Bon Bon's Bonbons: Open for Business(and Bonbons)! (Open, Ponyville)

[IceStorm]

[colour=#ff66cc]Aloe sighed as Derpy seemed to be completely oblivious to what had just transpired. That being said, it didn't take too long for Bon Bon to set things to where the gray mare could understand it. She couldn't help but facehoof though when Derpy mentioned that she could build Bon Bon a new cart. For some odd reason, she didn't forsee that going over to well. However, Derpy seemed to drag the cream coloured mare into this by volunteering her assistance in rebuilding the stand. Well... at least it's not a totally lost cause. Celestia knows she can't do any more damage than Derpy could, she thought to herself before turning to Bon Bon who in the process had already bagged up her chocolates for her and Lotus. When she mentioned the price, she reached into her bit purse and pulled out twenty bits and handed them to her. [/colour][colour=#6699cc]"Here ya go Ms. Bon Bon, The fourteen and a bit extra to help with..."[/colour][colour=#ff66cc] she said looking at the cart, [/colour][colour=#6699cc]"You know who,"[/colour][colour=#ff66cc] she finished with a smile. [/colour][colour=#6699cc]"And once I drop these off with my sister, I'd be more than happy to stick around and help out if you'd like,"[/colour][colour=#ff66cc] she added in a friendly tone. [/colour]

[RarityDash]

[colour=#000000]Lyra had no sooner reached her and Bon Bon's shared home when she had gotten the sudden urge to leave it once more. This was not so unusual for the sprightly unicorn. She was not a mare who tended to stay in one place very long and home really wasn't home without Bon Bon having returned yet anyway. Putting the sweets she had received from her fillyfriend down somewhere where she'd be sure to remember them later and finding her favorite lyre, Lyra emerged once more through her still open door. [/colour]

[colour=#000000]And so the mare began to amble through Ponyville, strumming her lyre and on occasion vocalizing in time with her song. Her eyes were on the clouds and a smile was on her face as she skipped aimlessly through town, waving at and familiar faces she happened to pass. She stopped a few minutes into her stroll to consider where she should take herself. Her mind immediately went back to Bon Bon. Sure, the chances of anything of note having happened at the other mare's cart since Lyra and her affected act to drum up business had exited the stage were admittedly slim, but Lyra was a mare in love and she supposed she really just hadn't gotten enough of Bon Bon's sweetness just yet.[/colour]

[colour=#339999]"My heart it belongs to the sweetest mare~♪[/colour]
[colour=#339999]With comely fawn coat and rose striped hair~♫[/colour]
[colour=#339999]At her cart she does offer treats and good cheer~♪[/colour]
[colour=#339999]She's my beautiful and sweet Bonny dear~♫"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]As she drew close to the area from whence she had just left her love, Lyra sung a pair of impromptu couplets about her love, strumming her lyre as she sang them. She then skipped the rest of the distance ahead, eager to meet the mare once more. What she saw there was kind of alarming. A decent line had appeared at Bon Bon's cart since she had departed... but something was strikingly different--the cart itself had been reduced to shambles. Lyra stared, baffled by this fact. What possibly could have happened since she had left to cause this? [/colour]

[colour=#339999]"What happened here?"[/colour][colour=#000000] Lyra started, alarmed. She looked at Bon Bon and then at the others gather there. "[/colour][colour=#339999]Who did this to sweet Bonny-Bon's sweets cart?!"[/colour] [colour=#000000]she shouted in frustration.[/colour]

​

[SteelEagle]

Bon Bon loved Derpy's energy when it was directed everywhere and anywhere other than her, because as fun as it was to watch others deal with the fallout of her devastating bouts of excitement it was far less fun actually dealing with it. She vowed to never again take a certain degree of satisfaction when she saw that rainbow maned troublemaker get her due by the hooves of Derps ever again. This was her commupenance but at least Dash didn't have to deal with the potential destruction of her source of income. Bon Bon was looking at the loss of her business- and if she took Derpy up on her offer, she didn't doubt that the whole marketplace might go up in flames somehow. She didn't doubt anything to do with Derpy because doubt was the first step in the road to disbelief. Then again, hope was the first step in the road to disappointment. She'd settle for simple fear.

[colour=#0000cd]"No! Uhh, no thanks. Derpy. Please don't do anything. That has tools. Or can fall down. In fact, it'd probably be best if you stood completely still and just waited for me to be done with the customers," [/colour]She pleaded, trying to stop the slowly unraveling madness that threatened to consume the attractive mare next to Derpy who seemed a bit disconcerted at the prospect of aiding Derps, but had acquiesced in an attempt to be helpful. Wonderful mare indeed. Bon Bon sighed and turned her attention back to Aloe, who paid for her candies and received them in turn. Bon Bon smiled as they finished the transaction.

[colour=#0000cd]"No, no, that's quite alright. What I need is a warm bath...maybe a trip to the spa, and something for the headache," [/colour]She winked obtusely, then laughed.

[colour=#0000cd]"Have a good day, Aloe! I'll talk to you later!" [/colour]She finished in a friendly manner, waving her goodbyes as she turned her attention more closely to Snickerdoodle. Before that though, Lyra came back, which sent Bonnie's heart aflutter mostly due to the unexpected nature of it, especially as she announced herself long before she could be seen with her song. Bon Bon planted a kiss on her cheek and then sighed.

