[Festival Grounds] New to the Spook-Tacular [OPEN]

[CircePonyDemigoddess]

"Well, that should do it!"

Savory Spell had just finished putting the last details on her booth that she had reserved for the Harvest Spook-Tacular this year. A large banner that was enchanted to glow orange and yellow hung over her head on the canopy of her booth. The banner read: Spooky Sweets and Eats. Savory beamed up at it proudly, then turning her gaze to all the Harvest-themed foods she had laid out in front of her. Things like giant candy corn, marshmallow treats shaped like bats and pumpkins, and an abnormally large thermos full of hot chocolate. But while Savory was happy to be providing snacks to everypony like she always did, whether in Ambrosia Winds or not, she was still sort of fuzzy on the whole 'Spook-tacular' concept. For where Savory was raised, they did not celebrate anything like this during the fall. This particular season had always been taken much more seriously, as everyone in her homeland all grew crops and rushed to harvest them before winter made its way towards them. Most of the ponies she had talked to while working in her cafe had told her too many things to comprehend all at once. Costumes, bobbing for apples, hiding muffins in places so that ponies would hunt for them (OOC: Guess who told her that?). It was all just too much for poor Savory to handle, so she just went with what she did best, making delicious food for ponies and stallions alike to enjoy.

"Come one, come all, ponies and gentlecolts of all ages! Savory Spell's Spooky Sweets and Eats is now open for the festival!"

[RarityDash]

Hopesong giggled excitedly as she skipped through the festival grounds. All the lights and colors, sounds and smells that filled the festival were so very strange and wonderful to her. Her and her mother lived a solitary life back in the Roughrider Ridge. Usually, just seeing one new pony was a special treat to the young filly, but now she was surrounded by hundreds of them, all wearing amazing, colorful costumes. It was just so exciting.

The young pegasus filly was wearing a costume herself. She was dressed as a cat, in honor of her beloved pet cat Sable. She had a cute little cat eared headband on her head, and little whiskers on her face, and her tail was tightly bound to mimic Sable's long, straight tail. Her mother had even gotten her special cat like lenses for her eyes.

The real Sable had come too. The black cat was resting on the back of Hopesong's mother, Midnight Brand. The older mare was wearing a costume that was kind of unsettling. She wasn't a monster or anything like that. She was just dressed in a thick all black hooded cloak with a blank white mask covering her face from view. As the mother and daughter walked, Hopesong looked around from stand to stand.

"Are you enjoying yourself, my child?" Midnight asked in a serene voice.

"Yes, mother! Thank you so much for taking me here," Hopesong chimed excitedly as she stared at some other fillies playing a festival game. "It's great!"

"I'm pleased that you like it," Midnight said softly. "It's uncommon I hear of events like this, where it will be for fun for you and I can go unnoticed."

Hopesong just giggled. "Let's try and come again, whenever we can then!"

"Yes," said Midnight. It was about that time that Hopesong caught the delicious aroma of hot chocolate. her eyes pinpointed a nearby sweet stand. Her mother watched her. "Are you hungry, Hopesong?" she asked.

Hopesong just nodded as she stared ahead hungrily at the sweets on display. Midnight approached the stand readily and her child followed. Hopesong smiled at the light blue unicorn mare with a mane like the ocean who stood at the stand.

"Hello there," Midnight said in a quiet voice. "May I have the sweetest, tastiest confection you have to offer for my daughter here?" The older mare gave a rare laugh. "And perhaps something less sweet for myself?"

[CircePonyDemigoddess]

As Savory waited patiently for business to pick up, she noticed all the amazing costumes everypony were wearing and smiled openly at the particular outfit that she had chosen, much to certain ponies' amusement. Point for point, she was masquerading as Princess Celestia, a pair of faux, feathered white wings strapped tightly to her midsection and her normally black mane now a dazzling palate of glittering pastel colors, minus the ability to flow in midair. It was quite the challenge to dye her coat the luminescent white Celestia's coat possessed, seeing as how anything but cooking was not Savory's strong suit. If somepony didn't know any better, they'd swear that the true princess was now watching over Savory's assortment of sweets. Savory giggled at this thought and then spotted a pair of pegasus ponies out of the corner of her violet eye heading towards her booth. One was a young filly with quite the detailed cat costume, while the other was an older-looking mare with a black cloak slung over her form and a white mask covering her face. On her back sat a black cat who seemed to be the model for the younger pony's costume, with a nonchalant look on its furred face.

"Hello there," the older pegasus said softly.

"Greetings, ma'am. Welcome to my booth," Savory replied, bowing her head. She had practiced her Celestia voice for several days now, and hearing it untested for the first time, she was pleased with how well she matched the caring tone.

"May I have the sweetest, tastiest confection you have to offer for my daughter here?" the mare continued, letting out a small laugh. "And perhaps something less sweet for myself?"

