SirAizen

Candy rubbed the back of his head, laughing a little. "Well, thanks. . . I made sure to put all the necessary time into each and every one. You won't find a single piece in there that isn't p -" No. . . not 'perfect. That was too much. It would feel like a lie if the stallion said it. ". . . Ah, good. Very good, I guess. I don't really finish the ones I taste test, so i'm not entirely sure how each one tastes." At least that was true. Candy liked to taste a sweets out of each batch to make sure they weren't spoiled or flavorless, so he gt his own sugar highs every now and then. Still, he had never once finished a sweet that he himself had created. The closest he'd come to finishing anything was a large cupcake he'd made with intentions of giving it to his older brother on his birthday one year. Still, one thing had led to the next, and Cain had fallen asleep during the boxing process. Apparently Candy was also a sleep-eater, because when he woke up, most of the cake was gone, and his face was covered in frosting. One could assume that it hadn't been a peaceful night afterwards. . . "Still, I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far." The title of 'Super Duper Party Pony' gave Candy a pause. He could've sworn he'd heard the title being passed around back home. . . he wasn't entirely sure. It would've been a long time ago. Either way, he was glad that he now knew Pinkie and her profession. Well, her and her friend, which, by the looks of things, wasn't just a friend. It wasn't his job to pry, though, so he left it alone. "I'm glad we're meeting as well. Oh, and don't worry about the gift - I'm on it." The stallion put the candy apple down, and handed Pinkie her gift. The flat, silver box with a small red bow didn't look too impressive. Still, Candy wasn't done yet. "Well, I guess you can open it now - you wouldn't expect me to work my magic on a sealed box, now would you?" There was a slight twinkle in Candy's eye, which usually meant that he was about to perform some real magic. "You can go on whenever you're ready." If Pinkie opened the present, she would get. . . something. What was it? Some sort of wide silver tray with multicolored sugar dust in it. Sugar, some hints of white and dark chocolate, and other tiny sweet things, like gumdrops and little sparkling candy pieces. What did he expect her to do with it?

Oho. This was was definitely a familiar type. Candy saw it all the time during bouts to go and see little fillies and colts on special occassions. Those were the types that were usually hpyed up on too much suger, but Candy couldn't judge. He. . . well, he ate enough of the stuff. For the sole purpose of making sure his confections tasted good, of course! As a result, he usually ended up tasting several samples out of every batch of goods he made, adding up to dozens of unique sweets for him to ingest. It was a good thing that he balanced it out with a healthy diet and exercise. That wasn't too hard, seeing as he got it every day by pulling his shop around.This 'Pinkie Pie' looked as if they didn't have to worry about being inactive at all. "Hello there, Pinkie - and, no, I'm afraid not. Yakyakistan? Sounds like a place where I could get some exotic recipies." Nothing tropical or anything like that - it sounded like a cold place. Candy wasn't sure why: maybe it was just the name. The letters for "Yakyakistan" felt cold to him. . . Synesthesia things. Candy took the mare's hoof and gave it a firm shake. "The name's Candy Cain - Or Candy Cane, with a 'n-e' rather than a 'i-n'. I just changed it to Candy 'C-A-I-N' to be a bit different from my -" Oh, dear. Candy was dragging on an introduction again. "Nothing," Candy finished, setting down his flat gift. Up close, the gift looked to be wider than an open book. But what was it? A portrait of something? That was for Pinkie to find out whenever she desired. "Likewise, I find it highly enjoyable to meet someone like you as well." Seeing as Pinkie didn't take up the offer for a candy apple, the pink-haired stallion shrugged and took a bite out of the one he'd been holding. There was no harm in just eating one. . . Hopefully things stayed that way. "Oh - I must warn you. Before you open the gift, let me know: it needs a 'special touch' beforehand." Cain would've added in the final touches earlier on when he was creating the gift, but, well. . . unfortunately, his magic wasn't all that powerful. It was unique, but fragile. Very, very fragile. It wouldn't have survived the trip here if he'd added it before. "I have to admit, I'm surprised we've never had a run-in with each other before. Are you well-known here?" Candy was getting slightly distracted by the colors around him. The conflicting colors of presents, foods, ponies, and other creatures in the hall jumbled together to create a symphony (or a crash) of sensations. Pinkie, being the closets of them all, had Candy tasting bubblegum. (I'll edit for bold/color later - mobile is NOT agreeing with me today.)

Candy had been in the process of taking the sweets out of his basket and placing them on the table, taking time and care with each one. He was currently on the candy apples, and was taking his sweet time with each one. "That's it, lads. At the end of the day, you've all made me proud - except for your spoiled brothers and sisters. That's unacceptable, I'm afraid." There wasn't too much going on at the time, as most of the others here were simply conversing amongst themselves. Gift exchanging hadn't started yet, as. . . Well, Candy was pretty sure they were all waiting for someone. He hadn't been there to hear the instructions yet. He'd simply put up shop at a table. A couple ponies were recognizable, but just that. The stallion leaned over the table slightly, sighing. This was certainly a change of pace in comparison to his usual run in or around Ponyville. Maybe things would stay that way. On the contrary, fate seemed to want to shake things up a little. A jumpy pink mare came flying in out of nowhere, really, clad in matching winter gear. She wasted no time making as much noise as possible, using a. . . confetti cannon? Whatever it was, she fired it into the air, drawing the attention of Candy (and probably everyone else). She also took it upon herself to make gift-pairing arrangements, which ended with. . . "Oh, dear," Candy murmured. His gifting partner was her. Was that bad? Most certainly not. Some of Candy's favorite people were zany and fun. Was that good? That depended on what the mare's gift preference was. Cain cleared his throat, clearing his mind. Remember to keep introductions short this time. He hopped on over to the other side of the present table, giving a little bow to Pinkie. "Good day to you, and Happy Hearth's Warming Eve! A pleasure to meet you - the name's Candy Cain, and. . . Well, I'm afraid I am unsure of who you might be." Strange, considering Candy made it an effort to try and track these kinds of people down. He should have at least seen her on Nightmare Night. "Who might you be. . .? My apologies, I travel. Too much, by the looks of things." He held out a rogue candy apple that hadn't made it onto the table yet. "Candy apple? Or maybe a sucker? Buckeye?"

