//------------------------------// // Odds and Ends // Story: Odds and Ends and Even Trades // by Random_User //------------------------------// Chapter 3: Odds and Ends Trade and I kept a look out for the creatures of the Everfree Forest as we walked along the shaded path. Typically they didn’t bother ponies, especially during the day. We still didn’t want to take any chances. She deliberately bumped into me. “How do you know where the dragon’s lair is?” “It’s kind of a rite of passage in Ponyville for a colt to sneak into the forest and grab one of the rocks outside the dragon’s cave, while your buddies watch.” “I’m surprised you took part in something like that.” “I loved it, actually. It was one of the few times that I went out of a limb. Besides, I kind of cheated.” The faces of my fellow classmates alone had made the whole trip worth it. I had always been known as quiet and straight-laced. Trade raised an eyebrow. “I have even more trouble picturing that. How, pray tell, did you manage to cheat?” “I found out that dragons don’t eat ponies. Knowing there is very little danger involved takes the challenge out of it. All you have to do is be quiet, sneak in, and grab a rock.” “What do dragons eat?” “Gems, for the most part, somehow they are able to digest them into energy and fuel for their flames. I don’t understand it myself. I never was the best at chemistry.” We were quiet the rest of the way. The length of the walk gave us time to brace ourselves for our meeting with the dragon, but the sight of the cave made us pause. I decided to take the initiative. “Look, I know the mare is supposed to go first. Just this once, let me. I don’t think the dragon is dangerous, but I would rather not risk you to find out.” A deep voice cut through the forest. “How noble, but unnecessary.” The dragon stepped from his cave. “I have been expecting you.” The dragon’s green scales were much more vivid than the sparse, dark foliage surrounding the cave. Its yellow eyes, with their vertical pupils, marked it as a predator. Despite its fearsome appearance, it made no aggressive moves and seemed amused to have visitors. Even knowing that dragons didn’t partake of pony, having a creature that was larger than my house stare down at me was disconcerting. I somehow managed to make our introductions, “Hello, I am Sturdy Bookend. This is my friend, Even Trade. We’re sorry to bother you, but you wouldn’t happen to have seen a young unicorn filly?” He made an exaggerated bow. “My name is Targe. It is a pleasure to meet you both. And yes, I happen to have seen a young unicorn.” Dinky walked, from the cave, to Targe’s side. I started towards her, but Targe barred my way with his tail. She didn’t seem hurt, but I couldn’t see her well enough to tell. “Dinky, are you alright?!” “Yeah, I’m not sure how I got here. Targe and I have been talking since I landed in his cave. He is a little grumpy because I fell on his tail. I don’t know what he is going to do to me.” Targe’s laugh was so deep that I could feel it in my chest. “I have no intention of doing anything to you. However, I would like compensation for having a trespasser literally drop in on me, and for providing a small filly protection from the dangers of this forest.” Trade unpacked some of the items from her saddlebags. “I am willing to pay for your damages, and your services.” There was the sound of beating wings. We all turned, and Quill landed beside Trade. “What did I miss?” Trade unpacked a couple of more items. As she did so, she explained what was going on. He raised a wing in a pegasus salute. “If anyone can make a deal with a dragon, it’s you.” She nodded grimly. “I hope you’re right.” The bartering began. At the end of the protracted negotiations Trade’s saddlebags were empty, and Targe was still not satisfied. Trade’s confidence was shaken by that point. It began to tell in her voice. “I have nothing else with me.” After a theatrical pause, Targe made his price known. “Well, it is often said that a thing can be worth its weight in gold. Since I have enough of that, let us settle for gems. Bring this filly’s weight in gems by this time tomorrow, and she is yours. Otherwise, she will stay with me.” Dinky was outraged. “That’s not fair!” My mouth dropped open. “That’s draconian! We can’t gather that many gems so quickly.” Thankfully, Targe thought my word choice was funny. “You’re quite right to use that term. We dragons are a strong willed people, and are services do not come cheaply. If you need a little more time, I can always tack a little interest to the price.” “Consider it done.” All of us were surprised by Trade’s words. I leaned to her and whispered, “What in the name of Equestria are you doing?” Trade gave me a determined look. “I can do this. This mark on my flank is not just for show.” “I’m all for being gung-ho, but there are not enough gems in all of Ponyville for this. You can’t make it to Canterlot and back in a day, especially not