> Lending Things
>  by SilverEyedWolf
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Prologue, The Beginning (REWRITTEN)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The knob on the door shook gently. The mice in the barren, dusty room scattered as a key scraped into the lock, the rusty tumblers lifting into place with a quiet squeal. The knob turned this time, whispering of better times as the latch released.

A bipedal creature stepped into the empty room, pulling its baggage (a medium bag, almost like one a doctor or vet would carry) through the frame and tossing it carelessly into the middle of the room. Slamming the door against the wind, it turned the lock once again and placed the key into one of the pockets on the pants it wore. It removed its hat for a moment, flicking the rain from the brim before placing it on top of it's thick hair.

Ignoring the dust that swirled around the shining black shoes it wore, it strode quickly over to a wall as it dipped a gloved paw into one of its coat's pockets, pulling out a piece of white chalk. Swiping at the wall to clear it of cobwebs, the creature drew several symbols in a circle, enclosing them within a seven-pointed star.

With a sigh, it dropped the chalk back into its pocket and pulled off its gloves, revealing a pinkish-white flesh to the air. Reaching into a third pocket, it pulled out a thin wooden box with two compartments. From the first it pulled a long cylinder of thin paper, full of strong-smelling herbs. Strangely, they seemed to be scented with moon flower.

The second was lined with matches, and with a flick of one of it's digits, the creature lit one. Pressing it to the tip of the paper, the match glinted off of the mask covering its face, the cigarette placed in a slot over the mouth.

Pulling its black coat off, it smoothed at the wrinkles in its white shirt, adjusting the black suspenders beneath its vest absently as it thought to itself. Reaching down, it opened its bag and stuck a hand inside, rummaging in the small, cloth-shelled bag.

The first thing it pulled out was a coat-rack, setting the simple pole far enough away from the bag that the water from his coat wouldn't drip into it. It slipped its coat onto the rack, placing the hat (a stiff Gambler) from its head on top of the garment, checking to make sure that the rune inside was still complete. Reaching down, it pulled the simple tie loose and hung it with the coat.

Taking a deep breath, it pulled its claws through the long black hair on its head, moving the strands away from its flattish face. Reaching back down into the bag, it pulled out a large broom with a long head, closing the bag and looking blankly around the room, seemingly glaring at the offending dust and cobwebs. Leaning the broom on the coat-rack, it moved towards the door.

Side-stepping, it moved the set of shutters away from the glass of the window, unlocking it and opening it a few inches. Standing with its naked hand outstretched, the creature paused and let the cool rain hit its palm for a minute.

Shaking its head, it moved back to the coat and pulled its gloves out, slipping them back on and stretching the material by flexing. Moving back to the wall, it opened the other window on that side, then finally opened the door itself again.

Letting the breeze ruffle against the cuffs of its long pants, it breathed in through the slit of the mask, the sweet tang of the rain mixing with the harsh bite of the steel and muddling with the herbs smoking in its teeth.

Turning, it walked to the back wall, and started by sweeping down all of the cobwebs and much of the dirt from the rafters.


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It stepped away from the bucketful of nasty water, leaning on the mop and looking around the room. At some point in the cleaning it'd gotten tired of its sleeves, rolling and folding them above their elbows and baring the pink flesh, currently grayed by dust and grime. It flinched slightly as it looked at the raised scars covering its forearms.

Picking up the bucket, it walked it outside, looking up into the bluing sky as the rain clouds dissipated under the rising sun. It felt itself smile, and its spirits lifted slightly at the sight. Walking to the side of the road, it disposed of the water, kneeling to watch the mud disappear into a gutter.

“Look, Rarity! I told you other ponies would be awake! Maybe they'll know where we can get breakfast this early.”

“Sweetie Belle, wait, I don't know that...”

Swiftly, it rolled its sleeves over its pink flesh, hiding everything possible behind normal cloth.

“A minotaur, madame,” it spoke softly, touching the edges of the mask to make sure the spell on it had not slipped. It had a male voice, soft and even. “A minotaur, just moved into the town.”

He heard them gasp as he stood, still turned away from them. He also heard, just barely, the little one whisper, "So tall..."

“Please, excuse me,” he muttered, slipping around the younger one and into the building, shutting the door firmly. Listening, he heard them talking for a moment outside of his door before continuing on their way.

