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[Shop] The Missing Key (CLOSED)


Lucky Breeze

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Blueblaze took his time, slowly pacing backstage. It wasn't like him to be nervous, but today, he was planning on trying something different- singing. He just wasn't sure if he could pull it off. Maybe I'll wait until next time... he thought. But I said that last time, and the time before that too. Blueblaze let out a sigh, and then quickly recovered himself and stomped his hooves to the ground. They'll love me no matter what. I don't know why I'm so worried. With all the courage he could muster, the colt approached the stage, and as he did, he saw the band he was supposed to open for- an hour ago.

He walked towards them with his head held high, although he was truly terrified. "You must be the Savage, uh... well, whoever you are, I'm the pianist that was supposed to open for you. Sorry I'm so late," he said. "They... probably didn't even tell you that did they? Figures. I'll just uh... get ready." Blueblaze neared the curtain and then stopped. "Oh, forget it. It looks like you ponies have everything under control. I'll just be on my way..."

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Blueblaze couldn't help but raise a brow at the mare's behavior. Sure, he was attracted to the ladies as much as any other colt, but this one was just... weird. Still, he couldn't blame her. He was after all quite dashing. When she offered him a spot on stage, Blueblaze shook his head. "No can do; sorry, but I don't play well with others. It's just not my style," he replied. At first, he began to walk away, but before he could turn his back completely on the band, he thought about it for a moment. Of course, it would help his nerves... Blueblaze turned to face the band, in particular, the drummer who had asked him to stay. "Okay, I'll play. But you have to give me a piano solo," he demanded. It was, after all, the attention that was his true passion, even if Blueblaze seemed to believe otherwise.

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As Djemba motioned towards the pianos, Blueblaze immediately walked up to the electric piano, the one whose sound would most likely match that of his usual piano. Blueblaze hit one note, and winced. It definitely wasn't the sound he was used to. As Blueblaze started to play though, he grew used to the tone. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. He knew immediately that this was the keyboard he'd be playing; the rest of them didn't quite match his style. After all, he was only used to playing classical music for those fancy ponies in Canterlot. This would be quite the change for him. But, of course, Blueblaze didn't mind.

Blueblaze turned to face the drummer of this band. He didn't even realize at first how pretty he was, as he was so preoccupied with his performance. But now that he looked at her, she was indeed quite pretty. She's pretty alright... pretty weird. Blueblaze had to stop himself from laughing. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. I figure I should at least know who I'm playing with," he said. Blue tried not to smile, but he couldn't help it. Strange as she was, Blueblaze couldn't resist her charm.

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"Charmed," Blueblaze replied. Djemba. She even had a weird name! This Ponyville place is just so... off, Blueblaze thought to himself. But never mind that; I have a gig to play! He was indeed excited, but very nervous. As soon as the lights began to glow, Blue knew that this would be quite a departure from the performances he was used to- clubs with a small audience, and a very relaxed atmosphere. It was very classy; the Savage Stallions were anything but. They certainly had an interesting look, and the way they held their instruments, Blueblaze could tell they were all about stage presence.

As the band began to play, so did Blueblaze. The faster tempo was certainly a change of pace, but the pegasus caught up quickly. He started with a simple rythym, but threw in a few notes later in the song. It was a lot to get used to, and his nerves didn't help. Blueblaze was definitely looking forward to his piano solo, but he wanted to play a few more songs before then. The colt felt the eyes of many upon him; he could barely make out someone in the audience saying "What's with the new guy?"

But he paid them no mind. In fact, Blueblaze began to realize how fun it was to play with the band. The attention didn't matter so much anymore... and the music was enjoyable. The colt could even feel his hooves tapping to the beat, and his body swaying back and forth. He was smiling. This is... quite fun, he thought. He still enjoyed his solo performance more, however. Besides, he didn't want to take... Moogsy was it? Whoever it was, he didn't want to take the pony's place. The band was made of its members; Blue didn't want to ruin that for them. But this sure is exciting... Blueblaze thought.

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All of a sudden, the fear was very real for Blueblaze. Sure, he loved attention, but with the lights, the audience, and the band upon him all at once- he froze. Luckily, he regained his composure really quickly. He wasn't much for conversation in situations such as these; he talked very little during his performances, and in a hushed voice. This was much different. "I'm... Blueblaze," he announced, mumbling, but still understandable. He cleared his throat, and tried to ignore the obnoxiously loud pounding in his head. "I'm sitting in for Moogsy tonight," he said, this time more audible. "If you don't mind, I'd like to play you a little solo, in the style of this little thing you ponies call... rock-n-roll."