with a load of gems in tow.” “I’ll figure something out.” “Then it is settled.” Targe turned, and started to usher Dinky back into the cave. Quill’s voice caused them both to pause. “Might I also make an offer?” Targe craned his neck back towards Quill. “Oh, and that would be?” Quill thumped his chest. “Me for Dinky, let her go home. Her mother is frantic, and with me as collateral you don’t have to worry about the deal falling through.” Targe’s smile showed all of his impressive teeth. “What a marvelous idea. I won’t even increase the price to your weight in gems, in recognition of your honorable aim.” Dinky bolted to Quill. “You don’t have to stay with him! I’m brave! I can handle it!” “Your mother helped me, now I get to return the favor. I’ll be fine.” Dinky stood on her hind legs, and gave him a hug around the neck. “We will get you back.” “I know.” He gave her a quick hug back, and then headed into the cave with Targe. Trade was stunned by the whole exchange. “I can’t tell if you’re brother is brave, or crazy.” “I don’t know. Crazy or not, I’m still proud of him.” **** Derpy and Mist were waiting for us at Trade’s shop. Our arrival cut through the tension that had built up around the two. Dinky raced to her mom, who grabbed her up in a hug that enveloped the filly in the safety of her mother’s forelegs and wings. “I’m so glad you’re back, safe and sound.” Mist smiled at the scene. “I’m glad this worked out. How much did the dragon ask?” Trade’s face told more than her words. “It’s not over yet.” Mist’s wings started to rise as the realization struck her. “Where is Quill?” A couple of tears rolled down Dinky’s face. “He traded places with me. The dragon wasn’t going to let me go till he got my weight in gems.” Derpy made an incredulous sound. “It’s true. I have to come up with Dinky’s weight in gems by tomorrow afternoon. If not, who knows how long he will hold Quill.” Derpy voiced the question that had been running through my mind. “What are we going to do?” I closed my eyes and tried to think. “Who would have a high inventory of gems around here?” Mist responded, “Two places come to mind, Polished Facet’s jewelry store and Rarity’s Boutique.” Mist’s face showed little hope. “The problem with Facet’s is that all his gems are involved with jewelry of some kind. We can’t buy up his inventory, and take the gems off. We don’t have that kind of bits. Same goes with Rarity’s boutique, and her clothes.” Dinky offered, “Sweetie Bell told me that Rarity sometimes has whole chests of gems that she uses for her designs. Maybe she hasn’t used a lot of them?” Mist looked at her, pleasantly surprised. “If she doesn’t, maybe she can tell us where she gets that amount of gems.” We had something to go on, at least. I voiced, “Good enough place to start.” Trade put a few more items in her saddlebags. She had trouble getting the straps to close, but she managed. “I don’t know what we will need, but I’m bringing as much as I can.” Derpy wrapped a wing around Dinky. “I’m taking Dinky home. She’s had enough excitement for one day. I’ll meet you at Rarity’s in a bit.” Dinky ducked out from beneath Derpy’s wing. “Mom, I need to help Quill. He’s with that dragon because of me. I have to do something.” “I know you want to do something, but I don’t think a little filly can help us right at the moment. It would help us if you were safe at home, so we wouldn’t worry about you while we get Quill back.” Trade saw Dinky’s crestfallen face, and intervened. “Derpy, I think we may need her. I can’t demonstrate some of these magical items without a unicorn to help. Since she is the only unicorn with us, she almost has to come.” I inwardly grinned. Trade always did know how to make a sale. Derpy knew what Trade was doing, but seeing the hope on her daughter’s face, she relented. “Alright, but you are not leaving my sight. Do you understand, little lady?” Dinky vigorously nodded. ***** The bell to Rarity’s shop rang as we entered. The shop was lined with impressive garments of every description. I noted that there were lots of gems used in the designs, but I knew that had we taken every one they would not be enough. It only took a couple of seconds for the shop’s proprietor to appear. “Welcome to Rarity’s Boutique, where everything is sleek, chic, and magnifique. How may I help you?” Rarity had a tape measure around her neck, and a pair of red rimmed glasses perched on her nose. She looked at our small group with a designer’s eye. “Outfits for five? I don’t typically do group ensembles.” She dramatically threw her head back. “No matter. I’m up for the challenge. Now, what venue were you planning to attend? Is there a particular theme I should work with?” I could not fault her for lack of enthusiasm. “No, my partner and I need help. Mist recommended your shop as the first place we should go.” The words had barely left my mouth, when the tape measure flew towards me. Rarity circled, taking measurements as she