//------------------------------// // Berry, Belle and Bomb // Story: Friendship is Equal to or Greater than Magic // by Fanon Canon //------------------------------// Now Spike had a moment to go over her encounter with Rainbow Dash, his little mind returned to the task Twilight had appointed him. But where to go first, the little dragon wondered, if he could suddenly engage just about anypony in conversation, and they'd be willing, why, the possibilities were practically endless. Twilight had said to start with the usual gang, well he had already been through her and Rainbow Dash, but out of all of them there was one pony in particular that Spike really wanted to talk to, if she was willing. And that would mean heading to one of his most favorite places in Ponyville: the Carousel Boutique, though it was only one of his favorites because that's where she spent her time. Armed with that thought in his mind, Spike was just about to head for the Carousel Boutique when he walked straight into another pony, or maybe they both walked into each other. Getting to his feet, Spike managed to get a good look of the clumsy pony. It wasn't a pony he knew, but there were a lot of those, this mare had a strong purple pink look about her, her mane in a deep dark hue, with a cutie mark consisting of a bunch of grapes and a strawberry. "Oh so sorry." The pony spoke rather sheepishly at Spike, while still struggling to get to her feet herself. "It's okay." Spike replied, noticing how much trouble the mare was having getting to her feet. "Berry Punch." He suddenly said aloud, not knowing from where that knowledge came from. "Oh is that my name." She slurred tipsily. "Sorry, I'm having trouble trying to remember things like that right now." Berry Punch certainly seemed to be having trouble simply keeping on her feet at the moment, and before Spike could speak further she suddenly let out a hushed cry, as if she saw him for the first time. "Oh my!" She exclaimed. "A dragoon!" "Uh, dragon." Spike attempted to correct her. "Wait a sec." Berry Punch uttered, closing her eyes in deep concentration before opening them again. "Wow, your really there." "Yeah I'm right here." He said, slightly impatient. "Oh, I don't owe you any bits do I?" Berry asked, worryingly. "What!" Spike cried, surprised. "No." "Oh thank Celestial!" Berry said, relieved. "Don't you mean Celestia?" Spike attempted to correct her. "Celestia. Gotcha." She replied assured. "Right." Spike said quietly, not sure what to make of the situation. "So you're a dragon." Berry asked inquisitively. "Sure thing." Spike said, still in confusion. "So wait a sec." She began, closing her eyes again. "Did you see that multi-coloured Pegasus fly off just now?" "Oh you mean Rainbow Dash, yeah I saw her." He replied, unsure as to why she asked that. "Oh thank Celestial." Berry repeated in second relief. "I thought for a moment I might have had too much punch there for a minute." "Uh-huh." He reasoned, the mare was practically talking to herself at this point. "Well little dragoon, this was nice." Berry announced. "But I gotta go have a nap now, I still don't know if you're really there yet." "Okay." Spike said. "Well, goodbye Berry Punch, I guess." "Berry Punch. Is that my name? Doesn't feel like what I've would have picked for myself." The mare muttered to herself, brushing past Spike, seemingly forgetting him instantly. As for the little dragon, he was once again left in immense confusion. He didn't have many conversations with the other pony residents, him being a dragon, but that instance right there felt like the effects of the spell again, and if he was going to have the same effect on every other pony he bumped into, well, that it might take him all day to get to the Carousel Boutique, which he was reminded of again, and set off, making sure to look where he was going this time. Ah, the Carousel Boutique, a strange mixture of excitement was brewing in Spike's little dragon form. There was also a deep sense of nervousness in the mix as well, Spike almost felt like he was intruding, but Twilight had insisted, and there was no other place he'd rather be. So taking a deep breath Spike was just about to knock on the door, when it suddenly flew open of it's own account. The pony that had opened it was not the pony of his dreams, but rather her younger filly sister, and from what Spike could tell, she was in quite the temper. "Ah, it's the dumb dragon. Why your dumb self here?" She snapped at Spike, taking him completely by surprise. "Oh hi." Spike said, before pausing slightly. "Sweetie Belle." He remembered just in time. "Sweetie Belle, well I don't dumb well feel like dumb Sweetie Belle at the moment." Sweetie Belle groaned in response. "Here I am so dumb bored, when I get the strange dumb feeling to go and open the big dumb door, hoping maybe it's my big dumb sister, but no it's just some dumb dragon." "Okay." Spike replied quietly, still in shock. "Well then Sweetie Belle, where is big dumb sister?" His attempts at engaging the little filly one on one weren't going so well, she showed no inclination of adjusting her current mood. "Oh sure." She said. "Don't you dumb worry about little dumb Sweetie Belle, she'll be just dumb fine, no it's always the big dumb sister they want." "Sorry, I guess." Spike did his best to apologise. "Have I come at a wrong time?" "Wrong time." Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "What gave you that dumb impression? It's the right time; all of a sudden I have this strange dumb urge to go get my dumb Crusader friends and give them a piece of my big dumb mind." And without further prompt, she waltzed right past Spike, who closed the door she had forgotten about, and then raced up to her. "Before you do that." He was trying to say, doing his best to keep up with the filly. "Do you know where I can find your sister?" "Of course I know where that dumb pony is what kind of little dumb sister do you think I am." Sweetie Belle barked back. "She went on one little dumb journey, to one of her big dumb pony friends." "Which big dumb pony friends?" Spike asked. "Y'know." She said. "That big dumb yellow Pegasus who lives near that dumb forest. With all those little dumb animals." "Thanks." He replied, quite surprised at how forthcoming she was with that information in her current state. "Now if you don't dumb mind." Sweetie Belle retorted. "I have some dumb fillies to tell off, why when I'm dumb through with their