//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Exitlude // Story: Don't Waste Your Wishes // by Closer-To-The-Sun //------------------------------// Coming into her view, the salespony saw three familiar faces. A small smile appeared on her face as she greeted the young ponies, “Ah, welcome back. Are you three fillies interested in another one of my items?” She motioned to the table. “Yeah, about that,” Sweetie Belle started with a bit of unease, “you see, we tried using that chicken talon thingy and….” “The wishes backfired!” Scootaloo angrily interrupted. “When we made our wishes, a bunch of weird stuff happened! Like with me and Rainbow Dash’s wings! Sweetie Belle’s sister just lost her business! And just look at Apple Bloom!” As Scootaloo gestured toward Apple Bloom, she sat her dog-body down and was scratching with her hind leg, “Ah think ah have fleas!” Raising a hoof up to her mouth and trying her best to not to laugh at the misfortune that had fallen upon the fillies, the mare spoke, “I see, perhaps you three made some foolish wishes?” Her words didn’t sit well with the unicorn, “Hey, that’s not fair! I wished for Rarity to have more free time, not for Carousel Boutique to shut down!” “Yeah! And I wanted to fly like Rainbow Dash, not rob her of her wings!” Scootaloo said as she opened up the blue wings that rested on her orange body. In an almost crying tone, Apple Bloom added, “Ah swear ah didn’t wanna be dog, just know what it’s like ta be a dog!” “Really? That’s what you wished for?” the salespony asked with a bit of bewilderment. She quickly shook her head and continued, “Well, anyway, I did my best to warn you about the chicken talon’s power, did I not?” Raising up the chicken talon, Scootaloo threw the item on the table, “We want a full refund.” The top three claws had curled downward to the rest of the severed body part. “While I am truly sorry for the misfortune that unfolded for you three fillies, I’m afraid that this chicken talon has already been used three times,” the mare pointed out, “And, even if you hadn’t made wishes with it already, there is another factor in play.” The mare then used her hoof to direct the fillies’ eyesight to the sight that hung over the table. In big bold letters, it read: ALL SALES ARE FINAL. “Oh, come on!” Sweetie Belle cried out. “It hasn’t even been two hours! Can’t ya cut us some slack?” Apple Bloom pleaded as she finished scratching with her hind legs. “I’m sorry, but it’s my booth’s policy, and if I bend the rules for you then I’ll have to do so with every other customer who has a complaint with any of my items,” the salespony shrugged, “And I must say there are quite a few of those complaints.” “What happened to ‘the customer is always right’?” Scootaloo demanded. “It’s more like the customer didn’t heed the warnings I gave numerous times.” There was a bit of a commotion between the fillies and the salespony. It was enough to get the attention of a passing dragon. He made his way to the booth, “Whoa, what’s going on over here?” “Oh, Spike! Thank Celestia you’re here!” Sweetie Belle sounded relieved to see a familiar face. “You gotta help us, this salespony won’t give us a refund!” Scootaloo explained. “A refund? For what?” Spike asked. “That creepy chicken talon she sold us!” Apple Bloom answered. Spike looked at Apple Bloom in her dog-body, “Are….Are you a dog?” “That’s not important right now!” she replied. Clearing her throat, the salespony gathered every creature’s attention, “As I have already told your friends here, the chicken talon not only has been used, but it is my policy that all sales are final. I gave plenty of warning before the purchase was finalized.” The dragon’s eyes lowered down to the table, where he found the chicken talon amongst the other bizarre artifacts on the table. He picked up the chicken talon, with three of the claws curled up and the fourth claw near the spur still intact. “Is this the chicken talon they bought?” Spike asked, holding it talon up. “Yes, that is correct.” Spike looked at it closely for a moment and then to the fillies. With a sigh, he spoke, “The three of you really didn’t think this through, did you?” “Huh?” they collectively were confused. Holding up the chicken talon, Spike began to speak, “I wish for all the previous wishes from this chicken talon to be undone, as well as all creatures who did not have contact with this talon to not remember anything relating to said wishes, a refund for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo for their purchase of said chicken talon, for said chicken talon to lose it’s magical properties….and for a hayburger on wheat