went. “Matching outfits for a couple. How romantic. I haven’t made something like that in ages.” She turned to Mist. “The next time you order something for yourself, I will be sure to give you a discount.” There was a momentary pause, as she looked at Mist’s mane. “Or, I could give you a free mane and tail styling. I would be more than happy to change the color of your mane too, if you would like.” Rarity became distracted by the idea of coloring Mist’s green mane. As she took the measurement for my inside leg, I found out that the metal tab at the end of the tape measure was uncomfortably cold. I jumped in shock at the contact, and then swiftly sat down to protect my dignity from further abuse. How Trade managed to not laugh, I will never know. She didn’t even protest Rarity’s assumption that we were a couple. She calmly stated, “We’re not here for outfits, we need your help.” Rarity’s demeanor instantly changed. “I’ll be more than happy to help you however I can. What do you need?” Dinky walked up to her. “Please Miss Rarity, I know you can help.” Dinky explained what had happened. Her telling of the events was exaggerated, but she held Rarity’s attention the whole time. Rarity struck a dramatic pose. “He gave himself to a dragon to save a young filly, such a valiant act. You don’t hear about such deeds being done anymore, even by royalty.” She muttered something about overstuffed princes, but I couldn’t catch it all. “I will give you all the gems in my shop, but I’m afraid I don’t have enough. What you see here are all that I have. I just recently completed another order for Sapphire Shores, and it took the vast majority of my gems.” Trade offered to pay for the gems Rarity had. Rarity refused the offer, without a pause. “I would be honored to help with such a noble deed. I will not accept payment of any kind. Though, I’m afraid it won’t be much of a contribution.” Derpy took a different angle to the problem. “Rarity, Dinky told us that you often have quite few gems here. Do you mind if we ask where you get them?” “Dear, of course not. I have a spell that shows where gems are buried in the ground. I take Spike with me, and he digs up the gems. He keeps some as payment.” The relief was evident on Derpy’s face. “Would you be willing to help us find the gems we need?” She mulled it over. “I would be glad to, but we would have a problem digging them up. With all the snow, and the ground being frozen, it’s just not possible. Spike and Twilight are out of town at the moment, so we don’t have a dragon to fall back on either.” Dinky jumped up and down. “Diamond dogs, we need diamond dogs! Sweetie Belle told me they gave you carts full of gems. We can go to their caves, and get all the gems we need. We can pay them like you do with Spike.” Rarity wrinkled her nose at the idea. “Those brutes locked me in a cell, harnessed me to cart, swatted my flank, and got me dirty! I would love to help, but there is no possible way I am going back to their caves.” Mist poked Trade’s saddlebags. “You wouldn’t happen to have something in there that would help us?” Trade put her saddlebags on the ground, and went through them. She smiled, and pulled out what looked to be an ordinary stick. “Lady Luck may not have abandoned us completely. Rarity, would you mind casting that gem finding spell of yours?” “Of course darling, but how will that help?” “This is a Trick Stick. Trust me. It would be easier to show you, than try to explain it.” Rarity’s horn flared for a moment, and every gem in the shop lit up with an aura. Trade lightly tapped the stick against Rarity’s horn, and it briefly glowed. Rarity released the spell, and the gems returned to normal. Trade motioned to Dinky to come closer. “Use your magic on this.” Dinky’s magic touched the stick, and the gems started to shine again. Trade’s smile went from ear to ear. “Perfect. Now we have the spell we need, a unicorn to use it, and a place to get the gems.” She looked to Rarity. “I will not forget the help you’ve given us.” Rarity politely waved her off. “I haven’t done anything. I just hope that this all works out.” As soon as we exited the shop and the door was closed behind us, Trade broke down into hysterical laughter. “Was that tape measure a little cold? I didn’t know that she was so thorough that she would be taking that particular measurement.” Derpy covered Dinky’s ears. “Trade, there is a filly present!” Trade barely paused. “I’m really envious of the diamond dogs.” Poor Mist walked right into it. “Why in the world would be jealous of them?” Trade was having trouble responding, she was laughing so hard. “I would have liked to have put Rarity in a harness and smacked her flank myself.” I don’t know if it was caused by the tension that we were under, but I couldn’t help but laugh. Mist face-hoofed and Derpy giggled at the three of us. Dinky’s ears were still covered. She looked at us, confused. “What’s so funny?” ***** For the second time that day I