Applebloom gets a new job, working for a strange stallion in his odd store. The items he's offering, however, seem weird....cursed even.
"So if you meet me, have some courtesy,/Have some sympathy, and some taste./Use all your well-learned politesse,/Or I'll lay your soul to waste." -The Rolling Stones, 'Sympathy For The Devil'
A mysterious store has appeared in Ponyville. The proprietor of this shop is a very sly and crafty stallion who has an odd manner about him. And the items that he is offering seem strange in their own right. What's stranger still, is that there is a 'Help Wanted' sign in the window. One yellow filly with a large pink bow is up to the task.
Applebloom looked at the building. Had this strange place always been here in Ponyville? She could have sworn that this place was a vacant lot just a few days ago, the same lot that she and the Crusaders would play in, right near the Carousel Boutique. Well, whether it had always been there or not, Applebloom took note of one sign in the window: help wanted.
She admitted, it looked a little spooky. “Come on, Applebloom, it’s jus’ a store. Jus’ like any other in Ponyville,” she gave herself a little pep talk before opening the door. A small bell rang.
Inside, it looked as if the shop and the items on the shelves had been there since the beginning of Equestria, maybe even before that. Strange items littered the store, each one with dust covering it. Applebloom seemed to take in each and every item as she slowly moved. She saw a large gem of some sort that was glowing on it’s own accord sitting on a shelf, and not too far from that was a vial of some odd liquid that gave a strange smell. She looked forward to the counter in the back and saw an item that grabbed her attention.
As the yellow pony neared, she saw that this item was a chicken talon resting on the countertop. It looked freshly taken from the animal. She raised a hoof to touch it, but was interrupted by a voice.
“Greetings, Applebloom,” a figure seemingly to rise from behind the counter.
Applebloom was shocked as she jumped back and bumped into a dangerously stacked shelf, almost knocking it down. She turned to steady the shelf from falling before turning her attention back to the mysterious figure.
Upon further examination, she saw that it was an earth pony stallion. He had a creamy white coat with a golden-colored mane. He wore a black coat with spilt tails at the end of it, which almost seemed to be a permanent fixture to him. As for his eyes, they were a bold red and they looked as if they could pierce through anything but just looking hard enough.
“Oh, do forgive me. I’m terribly bad at making introduction,” the stallion apologized in a gentle yet powerful voice, “Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a stallion of wealth and taste. My name is Morning Star, and I’m the proprietor of this little shop.”
The little filly was still shaking, “How….How’d ya know mah name?”
“I guessed,” he jested with a slight chuckle.
Applebloom was too scared to push the topic any further. Instead, her eyes lowered down to see the chicken talon again. Morning Star saw this.
“Ah, you seem to have taken interest in one of my products,” he picked up the talon with his hoof and raised it up, “This here is an enchanted chicken talon. As you see, it has three of it’s claws extended, which means you are given three wishes. Anything you happen to desire. Money, fame, love, anything. Of course, it comes at a great price. For each wish you make, there are consequences you must live with.” While his voice and expression turned stern, he then smiled back to Applebloom as he finished, “But then again, what’s a little price to pay for anything you want?”
The description alone brought fear to the little pony. “Ah….uh….ah don’t really think ah need somethin’ like that.”
“Are you sure?” Morning Star spoke with a slight singing tone to his voice, “My dear little filly, it can be anything you happen to desire.”
“But ah came in….ah came in ta ask ‘bout the help wanted sign,” Applebloom nervously stated her intentions.
Morning Star’s face had a devious smile appear on it, “Oh, excellent! You know, I was worrying that nopony was going to take me up on that offer. Anyway, back to the task at hoof.” He trotted around the counter and near Applebloom as he started to talk. “As you see, I run a shop that sells various knickknacks and do-dads. Items from all across Equestria, and beyond. Now, little Applebloom, I need to ask you a few questions, why do you want to work here?”
Applebloom started to fumble with her words. She didn’t make eye contact with Morning Star, fearing that looking at him would cause something to happen to her, “Well, mah sister told me that ah should….should look ‘bout gettin’ a part-time job while we’re off applebuckin’ season. A-An’ a-ah saw that sign in the window askin’ fer some help.”
The stallion rubbed his chin as he listened and analyzed the pony before him. “I see….do you happen to have any experience in retail?”
“No,” the pony admitted, “not really.”
“It’s okay,” he smiled, “neither do I. In fact, I’m actually trained as a lawyer, but enough about me. I do like your honesty, and because of that, I will hire you.” With a bright almost fiery flash, a piece of parchment and a quill appeared in Morning Star’s hooves, “All I need is for you to sign right on the dotted line.”
Applebloom looked at the document. It was written in some sort of language that she had never seen before. It also looked as if was written in some sort of odd ink and it had an odd, burnt smell to it. “Excuse me, Mr. Morning Star, but what do I have to sign this? It’s just a job right?”
“Yes, but this is just a contract saying that you’ll be working part time here in my shop, helping with various tasks an-“ Morning Star cut himself off after he looked closer at the document, “Oops, wait a minute. This is the wrong contract. This one is to sell your soul for musical talent. Unless you want that?” He looked at Applebloom who shook her head in puzzlement and fear, “Suit yourself.” In a fiery flash, the contract was gone and a new one appeared. “Ah, here we go, this is the contract for working at my shop. The fine print states that you will be working here part time, assisting with various tasks such as cleaning, restocking, helping customers, and the like. Just need you to sign.”
The document looked no different from the previous one, but Applebloom wasn’t one to judge a language she had never seen before. She signed her name with the quill, which looked more like a scribble with a crayon on a coloring page than a signature on a document.
With a poof, the document was gone. The burnt smell lingered. Morning Star reached his hoof out, “Welcome aboard Miss Applebloom, welcome to Tchort’s Trinkets.”
Applebloom shook his hoof with a small smile, “Thank ya. One question though, why did ya insist ah sign a contract?”
“Well, it’s a bit of how I do business. It started long ago. Really long ago. I like to have guidelines to show the person what the arrangement is. Usually so they can’t say that I never told them the rules. And believe me, I’ve done this for a quite a long time with a long of individuals. Johann Faust, Edmond Dantes, Ai Enma, both Tommy Johnson and Robert Johnson, Montgomery Burns, Giuseppe Tartini. Dorian Gray, Led Zeppelin. Well, all of Zeppelin expect John Paul Jones. He refused to sign anything….”
“Uh….Mr. Morning Star?” Applebloom tried to bring him back to his point.
“Right, right, sorry. Sometimes I get held up on little details. But to make a very long story short, let me tell you I’ve been around for a long time and I’m looking to cause some chaos here and there.”
“Chaos?” Applebloom paused before he continued, “Ya mean like Discord?”
This seemed to humor Morning Star, “Oh my sweet filly, Discord doesn’t hang around crossroads, waiting for individuals to sell their souls. Discord doesn’t have others sign contracts that are heavily in his favor, demanding them to be in his service. And Discord never rebelled against his father and was cast out to reign in his own realm. Besides, he’s nothing more than a nuisance. He should try being a master of evil, like myself.”