And so he began to play, at a slower tempo than the previous song. He progressed through the solo flawlessly, but it needed something more, Blueblaze thought. That's when he remembered his plan- to sing. But he didn't want to ruin what would have been a perfect song anyways. Still... Blueblaze opened his muzzle and neared his head towards the microphone. He tried to sing, but no words came out. And in that moment, Blueblaze missed one note, and lost his concentration. The stage fell silent, and Blue was frozen solid, terrified of what had happened. He almost didn't want to start back up... but he did. Although this time, scared of what might come of trying something new, Blueblaze reverted to his classical music roots, and began to play a creation of his.

After Blueblaze had finished, he just sat there, his head pounding even harder than before. He blew it, and for Blueblaze, it wasn't the first time. But for some reason, he stayed on stage. It was almost as if... he felt he was to blame for the mishap. And he was, but this was a rare occassion for Blue- he knew he messed up, he alone. He immediately turned to Djemba for support. In that moment he realized that he hadn't just messed up for himself, but for the band as well. "I'm... sorry..." was all he could manage to say. On the brink of tears, Blueblaze lowered his head in shame. He felt as if he would never forgive himself for what he had done- not just to himself, but to the ponies that depended on him.

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Blueblaze was all of a sudden overwhelmed with the crowd's cheering. His head began to grow clearer. He shuffled his shaking hooves across the stage, and turned towards the band; they were cheering as well. He grinned at them, especially Djemba- a smile of pure happiness. He turned towards the crowd, realizing that this was his moment. He took a bow, and then immediately retreated behind the piano. He was ready to play once more.

What Blueblaze thought was a royal screw up had actually not turned out so bad after all. He was still sweating, and his heart was thumping as fast as it could, but Blue was in such a rush that he immediately began to play again. He tried to blend his style as best he could with the style of the band. Blueblaze motioned towards them to begin playing; he wasn't used to 'jamming' as they called it, but the colt handled himself pretty well.

But something didn't feel quite right… It almost felt to Blue that he was leading a band that he didn't belong to. It was never his intention to take Moogsy's place, or to entirely steal the spotlight for that matter. The Pegasus tried to push it to the back of his mind for the time being; he had a show to play. And for once, Blueblaze focused on the music, on playing the best he could, more than the reactions from the crowd.

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As Blueblaze walked off stage, he couldn't resist bowing once more. A smile beamed across his entire face; it wasn't often that he showed his emotions to others. After all… he didn't have any friends who cared. It was a pattern, it seemed; Blueblaze lost a friend with every mistake he made. That day, he thought he had made the biggest one of all. But with the support from the audience and his companions on stage, Blueblaze had finally realized what he had been missing out on.

Djemba… he understood it now. He understood why he found her to be so, well, odd. She was the only pony who had ever put her faith in him, and that was special to Blueblaze. She had taken an interest in him as soon as she saw him. Okay, sure, it was based on looks, but Blue could tell- he could just tell there was something special about her. And he was right; when everypony else ran from him, she stood by his side. And that's what made him smile.

Blueblaze chuckled at Djemba's request. He shuffled a hoof across the ground nervously; it wasn't like him to be bashful. 'Thanks, Djemba, and uhm… Well, you see…' he began. The colt sighed, and the smile on his face faded. 'Djemba, I…' he began again. He couldn't finish his thought, he just couldn't. It would be too disappointing to her. But he said it anyway. 'I don't… I don't do friendship.'

Blueblaze looked at the mare. There it was again- that something special in her eyes. The smile once again reappeared on Blue's face. 'That being said… I think I can make an exception.' He immediately threw a hoof over her shoulder and brought her in for a hug. How wonderful it felt to have a friend once again... 'I would love to play with you ponies again sometime. And I'd love to meet Moogsy; after all, I gotta see who my competition is,' Blueblaze said with a laugh.

'Oh, Djemba? I usually go to a local club for some apple cider after my gigs. You're… welcome to come if you'd like. Aeolin and Contra are invited too of course. It's my treat… I can't thank you enough for the courage you gave me today.' Blueblaze stood by the mare's side, and smiled back with the same goofy grin.

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Blueblaze laughed along with Djemba. It had been a long time since he had this much fun, and a long time since he had truly felt the music. Rock-n-roll was certainly very exhilarating, even though he still perferred his classical roots. There was such a vast distance between the two genres, but for some reason, he wished he could be in both worlds at the same time.

