• Published 24th Feb 2014
  • 861 Views, 35 Comments

Trixie's Cursed Artifacts - Emraldilian



Trixie finds she has a tendency to encounter cursed artifacts, and there's no better way to prove your great power than to overcome what others cannot.

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No Returns

"Ha, well, if I'd had that, think I woulda sold it to a museum for a good lot." The bulky shopkeeper muses to Trixie after she explains her incident with the Alicorn Amulet.

"Yes, and so The Great and Careful Trixie wishes to be sure that none of what you're selling is cursed." She casually explains. The dark pawn shop lit by only a few stray candles was surely holding something of the cursed variety.

"Yeah, well, I'd call this hair clip that keeps getting returned cursed, but that's probably just from my point of view." He looks below the counter he's standing behind and shuffles a few things around before holding up a decorative golden hair clip with a diamond on the broad end. "That's a real diamond by the way, none of that white sapphire junk. Ponies drop hundreds of bits for this thing, then they come back and beg for a return only minutes later, not even wanting their money back, but I'm too soft to take it back without returning their bits."

Trixie takes a closer look at the jewelery, noting how it would be one of the few pieces of jewelry worthy of gracing her wondrous hair. "Trixie is not interested in big spending at the moment, s-"

"It's free, nothing I can do with it." The shopkeeper interrupts holding it towards her. Trixie raises a brow, this was surely a cursed object, nopony would want to return something they spent hundreds on without a refund unless there was something really bad about it.

"Do these ponies tell you why they don't want it?" Trixie inquires.

"Some odd story every time. They talk about getting lost or time travel, I don't get it, I took it home and was just fine."

At this point an idea occurred to Trixie, the curse must simply cause a want to return the item if purchased, likely cast by a greedy jeweler long ago. It was perfect, Trixie could simply sell it to somepony and take her leave, if they can't return it she can keep the bits without abusing the curse.

"Trixie accepts your gift and promises not to return it." The hair clip is placed in her hooves and she turns to leave.

"Hey, I'll give you a deal next time you're here for taking that off my hooves."

As the store's door shuts behind her she wonders why the shop owner didn't return it to whomever he purchased it from, but she concludes it must've been given to him as well. She takes a small breath and thinks, 'Alright, no need to get greedy, just make enough bits for your stage and get rid of this thing. I know better than to let a curse get a hold of me'

She places it under her hat for safekeeping and trots off towards her motel room, out of the shop's alleyway. 'This trip to Las Pegasus was a longshot but it paid off.' On the main street she notices the odd lack of other ponies and all the lights, the ones that made it seem like daytime all the time, were off. Sure it was the middle of the night, but Las Pegasus doesn't sleep, right?

She chuckles to herself as the thought of it being the hair clip's fault enters her mind. Proceeding towards her room she can't help but be concerned by the large quiet buildings empty streets and a slight fog that seemed to be settling in.

A wind passes through the street and produces a low howl, Trixie looks around frantically for a moment before shaking her head, "The Great and Courageous Trixie is not scared of wind!" 'or dark foggy streets with nopony in them.'

The temperature begins to drop and the fog thickens, so bad that Trixie lights up her horn. She spots an alley devoid of the strange fog. Making her way into it she spots a door and looks above it at the neon sign, 'Pawn Shop'.

'I can't be here I walked straight... did I get turned around?' Trixie looks back, the fog is gone as well as the cold. A bit confused she turns and leaves the alley back towards her room, but the same scene begins to play out. Her hooves begin to shake, 'So this is the curse? I can't do anything but return it?' But she'd made a promise that she intended to keep, finding the alleyway again, she decides to try a different direction, but it bore the same result.

"Hmph, Trixie will not be beaten by a fashion accessory!" The thought also occurred that she would doom a pony to wander forever if she left somepony with it, unable to make the return. She snatches it out from her hat and tosses it in the open alley dumpster. "Piece of junk." She exclaims and walks away with her snout to the air.

Not watching her steps she kicks a metal object that skitters along the ground, the hair clip. The streets are still dark, the fog is still thick and the cold suddenly runs through her body, "Wha..." She looks at it in horror, before her expression settles into an angry snarl. "Trixie will not return you!" She yells at it and stomps off, only to get a sharp pain in her hoof, the hair clip.

Trixie lifts her hoof and picks the hair clip up, anger and confusion cloud her mind. She looks up and finds herself in the alley. 'Just return it, this isn't worth it.' She stands in front of the store for a good few minutes before taking a breath and pushing the door open.

"Really?" The stallion asks as she walks into the store.

"Trixie-"

"Got lost in a fog for an hour or so, even though it's been about five minutes?"

"Uh..." Trixie was baffled, he'd heard the same story over and over and still didn't believe the hair clip was cursed. Of course, he didn't have to deal with the curse, but why? Trixie didn't purchase it, how did he get it without falling victim? "No! Trixie wishes to purchase a jacket... it's a bit chilly tonight." Her blatant lie doesn't cut it as it was actually quite warm before she got the clip.