[colour=#0000cd]"Derpy paid me a visit,"[/colour] And with that, Lyra would have all the answers she'd need. Bonnie gave Lyra a half-hug and then looked at Snickerdoodle, whom she waved forward.

[colour=#0000cd]"Welcome to my sho- car-...collection of treats. Thanks for your patience, you know how life and or pegasi goes. What can I do you for?"[/colour]

[PedestrianWolf]

Snickerdoodle smiled gratefully at Bon Bon. She hadn't really wanted to spend her afternoon dodging debris and errant lightning, anyway. As long as miss Derpy wasn't going to do any more damage, it was probably safe.

[colour=#8b4513]"Ah, thank you! Yes, I wanted to get some of your delicious looking chocolates. What varieties do you have left?" [/colour]

Snickerdoodle looked down at the trays of candies laid out on the grass. They enticed her with their glossy chocolate shells. Then she glanced over at the ruined cart, and felt a pang of sympathy.

[colour=#8b4513]"Listen, miss Bon Bon. My dad's an engineer up in Cloudsdale. He built my house for me over on the Numbusgait lakeshore. If you like, I can ask him to rebuild your cart for you. If he can't help, he might know a local carpenter pony who could."[/colour]

[Bellosh]

Entering her Detective Derpy mode, Derpy Hooves hovered over the remains of the bon bon cart as she attempted an analysis of what supplies she and her new “assistant” needed. “[colour=#ffcc00]Well...”[/colour] the gray pegasus mused, stroking her chin as if she was capable of deep thought; [colour=#ffcc00]“Even if I could get all this back together, I’d think it’d be better anyway to make a new cart out of scratch; Bon Bon would really love that! So we’ll be needing tools, wood, pain, nails... I could take a trip to Barnyard Bargains, but I’ll need to go home first to get extra bits.”[/colour]

Completely not paying attention to Bon Bon’s pleas or the other pegasus’s claims to have a carpenter friends, Miss Hoovers had 110% confidence that she can get the job done. [colour=#ffcc00]“Leave it up to me guys,”[/colour] cried out the googly-eyed young mare, her hovering body flying higher as she prepared to dash to her house; [colour=#ffcc00]“I’ll be back with everything we need in no time!”[/colour] Before anypony could stop her, the happy-go-lucky Derpy proceeded to fly away from the center of town. Bon Bon's new cart would be the greatest market cart of all time thought Derpy optimistically; the young mare felt that within every fiber of her bones. Within a day, Bon Bon would forget why she even loved her own stand in the first place.....

​

[SteelEagle]

Derpy didn't pay any attention and did her investigation of the site, which was a silly thing to do as a cart was a cart was a cart. But you couldn't tell Derpy that; you couldn't even tell her what day of the week it was or to watch out for the tower in front of her before she crashed into it. Carts were carts, black was black, and Derpy was going to cause great harm to everypony and everything she was around. It was just how Derpy rolled, or flew in this case. She waved goodbye to Derpy as she left on her mission of destruction and construction supplies. When she was far enough away, Bon Bon sighed and shook her head, contemplating what her day was now.

[colour=#0000cd]"Please let it be forever,"[/colour] She whispered before turning back to Snickerdoodle, slapping on a weary smile.

[colour=#0000cd]"Thanks for the offer, but I know a few ponies and if I keep it all within Ponyville, I can probably get the Mayor to help cover the costs. But really, I appreciate the offer. Who is your father?" [/colour]She said, finding it a pleasant distraction as she rounded up her various bon bons. She still had some of her excalibur collection, which was better than nothing.

[colour=#0000cd]"Anyway, I only have two types of bonbons. That way I can be quite sure that they are both very high quality! My Excalibur collection is of higher quality, but my regular bonbons are the best you'll find in town," [/colour]She beamed,[colour=#0000cd] "and probably all of Equestria, if I'm to believe in my own name! What can I do ya for? For six bonbons the total is one and a half bits. Or you can purchase a small bag for seven or even a large bag for eleven!"[/colour]

[PedestrianWolf]

Snickerdoodle watched Derpy fly off, and shook her head. She fervently hoped that the ditzy grey mare wouldn't cause any more trouble than she already had. Visions of sawblades and hammers danced in her head, and she suppressed a shudder.

Bon Bon kindly refused her offer of assistance. Which was just as well, she probably knew the local craftsponies better than someone who lived in a different town. But it made Snickerdoodle feel better for having offered.

[colour=#8b4513]"My father is Sliderule. He's an engineer up in Cloudsdale, like I mentioned. Mostly he oversees new buildings in the cloud city, but occasionally he does woodworking projects. He's actually pretty good at carving designs into wood, it's one of his hobbies."[/colour]

Snickerdoodle looked over the chocolates arrayed in front of her. Spitfire had gotten the Excalibur collection, which did sound absolutely amazing. But miss Bon Bon did say that even her regular collection was the best in Equestria, which she didn't doubt at all.

[colour=#8b4513]"Hmmm, they both sound tempting. May I have six of the Excalibur, and six of the regular collection? I want to leave some for your other customers. Besides, I'm in Ponyville every other week to shop for supplies, I can always get more when your cart is rebuilt."[/colour]

She rummaged in her pack and pulled five bits out of her change purse. That would be enough to cover the cost of the candies, plus a little extra.