"I don't exactly know where I'm going..." Blueblaze admitted. "I passed a place on my way here; Apple... somethingorother. Oh well, I'm sure we'll find it. And even if we don't, I wouldn't mind getting lost," he said with a grin. Blue began to walk, and kept pace beside Djemba. The nighttime air was warm and crisp, perfect for a stroll through Ponyville. Blueblaze barely recognized the place; after all, he didn't pay much attention to his surroundings, since he was so preoccupied with his performance. But after he payed attention, he realized what he had been missing out on. It certainly was a beautiful town. I might even stay the night, Blue thought. He was planning on returning home to Canterlot at the end of his perfomance, but he did want to see Ponyville during the daytime. And besides, he had a friend to explore it with. What could be better?

"Ah, there it is. Applebark! Now how could I have forgotten that..." Blueblaze said as he spotted the club in the distance. He led the way inside, and trotted up to the bar. He waited for the other band members to seat themselves before he did; just because he was anti-social didn't mean he lacked manners.

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Skye looked cautiously into the window of Applebark. He didn't often come to Ponyville except for rare occasions, such as for a particularily strong smell of something delicious. Or like tonight, where he'd just happened to catch some music from a nearby establishment, which was like food to the ears. He'd also wanted to try seeing if he could shine more than just a couple of ponies in a group setting, even though the thought of it made him nervous to even try. It was unlikely any of them would do anything, but still, that many ponies in any given place tended to make him claustrophobic. And besides, it wasn't as if he had to go anyway. But the learning experience could be useful.

His antlers glowed softly for a moment before he clothed himself in his chosen disguise. A smaller, unassuming stallion about his actual height took his place, cerulean blue pelt and a darker blue mane and tail. With nopony around, it was easy to do, he could even check himself in a reflective surface to make sure he had it right, but the real test would come when ponies tried to look at him. If he'd done it right, their eyes would just slide past him and register him as just another pony. Though he was sans cutie mark, he hoped none would focus on him long enough to catch the missing detail.

Satisfied with his appearance, he took a deep breath, and carefully followed the last couple through the doors. A pink pegasus pony with a snare drum on her flanks, and...another blue pegasus with a music note on his. Skye wondered, perhaps tonight was some kind of festival or something. In which case, maybe he'd made a mistake, he should have come at a different time. With this many ponies about, he was sure to be noticed. As he entered the club, he was relieved, the population seemed much lower than expected. A light headache began to develop between his eyes, and he realized that he probably didn't want to stay too long regardless. He stood just inside the door, looking about for his next move, and registered the bar.

"They'll probably wonder why somepony came in and never ordered a drink. That might be a bit much. I should have thought further ahead." After waiting for a moment for a better opportunity, he eased over towards a darkened booth and took a seat. The peryton hoped that at the very least, this would give him the opportunity to only have to focus on one serving pony if there was one, rather than the entire room.

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The blue pony jumped as Djemba approached his table, and his outline seemed to waver for a moment. But that could have been due to a trick of the light, it was somewhat dark and the lighting inconsistent here. Whatever it was in her eyes, seemed to flicker only at the edge of her perception as he very solidly gazed up at her. "Oh, uh, hi there." he seemed rather taken aback by her upfrontness, almost as if he was constantly on the virge of saying something but never quite doing so. "New? You could say so, pretty new, yes." he spoke slowly, and deliberately, as if he were searching for exactly the right words. But his accent was local, and suggested he knew exactly what to say, almost more as if he were concentrating on his speaking.

Unfortunately, the closer Djemba got to him, the more he seemed to focus on her. This was a disaster! He didn't mean to attract anypony's attention, and apparently his experiment failed. But now, how was he going to get out of here without causing a scene? Maybe he could gently discourage...no, that wouldn't work, that'd just draw the attention of all the other ponies in the vincinity as he scrabbled for freedom and he didn't want that either. His ears flattened, then perked up again. "Djemba? I'm Skye. Uhm, pleased to meet you?" he said uncertainly, his eyes darting about the room. "Not disturbing me, but I'm..." he broke off, a bead of sweat forming at his forehead. "I'm not used to company."

Any other pony looking in their direction might be lucky enough to catch that his colors seemed much more faded and muted than they were when he came in, which could be written off to the dim light. As he concentrated harder, trying to spread the effect, the headache began to grow worse. He may as well been trying to move a grain of sand as a boulder with the power of willpower alone, and he couldn't keep this up for long without exhausting himself, he had to get out of here and quickly. Though he thought she was cute, he maybe should have tried in a less public venue. Smart thinking on his part, choosing this one! If only he'd planned further ahead for what would happen if he'd been noticed. But...well, he hadn't exactly been noticed, not as he had thought he might. If he could only keep this up for a little while longer...