"Just hoof it over, it's fine." He holds a hoof towards her, but she takes it as a challenge.

"Not happening, Trixie will not go back on her word." She pushes up her hat and puts the hair clip on before setting her hat back over it.

The stallion rolls his eyes, "Alright, fine, how about I walk you home then? At least you won't have the getting lost excuse."

Trixie slightly blushes at the thought of being walked home by a stallion but this was an opportunity to change her location, if the hair clip wants to be returned then the fog should follow the stallion right? She could just rush to her bed and not move another inch for the night and figure things out tomorrow. Unless the stallion moving away displaces her, but she could always just return it then if all else fails.

Trixie agrees and tells him which motel to bring her to and the stallion closes the store then walks her out of the alley. The fog thickens again, the same scene but now she's following the owner, she can't possibly get lost. The fog gets even worse, almost blinding, she lights up her horn to no effect, "Wait!" she shouts in panic as the stallion disappears, she makes a run to catch him. The fog disperses and she ends up in the alley.

'No! Now he's gone I can't return it!' A new fear strikes her, now there may be no way out. 'Calm down, he'll be back in the morning.' Trixie takes a few deep breaths and walks up to the door. 'It'll be more comfortable inside.' The door had been locked but there was no harm in trying it. She pushes the door open to her surprise.

"Really?" The stallion asks as she walks into the store.

"You..." Trixie stares in disbelief at the stallion behind the counter.

"Lemme guess, you got lost in a fog for an hour or so, even though it's been about five minutes?" Like nothing happened the stallion reaches his hoof out, "Just hoof it over, it's fine."

This time Trixie truly considered it, the item wouldn't allow any other result, it simply had to be in his possession. She pushes her hat up, but can't bring herself to remove the clip as she spots the stallion look away from it. 'Why here? It could have left me follow him, and what's he know about it? Is he looking away because he hates it or...' "The Great and Curious Trixie would like to hear the tale of this hair clip, prior to it being stuck here."

The stallion sighs, "There's nothing to tell."

"How'd you get it?"

"I bought it"

"From?" Trixie sits down to show she's ready for a long story.

The stallion gives a groan of defeat, "A famous jeweler," He starts, "She made the most wonderful things using all the most precious material... my wife was a huge fan."

"Wife?" A key component in these sorts of situations.

"Well, I say that, fiance I mean," The stallion looks down, "She didn't make it to the wedding. I put it in her hair when I proposed."

Trixie didn't want to ask so she simply assumes the worst, "But, why sell it?"

"Why not, I told you I have no use for it and it only brings back bad memories."

Like a spark the answer comes to her. "Bad memories? Aren't they memories of her?" The stallion didn't answer, only offering a confused look. "Yes, she's... you know, and that's bad, but you loved her so you must have good memories."

"Well..."

Trixie stands, "No excuses! Have you not heard the stories your customers are telling you? They're true!" Trixie finds she's raised her volume in anger and cools off, "She's dead, not gone."

"I don't care! What if I want to move on? What right does she have to cling to me through some curse?" The stallion yells, but Trixie persists in light of the touchy subject.

"It's not a curse, it's a spirit." Trixie proclaims.

The stallion rolls his eyes, "Enough, just give it back."

"Ha! Trixie won't return this, as promised."

"Then leave!" The stallion barks. To which Trixie responds with a flat look. He sighs, "What am I supposed to do then?"

"Stop trying to forget her." Trixie states solemnly as she puts a hoof on the clip, "She can't rest knowing she'll be forgotten. I'm sure she just wants that from you. I'm also sure she'll let you move on as long as you keep her in your heart, she knows you'll be better for it too, don't let her be a bad memory." Trixie notices she's speaking from the artifact and not from her own knowledge.

Trixie takes the hair pin off as the stallion remains silent, his head having dropped below the counter. She hands it towards him but the now teary eyed stallion looks up and pushes it back, "I'm sorry, no returns... but the memories aren't included." He gives a sly smile trying to cover up his tears, "Were you looking for anything else?"

With a victorious chortle Trixie flares her cape and turns around, "The Great and Powerful Trixie has no need of anything else, good day kind sir." She heads out the door and stops as it shuts behind her, putting the clip back on. The voices of ponies fill her ears with delight as she looks out of the alley to see the crowd walking along the main road with taxis darting by. She runs out and revels in a wonderful feeling, looking towards the sky and raising her hooves to bask in it. 'What was that? I talked to a cursed spirit! I made a stallion cry tears of joy making him realize his loved one wants to be with him forever, even from beyond! I dispelled a curse!'

Then she stops dead and remembers the hair pin, another spark in her mind, "The Great and Powerful Trixie knows what she must do!" Of course, a noble cause does not cross her mind.


The next day Trixie takes out a loan and sets up a stall and in the early hours of the morning she is heard calling out, "The Great and Powerful Trixie uncurses your artifacts or precious possessions for a nominal fee!"

Author's Note:

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what insomnia does to me.