[RarityDash]

[colour=#0000CD]"Derpy paid me a visit,"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Bon Bon said these few words as she offered Lyra a small hug. Lyra sighed for that really was all that was needed. Those five words really did say it all. The mare by the name of Derpy was entirely infamous in Ponyville for the envelope of chaos that seemed to constantly surround her. Lyra tried her best not to hold it against the mare, but when her Bonny Bon was getting sucked up into that chaos, it was difficult for her to not feel kinda protective. As such an indignant glower graced her face as she looked at the gray pegasus.[/colour]

​

“[colour=#FFCC00]Well...[/colour][colour=#FFCC00]Even if I could get all this back together, I’d think it’d be better anyway to make a new cart out of scratch; Bon Bon would really love that! So we’ll be needing tools, wood, pain, nails... I could take a trip to Barnyard Bargains, but I’ll need to go home first to get extra bits. [/colour][colour=#FFCC00]Leave it up to me guys, [/colour][colour=#FFCC00]I’ll be back with everything we need in no time!”[/colour]

[colour=#000000]As the clumsy mare left, Lyra facehooved. Derpy trying to fix things was probably the only thing that lead to more disaster than Derpy just being Derpy. She gave another sigh and looked back toward her mare.[/colour]

[colour=#339999]"'Leave it to me!'? Honestly, with that mare that's never something you wanna hear,"[/colour] [colour=#000000]she said, shaking her head. [/colour][colour=#339999]"Poor Bonny..."[/colour][colour=#000000] she added before stepping aside to let the other pony continue conducting business with her customers.[/colour]

​

[Jane]

Admittedly, it was a little bit late in the day to be setting up shop in the crowded marketplace. Cherry Berry couldn't help it though, that the dramatics club had been holding auditions so early in the morning, preventing her from getting to the market on time. She was determined to make something of herself in show pony business - maybe she wouldn't be a super-famous actress, but one day she would get her opportunity to shine on stage. It was in her blood - sort of.

The director had given her one of those "that was a nice try" responses at the end of it, putting the pink pony in a less than cheery mood. Grumbling to herself about him being unable to see her true talent, she had gone home to hitch herself up to her small sales cart and was now on her way to the Ponyville markets to set up shop for the afternoon.

Her cart was loaded down with her usual mismatch of goods - on one side, veggies like carrots, broccoli, parsnip, turnips, and tomatoes (yes, yes, she knows tomatoes are a fruit, and Cherry Berry would thank you for not making any snide comments on the matter), as well as her usual jams, preserves, cherry pies, cherry cobblers (the dessert, not her father) and cherry turnovers.

Upon entering the marketplace, however, Chibsy had been shocked to notice Lyra and Bon Bon standing next to a charred-black cart. She gasped with surprise.

"Oh my goodness, Bon Bon, your cart!" she gasped as her amethyst eyes fell upon the scene of destruction. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind as to who the culprit was.

"Let me guess? A certain grey pony with a yellow mane and bubbles for a cutie mark?" she asked the candy-maker and her lyre-playing counterpart. The annoyance in Cherry Berry's voice was unmistakeable as she scanned the sky above for the Pegasus in question.

​

[SteelEagle]

She liked that somepony was turning hobbies into a successful career, a craftspony in Cloudsdale playing with cloud and wood alike. If that was the case, then she and Lyra were due a big beak in the world of community theater! Much better a day was spent performing some stupid, silly play with Lyra playing any one of over seven hundred roles and Bon Bon providing any sort of narration needed. Theater jockeys had life easy- work a few hours doing playtime and spend the rest of the time playing the role of ineffective thespians. Bah, what luck! Oh well, she'd have to settle for her semi-successful chocolate business and...whatever it was that Lyra did to earn her money. Maybe it was the brain damage from Derpy's lightning strike or her as usual striking features which shuttled away any intelligent thought, but Bon Bon could only drum up [colour=#0000cd]hurr durr she's a migteh pretty pony hurr durr[/colour] as she returned the hug.

[colour=#0000cd]"No, that is the last thing you want to hear from Derpy. I hope we can wrap up the day's business before she gets back or I'll have to give her something else to do, and I'm afraid I'll get fined by the Mayor for it!"[/colour] Bon Bon laughed, forgetting to add again at the end of that sentence. Back to business!

[colour=#0000cd]"Twelve bonbons, half and half it is!"[/colour] She bellowed, scooping up the amount and placing them in the plastic bags. Hey, you had to separate the simply great from the sublimely superb. She tied the bags and hoofed them over.

[colour=#0000cd]"That'll be three and a half bits! You won't be disappointed at all, I assure you," [/colour]Bon Bon declared. It was a bit of a lie, she was sure one or two customers had walked away a bit let down with her delicious goodies, but they were probably sour sacks anyway. Speaking of sours and sweets and everything else in the history of everything, Cherry Berry was setting up shop. Late. Wasn't she supposed to be auditioning for the dramatics club?

[colour=#0000cd]"Yeah, yeah. Derpy came and, uhh, visited me. As you can see, it went just as expected. How'd the audition go?"[/colour]

[PedestrianWolf]

Snickerdoodle hoofed over the five bits she had taken from her change purse and retrieved the two bags of chocolates from the candymaker.

[colour=#8b4513]"Here you go, miss Bon Bon! Plus a little extra, to help you cover the damage to your cart."[/colour]

She dropped the small bags of candies into her pack, then turned to the new cart that had just arrived in the square. This one was pulled by a pink pony and had a variety of goods on display. She trotted over to inspect the produce for sale.

