• Member Since 2nd Nov, 2012
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Admiral Biscuit


Virtually invisible to PaulAsaran

T

This story is a sequel to Drive


Most ponies stay off the roads in the snow. Poppy doesn't--sometimes she has to drive the wrecker, but other times she drives just for fun. Her car enjoys playing on snowy roads, and so does she.


A Highway 502 story

Chapters (1)
Comments ( 54 )

In a very strange coincidence, it has just started snowing here for the first time in four years!

11513642
We got six inches today. It was supposed to just be a little dusting in the early morning that would melt by the afternoon, but it still hasn’t stopped coming down yet.

Posted to

Admiral Biscuit's Fleet
"Everyday Pony Life on Equestria" folder

According to the Admiral, this verse is set in the distant future when cars & trucks have obeyed the Biblical injunction to "be fruitful and multiply.

:trollestia:

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Here in Phoenix, Arizona it is raining with snow up north but WE are happy, because we are in the middle of the worst drought in over 1,000 years

:yay:

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I'm trucking in Oregon right now, and the whole state has pretty much shut down for a winter storm, so I pretty much have a day off at this Love's south of Salem watching the snow come down. (And I don't get paid nearly enough to deal with tire chains). I started in Portland this morning, which rarely gets snow, now they have 10 inches and climbing. The ensuing traffic chaos is insane and I'm glad I left in time! Pretty much every major artery in the metro area is either closed or a parking lot, and there's still about 8 hours of snow to go!

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Being from Las Vegas, I felt that. It seems to be snowing everywhere except the Colorado River sources. (Western Rockies and Yellowstone), so lets hope this storm helps us!

Also, adorable story! I feel like the story itself got forgotten in the snow! XD

Poppy turned her attention to her hayburger. Grassy and greasy, just how she liked them. Just how everypony on the road liked them.

Movie Dialog

"You've heard of The Graveyard of the Elephants?"

""The mythical place old elephants go to die? Yes, what about it?"

"I swear this dump is where Old Grease Goes To Die. Is there ANYTHING in here that isn't drowned in gravy?"

"The strawberry shortcake doesn't have much gravy....."

:applejackconfused:

Odd coincidence... It snowed in my hometown today. Was kinda nice driving my bus in and out of flurries.
And straight eights are awesome. Too bad being extra long made the crankshafts extra fragile.

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Posted to

Admiral Biscuit's Fleet
"Everyday Pony Life on Equestria" folder

I'm gonna hafta make a new folder now. :rainbowlaugh:

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I’m right across the river from you, then. Ten plus in Portland? Hah, that’s where work would have sent me if I had gone in. And they only give chains for two tires, so I don’t bother with them.

I could tell this story didn't take place in Michigan-- Poppy's car doesn't have a snow brush permanently residing in the back seat.

Hope it doesn't take the crews long to fix the power lines, that was a nasty storm last night.

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Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.

Mark Twain (referring to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn).

:flutterrage:

At least she didnt have to worry about dodging the intercity bus. That guy was going to run his route, even though the police had already closed the pass. From the other side. :trixieshiftright:

A quarter turn of the mixture screw which always worked its way out no matter what she did,

What, LocTite can't fix that?

11513861 I love that quote.

You can keep the snow. I'm headed to Orlando next week.

It took me quite a bit to realize this is a Pony in Equestria story. :twilightsheepish:

Nice work, and it captures the feel of driving in a snowstorm quite well! (Though I can't speak for the part about mountains.)

I’m guessing she installed that temp gauge herself, i would have expected anything with a straight 8 to have a mechanical temp gauge, not the electric one described.

Of course, I don’t know how long Meadows-Frisky produced the Friskysport with the straight 8, or much else about it, so it could be the OEM setup.

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I hear there was lots of snow for lots of people. We didn't get it where I am; we were in the fringe between the thunderstorms and the snow, and got ice and sleet. It wasn't terrible (for me) as ice storms went, and it warmed up enough today to melt most of it. Lots of power outages, though. I might not get mine back until Saturday.

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Even though there are no unambiguously human characters directly mentioned it was added to that folder because it is clear that humans have been in contact with Equestria for a long time (IMO, at least decades).

That's debatable; the 'verse of mine it's in supposes a future Equestria with cars and stuff that were invented by ponies or other native species, rather than humans.

Admittedly, the first story in the 'verse did have a human show up in it, but the word building doesn't make humans necessary.

To be fair, that is a challenge with categorizing some of my stuff. Like, the CSI/OPP stories have humans, but none of the other ones on that 'verse do.

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Here in Phoenix, Arizona it is raining with snow up north but WE are happy, because we are in the middle of the worst drought in over 1,000 years

Yeah, you guys need all the water you can get. So long as it's not so much you get flooding...