found myself outside a cave, hoping that the creatures that lived in it would be hospitable. It was near sundown, and I was beginning to worry that we would run out of time before getting the gems. Dinky, being young and fearless, walked into the mouth of the cave and yelled, “Diamond dogs, we need to talk to you!” Derpy pulled her back. “Dinky, be careful. We don’t know how they are going to take us showing up out of the blue.” After a couple of minutes, three pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the cave. “Ponies?! We promised not to take any more ponies. Besides, we’ve had enough whining. Go away!” Trade bowed, and addressed the voice, “Hello, my name is Even Trade, and I am here to make you an offer. It’s a deal that includes my promise that there will be no whining.” Three diamond dogs stepped into the light. One was large and burly, there was a short and stout one, and the last was a lean one that spilt the difference in height between the other two. They seemed much more leery of us than we were of them. The middle sized one seemed to be the leader, and did the talking. “Alright, what is this deal?” Trade pulled out the Trick Stick. With an air that would have made a stage magician proud, she presented it to them. “I have learned that you need help finding gems. We need a little help ourselves. This stick is about to solve both our problems.” Trade made a showy gesture, signaling Dinky over. “My assistant will demonstrate.” Dinky smiled, and dived into her role. She made a production of gathering her magic, and using it on the stick. Rarity’s spell was cast once again, and the few gems at the cave’s entrance began to glow. The two diamond dogs left their leader, and immediately began to dig up the gems. The diamond dog’s yellow eyes looked Dinky over. “The little pony can cast the gem finding spell?” Trade shook her head. “No, she can’t.” She waved the stick. “This is what is casting the spell, but it needs magic to work. We need a lot of gems by tomorrow. If you help us get the gems we need, I will make sure that you get three times what we require to keep for yourselves.” He watched as his fellow diamond dogs dug up the gems. After a couple of moments he asked, “What if we want to use the stick later?” “All you have to do is come to my come by my shop in Ponyville. I will have the stick ready, and I’ll make sure there is a unicorn that will use it for you.” He held out a filthy paw. Trade didn’t hesitate, and shook with him. The result was a sealed deal and her having a dirty hoof. He led us into the cave, which turned out to be the entrance to a sophisticated system of mining tunnels. He whistled, and several armored diamond dogs appeared from various side tunnels. I worried that had walked into a trap. The leader of the dogs commanded his pack. “You dogs, help the filly. She is going to show us gems with her magic.” He turned to Trade. “How many gems do you need?” Trade met his eyes with a challenging look. “We need this filly’s weight in gems.” He grinned smugly. “We diamond dogs can do that. Perhaps we could have a bit of a challenge?” Trade hesitated. “What kind of challenge?” “It’s getting late, so we’ll dig for one hour. You keep the gems you need, we keep the rest.” Trade didn’t even take a breath before agreeing, “Done.” Dinky and the diamond dogs turned it into a game. She walked around the mine, and they followed like overgrown puppies. As they came into areas rich in gems, the dogs would spread out and dig them up. Their efficiency was something to behold. The amount of gems that they collected during the hour was staggering. Dinky’s weight in gems was not even a challenge for the industrious dogs. The majority of the time, they filled cart after cart with gems that they would keep for themselves. At the end of the hour, the leader of the dogs called the digging off. “You take your gems, and we’ll take ours. I like you, pony. We will do this again.” The diamond dog put a pair of bags, filled to bursting with gems, across my shoulders. The dogs never took Dinky’s weight, and I was sure that the bags were heavier that she was. “Your share, now go home.” His words were curt, but there was some warmth to them. Our group made our way out of the mines, and back into the snow and open air. Night had fallen, which caused us to make a difficult decision. We would wait till the morning before venturing into the Everfree Forest again. Dinky was understandably upset. “We can’t leave him with that dragon! We need to go right now!” She turned to me, almost panicked at the thought of leaving Quill in the forest. “You’ll go with me. He’s your brother, you won’t leave him there.” She saw the look on my face, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Will you?” Silent tears started to slide down her cheeks. It was very hard to keep my voice even. I was worried for Quill too, and I was having my own struggle not to head into the woods. “I would run all the