Applebloom’s face was puzzled at the word, “Evil?”
“Did I not mention that? I’m the embodiment of wickedness and malevolence,” Morning Star smirked, “And now, you work for me.”
Celestia’s sun rose, marking the first day of Applebloom’s new part-time job.
Being both eager to start and not wanting to upset her new boss, the little filly hurried to the storefront. Once there, she looked at its exterior. The building looked new, but that’s not what caught Applebloom’s eye. Rather, it looked strangely creepy, as if something out of a horror story. The architecture, the windows, the building material, and even the aura felt as if it was not of Equestria.
The front door opened, revealing Morning Star. “Applebloom! Come on and get in here, I got a list of tasks for you to get started on!” he called out from the doorframe.
“Y-Yessir!” the frightened Applebloom hurried inside.
The shop was creepy as it was when Applebloom first entered. Piles of strange items from Celestia-knows-where, a layer of dust blanketing everything, spiders making their cobwebs in any nook and cranny they can find, and Applebloom couldn’t be completely sure but she felt that some sort of creature was staring at her as it hid itself amongst the shelves.
Morning Star was at the counter, holding some sort of cloth in his hooves, “You’re early. I like seeing that in a worker.” He looked exactly as he did when Applebloom first saw him. Golden mane that was elegantly styled, a white coat, a black coat wrapped around his body, and those piercing red eyes.
“Ah always do mah best, Mr. Morning Star, sir,” Applebloom’s voice wasn’t shaking, but she certainly was. She was still scared of him, and nopony could blame her.
“Excellent,” Morning Star tossed the cloth to the filly who caught it, “Go ahead and suit up. Your first task is to start dusting the entire shop.”
Applebloom unraveled the cloth to reveal it was an apron. It was a mixture of red, white, and pink in a checkered pattern. It would look pretty good on her and compliment her mane and the bow that rested on it. “Wait,” she thought for a moment, “ya want me ta dust the entire store?”
“That’s correct.”
“But that’ll take forever!” the filly was in disbelief.
The stallion chuckled a bit, “Then you best get started then.” He offered her a feather duster.
Applebloom put the apron on and let out a groan. She grabbed the duster and started to get to work. As she started, the front door’s bell jingled.
“Hello? Anypony here?” a light blue pegasus mare called into the store.
As if he was summoned, Morning Star trotted towards the front of the store, “Welcome, welcome to Tchort’s Trinkets!”
“Whoa, this store is a bit weirder than I thought,” she commented.
“Looks can be quite deceiving, my friend,” the stallion insisted as he welcomed the pegasus in.
“Don’t call me your friend, my name’s Rainbow Dash,” she pointed out, “perhaps you’ve heard of how awesome I am?”
Morning Star nodded, “But of course! The flying marvel herself! To what do I owe the pleasure of having you in my store?”
“I don’t know, I’m just looking around,” Dash admitted as she started to wander through the store. She looked at all of the odd items that were stacked dangerously upon each other.
“Perhaps there is something that I could interest you in?” Morning Star had a devious smile on his face.
This caught Dash’s attention, “Like what?”
“Well, are you a fan of literature, Ms. Rainbow Dash?”
The pegasus scoffed, “Are you kidding? I’m only the biggest Daring Do fan ever! Just don’t tell Twilight I said that, she’d argue about that.”
“Well, my dear, I believe I have something for you. Follow me,” Morning Star motioned for the pegasus to follow him.
The two passed Applebloom, who was still dusting and cleaning around the shop. She was having a little difficulty with her task, kicking up dust with her cleaning. This caused her to sneeze a few times, almost wreaking havoc and causing an avalanche of various items.
As for Morning Star, he went behind the counter and pulled an item out and placed it on the surface, it was an old, rough-looking typewriter. “I have here, a wonderful machine. Tell me, Rainbow Dash, have you ever wanted to try your hoof at writing novels?”
Rainbow seemed a little surprised at the question, “Me? Write? Well, sure, I guess. Who hasn’t wondered what it would be like to write something cool?”
“In that case, this typewriter once belonged to a famed murder mystery author. He was very talented, selling countless books all across Equestria. When he used this machine, he claimed it was as if the stories wrote themselves, and with this, you could do the same,” Morning Star explained. His words seemed full of deceitful, but if Rainbow Dash noticed, it didn’t show.
“I could be a writer?” she asked.
“Think of it, Rainbow Dash. You will be known for writing the best mysterious novels ever. Everypony will love your work. Even A.K. Yearling will be envious of your amazing works,” the stallion edged on.
“I’ll take it!” Rainbow said with conviction, hitting her hoof on the countertop to exclaim the statement, “What do I owe ya?”
“It’s free of charge,” Morning Star insisted, “Just remember us little people when you’re famous.” He ended with a chuckle.
Grabbing the machine with her front limbs, Rainbow started to walk out of the shop. It was heavier than she expected, causing her to go a bit slower, “Thank you so much, mister! I’ll be sure to give you a copy of my first book!” With her new prize, she left.
Applebloom, who watched the entire event, spoke up, “Mr. Morning Star, why did ya just give that typewriter ta Rainbow Dash? Don’t ya need ta sell it so ya can make money?”
Morning Star trotted toward the little filly, “Sweet Applebloom, she did pay for it. Or rather she will. Everything has a price. She didn’t have to pay for it now, but she certainly will.” He chuckled deviously for a moment before sneezing, “Saints alive, you call this dusting? The goal of dusting is to wipe an area free of dust, not to kick it up into the air.”
“I’m tryin’ mah best, honest!”
-----
Back at Rainbow Dash’s home, she struggled to maneuver with the heavy machine. Moving carefully, but as quickly as she could, she finally placed it down on the desk in her room.
She was panting, “Oh my Celestia, that was heavier that I could of imagined….I moved boxes of bricks that here lighter than that,” she complained as she stretched her body around, trying to relieve the soreness. As she did this, Dash’s pet tortoise, Tank, entered in, floating in on his copter.
“Oh, hey Tank. Guess what I got today?”
The tortoise was silent.
“I got this awesome old typewriter that’s gonna help me write awesome novels! And some old pony just gave it to me! It’s gonna be so rad. Wanna help me write the first chapter?” Rainbow pulled up a chair and loaded paper into the typewriter, preparing herself to start.
As Tank continued to float around on his copter, Rainbow started to hit the keys on the keyboard. While it felt a little weird at first, she was getting used to it.
“How does this sound for an opening, Tank? ‘It was a dark night in Ponyville, the thunderstorm enveloped the city and was refusing to let go. In a dark alley, drenched in water, a body was lying face down as the police started to tape off the area.’ How does that sound?” Rainbow eagerly asked. Her pet didn’t answer but that didn’t stop her excitement, “Oh, this is soooo cool! That stallion was right, it’s like if the typewriter is doing a lot of the writing! It’s coming so naturally!”
