//------------------------------// // Ch 12: First Day of Business // Story: Enchanted // by The Whiskey Spirit //------------------------------// It wasn’t long before a line formed at his door. A number of the ponies seemed a bit apprehensive about being so close to the Everfree, but when he let them all come in and wait in the living room, they felt more at ease. A couple of them looked around with wide eyes, probably marveling at the completely different style of construction than anything else in Ponyville. Most of them wanted some simple enchantments, and had brought the object they wanted done. They were quick and easy, being done as they came in. It only took a couple minutes for each, and nopony complained about it. He also didn’t receive any complaints on the pricing of it, granted, there wasn’t anything for them to compare it to. He could give them a ridiculous charge and they’d probably think it reasonable. Some of the ponies that came had come to ask about the possibilities of his craft and if he could do something particular. Luckily, these ponies weren’t too creative, so he was capable of handling what they asked about, though some of them would need gems. When told about the gems, they would shrug and leave, saying they would be back. There were also a couple ponies, probably farmers, that asked about enchanting some of their equipment that they wouldn’t be able to bring to him. He told them that he would be willing to do those, but not that day. He was going to have enough work as it was. They didn’t seem all too happy with his reply, but there were no complaints. At some point, he Spike had arrived at his door. Apparently Twilight had heard about the turnout and sent the little dragon to help keep things organized. Aurick wouldn’t say it, but the little guy was a godsend. He was having a hard time keeping all the orders straight, but Spike seemed to be in his element. A quill in hand, he failed to miss a single transaction. As promised, around noon a small group of guards came by to drop off the armour and gems that he would be working on. He could only hope that the sight of him having deals with the guard would promote his business even more. Once the guards left, he brought the armour and gems into the basement so he could work on them later. First he had to finish with the ponies still in his living room. Spike scrawled ‘CLOSED’ on a sheet of paper and plastered it to the front door. He wanted to finish up and get something to eat. Luckily, the process took only another twenty minutes. With the last pony leaving, Aurick closed the door with a sigh of relief. He hoped that this wasn’t going to be his every day. “So,” he turned back to Spike, “what’d we make?” “You made three hundred and sixty two bits.” The dragon smiled, turning his paper around to show his calculations. “Nice!” Aurick walked over to where he had placed all the money. A lot of it was held in little pouches. He picked one up and tossed it to Spike. “That’s for helping out.” “Sweet!” A massive grin crossed his scaled face. “I could buy so many gems with this. I’m gonna be eating good tonight.” Aurick paused and looked back at the dragon. “Wait, what? How bloody cheap are gems?” He asked incredulously. “Depends on the gem, but you could get a good sized ruby for maybe twenty bits. Why?” Aurick just stared at him for a short time before a manic grin spread across his face. He bent down and grasped the small dragon’s shoulders. “Do you know what this means!?” Spike was visibly uncomfortable about it all, and wasn’t sure how to react to Aurick’s sudden change in demeanor. “No?” He said nervously. “I can make everything!” The elf exclaimed, standing up. Once he let go of his shoulders, Spike took a quick step back. “I can make the boots! I can make that bloody ring I’ve been wanting to do! Oh this is great!” The elf grabbed up a couple of pouches, tying them to his pants before turning back to Spike. “Where do I go?” “Um… Gemstone’s Gems is by Town Hall.” “Then that is where I will go!” With no further fanfare, the tall man exited his house and made his way towards his destination, a confused Spike left behind to watch him go. ~-~ By the time he returned home, he was carrying around a pouch of gems. Of course, the gems weren’t the only things he bought, but they were a majority.. He didn’t want to eat at one of the restaurants. He wanted some meat, and there was only one place to do that. He would set up the cold room after he got back, then he’d start working on the Princesses order. Before he started the hunt, though, he made a new teleportation focus. He was already wearing a ring to go with it, all he had to do was change the enchantment to bring him to the new focus. Once he was satisfied, he left his house once more and walked out to the edge of the forest. The canopy gave a lot of cover, making the forest look dark, even in the middle of the day. The sound of wildlife easily met his ears. Rustling in the trees, birds chirping and flying about, bugs buzzing by. It reminded him of so many adventures that he couldn't help but smile as he stepped forward and entered the forest that so many ponies feared. ~-~ She hungered. The growl of her belly rang in her ears, stronger than the one from her throat. She would hunt for it. Despite the lower number of creatures in the forest, she would find one. Most of them were preparing for hibernation, with winter around the corner. Despite that, she would eat. Even if she had to dig them out of the ground. She would find food. As she sat high in a tree, she closed her eyes and let her nose do the seeing. What they did had made her nose far better than it had any right to be, and she could pick out scents further than any natural animal. She knew this for a fact. It was her memory, but she used it all the same. It took almost no time for a scent to catch her attention. It was something she had never encountered before. Something interesting. She could smell metal, cloth, and gems on it. Whatever it was, it was probably sapient. Yet it wasn’t a pony. Perhaps she found herself a meal.