Streetlamps (Open)

[Deleted]

It had been a while since she found herself here. On the street corner, in the dark of night, the only light source a dimly lit streetlamp. It probably gave some ponies the wrong kind of idea. She leaned against her saddlebags, stamped with her name sakes symbol, looking into her traveling hat, a hat perfect for the traveling bat of today, that she had tossed haphazardly on the street earlier in the night. No bits... but she didn't have a care in the world. *brbrbggggagagggbgbbrrrr* Until her tummy provided her with a grim reminder that hunger was setting in. "Bummer..." she let out under her breath as she searched through her saddlebags. "Applecore... chocolate coin..." she unwrapped it and tossed it in her maw, her fangs ready for the chocolatey splendor, "mmmm... tasty... fangpaste, no... that isn't edible... orange peel... and '1001 Annoying Bat Puns, and How Your Species Should React'." Well, there was nothing else to eat now so she looked up and down the street. There were only a few ponies still out and about tonight, which wasn't unreasonable, not being a bat pony colony. A couple looking like they were coming back for the hhhhhottest of dates, some ponies who were just a bit tipsy, and a few of those last minute shoppers who always show up right when a store is about to close for the night, and then take forever to leave, yeah... that last guy was definitely that. She released an audible sigh into the chilled night air, her breath expanding into the marketplace as she tapped her hooves on the rough ground. "Bum... buh bum... buh... buh bum..." "♪♫ It's not unusual to be loved by anyone~ It's not unusual to have fun with anyone~ but when I see you hanging about with anyone! It's not unusual~ to see me cry, oh I wanna' die... ♫♪" She sang into the darkness, hoping that it would be her meal ticket for the night... and if not, well, then she would have at least enjoyed herself.

[Silver Tongue]

Silver buzzed along, keeping to the shadows of the night, avoiding street lamps for the most part. His chitinous shell keeping him pretty much unseen as he zipped through the town, looking for something to do to pass the time. Giving Sweetheart a little bit of time away from him seemed like a good idea... As he buzzed along, he heard some singing, and buzzed closer, and closer, before seeing a batpony singing to no one in particular. He clung to the wall of a nearby building with his buggy hooves and slowly crept closer to listen. Her voice was nice, enchanting. He smiled as he listened. After a short while, his form flickered to that of a unicorn... and then he remembered what Gravity was as he fell from the wall, bouncing off an awning of the shop and bouncing down to the ground face first with a whump. He shook his head and spat out a little dirt before smiling up at the pale bat with a nervous chuckle. "Didn't mean to just drop in unannounced, but I heard your singing, and wanted to get a closer listen." He smiled slightly, brushing the dust off his vest as he stood up.

[Deleted]

Woah, that was sudden. She hadn't even finished her song and Mr. Unibro over here was already falling head over hoof for her. That wasn't even her plan... she just wanted some bits. "You okay there? You... fell off the roof," she looked upwards, "or something like that." It wasn't really any concern to her though, unless he was some sort of creeper. Oh well. She walked up to the stranger and brushed off a bit of dust that he missed, the vest soft to her touch, and looked him over. "Hmmm..." May be it was her, but he didn't look like he would spare any bits no matter how much she sang. No... he looked like the kind of guy who would hit on her, then flake when she turned him down... but historically, Dead Beat had never been a good judge of character. "So you just wanna hear me sing for a bit?" she put her hoof on his muzzle, "then let me pick up where I left off." "Ah one, two, three, four..." "♪♫ It's not unusual to go out at any time~ but when I see you out and about it's such a crime... If you should ever want to be loved by anyone~ It's not unusual... it happens every day! No matter what you say! ♫♪" She grab hold of the stallion bringing him into a dancing prose, "Now follow my lead... and don't step on my hooves, or else I'll be mad."

[Silver Tongue]

Silver chuckled as she helped brush the spots he missed off. "Yeah, I always bounce my head off something around beautiful mares. The whole double vision thing lets me see more than one of them." He said with the clunkiest flirtatious line in history. He went to say something else until a hoof met his muzzle. Last time a hoof was this close to his face, it came at him a lot faster an hurt a lot more. He was happy this one was neither of those things! He swayed slightly to the beat of the song. He had heard it around Canterlot before, but never really stopped to listen to it. This time however, he was perfectly happy standing buy and liste-..... He got pulled over and set into a dancing pose. He gulped, quickly looking through his mind for any dance routines he may know. Large-scale battle tactics, illusory combat, and a siege formation popped into his mind... but not even the slightest hint of dancing. He slowly nodded, looking about as worried as a changeling could in his situation. He did his best to follow her hoofsteps, and only stepped on her hoof one or twelve times! He gave a nervous smile, apologizing each time, and hoping she didn't murder him. And of course, the thought about bats eating bugs for dinner had to pop into his mind now...