The clattering of the keys echoed through her house.
“I bet A.K. Yearling would so hoofbump me if she saw what I’m writing here! This is just so awesome!”
Rainbow continued to type away at the typewriter at a hurried pace. It seemed that she couldn’t keep up with how fast her hooves were going, as if she was possessed or something of the sort. She continued to work into the night.
That night, clouds blanketed the land and a storm occurred in Ponyville.
----
The next morning, Morning Star and Applebloom were in the shop, starting out off a new day of business.
Morning Star was at his seat behind the back counter. “Applebloom, could you please go and turn the sign to ‘open’?” he asked, not looking up from the newspaper.
“Yessir,” Applebloom said, typing her apron on. She did like how it looked on her. Grabbing the sign with her hoof, Applebloom turned it so that the ‘open’ portion was facing outward. She noticed that there was still some rainwater on the window glass from last night’s storm.
A chuckle came from the back. It was Morning Star at something he saw in the newspaper.
“What’cha laughin’ at? Is it the funnies?” the yellow filly asked as she trotted back toward her boss.
“It’s not that, rather it’s this,” he laid the paper down, revealing a headline and photo. The image was of a pony’s body covered up by a blanket with the headline nearby reading: ‘Unicorn murdered in Ponyville alley, no suspects yet.’
Applebloom didn’t like what she just saw, “That’s not very nice ta be findin’ that funny, Mr. Morning Star.”
“Oh, but it is. Remember that typewriter we gave to Rainbow Dash yesterday?”
The filly nodded.
“This is just the beginning. For you see, that typewriter is evil, possessing the writer,” Morning Star explained as he folded the paper back to its normal form, “The typewriter causes whatever is typed out to happen in real the real world. And, that particular typewriter his an evil machine, so whatever it forced Rainbow to type last night has started to take place.”
“But why would ya give her somethin’ that’s evil?” Applebloom asked.
Morning Star laughed, “I told you this already, Applebloom, I’m the master of evil.”
His laughter was interrupted by the bell of the opening front door. It was the same customer from yesterday.
“Ah, welcome back, Rainbow Dash,” he greeted as he trotted around from the counter and up to the pegasus.
“Hey, I came back to return this,” it was after she spoke that Applebloom and Morning Star noticed she was pulling the typewriter in a wagon.
“Pardon? Why do you wish to return this? Does it not work properly?” Morning Star was puzzled.
Rainbow shook her head, “Oh, no that’s not it. Heck, it worked amazingly well when I started last night.”
“I know, I read about it in this morning’s paper,” the stallion commented.
“What was that?” the pegasus was confused with what he meant.
“Never mind, but what was the problem?”
The pegasus just shrugged, “I just got bored with it. Maybe I’m not cut out for being a writer.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Morning Star asked.
“What do you mean what do I mean? I told ya, I just got bored with it. I think I’m more for reading books than writing,” Rainbow pulled the wagon up closer to Morning Star, “Here, you can gave it back.” She turned around and headed back to the door.
The stallion called out to Rainbow as she headed out the door, “Wait, you can keep it! No charge!” He followed her out the door, to which he continued shouting, “It’ll get better, I promise! Just think of the fame! You can’t do this to me!”
Applebloom followed Morning Star out the door. She just listened as he continued shouting.
“Who do you think you are?! Don’t you know who I am?! “I am the fallen one! I am Louis Cypher! Old Scratch! Damian! Beelzebub! Lucius Heinous VII! The master of puppets! I am the Prince of Darkness! I am Mephistopheles!” His volume grew with each statement.
Back inside the shop, Applebloom and Morning Star were chatting.
“I can’t believe this happened. To me. I’m the supreme ruler of all that is evil and unholy, and I get one of my items returned to me,” Morning Star was in disgusted disbelief, “This is insanity!”
“It’s okay, Mr. Morning Star. I’m sure a lot of ponies struggled with their first business,” Applebloom tried to cheer him up.
“This isn’t my first business! I’ve been around for millennia creating evil and bring down the righteous! I was a general of a legion of unholy warriors, ruled empires with an iron hoof, was ruthless with my dealings, corrupting souls, created a company called Comcast, and ushering in the end times! And this….pony has the nerve to return something to my store?! How dare she!”
“It’s jus’ one thing, ah’m sure you’ll get more customers,” Applebloom insisted.
“That’s not the point!” Morning Star brusted out before he took a few deep breaths to calm down. “This is just frustrating though,” he raised his hoof up into the air and something seemed to materialize right above it in a flash of flames. It was a wooden sign, to which he gave to Applebloom, “Be a dear and hang this up high enough so everypony can see it when they come in?”
“Okay,” Applebloom replied before she looked at the sign. It smelt of sulfur and it read: ‘No Refunds or Exchanges’.
While Applebloom started to look for a ladder or a stool to use to start her task, the front door opened, causing the bell to ring. A purple alicorn looked around at all of the towering shelves of goods. She seemed oblivious to the two ponies in the back. “By Celestia’s grace, this shop has so much to it….” she commented. She then looked around, “Excuse me? Shopkeep?”
Seemingly as if he was summoned to the mare’s side, Morning Star appeared, “Good morning. How can I help you?” There was a creepy and unsettling demeanor about him and how he was able to just appear near her.
“Gah!” she was taken back by Morning Star’s sudden appearance. She did her best to not bump into any shelves or anything of the sort. “Sorry, heh heh, you startled me. I just happened to be out shopping and I saw your store. Is it new, by chance?”
With a slightly evil grin on his face, Morning Star replied, “Indeed we are, just opened up this week. And it means all of Equestria that you are visiting us, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
“H-How did you know my name?”
“Who doesn’t know Equestria’s newest member to the royal pantheon? Why, you’re practically a celebrity,” the stallion explained, putting a limb around Twilight, slowly leading her through his store. “And you, I’m sure you’re looking for something amongst my goods, correct?”
Twilight was a bit bashful and sheepish, “Heh, well, I don’t know. I just came in to browse.”
“Nonsense! I can’t let the princess leave my store empty hooved!” Morning Star insisted.
As she was being led through the store, something did catch Twilight’s eye: a small, patchwork doll. She stopped to take a closer look, “What is this?” she picked it up to examine it more closely.
Morning Star seemed very happy that the doll caught Twilight’s attention, “Ah, that is a very old doll I acquired sometime ago. I don’t remember much about it, but as you can tell, it was well-loved by it’s previous owners. But there is some rumors about this doll, strange rumors.”
Twilight looked at the doll. It was a doll that was in the shape of an earth pony, made from a soft, brown material. Its mane was black yarn and had black button eyes that seemed to be loosely attached. It wore what seemed to be a sailor’s outfit, which was a little dirty, but well put together.
“He reminds me of my old doll, Smarty Pants,” Twilight softly spoke to herself.
“Would you like the doll, Princess?”
“I couldn’t, I mean, I don’t know how much you’re selling it fo-“
“I’ll be happy to give it to you free of charge,” Morning Star added.
