Thirty minutes and ten kites later, Starlight and Sunburst trotted down one of Las Pegasus’ crowded avenues; Sunburst glancing around in confusion.
“Um, Starlight, where are we going? I’m pretty sure the amusement park is back the other way.”
“Just trust me,” Starlight offered. “You’re gonna love this!”
“If you say so, Starlight.”
The pair marched on a couple more blocks, then Starlight smiled as she pointed towards a chain of stores, one of them bearing a sign that read “Madame Mystic’s Antique Wizardry Store,” with a crystal ball in place of the o in the word “store.”
“Oh wow!” Sunburst’s eyes lit up beneath his glasses. “An antique wizardry store!” He reared up and kicked his front legs, letting out an excited whinny before trotting inside.
The shop was dimly lit, as the windows had been covered with old curtains. Smoke rose up from several sticks on the various tables as well as the front counter, filling the store with a heavy perfume of burning incense.
A mare stood behind the counter, dressed in a colorful robe with a turban fit snugly onto her head. Her curly black mane flowed out from the back of the headdress.
“Welcome, friends, to Madame Mystic’s Antique Wizardry store,” she said, rolling her ‘r’s in a peculiar accent. “I am Madame Mystic, enthusiast of relics from eras long past. Feel free to have a look around, but take care with the magical items. Many of them still contain a fair amount of power.”
“I’ll be careful,” Sunburst assured. He then trotted past the counter in search of something of interest.
He gasped and stopped at his first find: a gnarled wooden staff beset with a sapphire gem. The staff hung with several others on a wall-mounted rack behind a glass display case. “Wow, look at this staff. Look at the design. This might even be older than the founding of Equestria!”
“Hey, you’re right,” Starlight agreed. “How much is it?”
Sunburst glanced at the price tag posted beneath the staff, his face turning pale. “A little outside my budget.”
Starlight stepped up to check the tag herself and nearly choked. “100,000 bits?!”
“%100 authentic, used by unicorns during the pre-Equestrian Unicorn Wars,” Madame Mystic explained. “That staff is ancient. I hope you understand why it is so much.”
“Of course,” Sunburst huffed. “It’s a fair price for something that old, I just don’t have that kind of money.”
Disappointment shone in Sunburst’s eyes. Starlight put a hoof on his shoulder to comfort him. “I’m sorry, Sunburst.”
Sunburst looked into her eyes for a moment, then smiled to erase the regret he saw in them. “Are you kidding? I’m just glad I had a chance to see one for myself.” He turned away from the display case and started deeper into the store. “Let’s see if there’s something a little more in my price range.”
The next item Sunburst found was also out of his price range, Starlight knew, but he still had to stop to marvel at another locking case displaying enchanted rings and amulets. His eyes were locked onto one particular gold necklace with intricate runes carved into it.
“Is that an Amulet of Arcaneah?!”
“Keen eye, my friend,” Madame Mystic said. “She was-”
“Starswirl the Bearded’s first pupil,” Sunburst interrupted, wearing a knowing smile.
Madame Mystic drew her head back in surprise. “Your knowledge is impressive, friend. This is, indeed, one of the amulets which she was famous for.”
As Sunburst and Mystic chatted it up about the enchanted artifacts in the display case, Starlight wandered off in search of something Sunburst could both appreciate and afford. She came to stop at the back of the store, where there was a huge bookshelf that covered the entire wall.
“Hey, Sunburst!” Starlight yelled. “Come look at all these books!”
“Books?” Sunburst turned towards her, bringing an end to his conversation. “Coming!”
He trotted over to the bookshelf, his face full of excitement. “Wow! So many old books, I don’t even know where to start looking!” Sunburst drew a sharp gasp and removed a dusty old tome. “The Principles of Pyromancy: Volume 1!” When he opened the cover, Sunburst’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “And it’s not even a reprint, it’s a first edition! I don’t believe it!” He turned around to face Madame Mystic behind the counter. “Ma’am, how much do you want for this book?”
Madame Mystic pointed above the book rack to a sign that read Books: 20 bits each. “All our books are 20 bits.”
“Are you insane? That’s practically stealing. I mean, this is a treasure! Do you know how much some collectors would pay for this book?”
Madame Mystic shrugged. “If you insist, I can raise the price.”
Sunburst wrapped a foreleg around the tome, holding it to his chest protectively. “Nononono, that won’t be necessary.”
“Find something good, Sunburst?” Starlight asked, stepping up for a close look at his new find.
“I sure did! I’ve found every book in the series now, all 1st editions! This’ll complete my collection.”
Starlight’s face brightened to see Sunburst this happy. “That’s great! There’s bound to be more good ones in here.” She scanned through the bookshelf for a moment in hopes of finding something interesting. Her eyes locked onto the spine of one thick volume, the author of it nabbing her attention. “Hey, Starswirl the Bearded wrote this one.”
Sunburst snapped toward Starlight. “What? Let me see.”
Starlight showed the book to Sunburst. He read the title out loud.
“Starswirl’s Theories of Magic!” Sunburst beamed, his aqua blue eyes wide and glittering with joy. That smile alone made it worth taking him here. “I’ve been looking everywhere for this book!”
“You have?” Starlight turned the book around, finding the cover of it very familiar. “Wait a second, Twilight has this one.”
“I know!”
“You do?” Starlight raised a questioning eyebrow at him. “You know she would have loaned you it, right?”
“Oh, I know she would. But to have my very own copy is something completely different. Thanks for bringing me here, Starlight!” In the next moment, before she even knew what was happening, Starlight felt herself being squeezed, her view a mix of orange and red. A few seconds passed before she realized Sunburst had her wrapped in a hug, which she returned with one of her own.
“You’re welcome,” she answered, her heart pounding with anxiety to hold Sunburst this close.
The two held their embrace for a few more seconds, hearts and thoughts flying until Sunburst finally let Starlight go. “Let me look around for a few more minutes, then we’ll go back to the park.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
***
“Nice work,” Maud said to Trixie as they staged their stakeout just around the corner of the block where Madam Mystic’s was located.
“I know!” Trixie stuck her chest out in pride. “I might be great and powerful, but I’m also a genius. Who’d have guessed I’d have found an advertisement for this place? It must be destiny, like we were meant to bring Starlight and Sunburst closer together!”
The door to the shop opened, and the pair in question emerged, Sunburst carrying a small stack of books, both of them smiling.
“Looks like that turned out well,” Trixie observed. “Come on, Maud, let’s follow them. We don’t wanna miss that kiss!