Luckily, Applejack didn't seem too fazed by Candy's rapid-fire speech. Maybe that came from running an apple farm near Ponyville. Heck, that probably came naturally to anyone that ran anything near or in Ponyville. The few times Candy had been there, he'd been pretty overwhelmed, even though he hardly got the time to even talk. Am I really cut out for this? he thought to himself numbly. The unicorn chased away the thoughts by biting his tongue. Of course he was: he had the powers. He had the creativity. And who didn't like candy? Cain gave a half-grin, and tossed his hooves into the air in triumph, simultaneously flinging the candy cane he'd been holding skyward. "Wonderful! I'll take the lot!" Oh. Candy put a hoof to his mouth. Did he say that out loud? He was letting his excitement get the better of him. . . ugh. Candy shook his head, backtracking. "I mean, no. I was only here for a certain amount of apples. I'd never ruin a -" The previously flung candy cane dropped down onto his head, bouncing off and hitting the grass. Cain flinched, then rolled his eyes. ". . sale. For others, I mean. I don't even think that I have the bits for every apple here. . ." Cain busied himself with checking the amount of bits he had, and comparing them to what he'd likely need for the amount of bushels he wanted to purchase. "So, the bits don't really matter at the moment. . . I was looking to get, erm. . ." Candy put a hoof to his chin, a slightly worried look on his face. He glanced back at the line behind him, then back at Applejack. ". . . Three. Three bushels." Three hundred-and seventy-five apples. What was he thinking? The only way I can: big. That was potentially too much here. How many apples would they have left by now? The line here wasn't all too big anymore, meaning that, unless the sale had failed, most ponies had already come and gone. There couldn't be that many left. "Th-That's best case scenario, though! I can make do with two or one. . . To be honest, I'd planned on getting five of the good ones, then making the candy apples and putting them in storage for awhile. A good chill would do them well, and if I run out of sugar. . . Well, I've got chocolate." Candy realized that he was talking more to himself than to Applejack, and moved on. "If you don't have enough of the Empire, I could go for a peck. Either way, I might just take the Jazz and Fuji right off of your hooves. I may just end up taking a bushel of granny smith if you don't have a full bushel of Empire - I wanted to keep things equal, you see. I. . ." Candy frowned. "I'm dreadfully sorry. I've been droning on for too long about what I'm going to do with them -" Candy took his pouch of bits out, and paused. "We can heckle the final purchase, if you so desire. I in no way wish to mess everything up here simply because I required more than a bushel today. To be honest, I should have come out here earlier to buy them in moderation. . . my apologies." Candy rubbed the back of his head, glancing off to the side with a worried look. He was still hung up about the terms of payment. Bits, and a kiss? There probably wasn't a catch, but. . . well, Applejack was by no means a bad-looking mare: in fact, she looked wonderful. Still. . . "I, uh. . ."

Things seemed to have gotten rather loud by the time a certain pink-maned stallion had showed up at the Hall. Candy Cain had been preparing for this gift-giving event ever since he'd seen the advertisement during his daily commute through Ponyville. Back then, he's been ecstatic. A gift exchange? That was just what Candy was looking for at this time of year! He'd just gotten done making his giant batch of candy apples when he heard of the event. That worked just swimmingly; he could send the confections there to start off his candy apple giveaway. After that, he could move on to delivering them to the doorsteps of other Ponyville residents that hadn't shown up to the gift exchange, all wrapped up in holiday-colored paper and bows. It was extensive for just food, but hey. He was going this far for complete strangers. Why not go a little farther? Unfortunately, Candy had been so caught up in the idea of gift-giving that he'd gone and made a few "extra" treats. By "extra", Candy usually meant "several other batches". The stallion just hoped that they all liked sweets, because there was no reversing a dessert once it was made. It was created to be savored. Anything less was a crime of mass proportions to Candy. If something was wasted, the normally-cheerful unicorn would lose his cool. Candy had pulled up to the School of Friendship with his cart, which was laden with sweets of every kind: the numerous batches of candy apples, little chocolates, complex sugary designs that were too varied to count. Even though the thing was covered and locked up to combat the cold and weather so common in Candy's travels, the smell wafted through anyway. Candy Cain had never actually been to the School of Friendship before, so it was understandable that he'd believe he had room to bring everything inside. Unfortunately, he predicted wrong. The front doors were, in math terms, "too small". Candy had resorted to bringing in only a couple things, which at least be polite. The stallion was just now entering the Hall, loaded down with a tray of candy apples on his back and a basket of assorted sweets hanging around his neck. Of course, the candy pony hadn't forgotten to bring a real gift: balanced on the top of his head, a rather flat, rectangular parcel wrapped in silver and topped with a green bow could be seen, wobbling slightly as the stallion walked. He would've given a greeting,but he A: was extremely busy focusing on not dropping anything, and B: didn't want to interrupt the ongoing talking. He resigned himself to setting the gift on the table and setting all the sweet things down beside him. "Oh, dear. . . If those had been the butter-creams, I don't believe I would've made it. . ."

Eventually, Candy resurfaced with an old, beat-up notebook bound with ancient-looking string. He flipped through the thing quietly, trying to hurry along and find what he was looking for. "Honeycrisp, Ambrosia. . . No. Arkansas Black, Winesap? Definitely not. . . Pink Pearl. That sounds interesting, but I doubt it'd taste good coated in sugar. . . Ah." Cain flipped to a page in the middle of the book showing all the uses for a certain deep red apple. "Aha! Red Delicious - perfect!" Cain went through the book for a little while longer, making note of all the other apples that worked best for candy apple batches. slammed the book shut. The stupid thing kicked dust up into his face. He ended up having a sneezing fit, before catching the tail end of a shout directly ahead. Oh dear, it appeared to be his turn. . . There was no point in stalling. The pink-maned stallion leaped out of his cart, toting the notebook with him. He wanted to make sure that he was getting all the apples he needed for the project. Once out and in the open, Candy raised a hoof in greeting. "Ah, well met, Miss Applejack!" He remembered her name, at least. "Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Candy Cain, founder and sole employee of Candy Cain's Candy -" The stallion stopped. He was wasting his time with the lengthy greetings, and it would probably annoy everypony around him. He took on an embarrassed look for a second, before reverting back to his usual attitude. "N-Nevermind that. i had just found myself in the area, so I decided to take a little stroll down here to see if I could purchase some apples for the candy apple batches I usually make for this time of year. I usually have them around for Nightmare Night, but I missed that this year, I'm afraid. Luckily, I'll be able to do it this year for Winter. . . Uh, I heard there was a sale? Jolly good." Candy opened up his notebook, flipping through it to list off the types of apples he needed. "I wasn't entirely sure what you had here, so I needed to check - do you have, uh. . . Red Delicious, Gala, Empire, and/or Fuji? Those are usually the best for it. I could go for some Braeburn or Jazz, but I don't think those are all that common." No, Candy wouldn't be eating them. He only made them for those who enjoyed what he did with desserts and other sweets. Maybe he'd have some when he was finished giving them out, but that'd be it. In actuality, Candy only ever ate sweets when he was stressed. It was odd, yes, but there were stranger things. Like, for instance, the sensation he was getting from the combined colors in front of him. He found it odd and a little rude when he looked at a pony and his synesthesia acted up, but he couldn't help it. Applejack's orange made his mind conjure up the taste of tangerines, but the barn was still giving him super-sugary vibes. The smell of the apples, on the other hand, made him see sunset colors. That was wrong: the actual sunset made him taste oat burgers made on the grill. The conflicting thoughts made his eye twitch for a moment. "Also, if you don't mind my asking, how many of these apples do you have? Based off of my previous projects, I believe I'll need. . ." Cain counted off numbers silently in his head for a moment. "Well, I'm definitely going to need more than a couple bushels."