dumb selves, their gonna dumb wish they were never dumb born." Spike stopped in his tracks, panting from keeping up with her, and watched the young filly storm off, not wanting to be two certain other dumb fillies right about now. Returning his mind to the task at hand, Spike was curious about his interactions so far. He wondered what exactly Twilight would be getting out of him talking to a bunch of ponies, but then, he was not expert on magic like she was. But what also nagged in his little mind was how his interactions had gone, only Rainbow Dash had he been really familiar with, and her formal tone had surprised him considerably, and a certain anxiety took hold of him. He worried about what conversations were to come, and the thought of the pony of his dreams talking in a manner that he wasn't used to was scary, to say nothing of any other ponies. All these thoughts going through Spike's mind were enough to make his stomach rumble in concern, suddenly reminding him of why he was on this mission. So he managed to keep a lid on his concerns for now, and took off in the direction of the cottage he had been directed to, hungry thoughts of those gemstones keeping him content for now. On Spike walked, all through Ponyville towards the forest that resided outside its borders. The mere sight of that forest was enough to make his little dragon legs wobble and his head go light, but if that was where she was going, then that would be where he was going. On the way, Spike spared thought to the pony that resided near the forest, and cared for all those animals, he couldn't quite wrap his mind around the thought process as to why his pony friend would chose such a place, he was simply glad she was the kind and benevolent pony that didn't keep dragons as pet. On he went, until for about the umpteenth time today, his mind was distracted once again. This time it was from a conversation that he was overhearing, between two ponies standing outside a café, near one of the tables. One of the ponies, a unicorn coloured a light green all over, appeared to be administering advice to her friend, an earth pony with a beige coat and blue and pink mane, who was trying out a variety of sweets laid out on the table. "How about this one?" The unicorn gestured to one pink coloured pastry. "I've already tried that one." The earth pony replied in a surprisingly husky voice, shocking Spike when he heard it. "It gives me that snobby regal voice, you know I hate that." A strange feeling in Spike decided this was a good opportunity to flex his conversation muscles, and utilize his spell again, so he made his way up to the pair and announced his presence. "Hey, it's the dragon!" The earth pony said in her strong masculine voice when he was close. "Whoa, whoa!" The unicorn said. "How do you know dragons, you been seeing one behind my back." "Wait, come on you know him." Her friend defended cheerily. "Yeah I know you." Spike said, the names coming to him. "You're Lyra Lyra and Bon." "Lyra Lyra and Bon?!" The earth pony said in shock. "Nah, it's Bon Bon and Lyra." "Whoa who says it has to be that way." The unicorn exclaimed in anger. "Why can't it be Lyra and Bon Bon?" "That doesn't fit." The earth pony Spike guessed was Bon Bon said, turning to Lyra. "It's not alphabetical." "Oh shove a cake in it." Lyra snapped back. "Gladly." Bon Bon replied and swallowed a green and blue pastry on the table. "There, that better?" She asked. To Spike, it definitely was not better, for now her voice lost it's strong huskiness and became incredibly high-pitched. Spike and Lyra made their disgust at her new voice known immediately, and Bon Bon simply ate a different pasty, this one coloured a strong red. "Da, this will work!" She announced, but to Spike and Lyra, they were still in disagreement, for now her voice became deep and guttural, as if she came from a distant faraway land. "What's the matter with you?" Bon Bon said in disbelief. "This is good voice. Moist and delicious." "You sound like a stallion!" Lyra responded in equal disbelief. "Oh, well it is good day to sound like a stallion." Bon Bon responded. "I don't know." Was all that Spike could say when he heard that male sounding voice coming from the mare. "Very well." Bon Bon reasoned optimistically and chose a different pasty, settling on a light blue and white one. It took her a moment to disgust the whole thing, while Lyra and Spike looked on with baited breath. "Well?" Lyra asked. "Ich bin ein Berliner!" Bon Bon shouted, in a very weird accent, as if she trying to replicate someone else's voice. Lyra simply let out a groan, while Spike stood with his mouth wide open. Bon Bon understood and selected an orange pasty from the table. She took a moment, as if there was a fire in her heart, bowing her head, before she looked up, turned to the duo and spoke. "Sic semper tyrannis." She said quite regally in a distinct tone. "Umm." Spike let out. "I think we're gonna be here a while." Lyra groaned. Bon Bon heard that and drew her face right up close to Lyra's. "Adde parvum parvo magnus acervus erit." She said in that strange language, as if defending herself. "Yeah okay." Lyra simply accepted, and simply picked up a black and yellow pasty and shoved it in Bon Bon's mouth in an attempt to silence her. Bon Bon ate the thing whole, and suddenly yelled: "Wenn ist das Nunnstück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!" Inducing stunned looks on Lyra and Spike's faces again. Immediately after saying that, Bon Bon roared with laughter, as if she had just been read the funniest joke in Equestria. In fact, she roared so much with laughter that the pair started to worry that she might simply past out from lack of breathing. But she eventually calmed down; taking a moment to settle herself, before she took the last pasty left on the table, this one a light and dark purple colour. "I think that's it for today." Bon Bon said calmly in her new voice. "Agreed." Lyra assured herself, weary from those antics. But Spike was taken aback all over again, for her new voice was an exact copy of Twilight Sparkle's! "Well, I think I should be going now." He announced to the pair. "Goodbye little dragon." Lyra said perkily. "Avoir madame." Bon Bon smirked coyly, watching Spike take his leave. Now that his curiosity for a another conversation had been sated, Spike felt in no mood to have another, and made his way towards the forest again, surprised at how speechless he still was.