Sighing, he ran a finger around the edge of the mask, letting the steel fall away long enough to wipe the sweat off of his face. Wiping his hand on his pants, he planted the mask back where it had been, before he walked over to his bag, now sitting on a low worktable in the middle of the clean room.

Pulling out a large red rug, he rolled it out, laying out a mental floor plan even as the cloth settled.


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Pinkie burst into the library, panic etched onto her face.

“Twilight! Emergency!” she yelled into the empty room, whipping her head back and forth. “Twilight, Twilight! Where are you, I've got a really really bad emerg-”

The basement door shot open, the mare in question rocketing out and landing in front of the baker, her horn sparking and her mane frizzed. With the opening of the door, a strong whirring noise filled the air.

“What is it!? The Hydra?”

Pinkie shook her head vigorously.

“Did Nightmare Moon reincarnate into her armor!?”

Pinkie again shook her head.

“Discord unleash one of his Disciples to wreck ruin across Equestria?”

“Nooo, much worse!” Pinkie whined, hopping onto her back legs and dancing between them.

“What is it?” Twilight asked, eyes twitching as she worked to look in every direction, hoping to see whatever it was that was coming.

“My Pinkie Sense isn't working!” Pinkie cried, letting loose a torrent of tears.

Twilight blinked, her horn going out.

“What?” she asked.

“Well, most of it's still alright, but part of it went dark last three days ago, and I haven't been able to find it!” she sobbed, leaning towards Twilight with her hooves outstretched.

Twilight ignored her as Pinkie face-planted between Twilight's hooves. Slowly, Twilight reached up and laid a hoof on her chest, extending it and breathing out slowly.

“Pinkie?” she asked, slowly.

Reaching down, Twilight gently took Pinkie's head in her hooves, pulling the mare upright and looking her in the eye.

“Pinkie, I don't know what to do with this information,” Twilight said, looking deeply into her friend's eyes. “I don't know how your Pinkie Sense works, remember?”

“B-b-but, I need you to help me find it,” Pinkie whimpered, pouting directly at Twilight.

Twilight sighed. “Well, how can I help?”

“You gotta ask the question! I know that you can help me with just one question!”

Twilight frowned in thought.

“Well, you said part of it went dark… So I guess it works like a net?”

Pinkie nodded, then gasped and leaped for the door. Twilight's magic caught her, floating the mare back over to Twilight, who raised an eyebrow.

“Well, if I go to the blank spot, it should come back, right?” Pinkie asked excitedly.

Twilight looked over at the door, thinking on it for a moment before she shrugged. “I'm in for a try, I guess.” Turning around, she walked back over to the basement door. “Spike, I'm going for a quick walk with Pinkie! Use this time for a break!”

A whirring noise in the basement suddenly stopped, making both of the mares flinch as their ears started ringing in the silence.

“Help, Pinkie…” came a voice from downstairs, out of her sight. “Call… Celestia… Report labor infraction… Two-hundred seventy three...”

With a giggle, the two mares left, locking the front door behind them.

“… Twilight? I can't climb the stairs right now… Twilight? Pinkie?”


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“It's this one,” Pinkie said, staring straight at the enormous dark splotch in her sixth sense. “This entire building, as a matter of fact.”

The stood in front of a newly renovated building, their heads cocked towards each other as they stared up at the sign posted on the second (and final) story.

“Lender’s.” Twilight deadpanned.

“Like, lending stuff to a friend?” Pinkie asked.

“I don't know. I've never heard of this place...”

They both walked forward, looking at the simple sign in a small window in the door, proclaiming that the store was currently open until seven pm, and please excuse the mess. Peeking in the windows revealed them to be covered by several shelves, lined with red felt, displaying a mix of items. A few toys, some glittering jewelry…

“Is that a chess board?” Twilight asked, looking at the checkered piece of wood.

“Wanna check it out, Twi?”

Twilight looked at her friend, then shrugged. She opened the door, walking in to the musical notes of a wind-chime placed over the door. They shivered in time as they passed through the door, Pinkie attributing it to the chilled air inside the store while Twilight immediately sensed something magical. They were both shortly distracted, however, as they looked towards the register at the counter running across the front of the store.