"Alrighty then, cool beans!" Cheese grinned, stepping over to the cutting board and winking at Pinkie. "Don't worry - I know how to cut Jalapenos. I learned it in a movie once." Despite his joking tone, Cheese proved to be quite a quick chopper of peppers. While Pinkie was away, he shredded pepper after pepper with the quickness of a professional cook. Well, of course: Cheese was a professional cook. How else could you be a uper Duper Party Pony? You couldn't just make sandwiches and and expect everything to be gung ho. "Man, this is easy. I could do it with my eyes closed, I swear!" Cheese might've acted foolish frequently, but he wasn't that crazy. He was finished with the peppers by the time Pinkie came back with the jam. "All good! I think we're done with prep on the filling - we'll just need the actual 'cup' of the cupcake now. Where's the batter?" Cheese busied himself as well, prepping a bowl, flour, eggs, and milk to create the cake batter that would be used for the cupcakes. He made sure to make a giant serving of it, just so that they'd have enough left over for when they made more batches of cupcakes. Cheese had just gotten the juvenile idea to prank Pinkie with some flour when she asked the question he'd been dreading. Uh oh. He turned around as smoothly as possible, putting on his best 'casual' look. "Oh - question? I, uh. . ." What was he asking again? About the party planning, right. . . Cheese still wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her about that. He'd just been betting on the fact that inkie might forget about his question entirely. Too bad she was a good friend that took the problems of others into consideration. . . By all means, that was good and dandy. Just not now. The stallion cleared his throat. "Hmm. I was going to ask, if, well. . ." There was a choice to be made here. Cheese could take this one of two ways: he could ask Pinkie to help with his own personal problems regarding a certain party, risking potential embarrassment, or he could ask her about the whole 'friendship' thing, potentially risking even more embarrassment. Either way, he was likely going to end up making a fool of himself. At least if he messed up with one, the other would seem tame in comparison. Cheese took a breath, cleard his mind. "I was just wondering if. . . About an idea of mine" So it was that, then. More stalling. Cheese braced himself. "I wanted to know if you could. . . help me. Later on." Cheese shook his head rapidly. "I-It's not too important, though! You don't have to help if you don't want to - I'm sure I can handle myself. After all, it's just a single thing." Cheese was half-hoping that Pinkie had some sort of meeting or something she had to get to instead. That way, she wouldn't have to think too much about what he'd say later on. He'd be admitting that his ideas weren't working for a certain party, and asking her for assistance. They were rivals! Well, at least Cheese assumed so. He wasn't sure what Pinkie thought. Still. . . "But, it's your choice. It's not that big a deal I'll, um, talk about it later, if you want. We've still got cupcakes to do, ha." Cheese cracked the eggs on the edge of the counter, and dropped the yolks into the bowl, before pouring the milk and flour in. The thoughts of potential embarrassment faded away as Cheese read the back of the flour bag. "Huh. I thought this was instant mix. Welp. Hope you enjoy sitting back and waiting on cupcakes! This'll take a bit after the blending and all."

Despite the young dragon's politeness, Cain had a feeling that she wasn't quite focused on the talk. That was likely because she seemed to be here for more than apples. She did clear up the problem of Cain not knowing what the deal was with the Kisses, though - and that just made things a lot stranger. Apparently, the Kisses were actual kisses. This was a line to receive bushels of apples in exchange for a few bits and a kiss. That caused a multitude of problems for the pink-maned pony. For starters, he needed a fair amount of bushels. If folks were going up there, there was a good chance that many of them would be gone by the time Cain actually got up there, leaving him with little to work with over the remaining seasons. That wouldn't do - he needed a fair amount of candy apples and other confections done by Winter. Multiple trips in the future to make small purchases just wasted time. There was also the fact that Cain found the whole thing rather improper. Apples for kisses? Cain didn't kiss ponies. He gave them hugs and candy, and sent them on their jolly way. There were several other, lesser but more personal issues with that. . . Perhaps he was just making a big deal out of things. Everyone else seemed to be doing it. . . Still. . . "Oh, dear," Cain sighed. The young one - Smolder, she'd called herself - had already gone up to get her apples, along with several others. True to what she'd said, all of them had payed their bits and kisses, before leaving with their bushels. At least there still seemed to be a decent amount. Cain glanced back at the line behind him and winced. A confection designer's life was hard. . . He hoped that he didn't wipe out the remaining bushels somehow with his order. The stallion chomped down on his pink candy cane in his nervousness, frowning. Exactly how many apples did he need? A good amount of batches of candy apples would require several bushels on its own. If he wanted to add anything else, that would cost him. After a few more calculations, Cain reasoned that he'd need around six. Seven would be ideal. As for the type, any would do. Of course, Candy was a little bad at remembering the types, seeing as he mainly worked with candy and other, sweeter fruits. Berries were his specialty. Luckily, he had just the thing for the situation! Candy hopped back into his covered wagon (which he'd carefully moved off to the side of the line as to not be rude to those behind him) to recover his personal guide to using fruits in confections: Fruits and Confections (a lazy name which he'd likely fix in the future). As usual, the manual was buried somewhere among his numerous other books, which included cookbooks, personal journals which he'd long since filled out, and fantasy stories he read when he was bored and it was raining during his travels. It was rather cramped inside the cart with all of its supplies and personal items, despite the fact that Candy could've sworn that he'd cleaned up that morning before he'd decided to head out and get some apples in the first place.Apparently that wasn't the case (or Candy HAD cleaned, and that last hill out of Ponyville had caused everything to fall inside the cart. "Oh, of all the -" He began, only to be cut off by a book from a shelf above him falling on his head. He yelped, and nearly shouted a few unpleasant things. "Blasted buckeyes," he mumbled, using one of his simpler candy-curses. The thing was around here somewhere. . . Outside, he could hear the commotion of those in line behind him. Hopefully, the fellow in front of Candy could pause a little longer with his order so that he had a little more time to find his missing manual. If not, he'd be the focus of more than a few angry looks and shouting soon.

