//------------------------------// // The Shop // Story: Baser Instinct // by Styrofoam //------------------------------// A hoof rested upon the handle. Softly, silently, Davenport cracked open the door. The interior of the darkened shop cast shadows everywhere. The tan stallion could barely discern the rounded outlines of long rows of—what was that? Davenport’s breath hitched in his throat as he caught some sort of movement out of the corner of his eye. He opened the door wider in order to get better peek. CR-EAK!! Davenport cringed; he really should’ve oiled those hinges last week. “Hey guys! W-what was that?” a voice cried. “N-nothin,’” answered another voice. “It was probably just somethin’ outside bangin’ in the wind or somethin.’” Davenport relaxed. The intruders’ voices weren’t deep. They were more than likely mares—and definitely young mares at that. The ratio of earth ponies to all other tribes was exceptionally high in Ponyville. It wasn’t likely then that those two mares were unicorns or pegasi, but Davenport didn’t want to let his guard down if they were. It would be better to surprise them with a strong offense. Gathering up his courage, the shopkeeper tried to clear his fuzzy mind. One… Davenport steadied himself against the door. Two… His teeth gripped the hard wooden cane as if they wanted to snap it in half. Three! Like a swat team during a raid, Davenport kicked the door wide open and galloped towards the direction where he’d heard the mares talking. He let out a loud screech as he reared up beside the front counter. “Just who are you, and what are you doing breaking into my shop?” Davenport yelled, bringing his cane down upon the quivering shadows before him. The shadows screamed bloody murder. “Good evening, our little ponies! We yet again welcome you to our Midsummer Moon gala!” Princess Luna called out to the crowd. “In addition to our usual feast and frolic, we hath prepared a little entertainment. If you would but turn your head up to the skies…” As she raised a dark blue hoof, every head followed its direction upwards. Up there, deep in the night sky hung the crescent moon. A few thin clouds still floated across the sky, but not nearly enough to ruin the onlookers’ view of the stars. Spike noticed that the moon seemed to shine more strongly upon Princess Luna than anypony else. The princess in response shut her eyes and drank in the moon’s wan light before opening her blue orbs again and giving it a light smile. It seemed to Spike to be the smile of two old friends who had known each other a lifetime. It was a smile he imagined that he would exchange with Twilight or Applejack or Fluttershy years and years from now. “Look!” yelled somepony from the crowd. Spike’s head snapped up again. The moon was filling out. All of a sudden, the crescent overhead had rounded into a quarter moon, and now that quarter moon was rapidly swelling into a half. Amidst cries of approval from the nobles, the dragon heard snatches of Twilight’s whispering to Luna. “-ess Celestia must’ve rotated the sun a-” And to that, Luna replied, “Of course, our dear Sister does indeed have an appreciation for-” However, Spike stopped listening after that. Twilight was most certainly going to explain all the wonder away into a boring account of science and magic. All he needed to know was that he was witnessing an immensely strong incantation in progress and that he was currently enjoying it. “How lovely,” breathed a soft voice beside him. Spike looked down to see Rarity gazing up at the moon’s pearlescent glow. She seemed almost ethereal bathed in moonlight in her silvery blue gown. “I-I tried to capture the moon’s brilliance in this dress. I don’t think I quite caught it. Still, isn’t it beautiful, Spikey?” Spike squinted up at the currently almost full moon. Sure, it was an amazing feat of magic to be able to successfully speed up the monthly cycle of a ball of rock floating in space, but…beautiful? “Er-beautiful? I guess so…” the dragon spluttered. All of a sudden Rarity gave him a sharp look. Spike winced. “What? What did I say wrong?” Rarity sighed. “Oh, nothing… You’ve just reinforced my beliefs about the vast majority of the male population.” Spike raised an eyebrow. How did the vast majority of the male population get pulled into this? “Well, okay, maybe it’s kinda nice, but you’ve gotta admit, Rarity, you see this very same moon almost single every night. There’s really no point in going all gaga over it.” “The very same-! Going all gaga over it? I beg your pardon!” the white mare lightly stomped her hoof in a show of proper ladylike indignation. “Now see here, if one were to study this moon closely, one would take note of the ring of stars surrounding it, giving the semblance of swirling embroidery. Look at the moon itself, could you decide whether it is white or light azure?” Rarity raised a hoof to the sky, pointing out various details as she spoke. “It is intricately more detailed than the princess’ average night.” At Rarity’s insistence, Spike tried to squint again; however, he could only make out the bluish white or whitish blue moon. Whether the stars had formed a pattern or not, he couldn’t rightfully say. “I guess,” the dragon repeated while rubbing the back of his spikes a little awkwardly. “I can see some of what you’re saying but not all. I don’t think I have the eye for this kind of thing.” “Well, many don’t, darling,” Rarity replied with a shake of her purple ringlets. “In fact, it