My Little Investigations: The Gemstone Godfather

by Metool Bard

Prologue: Welcome to My World

Alright, I'm only gonna say this once, so listen up and listen good. I'm not telling this story to become famous. I've never been a famous pony, I never will be a famous pony, and I don't want to be a famous pony. I'm just trying to vent my frustrations here. So if you're a journalist who's looking for a good scoop, put away that notepad or tape recorder right now. Otherwise, you'll be hearing from my lawyer.

There. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I should probably introduce myself. My name's Amethyst. Amethyst Star. But, you can call me Sparkler; most ponies do (I'm not sure why). I'm just a simple mare working as a jeweler's apprentice and part-time foalsitter in Ponyville. I know that sounds like a boring life, but trust me, it's not. Ponies often see me as an island of sanity in a sea of craziness, and truth be told, they're not that far off.

Yeah, Ponyville is a bit of a crazy town. Most ponies say it's just a backwater village out in the middle of nowhere, but that's because they haven't seen it for themselves. There is no such thing as a dull day in this town; partially because of all the quirky ponies who live here. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is a matter of perspective. I'm personally on the fence.

I mean, I love this town. There's a great sense of community, a lot of fun stuff to do, and a certain charm that you really can't get anywhere else. I'm very proud to call Ponyville my home. However, it's also a bit of a crazy magnet. It's not just because of the eccentric ponies here, although that is a factor. It's just that every once in a while (which is more often than you'd think), something insane happens. Ponyville has been attacked by parasprites; an Ursa Minor; dragons; clones; the Master of Chaos himself. Heck, even the Everfree Forest we share a border with invaded the town just a few weeks ago! How crazy is that?!

Oh well. Life would be boring if you didn't have some craziness, amiright? After all, the only thing predictable in life is its unpredictability. Which is why never in a million years did I predict this to happen to me.

What am I talking about, you may ask? Well, let me fill you in. It all began a couple of days ago on a lazy summer afternoon. Of course, I had no way of knowing that at the time...

***
July 10, 4:45 PM
Ponyville
Jewelry Store
***

As was my wont, I was meticulously cutting some gemstones in the back. There were still fifteen minutes to closing time, but I usually like to make every minute count. Hey, I'm not getting paid to just sit around and do nothing. Besides, cutting raw gems so that they can be fitted into necklaces and the like is my special talent. Pretty much every stone I cut is a near-perfect work of art. However, that's not all there is to being a successful jeweler, hence why I'm still an apprentice.

I was putting the finishing touches on a piece of quartz when the door to the back room opened. In walked Karat, the owner of the jewelry store and my boss. This could only mean one of two things. Either he was just checking up on me, or there was a customer that he wanted me to deal with.

"Amethyst, would you mind stepping out front for a moment?" asked Karat. "It's you-know-who."

Yep, it was the latter. And yes, I knew very well who he was talking about. I sighed.

"I'll be right out," I said, finishing up the piece of quartz before getting up from my workbench. There's no use arguing about it, but I have the sinking suspicion that he keeps having me handle this guy because he doesn't want to. I mean, not that I blame him or anything. You'll see what I mean in a minute.

I stepped out of the back room, and I was immediately greeted by Ponyville's star fashionista, Rarity.

"Good day, Sparkler," she said sweetly. "Just making another donation to the store. You know how it is."

Sure enough, there was a little red wagon behind Rarity filled with gemstones of all shapes and sizes. Her special talent is finding gems, and she uses them in her fashion designs quite often. Because of that, she never has to buy jewelry from us (unless it's for a special occasion). However, she often donates any extra gemstones she digs up to us. And what's more, she never asks for anything in return. Say what you want about Rarity (and a lot of ponies have said a lot about her), but she really does have a good heart.

But, she wasn't the customer Karat wanted me to deal with. No, that would be her little assistant; a baby dragon named Spike. And of course, he was right there alongside Rarity, staring up at what we had on offer and licking his lips.

"Now, remember what Twilight said, Spiky-Wikey," said Rarity. "You're only allowed to buy one jewel here. We can't have you hoarding again."

"I know, I know," Spike grumbled. "Twi only gave me enough money for one, anyway."

I should probably explain some of this. See, Spike is the only customer in town who considers this jewelry store to be a candy shop. I don't claim to be an expert on dragons or anything (honestly, I doubt anypony is), but from what I do know, they love snacking on gemstones. There's also something about them growing big and nasty when they hoard stuff (like gemstones), which is why Rarity's donating her excess gems to us instead of him. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if he snarfed a few on the way here. From what I understand, he does have quite the appetite.