"Certainly. Hmm...the sweetest one..." Savory thought, passing her vision over the tabletop littered with treats. "Ah, then your little one will love this giant candy corn." Lowering her head slightly, Savory's currently white horn glowed with its familiar teal hue, levitating the sweet in question and placing it in a plain paper bag. "As for yours...I'd say a nice, tart caramel apple is right up your alley." Gathering a wrapped green, caramel-coated apple and placing it in the bag, Savory spoke once more. "That will be 8 bits, please. And here...is a free cup of hot chocolate for each of you. I add a little dash of peppermint to help soothe the senses as well as warm you up." she finished, smiling. Carefully securing a lid onto each cup, Savory set them in a tiny drink carrier and placed it snugly inside a sturdier, plastic bag along with two small straws. "I do hope you enjoy everything."

[RarityDash]

"Ah, I must thank you," said Midnight, taking the food and drink. She handed it all too Hopesong. She then rummaged in her cloak for the bits to pay the pony. While she did this, the eager pegasus filly retrieved her candy corn from the bag and took a bite of the sweet confection.

"Oh, wow, this is really good!" Hopesong excitedly chimed while smiling. "Did you make this yourself, Miss?" she asked while looking at Savory.

Before the other had time to answer, Hopesong then retrieved her hot chocolate and took a sip of that as well. This made her even more excited. "This is also delicious!"

Midnight just smiled fondly at her daughter's excitement. She then bit into her caramel apple. It was still a little sweet for her tastes, but it really wasn't so bad. The tart edge was just enough to give it some appeal.

[CircePonyDemigoddess]

Savory watched Hopesong dig her snout into the paper bag and pull out the candy corn while her mother searched for her payment. After taking a bite, Hopesong's eyes lit up and a wide smile spread across her face.

"Oh, wow, this is really good! Did you make this yourself, Miss?"

Still staying in character, Savory spoke in her Celestia voice, "Why, yes I did, little one-" She said, cutting off when she saw that Hopesong was already drinking her hot chocolate.

"This is also delicious!"

Savory giggled at the young pegasus' reaction and took the money from Midnight. "Thank you for your business, and have a very happy Harvest," she grinned, nodding her head.

[RarityDash]

"No, thank you for these wonderful treats," Midnight said to the other mare, though she was looking at Hopesong's smile as she ate the confection. That was worth any price.

The mare looked around the festival for a moment, wondering where she should take Hopesong next. She supposed they could just continue wandering aimlessly, but perhaps it was better to establish a plan.

"This is our first time at this festival," Midnight said looking back to Savory, wondering if the unicorn might know something about the festival she was working at. "If you don't mind me asking, what attractions might you recommend we check out?"

[CircePonyDemigoddess]

"No, thank you for these wonderful treats," the pegasus mare said, looking around for something. "This is our first time at this festival," she went on, turning back to Savory. "If you don't mind me asking, what attractions might you recommend we check out?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am. It's my first year as well, so I don't know much about the festival either." Savory replied, an apologetic look on her face. "I have heard that a lot of ponies are going into the corn maze right about now, so that might be something fun you and your daughter could do." Thinking for a moment, Savory's eyes lit up and she spoke again.

"I also understand you might be worried that you two could get separated, so I have an idea." With a bright blue glow around her horn, Savory appeared matching blue bands, which clasped onto the pegasi's front legs.

"There. Now if you do get separated, these magic bands will send out a visible signal that will show you which way to go to find each other again." Savory continued, smiling. "If you choose not to do the maze just yet, the spell will stay active for about two hours, so feel free to enjoy the other activities."

[RarityDash]

"Oh, thank you kindly, miss," said Midnight, impressed by the idea for the unicorn's spell. "We'll be sure to check out this maze then."

She looked over at Hopesong, who was still enjoying her snack. She smiled.

"I suppose we'll head over there after we're done with our snack," she decided, taking another bite from her caramel apple.

Noticing there were no other customers around that demanded Savory's attention, Midnight decided it was probably best to continue the conversation.

"You said its your first time here. Where are you from then? Somewhere far away, perhaps?" Midnight asked as she found her hot chocolate and took a sip.

[CircePonyDemigoddess]

Midnight thanked Savory for the spell and mentioned going to the corn maze after she and her daughter finished their snacks.

"You said it's your first time here. Where are you from then? Somewhere far away, perhaps?" she asked. striking up a conversation.

"Yes," Savory replied, smiling. "I'm from a little island in the Marediterranean Sea. Forgive me if I don't give the name away, but our land doesn't like to get much attention."

[RarityDash]

The Marediterranean Sea? That really was far off. Midnight had travelled throughout Greater Equestria both during her time in service and her travels since, and even she had never made it out that way. This mare really was far from home. Midnight had to say she was a little curious.

"I understand that sentiment," Midnight said quietly. "I rather dislike attracting attention myself."