bread with mayo and mustard that will have no weird surprises.” As soon as the dragon finished speaking, the claw located near the talon’s spur began to curl inward as the entire chicken talon was violently shaking. Spike kept his hold on the claw until it stopped moving. As the moving came to a stop, a few flashes of light occurred, including on both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom’s bodies. Both returned to normal, with Scootaloo no longer having Rainbow Dash’s wings and Apple Bloom returning back to her normal earth pony body. A final flash occurred in Spike’s free claw, which was how holding a hayburger. With an almost bored tone, Spike casually tossed the chicken talon with the curled up claws onto the table, “Boom.” All three of the fillies were dumbfounded as Spike’s single wish with the chicken talon fixed everything. “My wings! My own wings are back!” Scootaloo said with joy as she hopped up and hoovered for a brief moment. “Ah’m back in mah own body! Oh, thank Celestia!” Apple Bloom said with a huge relief. She hugged herself with her front hooves. She then asked a question to herself, “Why do ah have a sudden cravin’ for kibble?” The salespony seemed to be amused by the dragon’s cleverness, “I must say, I’m impressed. Almost as if you’ve had experience with a chicken talon before.” “Yeah, Twilight and I came across one a while ago,” Spike commented as he took a bite out of his hayburger, “That was a weird weekend.” Apple Bloom finally snapped out of her stunned daze and spoke, “We coulda stacked wishes?!” “Of course, it’s not like there’s a rule about it,” Spike said nonchalantly. “I-....WHAT?!” Scootaloo shouted in frustration. Sweetie Belle opened up her coin-purse and saw her coins inside, “We got refunded! Everything is back to normal!” Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo checked their money as well, finding that all the bits they had spent on the chicken talon had been returned. Apple Bloom smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, “Thanks fer helpin’ us out, Spike.” “Yeah, seriously, thanks,” Scootaloo joined in. “No problem. We’re all friends and we all help each other out.” “Like that time the four of us got that eight foot party sub!” Scootaloo pointed out. “Yes, exactly like that, just this time has a lot less mayo,” Spike took another bite of his burger. “How is that hayburger?” Scootaloo asked. Spike answered, “Not bad, though the bread is a little stale.” Again clearing her throat, the salespony got the attention of the young creatures, “As much as I am happy that your misfortunes have been fixed, I do ask that if you are not going to be making another purchase, please leave. There are still plenty of other creatures that would be interested in my artifacts.” “Alright, alright, we’re going,” Sweetie Belle said with a bit of a huff. Spike turned to leave but stopped himself to speak to the mare behind the table, “Just please stop selling those cursed objects to unsuspecting creatures, okay? It’s only causing needless problems, okay?” The salespony raised up a hoof and nodded sincerely, “I promise.” Spike nodded back and turned around to catch up with the fillies. “So, did you fillies learn a lesson in all this?” Spike asked as he took another bite of his hayburger. “Yeah, I learned that everything with that was just absolutely crazy. I’m gonna need chocolate after all of that,” Scootaloo commented. “Chocolate? Ah need a big funnel cake!” Apple Bloom proclaimed. Sweetie Belle interjected, “Let’s do both! I know the funnel cake pony sometimes puts chocolate on his funnel cakes and it’s really good!” “Sounds like a plan to me!” Scootaloo said. After swallowing the food in his mouth, Spike asked, “So Apple Bloom….did you do it?” “Do what?” the earth pony asked. “You know, the dog thing?” Spike said, “Did you….sniff a butt?” “Ah can’t believe ya’d ask me that!” Apple Bloom was aghast at the question Spike smirked, “That’s not a no.” As the three fillies and the dragon left the booth, the mare behind the table took the used up chicken talon and placed it somewhere behind the table. However, she then placed another, strikingly similar looking chicken talon on the table where the other one previously had been. All four claws were stretched outward. A creature showed up to the front of the table. They looked over the table before their eyes rested upon the talon. He lifted it up and called out, “Whoa, this is so freaky. Hey every creature, check this out.” Five different creatures gathered around him. “What did friend Gallus find?” one of them asked. The mare smiled and greeted the group, “Ah, welcome.” END