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Blueblaze ordered ciders for the band members as Djemba retreated to talk to a pony that just walked in. As he received his drink, the colt sipped it quietly. It was awkard for Blue with just Aeolian and Contra; from what he had seen, Djemba seemed to be the glue that held the band together. He didn't know any of them well at all, but he did feel a certain connection the pegasus drummer. Maybe Djemba was his type? My type? But that would imply we're... Blueblaze shook his head to clear the thought, but a smile remained on his face.

The colt turned to see what Djemba had been up to. His impatience got the best of him, and Blue stood to walk towards the two ponies. "Excuse me... I'll be right back," he said to the band. He hesitated at first, but continued. After all, he was feeling rather adventurous after the band's performance. He approached the two ponies, and stood beside Djemba. He smiled only slightly at the other pony. He struggled to find the words to say; he was always afraid of disappointment. Blue simply settled by introducing himself. "Hi, my name's Blueblaze," he said, with a hint of excitability. He noticed that this pony seemed a little nervous. He figured he'd stay and calm his nerves if need be. If other ponies were willing to do the same for him, he was more than willing to return the favor.

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Swallowed nervously, and closed his eyes, concentrating harder for a moment, before opening them slowly to regard the pink pegasus again. "I'm...I'm sorry, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm just, having a strange night, is all. You aren't disturbing me." his words, carefully chosen, nonetheless came out clearly. His eyes widened as he noticed Blueblaze approaching. When Djemba turned away to return to the bar, in full view of the blue pegasus, he lost control of it and for several clear seconds, Blueblaze found himself facing eye to eye with the peryton. He struggled for a second before reorienting his focus to the pony before, he sighed, looking up at him. "Shoot."

It was a good thing he was seated where he was, with the light the way it was, the shift didn't draw immediate attention to his change, as anypony who might have already dismissed him would still see the same colors as before, and the same general outline, it was just the shape was slightly different. Skye swallowed nervously at Blueblaze, seeing no means of making a graceful escape, and buried his face in his hooves. "This went so terribly badly, I should have tried somewhere less public."

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Following Djemba's example, Blueblaze followed her back to the bar. Still, he couldn't help but feel bad for the pony. He had after all been in the same boat, so to speak, earlier in the day. He decided it was best to let him be, and slowly made his way back to the bar and took a seat next to Djemba.

He took a sip of his cider and shivered. He always looked forward to this after a performance, but perhaps even more so after today's. As Djemba asked the colt about his life in Canterlot, Blueblaze smiled, but only half-heartedly. There were some positive memories, but some painful ones as well. "Oh, well... I'm an only child. My father was a pianist as well, he just never took off. I wanted to follow in his hoofsteps, so I took up the piano as well. The thing is, I was more occupied with the attention than the music itself. I knew I was talented, er- don't mean to brag- I just never took it too seriously. It's not until recently, especially today, that I discovered how fun it is, not only to play, but to feel," Blueblaze explained with a smile.

"Canterlot is neat, it's just... well, normal. I figured Ponyville would be a nice change of pace, so I took up a couple of gigs. Never knew I'd be so popular... but I love it," Blueblaze said. "I never would have been able to open up like that, Djemba, if it hadn't been for you," he said happily.

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Skye breathed a sigh of relief as even as the night had turned out to be a disaster, but yet somehow managed to work out. He took a deep breath, and concentrated hard, slipping out of his booth. He edged near the door, and when the opportunity arose, managed to dash out of it.

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Blueblaze watched as the strange pony darted from the bar. He felt bad, as if he had done something to perpetuate his nervousness. Somehow though, Blue had a feeling that they would cross paths again.

A happy smile appeared on Blue's face as he conversed with Djemba. She was definitely a joy be around. When she blushed however, a he gave her a worried look. Am I taking things too fast? he wondered. It had been so long since Blueblaze had had someone to voice his feelings too; he was afraid that he might scare her off. When Djemba offered Blueblaze a place to stay, he opened his eyes wide. It was certainly unexpected, since he had only just met her, but it was a very kind gesture. He quickly regained his composure and smiled. "Why, I-I'd love to Djemba," he said softly. The colt was awfully nervous, but he wasn't alone. He could sense Djemba's unease, so he placed a hoof on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her. "Nervous, Djemb? I'm not that scary, am I?" he said jokingly. Blue chuckled quietly, and lowered his hoof. "I'm just kidding... it's okay to be nervous, but we're friends, right? That means I'll be there no matter what." Blue could feel his heart beating faster, but he did his best not to let it show.

Blueblaze grabbed some bits for the drinks, and finished his. Normally he'd leave right afterward, but this time, Blueblaze waited patiently for his new friend to finish. "I'm not in any hurry, Djemb. Take your time," he said quietly. He had the whole night ahead of him, and a beautiful pegasus to spend it with.

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