//------------------------------// // Setting up with a smile. // Story: The Sham I am. // by TehAussieGriffin //------------------------------// The Sham I am. By AussieGriffin. “I'm a sham! I was named Sham! My whole life is a Sham life! People only trust me when I'm pretending to be someone else! I'm... I...” Oddly-coloured water dominated the bath as potion, dye and tears leached from her mane and coat, no magic cream left to hide her horn. This left a unicorn sobbing in Pinkie's bathtub. 'D-don'tt you remember when I arrived ah... at Sh-Sugarcube Corner?” =_-****************-_= Pinkie Pie was abusing her store discount in front of the patrons as usual. Putting her trademark grin on, she had ponies throwing cupcakes about randomly while catching them in her mouth like a seal, barking after swallowing them all to the cheers of the crowd. Mrs. Cake grinned from behind the counter, not so much amused by Pinkie's antics as she was pleased by the result. Customers having a good time tended to buy more of her produce, in fact... “Can I get a raspberry and white chocolate muffin please?” Asked a quiet voice from under a rough traveler's cloak before levering bits from a purse. “Well isn't that a tasty combination? I haven't made one of those in years! Pinkie, do you have time free to whip up a special batch of muffins?” She looked to where Pinkie was last only to find she'd whipped her apron from the non-existent space she kept all her props, wrapping herself up to imitate the pony at the counter. “Ooohhh, are you a travelling salespony? Or a witch? Or a travelling salespony witch? That'd be neat-o!” She alternated popping up on each side of the unresponsive pony with each question she asked before Mrs. Cake restrained her with a surprisingly firm hoof. “Pinkie. Muffins. Doable or not?” Pinkie whipped the apron to it's normal position as she beamed as she saluted. “I can put them in with Mr. Cake's next batch if he gives me a minute to mix them up. Now are you suuure you're not a spy? Because that you be neat-o!” “Pinkie! Muffin mixing! Now!” “Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie Pie bounced off into the kitchen as Mrs. Cake smiled nervously. The mystery customer hadn't moved or asked about Pinkie since putting their bits on the counter. The pony simply waited, unmoving, making her nervous. “Oh, that Pinkie Pie, she's just part of the local colour. Why don't you sit down and relax while you wait. I hope you like oats in your muffin.” For a second the muzzle under the cloak was lifted in a smile before returning to its passive state with a nod. The mystery pony shuffled off to wait at one of the free tables, taking out a small journal and fountain pen with her mouth. She scribbled notes beside a sketch of Pinkie Pie dancing around the store. A filly in the store looked over her shoulder, asking if she'd sketched any more pictures as that one was “pretty”. Whipping everything into a concealed saddle bag the patron waited. Deaf to the filly's pleading and turning it's hooded head from enquiring stares only the smell of muffins distracted it as Mr. Cake brought in the tray with Pinkie yelling “Fresh muffins everypony! With oats, raspberries and white chocolate chips you can chew till you’re through!” She scattered confetti as Carrot Cake placed the muffins down on the counter. Surprisingly he brought one over on a plate. “Aaand here's one for the inspiration for our recent batch. They taste great, trust me.” Mr. Cake's delivery was met with a nod and a munch on the muffin, quickly followed by the muffin disappearing under the lowered hood of the cloak as its owner demolished it in a few seconds. Looking up she saw Pinkie Pie looking smug and nodding. “From Canterlot royalty to travelling salespony witches, nopony resists fresh muffins from Sugar Cube Corner.” She was about to continue when the mystery pony turned to leave the store. “Wait! You... aren't sticking around? Even for a Welcome to Ponyville party?” The look in the pink mare's widened blue eyes was one of hurt and worry, yet it was met with a simple statement from the cloaked individual. “Setting up in the Everfree Forest.” The cloaked pony made for the door again only to find Pinkie Pie in front of her with pleading eyes. The being under the cloak sighed. Clearly this town had a thing for celebrations and partying was how they greeted ponies and others. This led to the fateful phrase: “Can you give me today to see if there's somewhere better in Ponyville?” As she left