took years for even me to hone my celebrated eye for fashion. Why, when I look back upon my first creation-” “Hold on. Excuse me for interrupting, milady, but do you mind if we go off somewhere to talk about this? I’ve been doing stuff all day, and I’m really tired of standing.” Spike knew that his latter statement wasn’t true at all, but this was his best chance at getting the mare of his dreams in a semi-private place where he could get to know her better. Rarity frowned and turned her head to gaze around at all of the Canterlotians she hadn’t yet made a lasting impression on. “Well… I suppose… But only for a minute or two… And I’m thirsty. Do you know where that dratted refreshment table is?” “-and then I just studded those costumes with jewels and called them finissent. Ugh, just remembering it all makes me cringe sometimes. As a filly, I had no inkling at how valuable gems were.” Spike chucked a little but felt queasy at the thought of wasting so many gems. “But that was how you got your cutie mark, right?” “Basically,” Rarity replied while twisting around to get more comfortable on the stone bench. “To be fair, Rainbow Dash’s sonic rainboom was behind a good deal of it…but enough about me. You’ve let me prattle on and on about how I’ve got into fashion, and now the price you will have to pay is for me to hear about you.” “Seriously?” Spike questioned. “Why yes, it’s considered bad manners to have one divulge so much about herself and then not return the favor.” “Well, you sorta divulged all on your own. After all, I never asked you to start talking about yourself.” Spike cocked his head to the side in thought. Something was up. It was not usual for Rarity to steer conversation away from herself. Behind those deceptively dewy eyes was a master manipulator, and one could almost forget this until he suddenly winds up repainting the side of her house. “Perhaps, but you did allow me to go on. And it was you who asked me out here in the first place. Logically, I assumed that you wanted to get to know me better?” Spike could feel it; she was tightening the noose. Whatever she wanted him to say, he wasn’t going to get out it. “Okay, that is true…” the dragon admitted. ‘Darn… So this must be how she gets her way around the bigwigs in Canterlot so often. It’s hard to believe she sucks at strategy games—but then again, that one was against Pinkie.’ Rarity smiled. “Lovely. Now since you want to get to know me better, I must admit that since yesterday I have a desire to know you. This question has been lingering in my mind, and I suppose this is an appropriate time, if any, to ask. Spikey, dear, why am I here?” “What?” Spike was taken aback. “Oh do please forgive me,” the white unicorn exhaled loudly. “That question came out all wrong. Ugh, nerves… What I was attempting to say was out of all the available bachelorettes in Ponyville, for some reason you chose to pursue me. While I don’t fault you for your superb taste in mares, I have to say that I haven’t quite encouraged you either. There are several stallions out there who were interested in me long before you ever came to Ponyville, you know. Theoretically then, that adorable little crush you had shouldn’t have mattered—but you became my friend, so I did care. And, well, you already know my stance on the matter of myself and relationships; therefore imagine my surprise when you managed to somehow convince me otherwise.” Rarity turned her elegant head over to face Spike. “All of this work you’ve done to have me here… I just want to know.” Emerald eyes met dark blue. Strangely, Spike didn’t feel at all nervous at her request. ‘Maybe this is what happens when somepony is told he has a feral dragon half living inside him,’ he thought to himself. ‘Maybe things like that make a guy put his whole life in perspective.’ “I like you. I really, really like you.” Nervousness aside, Spike’s tongue couldn’t let him say the other L-word. “Even when I first saw you all those years ago, I thought you were beautiful—and you still are, you know. Back then I’d make any excuse to be around you—no matter how dirty or smelly or girly it was. You truly are beautiful, Rarity, and not just in looks. You are kind and generous, and I seriously haven’t seen another pony with half as much creativity as you.” Rarity’s eyes were rounding and watering from all the praise. “And over the years, I recognized some of your flaws too-” Oh, boy, now those blue eyes were shut in a wince. “You can be a little thoughtless and selfish, you know, and you sometimes put yourself over your friends. But here’s the kicker, you work to make things right again. Sometimes you even have to work against your own interests just for us, your friends. I respect that. It shows that you’re more than just a unicorn who makes dresses.” Here the dragon stopped to take a pause. “Sorry if I’m rambling here-” “Oh no,” Rarity raised a hoof to stop him. “I did ask for an explanation after all. However, I never realized just how much you observe me. You have been thinking about this for quite a long time, haven’t you?” ‘Since forever...’ Spike answered her question in his thoughts but was jolted back into stark awareness when he felt a warm mass rest against his shoulder. “And to think,” Rarity replied softly, looking up at the swirling patterns of stars in the night sky. “I was once not fond of green.” Applejack knocked on the door of Sugarcube Corner again. The night air had gone a bit chilly for summer, leaving the orange earth mare jogging lightly in place to keep warm. Knock, knock, knock! “C’mon…” Applejack grumbled. “C’mon Pinkie…” “We’re sorry!” shouted a bubbly from inside the bakery. “Even though I would really really love to give you a scrumdiddlyumptious treat right now, it’s after hours and Sugarcube Corner is closed. Sorry!” “Pinkie!” Applejack yelled in order to be heard through the thick wooden doors. “Pinkie Pie, can you hear me?” Suddenly, with no warning at all, Pinkie Pie’s poufy pink head burst through the upper latch of the door. “Heard ya loud and clear! Hi, Applejack!” Applejack scrambled back. “Eek! Consarn it, Pinkie! Ya could’ve scared me right half to death over here!” “Oh, sorry, Applejack,” Pinkie Pie looked sad for a moment, but only for a moment because she soon brightened back up again. “So watcha doin’? Oh I know! You’ve made a bet with Dash to see who can knock on the most doors the fastest—no, wait! You’re here to let Mr. and Mrs. Cake in on the big secret behind the zap apple jam conspiracy! No? Okay, this time I know for sure-” “No, no, it ain’t nothin’ like what you’re talkin’ about!” Applejack shook her head in exasperation. “Ah’m just here to get Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They should’ve been home by now.” “Okay…” Pinkie said slowly. “So why don’t you get them?” Applejack facehoofed. “Ah am gettin’ them. That’s why Ah’m here.” “Hmm… Okay. So you’re here to get Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom even though Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are not here? Ooo, ooo, I understand now!” The hyper pink mare grinned. “Sweetie Belle must’ve learned how to teleport. That’s so terrific! She could’ve told me though when she was here earlier, but that’s okay ‘cause she probably wanted it to be a surprise, and…oh my gosh, this is so exciting! I think there is only thing I can say now—this calls for a party!” “So Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are not here?” Applejack said slowly. “Yep! Oops! I meant nope! Or do I mean yes?” Pinkie rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “But they definitely aren’t here. They left with Pumpkin and Pound and Scootaloo about an hour ago on official cutie mark business I think.” “Then that means that-” Applejack’s mind quickly put all of the pieces together. “Apple Bloom!” The orange mare stomped the ground so hard that she left a good sized hoof hole behind. “When Ah get my hooves on you, Ah’m gonna tan your hide so hard!” Pinkie Pie only stared after her in the way everypony looks when another is in deep trouble. “Alright. Pinkie, can you stay here just in case they come back while Ah’m gone? And if they do come back, hold ‘em til I get here. Ah’m gonna get Fluttershy, and she’ll get Dash, and we’ll start a search for them.” “Okie dokie, AJ!” Pinkie saluted. None of the Cutie Mark Crusaders had any idea exactly what was going on. At first, the creepy old shop was dark and empty, and now all of a sudden out of nowhere comes some madpony swinging around something that frighteningly looked like an axe. As the first blow came down, everypony immediately scattered in all directions, blindly knocking over sofas and decorative lamps while scrambling to get away. “I’ll teach you for trying to burglarize my shop!” Davenport cried. “B-but we didn’t!” Pumpkin sobbed from her position curled up underneath the front counter. Davenport stepped closer, following the direction of her voice. “I’m afraid the authorities will have to determine that. Come out, let me restrain you, and I’ll go and get them.” “N-no! I only wanted my cutie mark! I want my mommy!” Davenport stopped, confused. “Mommy?” Just what kind of criminal was he dealing with here? “Pumpkin!” There was a sound of a struggle. “Stop it, kid. I know it’s your sister, but it won’t help if you go off and get yourself hurt.” “But-but-!” Pound whimpered. “We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We stick together, forever, kiddo. We aren’t gonna leave your sis down there,” Scootaloo whispered to the struggling pegasus colt within her grip, who slowly ceased squirming. “Hey guys, are you alright out there?” the orange filly called out. “Eeyup!” “I’m okay.” “Alright, I’m gonna make a distraction, and then one of you can get the kid.” Scootaloo let Pound loose to hover in the air while she braced herself. It was a rash, split minute decision, but Scootaloo never was the pony to sit down and mull things over, much like her longtime idol, Rainbow Dash. Meanwhile, Davenport had been counting the number of voices. Was it four ponies out there? Five? What group of ponies set out to raid a Quills and Sofas store in the middle of the night? However, at any rate, there were a lot more of them than there were of him. Maybe he should have gone out and sought help first. At this number they could easily gang up- “Ugh!” the stallion coughed as a pair of wings flapped in his face, blinding him. A pegasus! “Go, guys!” yelled the offending pegasus. Davenport heard the rapid clip clop of hooves racing past him—no doubt one of them going to rescue her comrade. He shook his brown mane. No! They were not going to get away with this! Furiously, the stallion went on the offensive, striking out at his attacker. Fruitlessly, the pegasus kept going however until a hard shove dug into her side. With a loud plunk, she was thrown back into some extra cushions piled up in a corner. “You’re not going to get away with