Cheese managed to gather up enough wit to give a little bow, an uncharacterisically embarrassed smile on his face for a few moments. At least she hadn't made fun of him about it. Or, at least he thought so. The stallion had hurried inside before she could say anything else. Inside Sugarcube Corner, Cheese slapped himself in the face a couple times, regaining his former springy, joking attitude. "Alright, Cheese. Enough nonsense. Get your game - face on, stat," He murmured, staring at his reflection on a nearby polished mug. Boneless Two shifted slightly from the movement. Cheese snorted as if the rubber chicken had mad ea slightly offensive comment. "What's with that look? My game face isnt that bad." The rubber chicken tilted it's head slightly. Cheese appeared flustered - and angry. "Am not! Pinkie's just making me nervous." He paused. "I mean, from a professional perspective. Nothing important." Cheese looked away, frowning. "Why are you always so difficult? It's just party nerves. Nothing special." The chicken was still for moment. Then, with canny comedic timing, Boneless Two pitched forward and faceplanted on Cheese's back. The stallion let out an exasperated sigh. "It isn't funny! Why don't you go on and talk to her, then, huh? Maybe you -" He was cut off by Pinkie entering the building. He immediately jumped, knocking the mug he'd been looking into towards the floor. He caught it by the handle with his teeth just in time. "Tha' wah closhe," He murmured through his teeth, before setting the mug down. He gave Pinkie a smile as if nothing was wrong. "Shall we begin?" he asked, beckoning to the back of the building. Cheese put a hoof to his chin while he thought about what flavor to make the cupcakes. Pinkie had made cupcakes with spicy peppers before, so that was a no-go. Perhaps something sugar-crazy, like a marshmallow vanilla double-chocolate -coated crunch, with rainbow sprinkles. It seemed like a lot for just a cupcake, though. Not to mention, overused. There was no way Pinkie hadn't done that before. Boneless Two made no movement, but Cheese turned his head to give him a look of disbelief. "Chocolate? Just chocolate? What are we, savages? You can do better than that." He took a couple steps towards the center of the room, past Pinkie, thinking. "Perhaps. . . Perhaps we could start with a batch of your Jalapeno Strawberry first, then go from there? I wanted one of those anyway. Then, perhaps, we could create a Cotton Candy-Whipped Cream-Double Latte Deluxe batch, because I'm feelin' tired from traveling all night to get here." Cheese snorted, then hopped onto a table. "We can create it - we have the technology!" The second batch of cupcakes was a joke, but Pinkie could take it however she pleased. In fact, she had the ability to created it as well. Cheese was in love with how she could pull anything off.

Cheese wiped his forehead in feigned worry. "Oh, boy. We shouldn't leave these two together for too long - they might cause a dessert shortage." He chuckled. If Boneless Two was offended, it (obviously) didn't show. Cheese cocked his head as he waited for Pinkie's solution to the balloon problem, not noticing the balloons now tied around his waist for a second afterwards. He blinked, then shook his head. "What in -" He didn't even finish asking. Pinkie operated on her own rules. Sometimes, those rules make her do strange things. Like moving incredibly fast. Cheese had learned a long time ago not to question it. Why would he? Pinkie's talent for randomness was just another thing he liked about her. "Oh-ho, this looks awesome!" He nodded in agreement, hopping a few times to test his bounciness. The slight feeling of weightlessness made his stomach flutter a bit. "Oh, boy. . ." Cheese followed closely behind Pinkie as they hopped off to Sugarcube Corner, performing a few stunts as he went. First was a midair spin. Man, Pinkie's ideas are the best! The stallion grinned, but the expression soon faded into a somewhat annoyed look. Why can't I have fun ideas like that? Cheese continued to do more maneuvers as he thought. A backwards hop. Maybe that's why I'm having such a hard time now. My style of partying isn't flexible. A cartwheel. Those folks never liked what I did, anyway. Too bad I can't do a 'normal' party for them. Not my style. A dancer's twirl, using Boneless Two as his partner. I gotta find another angle. Maybe if I do something completely and utterly insane, they'll crack? A slow bunny hop. . . . I wonder if they'd like Pinkie. When the two finally arrived at Sugarcube Corner, Cheese finished with a stumble and a fall, having been distracted by his thoughts and skidding on the ground too far. Not that a fall like that could keep the party pony down, of course! Cheese popped his head up, which was now slightly dusty, and ruffled. "I meant to do that," he said quickly, before Pinkie could question him. His face flushed for a second. Normally, he would have intentionally done something like that. Heck, even if it was unintentional, he would have just laughed it off. Right then, though, Cheese felt oddly embarrassed that Pinkie had seen his mishap. Strange, he thought. He didn't usually care much about what others thought about him. "Oh - um, well, we're here, it seems!" Cheese untied his balloons as well, tying them near Pinkie's. "T-Time for cupcakes, then! Say, if you're cooking, did ya mind if I helped? I think I've gotten the hang of it - It's been almost a week since I made a cake explode, so it should be fine!"

Cheese sighed in thinly veiled relief. Maybe he had just been trying to stall by asking about the cupcakes. Still, he really liked the crazy pastries Pinkie thought up and made. That, and it always made Cheese feel good making others happy, especially if it was Pinkie. Maybe she didn’t think the same way, as she was pals with the Mane Six, but Cheese considered her his best friend. There were other feelings in there, but Cheese wasn’t entirely sure how to address them. He had no past experience with anything beyond friends, so he wasn’t entirely sure what the thoughts and feelings were. He’d have to ask Pinkie what she thought at some point in time. It would be enlightening, at the very least. The stallion grinned, nodding. “Yeperoo, ma'am! For you, I’ve always got time.” Cheese glanced back at Boneless Two. “And Boneless Two does as well, right?” There was a bit of force in that last ‘right’. Boneless didn’t move, but Cheese nodded like everything was in order. “Thought so,” he murmured. The stallion walked a little closer to Pinkie, glancing at the balloons. “Did ya plan on taking to the skies to get there? I’d be all for it, but I don’t think that’s enough to support my weight as well as Boneless’s.” Cheese leaned in close, whispering, “Not to insult him or anything, but Boneless Two isn’t exactly the pinnacle of health. He’s a bit of a, ah. . . heavyweight, y’know?” Cheese giggled a little, his curly hair waving a bit. “Shall we head off?”

The commotion towards the front of the line was picking up some. Cain couldn't exactly identify the ponies and other creatures in question, as he'd likely never seen them before, but at least a couple looked somewhat familiar. Not his problem to be sticking his snout into things he didn't understand, of course. Instead of listening in on the chatting, he simply sat back, leaning against his cart slightly and breaking off the bottom piece of his candy. This was technically considered eating his own merchandise, but. . . Who was going to tattle on him about it? The stallion was startled out of his thoughts by a young voice. He whipped his head around, eventually identifying the source as a young orange dragon. . . Who Cain also couldn't place. Welp. This was what came with ignoring your surroundings and becoming lost in your own little world for your entire life. Oh well. It was always nice to meet new folk anyway. Cain hastily put the candy away, realizing how nervous nibbling on it made him look. He made sure that he was the one the dragon was talking to before replying, glancing about. "Oh, no, Miss. It's just a habit of mine when I'm thinking." The stallion paused. Maybe now was a good time to ask. "Say, I don't think I've seen you around before. Then again, I don't see many people around. This little hobby of mine tend to be very time-consuming, you see. A pleasure to meet you. The name's Candy Cain. Who might you be?" Another thought occurred to him as he spoke, and he nearly cut himself off before the question faded from his mind. "Also - I was curious. I've only just arrived in Ponyville this morning, you see. I was on my way here anyway, and well. . . The long line caught my attention. Is that out of the ordinary at all?" Cain wouldn't have been surprised if it wasn't. The apples here were the greatest, after all. "And, what sort of delicacy is an. . ." he added after a pause. he'd originally considered asking what the Apple Kisses were, but it seemed better to be surprised than to just ask. Cain had no allergies, so he wasn't exactly at risk there. ". . . Never mind. I think I'll see for myself. I needed to get some bushels anyway. I'll try one once I complete that task."

