"...A-a-and thank you very much for coming! Be sure to come again!"
The stallion smiled, picked up his bag of sweets, and left the store. Bonbon smiled. Everyday at the store was always worth it. She never got bored of making candy, smelling candy, tasting candy, selling candy... it was just a happy job overall.
She adjusted the jar of candy cane-sticks on the counter. She smiled, and turned her attention to the imaginary pony in front of her. "Hello! How may I help you? .... Truffles? But of course! They're just over there on the shelf. ...Yes, those are the ones!" She opened the cash register. "That'll be ten bits, please. ...Thank you!" She counted the imaginary currency as she put them into the register. She closed it, and looked back up. "Thank you coming to Bonbon's Bonbons! We hope you come back soon."
"But we just got here?"
Bonbon opened her eyes, startled. She looked over the counter to see three little fillies standing there, looking up at her. She recognized them immediately, as they came in everyday.
"Oh! Well hello, Crusaders! I didn't notice you there!" She admitted. A smirk crept on to her face. "I can only guess what you're here for, and it's not candy. Am I right?"
"Well," Applebloom said, shifting. "We ac'shully came fr' that, too!"
Scootaloo spoke up. "But, if you're not busy or anything..."
Sweetie Belle beamed. "Could you plea-a-ase do a voice or two for us? We decided to see about becoming Cutie Mark Crusader Voice Do-ers!"
Bonbon giggled. "Firstly, it's a 'Voice actor', not 'do-er'. And of course I can! Which voice do you want me to try today, girls?"
The three of them looked at each other, then looked back up. "Could'je maybe try us three?" Applebloom asked. The three fillies beamed with anticipation.
Bonbon nodded. "I can sure as hay try! Here, one second, gotta adjust my throat..." She made a few grumbling sounds, cleared her throat, and began. "Man, did you see Rainbow Dash today? She pulled off the hugest stunt today! It was totally awesome! She even let me sit on her back for some of it!"
Scootaloo giggled. "Do I really talk about her that much?"
Sweetie Belle nodded. "A-a-all the time."
Bonbon continued. "Rarity's cat is a meanie. All she does is lay around and scratch anything that comes near her! I have no idea how my sis' can stand her."
Sweetie Belle put on a pout face. "I don't squeak that much!"
Applebloom let out a laugh. "Sweetie, you squeak like a new bought chewin' toy."
"And ah just can't stop doin' all uh' these talents! Look'a me! Somepony help me!"
Applebloom kicked her hoof, and blushed. "Ehe, there's no way ah' can't fer'get that..."
Bonbon gave her a sympathetic smile. "Hey, you didn't know better. All was forgiven after all! But on a side note, how'd I do today?"
Scootaloo jumped in glee. "Awesome!"
"Fantastic!" Applebloom said.
"Spot on!" Squeaked Sweetie Belle.
"Totally work-related!"
The four ponies looked to the doorway. Standing there was Bonbon's best friend and professional weirdo, Lyra Heartstrings.
Bonbon rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Lyra. No one was here besides them. And I enjoy doing that, thank you very much!"
Lyra laughed. "Come down, candy flank! I was only joking." She walked over to the jelly bean dispenser and took out a few, munching on them. "Bethideth, It'th ath entertaini'g ath wat'thing Applebloom t'hry to buck appleth." She said, through a mouthful of beans.
"Hey!" Applebloom shot back. "At least Ah try, right?"
Lyra swallowed, then nodded. "Sure is. But just leave it to your sister, 'kay? You're gonna break a leg doing that."
Applebloom gave her a look, and then remembered that they were also there for candy. "Uh, Bonbon? What can we buy with ten bits?"
"Fifteen." Added Scootaloo. "My mom gave me more today for mowing the cloud."
"Ah'right, fifteen." Applebloom continued. "What can we get with fifteen bits?"
Bonbon rubbed her chin. "Fifteen hunh? Hm... just about anything. Candy isn't that expensive here."
"What do you think we should get?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Bonbon looked around, thinking of what they'd like. She stopped and smiled. "Ah! I think I know something the three of you might like." She ducked under the counter, and sprung back up with a bowl of small, gelatinous cubes. "This is called 'Turkish Delight'. It's a tad fancy, but a lot of ponies like them. Give 'em a try!"
Each crusader took one and popped it into their mouths. They chewed a bit, then stopped and gagged.
Applebloom rubbed her tongue. "Eugh! No 'fence miss Bonbon, but they sorta taste like soap bars."
Bonbon laughed. "None taken. I get it a lot from young ponies like you three. Now, let's see... what else..." She looked at the fridges. She perked up at the sight of candied apples. "Ah! I forgot I made those yesterday. Lyra, could you grab those for me?"
Lyra nodded, and pulled them out of the fridge. She trotted over to the counter and sat them down. "Here you go, three health traps, ready for good eatin' !"
Bonbon gave her a stern look, and gave the three of them the apples. "Now, I know that anypony who's anypony likes candy apples. Especially ones that are glazed in caramel and chocolate."
The three crusaders eyed their sweets gleefully, and paid immediately.
"This looks so good." Sweetie Belle said, nearly drooling.
"Mine's gonna be gone by the time I get home!" Scootaloo chirped.
The three of them looked back up at Bonbon. "Thank you Bonbon!" They said in unison.
Bonbon smiled. "Anytime, girls. You go off and have fun now!" She waved them goodbye as they skipped out the door. She looked at Lyra. "Foals are just so adorable, aren't they?"
Lyra nodded. "Yep. Besides the fact that they can be as annoying as listening to Twilight try to lecture me about magazine production." She popped a jelly bean in her mouth. "I mean, don't you just ravish the thought of how much work goes into making them?" She laughed. "I just can't stop, I'm addicted!"
Bonbon couldn't help but laugh. "She can get a bit weird with her topics. But hey, 'What interests her, interests her'!" She said in Twilight's voice.
"Do you do that in the mirror or something?" Lyra asked. "It's scary how accurate that was."
Bonbon shook her head. "Nope! Imitation's like a second talent to me. It comes naturally." She picked up the tray of candied apples and put them back in the fridge. "And you do realize you have to pay for those jelly beans, Lyra. Just because you're my best friend doesn't mean you can get away with that."
Lyra pouted. "Aw, come on! They're jelly beans! I'm harming business as much as I am fantasizing about a sad excuse for a book!" She stuffed the rest in her mouth.
Bonbon sighed. "What's a friend? A soul dwelling in two bodies..." She whispered to herself.
Lyra leaned on the counter. "Anyways, I'm not here to mooch off of you, believe it or not."
Bonbon looked at her. "Rea-lly." She said, actually surprised.
