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Preparing for the Spooky Season (Open)


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Walking along the beach of Maretime Bay, Allegro was looking for flotsam that had washed ashore. This wasn't a strange activity for him to be doing, but their attire was somewhat eye catching if for no other reason the because they were actually wearing something for a change. It seemed to be some sort of homemade robe, crafted from different sackcloths with wear and tear that was either a sign that Allegro was a masterful costume designer or the sackcloth had originally been salvaged some the sea and they had made full use of it. It didn't seem finished through. Considering the patrol that Allegro was currently doing, more resources were needed.

 

He also appeared to be humming to himself and practicing... a rather interesting trick with his voice. Harmonization of voices was normally something that required at least three different singers working together to create, but despite being by himself Allegro seemed to be creating a humming harmony with two different tones while trying to work in a third. This might have been impossible a few years ago, but in this day and age... well, Allegro had a cutie mark in music and they didn't really seem to do a lot of what was being viewed as earth pony magic so maybe this was just how his abilities were manifesting?  Either way, the tune was pleasing to listen too... if a little creepy for anyone who actually understood music and how harmonization was meant to work.

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~~~Jazz Hooves~~~

 

 

Maretime Bay had a lot of unique and interesting places in it, but perhaps some of the most captivating and beautiful were along the city's beaches. Jazz Hooves loved taking strolls along the warm sands while the waves washed in and swept back out from whence they came. The late afternoon sun glistened off of the waves as Jazz took in the scene. Sand shifted under her hooves as she walked, looking for a quiet place to relax. Everything today at Mane Melody was productive and all of her clients had interesting stories. 

 

Her thoughts were disrupted though as she heard singing in the area. Being somewhat of a singer herself, she was intrigued by the sound and she was trying to pinpoint it. It sounded like she was looking for a group of two, possibly three different ponies. She looked at all the groups that she saw, and none of them fit what she was hearing. she saw The Pippsqueaks playing over in one of the coves. It looked like they were working on a sand castle, but they weren't doing any singing. She saw Windy and one of her friends off in another spot on the beach. It looked like Windy was showing off the hooficure that Jazz had given to her at work today. It gave her a sense of pride seeing ponies showing off her work. At the moment though, once again, this wasn't what she was looking for.

 

As she moved closer to the voices that were making the harmonizing music, she was taken back a bit. The harmonic voices were all coming from one pony. An earth pony it looked like, who was wearing some sort of robe. Curious, she started to approach the humming earth pony. It wasn't a tune that she herself recognized, but it was far from unpleasant. Quite the opposite actually. If she had an idea of what his progression was, she might even try to do a bit of harmonization herself. Alas, she did not have the ability to read minds and since she'd never heard this before, only the pony humming it would know where it was going. Instead, she would speak up with a soft smile. "Wonderful evening for a song tonight, isn't it?" she inquired trying to break the ice. Hopefully she wouldn't catch him too off guard. She didn't want to startle him after all.

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Despite her efforts, it was clear from the little jump that the stallion did that he had been caught off guard and startled, stopping their strange little tune dead in the process. It was hard to tell through, from the nervousness of his features, if he had been startled by her sudden appearance or the fact that anyone was talking to him at all. "O-Oh. Hello." was the shy first reaction. Hearing her question through, he did get a bit more confidence through as he answered "A-All evenings are a wonderful time for a song. It's just that sometimes we don't like the tune that is being played."

 

Now that Jazz was closer... well, despite the makeshift clothing that covered a lot of his body, it was hard for Allegro to hide the fact that his coat and mane were... well, completely untidy. Part of it looked like damage caused by long term exposure to sea salt without properly cleaning oneself afterwards, but a lot of it looked like neglect... beyond what was clearly a self inflicted mane cut that had no eye for fashion or style and everything to do with getting hair out of ones eyes. A strong scent of sand and sea likely didn't help. It seemed like without intending too, Allegro may have been one of the worst case scenarios a stylist could witness.

 

Ignorant of this fact, he bashfully glanced around before softly introducing him as "M-My name is Allegro." as he resisted the urge to fold in on himself to try and hide.

 

 

 

 

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Sunny had spent time on her costume. Too much. Entirely too much. So much that a certain point if somepony had understood just how much times he had spent they would probably have her get help. And not help with the costume, either- not that she needed it, having her spent her time constructively if not well.

 

She had to read and reread what sources she could. The history of ancient Equestria was faint enough when it came to basic details. She had access to a lot of the glitz but not a lot of substance. Nightmare Night's origin was forgotten, never to be remembered. What she did know is it was tied in some manner to a mythical creature known as Nightmare Moon, some sort of spirit or entity that lived on the moon. She had one picture of this entity alongside the Sun Princess; enough for her to base a costume around!

