make smoke, some power, and also 21 mpg which isn’t bad.
The GM philosophy in a nutshell. Once it hits a certain mileage, the car rustproofs itself.
5452660
I can never slurp my noodles like that...too hot.
And of course, she's drinking apple juice!
Anybody want to explain why a unicorn needs a strawberry in order to use chopsticks?
5453658
Maybe she let them cool first. Or maybe pony mouths are more heat-resistant.
Naturally! What else would a pony be drinking?
5453819
One could also ask why she’s shooting lasers.
I’m not an artist, so I have no idea.
5451973
I know I've made a similar joke, where if the dragons ever get their **** together enough to warrant a collective noun everycreature else would call that a problem.