“Well, it’s necessary! Who doesn’t like a next-level party?” Cheese instantly cringed at his choice of words. He knew a certain couple that didn’t. . . Still, it was irrelevant at the moment. The stallion took another look back at Gummy and Boneless Two, a little less on edge with the bright green reptile now. Still, he was a tiny bit tense. Sure, it was a completely tame gator, but, then again. . . they just sat there. Staring into your soul. . . Unless they were turned another way. Sure, Boneless Two liked to give people that treatment, but Boneless Two was just a chicken! It was complicated. . . Cheese nodded eagerly at the idea of trying out flying with the balloons later on. It sounded like immense fun - and would probably get his mind off of things. “Yep, yep! Sounds like a plan to me! Could use a bit of floating around from time to time - it really widens your perspective, both literally and physically.” Cheese cocked his head to the side. “Well, I guess not so much for the winged folk, but still. Wingless ponies like you and me finally get our chance to be flying aces! Maybe flying novices. Or just flyers. I once failed a flying test I didn’t even sign up for, y’know that?” The stallion decided to put the brakes on his comedy routine before he forgot what he’d come here to do. Just ask her the question, even if it’s sort of improper. No harm, no foul. Normally, Cheese could get behind that kind of logic. Today, though. . . Cheese shook his head at Pinkie’s assumption. “Nah, nah. I think I’d still have some to spare if I gave it all to the rest of Equestria - which I plan on doing, as a matter of fact! Too bad Boneless Two is a pessimist. . .” Cheese turned to give the rubber chicken a look. “We’re getting there. The whole world’s gonna know our names, you just wait! Imagine it; ‘Cheese and Boneless, Entertainment Extraordinaires’!” Pause. Cheese shuffled his hooves a bit. “Y-Y’know, if you don’t do it first.” Despite everything Cheese knew about Pinkie, he wasn’t sure what her endgame was. Cheese was already moving on before the pause got too long. Comedic pauses could be lengthy - social ones could not. “Aaaanywho! I was sorta wondering a few things, and came to you for, um, some. . . Cupcakes.” The stallion blinked. No, no, that wasn’t what he’d been trying to say! Pinkie just put cupcakes on his mind, and. . . Oh well. Anything to stall a little longer. “Oh - yeah, the cupcakes! Those were the bomb, I tell ya - In fact, why not have some now?” Yeah, instead of avoiding the problem, Cheese? Great idea! “‘Cos after that, I had to ask for a favor. Just a teensy-weensy one, I don’t wanna keep you for too long!”

Ah, Fall. The season was one of Candy Cain's favorites out of all of them. For starters, the season included one of Cain's busiest and most enjoyable days, Nightmare Night. Alongside that, his own birthday was only about a week after that. That wasn't his favorite thing about Fall, though. The reason was clear to anyone who followed Cain's profession, or hung around Ponyville long enough. The pink-maned stallion was currently trudging along the beaten path, a couple minutes away from one of his favorite places: Sweet Apple Acres. It was an apple farm. Who didn't like apple farms? They grew and sold apples for all kinds of uses. Cain was eager to try them all out. The stallion trotted along with a little hop in his step, a large, scarlet barn with a purple rooftop making an appearance behind the last of the trees in Cain's way. (at least, he thought it was purple. It could have been pink: He had slight issues with colors.) Two things were immediately noticeable to him. One was the unique scent of fresh apples. Cain grinned. He lived for that smell - whenever he caught a whiff of apple, he saw swirling shades of orange. On the contrary, when he saw the barn, he tasted tart raspberry. . . An odd mixture, but it was okay. Synesthesia was weird sometimes. The other immediate factor was the sheer amount of ponies and other folk at the barn today. "What the devil. . ." Cain picked up the pace now. Was there some sort of event going on that he hadn't heard about? That was odd; He usually picked up info on those before they happened. Then again, he could have missed the heads-up during his candy-making. . . That wasn't all that uncommon. Besides that, well. . . Cain had never actually stuck around Sweet Apple Acres for too long. He was usually rushing around, since he tended to make metric tons of apple-related candies during the Fall. A few bushels, maybe more. Probably not this time, though. The stallion snorted. He wasn't about to buy fruit that he'd never get around to using. So maybe just two or three bushels of apples for the day. When he finally got close enough to pick out some specific faces, he let his candy cart drop, sighing with relief. Now, what was all the fuss about? Was there a sale going on? Cain could get behind sales. He lived for discounted merchandise. He spent too much already doing his job. . . Maybe that was why he lived in a cart like a hobo. Cain snorted. No, no, not a hobo. . . Just a frequent traveler. Call it a mobile home, Cain. A mobile home! There was a line leading to some sort of booth up ahead. . . Cain cocked his head to one side, confused by the banner. "'Sweet Apple Acres First Annual Apple Kiss'? My word, that's a mouthful. . ." Cain shrugged to himself. It was no different from his own banner, draped along the side of his cart; 'Candy Cain's Captivating Confections'. He really needed to change the name. . . it was embarrassing. The stallion turned his attention back to the booth, leaning from the back of the line to try and catch a glimpse of what was going on (because he wasn't about to stand off to the side and watch like a creep). Apple Kiss? That sounded like some sort of sweet to him. . . If that was the case, then he'd go on and give it a try. Afterwards, he'd see what he could do about getting those bushels. He groaned. This was going to gut him, wasn't it. . . Perhaps he could try and catch the eye of one of the folks standing around that obviously ran the place? The only issue with that was that Cain had no idea who worked there. . . Once again, he'd never payed too much attention. The stallion whipped out a gum-flavored candy cane and nibbled on the end, looking a tad bit stressed out.