 

So she had worked on it for far too long. The lack of good information left a space that she was trying her best to fill, and by try her best she meant obsess over what it probably looked like. Still, she thought she looked good. She had a cool helmet and some nice dark wings. She would bring the darkness and the fear! And the fun! Mostly the fun. The night will last for a thousand moons!

 

The party she was preparing for wasn't until tomorrow, but she was in her heart already prepared and had to go burn off energy. Some nervous, most not, all of it excited. In her full regalia she found herself walking at night bot far from the beach when she hears a beautiful harmony.

 

Curiosity killed many things in other worlds but in Equestria it was almost always awarded. And so she walked towards the beach to catch a peak from the town above, the Moonlight behind her casting a dark, armored alicorn shadow towards the beach and it's occupants below...

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"So this is Maretime Bay...." the unicorn mare mused as she took a puff out of her kiseru. Truth to be told, she could postpone this.....but Lady Egret wanted take a look at little town just before the evening. After all once kids will be done with that little holiday and put to bad, adults will want to unwind a little at late evening and all the way to morning.....

 

And what a better place then newly open establishment? Her establishment. Of course when you an foreign mare, and one that had to take into account just recently overcome prejudices, you couldn't exactly count that customers - and more importantly, the mint they brought along - will be beating down your door. Thus, a little marketing was in order. A little demeaning, but hell, what else could you do? At least Egret had brought three of her girls along to spread the buzz and hang the posters. One dresses as yuki onna, one dressed as ao andō and one as jiāngshī cause variety. Egret herself dressed as....well...herself, since she was $@%*-ing intimidating already as she was.

 

"Alright girls you know what to do. We got posters, we got flyers, and we got candy bags for brats with business cards in them. The bigger target group we get for ourselves, the bigger money we will make down the line, and this, the bigger bonus you will be able to make...." Lady explained as she took another puff from her metal pipe.

 

"Now let's spread out, make a word about the isle, hoofle out the stuff you got and do some sightseeing or some other $#!^. We have two...no...three hours. Move it."

After some declarations of acknowledgment, Egret gazed after her disappearing hostesses before sighting.

"What the pain in the butt...." she mused to herself as she exhaled some smoke. "Still....guess it's better to establish yourself before Heartwarming season." Lady scratched the back of her silver-maned head.

"Now....to find a bar and karaoke box. Propably near beach or something...Actually, does this backwater HAVE a karaoke here? $#!^." and with that, and further muttering under her nose, the tall unicorn wandered towards the coast, while continuing puffing from her pipe.

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~~~Jazz Hooves~~~

 

 

 

Jazz quickly jumped back a bit herself and scolded herself internally for being to hasty and starting the poor pony that was next to her. Once he had recovered, Jazz heard him speak about how every night was a good night for a song. Just sometimes the song played isn't too their liking. Jazz nodded in agreement. Music and sing had a way with things like that. They can accent a ponies mood based on the lyrics, the beat, it the soothing instrumental sections.

 

Up close, Jazz was now able to pick up more about him. He was as blue as the sea that was next to them, or at least the boys that weren't covered with his cloak. His mane and tail looked like they could use a wash, and his hooves were not well kept up at all. Everything about his attire and his appearance pointed to him living on, or around the beach. "Jazz Hooves," she smiled, reaching out with a hoof before something caught the corner of her eye.

 

A white mare with an eye patch directing a couple of others before a dark shadow got her attention. It was the shadow of an alicorn and Jazz looked up to try to find the source. She hoped it was just Sunny, but that didn't add up. Sunny's wings would make light not shadows... She briefly considered trying to find a place to hide, but the beach did not have many hiding spots. Not to mention the fact that she didn't want to be known as the mare that was afraid of small things. A shadow could be a combination of things after all that just happened to look like an alicorn. She'd have to wait for the pony to land before she could consider anything else. She also waited to see if this other mare would approach as well.

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With a small degree of hesitation, Allegro raised a hoof to politely bump it with the must better maintained hoof of Jazz Hooves... only to pause for a moment in order to wipe the sand off his hoof before he did so. After all, just because he didn't look after himself didn't mean that others didn't.

 

Before the conversation could really continue, something clearly distracted Jazz, causing Allegro to follow her gaze in order to find out what it was. There was the small, if shady group of mares nearby that was breaking up as a trio of them took off in different directions, but that wasn't what really caught the attention of the pair. Instead it seemed to be a shadowy figure of a pony with both wings and a horn, walking along the railing of the pathway just before one hit the dunes and started stepped into the sand of the beach proper.

