By Max From Equestria
2 Years Before Frank’s arrival to Equestria.
Franks cold lips touch the fine glass rim of the beer he holds. He takes a slow, and savoring sip before laying the drink down on the bar in front of him.
The air was thickly polluted with the smell and taste of cigarettes as the sound of classic rock played gently in the background. Frank’s mind begins slipping away, the labour of boredom weighing heavy on his mind. He takes another swig of the drink in front of him before reaching behind himself and pulling out his trusty wallet. He quickly and quietly opens his wallet, takes out 25$ and places it on the bar in front of him. As he gets to his feet, he looks up and his eyes lock with the bartenders.
Frank silently looks up at the bartender before nodding once. The bartender in turn silently nods back as the burly man begins leaving the establishment.
As Frank exits the building, he is blasted by the sudden cold temperatures. He tightens his coat’s zipper before looking around himself.Torrents of snow whip back and forth as the storm’s violent winds etch away at the environment.
“Helluva Winter.” Frank says to himself as he reaches into his left pocket, only to find nothing. He quickly yet calmly reaches into his right pocket before letting out a sigh of relief.
With snow gathering on his beard, and the cold reaching the extremities of his body, Frank pulls a set of keys out of his pocket before pushing a button on an attached keychain.
*Beep Beep*
Frank looks to his left as he shields his eyes with an arm. The illumination of his trucks headlights bleeds past his arms and completely covers his body, giving him a sense of warmth. He slowly approaches the left side of his vehicle and begins opening the door. As his hand reaches the handle, Frank hears the sound of footsteps to his left.
He begins turning his head before his actions are stopped. Frank feels the sharp end of what feels to be a knife poking at his side.
“Okay old man, just stay calm and nobody gets hurt.” A voice says out of the darkness.
(^) Back in Equestria (^)
“I cant do that lady, you know what kind of bullshit i deal with when i have to sell hexed items.” An agitated Frank says as he rubs the bridge of his nose.
“I have this knowledge indeed, but 300 bits is not the price for me.” Says a zebra named Zecora, from the other side of the counter. Zecora was a tribesmare who lives in the everfree forest. From what Frank had discovered, she had an African accent.
On the very counter they stand next to lies an amulet of untold power. Zecora had called it “The Alicorn Amulet.” Whoever is willing to put this amulet on, gets the unheard of power that the Alicorn princesses have- and maybe more. Frank always figured there was a catch to everything, and he was right in this instance. Whoever wears this Amulet, becomes corrupt and evil, and can only remove the amulet themselves.
“I dont care if 300 bits is the price for you, its what i can give you- take it or leave it.” Frank says with a huff.
Zecora looks at Frank, and then the Amulet.
Frank exhales before leaning forward and placing both hands on the display counter. He looks down at the Amulet as it glimmers in the light. “Okay, Miss Zebra.” He says as he scratches his chin. “I can give you 325, but thats only because im in a good mood.” He says with a frown.
Zecora opens her mouth, before putting a hoof to her chin. “325 I feel, is a good deal.” She says as she holds a hoof out. Frank slowly takes her hoof and shakes it firmly. “Lets just go around here and fill out some paperwork.” Frank says with a sigh of exasperation.
(^) Back on Earth 2 Years Ago (^)
“Okay old man, just stay calm and nobody gets hurt.” A voice says out of the darkness.
Frank freezes as his mind slowly processes the situation. Being mugged is nothing special to him, but he feels something different about this, almost like his blood began flowing differently. The old man hadn’t felt this way since he fought in the Vietnam War. He felt the knife poke deeper into his side, its blade slowly piercing through the fabric of his thick jacket.
“Did you hear me you fuckin’ kooc, just give me your money and we’ll both move on with our lives.” The voice says, more frantically.
Frank can feel his heart begin to pump faster as he begins remembering his days in Vietnam.
He slowly moves his hand to his back pocket, before quickly grabbing the mugger's arm and moving to the side. Frank quickly pulls the mugger's arm, effectively causing the mugger to stumble forward out of the darkness.
Unable to control himself, Frank slams his elbow on top of the shady figures head as he stumbles past him. The mugger hits the ground face first as his knife hits the ground and sinks into the snow. Frank reaches down and picks the unknown person up by the back of his jacket and holds him at eye level. “You picked the wrong night to fuck with me kid.” He says as he looks at what he can tell is a male. From what Frank could tell, he was in his mid 20’s, and had chestnut brown hair. None of that mattered to Frank.
He wasn’t in control right now.
Frank slowly reels a fist back before punching the man in the face. Once more, Frank pulls back his arm and delivers another punch to his mugger. Blood began seeping through the younger man’s mask as his head hung down. He was clearly unconscious, but Frank felt he hadn’t done enough, this man deserved to suffer-
Frank stopped, and released the unconscious mugger from his vice grip.
“Im gettin’ too old for this shit.” He says before exhaling and getting to his feet. He slowly looks down to the mugger and spits on his face. “Can’t do the crime, dont waste your time.” He says, a frown on his face.
(^) Present Equestria (^)
Frank slowly began closing his shop as the clock hit 12PM. He slowly walks to the back of the shop and begins flipping switches, which in turn begin powering off each layer of the power grid.
As Frank makes his way back to the front of his shop, the light from the moon begins filling the darkened building.
“Some night sky.” Frank says as he walks out of his building.
*Ding Ding*
The stars shimmer and gleam as the moon’s harsh illumination creates an atmosphere of peace across the night sky.
“Some night sky.” The old man repeats before walking into the sleeping town.