1) Depending on the grade it can be hard to tell sometimes what subject the concept is being dragged into. Kindergartner social studies is a mess. And yeah, considering my cutie mark I’ve spent most of my life watching others excel when I couldn’t. You’d think I’d be used to it by now.

2) Well heck, I still hate reading books. I wanted to do it, and once I got there it really wasn’t all that. But that doesn’t mean I don’t read. I read all day! But most of what I read concerns my personal interests. Dialogs, interactions- sociology. It’s not so much the books that are important, just the action of reading and any road that leads to it.

3) Lyra: I am not Bubble Mare.

Bon-Bon: Quiet down, Sickly Sue. The adults are talking.

Lyra: I’m barely even sick anymore!

Bon-Bon: I haven’t read Harry Potter, but I understand the concept. As for the book I was reading, they tried to pull this “Oh! It was all right there from the start!” kind of thing. Only none of it was ever mentioned! It was all there in the world, I guess, but there’s no way the reader would know about it! So while the characters were like “How could we have not seen this coming?!” I’m sitting there going “How could I have possibly seen this coming?! This is all out of left field!”

Lyra: So five-out-of-five?

Bon-Bon: Morbid curiosity wasn’t enough to get me to finish reading that wreckage.

1) Bon-Bon: Aw. You’re just the sweetest thing! I’m waiting for my favorite author to release another novel, so for now I’m reading a book called The Third Eye Alumni. Its draw seems to be that the story is told through the villains’ perspective, which are a group of psychics that use their powers to predict and manipulate events. It sounds smart, but its execution is pretty stupid. I might not finish it.

2) I try to. I don’t always remember though. Back in R/B/Y I had to go all the way back through the Unknown Dungeon because of that.

3) B: If you think one of the most well-trained guards in Equ-

Ex. Ex-Guard.

B: … One of the formerly most well-trained guards in Equestria can be coerced into revealing information against his will, then you’re not qualified to operate a push mower.

4) Oh, well I’m glad you’re not upset! I just wanted to make sure you knew for the future.

1) Oh no! I don’t think you had to do that! Unless they removed the function in X and Y, any legendary you beat on accident will respawn after you defeat the Elite Four and Champion again!

I’m so sorry! I’d have told you if I knew you had a problem!

2) B: I didn’t say the talent got little attention, I said the mark did. You might not understand the meaning behind the mark. You’re looking for a picture.

B: And… I don’t know if I will or not. I shouldn’t, but I might.

3) I don’t know! I’d like to hope we’d have a library somewhere in town. But for all we know Prin… Twilight might convert part of her castle into a public library. I could see her doing that.

4) B: And you would spread unrest under covert military conditions where every minor outburst must be treated as though an insurmountable front could result from inaction.

5) Lyra: Sure! I’ll try to get a picture later of him. All the ones we have are pretty old.

Bon-Bon: Oh, I’ll live. But hey! Thanks for thinking of me! And the store is fine. Just in that gentle lull between major sale periods. Gives me more time to read.

1) And SoB stands for ’Son of Bubbie’. It’s the same thing, really.

2) If I remember right, somepony did a really cool gift art for me, and I was all “Oh my Cels! Thanks! This is great! Thank you so much” or some such chain of gratitude. And then the next time I got something I thought to myself, “Shouldn’t I thank this person too? Wouldn’t that be rude not too?”

3) Lyra: What? No! Why would you say that? I’m not a creep! I’m not a weirdo! What the [omitted] am I doing here?! I don’t belong here!

Bon-Bon: Stop yelling! I’m trying to sleep!

Lyra: S-sorry…

4) Yes, controls. I don’t care if your sluggish, unintuitive controls were intended by design. I don’t like them.

1) Uh… Okay? Not that I talk to York too much these days, but he’s never mentioned you before. Then again, most of his conversations involve movies I’ve never heard of or actors I don’t recognize by name.

2) I know what they were thinking. “Children will have a harder time breaking this and it’ll be cheaper for parents to buy.”

No PokeCenter wasn’t so bad. Mostly you just have to watch your PP levels, strike super-effectively for efficiency, and replace moves accordingly. At least until you get your first Leppa Berry. Granted, that’s quite a while, but there are a few points in the game where your Pokemon are auto-healed.