The plan was working out well at first. Cheese Sandwich had taken the time during his little pause into Ponyville to sit down and enjoy a game of cards with Boneless Two. Little things like that put him at ease sometimes. Sure, so did planning parties, but Cheese wanted to take a little break from that for the moment. Besides, the game was fun. Too bad Cheese had no idea what they were playing. One turn they were playing Solitaire. The next, Go Fish. Cheese and Boneless Two were doing something akin to Slap Jack when he thought he heard something. The stallion glanced up at his rubber chicken in question. "You say something?" The chicken was quiet. Cheese simply nodded in understanding. His eyes then narrowed, and he raised his cards closer to his face. "Hey, no peeking, now." He paused. "I think. What were we playing again?" Before Boneless Two could respond, Cheese heard the voice again. Only, this time, there was no mistaking where it came from. The. . . sky? And they were calling his name? Cheese turned his gaze skyward, shading his eyes as he searched for the source. From where he was, the stallion could make out somebody floating towards them on a mish-mash of colored balloons. A pink somebody. It took only a moment for Cheese to put two and two together, and, before he could stop himself, take a deep breath and shout back, "Heeeeyyy Pinkieeeee!!" It took a few more seconds before he realized what he'd done, and covered his mouth with his hooves. What was he doing? He was supposed to have a little more time. There was no use complaining, as Pinkie was booking it over to him now. Surely enough, Pinkie was soon overhead, and Cheese could see that she had a passenger as well, a little gator. . . Gummy, wasn't it? Cheese had a difficult time remembering, as he was distracted by the large amount of balloons Pinkie had, and his own nerves. The stallion took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was back in his act, the cheerful, zany, Cheese Sandwich. "Heya, Pink, Gummy! Fancy meeting you out here. . . So early! I'd planned on sneaking into town for a surprise showing. Busted!" Cheese shrugged, trying to think of a plausible excuse for being back so soon. "I, um. I was just passing by, y'know?" No, that didn't sound right. "I mean - I -" The stallion took of his fedora, just in time for Gummy to drop down onto his back with Boneless Two. He jumped a little, eyes wide for a second. "Gator!" Cheese yelped, before getting a hold on his nerves again. He berated himself. Act natural. "S-Sorry, I, uh -" Cheese paused for a second, then glanced back at Boneless Two. "Now, you play nice with Gummy!" The chicken remained silent, slumping over to one side slightly. Cheese turned back to Pinkie, grinning. "Boneless Two gets a bit iffy these days. Nothing we can't work through, though! Now. . ." At this point, Cheese would have opened up to Pinkie about any issues he was currently having. It was best not to stall it out. Still, Cheese felt that little bit of uncertainty from before, stronger this time. Perhaps he could draw things out a bit longer, then. Pinkie made it so easy, too. . . "What's happening with you? It isn't often I see a pony flying about on balloons! It's usually a balloon, singular." An idea formed in Cheese's head, causing him to smile. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've done something like that yet! Incorporating enough balloons into a party to make everything float! I gotta write that down sometime." Cheese put on his best announcer's voice, and whipped an airline captain's hat out of his bag of partying supplies, dropping it on his curly hair. "Cheese Airlines: Getting you to and from your ultimate destination with pizzazz!" For effect, Cheese tossed a bunch of confetti into the air, some flecks landing in his mane. Where he got it from? Who knows?

Standing atop of one of the many green, rolling hills that made up the area of land surrounding Ponyville, a lanky, fedora - sporting, poncho - garbed stallion could just barely be made out by anypony that might have happened to be looking in that particular direction at the time. It was just about to make a joke to his rubber chicken buddy, Boneless Two (one that involved tumbleweeds, shouting, and a cream pie - don’t ask), but thought better of it. The stallion, the one-and-only Cheese Sandwich, sighed in annoyance and boredom, and began pacing, as he had been doing for some time now. Cheese had arrived at Ponyville early, a little after most of the townsfolk had woken up. He had been stalling for a few hours now, just along the outskirts of the little town, reluctant to do what he’d come here to do. This was embarrassing. . . Where did he start? Well, Cheese was in a bit of a doozy. This particular doozy was one that Cheese hadn’t been expecting, and wasn’t prepared for in the slightest (a true insult to anybody as sporadic as he was). It was a doozy regarding a certain party. This party was something that Cheese had known would eventually happen, as it did every year - yet he was no more prepared for it than a balloon being prepared for a popping, or somepony’s face being prepared for a sudden pie. “Oh, wait. Scratch that,” Cheese muttered to himself. He’d already made a pie joke earlier. The curly - haired stallion struggled to focus. The problem was this: He was here at Ponyville on account of a birthday. Not just anyone’s, either - this pair of ponies was by far the most difficult case Cheese had ever worked on. This year, he was drawing blanks on how to plan a party for them. Nothing seemed right. At least, not for Cheese. The stallion paused for a moment, glancing back at Boneless Two, who lay on his back. “This was a mistake,” he murmured. “Party ponies don’t ask other party ponies how to plan parties.” Especially not the particular mare Cheese had come to see. Pinkie Pie was great - one of the most awesome, energetic, and interesting ponies Cheese had ever had the pleasure of interacting with, if not the most awesome, most energetic, most - well, you know. Cheese had secretly been fanboying in his mind one of the more recent times he'd met with her. So, naturally, it was a horrible embarrassment to have to ask her for help planning a party. Not that he couldn't learn a thing or two from her - any newer, ambitious Party Pony should look to Pinkie for advice. Just not Cheese. He had many reasons, the biggest being that he expected that Pinkie might think less of him for running to her for something that was not her problem. Cheese also couldn't deny that his pride would have been dented, having to get pointers in general, from anyone. Cheese continued to stare at Boneless Two for a response. It was silent. "What do you mean, 'incompetent'? I'm not 'incompetent' at planning parties! I'm. . . capable, I guess." The chicken was silent. Cheese huffed. "Well, maybe if a certain someone wasn't such an open pessimist, then I wouldn't be whining!" The chicken was silent. It's head lolled to one side, but was otherwise motionless. "You're the one that convinced me to come all the way out here, and you decide to complain now? Boneless One was never like this." Silence. Cheese sighed. "Sorry, buddy. My bad. I'm just a little stressed out is all. I just. . ." The lanky stallion bit his lower lip. "You know how this time of year can be. For them, I mean. I just wish planning a party for them wasn't so gosh - darn difficult all the time. . ." Boneless Two was, again, silent. With another poorly hidden sigh, Cheese took a seat in the grass, staring out at Ponyville, and beyond. Maybe he'd just sit out here a bit longer - better not to talk with Pinkie with a headache. . . The stallion just wished that something would happen. Anything to take his mind off of his problems. He chuckled weakly. Pinkie would have been perfect for that. Too bad she was the one Cheese was currently avoiding. . .