attempting to steal from my store!” Davenport yelled into the darkness. It was then that he heard the quiet hoofsteps of a pony sneaking by him. Obviously the one that had gone past him earlier must have collected her friend. Thinking fast, Davenport dropped the cane and struck out in the ponies’ direction, satisfied when he felt something solid underneath his hoof. “I have you now,” Davenport stated to the thing underneath his hoof. “Now please tell all of your friends to come out into the open.” “N-no! We didn’t do anything wrong! Let us go!” the trapped pony screamed, her voice squeaking in frustration. A pale green glow appeared, exposing a white horn and a white forehead. A unicorn! Davenport grew nervous. There weren’t many defenses he had against a unicorn. The only surefire way would be to grab the horn- “Get away from mah friends, ya creep!” BAM! Davenport felt himself slam into the wall, his ribs on fire, his head swimming from the contact. ‘Well, that was most certainly an earth pony…’ Davenport thought, and that was the last thought which flashed across his mind before he fell into the blissful state of unconsciousness. When Davenport finally came to, the intruders were gone. It took him five minutes to stand properly; his ribs burned every time he breathed, but a quick check revealed nothing to be broken. It took him thirty more minutes to hobble back to his personal rooms at the rear of his shop to wash his face and return. It took him only five to light every candle and survey the damage done. At that moment, Davenport had no tears to cry—only a slow burning rage within him. His once pristine shop was almost unrecognizable. Many sofas were knocked over, split open, ruined. Long, dark scratches and scuffles on the hardwood floors marked where struggles had occurred. A large crack glared out from the wall at the section where his body had crashed into it. Even if his business were to fail after the whole dragon affair went public, at least he could have sold it as a last resort. This was after all the only quills and sofas shop in Ponyville. Surely somepony would jump over herself in a rush to buy such a potentially profitable business. But even that option was gone now. Nopony would buy this business with nearly fifty percent of the merchandise either scuffled or damaged completely. Cursing to himself, the stallion sat down on the floor, kicking away at something hard and bulky from underneath him. ‘Just who could have done this?’ he thought. ‘A gang of mares?’ Why would a group of mares come to his shop just to destroy it? His green eyes wandered over to the cash register. It was left unmolested. Surely then, they didn’t invade his store just for the bits. Sighing, Davenport’s leg accidentally kicked the bulky object again. “Oh, for the love of-” Davenport’s eyes widened in their sockets. “Hello… What’s this?” Reaching down like an arthritic old stallion, he picked out a small, bejeweled pink satchel. Davenport turned the satchel over, studying it critically. It obviously belonged to a mare, and it wasn’t lying there earlier so one of the intruders must have left it behind. ‘A clue!’ A clue to the identity of one of the perpetrators! “I’ll get you yet…” Davenport seethed as he unhooked the bag’s interior and let all of its contents on the floor. A few bits, the lyrics to a song, some crystal earrings… Davenport ransacked the bag in order to spot at least one identifying clue behind the mare who once owned this satchel. There was none. Crying out angrily, he threw the bag down—its bejeweled front made a skittering sound as it crashed into the floor. The stallion almost turned to spit on it for good measure before his eyes caught something familiar. When he threw the satchel down, it had landed upside down, exposing its bare pink bottom—well, bare except for one distinguishing feature. Three stitched diamonds. Three stitched diamonds. Davenport’s mouth dropped open. Three stitched diamonds. There was only one pony in Ponyville who would stitch three diamonds into every item she ever worked on. It was extremely well-known, almost like a calling card. “Miss Rarity…” the stallion breathed. ‘But it couldn’t be. To break into another’s shop-’ But that mare he had trapped had been white, and that mare was a unicorn… Davenport’s brain was processing everything a canterlength a minute. It was all so ridiculous, but it all fit so well. The pegasus, the earth pony—those were her friends. How many unicorns were close friends with both earth ponies and pegasi? Not many. And how could he forget that even more were out there in the darkness? They could have been any tribe for all he knew. Weren’t there six of them in all? “By Celestia!” Davenport exclaimed. “I-I think the bearers of the Elements of Harmony just broke in to destroy my shop!” Out loud that sounded so ridiculous that Davenport felt like he needed to slap himself, but another part of him screamed at him to look at the evidence. A Carousel Boutique bag left at the scene. A white unicorn mare was definitely at the scene. He was attacked by both an earth pony and a pegasus. There were at least two or three other ponies on the scene that he never came in contact with. But why? Why would the Elements of Harmony of all ponies break into his shop? They would have as much motive to do so as a pack of timberwolves. Just what could make them- A sudden thought flashed across Davenport’s mind. His eyes narrowed into hard green slits. The dragon.