//------------------------------// // Bubblegum Chapter 1 // Story: My Little Love Story // by Bubblegum //------------------------------// My Little Love Story Featuring Scoop Daily, Bubblegum, and Love Struck Bubblegum Chapter 1: Fun Blowing Bubbles “Come on, Bubble!” whined Lilly Blossom as she cantered out the doorway of Ponyville’s second-most-popular sweet shoppe, Candy Land. The cream-colored pegasus’s forest-green and cotton-candy-pink mane wafted in the light morning breeze. “We’re going to be late again!” Bubblegum, well known around Ponyville as a successful sweets maker and horrible businessman, stumbled out the door behind the bouncing, excited pegasus. “S-sorry, Blossom. This candy needs to stay at a c-constant temperature of f-forty degrees Equestrius. If it g-gets an-n-ny hotter, it will m-m-melt!” Lilly Blossom tossed her well-kempt mane and turned to observe the stuttering pink earth-pony. Bubblegum was a striking shade of hot pink, offset by his electric-blue mane and tail, also streaked with bright pink. A pastel-pink Cutie Mark depicting a heart-shaped, shiny bubblegum-bubble completed the pony’s girly appearance. Bubblegum was more commonly mistaken for a mare than any other bachelor (or non-bachelor, for that matter) in Ponyvill, which is saying something, considering that other colts in pastel colors made up a significant portion of the bustling town’s population. It didn’t help that Bubblegum’s voice was uncharacteristically high for a stallion. “If it melts, it’s not candy! It’s an ice-pop, Bubble, and I don’t think Pinkie will be impressed,” Lilly Blossom sneered. She ribbed poor Bubblegum on a daily basis, acting as the pink pony’s mentor and conscience at once. Bubblegum was notoriously shy. From the time he had been but a foal, the pink and blue earth-pony had isolated himself voluntarily from other colts and fillies. His stutter began as a result of isolation rather than any natural or inborn trait. Bubblegum had grown up by himself, earned his Cutie Mark by himself, and opened up his sweet shoppe all by himself. It was only after enrolling in business classes at Ponyville Community College that Bubblegum had made his first real friend... or rather, Lilly Blossom had made Bubblegum her friend. While Bubblegum immensely enjoyed Lilly Blossom’s friendship and company, he found himself frequently annoyed by the bossy pegasus’s controlling nature. Bubblegum found himself occasionally wondering if she had befriended him solely for the manual labor and sweets he could provide. The moments of genuine care and sound advice served to solidify his positive opinion of her, however. “N-no?” Bubblegum queried, his ears drooping. “Sh-sh-should I st-start over?” Blossom sighed in exasperation. “There isn’t time, Bubble Brain! We’ve got to get to the campus right away! The flea market is starting in half an hour and we don’t even have our table set up yet!” At the mention of the flea market, Bubblegum perked up immediately. The semi-annual Ponyville Flea Market was a joyous occasion for everypony in the bustling town. Anypony with anything to sell could rent a cheap table on the college’s grounds and hawk whatever product that they happened to make, manufacture, purchase for resale, or drag from their dusty old attics. Bubblegum was particularly excited this year; with the introduction of his new frozen candy treat, he was sure he would finally beat out Sugarcube Corner’s confectionery masters and garner the attentions of the mare he had had his eye on for quite some time: Pinkamena Diane Pie. Bubblegum harnessed himself to the wheeled cooler full of frozen candies and began a brisk canter towards the PCC campus grounds. After just minutes of walking, he and Blossom could already hear the voices, bustle, and preparation-noises as other ponies prepared for the big day. As they passed through the entrance gate onto the college’s grounds, Blossom turned to him. “Alright, Bubble. I know your first reaction is going to be to shy out, and that’s okay. We can work past that. Just remember to smile and thank the people who buy your treats. Your candy is the best in Ponyville; we just have to get ponies interested. So smile, smile, smile, okay Bubble?” Bubblegum nodded enthusiastically, and continued to follow Blossom as she turned and began to weave her way through the setup and tables already scattered across the courtyard. They entered the Starswirl Building (the college’s magic wing) and found their table, number 317. Blossom shrugged off her saddlebags and dumped the contents out; several handmade dolls, all finely crafted and skillfully painted in different designs and colors. Blossom seemed lost for a moment as she gazed at the dolls and sighed; she quickly recovered her composure and turned to Bubblegum. “Alright, bud, now’s your time to shine! You get the table