"I can talk... I can talk." Smolder hyperventilated, beyond newly-acquired words for just how much of a shock to the system it was for her. Not two moments ago, she was just an ordinary dog under Wallflower's care. Now, she had the ability to talk, to think, even. "B-but how is that possible? All I did was kiss Spike!"
"Much to my surprise as well, I'll have you know!" Spike piped up from Twilight's side. "I told you I wasn't prepared for puppies!"
"I don't think any of us were ready for that today!" Twilight swung her hand downward at Smolder. "I mean, it shouldn't come as a surprise given how we're a magnet for magic, but for you to get a dog that talks, Wallflower, I just didn't see it coming!"
"You're telling me. I mean, a talking dog? In what world is a talking dog normal?!" Wallflower asked, her arms splayed out like jagged bolts of lightning.
"Uh, this world, apparently?" Fluttershy just lifted a finger in response. "I mean, at this point, we have to accept the fact that normal life just isn't happening for us anymore. Magic came, it's here to stay and we have to just live with it now."
"But it's not normal for me! All I had was one experience with some kind of runic stone!" Wallflower retorted. "I mean, is this kind of stuff really a regular thing for you and your friends, Twilight?"
"Definitely not. Not under any circumstances. Not even if the moon was blue on a leap year when all of the planets aligned." Twilight rolled her eyes. "But even so, this magic stuff decided to challenge the odds over and over again, now here we are today."
"It gets to the point where you eventually learn to bear with it; especially when it gives you perks like magical girl powers, the ability to have a talking dog, contact with a pony princess from another world, et cetera, et cetera." Spike spun his paw in a spiral motion.
"But what's everyone gonna think when the word gets out?!" Wallflower put her hands to her temples. "I can't just let the world know that Spike talks, otherwise it's gonna be like those movies where the government comes crashing through my house, telling me to give up the dog and surrender quietly so they can study it for whatever purposes, or maybe they'll just end up dissecting it because that's what people usually do when they see something they don't understand..."
"Okay, you're definitely overthinking this, Wallflower." Twilight tipped her hand. "In what world would anyone want to do that? Especially to a dog of all things?"
"Says the only other girl in Wallflower's circle of friends who even HAS a talking dog," Smolder deadpanned, gazing into Twilight's eyes.
"Hey, it's not my fault that magic just so happens to exist in this world!" Twilight barked, swinging her arms out. "I wasn't the delivery girl for everyone getting themselves into all of these little mishaps!"
"Okay, okay, look, things have gotten off to a rocky start. Let's just find an answer before we start running around like headless chickens, using paper bags to breathe." Spike put a paw over Twilight's mouth, watching as her arms drooped limply down her sides. "The last thing we need is a case of Wallflowering."
"Wallflowering?" Wallflower cocked a brow at the verbalization of her name.
"Yeah. Whenever Pinkie Pie goes off on one of her little tangents, we call it Pinkieing. Same can be said for Applejacking, Rainbow Dashing, Fluttershying, Twilighting, and even Raritying," said Spike before a big, dopey smile formed on his face. "And trust me, Raritying is one of my favourite. I could just watch her get inspired for hours on end."
"So, what? Is Wallflowering whenever I get really angry about something? Because that seems like a terrible verb to put upon me, Spike." Wallflower lowered her brows and folded her arms, a seething gaze piercing into his body all the while.
"Well, not really when you're mad, just... Uh..." Spike tried to find an answer that would dig him out of this situation. "You know what? Forget it, I retract my statement."
"Well, let's try to think about the positives for once." Wallflower just lifted Spike onto Twilight's lap, then picked up Smolder. "What are the good things about having a talking, thinking dog?"
"For one, now you know exactly what she wants, when she wants, and exactly what she's feeling." Fluttershy lifted her finger again, but this time, with a grin on it. "Normally, owners would have to guess what their dogs want without any clues," she chuckled for a brief instance, "Or without my geode." Fluttershy held it out to the sunlight, where it shone a radiant shade for everyone around her.
"Oh, that's magical?" Wallflower asked, eyeing up the trinket around Fluttershy's neck.
"Mmhmm." She nodded. "I got it at Camp Everfree along with all of my other friends and theirs. Mine gives me the power to talk to animals without them being able to talk, Twilight's gives her access to all sorts of magical powers. As for the others, well... I think it's better that you see them for yourself."
"I got a taste of what Sunset's could do when she dug around in my mind for information about the Memory Stone and why I was so heck-bent on wiping her out of everyone's minds." Wallflower tipped a hand. "But I think we're getting a bit off-topic here. We're supposed to be talking about what's special about having a talking dog, not a magical girl."
"We got the knowing exactly what I want and think stuff down," Smolder interjected, sprawling her posterior over Wallflower's legs. "What about the other stuff? Does being able to talk let me think what other dogs are thinking? Or would I need to kiss them as well?"
"No. No, no, no, no, Smolder. The last thing we want is news of a dog going around town trying to make love with every other dog she finds." Spike hastily shook his paws in front of his face, trying his hardest not to envision the scenario.
"Well, what else is there apart from me being able to talk that's so good about it?" Smolder huffed, folding her paws. "I didn't choose this, y' know."
"Technically, you did, when you had your dog mind." Twilight readjusted her glasses, looking down at the little, fiery-skinned puppy. "But still, this is fascinating. When Spike first coalesced with Equestrian Magic, he gained sapience. I thought that power could only be given to other dogs that crossed the stream as well. But your kiss just changed everything, Smolder..."
"So there's that point. I'm an interesting freak of nature with another freak of nature." Smolder looked Spike in the eyes, half-disgruntled, and half-cheeky if such emotions coming together was possible. "Guess we'll always have each other, won't we Spikey-poo?"
