Here we go, another practice SALT. I have a good feeling about this one, so I'll do the same as the last one. Whomever is the third to post, may select our prompter from the two above him. Good luck!

Edited so as not to cheat: 610523 this is the first, and you are the second.

Would your own post count as a post, making mine the second, or would mine count as the first?

I've been inactive for too long on this forum. I oughta throw my hat into the ring.
Btw, Happy New Year. =)

611055 Thanks, and to you as well. Now you have the important duty of picking between me and 610523 for the prompt leader this month. Can you handle the pressure?

Hmm, that's hard to say. The question rests more on the idea of who wants to do it the most. You're one of the head honchos here, Firebird, but if Puppo has a prompt in mind, I say we give him a go. =)

611738
I don't have an idea currently, but I probably would be able to come up with one.

611738 I'm good either way, so the choice is yours.

611989
All right, Puppo, I'm giving you a shot. =)

611989 Go for it!

Okay. I'm just going to put up four pieces of artwork and leave it to you guys to pick one or whatever.

618244 Any prompt to go along with the art?

618244

Scootaloo!

So taking the last one on.

618636
Nope. Just choose one I guess.

Hmm...2 and 3 offer up some possibilities in my brain.

Huh. 3 and 4 look like there's a story attached. Wonder if I can find one of them...

619098 619563 620100 622350 One day left gentlemen. Prepare yourselves.

626472

I picked: Picture 2
Title: No Bars
Genre: slice of life, comedy
Summary: When Harry's cell phone looses signal in the middle of an important phone call, it's up to Fluttershy to take him above the clouds to pick up the signal from the next nearest cell phone tower.

it would be just a short piece about renting a balloon, traveling with a bear, and finishing up with a huge cell phone bill, due to roaming charges.

Ok, I picked #3

Title: The Apple Artist
Genre: Slice of Life, perhaps Comedy or Sad
Summary: There's something Applejack's never told her friends before: she loves to draw. Not high art, per se, but little secret doodles now and then. She worries her friends might poke fun at her artistry, so she decides to say nothing about it, but what happens when these little sketches are discovered? When a traveling art buff uncovers Applejack's sketches and mistakes them for somepony else's (could be anypony, maybe Apple Bloom or one of the other Main 6), will Applejack have the nerve to come clean, or will she have to keep living the lie to keep 'Ponyville's artistic genius' afloat?

I think it's about time to start reviewing. Lay it on me!

632602
Very random, yet very believable. Honestly, if that bear can take a snap to the neck and treat it as a massage, I can believe he has a cell phone. And who else but Fluttershy to accompany him? XD

Prompt from picture number four: Title unknown.

Story: After Twilight doesn't return from a Pinkie Pie party, Spike assumes the worst: some natural calamity's befallen Equestria, and Twilight and co. are needed to solve it. Following the rules laid down in the "What To Do If I'm Not Back For Tea" rule book, Spike stays inside the library and keeps himself busy by cleaning the place. Four days later, and a Twilight who's still absent, Spike runs into a problem: he's out of polish.

After first running through a checklist to ensure "The World Outside Is Safe To Visit", Spike leaves the Library to discover that all the adults have vanished, leaving behind only the foals of Ponyville. And they, of course, are simply having a wonderful time: Ponyville is in anarchy, with two broad groups -- one in control of Sweet Apple Acres and the other of Sugarcube Corner -- having set themselves up a la Lord of the Flies. Nopony, of course, had visited the library in this time because what sorta crazy kid's gonna spend time in the library when there's no adults to make them, right?

Anyway, after getting caught in a custard pie vs apple pie fight, Spike's bundled up and heads off with the Sweet Apple Acres crew, whose leaders are the CMC. After having met up with them -- and having had a bit of the situation explainned to him -- Spike notices that random rocky outcrops are popping up everywhere in Ponyville. Nopony else cares: they're far more concerned with restling control of Sugarcube Corner away from from Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara ('cause who else'd have it, right?)

And then I'm not sure where else to take it. Blahrgh. Something something, I am out.

Reviews of fellow synopses loading...

628726

You'd have to have some sort of conflict in this to make it interesting, some sort of central drive or need to complete it. You could either go down the "urgency" route by making him have to do a phone call in a few hours or go down the "destination" route by making reaching the damm thing difficult in the first place. Or both, that'd be interesting.

I'd also consider starting it off directly at the moment of departure: having Flutters explain to Twi why she needs to borrow the balloon would be a good way to clue everyone in whilst moving the action forwards. I'd also work in some "Life of Pie" references, if only cause that was a brilliant book.

629763

This could be interesting, especially as you've got Honesty having to come to terms with being honest about embarrassing things. With that in mind, I'd change the original version of it from her hiding them because she's embarrassed to her hiding them 'cause she doesn't think they're good enough/doesn't think anyone else'd be interested. That just feels more AJ to me than her hiding things out of embarrassment initially.

You'd also have to take care that this doesn't steer too closely to the original Trixie episode, where we had Twi hiding her talents out of fear of what others would think of her.

Moving on, I'd recommend also focusing on exactly who gets the attention for this as much as AJ. Guilt over unwarranted success is a ripe ground for a writer to till, so I'd suggest running your plow over it a few times. I'd also think about maybe ending it with that pony confessing and leaving the fact that AJ's the artist obscure. (Oh, I'd also rec. Applebloom for the pony who gets the attention, if only for more sisterly scenes + I don't think Mac's that immature -- though you could work a few scenes out of him stubbornly insisting he's got no talent and Nopony believing him.)

634316
Once again, Aquillo, you show why you're the Big Kahuna of this group. I thank you for the advice. It should prove invaluable if I find the time/inspiration to get the story started. =)

634316 I was planning on incorporating both, as the call would have been important, and the nearest tower is probably in cloudsdale. Also, you have no idea how difficult it is to rent a balloon when you are a bear. Plus, he needs insurance, and Fluttershy's hot air balloon license is expired. It's a mess.
633135 Thanks! Harry does get so stressed out.

629763 Alright, now I finally get to tell you what I was thinking about in your summary. My suggestion to you is have the mayor sing the praises of the supposed artist as a way to get revenue for ponyville. Such as Applebloom being a "child genius painter" or something. That would be a good way to stop Applejack from just coming out and saying the truth. Help the town if she stays silent, be honest if she speaks up. tough choice.

634316 You want Spike to mount a rescue at that point right? If age is the issue, Spike has an interesting advantage there. Greed growth could put him over the maturity line temporarily enough to find the missing adults, while bringing problem solvers on both sides the information or equipment they need. Meanwhile, those rocks remind me of Sombra. You are going to want the princesses out of the picture for this, unless they are picking up the cavalry (Cadance), because Spike tends to be level-headed enough to know when he is out of his depth. That's when he usually sneaks off a roasted message.