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I'm trucking in Oregon right now, and the whole state has pretty much shut down for a winter storm, so I pretty much have a day off at this Love's south of Salem watching the snow come down. (And I don't get paid nearly enough to deal with tire chains). I started in Portland this morning, which rarely gets snow, now they have 10 inches and climbing. The ensuing traffic chaos is insane and I'm glad I left in time! Pretty much every major artery in the metro area is either closed or a parking lot, and there's still about 8 hours of snow to go!

Hopefully you've got plenty of entertainment ... I did my part! :heart:

I dunno how things are north of me in Michigan where they got the snow, but a lot of stuff here is shut down due to widespread power outages. Yesterday a lot of things got preemptively canceled due to the incoming ice.

I know a couple of airport workers/pilots who ate also stranded right now, due to airport closures. Or at least they were stranded last night, that might have sorted itself out by now.

Also, adorable story! I feel like the story itself got forgotten in the snow! XD

Thank you!

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Oh, my mistake. I'll correct it.

:scootangel:

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"The strawberry shortcake doesn't have much gravy....."

Reminds me of Monty Python's Spam skit ...
"You could have the spam, spam eggs, and spam. That's not got much spam in it."

I do feel that a proper diner has a simple, filling menu, with foods humans--or ponies--like.

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Odd coincidence... It snowed in my hometown today. Was kinda nice driving my bus in and out of flurries.

I think in the last couple of days, about 2/3 of the US, area-wise got snow. The cover picture was taken during a snowstorm a few weeks back ... I even got to pinch through a couple drifts.

It's a lot more enjoyable to drive in snow when you're doing it for fun instead of because you have to. Although I had some fun snowy days driving a wrecker.

And straight eights are awesome. Too bad being extra long made the crankshafts extra fragile.

They really are. Kids these days just don't appreciate them.

I've only ever driven one, and it was only running on five. Still, not too bad for a one-owner 1949 Chrysler that had sat in a barn for 35 years.

I'm gonna hafta make a new folder now. :rainbowlaugh:

You're welcome :heart:

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I could tell this story didn't take place in Michigan-- Poppy's car doesn't have a snow brush permanently residing in the back seat.

No, its the pony equivalent of New Mexico (like around Albuquerque). They don't get much snow where she lives, but it's not entirely unknown. And of course since her Mom operates a wrecker, they sometimes have to go out in it.

Also the back seat? I keep mine on the front passenger floorboards where it's convenient to grab. I only put it in the back from May to October when I probably won't need it.

Hope it doesn't take the crews long to fix the power lines, that was a nasty storm last night.

They're currently predicting I'll get my power back Saturday. Lotta outages, and the one I'm in doesn't have all that many people it's affecting, so not the highest priority.

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At least she didnt have to worry about dodging the intercity bus. That guy was going to run his route, even though the police had already closed the pass. From the other side. :trixieshiftright:

Danger busses...

I once met a winter bus driving on roads which were marginal at best. It pulled out in front of the one ton plow truck I was in. Truck was totalled, I went to the hospital, and the bus continued its route basically unaffected.

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What, LocTite can't fix that?

Maybe ponies haven't invented LocTite yet, and still rely on the spring hopefully holding the mixture screw in place.

You can keep the snow. I'm headed to Orlando next week.

Everyone else got snow to play in; all I got was an ice storm and an ongoing power outage. Orlando sounds good right now.

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It took me quite a bit to realize this is a Pony in Equestria story. :twilightsheepish:

It is ... maybe I should have been more clear about that.

Nice work, and it captures the feel of driving in a snowstorm quite well! (Though I can't speak for the part about mountains.)

Thank you!

I haven't driven in mountains in snow, but I've done hills which is kinda the same. And plenty of winter driving, being a native Michigander.

There is a different feel to driving in snow, and I really enjoy it unless I have to be somewhere on a deadline.

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I’m guessing she installed that temp gauge herself, i would have expected anything with a straight 8 to have a mechanical temp gauge, not the electric one described.

I don't recall specifying that it was electric, does the bottom peg imply that?

And now that I'm thinking about it, I can't recall offhand any mechanical gauges that had limiting pegs--high or low--but I can't think of a design reason why you couldn't if you wanted to.

Also, IIRC, the expression "pegging a gauge" predates electronic gauges but implies a mechanical stop.

Of course, I don’t know how long Meadows-Frisky produced the Friskysport with the straight 8, or much else about it, so it could be the OEM setup.

I'd have to look up the information for the real company (I'm not creative at coming up with names, and some historical company names sound ponyish), but since they were British and produced sports cats, the real ones never would have had a straight eight.

Interestingly, that sort of holds true in terms of the story. Poppy built the car herself out of parts they had; the body is a Friskysport, but the engine is out of something else. She's a young mare on a limited budget, so a lot of her build is what she can find cheaply and locally, and then modify to fit.