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He looked up, away from the glass counter top he'd been cleaning.

“Hello, and welcome to Lender’s. I am Coal the minotaur, how may I be...” he trailed off, noting how neither of the mares who had walked in were paying attention to his words. Both were staring up at his face, or what covered it at least.

“I have a skin condition,” he said, touching the gleaming mask with a gloved paw, covering nearly all of his face. The polished metal had only three imperfections, mere dashes cut out for his eyes and mouth.  His voice was unimpeded as he said, “It has restorative spells on the inside.”

Both mares realized what they were doing at the same time, and both looked away with a blush.

“Sorry,” the pair chorused.

“I am used to it.” He waved his arms, as if to showcase the entire shop. “Anyhow, feel free to look upon my wares. All is for rent, sell, or trade. Merely ask the price.”

Twilight wandered closer to the glass cabinet next to her, taking in brilliantly sparkling necklaces and earrings.

“Like, rent-to-own?” She asked, not really seeing anyone wanting to just rent anything like these jewels.

“I'm afraid not, but there is no limit to the amount of time one can rent their item.” Coal swung towards Pinkie, reaching an arm out and brusquely snapping two of his digits together, making the pink mare squeal as she fell off of the cabinet she was balancing on.

“But it's there, I can feel it!” she huffed, pointing at the newly papered walls. “Something in the wall is blocking my Pinkie Sense!”

Coal shrugged at her, straightening his vest. “Speak to the people who sold me the building, then. I would know nothing about anything in the walls, I assure you.”

“Come on Pinkie, leave the nice minotaur alone,” Twilight called, walking over from a display case full of strange cards, most of them blank. “Look at some of these things, they're pretty neat. Look, an entire cabinet of spoons!”

Pinkie glanced at the cutlery, meaning to look back at the minotaur, but she was caught off-guard by one whose handle was decorated entirely with tiny amethyst nodules.

“Oooh, Maude would love that…”

With a frown, she drew away. “But it's so pretty, it has to be worth a bunch. How much for...?”

“Thirty bits,” he said.

They both stared at him, poker faced, and he shrugged.

“Each one of those nodules is easily worth that price, alone,” Twilight pointed out. “Surely, with all of the silver-smithing and gem setting, it has to be worth two-hundred bits?”

“Maybe monetarily,” he said. “But, to both me and the mare I traded this for, it is worth thirty bits. For an extra five, I shall include a wooden box and wrap it.”

The mares looked at each-other for a moment. Twilight turned and scanned the walls with renewed interest as Pinkie pulled a coin-purse from her mane, opening it and counting out six coins and offering them to Coal, muttering about a sister's day present as he set the coins in the till on the counter.

As soon as he'd finished wrapping the thin box in relatively plain brown paper and giving her a slightly smaller coin as change, Pinkie was out the door, barely saying a quick goodbye to Twilight.

Coal waited for a moment to pass, before asking, “Help you find anything, miss…?”

“Oh, sorry, my name is Twilight Sparkle. That was Pinkie Pie, earlier. Do you carry books?” she stumbled out a little quickly, blushing but still looking hopefully at him.

He tilted his head to the side. “What sorts of books?”

“Well, I love learning, especially about magic…” she said, still blushing at him.

Even though she couldn't see his face, she could swear he smirked at her from under his mask.

“Well, I do have a few beginner’s textbooks laying around…”

Drawing herself to her full height, she glared up at him from his stomach.

Chuckling, he then drew out a cloth bag from beneath the till, reminiscent of one a doctor would carry. Popping the clasp on top, he reached in and drew out a thin, dark book. Almost reverently, he set the book down on the counter-top, displaying the intricate brass symbol on the front.

“What is that?” she asked, watching him trace the swirling loops of the symbol on the book.

“My salvation,” he whispered. As an afterthought, he tacked on, “And your demise, Student Twilight Sparkle Exonera.”

She twitched away, that name pulling unpleasantly at something within her heart.

“What? Demise? Like, death?”

He stroked the emblem again, then flicked open the latch on the side that kept the book closed.

Opening it to the first page, he spun it around and presented the title to Twilight. Leaning forward, she slowly translated the runes in her head, then read the name aloud.