Lyra nodded. "Yup." She opened her saddlebag and floated a leaflet out of it. "I saw this on Ponyville's ever-so active posting board, and I thought you might be interested."
Bonbon trotted over to the counter and read the leaflet out loud. "Greetings, citizens of Ponyville! My name is Speech Pattern, and I am holding auditions for a brand new animated show! They begin on Saturday the fifth at 1PM at the Silver Neigh Talent Agency in Canterlot, so if you are interested in doing voice acting, here's the place to go!"
Bonbon looked up at Lyra. "Very funny, Lyra."
"What?!" Lyra exclaimed. "You're always doing voices, so I thought it'd be a good idea! I mean like, you don't have to actually do it, you could just show off your stuff to somepony who knows business. It might boost business here, you never know."
Bonbon looked back down at the parchment. "I'll admit, it is tempting..." She shook the paper. "But, all the way in Canterlot? That's ridiculous!"
Lyra shrugged. "You could always see if Joe will let you stay with him."
Bonbon rubbed her chin. "Pony Joe and I are business partners, so yeah... maybe..." She shook her head. "No. No, it's not worth doing." She threw the parchment in the garbage.
Lyra snorted. "Aw, come on, Bonbon. It'd be fun! You've wanted to do something like this for ages!"
Bonbon shook her head. "I can't, Lyra. I have a shop to run, and I have no time to do things like that. Thanks for thinking of me and all, but it's just not something I'd do professionally. It's more of a hobby." She walked back behind the counter. "You'll have to wait until I get back home, Lyra. I have a customer."
Lyra snorted again, and walked out, pushing the incoming pony out of the way.
The pony huffed. "What's her problem?"
Bonbon shook her head. "Eh, she's just frustrated. But anyways, hello! How may I help you today?"
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\
Lyra sat on her doorstep, watching ponies go by. It was nice having a house in the center of town. You didn't always feel so lonely, there was always a pony who'd stop by to talk.
As if on cue, a pony with assorted berries for a cutie mark trotted up to Lyra. "Hey Lyra! What's up?"
Lyra looked up. "Oh, hey Berry. I'm just waiting for Bonbon to get home from work. I found this really cool job I thought she'd think looked interesting, but she just shrugged it off."
"Well that's not very nice of her," Berry said. "Did she even appreciate the thought?"
Lyra nodded. "She did, and she did thank me, but it still hurt my feelings. I want to try and convince her to try out for the job. It's something she loves doing besides candy."
Berry laughed. "Besides candy? I didn't think she was interested in anything else."
Lyra smiled. "Yeah. Y'know what voice acting is?"
Berry contorted her face. "She does voice acting? That's news to me."
Lyra nodded. "Yep, she loves it. And it's kind of scary how good she is at it. She did Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom earlier today."
Berry's eyes widened. "But they're so young! She pulled that off?!"
Again, Lyra nodded. "Oh yeah. She did Twilight Sparkle afterward. It's scary. And awesome." She looked past Berry Punch, hoping to see Bonbon walking up, but still nothing. She turned back to Berry Punch. "I thought she might be interested in a voice acting job. I found this leaflet on Ponyville's posting board and gave it to her."
"And she just denied it?" Berry asked.
Lyra tilted her head. "Enh, a little. She said it was interesting, but that the store needs to be looked after. I got all huffy and left. And now, here I am, waiting for her to get home so that I can convince her to go try out."
Berry's nodded. "Ah, okay." Berry suddenly remembered something. "Oh, shoot! I just remembered I have an appointment to get to! I'll have to talk to you later, Lyra. Seeya!"
Lyra smiled. "Bye, Berry." She watched the earth pony trot away into the crowd of ponies. "It'd be amazing if that pony got even one hour of no-filly-sitting." She giggled to herself. "Mom of five. Definitely."
"Who is?"
Lyra yelped at the sudden question. She turned around to see Bonbon standing there.
"Bonbon?!" She stammered, "How are you inside already?"
Bonbon shrugged. "I used the backdoor? And what're you doing outside? Don't you have studying to do?"
Lyra shook her head. "Nope. Twilight moved the test to next Thursday. Said she has some things to do in Canterlot."
Bonbon nodded. "Ah. Well, you should be grateful that she's taking time out of her own schedule to teach you all these things. I don't see why you just go to university. That poor mare must be stressed out of her mind." She turned around and walked inside, closely followed by Lyra. Bonbon flopped herself on the couch and opened up a book.
"Are you kidding?" Asked Lyra, as she flopped down on the couch opposite. "She teaches me as if I'm Princess Celestia giving her praise for learning to make friends."
Bonbon rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "So what were you doing on the porch? I thought I heard somepony else when I came in."
"It was Berry Punch." She answered. "She was agreeing with me that you should try out for the voice acting try-out."
Bonbon shook her head. "No. Lyra, I already said no." She said sternly.
Lyra pouted again. "Bonbon, puh-lease. It'd be fun! Plus, you could take time off of work to relax in Canterlot or something!" She sighed. "It'd mean a lot to me if you tried."
Bonbon looked up from her book and at Lyra. "Why would it mean a lot to you?" She asked.
"Well, uh." Lyra said shakily. "I-I dunno, um... I just wanted to see you try and fulfill something you love doing, for, you know, a job or something." She smiled nervously.
Bonbon stared at her, but turned back to her book and sighed. "You know what? I'll think about it. If you were that desperate for me to try that you had to come down to the store and bother me about it, 'Then we shall try.' "
Lyra giggled. "Princess Luna, am I right?"
Bonbon winked at her. "You know it."
Lyra got up and headed for the kitchen. "Do you want anything out of the fridge?" She asked.
"Uh, sure. Just a water, thanks." She replied. Lyra disappeared from vision and into the kitchen.
Bonbon looked back down at her book, and began to quietly voice out the characters. " 'But Commander!' " She said in a high pitched, female voice. " 'We won't ever make it past the enemy fleet! Their numbers are too strong!' " She dropped her voice to a lower, more masculine tone. " 'Don't worry, Miss Hearthington. Mr. Swivelsbottington here will dip the submarine far below their defences.' " She returned to the higher voice. " 'Are you sure? Oh Commander Hoggswath, I'm so very frightened!'
" 'Don't worry, baby.' " She said, dropping into the male pony's voice. " 'I'm right here, and when I'm right here, there's not a thing to fear.' 'Oh, Commander! You're so very brave!' 'I know. It's all I've ever known.' 'Oh, but Commander! What about love?' 'Not even love, baby. I have no time for love.' 'But Commander, I love you!' 'I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do... I just can't love.' "
"See what I mean?"
Bonbon jumped at the sound of Lyra's voice. "W-What? What are you talking about?"