 

Tilting his head slightly, Allegro seemed more confused then anything as he turned to Jazz and asked "Someone you know?" surprisingly without the nervous shutter. There just didn't seem to be that unease for the shadowy figure as there had been for Jazz herself when she had started talking to him. He still offered the shadowy, mystery winged, horned pony a wave through.

 

 

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Well would you look at that? A stallion and mare meeting for a first time, a picture as old as ponykind herself. Although the dork of a colt seemed a little skittish, perhaps to a degree that was a 'lil fishy.....

 

But of course it wasn't her damn business. Aside from the fact that maybe the guy would bring the gal for dance and drink somewhere down the line - and it would be in Egret's best interest if that "somewhere" was 'The Isle'......

Not that she saw a way to promote her club without seeming pushy. Perhaps she could play matchmaker, but not without getting herself familiar with town first and hitting the streets about that Allegro boy and Jazz lass....

 

Wait a second, Jazz and Allegro? Weren't those...musically aligned names? Could it be that those two worked as music performers? Probably - western ponies were descriptive like that. While 'The Isle' had it own small ensemble of house musicians, Lady Egret was under no delusion that all customers will be satisfied with just eastern melodies - whatever new or old. Perhaps she could listen in, to get some names from local industry or to see if those two would be interested to perform a gig or two in her club once in the while? Or better yet, poach them outright!

 

As she was pondering this , Egret felt the presence of something else. Almost ;ike a tiger on the prowl....Her one eye widened as she whipped around, one of her hooves already moving into overhead strike.....

Only for her to step back and shake her hoof loose once she saw that mare behind her was as surprised as she was!

And that one had both horn and wings! What in the.....?!

 

Egret mumbled some cuss word under her breath as she moved to pick up her kiseru that fell out due to jaw drop that she did for short moment.

"Dammit lass! Don't sneak on others like that, especially when flopping the girth and weight of your sp....magic like that!" she chastised the mare as she took a puff from her pipe to calm down. "The only reason you not having third nostril is cause despite it, you have about as much enmity as chinchilla kit. And what's with the getup?!"

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Luckily, nopony was freaked out by the ominous alicorn shadow that peered over the beach like a commanding evil. Which was fortunate, because Sunny was likely not very good at the commanding evil thing. She could barely comprehend how to be commanding good and she wanted to be that to a great degree. At least the horn and wings of her costume weren't spazzing out on her and ethereal in any sense. Having them physically certainly made all the difference in how comfortable she could feel with it. As she walked the path down however she found herself distracted. So distracted that she didn't even notice that she nearly ran into a new mare- hard to do since the unicorn was so visually striking! Almost as striking as the strike that she almost landed on Sunny. Mare needed to relax. "Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought there. This getup is for Nightmare Night. I'm going as Nightmare Moon, an old Equestrian legend!" She said as she tried to strike an intimidating pose. The judges would have to give their score later. "I'm Sunny, nice to meet you, miss...?" She asked as she continued to walk and talk towards the sound of the singing she had heard earlier.

 

It didn't take her long to round the corner and see the culprit(s) behind the most lovely racket. Jazz was there alongside Allegro; fitting, both having musical names. She hadn't expected to run into anypony out here and now she had run into three, a veritable crowd that threatened to overwhelm nopony while allowing her just the slightest bit of embarrassment considering that she was trying out her costume for the very first time. That was a matter for another minute, however, as she needed to get to the bottom of what brought her all the way down. "Hey there Jazz, Allegro. Didn't expect to see you two out and about over here tonight! Then again, guess you can say the same about me. I'm guessing you were responsible for that singing that drew me down here, right?'"

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~~~Jazz Hooves~~~

 

 

 

Jazz Hooves smiled as the stallion returned her hoofshake. She, of course, didn't mind a little bit of sand during the exchange. They were on a beach after all, so she probably had a bit on hers as well. Still, she appreciates the gesture the stallion made to wipe his hooves off as he introduced himself as Allegro. Now that was a bit of irony. Given the talent for singing and his unique ability that had been the reason for attracting her attention, Jazz figured that the stallion's name while be musically inclined. It was just the nature of ponies.

 

It seemed that he followed her thoughts and her eyes though as he asked the the others were ponies that she knew. She shook her head at first until Sunny walked up to them. The other mare seemed to greatly overreact, but it was clear that she thought she was in danger, so Jazz couldn't be upset. Instead, she listened as the mare spoke to Sunny and then Sunny back and then to them. Jazz turned back to Allegro.