[colour=#8b4513]"Hmmm, I do need some carrots, and a head of broccoli would be nice. Ooh, cherry preserves! I could finally make some jam thumbprints for the breakroom at the factory! Excuse me miss..." [/colour]Snickerdoodle snuck a peek at the salespony's cutie mark and made an educated guess, [colour=#8b4513]"um, Cherry? How much for a jar of jam?"[/colour]

[RarityDash]

[colour=#0000CD]"No, that is the last thing you want to hear from Derpy. I hope we can wrap up the day's business before she gets back or I'll have to give her something else to do, and I'm afraid I'll get fined by the Mayor for it!"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Lyra gave a huff.[/colour] [colour=#339999]"Seriously, that mare..."[/colour] [colour=#000000]she started, shaking her head indignantly.[/colour] [colour=#339999]"You gotta wonder just how much she ends up costing this town every month with her recklessness..."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]She sighed and then gave a resolute nod.[/colour][colour=#339999] "But don't you worry, my Bonny Bon! Your dearest Lyra shall protect you from any further damages! That mare comes back to bug you and I'll smack her so hard with my lyre her eyes'll go straight!"[/colour] [colour=#000000]Lyra proclaimed, grinning proudly. [/colour]

[colour=#000000]The mare stepped back to calm herself, smiling at Bon Bon's customers. While the pegasus who had just ordered wasn't a pony Lyra could recall meeting before, the pony who next stepped up was one she had seen all over Ponyville. Lyra grinned at her, and nodded as she assessed the Derpy situation herself.[/colour]

[colour=#339999]"Hiya Cherry!"[/colour] [colour=#000000]Lyra started with a smile.[/colour] [colour=#339999]"Terrible, isn't it?" [/colour][colour=#000000]she started, looking toward the cart. [/colour]

​

[Jane]

[colour=#0000cd]"Yeah, yeah. Derpy came and, uhh, visited me. As you can see, it went just as expected."[/colour]

[colour=#339999]"Terrible, isn't it?" [/colour]

Cherry Berry shook her head sadly as she surveyed the damage. Trust Derpy she thought. The fact that the grey pegasus seemed to think she'd be able to fix everything also seemed to be cause for concern. She tried not to worry about her too much - at first she had gotten angry whenever Derpy messed something up, but now she was just as used to it as any other resident of Ponyville.

​

[colour=#0000cd]"How'd the audition go?"[/colour]

[colour=#9B145B]"Well, I thought it was my best performance yet,"[/colour] Chibsy replied, [colour=#9B145B]"But the director didn't seem to think it was good enough for his production of Clover and Platinum. His loss, I say."[/colour]

She had tried, in fact she truly felt like it had been one of her better auditions. She had recited her lines with true expression, expressed raw emotion and had done her best to make the audience laugh. Wasn't her fault the director had the sense of humour of a block of wood and couldn't see true talent when it was staring him in the nose. She knew she shouldn't grumble so, but it just made her so angry sometimes. She was from Manehatten! Her mother was famous among theatrical producers down south! Granted, not for her comedic talents, but sure Cherry Berry had to have some sort of dramatic streak in her genetics somewhere.

[colour=#9B145B]"Ugh! I need sugar therapy,"[/colour] she muttered finally, starting to look over what remained of Bon Bon's selection of sweet treats.

​

[colour=#8b4513]"Excuse me miss, um, Cherry? How much for a jar of jam?"[/colour]

Cherry Berry had been so engrossed in her own thoughts about disasters on wings, the difficulties of showpony business, and the candies she knew to be the most delicious she'd ever taste that she had almost completely missed the cream coloured pony's question. Oh, right, jam. She examined the pony curiously, trying to remember whether or not she'd seen her before. She seemed vaguely familiar, as though she had shopped at Ponyville Markets before. The brown-maned mare seemed to know Cherry Berry's name at the very least, or at least part of it. Oh, blast it! Chibsy had always been terrible at matching names with faces; may as well give her the whole sales spiel.

[colour=#9B145B]"Well, it's 5 bits for a little jar, or 8 bits for a big one. The yellow-coloured jams are made with Rainiers - they're pretty sweet. This one here was made with sour cherries and it's probably my best selling-jam. Earned my cutie mark with that recipe. I only have a few jars of apple-cherry jam left, those ones there, and this one here is a lovely blend of cherries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. A Cherry-Berry jam, if you will!"[/colour]

Unlike her friend Bon Bon, Chibsy lacked any sort of charm, as a salespony or otherwise. She was actually rather mediocre at it, though she liked to think otherwise. In reality her products sold themselves - her cherry jam rivaled her aunt's for best-tasting preserve in Equestria and that kept the ponies of Ponyville coming back for more. Though she couldn't really rival the Carrot family for good carrots, her vegetables also held their own in the marketplace and were grown with hooves that were just as caring and with the natural green aptitude that nearly all Earth Ponies possessed. Why, even in this case the pegasus mare couldn't even wait for her to set up shop before enquiring about the prices of her fine products. Yep, must be because of her naturally charming personality at work!

​

[PedestrianWolf]

Snickerdoodle hated to interrupt the two sales ponies chatting, but she still had a few errands to run in town before going home. And cherry jam was a treat she didn't often indulge in. Not quite as rare as a jar of zap apple jam, but seldom enough.

