The storm outside was worse than Curio had seen in quite a while, but even the thunder and lighting outside could not draw his senses away from what mattered most to the earth pony—a customer had entered his shop.
The customer was cloaked in dark, almost eerie robes, but given the weather outside, Curio certainly couldn't find fault with their attire. The hooded pony was searching frantically for something which, to Curio, meant that surely an easy sale was on its way. Flicking on a light over the counter, Curio called out to the mysterious pony now tearing through his shop.
“May I...help you traveler?”
Moving to his usual seat behind the counter, Curio kept his eyes on the cloaked pony as their eyes followed him cautiously and waited for him to make the first move.
“Hmmm...Something drew you to my shop...Something powerful.”
The moment he had finished his words, the cloaked pony suddenly smiled widely and motioned eagerly to something behind him.
Following the soaking wet hoof, the Curio's eyes fell on the glass case and immediately a sense of pride came over him. Getting past the guards and the traps took more skill, determination, and a few more bribes, than he had ever spent on an artifact. With a prideful grin, Curio looked back to his customer.
“Ah! You have a keen eye! The Alicorn Amulet is one of the most mysterious and powerful of all the known magical charms.”
Immediately the pony began reaching for their coin purse, but Curio quickly cut off the obvious desire with a slightly concerned look on his face. This was not exactly something he intended to sell until he could convince the unicorns at the university that it was both real and worth his price.
“Ah- Um...I'm afraid this is far too dangerous.”
The cloaked pony smirked and tossed the full bag of bits on the counter. Curio's eyes looked to the bag and some of its spilled coins, at first in confusion, but then in glee.
“Would you like that gift wrapped?”
A broad smile came across Trixie's face as she eyed the amulet that was going to make everything in her world better.