Welcome to Gaia! ::

The owner of the shop was not unfamiliar with little fillies and colts pressing against her windows to look at the treats inside. So when a brightly colored foal with a pale blue scarf found his nose on the glass, she didn't make a sound, or shoo him away, even when he fogged up teh glass with his breath. She'd have to clean that later, or maybe hire somephony to wash her windows in exchange for cookies. She simply looked up from the cash register and smiled with an eye roll. They really should start learning that she encouraged them to come in, not stand outside and stare!

When he finally entered, she waved, saying "Hello! Welcome to Candy Dandy's Edible Arrangements shop!" She beamed from behind the counter at the colt, and continued her speal. "I'm Candy Dandy! What can I do for ya?" Her hoof pushed the register drawer into its slot, and it dinged loudly.

Candy tilted her head to the right in confusion. "Mint grog?" Where had she heard that word before.... She certainly had somewhere...

"What exactly is grog?" she asked, watching him inspect the shop and help himself to some black circles.

"Oh those are salty licorice. They aren't-" she started to say, but he already licked it. "Sweet." she finished as he exclaimed about the sea.

The sea...That was it!

"You're Golden Doubloon and Filly Buster's brother aren't you?" she asked, coming from behind the counter.

Candy's confusion only intensified as Treasure Hunger described this 'grog' to her. Juices? Tides of the sea? rum? This kid was drinking alcohol? Who the heck was watching over these foals?! She took a deep breath, squashing the need to ask him just that very question. They was no way someone would actually let a young one like this drink.

"Well I'm glad you like them!" She said, consulting her list of prices on the shelf below the cash register. She was adding up the tables work when he suddenly turned fiery, demanding top know what she did with his siblings.

Candy jumped, and stammered "I d- didn't do anything with them! Well, other than makes treats and go on a treasure hunt. But it was totally a harmless one!"

Candy nodded quickly. "I promise I didn't do anything to them!" His demeanor changed almost instantly when she mentioned treasure. She probably should have seen it coming in fact. What pirate doesn't like treasure? In her experience so far with them, none could resist the idea.

"You're a mater treasure hunter eh?" she said, hoping he would come out from under the table. It certainly wouldn't do for somephony to walk in and see a foal hiding from her! They might get the wrong idea! She thought quickly, looking around the shop.

"A-actually, I think I could use your skills!" she announced, going behind the counter once more. "If you're up for a hunt, I have a few things that I need to make a special cookie, but I can't seem to find them anywhere. Think you could handle it?" She smiled from behind the counter, finding a piece of paper and a en to write down her items. This was the way to win his trust apparently.

Candy inhaled deeply, letting the breath go slowly. Did she just get threatened by a foal? But with the threat came the foal out from under the table, so that was nice. He, like his siblings, was interested when she mentioned a treasure hunt. She finished her list with a flourish, and put the pen down.

She laughed quietly when he took off for the window, pulling out another piece of paper. "Well, I think the fruit stand owner would have the cranberries, though he wasn't there when I looked earlier. I hope he didn't get kidnapped by other pirates!" she drew a crude map of the town square, putting X's on the various shops where her ingredients would be.

"Cranberries...eggs....sugar...macadamia nuts.....chocolate chips..." Candy muttered to herself, making sure everything was there.

"Now the white chocolate chips are suuuper important!" She said, finishing the map and putting it on top of the list before rolling them both up. "And don't let that scalywag try to cheat you out of your bits. He can be quite tricky." She added a bag of bits to the pile. She tied them all together and gave the bundle to Treasure Hunter.

"Are you sure you're up for the challenge?" she said to the foal, grinning."There's a few extra bits in there if you want to get a treat for yourself!"

"I need the dried ones." she said, realizing that she hadn't mentioned that before. When he voiced his confidence about retrieving the items, she laughed "I have every confidence in you!" And it was true she did. Her past experiences with the pirate foals taught her that they were, if anything, a resilient group. She figured that he wouldn't run off with her bits, and if he did, his sisters would have something to say about it.

She laughed again and winked back. "How about while you're gone, I'll see if I can come up with some grog." Given what he told her earlier, there was bound to be something that she could make.


Minus the rum of course.

Candy waved as the foal left. Once he was out of sight, she sighed and went into her kitchen. Now what did he say was in it? Mint...juices...but which ones? She opened her fridge, and looked at the fruit she had hidden in there. Most likely tropical...

~~~~

The shops were bustling with phonies and other creatures alike, all milling about and purchasing things. The humans were mostly interested in the gift shop, and the chocolates store. They didn't live here, so things like ingredients to make things didn't have the same appeal as a fluffy stuffed phony to cuddle on the drive back home. So while that side of the street was busy, the other side found a more subdued crowd of mostly phonies doing their meal shopping, some dragging foals behind them.