Lyra smirked. "I'm talking about whatever the hay that just was, with the voices. They were really good." She flopped onto the couch and passed Bonbon her water bottle. "Besides the fact that your book sounds like an even worse version of '13 Shadows of Neigh'." She added.
Bonbon shot her a look. "Hey! At least this book has standards and actually interesting characters." She scoffed.
Lyra rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just go ahead and read your war-romance. I'm gonna stick to what's best." She leaned over and picked a book up off of the coffee table. "Mare Do Well. Now that's where it's at!"
Bonbon rolled her eyes and smiled. She enveloped herself back into her book. She was at the part where Commander Hoggswath was trying to escape the enemy blockade, and where Miss Hearthington wanted to rub lotion all over him, while he sung the... pretty... duck... song...?
"Uh." Bonbon stammered. "What the hay is wrong here?" She read over the page again out loud. It was the exact same. "What in the...?"
Suddenly, Lyra burst into hysterical laughter, falling off of the couch and on to the ground. Bonbon looked at her, confused. "What's so funny? Did Mare Do Well's pants fall down fighting bad guys or something?"
Lyra shook her head, still laughing. "You fell for... (AHA!) it! Ahaha! Oh my gosh, you totally read that out loud in your voices." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Holy cow, that was funny."
Bonbon stared at her, unimpressed. "What did you do."
Lyra hopped back on to the couch, finishing her laugh attack. "I just cast a word illusion spell on your book, that's all. I wanted to see what you'd do when you got to that part. Don't worry, just rub it off. It's like a cover-up, it comes right off." She stood up. "Well, I think that was the highlight of my day." She yawned loudly. "But, uagh.... I think it's time I... went to bed..." She lazily walked upstairs. " 'Night, Bonbon."
Bonbon waved to her, and turned back to her book. But, she just couldn't focus. Was she really that good at voice acting that she did it without knowing?
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\
Lyra jolted awake. There were sounds coming from the living room, and she couldn't quite distinguish just what it was. She slowly got out of bed, and headed downstairs. The source of the noise was Bonbon, rushing all over the room, putting things into a large carrying bag.
She rubbed her eyes. "Bonbon...? What are you doing this early in the morning...?"
Bonbon looked up. "Oh, hey Lyra. Just packing." She continued back to packing her bag. "And it's not morning, it's nearly three o'clock."
Lyra furrowed her brow in confusion, and walked continued down the stairs. "Packing? For what?" She asked.
"Well," Bonbon said, still packing, "I decided after you tricked me into doing voices, that maybe I would, you know, take a chance at the voice acting audition. I mean, it is something I love doing, like you said. So I thought, 'Why not give it a shot?' "
"Did you just imitate yourself?" Lyra joked.
"Very funny." Bonbon replied. "I mailed a letter to Joe earlier asking him about us staying in his guest room, and he mailed back, saying it'd be fine. So," She closed up the bag. "We're on our way to Canterlot!"
"Wait." Lyra said, suddenly waking up fully. "Did you say, 'We're on our way to Canterlot'?"
Bonbon nodded. "Well, I don't sound like that, but that's the general idea. Why do you think I packed two bags?"
Lyra only then noticed the second, already packed bag sitting on the couch. She face-hoofed. I should'a thought about that one... She thought to herself. She looked back up at Bonbon. "Well, alright, since you already packed for me, I'll go. When're we leaving?"
"In about an hour or so," Bonbon said as she dropped her baggage at the doorway, "So hurry up and clean yourself! Breakfast, mane, shower, come on!"
Bonbon pushed Lyra into the washroom, and went into the kitchen. She made two Daisy Sandwiches, one for her, and the other for Lyra. She looked at them and thought. She then grinned, and then put a few jelly beans inside of Lyra's. "Now she'll eat it." She said, pleased with herself.
Lyra walked into the kitchen, her hair now perfectly kept. "What's for breakfast, then?" She asked. She looked at the sandwich. "Bonbon, you know I hate lettuce on sandwiches."
Bonbon gave her a sly smile. "What if they have jelly beans? 'Cuz this one does."
Lyra immediately dug into her sandwich, immediately content. "Ugh. You really do know how to make a sandwich better."
Bonbon gave her a wink. "If it's the only way you'll eat it, then hey. Why not?" She picked up her own sandwich. "Plus, I get the same reaction from you every time you have some you have some of my homemade jelly beans. It's so pleasing to see." She took a bite out of her sandwich, chewing contently.
Lyra nodded. "Uh-huh. So uh, what'd you pack, exactly?"
"Oh, just the necessities." Said Bonbon. "Brushes and combs, a few umbrellas in case it rains -because, well, you never know - um, toothpaste and toothbrushes... you know, the necessities."
Lyra looked at her. "No sweets? This Speech Pattern guy might like candy, you never know." She dug back into her sandwich.
"You mean you might like candy." Bonbon said as she finished her sandwich. "And yes, I did pack a few containers of sweets. I knew I wouldn't be able to go anywhere outside of Ponyville with you without bringing some candy."
Lyra swallowed the last of her sandwich, and let out a pleased sigh. "And you'd be right! You wouldn't be able to even get me into the dentist's office without bringing something along."
"Oh, that reminds me, Doctor Colgate came by earlier." Bonbon suddenly remembered. "She said to tell you that you have an appointment scheduled for next month."
Lyra gulped. "Next... month?" She said, sounding as though she was scared. "Next... month."
"Yes." Bonbon said, nodding. "Next. Month."
Lyra looked at the calendar, and saw that Bonbon had already marked it down. She gulped once more. "Can we get to Canterlot a little sooner? And maybe.... stay? Forever?"
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\
The train lurched, and they began to move. Lyra sat opposite of Bonbon, in that strange way she always seems to sit. Bonbon had given up questioning it, as Lyra just blamed it on somepony named Hugh Mens.
Lyra huffed. "I still can't believe we have to miss that free concert tonight."
Bonbon shrugged. "Hey, this was your idea, don't blame me." She looked out of the window, seeing Ponyville slowly fade away. "Besides, it's Canterlot! I'm sure DJ Pon-3 will come back and play at some nightclub we can go to."
Lyra huffed again. "But Bonbon, it's DJ Pon-3. A free concert? From her? In Ponyville? You must be crazy. That's like saying Pinkie Pie's the equivalent of Albert Neighnstein. "
Bonbon just rolled her eyes. "You and your comparisons." She leaned over to the aisle and looked around. There were a few ponies she recognized, but not very many. She looked back at Lyra. "Did you hear about the big bank heist in Manehattan?"
Lyra's eyes widened. "No. When was this?!" She asked, instantly focused.