“Really?”
“Anything for the new princess.”
Twilight was overjoyed, “Oh, thank you very much, sir! I’ll be sure to stop by your shop again!” Taking her new doll, she quickly left out of the store, leaving Morning Star and Applebloom alone in the store again.
The stallion started to laugh softly to himself, “So begins another twisted tale of fate.”
While Morning Star was cackling to himself, Applebloom trotted up next to him. She tugged at his black coat, “Mr. Morning Star, the sign is up.” She pointed up to the wooden sign, which hung from taxidermy of the head of a horrific and supposed mythical creature.
“Wha-What? Why would you hang the sign from the head of the Ördög? Do you know how hard those things are find? They keep shapeshifting on you!” Morning Star shouted.
“What was ah supposed ta do? Ya didn’t give me a hammer an’ nails!”
----
Later than evening, Twilight was at her castle home. Curled up by her fireplace, she was reading a book with her new doll. The fire was slowly dying down on it’s own as her assistant, Spike, entered in.
The dragon yawned, “It’s getting late, Twilight, you gonna get some sleep?”
“Yeah, it a bit, almost done with this chapter,” she replied, looking back at her book.
Spike was about to walk out, but he couldn’t help but look at the new doll that Twilight had gotten earlier that day. “Are you taking that thing to bed, too?”
“Who, you mean Letta?”
“Is that what you named it?” Spike sounded surprised about the naming of the doll.
Twilight gave the doll a hug, “Of course, every doll deserves a name.”
“Well, do keep that thing away from me, it’s the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Spike commented as he left the room. He visibly shivered as he added, “It’s just so weird….”
Twilight shouted back at Spike, “Oh, grow up, Spike. There is nothing creepy or weird about Letta. She is just like Smarty Pants.”
About ten minutes later, Twilight had extinguished the flames in the fireplace and retired to bed, leaving the doll on the chair that the two were reading on earlier. The entire castle was dark and quite. Only Luna’s moon from outside lit up the rooms and hallways.
The doll looked as if was seated properly in the chair, albeit slouching with bad posture. However, in the darkness of the study, the mannequin moved slightly. After a few jerky movements, the doll started to walk on its own. It hopped down from the chair and started to walk on the floor of the study. A voice came from it, something that could be likened to a fiend that was muffled in its howling. “Kill,” was the only thing it said. It was possessed by some otherworldly force.
Slowly, it moved through the castle. First through the study. Then the hallway. All along the way, it kept repeating the same word over and over.
“Kill. Kill. Kill.” It had one thing on its mind.
As it was crossing the main room of the castle, it climbed up onto the table. It used the platform as a vantage point to see where it should go to complete its task.
“Kill.” It continued its mantra as it saw the stairway. At the top, it was certain he would find Spike and Twilight.
He started to move toward the stairs, it was stopped by an open book. It looked down at the pages. It was odd, the creature had never seen such an object opened before, however it was absolutely fascinated by it. It started to read the open pages, and then another, and the next. The doll was captivated by the knowledge that was held within the book’s page.
“Kill,” it spoke again. Whether it meant it as its task or for something else is unknown. It seems its vocabulary is quite limited.
----
The next day, Applebloom was early to work and Morning Star was happy to see that his store was finally looking cleaner. The two of them had finally started to make Tchort’s Trinkets look far more presentable, mostly by dusting around and cleaning the cobwebs out from the piles.
“This place is lookin’ a lot better,” Applebloom mused.
“That it does, that it does. I certainly am grateful that you became my assistant around the shop, Applebloom,” Morning Star agreed as he dusted away some clutter.
“By the way, ah meant ta ask ya, what did ya give Ms. Twilight yesterday? Some doll?”
Morning Star stopped his dusting and folded his front limbs, smirking, “Oh, it was more than just a doll. It’s the doll with the soul of an angry demon. Its goal is to kill its owners.” He laughed evilly as he explained. “It can do more than just walk and talk, dear filly. That doll is capable of being very destructive, bring an entire town down to its knees if it so wishes.”
“Why would ya give that ta her?! She’s a princess!” Applebloom cried out in concern.
“Applebloom, when will you understand that I’m evil and don’t really care what I do to the inhabitants of your world?” Morning Star rolled his eyes as he explained himself.
“But….But….”the filly stuttered.
The stallion sighed, “Look, it’s not anything personal. My goal is to create evil and misfortune where I go. And since the ‘big guy’,” Morning Star used air quotes, “has no authority here, I figured I could cause a little fire and brimstone on your world. Don’t worry, I promise nothing will happen to you or your family while I’m here.”
While Applebloom wanted to say something to object, he was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. It was the same purple pony that entered yesterday.
“Hello!” she smiled to both Morning Star and Applebloom.
“Oh, hello, princess,” the stallion seemed very surprised that she was alive, much less smiling happily, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Twilight, who had a saddlebag on her back, opened it up and pulled out the doll she got yesterday, “I just want to come by and personally thank you for giving me little Letta here!”
“You what?” Morning Star’s jaw dropped.
“Letta?” Applebloom quietly commented to herself, “That’s a weird name….”
“Yup! As it turns out, Letta came to life last night and started reading one of my books! She’s just like Smarty Pants, except that she’s even better since she can move and help me study. And she just loves learning too! I found her reading through my books this morning and taking notes! It was just the cutest thing ever!”
“It….loves learning?” Morning Star had a slight twitch in his right eye.
“The only thing is that she keeps saying the same word over and over again.”
Letta, who had been in Twilight’s hooves this whole time, started flailing around. It looked as if the doll was trying to reach out to Morning Star and Applebloom to attack them. “Kill! Kill!” it shouted at them. This caused both of them to reel away in fear.
“Such a limited vocabulary, well I can teach you far more words than that, Letta,” Twilight stated before turning her attention to the ponies in front of her, “Anyway, I wanted to thank you personally before I take my new favorite doll to the Canterlot Library! Have a good day!”
With such a cheerful goodbye and Letta repeating the only word it knew a few more times, Twilight left the two ponies alone again in the store.
The two were dumbfounded in silence for about a minute before Morning Star finally said something.
“Why does this keep happening?” he pondered aloud.
“At least she likes it!” Applebloom smiled.
“I don’t want to hear it. Go….I don’t know, go polish the jars of eyeballs in the back,” he ordered Applebloom. As she went to go do her task, he shouted an addendum, “And don’t break them. If those eye balls get loose, they start to roll away and it’s….it’s just a hassle.”
It was getting late in the day in Ponyville, and at Tchort’s Trinkets, the two workers inside were getting ready to close up the shop.
“Applebloom, have you finished organizing the book shelves?” Morning Star asked as he put a box on a shelf. It read: ‘cursed ancient weapons: Keep Out of Reach of Children’.
Applebloom was on a ladder, shelving the last few books, “Almost done, Mr. Morning Star. Ya certainly have a lot of copies of ‘Paradise Lost’.”
