//------------------------------//
// 22:30-23:00 "Everything For A Price" 
// Story: Ponies All Day-Writing Challenge 
// by ThunderTempest 
//------------------------------//

Thunder Tempest strode along the back streets of Fillydelphia’s reeking seaweed district. Like most who lived in the city, he had acquired a taste for the rubbery underwater plant, though the stench of it being cut, cleaned and packed was not one he savoured. A large parcel rested on his back, bouncing gently with every step. Water splashed onto his blue coat with each step, and is green eyes cut from side to side as he made lefts and rights at almost random intervals, and finally came across what he was looking for. It was a small shop, set slightly recessed in the wall, with two japoneighs lanterns decorating the front. The sign simply read ‘The Emporium’, and Thunder Tempest pushed open the door, and walked inside.

“Welcome to the Emporium, my flighty friend, what can I do for you today?” said the shopkeeper, emerging from the shadows, his mane poking out from his hat in a braid down the side of his neck. 

“I heard you sell glyphstones. Good ones.”

“I sell many things here, my winge’d friend, for those who have the coin to buy them.”
With a single smooth motion, Thunder pulled the case from his back, and flicked it open.

“A fine instrument to be sure, but are you buying, or selling?”

“I need glyphstones for it. The ones in here are wearing down.” 

The shopkeeper frowned for a moment before replying, “Yes, I do believe we have some. Let me go and get them.”

“They need to be fresh! None of this half used stuff you sell to the amateurs!” The shopkeeper made a noise of assent, and returned with a medium sized square box, which he opened to reveal a collection of smoothed river stones, each engraved with different runes, each designed to achieve a specific magical effect when magic was run through them.

“Is there any particular ones you wanted?”

“Amplify, Reflect, Power and Cut,” stated Thunder, clearly knowing exactly what he needed, “plus I need two blanks.”

“These are powerful stones. I cannot simply sell them to anypony, you know.” Thunder rolled his eyes, and touched a hoof to the bass, and a spark of green witchfire leapt off the bridge and vanished two feet in the air, causing the shopkeeper’s eyebrows to raise.

“I can do that with a touch on run-down glyphs, shopkeep. Imagine what I could do if I actually played. I know what I’m dealing with. Just give me what I asked for.”

“Very well. If you cut your own tail off, no refunds.”

“Gotcha” said Thunder, dumping a bag of bits onto the counter, and the shopkeeper packed up the stones that the pegasus requested into a small carry bag.

Thunder, however, picked up the bag of stones, and carefully tipped the stones out onto a nearby table, and began inspecting them.

“Alright, they’re good.”

“Everything here is good, as long as you have the coin, my friend. I’ll see you later.”