Bonbon giggled. "Didn't happen. Just trying to pass the boredom." Lyra frowned and turned to face the window. Bonbon grinned, and leaned over to the aisle, still looking at Lyra. " 'Oh Miss Hearstrings? Doctor Colgate is ready to see you now.' "
Lyra instantly flew under her chair, shaking. "N-No she's not! N-not on a train she's not!" She looked up to see Bonbon laughing hysterically. She instantly realized she had been tricked. "Very funny."
Bonbon watched as Lyra climbed out from under her seat, while she continued laughing. "My goodness, you should have seen your face!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "It's funny; 'Cuz even I didn't see it! Ahahahaha!"
Lyra snorted, and looked back out of the window. Canterlot mountain was gradually growing near, which was a good sign. She looked at Bonbon, who was still in a fit of hysterical laughter. She had to admit, she did pull the impression off pretty well. What if she really did get this job?
Then maybe I can throw the party I wanted to throw while she was gone. She thought. At the same time, she knew she would miss Bonbon dearly. She didn't think about that. Maybe they'd let her get her own recording studio in Ponyville? That'd be better.
Bonbon ended her laughing fit, and sat up in her chair. "Oh... so uh, what're you going to do while I'm off auditioning?"
Lyra shrugged. "I don't know. Practice with my lyre. See the sights. Hopefully all the damage has been repaired..." She shuddered a bit.
Bonbon gave Lyra a worried look. "Still shaken from all of that Changeling business?"
Lyra nodded her head side to side. "A little bit... Mind control isn't fun."
Bonbon nodded. "I getcha. But don't worry. The guards were nice enough to let you go, and that's all behind us." She looked out the window, and suddenly, it was dark. She smiled. "Looks like we're inside Canterlot Mountain." She looked back to Lyra. "Do you wanna get your stuff? We'll be there in about five minutes now."
Lyra nodded and got up. She took her stuff down from the bars and set them on the floor. She flopped back down in her seat. "The train ride to Canterlot is pretty fast, isn't it?"
Bonbon nodded as she got her own luggage. "Well, it's not too far. I mean, you can see Canterlot from Ponyville, after all." She sat back down in her seat. "Shouldn't be that far away."
"I guess so," Lyra agreed. "I'll just be happier when we get there."
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\
"...MAN, I am glad to be off of that train."
Bonbon looked at Lyra, wondering what 'Man' meant, but simply dismissed it. She looked around. Ponies were climbing off of the train, ponies were clambering on to the train... Canterlot was pretty crowded, even for a train platform.
"Okay, so." Lyra said, levitating their luggage. "Where do we go from here?"
Bonbon looked around, and then stuck her hoof outward. "That way, to that exiting platform." Both she and Lyra trotted to the exit gate, showed their passports at the terminal, and entered the full city of Canterlot. Only it felt more like a whole new world.
Bonbon looked around. "Still looks like there's a huge increase in security."
Lyra nodded her head. "Well, what with the Changeling invasion, what would you expect?" She patted Bonbon's back. "But don't worry. They won't bother us. They have proof that I'm not under control." She winked at Bonbon.
Bonbon rolled her eyes. What'd they do? Take a piece of your brain? She thought. The two of them trotted up to a map of the city. She gazed around it, stopping on a small building in the downtown district. "There we go! Pony Joe's. It's not too far from here, about ten minute's walk." She looked at Lyra. "You sure you can carry our stuff?"
Lyra nodded. "Of course I can. I got an A+ on every levitation quiz, test, exam, you name it. Best carrier around! Not a very good title, but eh."
Bonbon giggled, and lead the way through the crowd of ponies. Lyra kept the luggage close, and closed tight, in case somepony was to snatch it. She kept a watchful eye, even staring at a few ponies, making them obviously uncomfortable. Bonbon simply sighed, and kept going. Left, right, left, forward, left, the ten minute walk felt like it was taking forever.
Finally, they reached Pony Joe's. It wasn't a very big doughnut shop, but it sure got a lot of customers. They were definitely going to have to wait.
Bonbon hummed to herself while Lyra did an antsy dance on the spot. The front counter gradually grew nearer, and with every step, Lyra seemed more and more content.
"Y'know," She started saying, "I just remembered that this place makes better doughnuts than you do. No offence." She quickly added.
"Oh no, it's fine." Bonbon agreed. "I completely agree. I'm better with candy and chocolate, I'm not sure what to classify doughnuts as other than a pastry."
Finally, the reached the front, where standing there was none other than-
"-Pony Joe!" Bonbon exclaimed.
Pony Joe grinned. "Hello Bonbon! I see you've made it." He looked past Bonbon at Lyra. "Heyo, Harpo."
Lyra snorted. "It's Lyra, and I play the lyre."
Joe laughed. "Of course you do, I'm only joking." He turned around to face the kitchen. "I'm gonna need a step-in for a bit!" He yelled to the back. "I've got a few guests that need looking after."
A mare with a light blue mane came out from the kitchen. "You called?" She asked Joe. "Need to get out of the kitchen for a bit, anyways. They keep saying to 'actually do something useful.' "
Joe rolled his eyes. "Oh, Trixie. Whatever would I do without you." He turned back to Bonbon and Lyra. "You two follow me outside, I'll take you to the guest room." He trotted out from behind the counter, and ushered them to follow him out a side door. They did so willingly, and followed him into another building just around the corner.
He led them up a staircase, and pointed to one of the three rooms at the top of the stairs. "Here you go, girls. Two beds, one washroom. I'm sure you can make do?"
Bonbon nodded. "It's just right, Joe. Thank you so much."
Joe nodded in welcome. "Anything for a fellow sweetster. You just come to the kitchen if you need me for anything else." He turned to go downstairs, and turned back around. "And good luck with your audition! Hope it goes well." Bonbon gave him a smile, and he continued his walk down the stairs.
Bonbon turned to Lyra. "Well, here we are. You excited?"
Lyra looked at her, exhausted from hovering the baggage. "Thrilled." She said, rather tonelessly. She slowly walked into the room after the skipping Bonbon. She dropped the baggage, and collapsed.
Bonbon looked at her. "You could've given me some to carry, you know." She stooped over her bag and unzipped it, unpacking her overnight equipment. "Toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, comb... Yep, all here." She looked back to Lyra. "You have everything, Lyra-?" She stopped. Lyra wasn't where she collapsed. She looked at the beds, and, surely enough, Lyra was fast asleep.
Bonbon giggled. "It has been a long day, hasn't it?"
She put the covers over Lyra, and hopped into her own bed. She covered herself in, and looked up at the night sky outside of her window. "As Mare in the Big Blue House, would say, 'Goodbye, Goodbye, good friends goodbye...' " She closed her eyes. "Tomorrow's gonna be a big day..."