 

"Well, I can't say that I know this unicorn, Sunny is a regular regular at the place I work. Usually she's there with Pipp working on something, but she's a customer to a lot," she replied to him before turning back to Sunny. "Likewise! I was just taking a stroll along the beach when I heard some beautiful melodies and harmonies. I thought I was looking for a group of ponies, but I ended up finding Allegro here with a rather unique ability," she replied to Sunny, looking at the third mare. "That being said, I don't believe I caught your name miss," she spoke to the unicorn and repeating the gesture she gave to Allegro, extended hey hoof to the mare. "Jazz," she said, not knowing if she was close enough to hear it before.

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Allegro had been shy before, but the moment Sunny appeared... well, he remained shy, but there was a bashfulness about it that made it come across as a different kind of shyness. "H-Hi Sunny. I like your costume. Very... 'do what I say or I'll hurt you' air to it." Truth be told, it kind of reminded him of his mother when she was having a really bad day. Granted she would never resort to something like physical violence just because she was upset, but one days like that dad needed to take her aside in order to let her vent and while Allegro never actually heard the words, the tone she spoke them in was absolutely venomous.

 

Then the strange mare start insulting and threatening Sunny. Allegro might have been silent as Sunny responded, but if anyone paid attention there was a shift in the way that the robed pony was holding themselves; Before it looked like they were fighting the urge to run away or curl up on themselves. Now, it looked like he was prepared to launch himself forward and attack at the first sign of actual trouble... but Sunny didn't seem to consider herself in any danger at least...

 

As the conversation swung him back into focus, some of the surprising confidence seemed to ebb away... but Allegro was still clearly on edge because of this new pony. "I know Sunny. We've met a few times before." He explained to Jazz... before he looked over himself. "I don't really have a figure in mind... I've just been gathering flotsam that washes up and turning myself into some ocean specter. I w-was kind of planning on walking along the shore tomorrow night, singing sea shanties and other creepy sounding tunes in order to help set the mood." The smile turned into a frown briefly as he added "I've been looking for an old ship bell or something, but haven't found anything like it. Can't just go and buy a bell either... it just doesn't have that same haunting melody."

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Egret grunted "Yeah I get it that you dressed as Luna-hime meaner, very bitter side. What I am getting about, is that garb of yours is too good lass. Those wings look almost real." the tall mare said as she pointed out at Sunny.

"Combined with that magic of yours...well imagine if some grandma walked out of her house and dropped dead on sight? Some elderly have weak hearts." Egret mused while taking another puff from her pipe.

 

She was getting slowly swarmed with questions here, as now both that Sunny lass and two ponies she was scouting shifted attention to her.

First, Lady glanced over her shoulder towards Allegro. The colt seemed to have a sudden surge of bravado, but her meaningful gaze with her one eye and slight shake of the head send a wordless 'Don't' towards the guy. Very noble of him, but he should learn to gauge the strength of those before him. Lady was sure she would manage to tie the poor meaning cutie into pretzel if it came down to it.

 

"I am way past being called 'Miss'....." she drawled as she looked on both Jazz and Sunny. "But I answer to 'Egret'. Most add 'Lady' before that, for one reason or another...." she explained before she extended her toned leg to return the Jazz offer for hoofshake.

"Charmed." the unicorn said, before deciding to be more direct. "I am starting to conduct some.....business in area nearby. And seeing that Maretime was the most accessible of three settlements, I figured I drop by before first evening and familiarize myself with the town. Get to see some local talents, see places of interest....And speaking of places of interests...." Lady paused to take drag from her kiseru. "I am looking for some well established Bars in area, and perhaps even some brewery with good produce." she explained, hoping that the three will at least give her directions.

 

As the colt started to talk about his music, Egret pricked up her ears. Unfortunately his tastes in music was....

"Creepy and haunting? Tsk...." unicorn grimaced in disappointment. This won't do at all. She was running entertaining establishment, not funeral house.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sunny was very happy, very excited, very happycited to see that somepony else knew about Princess Luna and the myth of the Nightmare Moon, flapping her made-up wings with unintended excitement very briefly. The overwhelming majority of ponies didn't know about Luna, let alone the Nightmare. Ancient Equestria was still more myth than history to the majority of ponies. Twilight Sparkle herself and her friends were the majority of the events that remained. Those around them, even Celestia and Luna, were ethereal even now. If you asked a thousand ponies you would be lucky to find three who could name either of them, let alone the Nightmare. "Well, if a little old granny I don't think she'd think I'd be the Nightmare. Just evil Sunny. Maybe some bad smoothies," Sunny thought, "I'm not a brewery, though, so sadly I don't think I can help you Egret. But I'm sure i can see around for you," she offered Egret while the quartet commiserated finally.