[Deleted]

And so they danced, and she sang. And boy... was he a bad dancer, with them both kicking up a bit of dust as the shifted around in the light as if it were a spotlight on stage. "♪♫ You'll find ow happens all the ow! Love will never ow what ow want it to! Why can't this crazy love ow mine? It's not unusual ow be mad with anyone~ It's not unusual ow ow sad with anyone~ But if ow ever find that you've changed ow anytime... It's not unusual ow find ow... I'm in love with! You! ♫♪" Yep... twelve times, he step on her hooves TWELVE TIMES! It pretty much ruined the whole routine, but with it's end, she let go of him and returned to her saddlebags to rest again, rubbing her hooves in a sigh of relief. He's lucky she wasn't the kind of pony to bite someones head off. "You gotta to learn how to dance, hon." she licked her fangs as some chocolate was left over on one of them, "how are you suppose to swoon a mare if you can't dance? ... whatever... if you enjoyed it, some bits would be appreciated," she pointed at the dusted hat that was only freshly dusted by their awful dancing, "otherwise, I'm gonna sit here." She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out her book, thumbing through it and occasionally looking between it and him.

[Silver Tongue]

Silver chuckled nervously. "My father was a Soldier, and wanted me to follow in his hoofsteps. I can point out every battle formation of the Equestrian Royal Guard, but I can't manage a slow dance." he said with a nod. "I use my charm, mostly. It doesn't always help, but sometimes it does." He looked over to the hat and lifted it with his magic, gently shaking the dust off of it as to not spill any bits that she may have already gathered. "A few bits for your lovely voice? Seems like I got a deal." He said, dropping ten bits into the hat and turning to her. "Though. I'm guessing you want something more than bits, judging by the sounds your stomach is making. There's a little coffeeshop right around the corner, open all night. They have some pretty tasty Fritters, and always a warm cup of coffee." He said, turning and heading in the direction of the coffeeshop. "If you want a cup and a snack, It's on me. Otherwise, I'll leave you to your dancing." He said, disappearing around the corner and toward the small shop.

[Deleted]

And with that, she'd done it. Some bits and an offer to snack. Things were coming up Dead Beat. She didn't say anything to the stallion as he tossed the bits into the hat, or to his offer, but there was no way she was gonna turn that down. She'd be crazy to turn that down in her situation. So as he disappeared around the corner, she picked up shop, tossing the bits into her saddlebag and tossing the hat on her head with a flourish, finding it propped up on top of her hair, and sliding her bags onto her back. With everything ready to go, she wiggled her rump and trotted around, ready to eat. Trot, trot, trot. She could smell the snacks, and the coffee... blegh, but it was something to eat. The shop was loaded with tasty looking treats, and she was ready to chow down. Now, where did Mr. Unicorn head off to? He said he would be around here.

[Silver Tongue]

Silver had seemed to vanish around the corner before Dead Beat got there. The shop was alit with a soft glow in the dark of the evening, just up the road from where she was standing. After some time, the unicorn would return to one of the tables just outside of the cafe. A pot of tea and two Apple Fritters being sat as he pulls a chair out, awaiting Dead Beat. Once she was in her seat, he took the seat across from her. He gently lifted the pot with his hooves and gently poured her a cup, only filling it about half way, before doing the same with his own. He set the pot down and settled back into the seat, looking at the mare for a few moments, thinking. "Apple Fritters are a personal favorite of mine. And it pairs well with a Jasmine Silver needle tea. It's a calm tea, perfect for the evening hours. Granted, for you it's early, I'm sure. Nocturnal as opposed to Diurnal and all." He said, taking a small sip of his tea. "Either way, a good tea all in all." He smiled.

[Deleted]

"Yeah, tea is alright, I guess." She said as she watched it ripple in front of her. "But it's those fritters I want. I'm jonesin' for a snack. Haven't eatin' in hours." rubbing her tummy. She dropped the tea down the hatch, having it greet the chocolate coin on it's arrival. It hit the spot, even if she didn't really care for the taste. Sustenance was sustenance, who was she too look a gift-a-corn in the mouth. She even went to reach for a fritter, but... "Can I have this? I want this... I'm gonna eat this." She took it slowly, watching him to make sure it was alright, and even if it wasn't, she took a bite, the icing melting in her mouth, and the warm apple bits tumbling around her tongue. Oh my gosh... soooooooooooooooo good, so fresh... like it was picked off of a fritter tree, which, with magic how it is now, is a crime against nature that it doesn't already exist. She was in ecstasy. "Thank you Mr. Unicorn." letting the flavor settle, before going in for another bite, doing the same, but with a little less of a bombastic reaction, and then again with no reaction, just funneling it into her stomach. And... the food was all gone, besides his tea and fritter, but she wasn't gonna just take his stuff. She wasn't a thief... yet. "Brrrraaaappp" she released a belch. "Sorry... that wasn't very lady like of me."