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\
"...Well, Bonbon. Today's your big day."
Bonbon took Lyra's words in deeply, causing Butterflies to flitter about inside of her stomach. She looked up at the building and inhaled. "Yep... I never thought it'd be so nerve-wracking, though."
Lyra slung her foreleg around Bonbon's neck. "Ah, it'll be alright! I got this way after a few musical auditions, and I got over it quickly." She noogied Bonbon. "You'll be just fine, my mare. Just fine." She shifted. "Well, it's about time for you to audition! Better get in there!" She pushed Bonbon up to the door and started to walk away. "Good luck, and have fun and all that snazzy jazz!"
"But what about you?" Bonbon asked. "Where are you going?"
Lyra shrugged. "I dunno. Go to a few instrument shops, toy stores... you know. All of the big shops." She trotted away. "Seeya later!"
Bonbon waved, and turned around. She grimaced and shivered. She took a deep breath, and walked inside.
There were quite a few people waiting to audition. Mostly mares, but a few stallions. She took a seat beside a light-tan pony with a blonde mane and sat quietly.
The blonde mare turned to her and smiled. "Hello there."
Bonbon gave her a shaky smile in return. "H-Hello."
The mare giggled a bit. "You seem nervous to be here."
Bonbon nodded. "This is the first time I've ever tried something like this... it's rather frightening."
"It can be at first, but take it from me when I say you should just really try. They show you the character, you give them a few voices you think would suit the character." The pony stuck her hoof out. "I've been doing this all of my life. Nice to meet you!"
Bonbon shook her hoof. "Well, it's nice to meet you! My name is Bonbon."
The mare made an impressed noise. "I can only imagine what you do for a living!"
Bonbon giggled. "If you mean making candy, then you'd be right!"
"Well, Miss Bonbon," She said, "I can definitely say that voice acting and candy could be the sweetest jobs ever." She giggled. "But, don't take voice acting for granted. It is a difficult area to get into, and you should try your very best." She adjusted herself in her seat. "Why not show me a few voices? I'm sure you've got plenty if you've got the guts to audition."
"A few v-voices? Well, um." Bonbon said, shakily. "I-I can try! Anypony specific you want me to t-try?"
The pony shook her head. "Nope! Just go at it."
Bonbon gulped. "Well, um, okay..." She breathed inward, and began. " 'Faithful students, as your princess, it is my duty to state an Equestrian-wide Banana distribution. They are, after all, an efficient source of potassium.' "
The pony laughed. "Oh my Celestia, that impression of, well, Celestia, was perfect, Bonbon! Throw me another!"
Bonbon beamed, and threw out another voice. " 'Ehahaha! Ponies of Equestria, feel the wrath of Queen Chrysalis! TREMBLE BEFORE ME!' "
The pony responded with a voice of her own. "Oh yeah? Well why don't you try to make us, hunh?!"
Bonbon's eyes widened. "Wow! That was a spot-on Rainbow Dash impression!"
The pony smiled. "It's what happens when you try and master the voices of the Elements." The mare continued on with her impressions. " 'Ah bet y'all can't even buck n' apple as hard as any of us six!' "
Bonbon grinned at the spot on Applejack impression, and oppressed with her Chrysalis voice. " 'Foolish earth pony. I'll pick you all off of the ground like the maggots you harbor in your crops!' "
" 'But you don't have what we have, Chrysalis! The power of the Elements will defeat you, no matter how strong you are!' " The pony said in a perfect representation of Twilight Sparkle.
Bonbon U-turned the conversation with an Elemental voice of her own. " 'Yeah, silly! You can't be just like, 'Oh, I'm meanie old Queenie, I can beat anypony!' ' "
"Nice Pinkie Pie!" The mare said, just before doing her own Chrysalis impression. " 'Remarkable comeback, pink pony. Absolutely terrifying! What else can you throw at me? How about you, yellow one?' "
Bonbon shrank down in her seat. " 'Oh, well, um, you see, scary Changeling queen, I, um... don't have much to say, but, um. I like your hooves, a lot...' "
" 'They are rather brilliant, are they not?' " The pony said. " 'But you, white one. What will you do? Jewel me to death?' "
Bonbon tossed her head back. " 'Hmph!" She said, imitating Rarity perfectly. " 'For one as rude as you, I would not even consider. It would be a burden to waste such precious things!' "
The mare smirked. " 'Very well, then. Feel the might, of Queen Chrysalis-!' "
"-Miss Bonbon?"
Bonbon and the pony turned to see who was calling her. Standing there was the secretary. "Mister Pattern is ready for you."
"Oh!" Bonbon exclaimed. She looked back to the pony. "Well, it's my time. Thank you so much for the tips, and that improv was really fun!" She got up and trotted to the door. She turned back to the pony. "I'm sorry, I don't think I got your name!"
The mare smiled. "Voice Luck. Good luck, Miss Bonbon."
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\
The room was dark, and rather stuffy. Bonbon sat in the middle of it on a small stool. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the lights flashed on, causing Bonbon to recoil from the sudden brightness. She regained her vision, and realized there was a table in front of her, with a smiling stallion on the other side.
"Hello! My name is Speech Pattern." The stallion said. "I heard you and Miss Luck were having a party with voices out there."
Bonbon stifled a laugh. "Yes, well, she does have the energy, doesn't she?"
Stallion nodded. "She truly does. As do you, from what I could hear!"
Bonbon blushed. "Aw, well, thank you, Mr. Pattern."
The stallion waved his hoof. "Please, please. Call me Speech." He clapped his hooves together. "Anywho! Let's get down to business, shall we?" He slid a small pile of paper over to Bonbon. "This is your sample script. I would like you to read lines until I say 'stop'. You can use many different voices per line, but if you do, you have to read the line in one voice fully, and then try a different voice that you think would work." He smiled. "Ready to begin?"
Bonbon breathed inward. "...Yes. Yes I am."
Speech Pattern ushered her on. "Then, you may begin."
Bonbon looked at the first line. The character was named Lilac, and the line seemed very bubbly and outgoing, as well as rather young. My foal impression might work here. She thought. She cleared her throat. " 'Mommy, When are we going to the dirt farm? I wanna see daddy's work!' "
She looked at the next line, which belonged to the mother. Maybe something like Cheerilee? She dropped her tone a slight bit. " 'Oh, dear. You know daddy doesn't work in a dirt factory! He makes professional-grade carpet samples!' "
Bonbon tilted her head for the next line, as it was Lilac in a more confused state. " 'Wha? Really? He told me he works in the dirt making factory!' "
" 'Well, I suppose the two can be similar.' " She said in the Similar-to-Cheerilee-But-Not-Quite-Cheerilee voice. " 'Your hands do get dirty in the carpet sample business!' "
Another character came in at this point, and to Bonbon, this character was a colt, and seemed like the klutzy sort. She giggled to herself, and did the voice she thought best. " 'Boy, am I glad to be home! Hey ma', hey sis'! You should'a seen what happened at school today!' "
Bonbon rolled her eyes to get into the mother's mood. " 'Oh, I can't imagine what happened today. Did you maybe, oh, I don't know. Not go at all?' " She said, in a stern tone.