"Looks like we were right, Boneless Two. As usual." A tall, poncho-sporting stallion seemed to have popped up out of nowhere, standing at the very edge of the large tent, watching the others currently lounging underneath, who were staying cool, resting up, or chatting. Cheese Sandwich had gotten a feeling that something good was going on in this part of Equestria, and he was right. Bleachers, a big tent, and more than a few known faces? Some big event was going down here. By the looks of it, one phase was already complete. "I think we were a little late, though. We're getting rusty, I think." By the looks of it, Cheese had missed some sort of eating competition. Here and there, a few folks seemed to be struggling to hold their cookies - or whatever they'd been eating. Probably some sort of baked dessert, based off of the smell Cheese had caught on his way here. Poor fellas. The buzz of the contest was usually all that kept them from losing their lunch. Once it was over, all that remained was sheer willpower - In Cheese's opinion, it took lots of guts to take part in an eating contest. Sure, eating a lot was something he'd had more than a few experiences with, as a party planner, but this kind of eating made the pony a bit uncomfortable at times. Oh well - It wasn't like anyone was making him do it. Anywho - Big event! Cheese Sandwich had come all the way up from Las Pegasus, where he'd had the most difficult time trying to get a large group of tourists together into one big partying-machine. It wasn't that they didn't like partying - It was just insanely difficult keeping them together long enough to enjoy any festivities! To be fair, Las Pegasus was pretty flashy and distracting for newcomers. Even Cheese himself had been lost for a little while, trying to make sense of all the attractions and sights. Still, as usual, the party pony had gotten the job done. It had been costly in time, though - Cheese had only sensed the sporting event going down once he'd left the city. So maybe Cheese was a day or two late here. He was here, though! Sure, watching the events would be exciting and all, but he was really here for when everything ended, so that he could set up one giant, crazy celebration after all the awards had been given out. If one had already been planned, then he could make sure that it was as big, loud, and crazy as possible. Oh no, no pony here would be forgetting this event for a long time. Of course, there was a bit of time before everything ended. Cheese could afford to enjoy himself and watch Iron Pony activities from the sidelines while he waited. As previously mentioned, though, it seemed like this particular event was over. That stank. Worse than old cheese, sour milk, or your grandma's musty basement. Cheese Sandwich didn't let it get him down too much. He could spring back from virtually anything, and this was no different. Instead, the pony decided upon checking out the competitors and other spectators. Maybe he could get a few words from them, just to get an idea of how things were going currently. Cheese lowered his cowboy hat some, so that the brim shaded his face a little more, taking careful steps through the mishmash of bodies. There were a few faces he recognized. The young dragon Smolder was pretty hard to mistake for anyone else around these parts. Cheese wasn't too surprised that she'd show up for an event like this. There was another pony that seemed to have the attention of many under the tent, a tall, dark mare that Cheese vaguely recognized. He couldn't quite remember the name, though, or who they were, exactly. Only that he'd seen the face before. She looked rather grumpy. . . Nothing a good joke (or prank) couldn't fix, of course! in fact, he was just about to go do just that - - A flash of pink caught Cheese's eye. The stallion blinked, tracking it. No mistake about it, Pinkie Pie was here too. Cheese smiled, pulling off his hat and letting his brown curly hair pop out. He couldn't keep his act up when another party pony was around. She seemed like she was talking to someone, though - And who was that with her? A green fellow that Cheese had never seen before. No matter - He could just go up and ask, hopefully! Not now, though. It seemed a bit rude to just barge in like that right then, though Cheese was known for his spontaneity. Instead, why not pay that grumpy mare a visit, if only to make them smile? Cheese made a beeline towards the mare, stopping right beside them and giving a cheery wave, grinning like a fool. "Heya there! Pardon my asking, but why so down? This is supposed to be a fun competition, right? I think so. Do you think so, Boneless Two?" Cheese took the rubber chicken off his back, waiting for it to reply. It was a rubber chicken. Those do not reply. Still, Cheese acted as if everything was all fine and dandy. "Of course it is! Besides that, folks get to eat all the pastries they want over here. I just gotta find 'em. . ." Cheese glanced about for a moment. "Anywho, the name's Cheese Sandwich, miss. Who might you be? I coulda sworn I'd seen your face from somewhere. . . Have we partied together before?"

Oh, cool beans! Pinkie's here! Time to disrupt the space-time continuum with uncontrollable party power! An interaction with her in general should be pretty fun, and Cheese might end up seriously distracted, though he always has time for Pinkie Pie. Seeing that it's Pinkie, of all ponies, I might of had something in mind for what they could do. Unless, of course, you just wanted to wing it (which is, of course, my specialty, ha). Anything works for these two!

Hey ya'll! Aizen here again. Was just curious to see if anyone wanted to try and RP with Cheese Sandwich over here - I just got a bio up for him and all. I'm not really looking for anything in particular, just a scenario that Cheese would realistically appear in. He's currently on his way to a certain competition, to add a little flair to the celebrations (I was thinking of throwing him into an event at Iron Pony, but only once the celebrations began :P). Any character could intercept him on his way there - Just don't get him too far off-course from his original goal - Boneless Two might have some words for you.

Roleplay Type: WoE Name: Cheese Sandwich Sex: Male Age: Young Stallion Species: Earth Pony Eye Color: Brilliant Chartreuse Green Coat Color: Light Orange Mane/Tail: Cheese's mane and tail hair are both a dark brown. Both are extremely puffy and unkempt, as Cheese believes it makes his image all the more goofy. On his head, the hair is a bit curlier. Physique: Cheese's body is rather slender and lanky, making him taller than most other ponies out there. Residence: Wanderer (though his hometown is Manehatten) Occupation: "Super Duper Party Pony" (traveling party planner) Cutie Mark: Cheese Sandwich's cutie mark is, well. . . a cheese sandwich. Grilled, to be exact. It represents his love of cheese and accordions. Cheese received his cutie mark as a direct result of Pinkie Pie, who's attitude and partying skills inspired Cheese to become a "Super Duper Party Pony", just like her. Unique traits: Cheese sandwich is the self-proclaimed "Super Duper Party Pony". With that in mind, whadaya think he does? The pony travels around Equestria, putting on parties that turn frowns upside down and obliterate any negative feelings whatsoever. He lives for this kind of stuff. As a result, Cheese has taught himself to be a good singer and musician, specifically with accordions. He also carries around a rubber chicken he got from the party where he met Pinkie Pie, which he named Boneless (not the original, which he left with Pinkie after leaving Equestria later on). History: Cheese Sandwich wasn't always the loud, goofy, extroverted pony he is today. In fact, he used to be quite the opposite: Shy, quiet, and lonely. His family wasn't anything special, really. Just normal ponies living normal lives - And content to keep on living normal lives. Anything spontaneous or random was frowned upon in their household. This left Cheese with not much to work with. As a result of his awkwardness and silence, he was often regarded as an oddball by other young ponies. Those ponies and their families had color to them. They were interesting. Cheese longed to be like them, despite his parents insistence that normalcy was key. This went on for some time as a kid, with Cheese remaining isolated from others. Eventually, once Cheese was able to, he left Manehattan, unable to connect with others with the constant pressure of his parents on him. For the longest time, the colt wandered, unsure of what to do. He was free to do what he wanted, but he just couldn't. His past had made socializing nearly impossible. He was far too shy to even begin with that, and had no experience in talking to others. So, he remained in his shell for awhile longer. Luckily, things changed for the better within one day, one crazy day. The day Cheese met Pinkie Pie. By chance, the colt had stumbled upon one of her wild parties. Cheese didn't even have time to react to it. He hadn't been called strange, or ignored; Instead, after being pulled in, Cheese had the time of his life, the first true party he'd ever been to. He even spoke with a couple ponies, who, luckily, didn't seem to mind his apparent shyness. Though Cheese Sandwich didn't directly speak to Pinkie Pie, just meeting her and seeing her doing the thing she loved was enough to inspire Cheese to do the same, earning him his cutie mark. Though Cheese had never originally had a hobby or goal in mind, party planning and humor drew his attention. Taking the rubber chicken he'd gotten from the party (which he named Boneless), Cheese finally started his new career - His career as a Super Duper Party Pony. Not only that, but Cheese also finally learned to dive right in to socializing, getting over his shyness in awe of Pinkie Pie's own extroverted attitude. That is what he does to this day, planning over-the-top birthday bashes, surprise parties, and get-togethers for all, so that they can experience the same happiness he'd felt on the day he finally found a purpose - And an entertaining one, at that! Personality: Though Cheese Sandwich used to be a shy, quiet one, he's since then grown to be more like Pinkie Pie - If only more of a clown than a hyperactive type. He's loud, outspoken, and more than eager to perform something crazy and hilarious if it'll get everyone smiling. With him, there's never enough of a good thing. Why have some fun, when you can have all the fun? No party is complete if it isn't drastically over-the-top, and everyone is involved. Bad days are nonexistent with Cheese Sandwich around. On the contrary, though, Cheese Sandwich has another side of him, which he usually uses to introduce himself to others. He has a very serious demeanor, wearing a dark cowboy hat and poncho, the only hint at his true persona being his rubber chicken, Boneless, which he carries on his back. He's all-business in this state as he travels from place to place. Once he's there, though, it's true Cheese sandwich time! Character Summary: Though he may come off as a bit odd to some, Cheese Sandwich is certainly the type of pony you'd want as a friend, almost always cheery and goofy, ready to give someone the party of their lives. It doesn't matter if you're shy, edgy, quiet, or plain mean. Cheese's attitude is contagious: Stick around him too long, and you'll eventually pick up on his partying.