 

Jazz seemed to indicate that she had not joined in the singing at least at first, which intrigued Sunny to no end. Allegro's unique ability? He was a unique stallion already. What other tricks did he have up his fetlocks and behind the ears? "Oh, a unique ability? You'll have to show us more later, Allegro," Sunny smiled as she considered his actual mission for the day more. He needed a bell- a real bell, real ocean. She wasn't sure why it was needed now when day would be easier, but who was she to judge the timing of other creatures? Plus, the beach could use some haunting melodies this year. The Spooky Season needed ambience! "Good thing we have the proper ambience, then. Somepony needs to do it," she winked. "We'll see about that bell. Or a bell, at least," she said as she went to go sit on a rock, stretching out her legs.

 

Speaking of Jazz, Sunny nodded. It was all true. She hung around Mane Melody often enough that she was somewhat sure that Jazz knew nearly as much as Pipp about what was happening with Sunny on any given day. It didn't hurt that she was easy to get along with! "A stroll along a spooky beach on a spooky night who heard spooky melodies and needed to investigate it? Geez Jazz, are you trying to become a character in one of those cheesy horror films?" She asked in mock horror, hooves to mouth to mask her impishness. "Well, I guess I'm no better. I was preparing to loom menacingly over the beach, I guess," she shrugged her shoulders before gazing out over the water. "And the water, too. Can you menace the ocean? Maybe the fish..."

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~~~Jazz Hooves~~~

 

 

 

Oh no... This unicorn mentioned the old princess... Welp, it was nice knowing her, even if they just met. The very fact that she mentioned The Alicorn of Old meant that she knew ancient information. Worst of all for Erget, now that she knew that was her name... She let Sunny know that she had information like that. Now they might not see the poor mare for moons! Tied to a chair in the brighthouse until Sunny can squeeze every ounce of information or of her... She even had the excited wing-flap. Aaaand then nothing happened. Sunny simply replied that the grandma would simply think that she was evil Sunny with bad smoothies.

 

She placed her hoof back on the ground at shaking Lady Erget's, and listened to the mare as she talked about her plans. She said that she was looking for a brewery or a well established bar. "Honestly, I don't recall seeing many bars in Maretime Bay either. We do have a couple of vineyards and a winery though. They have a delicious Moscato, and their reds are pretty good too. I haven't tried anything other than that those though, so my assessment is limited. I generally only drink at gatherings myself and those are the two wines that are the most commonly provided," Jazz explained to Erget. 

 

When Jazz heard Sunny's reaction to get own story for being out there, she gave a gentle eye-roll. "Oh please, investigating is Zipp's job. She is way better at it than I could be. I just wanted to hear more music and maybe sing along. I was going to start harmonizing with Allegro as my way of introducing myself, but I didn't recognize the tune so I didn't know the progression. Though I do think a giant bell would be a nice touch. If only we had an old skiff as well. Then we could pair the two together and make it a one of the primary attractions for tomorrow night. A haunted ship from the past? Who wouldn't love that!" Jazz proclaimed happily! "Oh, and Sunny... Don't ever go evil. I'm getting a tiny ache just thinking about soured smoothies," she added, visibly shuddering from the thought. 

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There was a part of Allegro's being that relaxed at the presence of both Sunny and somewhat surprisingly to him, Jazz. There was just something about the company of those who understood what he was trying to get across that made him feel welcome in a way that he hadn't in a long time. Unfortunately, that warm feeling of acceptance was somewhat counter measured by the presence of Egret; There was something about the mare that rubbed him the wrong way and her continued presence made him uncomfortable.

 

However as Sunny and Jazz started to talk about the idea he had been working on, there was a moment of inspiration... or madness. He honestly wasn't sure which it was yet. Under any other circumstances on another other day, he would have rejected the idea outright. But in this moment... "I... actual had an addition to the costume that I was thinking of trying out but... I'm... well, I'm not sure about it." He added rather nervously. More so then normal. "Just... wait here a moment. I'll be right back..."

 

As he turned and walked away from the trio of mares, there was a part of Allegro that screamed at him to abort. To just start running because what he was about to do was incredibly dangerous and stupid and... and... if it didn't go well and Sunny had a horrified, sickened or hate-filled look on her face at the sight...