The stallion chuckled at the statement, “What can I say? I enjoy stories that I’m featured in.”
“What’s it ‘bout?” the filly asked as she shelved the last two books she had with her.
“Oh, no need to worry about that right now. But I do need you to get this book shelved,” he held up a large book, almost as big as Applebloom herself.
The size alone worried Applebloom. “Uh….ah don’t know if ah can even lift that….” she expressed her concern.
“It’s just one copy of the Necronomicon, Applebloom, and it needs to be shelved up there at the top,” Morning Star pointed up, “This is one book I can’t let fall into the wrong hooves.”
The front door opened and the bell jingled. A voice called out, “Hello? Anypony here?”
The stallion’s ears perked up, “I’ll go help the customer, you get this book up there.”
Applebloom slid down the ladder and looked at the giant book, doubtful about her ability to move the book an centimeter.
“Hello, and welcome to Tchort’s Trinkets!” Morning Star greeted the visitor.
The white mare with a very stylish purple mane nodded, “Thank you. I heard about your store from my friend, Twilight Sparkle, and she said that you have a number of different items here.”
“Well, as you can see, Rarity, we have plenty to offer here,” the stallion grinned, showing off his store.
“Wait, how did you know my name?” Rarity was a bit frightened at this.
“How do I not? You are the type of pony everypony should know,” Morning Star smirked.
While she wanted to say something, she was stopped by seeing something out of the corner of her eye. On the far wall, Rarity saw Applebloom pushing a large book up a ladder in hopes of getting it to the top. She was having great difficulty in doing such. “Um, not to pry or anything, but shouldn’t you help Applebloom over there? She looks like she’s having a lot of trouble,” Rarity pointed with her hoof.
Morning Star turned to see the event unfold, “Oh, pay no mind to my assistant. She’s just shelving a book written by a mad Arab known as Abdul Alhazred. Instead, let’s find something that is just perfect for you, my dear!” There was a considerable charm to his voice, “Let’s check the jewelry, shall we?”
The word ‘jewelry’ did catch the attention of Rarity as she followed him to the back counter.
Once he was behind the counter, the white stallion pulled something out from below, “I think this might catch your fancy, no?”
It was a large diamond, about the size of Rarity’s own hoof, surrounded by smaller jewels of the same type. Connected at the top of it was chain that looked like it was silver with more diamonds and other jewels embedded within it. The color of the central jewel was a deep blue, and when the light hit it correctly, it shined an otherworldly gleam.
“I should certainly say that it does!” Rarity exclaimed, her eyes were reflecting the diamond in them.
The stallion noted how captivated Rarity was on the jewel. This gave him a sinister smile, “This here is the Faith Diamond, a fabled gem whose history is surrounded in mystery and rumors of a curse. However, who could say that something with such beauty could be anything but gorgeous.”
Rarity was only paying half attention to what Morning Star said. Her gaze was fixated on the diamond.
“Would you like to try it on?” Morning Star raised the diamond up by the jewel-embedded chain, offering to put it on the white unicorn.
“Really? You’re allowing me to try on this work of beauty?”
“It would be a crime not to!”
Carefully, Morning Star and Rarity worked together to place the diamond around Rarity’s neck. The stallion raised a mirror up to allow the unicorn to admire how she looked.
“Why, this is absolutely marvelous!” Rarity mused as she saw her reflection.
“Indeed it is, would you like it? For free?”
Rarity stuttered in shock, “I-I couldn’t!”
“I insist. It looks as if it was meant for you, Rarity,” Morning Star claimed.
“I….I don’t know what to say! Just, thank you very much, sir! I will be sure to spread the word about your generosity to the rest of the town!” Rarity happily spoke as she looked down at the Faith Diamond. It looked like it belonged around her neck. She turned and started toward the door, “Thank you again!
“Oh, and do beware when the gem turns red.”
“Why?” she pulled the door open, waiting for him to finish.
“Oh, never you mind, it’s just a rumor anyway.”
Rarity shrugged as she left the shop, bidding farewell.
Morning Star gave a laugh as the door closed. He was cut off by a loud thunk from the far wall. He quickly hurried over to see what it was.
Applebloom was pinned beneath the large book she was trying to shelve. “Help me….” she managed to say weakly.
“Applebloom, be careful with the Necronomicon! Are you trying to summon Cthulhu? He is very grumpy when he’s woken up from his sleep and he’s a real jerk when it comes to playing poker. He’s such a sore loser,” Morning Star started to get sidetracked, “What kind of creature flips a table over when he doesn’t win with a pair of fours?”
“Please….Mr. Morning Star….” Applebloom pleaded with what little air she had left.
“Oh, right, sorry about that. I really got to stop getting diverted in my thoughts,” the stallion commented as he lifted the book off of the little filly.
-----
Rarity was trotting around Ponyville, showing off her newest addition to her style; the Faith Diamond. The large gem did give her a lot of attention, with all of the gazes fixated on both her and the jewel. The light hitting the diamond made it shine with brilliance, causing most of the onlookers to shield their eyes from the radiance.
Finally reaching her home, Rarity went to her room. She took the diamond off and placed it on a table.
“Such a marvelous jewel, I can hardly believe that I got it for free! It’s simply beautiful!” Rarity mused as she continued to stare at the Faith Diamond. The more she looked at it, the more she feel in love with it.
“I must put in a safe place so nothing happens to it,” she spoke to herself. She grabbed the diamond but paused before she moved, “Wait, it would be such a shame to not put this on a pedestal to show off to all of Equestria. Hiding it would do no good….”
Rarity took the diamond with her down stairs to her workshop. Clearing the clothing and other items off one of the ponyquins, she then placed the Faith Diamond around the neck of it.
“Perfect! Now all of Equestria will be able to see this wonderful jewel when they come into my store!” Rarity mused. She used her magic to move the ponyquin into the center of the room, making it the focal point and the center of attention.
Later that evening, while the rest of Ponyville was asleep, there was a crashing sound at the Carousel Boutique. And the Faith Diamond started to glow red in color.
-----
The next day at Tchort’s Trinkets, Morning Star was reading the paper. He let out a groan.
The sound caught Applebloom’s attention, “Somethin’ the matter?” She asked as she was sweeping the wooden floors.
“Remember the murder that the cursed typewriter caused?” he pointed over to the machine, which was nearby on the counter with a small sign on it that read: ‘free to a good home’.
“Yeah?”
“Well, the police are stating that the murder is most likely going to remain unsolved and they’re putting their resources into something else,” Morning Star was no satisfied with this. “Why did that have to backfire, the cursed typewriter tactic is usually a good way to cause some evil.”
“But why do ya wanna be evil?” Applebloom stopped in her sweeping to ask.
This confused Morning Star, “Why do I want to be evil?
“Yeah, it seems like yer jus’ doin’ all of this fer no reason,” the filly said.
“Why do you care what I do? Not trying to be mean spirited with this, but most ponies wouldn’t help a strange stallion giving away items with curses to them,” Morning Star, voiced his own opinion.