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According to the internet, it was invented in 1937. It was successful in part because it was the only canned meat that didn't need to be refrigerated after opening. Over 150 million pounds were sold to the military in WW2, including 9 million pounds sent to the Soviet Union as aid.

According to the internet, soldiers also used it to lubricate guns & waterproof their boots :pinkiegasp:

There is also a Weird Al song called "Spam".

:pinkiehappy:

She’d just keep to the middle until there was uncoming traffic

oncoming

He nodded and walked for the kitchen

toward?

So, how much of Poppy is you?

A straight 8.....nice shout out to Duesenberg.

This is a nice story.

> "I was gonna do a blog post, too, but the ice storm took out my power. At least I still have a functioning smartphone."

I have a pair of batteries. Each battery can keep a phone functioning for days. These batteries are a great investment.

Ahh, Poppy rebuilt a standard, good girl! Lol. I love standards, unfortunately, in this day and age practically everything is automatic any more, sigh... :rainbowlaugh:

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According to the internet, it was invented in 1937. It was successful in part because it was the only canned meat that didn't need to be refrigerated after opening. Over 150 million pounds were sold to the military in WW2, including 9 million pounds sent to the Soviet Union as aid.

I've heard that it being used in WWII is what really propelled it to popularity. IIRC, some countries adapted it into their local cuisine, I can't remember which off the top of my head.

According to the internet, soldiers also used it to lubricate guns & waterproof their boots :pinkiegasp:

I could see that.

There is also a Weird Al song card "Spam".

Huh, I didn't know that. I'll have to look it up. I like Weird Al. :heart:

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I don't recall specifying that it was electric, does the bottom peg imply that?

Not the presence of the peg, but the needle moving off of the peg when she turned on the key. A mechanical gauge would just always read the current temp, provided it was in the gauge’s range

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So, how much of Poppy is you?

Maybe 50%? I used to drive a wrecker and I work as a mechanic and enjoy driving in the snow for fun.
Never lived near mountains, though.

Also, corrections made, thank you!

11515234

A straight 8.....nice shout out to Duesenberg.

They weren't the only ones who had them . . . I once drove a 1949 Chrysler Town and Country with a straight-eight. Buick also famously had one.

I can't recall if I've ever seen a Duesenberg with a straight eight. There is a museum not all that far from me, in Indiana; maybe I'll have to check it out someday (the Austin, Cord, Deusenberg museum in Auburn, IN).

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This is a nice story.

Thank you!

I have a pair of batteries. Each battery can keep a phone functioning for days. These batteries are a great investment.

I've got several as well. Usually use them for cons and stuff, where I might not easily be able to access an outlet.

We had power at work, so I charged my phones there during the day, and I kept them topped up with my battery pack. Only took 21% of its capacity for two days without power at home.

Luckily, I do have my power back now. Yay!

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I've been to that museum, the original factory IIRC. You might find the story behind the blueprints fascinating.

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Ahh, Poppy rebuilt a standard, good girl!

She did!

Lol. I love standards, unfortunately, in this day and age practically everything is automatic any more, sigh... :rainbowlaugh:

Yeah, there's a limited number of cars and trucks with manuals. Some really cheap cars, some performance or enthusiast cars, I think there's still some trucks and SUVs you can get them in, but even those are pretty rare. Gotta look around to find them, and depending on what you're looking for, you might not be able to find it.

The podunk coastal town in northern California I live in is currently experiencing its first snowfall in nearly a decade. The beaches are painted white, the nearby mountain passes to the big cities are closed, and for once the phrase, "some weather we're having" isn't just small talk.
Earlier today I was huddled under blankets watching the snow come down outside my window, and thinking how lovely it was for something so rare and uncomfortable. I've been in proper snow before in the mountains or out of state, but what we get here is a pale imitation that will melt tomorrow morning. This story is perfectly timed to make this cold weather seem warm and inviting. I might just take the weekend to go someplace colder.
A great story as always, I'll come back for more.

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I originally got my BatteryPack for a trip to Disneyland. It is a great investment. I never have a phone die except for last month:

After 8 years, the battery in my phone died. I got it replaced. I have a friend who asked why I did not replace the whole phone. I responded that I would rather spend 59.99 U$D than 599.99 U$D.

The reason phones cannot operate an whole day without charging is because manufacturers are obsessed with thinness. I have this idea for a thick phone with a battery in it, capable of powering the phone for an whole week without recharging. I call it the MonolithPhone because its dimensions ar 1 inch by 4 inches by 9 inches:

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/ENS_2001_Monolith_below.jpg

¡It would be black!

This phone would be over 90% battery.