 

It would shatter his heart.

 

It would hurt him in a manner that a cut in the flesh or broken bones would never be able replicate because unlike a physical knife to the heart, an emotional one couldn't be healed so easily. Anxiety and terror tore at his insides like a ravenous creature with too many spikes and claws and danced their terrible 'what if' dance on the remains, but once he was far enough away from the group where they couldn't see exactly what he was doing, he made a show of...doing something with his hooves. Maybe reaching under the robe a few times to pull something out?  It was... it was important that he gave the appearance that what was about to be seen was smoke and mirrors. Because in the event that it went wrong he could at least still wear the mask and interact and gain resources from a city that he didn't care for, but was the only place with ponies in it with access to the sea.

 

The illusion of being an earth pony slipped away, causing him to shiver as he closed his eyes for a moment and tried to control his breathing enough to avoid a panic attack. It was now or never. Pulling the makeshift hood of the robe over his head, he let out one last breath before turning around and walking back towards the group. It was only once he had rejoined the group proper that he lowered the hood. Inpony yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the low light stared back from a face that was equine in shape, but the standard pony form was infused with aquatic features. In no small part he was thankful that they could only see his face and his front legs, with the rest of his body hidden under the robe.

 

"W... What do you think?"

 

  Andrew_commission.png

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"Yeah, you certainly ain't one. You don't have that hazy, almost dream feeling that tends to accompany the best ones. You DO seem like bakery though. Probably cause of that 'sweet cinnamon roll' vibes you sending." the one-eyed mare teased the Sunny as she pulled from her pipe. "Also Sunny-lass, those wings are real or not? I kinda get contradictory signals here...." Egret prodded.

 

When Jazz mentioned...deficit of certain type of establishments in the town, Egret whipped herself around to look at the mare in disbelief.

"The $#@%?! Then what you did you did before that 'ponykind segregation' rubbish got thrown into the trash where it belongs? Where did you go with your nakama to relax in the evenings? Sure, you got nice beach, but you can skinny dip only so much before you look like a $#@%!*& salted raisin." Egret didn't mince words.

"Next thing you tell me is that you don't have karaoke here....." she muttered. Now she knew that opening her club not so far away was correct choice. Those ponies clearly NEEDED 'watering' hole of some kind!

 

"Usually it's ocean that does menacing...." tall unicorn cut in during Sunny's and Jazz's exchange. in deadpan tone "Also, getting a shipwreck - much less anything from it - might be a challenge. Your place doesn't have a proper port to begin with. And as long as this..." Egret pointed over her shoulder towards the lighthouse in the distance. "...is what I think it is, and not oversized ice-cream sculpture, then chance of finding one are even slimmer."

 

It was this moment that Allegro chose to pull a disappearing act, before promptly returning. He looked...fishy.

Egret fore a moment didn't said anything, her expression hidden behind cloud of tobacco smoke, with only her solitary silver eye visible and drilling into the stallion with a sharp gaze.

"....It clicks." she finally judged. "You even got the smell right. Talk about going and extra mile or two. I even bet you got a little moist, eh?" she asked, with an inscrutable expression. "You commissioned this, right? Earth pony would have a lot of  t r o u b l e  getting the details put into 'life' after all, even if you clearly knew about details themselves." unicorn mused.

"Shame you  been premature with showing the goods...like too many other colts these days. Don't you know that most impressive things should be saved for last act? Waiting extra day till tomorrow wouldn't kill you." she admonished Allegro before cracking a smile.

"Then again, can't blame you for showing off. Have to lay groundwork before February hmmm?" Egret added as her gaze shifted meaningfully at Jazz.

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Sunny took time to flatten the fake wings so she could show off her hoof-work, with each fake feather drawn in such a way as to try and make the whole look better than the parts. At this distance and once exposed, much easier to see the flaws in her work. "These ones are fake. The ones I sprout without meaning too are brighter and less...physical, I guess? Hard to put my hoof on it. Impossible, actually, heh," she asked as she unfurled the fake ones once more. "At least these ones I can have on demand! More reliable that way, right?" She asked as she watched Egret start to freak out about the town's lack of bars. Come to think of it, she didn't know of too many bars in Bridlewood- more of a tea and cube place it felt like. Only the Heights had a real 'bar scene' in Equestria. "It's true. I mean we have breweries and places like that but I don't think I've seen too many ponies asking for an active bar scene. I also haven't looked- its always possible there is some hole in the wall. But I guess that means your place should be a hit, right?"

