//------------------------------// // 214: Ponybello Road // Story: Thirty-Minute Pony Stories // by Silvernis //------------------------------// 214: PONYBELLO ROAD “Sooo . . . what are we looking for down here?” “Dragon pearls, dear.” “Uh-huh. And those are?” “Exactly what they sound like: pearls from a dragon.” “I thought pearls came from fish or something.” “I suspect you’re thinking of oysters.” “Whatever. How the hay do you get pearls from a dragon?” “Well, when dragons eat gems, sometimes they don’t quite digest everything. Once in a great while, a gem fragment gets, ah, stuck along the way. Sometimes a pearl forms around the fragment, and eventually the pearl . . . passes along.” “You mean—” “Yes. Oh, do stop snickering. It’s foalish and unseemly.” “Unseemly? You’re the one looking for poo pearls to put on a fancy dress.” “Laugh if you want, Rainbow Dash. I don’t expect you of all ponies to understand the true magnificence of these pearls, or the positively divine effect they can have on an ensemble.” “Yeah, well, if they’re so magnificent, why are we looking for them in this dump?” “Dragons don’t form pearls very often, and even when they do, actually getting hold of them is . . . ” “Eeeew.” “Indeed. In short, they are extremely rare, and short of going to dragon country, the only place I’m going to be able to find any . . . is here.” “The old Canterlot docks?” “It’s called the North Market, dear. You can buy anything here if you know where to look.” “And I’m guessing you know where to look.” “Correct.” “Huh. Never figured you for a black market wheeler and dealer—ow!” “Hush, you! I am not a ‘wheeler and dealer,’ as you so melodramatically put it. I simply know how to find what I need. I realize this isn’t exactly the most refined part of Canterlot, but I will brave any challenge in my pursuit of fashion.” “Easy there, Rarity. You can stop with the dramatic pose. I get it. I’m just kinda surprised that you’d dirty your hooves in a place like this. I mean, just look at that shop over there. Is that—” “Yes.” “And that one over there. Are those—” “Yes.” “And that one—” “Yes, Rainbow.” “Isn’t that illegal?” “It . . . might be. A little.” “And that one? Are those what I think they are?” “I shudder to think about how you know what those are, but yes, I’m afraid so.” “I don’t live under a rock, Rarity. Seriously, though, what pony buys that kinda—wait, is that Twilight?” “Don’t be ridiculous, Rainbow. I’m sure Twilight would never—oh my.” “Sweet Celestia, it’s huge.” “I must say, I’m surprised. I never would have thought she had it in her.” “It’s not in her yet, heh heh—ow!” “Rainbow Dash, you are disgusting. Dear Twilight is allowed to have . . . interests. Who are we to judge? Now come along—and for all our sakes, let us never speak of this again!”