Her mouth watered as the pink pony listed off her jam flavours. [colour=#8b4513]"Oh, they all sound so good! Can I get a jar of the sour cherry, one of the apple cherry, um, a head of broccoli and a small bunch of parsnips please?"[/colour]

She would definitely have to go to the dry goods store now. Jam thumbprint cookies were very popular among her coworkers. Made with apple cherry preserves, they'd fly out the door faster than a F1 tornado! The chocolate bon bons, though, those would be her special treat. No sharing

[SteelEagle]

How much DID Derpy cost the town a month? It was probably in the region of a thousand bits minimum if her quick math was in any way accurate. She was bound to destroy a few storefronts and stands, her electric storms razing farmer's fields, and a pony or two struck by it as well. She was a flying disaster which was leagues more terrifying than a walking one and would have made the perfect villain if she meant to be one. Instead, it was just a sad case of a well-intentioned mare who's cutie mark would be better identified as an endless sea of tears from her the many victims of her efforts to help.

[colour=#0000cd]"Hmm, good question Lyra. A thousand bits? Maybe a little less? More than enough from my point of view, especially when it's my freakin' cart. I guess I'll have to dip [/colour][colour=#0000CD]into one of the secret funds under our mattress for the repair. Sorry Lyra, no dress for you next month,"[/colour] Bon Bon lied. The dress was already bought, but she'd let her mare fret for a while. What was a relationship worth if you didn't put the screws into the other's side once in a while? Or all the time, like Bon Bon did? Not much.

[colour=#0000cd]"And thank Celestia I have the ever unstoppable Lyra on my side. Derpy won't know what hit her!...Mostly because I don't think she knows what a lyre IS,"[/colour] Bon Bon laughed, shaking her head and imagining the scene. It was deliciously unlikely and comical, Lyra in some sort of battle armor and beating off waves of Derpies with her lyre. She needed a more effective weapon.

[colour=#0000cd]"Not that I need the protection, of course. I should build some sort of bonbon rapid-fire launcher out of the bits of my broken cart. Hmm...bad idea. She might just eat them. Well, guess I really do need that protection!"[/colour] She patted her Lyra on the shoulder as she turned back to Cherry.

What director could say no to Cherry? Maybe she wasn't the greatest actress in the world but she was pretty competent by Ponyville standards and this was a Ponyville production. She had the chops to act in anything that Bon Bon could think of, and the few things she though maybe Cherry wasn't capable of doing were mostly overwrought and boring dramas that were beneath most anyway. Bon Bon nodded along and prepared a medium bag of bonbons for her. She wasn't one of Bonnie's closest friends, but friends were friends and sugar therapy was the sort of therapy she knew all about.

[colour=#0000cd]"Yeah, that director must have been a few wrinkles short of a raisin if you ask me. I'm sure your audition was awesome! Here, let doctor Bonbon administer some sugar therapy,"[/colour] She did as she promised, tossing a free medium bag over Snickerdoodle's head towards Cherry. After she had sugar therapy, she'd have to be renamed Cheery!

[RarityDash]

[colour=#0000CD]"Hmm, good question Lyra. A thousand bits? Maybe a little less? More than enough from my point of view, especially when it's my freakin' cart. I guess I'll have to dip [/colour][colour=#0000CD]into one of the secret funds under our mattress for the repair. Sorry Lyra, no dress for you next month."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Lyra's eyes widened as her face went all sad. She gave a hearty pout and kicked one of her back hooves.[/colour] [colour=#339999]"Aww... but Bon Bon! You know how long I've been looking at that cute summer dress at Rarity's shop..." [/colour][colour=#000000]she said through her frown. Her expression turned to one of irritation as she looked upward at the sky.[/colour] [colour=#339999]"Dang it, Derpy! You've cost me big time here!" [/colour][colour=#000000]she said, shaking a hoof.[/colour]

​

[colour=#0000CD]"And thank Celestia I have the ever unstoppable Lyra on my side. Derpy won't know what hit her!...Mostly because I don't think she knows what a lyre IS,"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Bon Bon sure knew how to turn Lyra's mood around on a bit. She went from disappointment and irritation to a laugh and a smile just like that.[/colour]

[colour=#339999]"Hehe! Isn't that the truth!"[/colour] [colour=#000000]she started cheerfully[/colour].

​

[colour=#0000CD]"Not that I need the protection, of course. I should build some sort of bonbon rapid-fire launcher out of the bits of my broken cart. Hmm...bad idea. She might just eat them. Well, guess I really do need that protection!"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Lyra giggled at her mare's words and then showily stood on her back hooves and gave a twirl and a bow to Bon Bon.[/colour]

[colour=#339999]"Then I shall ever be at your service my sweetest Bonny Bon! The gallant white knight here to protect the fair maiden from any accident prone pegasi who might come to do unto her harm!"[/colour] [colour=#000000]she said cheerfully with a goofy smile.[/colour]

​

[Jane]

[colour=#8B4513]"Oh, they all sound so good! Can I get a jar of the sour cherry, one of the apple cherry, um, a head of broccoli and a small bunch of parsnips please?"[/colour]

[colour=#9B145B]"Sour cherry, apple cherry, brocolli and parsnips coming right up!"[/colour] she announced with great gusto as she unhitched the cart and meandered around to the side to bag up the pegasus pony's purchases - holding the paper bag in her mouth while using her hooves to place the jars of jam and bunches of veggies inside of it. [colour=#9B145B]"Mmfat'lbe mmfev mets,"[/colour] she attempted. Placing the bag on the ground in front of the Pegasus, she tried again. [colour=#9B145B]"Sorry, you know how it is. That's twelve bits, thanks."[/colour] She smiled warmly at the mare, pleased at having made her first sale of the day, and a fairly big one, too. Maybe if she could have a successful day at the market, she could forget about the morning's bellyflop.