Blinking slowly, Twilight shook her head, then returned to glaring up at the minotaur from his stomach.

“I am the personal student of Princess Celestia, I will have you know! I can handle a lot more than 'a few beginner's textbooks', you...”

Coal plopped a thick tome on the glass between them, sliding it over.

“Three hundred bits, and I think you'll find this worth the price.”

Squinting at the title, Twilight mouth several words to herself, before looking askance at the merchant.

“Who on Equis is Ptolemy?”

“A mythic astronomer, who dreamed of stars that didn't move according to the whim of a Princess,” he intoned, stroking the cover lightly.

She scoffed, but he watched as her mouth morphed and twisted with curiosity.

“Two-hundred bits,” she tried to counter-offer.

Coal stared deeply into her eyes, and she felt herself slowly drawing into the dark pits of his mask.

“I don't have that much of a stipend,” she whimpered.

He perked up. “Ah, well then, I believe I can help you in that respect.”

He leaned over, looking about the store and whispering, “See, while I sell goods, I also trade them. Even if you don't have anything of value currently, I can part with this book for…” He thought for a moment, stroking the book thoughtfully.

“Whatever bits you have on you, currently, plus… a favor.”

Twilight's eyes narrowed immediately, and she gave him another appraising look.

“What favor?” she asked.

He shrugged, leaning against a counter.

“Well, I suppose I'll stick with my old format,” he said, folding his arms over his chest. “It went as such: You agree to owing a favor, and receive the item in question. You sign the contract, and I have three chances to call in that favor. You may deny the first two, if you find the circumstances questionable, or just uncomfortable. But,” he said, tilting his head, “You cannot deny the third, if the first two are denied.”

“So, it's not an ironclad spring-trap,” he said with a shrug, letting his arms fall beside him. “I get to ask three times, and you get to deny twice. All in trade,” he pointed at the thick book on the counter, “For a book written with a perspective outside of Equis.”

Twilight stared at him, her eyes flicking back and forth between the book and the dark eye-slits in the mask.

Reaching into her bags, she pulled out a small purse, mostly flat. She looked up at the minotaur, her heart falling as he stared down at her.

“There can't be more than twelve bits here...” she muttered, sure that he would shake his head and say something about how it wasn't enough, or that he would need at least two favors, or…

He slid the book towards her, holding out his paw with fingers splayed.

“No counting,” he said, smile vibrant in his voice. “Ruins the surprise. Do you agree to my favor, then?”

She stared up at him, staring at the insane biped. “You said this was a three hundred bit book...”

“It is,” he said, gently cracking open the cover and showing her a hoof-written publication date. “And that date has been certified by a mage in Canterlot. Doctor Clover? Cloverfield? One of those…”

“Clover Hill authenticated this date!?” Twilight asked, looking at the triple digit number.

Coal snapped his fingers, pointing at her. “Clover Hill, that's it. He looked at me like I was a madman when I refused to sell to him.”

Twilight stared at him.

“Yeah, that one,” he said with a chuckle. “He refused my favors, just tried to buy the book outright. Offered way more than it was worth, gave me quite a bad vibe.”

“But… I don't?” Twilight asked, looking into his eyes.

“Not a bit.” He sighed, closing the cover of the book. “Of course, if you're not interested, I can…”

Twilight's purse plopped on top of the book.

“I accept your offer,” she said, bouncing lightly on her hooves as she smiled at the book. “You have a contract, you said?”

Smiling, he reached beneath the counter, the fully wooden part that his till sat on, and withdrew a scroll. Unrolling it, he handed it to her and reached back beneath his till for a quill.

“This is it?” Twilight asked, looking over the paragraph printed neatly on the scroll.

“Just a rehash of what we've spoken about,” he assured her, placing a silver inkwell and a large blue quill on the counter. “Along with the fact that if you try and refuse the third favor, then I will reclaim the item.”

With a nod, Twilight took the quill in her magic, opening the inkwell and dipping in the quill. When she pulled it out, she shivered and looked at the ink.

“Standard magical ink, the same as lawyers and judges use. It is binding, and will not allow anyone to use it to write a lie.”

With a nod, she signed her name, the ink shimmering and drying as she lifted the pen.

