He could feel it. He could just feel it. He, a middle-aged shopkeeper and the premier dealer of rare artifacts in Equestria, could feel it. He knew what it felt like because he had felt it before. It starts with a slight chill running through his spine, then an erie silence falls over the room, finishing with the sound of hoof steps approaching in the distance. Yes, he distinctly remembered when he’d felt it before. The last time he’d experienced the chill, silence, and hoof steps was about a couple of months ago. At first, the feeling had confused him, for it had never happened before. However, that confusion quickly turned to understanding and a slight dread after a hooded mare had entered his shop. That mare, he remembered, had purchased from him the alicorn amulet, a particularly dangerous part of his collection. He was sure the mare was not to be trusted, but he’d sold it to her anyways. Hey, a customer is still a customer.
Anyways, that feeling had made itself present once again, and he was not particularly happy about it. When the chills started, he convinced himself there was simply a draft in his shop. The silence fell, and he prayed that the hoof steps would not follow. When the hoof steps followed, he accepted it and prepared for the worst. The worst being the same hooded mare entering his shop, which she did. However, the hooded mare was no longer hooded. She didn’t have the menacing smile or intimidating stature that she had the last time. This time, the mare looked quite deflated with a massive frown and droopy eyes. Without the hood covering her head, he could see that she had dreary blue fur and a lighter, shocking blue mane. Like the last time she was there, it was raining and without the hood, she was completely soaked.
The mare, annoyed that the shopkeeper had been staring at her revealed appearance, cleared her throat in hopes of getting his attention. The move succeeded, for the stallion was snapped out of his thoughts and blushed slightly when he realized he had been staring. Acknowledging that she was here for another transaction, he addressed the mysterious mare for the second time in his life.
“Back so soon? Was one of the most powerful artifacts in Equestrian history not satisfying enough for you, hmm?”
She, slightly angered by his sarcastic questions, took a moment to stare him down before replying. In the shopkeeper’s opinion, the mare’s eyes, who he felt had lost their scary demeanor, had definitely just gotten it back.
“For your information,” she began. “yes, your powerful artifact was not enough to satisfy the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
He was a little taken back by the mare’s sudden outburst, but slightly more confused about who the mare was referring to.
“So you bought the amulet to give to this Trixie or...?”
“No, you fool! I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, was not satisfied with your stupid necklace.”
“Stupid necklace!? I remember you coming in here the last time and acting like that necklace was the best thing in the world!”
“Well, it wasn’t,” Trixie squeaked back.
“Is that why you’re here, huh? To return it?”
At this, Trixie looked away nervously and shuffled her hoofs on the shop floor.
“Well, you see, the thing about that is, um...”
“You lost it, didn’t you?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie did not lose it!”
“Then where is it?”
“Uh, Trixie....does not know.”
“So you did lose it?”
“No, it was stolen from Trixie!”
“Off your neck, while the amulet made you one of the most powerful magicians in Equestria?”
“Well, Trixie kind of took it off.”
“Really?” The shopkeeper asked surprised. “You were able to resist the necklace’s corruption and take it off on your own?”
Again, Trixie looked away and shuffled her hoofs. Catching the gestures, the shopkeeper instantly realized what had happened.
“Somepony tricked you into taking it off then.”
“What!? Nopony tricks the Great and Powerful Trixie! Trixie is the pony that tricks other ponies. Trixie is....”
“Somepony tricked you.”
“Yes, that is what happened.”
The shopkeeper grinned slightly after getting the “Great and Powerful” Trixie to admit her mistake. Trixie, he thought, while obviously self boasting and arrogant, was extremely incompetent as well. His grin then morphed into a frown as another thought crossed his mind.
“So, if your’e not here to return the amulet, which one of my artifacts have you come to lose next?”
“Did you not hear, Trixie did not lose the amulet!?”
“You took it off and someone stole it. That means you lost it. Either let it go and buy something else to lose or get out of my shop.”
Trixie was a tiny bit shocked due to the shopkeeper’s forwardness, but realized he did have the upper hand in this situation. Choosing not to retort in a way that let her say “Great and Powerful Trixie” once again, she elected to accept the stallion’s rules.
“Yes, fine, Trixie lost it. And...yes, Trixie is also here to buy another one of your items. But that does not mean she will lose this one too!”
“Okay then. Was that so hard? Anyways, last time you came in here and pointed right to that amulet. I’m guessing this time you also have something already in mind.”
“Yes, shop pony, you guess correctly. Trixie requires something that will enable her to control another pony.”
Stunned by Trixie's request and quite frankly, a little annoyed by how she said “shop pony,” he took a second before responding to his customer.
“Are you talking along the lines of hypnosis.”
“Yes, hypnosis that will allow Trixie to control another pony forever.”
Again, the way Trixie said that with a completely straight and serious face nagged the shopkeeper, but like before, he quickly regained his composure.
“Well, if you’re looking to control another pony, I can’t help you. Hypnosis for ponies all come from spells. You’re a unicorn. You should be able to cast one.”
“What!? Trixie wasted her time coming back to this dump for nothing!? Ooh, Trixie would destroy your measly shop if she was not already on parol!”