Cherry Berry half listened to Lyra and Bon Bon as they conversed about the antics of Derpy, Lyra's new dress (or lack thereof) which led into a rather playful back-and-forth between the couple. Chibsy envied them a little - they seemed to have an awesome relationship that she could only dream of having. She thought back to the ponies she'd known and loved in her younger years - simple, youthful flings that had never blossomed into anything - as well as the dates she'd gone on recently, many of them having been flops as well. No, at the moment her love life was going about as well as her showpony business career.

​

[colour=#0000CD]"Yeah, that director must have been a few wrinkles short of a raisin if you ask me. I'm sure your audition was awesome! Here, let doctor Bonbon administer some sugar therapy,"[/colour]

The yellow-maned mare didn't miss a beat; she caught the bag of bonbons firmly between her teeth as it sailed over the head of the pegasus. Placing it on the ground before her she smiled warmly at the candymaker. [colour=#9B145B]"Oh, gee, thanks Bon Bon, I can pay for that-"[/colour] she said after carefully placing the bag on the ground. [colour=#9B145B]"Besides, you've got a cart's repairs to pay for,"[/colour] She nodded towards the damaged sales cart while reaching for her bit purse. As the pink earth pony began to count out the correct amount, she continued [colour=#9B145B]"And you're right, he sure didn't come across as the sharpest crayon in the box. Got real excited about the performance of the mare before me, the dolt. She wasn't even that good."[/colour] She shook her head again, groaning inwardly at the forced expression of the pony who'd auditioned before her. No doubt the delicious bonbons would help improve her mood a little bit - she couldn't wait to delve into it and would probably polish off the bag before the day was out.

[colour=#9B145B]"Here you go, Bon Bon - nine bits for a medium bag, is it?"[/colour]she asked, holding out her hoof full of gold coins.

​

[PedestrianWolf]

Snickerdoodle reached into her change purse again and removed twelve bits. That seemed a little low, so she took two more bits out and hoofed the pile of coins over to the pink mare.

[colour=#8b4513]"Thank you kindly, miss Cherry! And you too, miss Bon Bon! I'll look for your carts again the next time I'm in Ponyville for my shopping!"[/colour]

The custard coloured pegasus placed the bag of jam and veggies carefully in her saddle bag next to the delectable chocolate candies, and waved goodbye to the shopkeepers, as they continued to talk business with each other.

Now, she needed to get flour and sugar, fresh churned butter and eggs too for baking cookies. Snickerdoodle turned towards the dry goods store and flew off, careful not to jostle the contents of her bags.

[exit]

[SteelEagle]

Seeing Lyra get persnickety and a bit angry because Derpy cost her the chance of a lifetime week was a beauty to behold, and only through patient and practiced effort did the Bon Bon Troll Queen keep herself from laughing. Lyra was pretty easy to play around with and considering how stressed Bon Bon felt- a high wire act of the mind was the only thing keeping her from running around like a pony with her flank on fire- a little light distraction at the expense of her marefriend was a welcome relief. Besides, it'd only make the eventual unveiling of the dress even better and far more exciting than just plopping it down on the couch and saying, "You, me, fancy dinner at sugarcube corner." like the last time. And the time before that. Maybe they needed more money before they went out to eat.

[colour=#0000cd]"Yeah Lyra, it sucks. But priorities. At least you still get free hoof rubs though, right? And good thing because being a gallant knight defending the utter ruination that's my treat stand would be awfully tiring work. You'd have to deal with Derps at least four times a week, and that's if she's busy as a bee in a tree and needs to go pee,"[/colour] Bon Bon smiled, then looked around quizzically, [colour=#0000cd]"speaking of, is there a little filly's room for her to combust somehow? That'd be the only thing that would make this whole mess even worse is by...making the mess worse." [/colour]She gulped, imagining it- and sweet Celestia, it was worse than death. Or five deaths. If it happened, they'd probably just burn the town an start over.

While she pondered the horror that was the last Derpy event in the Derpapocalypse she also turned her attention to Cherry, who was more than willing to pay for the gift given to her. That was a silly, silly thing to do- a gift was a gift was a gift, but at the same time she was right in saying that Bon Bon needed the money. And Bon Bon wasn't accustomed to saying no to money. Bon Bon sighed and took the money against the rough moral center of her soul which argued for it. But then it was distracted by the shiny bits and couldn't stop her before the money was in the coin purse. Score one for greed! She shook her head.

[colour=#0000cd]"Ya know, you make it hard to do somepony a favour if you're going to go ahead and conduct fair business like that, Cherry. And I've had my fair share of run-ins with idiots who care more for how something looks than how it gets done- not that you don't look pretty and fit for the role, I mean. No offense,"[/colour] She committed the save as she blushed due to embarrassment still slapping things around the wreckage in a effort to find all the little bolts and screws. She started making a pile of the suckers, willing to bet that her budget didn't call for another batch of them.

[colour=#0000cd]"I'm sure you'll get a good gig soon enough. Have you ever tried modeling? Or seeking jobs in Las Pegasus? I heard they're dying for good performers out there."[/colour]

[Jane]

After waving goodbye to the cream coloured Pegasus, Chibsy turned her attention back to Lyra and Bon Bon’s conversation – the pair continued to amuse her to absolutely no end – she chortled at the thought of Derpy Hooves managing to somehow demolish a public loo – oh the results would be horrifying, but at the same time it would be talked about – and laughed about for years after. She thought of the dingy toilet block over on the south side of the market place, and the more she pictured the calamity, the funnier it became.