Coal picked up the scroll. Moving his paw along its length, he muttered something under his breath. Pulling at either end of the tube, he pulled two pieces of paper away from each other, handing Twilight one.

“For your records, Princess.”

Nodding, she levitated the copy to her bags, before nervously picking up the book, running a hoof gently over the cover.

“And, actually, I think I'd like to call the favor in now.”

Her head snapped up, looking into his grinning eyes. “Already?” she squeaked.

He nodded, leaning over the counter. “Yes, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” He towered over her now, gazing down, his blank face plate revealing nothing of his intent. A shiver ran down her back as she stared up at him.

“A Princess in a small town surely must know many ponies, and many kinds of pony, yes?” he asked. At her nod, he leaned even further towards her. “In that case, my favor is this:

“I have need of a tailor. Where might I find one?”

The expression on her face slid off as though she were made of greased ice.

“You… want me to pay for a tailor for you?”

“No. I just need the location of a decent one.” He looked around the empty shop. “It's actually pretty quiet right now, so if you wanted to show me to their location, that would be fantastic...”

“Denied,” she said, shaking her head.

Coal stared down at her.

“I'll show you to a tailor, but that can't be your favor. One of my friends lives near the stream, not terribly far from here. She's a seamstress, I can introduce you two.”

He tilted his head at her, then shrugged his shoulders.

“As you wish. I shall save the favor, then. Would you like the book wrapped, or...?”

“No thank you, I'm going to look it over when I get home.” She ran a hoof over the cover again, smiling at the feel.

“Nonetheless, allow me to at least wrap it in some paper,” he said, pulling a roll of the waxed material from under his till. “It is, after all, a very old book.”

She nodded, and he gently wrapped the book and handed it to her. hoofing it into her saddlebag, she secured it so that it couldn't move around too much, then turned and nodded up at him.

“Whenever you're ready,” she said, smiling.

Moving over to a coat rack in the corner, he pulled off a dark jacket and slipped it on. Taking a large-brimmed hat from another hook, he nodded at her as he covered his head. On the way past the till, he paused to touch something beneath it, and she swore she heard him mutter, “Someday…”

They exited the shop, Coal locking the door before he'd closed it. Testing the knob, he nodded and turned to Twilight, holding his paw out and nodding to her.

She looked at his paw, then up to his face. Cocking her head, she looked back at his paw.

“Sorry,” he said, curling his fingers and sliding his hands into his coat’s pockets. “A holdover gesture. Please, lead on.”

She nodded, and they silently wound their way through Ponyville's streets, out of the alleyway the store sat in and towards one of the outer sides of the town.

“So, why'd you move to Ponyville?” Twilight asked.

“Manehattan got a little too big for me. Always preferred smaller towns.” He glanced around, then tilted his head down, his hat covering much of his face.

She waited for him to go on, but he'd gone strangely terse.

They wound through the streets for another five minutes, before Twilight spotted the boutique.

Lifting a hoof, she pointed it out, nudging the minotaur with a shoulder. “The Carousel Boutique, owned by one Miss Rarity of Ponyville.”

“If I remember right, I believe I've heard that she just opened a branch in Canterlot?”

“She has, actually, as well as opening one in Manehattan.”

“Luck to her,” Coal said, before striding forwards again.

Coal sighed when they reached the door, relaxing slightly as Twilight knocked twice and opened the door.

“Hello, Rarity?”

“In the back, darling, be there in a moment!” called a voice from another room, with a pleasant upper-class lilt.

Coal straightened, snapping his gloved fingers together. Turning to Twilight, he asked, “Is she a white unicorn, purple mane?”

“Oh, have you met already?” she asked, surprised.

“In a way. You may want to go to her, tell her about…” He trailed off, lifting a paw to tap meaningfully on the steel plate covering his face.

“Ah, right.” Twilight trotted over to a door, and Coal turned his back, moving to admire some of Rarity's ponyquins. As he listened to Twilight's knocking, then quiet muttering, he admired the seamstress's talents, though she obviously concentrated on dresses.

As he knelt forward to look over a particular seam, he heard a set of clipping hooves approach him. Assuming as to who it was, he said, “These are well put together, Miss Rarity. Twilight assures me you can help with my clothing needs?”