"Oh, yeah?" Well, from the sound of it, the drink certainly seemed. . . Involved. In all honesty, Candy Cain had never had anything too intense before. Only a select few adult beverages, really. And even those had been pretty tough for Cain to keep down, let alone endure the following day. When it came to drinking, Cain was the worst. Still, this one certainly sounded like it'd be a treat. Maybe Cain would even get inspired by the taste. The stallion finally nodded, an awkward half-grin on his face. "Yeah, the Son of a Son of Som. . . Y-Yeah, that. I appreciate the suggestion, ma'am." It was always best to keep the bartender content; After all, they were serving you inebriants. It didn't seem likely, but Cain didn't want to end up on the floor because he'd provoked someone int serving him something strong. Still, Cain couldn't shake the feeling that he'd already done something wrong. He couldn't place it. Cain turned away from the bartender (hopefully) before the worry showed on his face, directing his full attention to the two ponies by the fire. Trotting over and sitting down, Cain listened to the story Wind Walker had heard from a colt that had wandered off somewhere. His smile seemed a bit strained from time to time as he tried to follow the story. Was the story about Wind Walker's dad with a scar? Or some other stallion? Still, Cain politely sat through the story fragment, piecing together what he could, before giving a low whistle. "Well, I'll be." On a random side note, Cain had become aware of his ever-changing accent. From city colt to country stallion, it seemed. He rather liked it. He hoped it made him sound more mature. "That's quite the tale so far, Miss Wind Walker. I'll have to ask the fella when he get's back for a little more on it." Cain's smile faded slightly, and a bit of nervousness and embarrassment showed as he became conscious of the mare sitting there as well. Him, recall a story? He felt as if he'd just embarrass himself in front of them. . . Cain liked to weave tall tales for little fillies and colts; He did it all the time, entertaining children and parents alike during his shows. still, somehow, it felt a tad bit more embarrassing in a setting like this. Maybe he could thin of something that wasn't too ridiculous. . . Cain gulped slightly, before speaking. "Ah, well. . . There's one story I could tell ya." Cain finally decided on recalling the events that had led towards him getting his cutie mark. He could mold the story a bit and make it sound like something he'd made up. It seemed less personal that way. "Y'see. . . Awhile ago, I knew this colt. Skinny little fella, didn't have too many friends. Since he was the youngest, weakest colt in the family back then, he didn't get out much. He was constantly outshone by his siblings, who all had some sort of special skill or ability. They'd all gotten their cutie marks; The youngest hadn't. Y'see, the little fella didn't perform feats of great physical prowess or intelligence." That was true enough, Cain supposed. "He didn't even know how to make sweets yet, like his parents. Instead, he designed things. Little things, like toys or little models, y'know? It made him the, ah, oddball back then. He didn't mind it too much, since his creations were getting better 'n better each day. Then, one day, he built somethin' that was different from his other little things. He'd been working on it for weeks and weeks, not liking the results. Then, one night, right before midnight, on the, eh. . ." Cain frowned, staring slightly past the two ponies. ". . Fiftieth try or so, he finished the thing. A little model of some pony, I forget. The point was, it was special. It didn't have wings, or wound up or anything, but. . . It was unique. Y'know why?" Cain leaned in, a small grin on his face. "The lil' thing seemed to be alive, in a way. Trotted in a circle, then sat down, at the window; It never moved or showed any life again, but the colt still holds on to the little thing to this day." Cain chuckled. "That isn't even all that interesting, considerin' what happened after that." Cain paused, to see if the other two were following.

A creaking could be heard as the door to the Explorers Society as a pink-haired stallion poked his head into the establishment. Candy Cain gave a sigh of relief: This was the place after all. He had been worried at first - he had, more often than not, taken a wrong turn in his travels when it came to little establishments like these. He couldn't help it. He was new to the areas outside of Canterlot still. That could soon change though, He just had to stick with it and explore a little more. He continued to travel around to this day. For now, though, Cain was tired. He'd heard of this place from a couple ponies miles back, and had decided to take a look. It sounded interesting enough. But was it really worth walking all the way out here? That was what the locals had asked Cain before he'd set out to find the place. In his opinion, any place was worth it, as long as it was something new. This was new. So Cain would check it out, at least once. The stallion's bubblegum-pink mane and wheat-colored coat seemed a bit dusty from hours of walking on the dirt trail. No matter, he could fix that later. Still, it pained Cain that he had to been seen like this: it was sort of embarrassing. He didn't want anyone thinking he was always a mess like this. Candy Cain took a few steps inside, shut the door quietly, and glanced around. It wasn't the biggest pub he'd ever seen, but it felt nice and cozy. There was even a fireplace, with a few ponies already gathered around. Cain allowed himself a lopsided grin as he walked a little closer to them. It seemed as if stories were being told over there. . . he'd go check it out, but it would have to wait for now. Right now, Cain was, above all, thirsty. The stallion made his way over to the bar, and knocked the wood with a hoof to catch the bartender's attention. He nodded to them, a silent greeting, before saying, "What's the best ya got? I'll take it." Cain wasn't normally one to spend a bunch of money on things like food (or drinks), but, hey. He'd walked all the way out here - might as well take a load off and enjoy a little rest. Something cold right now would be perfect. While he waited, Cain turned back to the fire, examining those who sat by it. An attractive red mare and a gray lad he'd never seen around before, and. . . "Well, I'll be," Cain allowed himself another crooked grin, his exhaustion forgotten, if only for a moment. "Would that be miss Wind Walker I see over there? Good evenin', sport!" They might not have spoken much, but Cain could certainly remember the little filly from Nightmare Night awhile back. He'd given her and a few others treats, after all. That had been fun.