 

She pondered the likely business success awaiting Egret while Allegro begged some time to get his costume ready. She was excited to see that, but found herself having to talk about the sea. "Oh, there are shipwrecks. Too many. The seas here can take a wild turn and do so quickly. My mom studied it for years. Still, at least we don't have a lot of shipwrecks due to fog or ponies missing the docks for the rocks," she replied as she allowed herself to look anywhere other than where Allegro was supposed to come out from. And when she did, she did a double-take!

 

That looked...almost real! He looked like a real monster!
"Oh wow!" Sunny said as she trotted over to investigate him further. "You look great! You're gonna knock everypony dead tomorrow! Where'd you get that?"

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~~~Jazz Hooves~~~

 

 

It was clear from the reaction that Erget wasn't from Equestria. Though that in of itself opened an entirely new line of questions. The way she spoke of the segregation as if it were disgusting and never should have happened to begin with, with the policies being in the trash where they belong. Okay, she really couldn't fault her for that logic, looking back. They were all ponies, and all of them splitting apart like they did, and hurting and hating one another. She hated it. It was definitely a dark spot for all of them, but they were on the road to recovery. One thing was for certain though. Erget wasn't from Bridlewood.

 

Her reaction to the lack of bars also caught her a bit off guard, and further accented the fact that she wasn't from around here. Ponies around here simply didn't talk like that. She couldn't explain why, but no pony ever seemed to get that upset over anything. At least not to verbally say anything. Still, she wasn't going to be a neigh-sayer and say anything about it, especially since nopony else brought it up. When she asked about how they unwound or relaxed. She didn't know what nakama meant, but Jazz presumed that it meant significant other. "Honestly, before the ponies were reunited, Maretime Bay was essentially ruled by fear, and the warmongering Canterlogic factory. For relaxing, most of us would either come here to the beach or go for ice cream. I'm not entirely sure what nakama means, but I presume it means significant other, which I do not have. But before the unification, we were all basically taught to stay indoors after dark. A pegasus could swipe you away. A fool's belief we know now, but when that's all you're ever taught, it's hard to not believe. Until another certain pony was brave enough to prove us all wrong," Jazz said, smiling back to Sunny.

 

Sunny added a bit about the bars herself before then talking about how the bay had many ship wrecks in it, and about how dangerous the sea was. But all of her focus immediately went to Allegro when he stepped away and then came back with his costume on. Jazz's face lit up and she practically hopped over to him. "Oh my gosh! Sunny are you seeing this! Everything about this costume is so life-like! I can't remember what they were called, but he looks exactly like one of those long extinct sea ponies! I read about them a few times in the library! He's even got the slits in the eyes right!" she said gleefully, hearing Erget comment on the costume as well, saying much the same, adding that he even had the smell right. Jazz hadn't noticed it herself, but she also didn't make a habit of smelling everypony she came around either. She did raise an eyebrow though as she looked between Allegro and Erget, and became a bit confused as the unicorn looked towards her with intent. "Huh? Groundwork? What do you mean?" she responded.

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It was difficult to put into words what Allegro was feeling at the moment.

 

The last time he had been seen in the open without the presence of an illusion make him appear to be a normal earth pony, the family home filled with love that he had grown up in had been burned to the ground and he had ended up having to flee into the night after ponies had called him a monster. Letting the illusion drop, even under the pretense that what was being shown was a mask or costume...

 

The fact that Sunny and Jazz were excited to see him honestly made him want to cry. In fact he needed to take a moment to carefully wipe his eyes as they started to tear up before anything really started. The care being due to having sand on his hooves and not wanting to get that in his eyes. "S-Sorry. Just been under a lot of stress lately." was the only explanation he was willing to offer at this time about why he had suddenly gotten emotional.

 

Needing a second to collect himself, once he did he took a deep breath before smiling in a surprisingly coy manner. "I actually made it myself. Cost me a song to put together." Maybe in time he would bring them in on the joke, but not right now. 

 

Turning towards the one eyed mare, he blinked slightly before he countered "I will have you know that I swim in the ocean a lot and I have never looked like a salted raisin." before clearing his throat. "As Jazz said, Maretime Bay really didn't really have much happening after dark until recently. S-So... I guess that just means there is plenty of room for someone like you to set up.

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Egret one eye drilled into Sunny as she offered an explanation.

"Sprout? Involuntarily so? What are you talk....Oh! Oooooh...." unicorn mare interrupted herself, as glint of realisation sparked in the silver pupil.

"So it was you." Egret mused as nodding her head as she took a whiff from her kiseru. "I see....it's yours, but like a garment not out of fitting phase yet..." she added.