Bonbon nodded. " 'Yup! I sure didn't! I went down to the arcade with my friends and learned there instead!' "
" 'And what did you learn, Nickle?' "
Bonbon guffawed in the colt's voice. " 'I learned that putting two bits into the Caterpillar game turns it on!' "
"Stop."
Bonbon immediately stopped and looked at Speech Pattern, who was smiling. She couldn't tell if that was a very pleased smile, or a smile to politely say she had said enough.
He spoke up. "Well, Miss Bonbon. You certainly do have a wide range of voices, male to female. Could you do another male impersonation for me, quickly?"
Bonbon took this as a good sign, and immediately thought of Spike the Dragon. " 'Oh, well uh. Sure I can! As long as I get, some, well. Rubies. Y'know, to munch on?' "
Speech Pattern laughed. "A baby dragon, how perfect an impression!" He stood up out of his seat. "It's about time for the next pony to come in, but, quickly. I need just one more impression."
Bonbon thought, and immediately jumped to her Chrysalis impression. " 'Foolish Speech Pattern, I do not need to do voices! I am a queen! One who is so easily defeated by the power that flows through my kingdom!' "
Speech Pattern whistled, impressed. "Very good Chrysalis, Miss Bonbon. Very good." He walked towards the door and opened it. "I don't mean to be rude, but there are many ponies to interview, and I don't have all day! Very good, today, Miss Bonbon, very good. If you'll just leave your name and address with the receptionist out front, we will get back to you on whether or not you've gotten the part."
Bonbon got up and shook his hoof, told him thank you, and left the room. She felt very, very confident.
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\
Bonbon flopped on to her bed and stared at the ceiling. What had she just been through? Never in her life did she think something like that could've happened. It seemed like it should have been more complicated than that. Shouldn't she have made demo tapes or something? Maybe she won't get the job because she isn't known for voices.
She covered her face with her pillow and whimpered. She didn't know she would have gotten so emotional about all of this. She had no idea how much this all meant to her until she was at at the audition. There was a part of her that was worried that she would get the job and make things difficult at the candy store, but mostly she longed for the part. She loved doing voices now that she realized it. What was going to happen if they did get the job? How difficult would her job be if she did? Would she be heartbroken if she didn't get the job? How would she take it?
She grumbled and threw the pillow to the side of her head. So many questions to ask herself, and not a single one of them could be answered until she received a call. When would they call, and what would they say? That was the most difficult question.
Suddenly, the door swung open and in walked Lyra, hovering several full bags of stuff. "Woohoo! Man Bonbon, you should see the stores around Canterlot. I find new ones every time I come here!"
There's that word again, 'Man'. What is that? Bonbon merely smiled a little, and let her depressed state get the better of her again.
Lyra sat her bags down. "Whoa, Bonbon, what's wrong? Did you not get the part or something?" She asked.
Bonbon shook her head. "No, I don't know yet, that's the problem... It's so stressful right now. I jumped into this without even thinking of the consequences. What's going to happen if I do get the job? How will I keep the store going? It's just so... Ugh." She hit the bed with her hoof. "It's just so confusing and frustrating."
Lyra sat herself on the bed. "Well, you could always see about a home studio or something. All the big wigs have them so that they're not always on the go."
"I guess that would work." Said Bonbon. "It'd be way less difficult that way... I just have to wait until I get a call from them I guess." She looked at Lyra. "Enough about me, though. How'd your day go?"
Lyra smiled childishly. "My day went awesomely! I went to a bunch of toy stores and got so much stuff." She started floating contents out of her bag. "Look! This one store I went to called Gruff's Cards and Comics had a limited edition Mare-Do-Well action figure!" She hovered it around inside of the glass case it was inside. "Oh, and they had so many comics, too. Look!" She hovered out several comics from the same bag. "The Lunar Wars! I got these ones for you, 'cuz I know how much you love them."
She gave them to Bonbon, who smiled. "Aw, Lyra. You're so weird, yet so thoughtful."
Lyra grinned. "Weirdy McAwesomepants, that's me!"
Pants? That's a new one. Bonbon flipped through the comics while Lyra unloaded her bags to show Bonbon. She had gotten building block sets, tons of action figures, the usual nerdy things that Lyra was into.
"So uh, when're we going home?" Lyra asked.
"Hm," Bonbon said. "I suppose early in the morning. I am exhausted, after all. I'm sure you are, too."
Lyra nodded. "Yeah, I am pretty tuckered out... Wanna go somewhere for dinner and then come back and sleep?"
Bonbon nodded. "Sure. Know anywhere?"
Lyra grinned. "I know a great place."
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\
"...Okay, so I'm sorry I didn't know we had to make reservations for the place, but, I think this is the next best thing!"
Bonbon sat across from Lyra, looking rather annoyed. Lyra had wanted to go to a big fancy restaurant called "The Galloping Grande", but she didn't know it was a reservation-only place. So here they were, sitting in what Lyra thought was the next best thing: A western styled restaurant.
Their waiter came up in the most stereotypical western apparel: Cowboy boots, cowboy hat, the whole shibang. "Well howdy, pard'ners!" He said, adding to the stereotype. "M'name's Westy,, and Ah'll be your waiter fr' to'naght! What can Ah getche' for a drinkin'?"
Bonbon rolled her eyes and sighed. "I suppose an iced tea, thanks."
Westy smiled and wrote her order down. He looked to Lyra. "And what 'bout you, young miss? Anyth'ang tuh' drink?"
Lyra nodded. "Just a smoothie, actually. Strawberry, please."
"Ah'right then..." He jotted down Lyra's order. "Okay! Ah'll be back out with yer' drinks in a few mom'nts! Ya'll think about your order!" He walked off into the cleverly named kitchen, the 'saloon'.
Bonbon leaned over the table to Lyra. "Oh yes, I'm sure that's his real accent." She whispered. "I want to bring Applejack here, see what she thinks."
Lyra giggled. "Oh come on, Bonbon. It's for fun! It is Canterlot, after all. All of the themed restaurants are gonna have ponies like that." She laughed a bit. "Okay well, not necessarily western clothes and accents, but you get what I mean."