set up while I go and sign us in! The flea market is starting soon,  so try to be quick, but make sure it looks nice, okay? We don’t want to be frumpy, but we don’t want to exaggerate our appearance either, so just organize and price and clean up. Keep the candy on ice, but put your sign up. Did you bring any samples?” Bubblegum smiled and popped the lid of the cooler; he then removed a small bag full of tiny, pastel balls which, upon exposure to the heat of the day, began to put off a frothy steam. “Excellent!” said Blossom. “Okay, I’m off. Take care of our booth, Bubblegum!” With that, she darted off into the crowd in the direction of the administration building. Though Celestia's sun had only risen hours before, the summer weather had already begun to bake the earth, evaporating the morning dew and turning the dark soil a dusty tan-brown. Bubblegum smiled as he sang softly to himself, hanging up the small sign listing the prices of his various confections. Though not the most eloquent of ponies, Bubblegum had found away around his prolific stutter through song. His nervousness evaporated completely as he softly weaved a melody about the summer heat, the joy of living, and the deliciousness of the soft, creamy balls now arranged neatly in their cups within a refrigerated display case. As he turned to face the front of the booth, he choked off the end of his song; a pair of lavender eyes bored straight into his very soul. As his gaze met that of the purple unicorn, who had been silently observing him as he set up his booth, she blushed furiously, casting about for an explanation. "I was... Uh... Just now, you were... I mean... W-what are those?!?" she finished, jabbing a hoof in the direction of Bubblegum's frozen treats. Bubblegum found himself shocked into a loss of words. He didn't even notice the unicorn's own discomfort as his body slammed to a halt and his mind raced. This mare had heard him singing! How long had she been standing there? Oh, Celestia, I'm mortified! Still, Bubblegum was a gentlecolt, and he attempted to overcome his humiliation and stutter out an answer. "Uhm..." he said, feeling like his mouth was filled with mush. The unicorn managed to look inquisitive through her blush, prompting further explanation. "Ice c-cream," Bubblegum managed, holding out a small dish filled with the tiny spheres. "T-t-taste?" The lavender unicorn seemed to have recovered, and she eyed the spoonful inquisitively. "Ice cream mini-balls? How did you do it? Was it a flash freezing process using liquid nitrogen? I’d thought of that myself before, but I didn’t think of using it for ice cream!” the unicorn babbled, still trying to draw attention away from the fact that she had been silently listening to Bubble’s song. She had succeeded, though, as Bubblegum blinked in surprise. This mare knew the process behind his dairy treat? Impossible! He had kept it secret! Only Lilly knew the secret behind the mixture, and she had never seemed interested in-- He was once again distracted as he felt the sudden tug of the unicorn lifting the cryogenically-augmented ice cream and she levitated it to her mouth. She stuffed the tip of the spoon inside and closed her eyes, savoring the sweet, candy-like flavor as the beaded treat melted on her tongue. Her eyes flew open as she swallowed and she licked her lips, though they were void any of the creamy confection. "Fascinating! It maintains its round shape even when heated! I never would have thought to apply science to food!" The unicorn proffered a hoof, which Bubblegum shied away from automatically. Realizing his blunder, he shook his head and smiled shyly, striking hooves with the now-enthusiastic unicorn. "I'm Twilight Sparkle! I'm Ponyville's resident librarian and Princess Celestia's personal protege. What's your name?" "B-Bubblegum," he replied, bowing his head so that his long mane blocked his face, hiding the furious blush still prevalent on his cheeks. “Are you a candy maker, Bubblegum?” Twilight queried, smiling awkwardly at Bubblegum’s shy reaction. She was reminded of her first meeting with Fluttershy, though Bubblegum seemed to be a little more eloquent. “Y-yes, m-miss. I own and operate C-Candy L-Land. I’m a m-molec-cular g-gastronom-mist,” he finished, and Twilight blinked and shook her head at the large words. Though she understood perfectly what Bubblegum had meant, she was surprised to find a scientist whose sole passion consisted of food preparation. Then, his words struck her. "As in, Sugarcube Corner's rival? THAT Candy Land?" Pink tinged Bubblegum's cheeks once again, though it was not noticeable against the Pepto-Bismol color of his coat. He nodded in response to Twilight's question. "Well, don't I feel conspiratorial?" Twilight said with a giggle. Bubblegum gave her an uncomprehending look. "Pinkie Pie is one of my close