Applebloom shrugged as she resumed her sweeping with a small smile, “Ah think yer a nice pony underneath all of the evil that ya claim ya have. Maybe ya jus’ needed somepony ta help ya out?”
Morning Star thought about what she said. “That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, and I know Palin.”
The front door opened with a ring, revealing a stressed and panicked Rarity. Her mane was unkempt and a complete mess. The fact that she left her home looking like that baffled everypony, including Morning Star.
“Oh, it’s a complete disaster!” she whined as she moved toward the counter in the back.
The stallion had a smirk on his face. His voice was sympathetic however, “What is it?”
“It’s a tragedy! A catastrophe! It’s absolutely, positively, the worst possible thing ever!” It looked as if Rarity was on the verge of tears.
“What could it possibly be?” Morning Star was being coy. He knew misfortune had befallen Rarity and all of those around her.
“The diamond! The Faith Diamond!” she cried out.
Applebloom was watching the pony unravel as well, “What ‘bout it?”
“IT WAS STOLEN!” she shouted.
Morning Star’s face turned blank, “What.”
Finally catching her breath, Rarity spoke in a calmer demeanor, “Last night, somepony broke into my home and stole the Faith Diamond! The robber was caught by police after he tripped and broke two of his legs. As the police were taking him in, their police cart broke a wheel and caused more problems!”
“What about the diamond?” Applebloom asked.
“That’s just it! Nopony knows where it went! If somepony took it, nopony has said anything or have any leads. Though, it was a bit odd that earlier this morning, Carrot Top’s house did burn down after she said she found something really cool.”
“This is insanity!” Morning Star’s anger exploded forward.
“Excuse me?” Rarity raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.
“The curse was supposed to affect you! Not everyone around you!” Morning Star shouted at the unicorn.
“Curse?” Rarity was even more confused.
The stallion continued his rampage, “That’s it, out! You’re banned from my store! Not only did you lose one of one of the most valuable artifacts in all of the various histories, but you even somehow managed to not have anything bad happen to you with owning it!”
“Something bad did happen, I don’t have the precious diamond anymore!” Rarity stated.
Morning Star left from behind the counter and started to shoo Rarity out, “I don’t care, just go! Out! Shoo! You are from here on out, banned from Tchort’s Trinkets!”
Once the stallion shoved Rarity out of his store, he let out an anguished groan of frustration.
Applebloom trotted up to him, placing a comforting hoof on his back, “It’s okay, Mr. Morning Star, ah’m sure the Faith Diamond will turn up again.”
Morning Star gave an annoyed glare to the filly, “I….I need a moment alone, Applebloom. Just….just go, I don’t know, polish the Argonaut Treasure….and make sure you polish it with the real polish, not the one that will make the metal far more shiny but it slowly kills you by making disappear. That’s stuff is expensive.”
“A crisis?” the filly tilted her head in puzzlement, “What do ya mean, Mr. Morning Star?”
“I’m talking about all of this,” the stallion stretched out his limbs as if he was trying to encompass everything in his shop, “I feel like all of this is doing nothing.”
Applebloom wasn’t sure how to reply, “Well, you’re at least tryin’, right?”
Morning Star sighed as he leaned on the counter with his limb support his head, “I’ve been doing this since time immemorial. Even longer than that, and I’m starting to question if this was a good career choice….”
“What did ya want ta be when ya were mah age?” Applebloom asked as she started to resume her sweeping.
This caused Morning Star to stop and think, “You know, that’s a good question. What did I want to do when I was….” he stopped as he looked at Applebloom, trying to guess her age, “….eight?”
Applebloom seemed to take offense to the assumption, “Ah’m thirteen years old!”
“Really? You’re so….short….” Morning Star stated as he measured her with his hooves from afar.
The filly cleared her throat, as to get Morning Star back on track.
“Right, right. I really need to do something about my lack of focus. Anyway, when I was in my youth, my formative years, I really wanted to be a chef. Not just any chef, but a bakery chef,” A warm, non-malevolent smile appeared on his face, “There’s no other smell quite like fresh baked bread.”
Applebloom smiled as well, “That’s a really nice dream. But what happened?”
Morning Star’s smile disappeared as he closed his eyes, “Well….”
He was interrupted by the front door opening. The bell rang. In entered a yellow pegasus. She trotted meekly and carefully. She looked nervous as she spoke out, “H-Hello?”
The stallion hurried around the countertop and went over to her aside, “Welcome to Tchort’s Trinkets. How may I be of service?” He returned to the same stallion that Applebloom knew as her boss.
The yellow pegasus shied away from the sudden appearance of Morning Star, “Ah!” she squeaked and hid behind her large pink bangs.
“Come now, no need to be frightened, I’m the owner of this shop, Morning Star. There must be something I can interest you in,” Morning Star offered.
“I-I’m Fluttershy. I was out and about and….I saw this shop,” Fluttershy was slowly opening up, “It must be new, right?”
“Newer than you might think,” Morning Star smirked, “Come, let us find something just for you!” He put his limb around Fluttershy as he pulled her along through the aisles of various knickknacks.
“I….uh….I don’t know if there’s really anything….I’m not really in the market for anything right now….” she insisted.
Morning Star was persistent, “Nonsense, there is an item here with your name on it!”
The stallion pulled Her right up to a large fancy mirror that was leaning against one of the shelves, “How about this beautiful mirror?”
Fluttershy seemed captivated by the mirror. The mirror itself looked brand new while the carved brass framing was old and dirty, needing a good cleaning. It seemed to have some sort of aura around it.
“This mirror is from the fabled Myrtles Plantation. A number of rumors and legends surround it, but it’s nothing to worry yourself about. Just look how elegantly it looks in it’s brass framing? This kind of quality can’t be matched in this day and age,” Morning Star explained.
The more she looked at her reflection, the more Fluttershy grew attached to the mirror. “I certainly do like now it looks. Very elegant,” she commented.
“How about it, would you like the mirror?”
“I don’t know….”
“It’s yours, free of charge.”
“Really? That’s so kind of you.”
Morning Star had a sly smile, “Just be sure to visit in the future and patronize my shop in the future, and we’ll call it even!”
Fluttershy nodded with a bright smile, “Of course!”
“Excellent,” Morning Star smiled back. He clapped his hooves together and called out, “Applebloom, please help Ms. Fluttershy with her new purchase!”
Applebloom groaned as she arrived to where the other two ponies were. She was not looking forward to hauling the large, heavy, and fragile mirror through Ponyville. If she couldn’t shelve the Necronomicon, what chance did she have with the mirror?
-----
“Thank you for helping me move the mirror to my home, Applebloom,” Fluttershy expressed her gratitude to the little yellow filly.
“Jus’ doin’ mah job, ma’am,” she saluted with her hoof before she bent down in pain from hauling the mirror all by herself. She stretched a few times in hopes to relieve the pain.
Fluttershy looked on worriedly, “Are you okay? You didn’t have to move it all on your own.”