“Oh, I’m sure she could,” a voice from around his knees squeaked. “Her work is always high-quality, though I don’t know if she’s ever worked with a minotaur before.”

He looked down, surprised, into the face of a filly smiling so hard that her eyes were crinkled closed.

Turning his face quickly, he let his hair fall over his mask. “Apologies, little one, I assumed…”

“That is was us?” I heard Twilight ask, as two sets of hooves approached.

“Thank you, Sweetie, for greeting our guest while Twilight spoke with me,” a warm, slightly accented voice spoke. “We have business to discuss, however, and I’m sure it’ll sound like boring, grown-up things. Maybe Scootaloo can play?”

Coal heard an excited squeak, followed by the ringing of a bell as the door opened and closed.

Straightening, he turned and looked down at the pair, bowing to the seamstress. He heard her inhale quickly, before letting the breath rush through her nose as she bowed back.

“Well, Twilight was telling the truth when she spoke of your… striking, appearance.”

Coal tilted his head, looking at Twilight askance. “That’s all you told her?”

Twilight breathed in, puffing herself up a bit. “I’d like to think I know my friends just a bit better than you would, Coal. Rarity is a Lady of dignity and grace, and would not let herself be so caught up by a customer’s appearance that she would let her manners slide.”

“Most of the time, dear Twilight,” Rarity said, looking off to the side as she blushed crimson. “I admit to having been surprised before, and making a filly out of myself.” She shook her head, smiling up at Coal. “Nonetheless, I thank you both for the kind words and thought. Now, surely you’re here for a reason?”

Coal nodded, gesturing to his clothes.

“I’m not as well insulated as most of my species, due to the same mutations that have caused this,” he said, tapping the middle of the mask with a finger. “As such, I am inclined to wear clothing at all times of the year. This being my first day in town, I was hoping to secure a source for any needed clothes, along with any repairs they will require.”

“Well, I would be happy to add you into my clientele. I would need measurements, though, which would require you to be at least mostly clothes-less. Would you be okay with that?”

Coal flinched a bit, his paws playing with the buttons at the end of his coat sleeves. “You couldn’t get the measurements from one of my old sets of clothing?”

Rarity shook her head. “Sorry, but I must have fresh measurements. The clothes just won’t fit right without them, and older clothes have a bit of wear that make it extremely difficult for me to translate into fresh cloth.”

Staring off into space for a bit, Coal eventually sighed. “Alright then. Though I must request the windows closed, and much of the light extinguished.”

Cocking her head to the side, Rarity nodded as her horn lit up, shuttering the windows and dimming the lights in the room.

"Oh, right now?" he asked, surprised.

"Well dear, I'm not doing anything much right now," Rarity said. "I was planning some things when you and Twilight walked in, but the papers can wait. This is much more interesting now, anyhow," she finished with a giggle.

Sighing, Coal took off his hat and coat, handing the coat over to Rarity’s telekinesis. His gloves were the next things to come off, revealing pink flesh and small nails on the tops of the tips of his fingers.

He then pulled down on the knot of his tie, piling it into his upturned hat with his gloves. Unsnapping his suspenders, he pulled them from beneath his vest and set them in there as well, nodding and hoofing over the filled hat.

As Rarity put the items onto a table, Coal unbuttoned his vest, swiftly unhooking the four buttons and pulling the item off. He reached for the top button of his shirt, but paused. Instead, he leaned over and undid the loops on his shoelaces, pulling his dark blue socked feet from the shining black leather before he placed them to the side.

“Are those really…” Rarity started, almost reverently.

“A very convincing substitute, I am afraid,” he said quietly. Rarity looked almost disappointed, but her face lit up when he put a finger to where his mouth would be. Gently taking a shoe in her magic, she looked closely over it as he pulled his tucked shirt out of his slacks.

“Uhm, Twilight… No offense, but could you wait outside the room?” Coal asked. “I’m not particularly comfortable with my body as it is…”

She nodded, trotting over to the door to Rarity’s kitchen. “I’ll be right in here, whenever you’re ready.”

“Oh, it shouldn’t take long, darling,” Rarity said absently, as she levitated several strands of measuring tape around Coal. “Help yourself to anything, of course…”

Twilight nodded, closing the door and walking over to the stove.