Midnight wasn't quite sure what to say after that. She wasn't one to pry and she definitely wasn't going to turn the conversation anymore onto the subject of herself. Luckily, it was then that Hopesong lifted her head from her hot chocolate and took over..

"So how did you make this stuff?" the filly asked, taking another bite of her treat. "I kind of like cooking... and especially when its something so tasty and sweet."

[CircePonyDemigoddess]

"I understand that sentiment," Midnight replied. "I rather dislike attracting attention myself."

The older mare seemed to struggle with finding something else to say when Hopesong made her way over and continued the conversation.

"So how did you make this stuff?" she asked, still munching on her candy corn. "I kind of like cooking...and especially when it's something so tasty and sweet."

"Well, since I'm kind of fuzzy on how to make proper candies like the Cakes', that candy corn is actually a cake. The very tip of it you're eating is solid chocolate, and the part that looks like candy corn is fondant, which is something you can cover a cake with instead of icing. The cake part is in the middle, and it's carrot cake," Savory answered, happy that Hopesong was so curious about cooking.

[RarityDash]

Hopesong looked at the candy corn again and took a bite from the other end. She smiled brightly.

"Ah, you're right. It is a cake! That's awesome," she said. "I love baking cakes! But I've never been able to make anything this amazing!"

Midnight smiled at her daughter. She really didn't care for sweets, but she always delighted in trying the cakes Hopesong made.

"It's always good to see Hopesong so happy," said Midnight. "I know you said you're from distant lands, but where is your shop located, Miss? One of the towns nearby, perhaps? It would be good to know where I might be able to purchase treats like this for Hopesong on my travels."

[CircePonyDemigoddess]

Savory watched Hopesong bite into the opposite side of her candy corn and discover the cake hidden inside.

"Ah, you're right, it is a cake! That's awesome," she chimed. "I love baking cakes! But I've never been able to make anything this amazing!"

Savory blushed lightly and smiled. "That's very sweet of you to say, thank you. And I'm sure you'll be able to make cakes like this before too long. I mean, I started baking when I was a filly, but I didn't get the hang of it until I was a good deal older."

"It's always good to see Hopesong so happy," Midnight cut in, smiling at her daughter. "I know you said you're from distant lands, but where is your shop located, Miss? One of the towns nearby, perhaps? It would be good to know where I might be able to purchase treats like this for Hopesong on my travels."

"Actually, my shop is right in the middle of Ponyville square. It's called Ambrosia Winds, and there's also Sugarcube Corner, if you want something more along the lines of sweets." Savory replied. The Cakes and Pinkie Pie would surely be happy to receive another customer as much as she was.

[RarityDash]

Ponyville. That was Wind Chaser's home town. Midnight usually avoided it for fear of the memories of him. It's proximity to the Everfree forest made it convenient to Midnight's home in the Roughrider Ridge on the other side, but Midnight rarely took advantage of that. For Hopesong, Midnight might have to make some exceptions in the future though.

"Ponyville isn't a place I go to often... but I'll try to visit," said Midnight in a somewhat solemn voice.

Midnight looked over at her child. She stared at the filly's wings, the wings Midnight herself lacked. Hopesong should probably see Ponyville someday. It was only right. He would want it that way.

"Both of us might even show up someday soon..." Midnight said, her expression, evening out.

[CircePonyDemigoddess]

"Ponyville isn't a place I go to often...but I'll try to visit," Midnight said sadly.

Savory's smile faded as she looked at Midnight, concerned. "Oh, well, if it's an inconvenience for you, it's not a problem if you can't make it right away."

"Both of us might even show up someday soon..." The older mare added.

"I'd like that," Savory said, her smile returning. "I'll make sure to prepare a special dish just for you when you do decide to drop by. Until then, take care, ma'am. You too, Hopesong!"

[RarityDash]

Hopesong finished her cake and then downed the rest of her hot chocolate.

"Thanks a lot, Miss," the filly said cheerfully, satisfied by her treat. "If we do ever visit, maybe you can even give me some cooking tips."

Midnight took a few more bites of her candy apple and nodded to the mare. "Yes, thank you for everything. We'll make sure to try and stop by some time."

"Come now, Hopesong, let's go check out this maze," Midnight said, nodding to her child.

"Sounds great," the filly replied. Hopesong then turned to Savory one more time and waved her hoof. "Bye! Thanks again for the cake!"

Then the two of them began to walk away.

[CircePonyDemigoddess]

"Thanks a lot, miss," Hopesong said, after finishing her cake. "If we do ever visit, maybe you can even give me some cooking tips."

"Yes, thank you for everything. We'll make sure to try and stop by some time," Midnight said, nodding toward Savory. "Come now, Hopesong, let's go check out this maze."

"Sounds great," Hopesong replied. Waving her hoof toward Savory, she called, "Bye! Thanks again for the cake!"

"You're welcome, Hopesong! Goodbye!" Savory said, waving back at the filly.