"I guess 'inconvenience' is one thing to describe it." Egret said, before leaving this topic for another time.

 

" 'Nakama' would stand for 'true companions' in your language as closest connotation, although it's not really full explanation either. Some things just doesn't....translate fully..." white mare started "...So I guess that 'significant other' would qualify too, since what is love but greatest of friendships? Also, uhhhhh...." Egret groaned as she rubbed her temple. She expected to land herself on ready, fertile ground of the entertainment market. Instead she now realized it was up to her to clear the field, plough it and plant the seeds before she would enjoy the juicy fruits of profit. A one she still stood to pluck for herself but....

"None of you are wrong. But although there are advantages in being trailblazer, there are also certain headache inducing challenges that come with it too." she explained while scratching her head.

"You all awfully nice you know?" Egret said. "Alright, %&*@ it. I usually don't do freebies, but this time I do exception." she said as she reached inside her garments and pulled out...tickets? Shiny, silvery one's too. "Those are one time VIP passes to 'Isle' for each of you, and one extra. Who know, maybe you will like it there? Just don't bring kids along. For your sanity, and to save bits on brain bleach for them." she explained, as she gave Sunny one ticket, and Jazz two, to pass to Allegro once he comes back.

Invitations given, Egret was ready to move to next topic as she turned to Sunny again when punch-clock alicorn explained that yes - there was significant amount of shipwrecks in surrounding waters. "....Well I stand corrected. But it also seems like a reason to build a taller lighthouse." unicorn deadpanned, but this part apparently flew both other mare's heads when Allego came back....

 

"Oh? I suppose if your talent wouldn't already be singing, it would be swimming then. Seems almost like you were born for the ocean." Egret mused at stallions rebuttal. Before she could continue, she was interrupted by Sunny and Jazz gushing over Allegro's costume.

"Well now, it seems that it's mine turn to prove somepony wrong. I don't know what prompted you to use 'E' word so carelessly, but the two I spoke with back from where I come seemed very much alive. Just because they don't hang around your shores any more, doesn't mean they are gone. You three races where ready to jump at each others throats for years at a $%@&*^# pin drop. Yeah, big shocker they left. Especially when magic was gone, so all they could really do was 'Splash Attack' to anypony who looked at them funny." white mare commented, while exhaling some smoke.

"Also the word you are searching is....in your language it would be s i r e n, I guess."

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  • 4 weeks later...

~~~Jazz Hooves~~~

 

 

 

When Jazz heard Lady Erget's explanation on everything, it seemed to make a bit more sense. She wasn't surprised that since things didn't translate well between languages, but was happy enough that her assessment of the word worked in the most basic of senses. She then mentioned that while they weren't wrong, being a trailblazer brought complications along with it. She could see that too. She also couldn't help but giggle at the salted raisin comment. "Eh, some of us shrivel when we stay in water to long. I have that problem myself because I love long baths," Jazz smiled. 

 

However, the look of emotion in Allegro's eyes did not go unnoticed. After getting into the habit of conversing with her patrons and learning a bit about reading their emotions, she could somewhat tell what a pony was feeling deep inside. Jazz have a nod when he apologized, citing stress as the reason for getting emotional. She didn't really buy it, but she could also sense that he didn't want to discuss it. A professional knows when to leave a subject be until they are ready to open up about it.

 

Then hearing Erget talk about her use of the "E" word, and how the creatures that they had talked about hadn't been extinct, they had just left. She wasn't wrong with her assessment either. Up until a few months ago ponies hated anything that was different from them. That would have included these siren creatures that she spoke of, and with no magic to protect themselves... Wait, they had magic to? Of course they did! They might have been sea ponies, but they were still ponies.

 

"Honestly, I can understand that. I just presumed that they were extinct because it's been several generations since there was a rumored spotting. If I remember in the book I saw, it's well before even my great grandparents were born," Jazz admitted. "But as you said, I can't really blame them. I mean, just a few months ago we thought other we thought the other land pony races were monsters. I myself would have been fascinated by a seapony, but I could see how other would instantly go in attack mode... Especially with how Canterlogic was. But, we're past all that now... Mostly."

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Allegro didn't like Erget. The way that she looked at him gave him the feeling that she knew way more about things then he was comfortable with her knowing...

 

And then she said the word 'Siren'. That caused him to stiff and go completely silent. The way that she said the word too... a panicked chorus of 'She knows!' ran through his head like a song on repeat that was sped up, unable to break the cycle enough to try and think of some method of getting out of this situation at this point. He had made a terrible mistake, showing off his real form like this.

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