And I'm not gonna lie; selling jewels to him feels kinda weird. Most customers just try to find one that looks pretty; he just wants one that tastes good. He even asked me if we had any free samples once, and I really didn't know how to respond to that. I know dragons see gems differently, but that aside, it's like me going to a five-star restaurant in Canterlot and asking for a free sample of truffles. It's too ridiculous to even consider. Despite the old saying, there are times when the customer is not always right. I guess that's why Karat always has me deal with him.

"Alright, Spike. What're you hankering for this time?" I said, keeping the exasperation out of my voice.

Spike stroked his chin in thought as his eyes darted from jewel to jewel. "Hmm... Eh, I had sapphires last week... Emeralds are too filling... Oh! How about that nice, big ruby?"

I looked at the ruby he was pointing to, and then at the emeralds. The ruby was, considerably bigger. How it's somehow less filling than a bunch of small emeralds, I have no clue. But hey, I'm not a dragon.

"Excellent choice, sir," I said, levitating the ruby out of its case with my magic. "That'll be forty two bits, please."

Spike took out a small jar of bits from the wagon and laid them out on the floor. He was about to start counting them when I simply levitated the pile onto the counter.

"Well well. It seems like someone's been saving up," I said, counting the bits.

"Yeah, well. Twilight said it's important to save money," said Spike. "But not too much in my case. You know, hoarding and all that."

"Yes, I'm well aware," I said just as I finished counting. "Looks like you've got enough. Here you go."

I took the ruby with my magic and levitated it down to Spike's waiting claws.

"Thanks a bunch, Sparkler," he said with a wide grin.

I chuckled. "You're very welcome, Spike," I said. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get some enjoyment out of dealing with Spike. I chalk that up to the fact that I have a bit of a soft spot for kids. We'll get to that later.

"Have you made your purchase, Spike?" asked Rarity.

"Sure did," said Spike.

"Good," said Rarity with a nod. "Now then, let's get back to the boutique. There's a few more errands I'd like you to take care of."

"Always a pleasure to serve you, milady," said Spike with a bow. And with that, they left.

"Well, Amethyst, I think we should close up for the day," said Karat.

I checked the clock up on the wall. It was only five to five.

"Isn't it a bit early?" I asked.

"Yes, but I wanted to talk to you about something before you head for home," said Karat.

"What is it, Mr. Karat?"

"Amethyst, how would you like to run the store tomorrow?"

I-I was rendered speechless for a moment. Karat has never asked me to run the store. I mean, I'm sure I could do it, but every time I asked him if I could, the answer has always been no.

"Y-you want me to run the store?" I asked. "As in, by myself?"

"I'm going on a business trip to Trottingham tomorrow, and I figure you could use some hooves-on experience," said Karat. "Of course, if you don't feel that you're up to it..."

"Hey hey hey. Who said I'm not up to it?" I interrupted. "I may still be an apprentice, but you have to admit that I've learned a lot under your guidance. I can handle this, no problem."

Karat smiled at me. "I like to see that enthusiasm, Amethyst. Very well, I'll be sure to tell you everything you need to know before I set off tomorrow morning."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Karat," I said with a smile of my own. "This really means a lot to me. I promise, I won't let you down."

"Of course you won't," said Karat with a nod. "Alright, see you tomorrow, Amethyst."

"Right, seeya."

I left the store with a spring in my step. This was fantastic news. I was going to be running the store on my own for the first time. Finally, this was going to bring me one step closer to completing my apprenticeship and proving myself. I could just picture the smiling faces of my family at home when I told them. Yessiree, I was on top of the world. For me, life was sweet.

Little did I realize that it was only a matter of time before everything would come crashing down...

Author's Note:

((OOC: The same rules from the previous cases apply here. I won't be answering questions as Amethyst unless you have something constructive and relevant to say to her, and spoilers must be marked with spoiler tags like so.))

Comments

[theNDinspector]

"Excellent choice, sir," I said, levitating the ruby out of its case with my magic. "That'll be forty two bits, please."

Forty-two bits for a ruby?! Admittedly, I have no idea how Equestria's economy seems to work, but that still seems pretty cheep. Then again, Rarity does seem to donate a ton of spare gems, so there's no shortage of supply; not to mention it's free.

[Metool Bard]

5044201 Well, this is a world where an overflowing bag of apples costs four bits. We really don't have a good conversion method for bits to any kind of currency we know, so we're pretty much free to speculate.