3) Bon-Bon: Oh my gosh! That’s exactly what she does!

Lyra: Sh-shut up!

4) Spike, you know I’m usually the first to come to your defense. But that was not alright.

Lyra: Oh Spike… Why couldn’t you just walk away…? Why couldn’t you just stop?

Bon-Bon: I was offended. I’m not from Cloudsdale and I was offended!

1) Aw. I was hoping you’d be here.

Opening ceremony was pretty cool. I’d never been to the games before. Also, they had Spike from Ponyville light the torch! Which must have been a last minute addition, because it wasn’t in the program.

2) Lyra: Phone filter? Magic fight competitions? Always looking for excitement, eh?

B: I’d keep it down about magic duels. Not the sort of conduct government employees are expected to be involved in. Just my two bits.

3) Bon-Bon: I would say that Lyra is very much a nerd, but not a dork. She’s too socially-oriented to be a dork. She gets excited about the silliest things, though. Like-

Lyra: That’s enough out of you.

4) Yeah… If I’m not doing well then I’m not having fun. I hate games that just kick my butt even when I know what I’m doing.

1) Ew. 2DS. If it can’t fold closed, what’s the point? The screens, or screen covers, are just going to get all scratched up so you can’t see anything.

But when I played through the second time, I sort of set up a challenge. No PokeCenter and no EXP. Share. Early off it was tough because of the lack of revives/PP restoration, and later on enemies were really strong. Every single Pokemon used against me by the Elite Four/Champion were all higher leveled than mine. It was a much more interesting journey!

2) I didn’t know that, no! That’s so sad!

But, wait. You are going to the Equestria Games this week, right? I mean, with the opening ceremony tomorrow, Ponyville has to practically be a ghost town by now! Although, I don’t know if that would make investigating harder or easier.

3) Well look what the cat dragged in! How’s it going, Strawberry?

4) Lyra: Actually, most of the jobs I’m applying for are in data entry. If there’s one thing I can do, it’s type.

Bon-Bon: Sure, I sing a little. I mean, it’s the middle of the night and we’re on a train, so I’m not going to sing right now. But you get the idea.

1) Not that I tried, but it was pretty solid. And yes, gold in food sounds… very weird. I haven’t done any boxing training in a while. Not since Sweetie Belle went home. And no, nothing. I keep putting in applications but not hearing anything back.

2) Yes. Yes you would. At any available moment. You’re almost as bad as Bon-Bon.

3) Are you kidding?! The streets were turned to heat-reflecting gold and half the buildings were transformed into gem stones! And it seemed to just happen out of no where! It was horrible!

It took a mandatory curfew and three princess two hours to reverse it all! The gold streets were too hot to even walk on!

4) Lyra: I don’t jam so well. I need sheet music and practice to perform. But thank you!

Bon-Bon: Sorry. I don’t drink.

5) Well, while an absolutely terrible pavement, gold does have it’s uses.

1) Bon-Bon: Uh… No. I don’t care. I mean, it doesn’t mean anything to-

Lyra: Oh my gosh yes! Where are your cups?! I checked like every cabinet! What? There?! Why?! Why would you put them there?! That’s stupid! Next you’re going to tell me you put your bowls in an upper cabinet too! You do?! AGH!

2) My vocal range is somewhere between nails on a chalkboard and the sound of a toilet flushing. Very technical, I know.

If I could sing, my comfort zone would probably fall somewhere between Tricia Brock of former Superchick and Lacey Strum of former Flyleaf.

Example A: Stand in the Rain
Example B: So I Thought

And of course I mean singing the instruments! I do it alone all the time, just usually have sense enough to not do it in public.

3) Um… No? That wouldn’t make any sense. There are a few, sure. But pursuers of feminism are activists. As in, you have to actively be doing something toward the cause.

4) Well, I’m terrible at regular fighting games. But I was halfway decent at Smash. So yeah, I got kinda into it and forgot that the point was to have fun.

1) Lyra: Knock-knock.

Bon-Bon: Who’s there?

Lyra: Something funny.

Bon-Bon: Must not be a knock-knock joke then!

[Ba-Dum Tsh]

2) I wish I could believe this, my twenty-two thousand three-hundred thirty-forth AOL-inspired clone. I could use some relaxing morning-time jams.