Trixie turned to leave, but the shopkeeper quickly stopped her. While he thought she was indeed incompetent, he knew he could still get her to buy another one of his more expensive items.
“Wait, Miss Trixie! While it is not exactly what you are looking for, I do have an artifact that may be of some use to you.”
Hearing this, Trixie postponed her exit and turned back to the shopkeeper. She wondered what item he could have if hypnotizing ponies could only happen through a spell.
“What do you have to offer Trixie?”
To answer her question, the shopkeeper lifted his hat and revealed a key sitting atop his head. Quickly, he grabbed the key and replaced the hat. Ducking under the shop’s counter, the stallion lifted a panel on its hidden side. From the new space, he pulled out a large box, which he shoved onto the countertop. Replacing the panel, the shopkeeper then turned the box until a side with a lock was face up. Trixie watched as he used the key to unlock the box and pulled out a smaller box. However, this one was quickly torn apart, revealing the item the shopkeeper had been referring to.
Trixie saw that the artifact was yet another necklace. However, this one was quite different from the alicorn amulet. It was more of a traditional piece of jewelry and could be easily mistaken for regular apparel. It had a long, thin golden chain that attached on two sides to a glowing gem. This gem was icy blue and had multiple straight grooves and edges. Even without any mystic abilities, the artifact was beautiful, no doubt crafted perfectly by an expert. Trixie inner mare came out as she found herself transfixed on the item.
“Like I said,” the shopkeeper began, snapping Trixie out of her trance. “This item does not hypnotize ponies. No, the Nightingale gem hypnotizes other species. Dragons.”
Trixie, who was impressed by the name Nightingale, was instantly disappointed by what it was for.
“What!? You expect Trixie to be interested in such a worthless item!? There are no dragons around here and even if there were, this puny thing could only control a small...........purple.....one.......”
At the end of her outburst, Trixie began to grin. While the Nightingale first sounded worthless, a sudden thought had revealed its use. While her initial plan was to control her rival, Twilight Sparkle, her friends had then popped into her head. Specifically, the one who seemed closest to her: the baby dragon she had turned into a basketball. If she could control that lizard without Twilight knowing, Trixie thought she could ruin her rival’s life without even being discovered. That way, she wouldn’t have to return to that awful town and those ponies could not mock her once more.
As these thoughts piled on inside her mind, Trixie’s grin only grew and grew. To Trixie, it was perfect. To the shopkeeper, it was extremely creepy. While Trixie had been thinking and grinning, she had not let her eyes wander from the gem the entire time. Starting to feel too uncomfortable with the lack of conversation, he put the Nightingale back in its small box and placed it on the counter. Seeing that the gem was no longer in front of her, Trixie turned her attention once again to the shopkeeper.
“How much does Trixie need to pay in order to get this Nightingale?”
“Normally, a one of a kind item like this would go for thousands of bits, but looking at you...” The shopkeeper stopped to glance at Trixie. “I assume you don’t have the money.”
“What!? How could you accuse Trixie of being so cheap!?”
“Alright then, my apologies. That will be seven thousand bits.”
“.......I, uh, don’t have........that is an outrageous price! Trixie refuses to pay such a high amount of bits!”
“Exactly, now, I you are not a first time customer, so I’ll give you a slight discount. However, you did lose the last one, so I’ll have to raise the price once again.” The shopkeeper stated, calculating the price in his head.
“So how much will this cost Trixie!? She doesn’t have all day!”
“It’s eleven at night.”
“.....Trixie still wants you to hurry.”
“Fine, the Nightingale costs two thousand bits. Take it or leave it. And by it, I mean me. Leave me alone.”
“Trixie...has a thousand bits, but...I can give you tickets to Trixie’s next show.”
“Front row?”
“Of course not! Trixie does not want to perform with you so close to her.”
“Well, if there’s nothing else you can give me, then I’m afraid we don’t have a deal.”
The shopkeeper was about to put the Nightingale’s box away again, but froze when Trixie’s magic stopped him from doing so. Surprised by the action, the shopkeeper raised an eyebrow questioningly at Trixie.
“There is something you can offer me then?”
“Trixie believes so,” she said smugly. “Do you like...fireworks?”
At the mention of fireworks, the shopkeeper’s ears perked up. While dealing ancient artifacts was a profitable business, fireworks were somewhat of a novelty, especially in Canterlot.
“Fireworks, huh. You really have some?”
“A few. Want to see them?”
“Well, of course. How can I take them from you if I can’t see them.”
“Well here they are!”
Suddenly, Trixie’s horn fired up its magic once again. The shopkeeper was stunned by the unicorn’s actions and could not react fast enough. It only took a few seconds for Trixie to charge enough magic for her plan to work. Without hesitation, she began firing pyrotechnic spells from her horn and into the shop. The “fireworks” flew wildly in the air before crashing into multiple shelves and artifacts. The shop was plunged into chaos as small fires began burning and bright lights blinded the shopkeeper. Seeing her opportunity, Trixie stopped firing her spells and, with the Nightingale gem still in her magical grasp, ran out the shop’s door. Trixie ran and ran until she could no longer hear the angry screams of the shopkeeper or the sound of fire ravaging his shop.