friends," she explained. Bubblegum's shyness dissolved in a flash. “P-Pinkie is your f-friend? I c-came here today to c-compete ag-gainst her! C-can you a-ask her t-to try these?” he said rapidly, shoving an entire cup of the frozen confection in Twilight’s direction. Twilight was taken aback, but smiled and nodded in the affirmative. “Why, of course! But, why don’t you take them to her yourself?” she asked, smiling brightly at the shy earth pony. I can’t do that! Talk to Pinkie Pie? ME? No way! I’ve got to come up with an excuse, like A.S.A.P. “I-I would, b-but I have to st-stay with the b-booth until my p-partner gets b-back,” Bubblegum stuttered, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief at the validity of his excuse and the speed at which he had been able to concoct it. Twilight nodded in understanding. “In that case, I’ll be happy to take some to her! How much do I... we owe you?” she said, magicking her saddlebag open and rifling about for her pouch of bits. Bubblegum shook his head. “N-nothing. J-just... ask her if sh-she likes them, ok-kay?” Twilight’s smiled brightened further and she levitated the cup of ice cream to herself. “You got it... so, who’s your partner?” she asked, trying to make polite conversation to alleviate Bubblegum’s obvious unease. “That would be me,” said Lilly Blossom, trotting up with two nametags in her mouth. She dropped one on the table in front of Bubblegum. “Well done, Bubble! You got your first customer all by yourself! I’m so proud of you! You’ll be rolling in bits in no time!” Bubblegum blushed and rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. “Th-thanks, Lilly,” he said quietly. “B-but th-that ice c-cream is for P-Pinkie P-Pie.” Lilly beamed at Twilight. “You’re the Element of Magic, right? I’m Lilly Blossom! I’m Bubblegum’s business partner. Oh, and I also make these!” she said, proudly holding up one of the intricate pony dolls in her hoof. The highly realistic mane cascaded down around the nymph-like features on the tiny pony statute, and Twilight’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Wow! How did you do that? You’re not even a unicorn; how did you hold the brush?” Lilly demonstrated, nosing through her saddlebag and grasping the handle of her small paint brush. She held it gently between her lips as she extracted it and a small, blank sculpture made out of white clay. “Watch!” she said around the two objects. She set the small statuette down and pulled out a small tray of paints. She popped the lid, dipped the brush into a conveniently-available cup of water, and went to town on the small sculpture. Twilight watched in fascination and, in less than a minute, she noted the soft purple of the figurine. “It’s me!” Twilight said, smiling broadly. Lilly nodded as she finished the sculpture off by brushing a small amount of glue into a groove on the head and neck, and dabbing a small bit into a hole on the flank as well. She pulled various tiny strands of string from her bag and stuck them quickly into the grooves, arranging them into an exact approximation of Twilight’s mane color! “Amazing! And you did it so fast!” said Twilight, unconsciously jostling in place in her excitement. Lilly beamed and hoofed the doll to the astounded purple unicorn. “A gift,” she said. “For being nice to Bubblegum.” “Why... thank you so much!” she said, examining the doll in minute detail. “Wow... right down to the eyes! Everything is perfect!” “I’ve had a lot of practice,” said Lilly, rounding the table and nudging Bubblegum with her flank. “What do ya think, stud?” she said audibly, then whispered in Bubblegum’s ear. “She’s pretty cute, right?” Bubblegum blushed, not noticing the look of shock on Twilight’s face. “S-stud?” Twilight said, giving Bubblegum a once over. For the first time, she noticed the slightly chiseled jaw, the delicate yet sophisticated flare of the nostrils, and finally, the slightly puffed-out and muscular chest. “You’re a stallion!” she blurted, then quickly clapped a hoof over her mouth. Bubblegum blushed changed to a deep scarlet as Twilight backed away. “I’m sorry!” she said, turning tail and galloping off. “I’m sorry!” she shouted again over her shoulder. His blush finally alleviated, Bubblegum watched her curiously while Lilly blossom giggled beside him. “Bubble,” she said, nudging him in the shoulder with a hoof. “You have got to do something about your coat... and your face... and everything!” “I’ve b-been working out, Lilly,” he said. “It’s just... I l-look like a m-mare no matter what I do!” Lilly laughed out loud and clapped Bubblegum on the rump, eliciting another blush from him. “No worries, stud. We’ll get you a girl in no time! She seemed... totally into you!” Lilly said, still chuckling over the case of mistaken gender. With that, the town clock struck 11, and the flea market got underway.