"I guess so..." She said, looked around. The place consisted of mostly just families having a good time, a few parties, the sort of thing you'd expect at a themed restaurant like this one. She wasn't embarrassed, but she did feed the craving for something classier. A mare's gotta have standards, right? Ha. Not when your best friend is Lyra Heartstrings.
Lyra was drawing on the table's paper-top with the crayons she found sitting in a cup. Bonbon couldn't tell what she was doodling. Her best guess was a monkey, so she looked away. She had to admit, the decorations were fun to look at. Canoes, carts, small horseshoes, big horseshoes, the lot.
Westy seemingly popped out of nowhere, iced tea and smoothie in hoof. "Here y'ar, girls!" He said. Bonbon could have sworn he was trying harder with his accent. He sat her drink down in front of her. "Here ye' go, one ice cold tea, and fr' you, ma'am..." He gave Lyra her smoothie, which was considerably bigger than what she had expected. "...Your smoothie! Choc'late drizzle with uh' cherry on top!" He winked at her. "Hoof made by yer's truly."
Lyra smiled nervously. "Um, well thank you, Mr. Westy." She cleared her throat. "Is it alright to order now?"
"Well uh'course!" He said, clapping his hooves together. "What about you, miss? Ya'll ready tuh' order as well?" He asked Bonbon.
"Oh! Why, yes of course!" She replied. "Um... I think I'll just have the flower platter, thanks."
Westy scribbled her order down on his notepad. "Ah'right, I can do that..." He looked at Lyra. "And fr' you, ma'am?"
Lyra rubbed her chin. "Hm... just a french onion soup, please."
Westy cooed. "Vereh' nice choice, ma'am! French on'yen's 'are special'ty! Food'll be a bit, but ya'll sit tight!" And with that, he trotted back into the 'saloon'.
Lyra looked at Bonbon. "So, uh. How do you think you even did with the audition? You didn't really say much besides the fact that you're stressed out."
Bonbon sighed. "Well, I think I did well... that Speech Pattern guy seemed impressed. Same with this other pony who was sitting in the waiting room. Her name was Voice Luck. She was very nice!"
Lyra raised her brow. "You practiced with somepony you don't even know?"
Bonbon nodded her head. "I did. I was a bit reluctant at first, but she urged me on, and eventually we got lost in the little improv we did."
Lyra slurped from her smoothie. "Whith voitheth did you do?" She asked, with a mouthful of strawberry smoothie.
"The ones he had on the script, Spike, and Queen Chrysalis." Said Bonbon.
Lyra shivered a bit at the last name, but shook out the thought. "Could you show me Spike?"
Bonbon nodded. "Sure! Um... ahem. 'Uh, boy, Lyra. I never thought I'd see you here! Hey uh, you haven't seen Twilight, have you? I have to talk to her about all of these letters that Princess Celestia keeps... uh-oh. hurp!' "
Lyra giggled. "That was really good. Like, over the top good. I'm thinking you'll get the part." She sucked on her smoothie again.
Bonbon smiled. "Thanks, Lyra. I'm glad I listened to you on this one."
Again, as if there was a hidden panel in the floor, Westy appeared, carrying two plates of food. "Yeehaw! Ah'right, here's yer' food, ma'am..." He sat Lyra's food in front of her, and she immediately dug in. "...And here's yours, miss!" He sat Bonbon's food down.
She looked up at him, smiling. "Thank you very much, Westy! We'll let you know when we're ready to pay."
Westy tipped his hat, and walked off.
Bonbon leaned across the table. "I like how fast the service here is." She said, impressed.
Lyra simply nodded, her mouth actually too full for her to respond. Half of her food was already gone. Bonbon just shook her head and ate her own food.
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\
The train ride home. Bonbon was rather relieved to finally be going home, as she would be able to know if she got the part or not in the next few weeks. Heck, maybe the next few days. She was giddy with excitement.
Lyra sat across from her, looking out of the window, singing something to herself. Bonbon had always wondered what Lyra would sound like if she ever sung for a crowd. Oh well. Her lyre would be good enough.
She looked out of the window herself. Off in the distance, she could see a herd of buffalo running the opposite way of the train. Other than that, cactus. And several buzzards. And cactus. Oh, it was very exciting. Very exciting.
Bonbon slumped in her seat. There really wasn't much to talk about. Voice acting, restaurant, toys, books, the lot. It had all been done.
She decided she'd take a walk around the train, to see what she could see. The dining car didn't have anything interesting, except food, and even then, Bonbon wasn't very hungry, so she continued on. She passed a few ponies, a few of which said hello, but there still wasn't much to look at.
She grunted and sat herself down in a chair back in the dining car.
"Bonbon?"
Bonbon looked to her side to see Voice Luck sitting there. "Oh, wow! Hi, Voice Luck! How are you?"
Voice Luck smiled. "I'm fine, just fine. How are you? How'd your audition go?"
Bonbon waved her hoof. "Oh, it was alright. The pony who interviewed me seemed really impressed, so I'm feeling a little confident. But, you? How about your audition, how'd it go?"
Voice Luck nodded. "It was good. He seemed to like my filly impression, so I'm hoping I get that part."
"Oh yeah? I was hoping for the male part, myself." Said Bonbon. "He seemed interested in that." Bonbon decided to change the subject. "So, where are you off to? Ponyville?"
Voice Luck shook her head. "Nah. I live in Manehattan, and my train ride was cancelled. They said the only available ride would be to go through Ponyville to Dodge Junction, and take the train from there."
Bonbon whistled. "Wow, that'll be a trip. That'll take you on through until tomorrow!"
Voice Luck just nodded. "Yeah, but this isn't the first time I've taken this trip. I travel a lot it seems."
Bonbon nodded. "I suppose that's fair. Do you even enjoy these rides?"
Voice Luck shook her head. "Nope. I've been doing it all my life, and I still hate these train rides. There's never enough entertainment. Unless you live in Manehattan, too."
Bonbon shook her own head. "Sorry, I don't. I live in Ponyville. I was kinda hoping you live there too. But, then again, I would've seen you at Pinkie Pie's parties."
"Oh, so you actually know the Elements personally!" Said Voice Luck. "No wonder you can do them so well."
Bonbon giggled. "Thanks. But, yeah. They're all really nice. It's hard to start a conversation with Fluttershy, though. But then again, that's just common knowledge." She gestured to the car over. "My roommate is actually taking magic lessons from Twilight Sparkle."
"Ooh! That must be amazing!" Voice Luck chimed.
Bonbon laughed. "It is, for me a least. I get peace and quiet, but Twilight tends to ramble, so Lyra -my roommate- basically comes home and complains."