“Ah’m fine. All part of the mah job,” Applebloom insisted.
“How about some tea? Would you like a cup before you go back to the shop?” the pegasus smiled gently.
“No thanks, I should be gettin’ back. Mr. Morning Star can be grumpy if I don’t dust ‘round the shop,” Applebloom explained, “It’s so weird, the dust….just keeps coming back every day. Like it doesn’t wanna stay clean. And there are times it looks like I didn’t dust at all….”
The pegasus was a little concerned about what Applebloom was saying, but she didn’t push the topic, “Alright then, have a safe trip back.”
The two ponies said their farewells and Fluttershy was left in her house. She looked at her new mirror, mounted on the wall with a dresser in front of it.
“It looks so regal,” she said, “though it could use a little cleaning on the frame. I should make some tea before I get started.”
Fluttershy left to her kitchen to put the kettle on, leaving the mirror unattended.
As she was gone, a hoofprint appeared on the surface of the mirror. It was coming from inside the mirror.
-----
“Is it time, Mr. Morning Star?” the filly asked.
“Not yet, Applebloom. We’re still open for about ten more minutes,” he insisted as he looked at the newspaper that was laid out on the countertop. “Hey, looks like the Baltimare Ravens won. Looks like Mammon owes me some money. Doubt he’ll actually pay up, greedy S.O.B.”
“Who ya talkin’ ‘bout?” Applebloom trotted up to the counter to look at the paper.
“Oh, just one of the demons I work with. He’s good at his job, but he’s really difficult to work with at times. He’s just always forcing others to be content with of being in-“
The front door opened, interrupting Morning Star.
“Hello! Welcome to Tchort’s Trinke- Oh, Ms. Fluttershy, you’re back. So soon?” the stallion was a little confused.
Fluttershy nodded as she trotted to the back counter, “Yes, I came back because I need some polish to clean up the frame of the mirror I just got.”
“Wait….nothing happened with the mirror?” Morning Star asked.
“Well, funny that you should ask that. While I was making some tea, I noticed that there was a strange hoofprint on the mirror. I figured it was just from when Applebloom was moving it to my home, but it didn’t come off when I tried to clean it. Then, wouldn’t you know it, I saw other ponies in the mirror. You can imagine how friegthened I must have been, but as they looked like they were trying to break out, I asked what they wanted. Well, one thing led to another and we got to talking and enjoying each other’s company.”
“Excuse me? You were talkin’ ta….ghosts?” Applebloom asked with a raised eyebrow.
Fluttershy giggled slightly, “Sounds funny, right? But we got to talking and it turns out they just wanted somepony to talk with. Apparently they were trapped in there a long time ago and we just had a pleasant conversation over some tea. Did you know ghosts can drink tea? I certainly didn’t, but they really seem to like earl grey.”
“That’s really neat, right Mr. Morning Star?” Applebloom asked as she looked to her boss.
Morning Star was repeatedly hitting his head against the countertop as if it was some sort of ritualistic punishment. “How? How did this happen like this? And why? Why? Those trapped ghosts were of murder victims, looking for vengeance and killing anypony they encountered. You should have at least been driven to insanity by them! They shouldn’t of wanted a stupid tea party….”
Fluttershy watched, very perplexed, “Um….I’m not sure if this is a good time, but do you happen to have any polish for the brass frame? I want to make the mirror much more chipper and happier for the spirits in the mirror.”
He stopped hitting his head against the countertop, but he didn’t lift his head off of the counter as he spoke. It sounded muffled, “Applebloom, can you get her the normal polish, not the vanishing one. And then….you can go home. I….I just need to be alone for a bit.”
The pegasus looked at Applebloom, “Is he always like this?”
The next morning, Applebloom arrived early to the shop, entering in to see Morning Star trotting in place. His golden mane seemed to bounce as he was moving. The twin tales of his black coat also were moving about. His face had a happy and eager expression
“Mr. Morning Star?” she spoke.
“Ah, Applebloom! Early as ever, excellent! Today’s a good day, and do you know why?” Energy seemed to flow from his words.
“Did that one sports team win again?” Applebloom guessed.
“Nope, but the Chicago Cubs did win, which alone is a miracle if I’ve ever seen one. But that’s not why today’s a good day. Instead, today is going to be a good day because I will not have something backfire on me,” the stallion explained as he continued to trot in place, encouraging Applebloom to join in.
The filly started to do the same, “Yer havin’ a positive attitude ‘bout this?”
“Yes! And that alone will help me today! I can feel it, today will be a success!”
The two continued to trot in place, getting the blood flowing through their veins and becoming more energetic. The door opened and another pony joined in with their trotting in place. This pink pony seemed to want to join in just for fun.
“Do you ponies do this every morning before you open?” she asked excitedly.
Morning Star wasn’t surprised by her sudden appearance, but Applebloom was, causing her to jump back and fall into a small pile of ancient and valuable items.
“Well, it just might become a new ritual for us every morning if it works!” Morning Star said with a smile, stopping his trotting place, “I’m Morning Star and welcome to Tchort’s Trinkets! Can I help you?”
“Hiya! I’m Pinkie Pie!” she continued her trotting in place, “And I’m sure you can! What do you got?”
Applebloom started to clean up the mess she had caused by falling backwards.
“Just about anything you can think of, Ms. Pie,” Morning Star stated.
Finally, Pinkie stopped her bouncing, “Oh please, Ms. Pie was my mother, and my nana! Just call me Pinkie!”
“Well, Ms. Pinkie Pie, is there something that interests you?”
“I could use something to make my room look nicer! My friend Fluttershy said she got a really neat mirror from here!” Pinkie recalled, “Oh, and my other bestie Twilight Sparkle got a really cute doll here! Do have another one of those dolls? Maybe one that says ‘die’ over and over, instead of ‘kill’?”
Morning Star looked as if he was fighting the urge to say something. Instead, he chose a nice set of words, “Sorry, I’m afraid we are fresh out of dolls like that.”
“Oh, well, I guess I’ll just get something to decorate my room with!” Pinkie beamed, “What’cha got?”
The stallion paused for a moment to think He then raised his hoof in the air, “I got it! I have just the item! Follow me!”
Moving through he towering rows of shelves, Morning Star took Pinkie to an area where he carefully picked up a very fragile and beautiful vase. “This here is the Basano Vase.”
“Oooo….” Pinkie was awe struck.
“Perhaps you’ve heard of it?”
“Nope!” she smiled.
“Well, this elegant vase was crafted carefully by the greatest workers of it’s era, made of carved silver and clay. It was originally a gift to a young bride. However, the poor bride passed away, holding tightly to this beautiful vase. From there, this vase transferred to different owners through out time, tragedy striking each one. There was even a warning written and placed inside of the vase. Do you want to know what it read?”
Pinkie nodded, leaning in to listen closer.
Morning Star continued, “The inscription read: ‘Beware….this vase brings death.”