[colour=#9B145B] “Yeh know, prhaps setting Derpy Hooves on de toilets over dere wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It ‘ud save de town de trouble of demolishin dem.”[/colour] she said – [colour=#9B145B]"Though I wouldn’t wanna be ‘round whennit happens.”[/colour]

​

[colour=#0000cd]"Ya know, you make it hard to do somepony a favour if you're going to go ahead and conduct fair business like that, Cherry. And I've had my fair share of run-ins with idiots who care more for how something looks than how it gets done- not that you don't look pretty and fit for the role, I mean. No offense,"[/colour]

[colour=#9B145B] “Dat’s me,”[/colour] Cherry replied, [colour=#9b145b]“always conducting business fair as fair. I just wish sometimes that others would do the same for me, ye know? Sometimes life just isn’t very fair I s’pose. Saurry ta hear ‘boutcha dress, Lyra.”[/colour]

​

[colour=#0000cd]"I'm sure you'll get a good gig soon enough. Have you ever tried modeling? Or seeking jobs in Las Pegasus? I heard they're dying for good performers out there."[/colour]

[colour=#9B145B] “Naw, never been to Las Pegasus before, but from what I hear s’a bit big and noisy. I left Manehatten for a reason – I like Ponyville jus’ fine, so I’m sure I just need to start reminding myself that fer now dis is just a hobby, ye know?”[/colour].

Chibsy pulled a wrapper off one of the bon bons in the newly-purchased bag and tasted the sweet treat. She smiled. [colour=#9B145B] “Just what de doctor ordered – thanks! Now did I hear dat Derpy Hooves is on her way back to attempt to fix your cart up? Not for nothin', but I sure don’t wanna be ‘round for long if she’s on her way back.”[/colour] She lifted her amethyst eyes to scan the sky for any telltale signs of Derpy making her return. She wondered if maybe it would be better for her own business to just return home and not bother much with the marketplace for the day. But then she thought about the chores that awaited her at home and decided that this was a risk she was willing to take – it was half of her livelihood, after all.

​

[colour=#b4b4b4]((OOC: Apologies for dialogue inconsistency. Still trying to work out her New York Manehatten accent.[/colour]

[RarityDash]

[colour=#0000CD]"Yeah Lyra, it sucks. But priorities. At least you still get free hoof rubs though, right? And good thing because being a gallant knight defending the utter ruination that's my treat stand would be awfully tiring work. You'd have to deal with Derps at least four times a week, and that's if she's busy as a bee in a tree and needs to go pee,[/colour][colour=#0000CD]speaking of, is there a little filly's room for her to combust somehow? That'd be the only thing that would make this whole mess even worse is by...making the mess worse."[/colour]

[colour=#9B145B]“Yeh know, prhaps setting Derpy Hooves on de toilets over dere wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It ‘ud save de town de trouble of demolishin dem. [/colour][colour=#9B145B]Though I wouldn’t wanna be ‘round whennit happens.”[/colour]

[colour=#339999]"Me neither!"[/colour] [colour=#000000]Lyra attested at the talk of Derpy destroying the nearby restrooms, shaking her head vigorously[/colour]. "[colour=#339999]That sounds like the worst!"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]The unicorn's angry expression turned to a smile as she looked back toward her mare. [/colour][colour=#339999]"Those hoof rubs do sound really nice though!"[/colour] [colour=#000000]she declared with an overstated grin.[/colour]

​

[colour=#9B145B]“[/colour][colour=#9B145B]Sometimes life just isn’t very fair I s’pose. Saurry ta hear ‘boutcha dress, Lyra.”[/colour]

[colour=#339999]"It certainly is sorry to hear!"[/colour] [colour=#000000]Lyra started upon Cherry's comments giving another momentary pout before pepping back up. [/colour][colour=#339999]"But I know Bon Bon will get me it eventually, or one just like it, if I wait!"[/colour] [colour=#000000]she said smiling and giving a fond glance Bon Bon's way.[/colour]

[colour=#339999]"I just hope it isn't too long..."[/colour] [colour=#000000]she said in a quiet voice, glancing at her hooves[/colour].

​

[Derpyy]

((OOC: Here you go Jane.))

Care had already been in Ponyville for a while now. He had a few letters that needed to be delivered and he had already delivered them so how he could pretty much do anything he wanted to do. He always usually finished early anyways. He had a thought about going back to the mail office and asking for a few more letters or packages to deliver. But he didn't feel like doing that today.

The teal coloured pegasus loved Ponyville though. Even though he called Cloudsdale his home he still loved to visit this town. The two towns were close neighbors so there was no hike to it at all. Ponyville had a wide assortment of shops and things he never saw in Cloudsdale. He kind of wanted to see some of these shops.

Care decided to make his way to the marketplace portion of Ponyville. It seemed to be in the center of town which was ideal for towns. He saw a few large buildings standing tall above him. He knew not what was inside them but he wanted to find out.

He then started to see the ponies that had their own stands and were outside selling their goods. He saw a few ponies selling fruits and vegetables a sweets and all sort of things. But one stand caught his attention. It was a sort of broken stand...it had three mares in front of it though. So it must still be in business. He figured that everypony had their own styles for designing their stands so he didn't judge

So he decided to pay the stand a little visit. It seemed busy enough to have three mares in front of it. All three of the mares he had never seen before though. They all had they very diverse cutie marks..even though there were only three of then. So since he didn't know them Care decided to speak to them.