Voice Luck stifled a giggle. "So I've heard. News of them does tend to get around Canterlot. Voice Luck looked at the clock on the wall. "Well, I don't mean to be rude, Bonbon, but my job requires a lot of nocturnal work, so I'm gonna go sleep in one the bed carriages." She got up and shook Bonbon's hand. "It was nice to see you. Maybe again one day!"
Bonbon nodded. "I hope so, too. Feel free to come down to Ponyville whenever you'd like. You'll definitely see me if you do."
Voice Luck smiled. "I just might." She bid Bonbon goodbye, and exited the dining car. Bonbon went back into her own carriage and sat back down.
"Where'd you go?" Lyra asked her.
"Oh, just walked around for a bit. It turns out Voice Luck's on the train, headed for Manehattan."
"Oh really? That's pretty neat." Said Lyra. "What'd she say?"
"Oh, you know," Bonbon said, "Just small talk. Where she's going, why she's going, the lot. She had to get some sleep, though. Her job's affected her sleeping habits, it seems." Bonbon shuddered. "I hope it doesn't affect mine if I get the part..."
Lyra shrugged. "Well, you never know. It might happen." She looked out of the window. "Looks like we're pulling in to Ponyville." She got their luggage down. "You ready?" She asked.
Bonbon nodded. "Yep. It's a relief to be home."
The train jolted to a stop, and the ponies stepped off. Bonbon slung her bags on to her neck, saving Lyra the exhaustion of magic. They slowly made it home, stopping to talk to a few ponies who were wondering where they had gone off to. Eventually, they reached the house. Untouched, not dirty, and-
"-Hunh?" Bonbon picked up an envelope that sat on their doorstep with her teeth. She carried it inside after Lyra opened the door.
They unpacked their things, and Bonbon looked at the back of the envelope. Her hooves starting shaking. "Lyra, this is..."
Lyra peered out from the kitchen with a mouthful of jelly beans. "It'th whath?" She said, mouth full again.
"It's... from Speech Pattern at the Silver Neigh." She said, trembling.
Lyra's jaw dropped, releasing all of the jelly beans from her mouth. "What?! Oh my Gosh, that was fast! Come on, open it! I bet you got the job!"
Bonbon did so without saying a word. She unfurled the letter and read it out loud:
" Greetings, Miss Bonbon of Ponyville.
Hopefully you'll remember who I am, as I interviewed you on Saturday the fifth. It may come as a surprise to you at how quickly our deciding schedule is, but I assure you, it doesn't take long. "
Bonbon squealed in excitement, and kept reading.
" However, it is with great sympathy that I regret to inform you that you did not..."
Bonbon's heart sank as she read out the next few words. "Get... any positions in... the show..." She breathed slowly, and continued. "Please do not take this as an insult, as it was the decision that was made. You have potential, but what I recommend is that you widen that potential for future opportunities..."
Bonbon sank to the floor, not being able to read anymore. She stared at the paper, and tears began rolling down her cheeks. Lyra acted quickly, catching her before Bonbon fell on the floor. Bonbon cried and cried into Lyra's forelegs, causing Lyra's coat to deeply dampen.
"I tr-tried so h-hard!" Bonbon said through her tears. "I really, r-really wa-wanted that jo-o-ob!" She continued crying while Lyra hushed and comforted her.
"Bonbon, hey, it's okay." Lyra said, soothingly. "It's just a job, am I right?"
Bonbon shook her head in Lyra's arms. "N-Not just any old j-job, a j-job I never knew I wa-wanted so badly-y-y..." Bonbon sobbed and sobbed. "I re-really wanted to d-do it, and I bl-blew it..."
Lyra shook her head. "No. Bonbon. Don't blame yourself, okay? Don't blame anypony. Alright? You just need more practice, that's all."
Bonbon whimpered. "Bu-but I still want the j-job, Lyra... I want it so badly-y-y!" She wailed off again.
Lyra rubbed her friends back. "Bonbon, calm down, okay? It's not the end of Equestria, you'll be okay!"
Bonbon sniffed a bit. "Y-you have a point, Lyra, b-but..." She looked up into her friends eyes. "What if I'm still n-not good enough even after I pr-practice? What if nopony likes my w-work?"
Lyra shook her head. "They will like you, Bonbon. They'll think your great. You just need to give it more time, alright? Practice makes perfect, after all. It's like how I learned to play the lyre. It took months of practicing, but look at me now! I'm the best lyre player in all of Equestria! Sure, I'm not known for it, but I know it, because I tell myself I am!" She wiped Bonbon's tears off. "You have to practice, and then you'll be able to tell yourself properly that you can do it, and you will do it. Alright?"
Bonbon managed a smile. This is why Lyra was her best friend. She was always there for her, no matter what was going on. "Th-thanks, Lyra... you really do know how to cheer me up."
Lyra shrugged. "Hey, what's a happy candy store owner without her lyre player to do?" She gently noogied Bonbon. "Now come on. I've got a huge craving for some chocolate."
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\
Copper Twinge sat there at the counter, spinning his pen. Nopony came to the store on Mondays. Everypony was out working, sleeping, or learning. He sighed, and continued playing with his pen.
Suddenly, the shop's door swung open, and in walked somepony. Copper Twinge brightened up. "Well, hello young filly!" He said. "How might I be able to help you today?"
The mare waved, and rubbed her chin. "Hm... well, I'm looking for something like a microphone."
Copper Twinge came out from behind the counter. "We've got those, we do. We've got singing microphones, karaoke microphones, the whole lot. What kind specifically?"
"Well, a nice professional one. With a stand and sound barrier." She said.
Copper whistled. "Ooh, the radio type. I've got just the thing, hold on a second." He disappeared into the back of the store, and came back out with a large rectangular box. "Here we are!" He set it down on the counter, and the mare walked over. "This is what the big wigs on radio stations use. It's perfect for whatever it is you're planning to do. It's got that fancy sound barrier, replaceable cord, volume adjuster, the whole shabang."
"How much is it?" Asked the mare.
"Ooh, It's mighty pricey." Copper said, stroking his chin. "About 300 bits, I'd say."
The mare pulled out a piece of paper. "I can write a cheque out to you, I don't have 300 bits on me. Is that alright?"
Copper Twinge nodded. "Yeah, we accept cheques! Go ahead."
The mare thanked him, and wrote the information out on the cheque and handed it to Copper, who handed her the microphone in turn.
She started walking out the door, just after Copper spoke up. "Thanks for coming! I don't get a whole lot of customers on Mondays."
The mare giggled. "Neither does the candy store."
THE END~
Author's Notes: This story is based on the idea that whenever Bonbon has a speaking role in the show, she has a different voice. I just imagined her out to be a voice actress.
And the part about DJ Pon-3 is a reference to my other story, 'How to Live a Daily Life'.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!
