Trouble in Paradise

Oahoof, Haywaii

Pineapple Slice was polishing her surfboard out on the back deck of her beach house. Pineapple was an Earth Pony mare with a kelly green coat, a spiky, aureolin mane and tail, chartreuse eyes, and, as her name implied, a pineapple slice for a Cutie Mark. She was a skilled chef in pineapple-related dishes, which in and themselves were favored across the island. Her pineapple-and-mango alcoholic smoothies were a particular hit- they were certainly the favorite of her coltfriend, Spectral Blaze. She was also a skilled surfer, and while more of a hobby than a career, she could certainly earn money doing it professionally.

It wasn't enough.

'Only two months before the mortgage payment.' She thought. 'And our combined earnings still aren't even close to the requisite amount.'

She heard the front door to the house open, and stopped polishing the board. Carefully setting it down, she went inside to see who it was. To her delight, it was her coltfriend, Spectral.

Spectral Blaze was a unique pony, to say the least. He was a Unicorn-Dragon hybrid, and while he was built mostly like a typical unicorn stallion, he had scales, a slightly elongated and reptilian muzzle, sharpened teeth, slit eyes, and claws replacing his front hooves. He had a bone-white coat-of-scales, an eerie-black mane and tail, indigo eyes, and lacked a Cutie Mark, due to only being half-pony. His horn was also broken at the halfway point, with a small ember, currently electric-blue, smoldering from the fractured bone. And he was currently wearing a depressed look on his face.

Hoping to cheer him up, Pineapple walked over and kissed him on the lips, and while his eyes still had a morose look in them, a grateful and warm smile spread across his face. She was successful, at least.

"How much did you get?"

"Only a few bits. It was a tough crowd at the luau tonight, and the only ones who actually paid were a bunch of groupies. And I still had to run and hide from them afterward."

Pineapple couldn't help but giggle at that. "I can't blame them for chasing you, though. Of course, it's not the ONLY reason I fell in love with you, but nonetheless..."

Spectral chuckled at his partner's flirtatious comment, but he was still down in the dumps. He had a career as a fire-dancer who performed at luaus and similar parties, and was a celebrity on the island for his skill(and it helped that his broken horn allowed him fire magic, meaning that he didn't have to twirl around sticks with the ends lit up to do his job, although he still would for the extra 'wow' from the audience on particularly special occasions). Sadly, he and Pineapple were having the aforementioned money troubles, and although the mortgage was still a month or two away, their combined earnings were still nowhere near the fee(and it didn't help that he was payed more on overall performance than said payment being set).

"We need a new way to make money, Pine. Our jobs aren't cutting the mustard, and we won't have a roof over our heads if we don't start earning more bits, quick."

"I know it's hard right now, Blaze. But we WILL get through this. Together."

The two brought their foreheads together, smiling. "It's really hard to stay glum whenever I'm with you, Pine."

"Good. That's part of my job as your marefriend."

They disconnected. "I hope you don't mind, but I think I'm gonna head out and catch some fresh air."

"You do that. Just be back before dark." Pineapple stated, before giving her lover a passionate smirk. "You know how lonely I am at night when I'm not with you..."

"You know I'd never leave you hanging, ESPECIALLY since you like my company so much..." Spectral chuckled, throwing in a flirt of his own.

They kissed, deeply, for a moment or two, before Spectral head out onto his walk. However, little had he known, someone had been listening to their conversation from the jungles outside their home.

And this someone saw an opportunity...

......

Spectral was heading out on his walk, with the sun setting and the cone torches lit along the dirt road. He knew he had to return home soon; although he knew his marefriend had been being coquettish, she would genuinely become concerned if he wasn't back long after dark, which was understandable, and he never wanted her to be afraid that he was hurt when he wasn't.

Even with his walk clearing his head, he couldn't shake the stark fact that they were still in a financial pile of crud, and they would be in serious trouble if they didn't find another way to earn bits fast, soon. It was then that he heard numerous high-pitched screams, in sync with each other. Screams of fanatical obsession.

'Oh, motherbucker!'

He immediately started running like mad, not bothering to look back at the horde of fanfillies chasing him. Running on adrenaline, he began desperately looking around for a place to hide, at least until they were gone. Seeing a jungle trail and not thinking about the potential hazards, he ran into it, running along the paved bike trail and looking for a corner, bend or turn where he could break eye contact with his pursuers and hide. His prayers were answered when he saw a ravine and dove into it, pressing himself to the ground in a field of blue flowers. He saw the groupies look over the cliff and scan the area, and, in spite of his contrasting white scales, they didn't see him in the flower patch. They soon left, much to his relief, both due to him having evaded them and being able to get out of this ditch and go home. He stood up, took a step forward...

And slipped and fell on his face. For no particular reason.

Spectral, confused, looked to see what he had stepped on- only to see that he was actually covered in some weird, viscous slime. He looked around, trying not to slip on himself, amidst the blue flowers, trying to find the reason why THAT was.

The blue flowers.

'Poison joke.' He realized. 'It had to be bucking poison joke.'

He stamped the ground, which caused him to slip on the slick sludge and fall flat on his face.

'There's no freaking way I'll be able to get out of this ditch without help! I'm trapped!'

He began calling out for help frantically, firing jets of flame into the air in order to get someone's attention. He could see that the sun was setting lower.