way there, with you on my back, if I thought that was the right thing to do.” I knelt down to her level, and looked into her tear filled eyes. “Quill traded places with you to keep you safe from the creatures of the Everfree Forest. He would have both our ears if we tried to get to him during the night. The creatures are just too dangerous for us to take a chance.” She sniffed. “But, he’s all alone.” “Targe is with him. He may be a grouchy dragon, but he won’t let anything bad happen to Quill.” I wiped her tears away. “I’ll swing by first thing in the morning, and we’ll go get him together.” She was not happy, but she nodded in agreement. ***** That night, I tried to sleep. The silence and too many thoughts about Quill made getting rest impossible. I curled up in the den with a blanket, and watched the fire dance in the fireplace. One part of me knew that Quill was safe as he could be in the Everfree Forest, being at a dragon’s side. The other part was running in small circles, in my mind, screaming I should already be at the cave with the gems. I was not surprised to hear a knock at the door, and even less surprised at seeing Trade standing there in the snow. “I have to quit knocking on your door in the middle of the night when bad things happen. At least this time you’re up.” She looked down at her hooves. “I couldn’t sleep, guess you couldn’t either.” “No, the house was too quiet. Having you gone was bad enough. With Quill missing too, it was impossible for me to relax.” She came into the den, I got her a blanket, and made us both some hot chocolate. I joined her in front of the fire. It seemed wrong to have such comforts, while Quill was sleeping in a cave. Trade lightly punched me on the shoulder. “None of that, you lug. Quill is probably comfortably asleep right now.” She grinned lopsidedly. “I hope he keeps the dragon up with his snoring.” I laughed. “Quill doesn’t snore.” “He should tonight, just to aggravate that oversized lizard.” She looked into the fire. “I hate all this happened. But, in a strange way, I haven’t felt this alive in years. It’s like I'm turning into a new pony by facing these disasters.” I nudged her with my shoulder. “Good times don’t challenge us. It’s when things get rough we find out who we are, and who are friends are.” “I’ll have to wait and see who I am for a bit. But, I have no doubt who my friends are.” We sat like that, in silence, till the first light began to show through the windows. ***** Dinky was waiting for us outside her front door. We got there right at sunrise as promised, and it was clear she was eager to get going. With her were Derpy and Turner. Turner looked over Trade and me as we walked up. “Well, here is a sight I never thought I would see again. I was not surprised to hear that as soon as you two were back together, trouble started.” He patted Dinky on the head, and she brushed his hoof away. “With this little one added to the mix, it looks like just about anything could happen.” Trade started to apologize for what happened, but Turner would not hear it. “These things happen, especially with unicorn fillies. As long as nopony was hurt, it can be fixed. I can’t wait till she starts trying to learn to teleport. Things like this will happen every day.” Dinky was indignant. “Dad, come on, it won’t be that bad.” He grinned down at her. “I’ll remind you of that someday.” Mist landed, and joined our group. “Looks like I got her just in time.” Derpy put a wing around her. “We would not have left without you.” Dinky scampered back and forth in the snow. “Now that everypony is here we can save Quill from the dragon!” She started heading down the path, towards the Everfree Forest. Turner sighed. “Just like her mother, boundless energy and enthusiasm.” Derpy nipped his ear. “You love it, and you know it.” Trade rolled her eyes. “You two, get a room.” Mist offered, “I could sit for Dinky after all this is over, if you two need some more ‘rest’ time.” I adjusted the bags on my shoulders, and set off after Dinky. There were aspects of my friends’ lives that I didn’t really want to know too many details about. ***** The trip back to Targe’s cave was just as uneventful as the first. Though, thanks to Dinky setting the pace, we arrived there a bit quicker. With the same gusto that Dinky had called into the diamond dogs cave, she yelled, “Mister Targe, we have the gems for you!” Targe stepped out of his cave, making a show of putting a claw in his ear. “For such a little one, you make a lot of noise. What do you mean, you have the gems?” She pointed at me. “He has them.” He chuckled as I stepped forward. “It’s appropriate that you would be the one that was chosen to pony up.” I winced at his pun as I put the two bags in front of him. As he opened the bags, his shock at seeing the amount of gems was evident. “I didn’t think you could do it. I was going to accept any amount of gems that you brought. No self-respecting dragon wants to have to take