Sugar Cube Corner, Pinkie's exultant cheering and planning fading into the distance, the mare thought about the local colours, and which ones to use. This wasn't the first time, and she had the setting-up an identity in a new town down to a singable routine: First day in the town you find yourself new colours, Find somewhere to stay where no one is being mean. Get them to delay, who needs a big deposit? Rush inside! Dye to hide! It's almost eight fifty! Then you ask around, About who's good to know, Learn all the dangerous plants and where they grow, I'll learn the town's layout, And oh, perhaps then I'll know: When will I fit in? Then I scrape together my lunch from the forest. I like to eat hay, yet this will suffice I guess. Gotta learn all the businesses in town now, Work odd jobs, make money and buy, A party dress! Then I'll go apple buck, Since I've got time to spare. I'll redesign my clothes, I don't want folks to stare. Then I'll style my mane up, Shining in the sun till it glares How many times must I begin? And I'm wondering, ever wondering, I'm always wondering... When will I fit in? … and so tonight, A new mare will appear. Just like one has several times this year. What is it like To not fear your name? Wearing your own coat With your past, horn and mane? While magical vanishing cream hid her horn the dyes in her coat, mane and tail gave her a radically different appearance compared to the three ponies in her faded photograph. Two stallions in straw hats and blue and white striped shirts highlighting butter-coloured coats and red manes, their cutie marks were paired well, one a quarter of an apple and the other the apple that was missing the that same quarter. In the picture, sitting in a magic-powered wheel chair while squashed laughing between the two stallions was a mare with a similar hat smiling weakly, her cutie mark a marionette controller with strings dangling off it. Tracing with a hoof the two names signed on the back above “Get well soon!”, she was interrupted by knocking on the door to her room followed by the cry of “Who's ready for a surprise?!” Stuffing the photograph back in her bag, she felt the local colour rush to her cheeks as she responded in a cheer that wasn't all her's: “I'm always ready to find out!” Then she whispered, “Now let's hope it's nopony around here...” =_-****************-_= Nobody partied like Pinkie Pie, as the newly created “Swan Song” was finding out. While she'd borrowed Pinkie's mane colour for her new look, she'd decided on light cream, almost white for her new coat. The effect was like a vanilla cupcake with strawberry icing and she finished the look with her new party dress. Flourishing her mane and happy with the illusion that was hiding her horn, 'Swan Song' strode out to meet Ponyville with a small broach in her mane to distract any unicorns that could sense magic coming from her by calling it a zebra charm for luck. She always felt bitter when things didn't work out. She found Pinkie downstairs with a map and a pair of lanterns. “There you are! I am so excited that I came up with a whole new kind of party! Nearly everypony in town is celebrating something tonight, so I asked anypony who was having a party if we could stop by and help them celebrate and they said yes!” Unsure when a lantern was put into her mouth, she was now using it to look at the map of Ponyville marked with notes about who was holding what sort of celebrations and what order they needed to go to attend them all. The first was a children's party with cake and excited screaming. She couldn't help herself from laughing when she velcro'd a pony tail on Pinkie's nose, especially when she said it made for “a tale to tell”. After that it was a trip to Twilight Sparkle's library for a round of Spike's gem-dusted cake. Asked if there was anything she was interested in reading, she accepted a book on the history of puppetry in the griffon territories and parted ways asking if Twilight felt the magic from her 'zebra charm'. Soon she was enjoying hors d'oeuvres at the boutique she purchased her party dress at and was trading witty banter about the places she'd been to with its owner. The unicorn had great taste and remarkable poise, despite her sister and two of her friends insisting on “helping” with the catering. These guests were into fashion and clothing, yet because she kept up to date so she could blend in anywhere she went, she could almost finish their sentences. =_-****************-_= Next: It all comes out in the wash!