[Silver Tongue]

"We can get more if you want." He said with a smile, taking a small nibble of his, for show more than anything. He didn't actually /need/ to eat the fritter, but the flavor was... decent. He gave her a onceover, smiling at her faces reactions to her fritter. Ponies liked pastries usually, and Bats liked Fruit. So, a Fruit Pastry must be the best ting ever to her. He smiled and nodded, lifting the pot and pouring another cup for her to wash down her fritter with. "You're welcome, Miss Bat." He said, chuckling at the belch. It was true that it wasn't very ladylike. "That's true. But stepping on your hooves isn't a very gentlemanly thing to do, either. We'll just call it even." He said with a definitive nod, taking another small bite of his fritter and looking to the bat. "Call me Silver Tongue. Though, Mr. Unicorn does have a nice ring to it... Tell me a bit about yourself?"

[Deleted]

He was offering seconds, and at the moment, her stomach wasn't going to turn down an offer like that, forcing her to shake her noggin fervently. "I would love another, even if it mean I get a bit of a belly! More fritters please!" Woooooooah boy, was she excited! Even if Mr. Unicorn over there was checking her out, he was at least well mannered and didn't seem to mind her staring at him as she waited for the next delightful treat... but not the tea, it wouldn't hurt her if she never had it again, definitely not her flavor. And then her poured her another cup anyway... even though she didn't ask for it. She picked it up and sniffed it just to make sure there wasn't anything funny in it, even if she didn't know what funny smelt like. It must have been him being a gentlecolt. “...just call it even." “Deal. More fritters please, Mr. Tongue. But until then.... where should I start?” as her eyes watched him excitedly. “I guess... my name is...” she hesitated, wondering if she should tell a random stranger that she met in the dark of night her name, even if it was common courtesy, “Dead Beat, that's my name. I like singing, dancing, hot baths, and long flights in the night. So... can I have more fritters now?” She was practically drooling on the table now.

[Silver Tongue]

Silver chuckled at the mares happiness to be offered more fritters. He held up a hoof and waved it over the table for a moment before tapping the table lightly. Suddenly, between the two of them, a box of fritters, counting ten fritters left. "I figured you'd be hungry, so I bought a Dozen. Eat to your hearts content, Miss Beat." He said with a smile. He thought for a few moments. "Dancing is... fun, maybe I'll work something out and learn how to. Singing... You do have a lovely voice, mine sounds like a swarm of bugs trying to fight over a single apple." He said with a chuckle. "Long Flights, I wouldn't know. And Hot Baths are wonderful. Especially living in Appleoosa. With how dusty it is there..." He seemed to punctuate his sentence by patting his vest and a little dust falling away from it.

[Deleted]

A whole DOZEN OF FRITTERS! Mr. Tongue was paying out like a slot machine that landed on triple 7's, or, well... something like that, she wasn't really much of a gambler, but he must have been if he was buying this much junk just for her. Still didn't seem right, but sweet Luna, it sure was good and it definitely didn't stop her from stuffing her face. “I like dancing, but my mom made me learn it. Several classes later, and now I dance sometimes.” She shoveled in another fritter, because why not, she didn't have to impress anyone. “Singing... that's what my rump says I'm good at so that's what I wanna do for a living, but it's hard to find a job like that.” And another fritter, “So for the time being, I'm just a traveling mare, looking for work.” Must have been the fritters, that was a bit more than she wanted some stranger to know, but it wasn't anything to concern herself over. “Hey... you're a nice guy, but... if for whatever reason you run into anyone looking for me, don't tell 'em I was here, alright?”

[Silver Tongue]

Silver listened to her quietly. Dance Lessons, Rumps talking about singing, and a challenge finding a job. He thought for a few moments, and raised an eyebrow at her request of keeping her location secret. He could understand not wanting ponies to know him. In fact, he made plenty of enemies around Canterlot in a few of his different guises. So, running and hiding was something he was good at. "My mother... Didn't teach me much of anything. My Father taught me military tactics. So, this is where I am... A Fallen Soldier who's taken up a quill instead of a blade." He said, gesturing to his own flank, an open book with a quill sitting as the cutie mark. "In fact..." He pulled out a book and set it on the table. 'The Changeling Menace, by Silver Tongue.' He smirked, tapping on the book lightly. "Canterlot went through some things a while back, and a few ponies took up research to figure out how the bugs worked." He said with a light chuckle before thinking for a moment. "In fact, You've got a pretty good voice for a lounge singer. Perhaps somewhere in Canterlot would be interested in your Talents in singing and attraction." He offered, taking a second fritter himself, and breaking a small piece off to munch as he looked Dead Beat over approvingly.

[Deleted]

What a weird thing to write about, magic bugs... changelings... eeughh... but Canterlot was where she planned to go, but... he didn't need to know that. She had told him so much already, even if a lot of it didn't mean anything. "Really? You think I could make it in Canterlot? I don't know about that... sure, I imagine there is a night life there, but I don't know if they would be very interested in a bat lounge singer..." Why did she say all this? She just thought to herself that he didn't need to know she was going to Canterlot, but instead tells him something else instead... "But... about Canterlot? Is there still a changeling problem? Last thing I wanna do is stroll into town and turn up missing, replaced by someone that no pony would ever realize wasn't me..." Something she had a real fear of, her voice trembling a little as she spoke. "You don't think that would happen, do you?" Her eyes shifted around, slightly paranoid at what could happen on her arrival. "It's safe, ya?"