“Now, I know Rarity keeps a teapot around here somewhere…”


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Twilight was half-done with the tea she’d brewed when Rarity stalked in, a haunted look in her eyes as she took Twilight’s teacup, looking at the lukewarm liquid before she downed it.

Coal followed her in, dressed back up to his vest but forgoing the tie and gloves for the moment.

Rarity leaned against the bewildered mare, pouring herself another cup of tea and inhaling the warm fumes.

“The cups are over there,” she said to Coal, who nodded and walked over to the cupboard, snagging two more mugs. Walking back, he passed one to Twilight, then poured himself a cup.

“What…?” she started to ask, only to be quickly shushed by Rarity.

“Client confidentiality, Twilight,” she said, waving a hoof in the air. “Nothing too bad, of course, just…” She trailed off, staring intently at Coal’s chest.

“Will you accept my business, then?” He asked, swirling the dark liquid in the cup. Rarity nodded, and he dipped his head towards her.

With his naked hand, he reached up and stroked the surface of the mask, then pushed at the mouth, enlarging it and showing a pair of pink, slightly scarred lips. Tipping the cup carefully, he nodded at Twilight.

“Very good,” he muttered, reaching towards a jar on the table. “But I have a bit of a sweet tooth. May I…?”

Rarity nodded and Twilight pushed two jars towards him, still staring at the mask. Her mind was racing, wondering what had happened in the showroom.

“In any case Rarity, I feel as though I owe you. Feel free to drop by my shop and, depending on the item, pick out something free for yourself.” He opened the jars at the same time, looking down into them. Closing one and pushing it back, he pulled a spoon out of the other jar and drizzled honey into his cup.

“I think a little shopping would do me some good, yes.” She sipped at her cup, blinking owlishly. “But, I’m not exactly sure what it is you sell, I’m afraid.”

“A bit of everything,” he said, sipping at the sweetened drink. “Knickknacks, bric-à-brac, jewelry, antiques, games. Books,” he said, glancing at Twilight, who was suddenly blushing.

“He has a selection of necklaces you might like,” Twilight said, gently nudging her friend with her shoulder.

Rarity pursed her lips, staring thoughtfully into her teacup. “Very well,” she said, smiling at Coal. “I can’t really concentrate on much right now, anyway. Maybe one of your pieces will inspire me, no?”

Coal dipped his head, then drank the remainder of his cup. “Whenever you are ready, then.” He raised himself from the chair, walking over to the sink and bending over to rinse it out. “I remember the way home, if Miss Twilight would rather return to hers? I know you have a book to look over.”

Twilight gasped, remembering the book in her saddlebag. “Rarity, do you mind?” she asked, a large grin moving over her features when her friend nodded. “Okaythanksseeyoulater!”

With a pop, Twilight teleported from the kitchen, leaving her clean cup behind. With a giggle, Rarity floated it over to the cupboard, replacing it. Looking down into her own mug, she finished the last dainty sip, then lifted it over to her sink as she got up. Her eyes widened a bit when Coal snagged the floating mug, quickly rinsing it and placing it beside his own in the sink.

“Why, thank you Coal.”

He dipped his head towards her, drying his paws on a nearby towel.

They walked into the main showroom, collecting Coal’s coat and other clothing items.

“The only thing I may have a problem with,” Rarity said, nodding towards the items as she watched him put on his gloves. “I’ve never made a pair of gloves before, but they don’t seem very difficult.”

“As long as the seam is small and sewn down, I don’t think they’re hard.” He shrugged, looking at the small bit of cloth. Slipping his coat on, he finished with his hat, then sighed heavily. “Whenever you’re ready, Miss Rarity,” he told her.

Grabbing a small set of saddlebags, she levitated them on, then opened the door. She let Coal slip through first, following and closing the locked door behind them.

V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V

They slipped through town quickly, reaching Lender’s with no issues. Slipping a strangely wrought key from his sleeve, he pressed it into the sliver of blackness running across the door knob, quickly unlatching it and holding the door aside for the unicorn.

Passing through the doorway, she shivered as a cold aura crawled over her horn.

“Oh, dear,” she muttered, looking up at it.