The pink pony squealed with delight, “Oooo! I just love a good spooky story!”
“And this vase, this very vase, can be yours. After all, all of that is simply a story of rumors and hearsay. Would you like it, Ms. Pinkie Pie?”
“I have always wanted a piece of art that’s haunted! Well, other than that weird painting that keeps burning houses down. Can you believe that my parents made me get rid of it after our barn burnt down? They acted like it was my fault!” Pinkie chatted away, “It’s a painting after all! But to answer your question, yes, I’ll happily take it!”
Morning Star carefully passed the vase off to Pinkie Pie, who held it tightly in her grasp.
“What do I owe ya?” Pinkie asked.
“It’s free, so as long as you keep visiting my store in the future,” the stallion had a sly smirk.
“That’s not a great business model,” Pinkie expressed her concern, “But I’ll take it!” She then started to make her way out the door, thanking him again.
Morning Star trotted next to Applebloom, who had finished cleaning up her mess. “You know, I think I finally did it,” he spoke, “I think I finally got it right this time. One of the curses is going to work just fine.”
Applebloom gave a concerned look at Morning Star, “It’s still not very nice.”
“I already told ya, I’m pure evil,” he added, “I’m the dev-“
A loud crashing sound startled both the stallion and the filly. It came from outside. They were silent, hearing a little bit of talking and trotting up to the door. The door opened and it was Pinkie Pie again, popping her head in.
“Hello! Um….sorry to ask this, but do you have another Baccano vase?” she asked with an embarrassed smile.
“Pardon?” Morning Star asked.
Pinkie opened the entire door, reveal shards of clay in her hooves, “I may or may not have accidentally dropped the Baccano Vase outside.”
“H….How?! Why?!” Morning Star’s anger erupted.
“Mr. Morning Star, please calm down!” Applebloom was doing her best to keep her boss in check.
“No! I will not calm down! She broke one of the most cursed objects in the store with her idiocy, her simpleness, and her klutziness!”
“Hey, that’s not very nice! I’m not that klutzy! I just trip a lot!” Pinkie defended herself.
“That vase is priceless, even before we talk about the souls that it held! It was suppose to literally steal your soul, adding it to the hundreds of other previous owners! And now you broke it, freeing them all! I don’t believe this!”
“Oh, so that explains all those spooky, floaty things that came out when it broke,” Pinkie said.
“Are you kidding me?!” the stallion’s voice cracked in his rage.
“Please Mr. Morning Star!” Applebloom put her hooves on Morning Star, hoping his rage would subside.
It wasn’t helping, “That’s it, I’m done! I’m done! Just go! Both of you! Out of my store!”
Before either could object, Morning Star had pushed them both out of his store. Once they were outside, he slammed the door behind him and locked the door.
There was a muffled shouting coming from within, “We are now closed indefinitely!”
Pinkie turned to Applebloom and looked at her, “Well, that was really rude, don’t you think Applebloom?”
The little filly was puzzled, “Did ah jus’ get fired?”
The next morning, Applebloom headed to the shop. She hadn’t heard from Morning Star since the incident the day before. After the he caused the scene, she wasn’t sure about anything, like if she still had a job or anything. What was certain was that Applebloom was worried about him.
When she arrived, she saw Morning Star outside of the shop, hammering a sign to the door.
“Mr. Morning Star?” she neared him.
“Ah, Applebloom. No need to be here today. I’m done with Tchort’s Trinkets. I’m giving up on having a shop here,” his voice was detached and depressed.
“What? Why? I thought you wanted to do this?” Applebloom asked.
“I’ve had nothing but bad luck since I got here. Even the curses failed to cause pandemonium. All I want to do is cause mayhem and destruction, is that so much to ask?”
The filly shrugged, “Maybe? You seem to really want that a lot.”
Morning Star sighed as he paused in putting the sign up, “I don’t know what I really want anymore. I’m the Prince of Darkness, the corrupter of souls, the biggest Chicago Cubs fan, and the one to begin Armageddon, yet I can’t even cause some destruction on a planet that doesn’t even understand exactly how evil I am.”
“What’cha gonna do now?” Applebloom asked.
“Not sure. Maybe go back home, reconnect with my dad and brother? It has been quite some time and I should apologize. Perhaps it’s not too late,” Morning Star thought aloud as he finished nailing the sign.
“That’s a nice thing ta do, Mr. Morning Star,” Applebloom smiled to him. She then looked in through the window, seeing that the entire building was empty, “Hey, how’d you get the whole store empty so fast?”
“Oh, that? Just a little black magic,” the stallion flicked his wrist as if he was a magician of some sort.
“I don’t get it, then why did ya hire me if ya could have done all of that yerself?” Applebloom asked as she looked back to Morning Star.
“I guess I just like commanding others to do my bidding?” he joked.
Applebloom thought for a moment, “Maybe you wanted a friend?”
“Excuse me?” Morning Star looked at the filly.
“Ah think we all need friends, Mr. Morning Star, and maybe ya never had somepony ta be one,” she explained.
He snorted with a laugh, “Me? Wanting a friend? Dear Applebloom, just as every cop is a criminal and all the sinners are saints, I’m Lucifer, the master of deception and evil. I don’t need a buddy.”
“Have you ever had one?”
This got Morning Star to think. “Um….well….” he started, “There was that weird Crowley fellow, but he was more of an obsessive weirdo than anything else. He’d never leave me alone. I mean, he claimed he communicated with me, which never happened and then things just got weird….”
“Mr. Morning Star?”
“Right, sorry….well, I guess I never really had one,” he admitted. He looked down at his own hooves, “I….never had a real friend.”
Applebloom raised a hoof up to give a comforting touch to one of his front limbs, “You’ve gotta friend in me. Ah’d be happy ta be yer friend, Mr. Morning Star.”
“You….would?”
The little filly smiled happily and nodded, “Of course!”
Morning Star didn’t believe it, “Even though you know who….you know what I am?”
She nodded again, “Mhm, a true, true friend helps a friend in need, and ah wanna help you!”
A smirk appeared on the stallion’s face. Then he started to laugh a warm, hearty laugh.
Applebloom’s face turned sour, “It’s not funny!”
“I’m not laughing at you, or what you said. It actually reminded me of something my brother once said. About how there’s no greater love than one individual laying down their own life for their friends. Maybe my baby brother was right all along,” Morning Star still had a smile on his face, “So many wasted opportunities. So sad now that I think about it. All this time alone.”
“You don’t gonna trot alone. Not anymore,” Applebloom smiled warmly.
Morning Star wrapped his limbs around the filly, “Thank you, Applebloom. Thank you for being my first friend.”
“It’s mah pleasure, Mr. Morning Star. Granny Smith always told me that nopony should be without a friend.”
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Later that evening, Applebloom returned home for dinner. Around the table was her family; Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Applejack.
“So, how was yer day, Applebloom? Anything fun and exciting at yer job?” Applejack asked.
“Ah don’t have a job anymore, but ah do have a new friend.”