//------------------------------// // The Adventure Begins: Meeting Bulma // Story: Dragon Bro Z // by MrWriterWriter //------------------------------// The rest of the day proved to be somewhat uneventful. Well, if you count Pinkie deciding there had to be a 'completed-our-first-map-quest-and-Spike-taught-the-CMC-to-fly' party as 'uneventful'. Afterwards, Rainbow and Scootaloo spent the next few hours racing each other around Ponyville. Almost everyone could hear the two laughing and squealing as they zipped around overhead. Apple Bloom found out that, while she still couldn't buck as hard as her older siblings, flying gave her the momentum to hit the trees with enough force to knock at least some apples down. Plus, since she could hit then go at another, the sheer number she could hit in a short while almost made up for it. Applejack had to admit that, while she was still having a time getting accustomed to her sister being able to buzz around like that, it looked kind of fun. Rarity however, once she managed to get over Sweetie's flying, found herself getting more than a little inspired for a potential fashion line revolving around the idea. And while she decided that while high speed wasn't for her, Sweetie still loved just floating about. Plus the look on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's faces when they saw was a major bonus. Twilight, on the other hand was almost vibrating at the prospect of studying a whole type of energy besides magic, especially if it was something that any sapient being could potentially learn. It took Chronoa offering to explain things a little to get her to stop pelting Spike with rapidfire questions. Fluttershy was just glad to be back home, though she did enjoy watching the purple contrail Scootaloo could leave behind while zipping around. That night, once again everyone was brought back into Spike's dream, eager to hear the rest of the story. "Oh, Spike. I showed my aunts I can fly now, and they said they owe you cake." Scootaloo said, hopping into a chair that'd appeared for her. "Make it lemon and we'll call it even." He smirked, getting a chair himself. "Well, there isn't a whole lot to say about the next few years. After Grandpa's death, it was just me and Goku; getting food, training, and just living pretty much." They all turned to watch a memory start up. "At least until a certain blue-haired girl decided to show up." "Wow, you're a big one." Spike commented, looking up at the massive, and hungry-looking, grizzly looming over, its beady eyes focused on what it assumed was its next snack. "Kinda hairy, but I can work with that." With a roar, it lunged, looking to swipe him off his feet with its long claws. What it got, however was nothing but air as Spike leaped back, chuckling a bit in the process. "Missed me!" He called out, suddenly rocketing back at the beast the moment he landed, catching it with a fist square between the eyes. The force was enough to send it stumbling back some until it fell into a lifeless heap. "Direct hit!" Luna yelled. "Spike! What were you thinking?!" Twilight yelled once she regained her composure after seeing the bear. "That thing looks like it was almost five times your size!" "What? It's not like I haven't hunted bear before, Twi." He replied, shrugging a little. Fluttershy looked up from watching the memory. "But doesn't that affect the local ecosystem? Judging from how practiced the takedown looked, you've hunted them fairly often." "A few times, but Grandpa taught us to change up what we went after fairly often since too much in a row wasn't really good for us or the wildlife. Plus bear for three straight days gets old." He laughed a bit at how they reacted to him hoisting it up on his shoulders like it was nothing. "Had to learn to haul lots of heavy stuff around as well. Anyway, by then I'd figured Goku had probably grabbed something for lunch since I'd found dinner." "Wait, that's ONE meal??" Fluttershy's wings buzzed in surprise, "But, that has to be at least a seven hundred pound bear! Even manticores don't eat that much in one setting!" "Believe me, leftovers don't exist around the two of us, but like I said, we changed it up a lot to keep from thinning things out too badly. When I got back home, though, Goku caught a lot more than lunch." Spike looked on shock as he watched Goku throw a big metal something onto its side. Whatever it was, it must've either been real mean or really dumb to make his brother that mad. "Goku, look out!" He yelled, seeing what must've been the thing living in the metal whatever come out and point something at him. He dropped the bear and fired off a blast of fire at it. Whatever it was, the fire was enough to send it back in with a shriek. Neither boy wasted any time hopping up onto it. "We got you trapped, monster!" Goku said, pointing the Power Pole down into the opening. "Yeah, whatever you are, you might as well surrender!" Spike added, taking a fighting stance. "I give! I give!" It yelled. "No one said there were dragons around here!" "Spike...tell me you didn't shoot fire at a girl." Twilight looked at him. "Neither of us knew until she got out!" He replied in his defense. "Granted, once we made her get out, and she proved she was a human, she introduced herself as Bulma Briefs" An image of her showed up in front of them. "Oh really now!" Rarity looked at the image in unashamed disapproval. "I'll admit that I've let my pride get the best of me on occasion, but brandishing your name like that for any Trot, Dick, or Harry to see? Certainly doesn't say much for her modesty. And huuaa...hooaa..." She tried to say the color without looking ill. "Hot Pink?" King Kai offered. "Ehuuaa....y-yes, thank you." "Yeah, she kinda liked to complain about a lot of stuff. As for why she was out there, she was looking for the Dragon Balls. Even had a detector that told her where they were hidden. Apparently Grandpa had come across the four-star one, which is what brought her out there. Anyway, she wanted Grandpa's so she could make a wish. Me and Goku were a little leery about letting her have it at first, but agreed and joined up to find the others." "You weren't the only ones." Chronoa added. "Remember those two goofballs who worked for the little blue guy, Pilaf?" "Oh yeah, the lady and the dog?" He asked, watching images of the two appear. "Yeah, I remember seeing them a couple of times." "So that's a human?" Shining scratched his chin. "Talk about weird looking..." "Anyway, you had your first run-in with them when the three of you stopped for the night, and you mistook their plane for a big fat bird." The SKOT giggled a little. "If it hadn't been for the pack of wolves, they probably would have made a go for the Dragon Balls you guys had." "Really?" A contemplative look crossed Spike's face. "Huh, now I feel a little bad for the ones me and Goku ate." "Dude, there anything you didn't eat?" Rainbow asked, making a face at what she thought wolf might taste like.