'Oh, Faust... what's poor Pine going to think when I'm not back? I don't want to put her through so much fear!'

He continued to scream out in desperation, hurling blasts of flame into the air, hoping someone would hear him(and frankly, he was surprised no one was, given the ruckus he was producing). He was so busy desperately trying to attract attention that he didn't realize that he already had.

A punch to the head, both knocking him to the ground and causing him to slide along it, brought him back to reality.

"Shush, you idiot! You'll attract beasts with your shrieking!"

Spectral looked up at the speaker. Although virtually all of his features were concealed under a bulky, brown cloak and cowl, what he could determine was that the individual before him was bipedal, and stood at an imposing seven feet tall.

The mysterious creature spoke to him once more, this time in a calmer voice.

"Come with me. I know something that'll cure the poison joke."

Before Spectral could say anything, the stranger grabbed his slick claw with one hand, traced some sort of triangular sigil around them with the other, and they sank into the ground, vanishing without a trace.

......

Surfacing from the mud far from where they previously were, Spectral and his mystery individual appeared in what seemed to be an open camp. It looked like a shaman's house, with all the mortar-and-pestle equipment and herbal plants, yet still open to the wilderness. Letting go of Spectral, the individual went over to his cauldron and started grinding herbs and pouring liquids into it, mixing it together to form a cure for poison joke. The half-dragon tried to go over to see what was happening, only to slip on himself again, falling onto his back.

"I'd recommend you stay where you are. Given the nature of your affliction, you could wreck the progress for YOUR cure if you come any closer and slip near the cauldron."

Spectral did as the stranger advised, remaining where he currently was(after finally succeeding in standing back up). He still watched from afar, though, although he had little idea on what was actually going on. With a puff of lilac smoke, the cloaked being scooped two cups of the liquid from the cauldron. Walking over to the hybrid, he gave him one of the cups and gulped down the contents of the other one.

After clasping the cup with both claws so it didn't slip out of his grasp, rearing back on his flanks to do so, he chugged the tangerine-colored liquid, and almost immediately after the slime evaporated off of his body in a puff of white mist. He looked at the bipedal creature that had helped him.

"Thank you. But why did you drink some of that potion too?"

"When I went to get you out of there, I technically walked through the flowers as well. And I may not have contracted it immediately, but I would have later on at some point. Always prevent something before it's a problem... something I think I can help you accomplish."

Spectral's eyes widened. "What do you mean? Aside from you being a good Samaritan and a witch doctor, we don't even know each other."

The cloaked individual took a step towards the halfling. "I have overheard you and your partner's predicament. It seems that you are low on money, and won't be able to pay your mortgage... whenever you two weren't being hot-blooded with each other in your conversation, it was the only thing you two seemed to discuss."

"First off, me and my girl's relationship is none of your beeswax." Spectral bluntly stated, with a glare. "And second, what were you doing skulking outside of our house to begin with?"

"You're house isn't that far from the jungle, and just because you're far enough away to live in privacy doesn't guarantee that NOBODY will hear your conversations. I was merely passing by through the jungles when I overheard you two. I stayed, I listened... and I have a way I can help you."

"Oh, really? And how, exactly?" The half-dragon asked, skeptically, unsure on whether to listen or to trust the newfound, suspicious feeling in his gut.

"I will not lie- I, too, as of recently, have been seeking money. And I pride myself in being a master at crafting jewelry and trinkets- small but nonetheless beautiful pieces of art. However, my appearance would surely scare away potential clients."

"Is this why you're wearing the cloak and everything? You're afraid that I'll be afraid? Namely, of you?"

"Yes. I could never sell my treasures- at least, on my own. But this is where you come in."

"Alright, continue." Spectral said politely, looking upwards towards the sun, which was just about to set. "But make it quick. I need to get home. I don't want Pineapple worrying about me."

"Yes, I'm sure you're very excited to get back to your marefriend."

"Just cut to the chase already."

"As you wish." The stranger continued. "Is it true that you are a local celebrity here in Oahoof?"

"Yes."

"Then surely they would take your word on anything you'd say or promote."

"I suppose, yes. And I'll say it again... CUT TO THE CHASE."

"You sell off my gemstone pieces, and we'll split the earnings."

"Say, you never said they were gemstone..." Spectral wouldn't lie, he wasn't above adding gemstone dust on his food, at times; he had dragon blood coursing through his veins, after all.

"And if you eat ANY of them, it's coming out of your payment."

"How are we dividing this up, anyway?"

"Sixty-forty."

Spectral gave the individual an annoyed stare. "And how will that help pay off our mortgage?"

"Surely anyone would buy something sponsored by you. With the bits our cash cow would be producing, forty percent should be more than enough to pay the bills."

The stranger thrust forward his arm, revealing a clawed hand.

"Shake on it."

Spectral brought up his claw, but kept it in midair, hesitating.

"C'mon, you know you want to. Won't you shake a poor sinner's hand?"

Spectral placed his claw back on the ground and looked to where the speaker's face would be, shrouded by the shadows cast by the cloak.

"I would like to see WHAT I'd be selling first, please."

The stranger retracted his own arm. "Very well, then."

He turned and began walking away.

"Follow me. We'll be there, and then back to you're place quick... from what I remember, you do have a personal deadline."

Spectral walked on after this mysterious figure, into the unknown of the twilight-shrouded Haywaiian rainforest.