He trotted up next to all of them. [colour=#800000]"Um..is this the line?" [/colour]He gave the three mares a small smile with a few nervous chuckles.

[SteelEagle]

Suddenly, Cherry let loose with a heavy accent. It was pretty good, very natural! That made sense she was a Manehattan native but like any real good actress she made a nice play of not sounding like a Manehattanite in Ponyville much of the time. Once in a while though Bon Bon was sure the facade slipped and she fell back into er old ways, something Bon Bon could appreciate totally. She sometimes found her accent slipping into the Canterlot airdock district that she grew up at, a perplexing and vexing one for anypony else not weened on the sound of departing cargo airships. Cherry had developed a fine sense of accents in her time. Of course nopony was as good as Bonnie in that department.

[colour=#0000cd]"Well, if Derpy comes back I have a plan you two. One that will keep her busy for quite a while!" [/colour]She opined cheerfully, picking up the various bon bon trays and lashing them to her back. As she did so she contemplated the ongoing Lyran Dillema. The key was to subtly crush all hope, then turn around and surprise her with an awesome gift. Short term sadness, but absolutely epic happiness and fun all around for the whole family. But if she was expecting it, looking forward to it, then that little extra bitty piece of joy at the end wouldn't happen and if Bon Bon was anything, she was a mare devoted to happiness. And turning the screws on her fillyfriend for entertainment purposes. Besides, the hoofrub better sound good- she knew SECRET TECHNIQUES from her mum!

[colour=#0000cd]"Well Lyra, business better pick up or I might not have enough bits to pay the rent, let alone feed us or get you a fancy dress,"[/colour] She put a gloomy yet re-assuring hoof on her fillyfriend's shoulder just as Care Package came up, making her point about slow business as best he could. A far looking pegasus pony, Care Package was entirely unknown to her. Judging from his body though, and she was an expert at that too, he seemed a bit light and flighty. A bit much for a pegasus, anyway, like one of the couriers she dealt with. Probably Cloudsdale and darnit, if there was one accent she couldn't get away with imitating it was that one. Stupid Earth Pony non-walking on clouds magic.

[colour=#0000cd]"Well, hello there! I'm Bon Bon and these are the remains of my shop. What can I do you for?"[/colour]

[Jane]

Late or not, Chibsy was determined to make at least some profits out of her afternoon at the marketplace. She also had an inkling that Derpy Hooves would be back sooner rather than later, and she really didn’t want to be around for that – even if Bon Bon did have a plan. So when the confectioner started gathering up her scattered boxes of treats, Chibsy took that as her cue to move along.

It seemed like a rather slow afternoon in the market – she’d probably missed the morning rush and would have to work extra hard to make up for it – even BonBon’s sales seemed to be grinding to a halt. She was about to leave when a young and somewhat awkward Pegasus came to a landing near Bon Bon’s cart and asked about the whereabouts of a line. Silly pony, it was a slow morning. There was no line. Had Chibsy been in Bon Bon’s position, she probably would have scoffed at the foolish colt, but the bright and charismatic replied cheerfully.

Yep, it was business as usual. Cherry Berry put the morning’s audition behind her – maybe next time. Meantime, her jamming business was successful, and she still had her balloon. Overall, she was rather accomplished, and pleased with her life as it was. Waving goodbye to Lyra and Bon Bon, and the brown Pegasus who was, as far as she could tell, contemplating where to wait in line, Chibsy hitched herself up to the cart and moved deeper into the Ponyville markets to set up shop for the remainder of the afternoon.

[exit Cherry Berry]

​

[Derpyy]

[colour=#0000CD]"Well, hello there! I'm Bon Bon and these are the [/colour]remains[colour=#0000CD] of my shop. What can I do you for?"[/colour]

Care gave a friendly smile to Bon Bon. He took a quick glance at the mare that trotted away from the group. Did he say something? Oh well, she was gone now. So Care looked back to Bon Bon. He had to admit...he was a bit curious of why she only had the remains of her shop. Something must have happened. And he really...really wanted to know.

[colour=#800000]"Remains?"[/colour] He gave the stand a quick once over. Broken pieces in place and such. So this wasn't her decorating choice for her stand. [colour=#800000]"Did something happen here?"[/colour] He knew the obvious, "Yes something did happen," was going to come after that question but he still wanted to know what happened. [colour=#800000]"Cause I mean. If it's a bad time, I can..come back later?"[/colour] He always wanted to be friendly to new ponies he met. Since he had never met her before he decided he would need to fit in a late introduction. [colour=#800000]"Oh! Hello Bon Bon! I'm Care Package."[/colour] He gave her a wave of his hoof. He almost said his, "Equestria's best mailpony" line after he said his name. But he didn't. Now, back to that stand. He figured that if something had happened to this mare's stand, she would want some time to fix it..or something.

But then the Bon bons caught Care'e eyes. He focused his eyes on them and being a sucker for sweets instantly fell in love with them. He had no idea if they tasted bad or not. Care took a moment away from staring to glance at Bon Bon. [colour=#800000]"Are those Bon Bons?" [/colour]

Then...it hit him like a ton of bricks. Her name was Bon Bon...so she must sell Bon Bons! Oh the obviousness that Care had missed. He was sure he looked stupid in front of the mares but it was to late to take away questions now.