Originally, the Monolith was supposed to be a tetrahedron, but weak-minded people in the testaudience started babbling about pyramidpower —— ¡pyramidpower is horseapples and real pyramids are half octahedrons!

Having read "Through The Ice", and despite the lack of appropriate tags, I found myself tense throughout the story, just waiting for something to go wrong. Poppy was a very lucky pony.

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The podunk coastal town in northern California I live in is currently experiencing its first snowfall in nearly a decade. The beaches are painted white, the nearby mountain passes to the big cities are closed, and for once the phrase, "some weather we're having" isn't just small talk.

Where I live, we just missed the snow and got ice instead, and as a result final editing and publishing was done in the dark, 'cause power lines broke.

Earlier today I was huddled under blankets watching the snow come down outside my window, and thinking how lovely it was for something so rare and uncomfortable. I've been in proper snow before in the mountains or out of state, but what we get here is a pale imitation that will melt tomorrow morning. This story is perfectly timed to make this cold weather seem warm and inviting. I might just take the weekend to go someplace colder.

I'm not a winter person (don't really like cold or dark), but I wouldn't live anywhere else because I do love the snow. Watching it fall, watching it blow around, driving in it--almost every part of it is lovely. There really isn't anything better than snuggling under blankets watching snow come down.

A great story as always, I'll come back for more.

Thank you! :heart:

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After 8 years, the battery in my phone died. I got it replaced. I have a friend who asked why I did not replace the whole phone. I responded that I would rather spend 59.99 U$D than 599.99 U$D.

I remember years ago when I was replacing a phone, I called a friend to get recommendations. That was back when phone companies would practically give you one to sign a new contract. My options were one older model I could get for $.01, or a newer, better one I could get for $199.00.

I got the $.01 phone.

(Some years back, I got a nearly-free upgrade to a Katana flip phone (I think it was like $20). . . I could get it in silver or pink. Legit asked the rep if the pink one was cheaper; when he said it wasn't, I went with the silver.)

Right now I'm rocking a Samsung S10 which I got for free when my S8 broke beyond repair. No desire to upgrade it; it does what I want it to do.

The reason phones cannot operate an whole day without charging is because manufacturers are obsessed with thinness. I have this idea for a thick phone with a battery in it, capable of powering the phone for an whole week without recharging. I call it the MonolithPhone because its dimensions are 1 inch by 4 inches by 9 inches:

I think one company actually built a phone like that. Unfortunately, there weren't enough customers who preferred long battery life over thinness.

I don't have a problem with my phone's battery life. I usually have it charging for five or six hours when I'm home at night, and then it goes the overnight and eleven hours at work without being plugged in; typically each day it's around 65-70% battery life, which is plenty.

Originally, the Monolith was supposed to be a tetrahedron, but weak-minded people in the testaudience started babbling about pyramidpower —— ¡pyramidpower is horseapples and real pyramids are half octahedrons!

I feel like a tetrahedron phone would be uncomfortable to use and not easily fit in a pocket. Also the pointy ends might be stress concentrators, leading to more screen breakage.

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Having read "Through The Ice", and despite the lack of appropriate tags, I found myself tense throughout the story, just waiting for something to go wrong.

You're not the only one; when I mentioned to a friend I was gonna publish this, she asked me if I was going to kill another pony.

Poppy was a very lucky pony.

Poppy knows what she's doing and isn't taking an ill-advised shortcut. For most, professional driving sticks with you, and like Poppy I got to do it when I was still young. Especially driving wrecker, seeing the ways that people crash, and that mental vow to not be that guy . . . the secret of winter driving is be prepared, be cautious, have good tires (snow tires if you can afford them), use a lower gear in a manual, know your car and what it can do, and always be prepared for things going wrong.

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> "I feel like a tetrahedron phone would be uncomfortable to use and not easily fit in a pocket. Also the pointy ends might be stress concentrators, leading to more screen breakage."

Maybe, a phone in the shape of a Disdyakis Triacontahedron would be better:

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Disdyakistriacontahedron.jpg

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Why not make it normal smartphone shaped, but with Colors Never Seen Before? (the smell is one of the key features)

I learned more from this than from drivers ed

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I don't know if that's praising my storytelling abilities or an indictment of your driver's training.

One thing I can advise if you live in a snow state--practice skids and skid recoveries in an open parking lot with the kind of car you intend to drive in the wintertime. Reading about what you're supposed to do (or watching a YouTube video) isn't the same as feeing it and doing it.

I convinced my dad to let me try when I still had a learner's permit. I think besides the learning experience, he also had fun stunting his Camaro . . . anyway, it's paid off through the years; I've skidded and drifted my way out of a few tight situations, and known when it's time to aim for the ditch 'cause I'm not gonna stop.

Poppy continues to be a lovely. n_n

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