"Spikey-poo?!" Spike jumped back so suddenly into Twilight that he ended sending the both of them to the ground, colliding with the grass.
All the while, Smolder just laughed at the two's bumbling. "Guess that's another perk of being a talking dog, huh?" she said.
"It's not funny, though!" Spike growled, his tail brushing Twilight's face as he clambered off of her body. "I'm not ready for puppies or to have some sort of lover's nickname!"
"It is pretty cute, though." Fluttershy just brought a hand to her mouth and chuckled. "I've never seen Spikey-poo get so flustered before."
"Not you too, Fluttershy..." Spike groaned and hung his head.
"Okay, not gonna lie, that's another good benefit. I'm able to have fun in more ways than just sniffing other dogs' butts, playing games and racing, and doing all of the other dog-heavy things." Smolder stifled another chuckle. "That opens up a lot of doors for me."
"Well, what about the benefits for me?" Wallflower asked, her fingers pressing themselves against each other. "What would everyone think of me when they find out that I have a talking dog? Not counting Sunset and her friends, that is..."
"Oh, I'm sure that they'd all understand." Twilight just tipped her hand. "By this point, everyone in Canterlot High knows that Spike can talk, so what's the harm in letting them know that Smolder can talk too? If anything, it'd make her a lot more interesting for all of them too. You might end up making more friends because of this."
"Friends because I have a walking roadside attraction?!" Wallflower's eyes bulged.
"I'm no roadside attraction, I'll have you know." Smolder puffed out her chest. "I'm a well-bred dog with a human mind, who has an owner who's been nothing but good to me. How would you like it if I called Spike a roadside attraction? Would he find it any fun?"
"Oh, come on! What is this? Everyone Pick on Spike Day?!" He yelled, slamming his paws on the ground with a fire in his eyes. "Y'know what? I don't need this. Twilight, come and get me when class is over." And without further ado, he darted for Twilight's backpack, put himself inside, and zipped it up tight.
"I'm... sorry for that. I didn't mean to phrase it like that." Twilight blushed, rubbing the back of her head. "What I mean to say is, you're a very good dog, Smolder. When I said that you would make more friends, I meant that more people would be amazed and how wonderful it is to know another talking dog. I mean, how many people do you know who've met a talking dog before?" She asked, putting her hands on Smolder's cheeks.
"If anything, you should be very proud that you've been given this gift. Oh, I'd do anything to have that kind of magic work on some of my animal friends," said Fluttershy, as all of her pets gathered around her. "I'd be curious to hear what Angel Bunny's voice sounds like without having to rely on some shiny magic crystal to do it for me."
"Yeah, I'm sorry for snapping like that too." Smolder reached up to Twilight's hands and held them gently. "I mean, I've just been given this gift to speak, to think like you, and not like the rest of the dogs in this world. I'm shocked, you're shocked, we're all a little shaken up by this. But I think what we should do now is try to move forward, to see where this takes us, right?"
"Y-yeah." Wallflower nodded, collecting Smolder from the ground and putting her into her backpack, leaving the zip open so that Smolder could stick her head out. "Still, I'm a bit nervous to know what everyone will think of Smolder now that she can talk."
"Well, there's no knowing what the answer will be until you find out for yourself, right?" Twilight asked as she picked up the bag, slipping it around her arms. "In any case, you might have some time to catch your breath, seeing as how class is about to start." As soon as Twilight began to walk away, the bell went, signalling everyone to return to their school-related duties.
"We'd better get a move on too." Fluttershy signaled for every one of her creatures to return to her bag, using hand signals to attract them towards her. Once they were all inside of her bag, she closed it up and walked off as well, taking the remnants of the picnic along with her. "See you after class, Wallflower. I can't wait for the other girls to meet the new Smolder."
"S-see you too, Fluttershy." Wallflower gave a small, lame wave to Fluttershy before she groaned, sliding her hands over her eyes as she slumped against the wall. "How, in any sense of the word is this going to work?"
"You can drop the worrying attitude for a start," said Smolder from the bag. "When I had a dog's mind, I didn't think about the consequences of actions, and look what happened. Nothing bad whatsoever."
"And your point is?" Wallflower tipped her hand.
"You should just go in there with as much confidence as you have. Be proud of what you have, proud of me and my magical talking powers." Smolder put her paw to her chest as if she had a thumb in its' place. "Plus, if everything goes wrong, you can just call Twilight, Sunset, and all of their friends to back you up."
"I mean, they are very supportive people who've helped people, but how are they gonna explain you to the rest of Canterlot High? The fact that for starters, You. Are. A. Talking. DOG!" Wallflower howled at Smolder, swinging her arms back and forth.
"Seriously? A second talking dog is the weirdest thing at this high school?" Smolder cocked a brow. "If anything, I'm more curious as to what happened that caused all that magic mumbo-jumbo that the girls were talking about." She then pulled her paws out of the bag and planted them on Wallflower's cheeks. "Get over yourself, girl. You're gonna be fine. Just trust me on this, okay?" Another bell sounded, and Smolder retreated to the luxuries of Wallflower's backpack.
"Oh, okay then..." Wallflower closed the bag up, taking one step towards Canterlot High's nearest door, her legs as wobbly as some of the finest jelly she could think of. No matter how much she believed, whatever courage she mustered up, or what good outcomes would happen if she revealed Smolder's newfound powers to talk, she still couldn't walk coherently without her body looking like a mess. "This is not going to work..." She whispered as she stumbled through the door, ready to face the struggles of her next class.