3) Sure, but that’s just for entering a country, right? Entering and exiting are two very different things.

4) Uh… There’s some posts I’ve made while drunk. They’re not so great… I’m cutting back. It’s an expensive habit anyway.

At my best while drunk, I’ll usually try singing something outside my effective vocal range (which isn’t great to begin with), complete with instruments. Sometimes forgetting to even sing the lyrics because of doing the instruments.

At my worst? Well, imagine a drunk pony struggling to remember the lyrics to a song that’s entirely too confusing to be attempting while smashed. While all the above is still in effect. I can usually nail the chorus, though.

1) It can pretty much be summed up as-

Which I’m allowed to joke about, because I used to be one of those no items/Final Destination pricks. And without even knowing it was a thing!

2) Lyra: Uh…

Bon-Bon: To be clear, you’re the one wearing the suit, right?

3) I’m sure you realize I’m not eating any of that. But I’ll at least take a look at the book.

4) I… I don’t understand. There are places in your world that… don’t?

That doesn’t… That’s like foalnapping an entire country. How can you stop somepony from leaving?

That’s… That’s horrible…

1) Thanks! And hold on, let me dust this answer off.

Poof. There you go! In all its terribly drawn majesty!

And as always, favorite song post! Come on everypony; sing along! You know this one!

Just a small town gi~rl! Liven in a lo~nely wo~rld! She took the midnight train goin’ a~ny~whe~re!

2) Bon-Bon: Seems like a semi-popular subject to explore. This one caught my interest because it takes more of a cultural look at the experience. It’s told by several ponies from what they know about title character. I’m a little ways in and we still haven’t heard from anypony that’s actually seen it.

3) Well… If I was told this is where I’d be five years ago I could have believed it. But to just think it up myself? No.

4) Nope.

5) I love hugs! Everypony knows that!

6) Sadly, Bon-Bon seems to be the more adventure equip of us two. Sorry. But you’ve been doing pretty well with rocks. Maybe you can make a helmet out of rocks!

1) I haven’t. In fact, I never have. Not even back in Red/Blue/Yellow. Catching all of the Pokemon has never really interested me that much. But with the addition of critical captures, I’m enjoying a few easy catches since I have so many already. Gives more incentive to catch instead of defeat in order to raise the odds.

2) I know, but it was so well received! I just kept making calls and scheduling appointments. And everypony was so receptive!

3) Haha. Turns out Bbz was talking about something else. But I’m glad you remember! And I saw you followed it too!

There’s a number of concepts in place to try and balance the various methods of combat. Since I’ll need to make a post about it eventually, the short version is that while magic, by design, has the widest range of effects possible, each individual spell has to have additional points applied to it (after unlocking) to make it stronger (which in turn increases its cost, if you want to use the stronger version). So you can either have a bunch of different spells, or have a much smaller pool of spells that you’re actually good at.

On the other hoof, while there are much fewer individual physical attacks, while applying points to make them stronger too, you can also augment them to have additional effects that you can turn on or off depending on how much stamina you use. So, in addition to the armor insert effect applied to all of your physical attacks, you can add a knockback, add additional intimation damage, turn it into a multi-hit cleave, or all three at once if the situation calls.

4) Bon-Bon: Well, I could certainly put the attention to better use. I run a business, after all.

Lyra: But no. Fewer bizarre messages. Fewer messages period, really.

Bon-Bon: I haven’t really been paying attention to movies. I have a bunch of books I’ve been collecting during the busy season. Finally getting around to reading them! Reading one right now about a pony that was raised by timberwolves.

1) Bon-Bon: And if I was, I bet Lyra would still find a way to make it about her. If I was- uh-

Lyra: Optimus Prime.

Bon-Bon: Yeah! Optimus Prime! Then she’d be-

Lyra: A [omitted].

Bon-Bon: A dou-…

Lyra: Oh sorry, Shia LaBeouf.

2) Oh my gosh! How do you even remember that?! I haven’t mentioned that on here in like a year! Still working it on, by the way! Not terribly fast, but it’s goin’!

3) Double oh my gosh! Somepony mentioning something sort-of major that happened recently! I got paid for judging on that panel, you know.