care of a pony all the time.” He waved Dinky over, and scooped her up in a clawed hand. He weighed the two bags of gems in his other. “You brought more than enough.” He gently put Dinky down. “Wait here for a moment.” He stepped back into the cave, and shortly returned with Quill and a smaller bag. “Here is your friend, and the extra gems you brought. I am a dragon of my word. I asked for the filly’s weight in gems, and that is all I will keep.” Without another word, he returned to his cave. Dinky ran over and clung to Quill. “I told you we would do it!” “I knew you would.” Mist got to him next. “I don’t know if you’re brave, or just featherbrained.” She held his face in her hooves, and kissed him. “Don’t do anything like that again.” Quill didn’t even try to keep his wings under control. “If you do that every time you have to rescue me, I’ll go looking for trouble.” Mist playfully pushed him in the chest. Derpy grabbed him in a hug. “Thank you for being so brave. I don’t know what I would have done, without Dinky at home.” “It’s not that big of a deal. I think Targe wanted some company more than anything.” Turner snorted. “So, it wasn’t that bad?” “No, the worst I can say about is that I will need a bath from sleeping in the dirt.” Quill patted his coat as if to knock dust off of himself. He glanced up at Turner. “Oh, and Targe cheats at cards.” “You’re not kidding are you?” “I wish I were. He hid a couple of cards under his tail while we were playing.” Trade pulled Quill into a headlock. “You’re a courageous pony, but don’t pull that kind of stunt again. I would give up everything I had, rather than see anypony hurt.” As soon as Trade released him I grabbed him in a hug of my own. “It’s good to have you back, safe and sound.” I suddenly thought of something, as I looked towards the cave over his shoulder. “How did you know where the cave was? I never told you.” “Would you believe me if I told you it was because of a rock?” I grinned. “Actually, yes I would.” Trade gave Derpy the bag of gems. “Take these. I put your daughter in danger, and caused you to worry. Nothing I can do can undo what happened, but I hope this makes some amends.” Derpy looked at her wide-eyed. “We can’t take these. It was an accident, and it all worked out.” “I insist. It’s the least I can do. If you won’t take them because of the trouble I’ve caused, consider them a finder’s fee. You put me in contact with a unicorn with a gem finding spell and incredible business connections, and Dinky has introduced me to the diamond dogs. Those two things will help my business far more than these gems are worth.” Turner got a look in his eyes that I couldn’t place. “Thank you, Trade. I promise, we’ll figure out something appropriate to do with them.” He gave Derpy a wink, and she looked at him with curiosity. ***** The next weekend our little group gathered outside of Trade’s shop. Everything had been readied for business, and her stock was on display. Above the door a cloth covered sign hung, waiting for its unveiling. “I wanted all of you to be here for the grand opening of my shop. Without you help, I would not have been able to do this. You have given me a support, hope, and comfort when I needed them most.” Her eyes misted over. “More importantly you have been my friends, and have given me a new home.” She pointed to the cloth hanging over the sign. “Dinky, would you do the honors?” Dinky’s magic pulled the cloth away to reveal a wonderfully crafted sign with the name ‘Odds and Ends’ emblazoned in gold letters. Golden images of a gem, a stick, a brooch, and a dragon each occupied a corner of the sign. We all applauded, and Quill gave a long whistle. Trade looked back at us. “The sign maker thought I was a little nuts, but I wanted something to mark our adventure. Besides, it will make ponies curious. Once they’re in the shop, I’ll be more than happy to tell them about what inspired the sign.” She opened the door, stepped in, and took down the “opening soon” sign. She replaced it with a sign that proclaimed the shop was open. She stuck her head out the door, and shouted to all of Ponyville, “Odds and Ends is now open for business!” We started to head in, but Turner stopped Derpy and Dinky. He whispered something to both of them and took a familiar looking bag out of his saddlebags. He gave the bag to Dinky, and nosed her towards the door.” Trade caught my eye as the pair of them turned to leave. “You guys go on ahead. Derpy and I were going to get everypony some hot chocolate from Sugar Cube Corner to celebrate.” I held the door open. Quill and Mist entered first, followed shortly by Dinky. Dinky walked up to the counter. “Miss Trade, I need something for my mom and dad for Hearths Warming. What can I get with these?” She put the bag down, and deftly undid the string that held the bag closed. It was same bag of gems that Trade had given Derpy. Tears fell down Trade’s face. “You can buy anything in the shop with that.”