“Don’t worry too much about that,” Coal murmured, patting her one of her withers softly. “Just an anti-theft field, and slight magic nullification. As long as you don’t try to teleport, you’ll be fine.” He slipped off his coat and hat, hanging them on the rack next to the door. He ran a gloved paw through his dark mane, fluffing it a bit absently as he stared at the door, before shaking his head.

Moving past her, the minotaur walked up to his counter and moved behind it, doing something underneath the counter that brightened the room, though she could see no source for the light.

“In any case, I welcome you to my shop. Please, feel free to peruse until something catches your eye, and we’ll discuss that deal I mentioned.”

Rarity nodded, already peering around the small shop. It was roughly twice the size as the Sugar-Cube Corner, but glass cases took up plenty of floor-space and made it seem smaller than it was. Wandering over to where there would be windows in the bakery, she found the flat backs of the shelves pointing outside, riddled with shelves who were themselves riddled with small knickknacks and trinkets.

Turning around, she looked over to Coal, who had a set of cards out in front of him, playing some strange tiered game by himself.

“I’m sorry Coal, but I’m honestly not sure what it is I’m looking for…”

Tilting his face to her, he stared for a second, before nodding. Pointing at the door, he made some strange gesture with his hand, the door audibly locking and the sign in the tiny window flipping over, displaying the Open half to the inside.

Walking around the counter, Coal walked over to where the kitchen would be in the bakery’s layout. A full door sat in this doorway, instead of swinging half-doors. Running his key along the wood, the handle clicked and he opened the door, revealing a small room with two other doors. Opening the one on the right, the minotaur disappeared downstairs, waving for Rarity to follow.

Looking down what she expected to be dusty and rickety stairs, she was surprised to see a set of gleaming golden wood planks, leading to a thinly carpeted dark green floor. Walking down the shallow stairs, she was surprised again to see a large couch, and a few cushy looking recliners, surrounding a dark coffee table. A lone clock decorated the wall, some abstract affair whose skinny arms had to jump around every minute that passed to read the correct time.

It was all horribly mismatched, and she felt herself start to lightly sweat. Though she did note a familiar smell embracing the room, one which reminded her of her late grandfather.

“Please, take a seat anywhere,” Coal called from one of the separate rooms. “Do you care for anything in particular to drink?”

“Water, please,” she remarked absently, moving carefully over to a yellow plaid chair, poking it and leaping away. Satisfied it would not bite her, she carefully sat in its plush seat, leaning back slightly and commencing to ignore it entirely.

“Seltzer, maybe mineral?”

“Plain water will do, thank you.”

After a moment, the minotaur walked out of the apparent kitchen with a large mug and a tall glass of clear water. She felt him smirking at her seat as he walked over, unloading the beverages onto the table. She levitated the glass over, sipping delicately as she ran her gaze over the purple monstrosity he sat in. Blinking, she took a larger drink, then gazed at him questioningly.

“Completely pure. There’s no mineral or stray molecule in there,” he said, a little smugly.

“But that’s… That’s nearly impossible…”

“Minotaurs have their ways,” he said, lifting his mug and sipping heavily at the thick liquid. He sighed out after his drink, and Rarity caught the heady smell of spices and anise. “Their boiling, mechanical ways...” He shook his head.

Reaching in his vest and into an inner pocket, he withdrew a plain wooden box and snapped it open, pulling out a thin paper tube and proffering it. She looked at the tube, then back up to Coal, her face wrinkling in confusion.

Shrugging, he took a tube and slid it into the opening for his mouth, before taking a match from the other half of the flat box and popping it alight on his digit. Putting match to tube, he pulled in and started puffing away; a gentle tobacco and char smell saturated the air, settling into it with familiarity.

“Now, let’s talk ‘shop’,” he said, flicking the tobacco tube aside, into a shallow porcelain tray. “You were unimpressed with my wares upstairs, not that I can blame you. This is fine; I do not display everything up there.” He gestured at the other door. “That is my storeroom. It contains every trinket I own, which is much too much to even catalog, much less shift through.

“So,” he said, leaning forward. “Let us get to know you a bit more, Rarity, and mayhaps I can find something to offer you, aye?”

She sat her drink aside, nodding hesitantly.

Flicking his hand at the door, Coal opened it and pulled at the air, items floating out of the darkness within. “Threads that will never break once cut, needles that will never bend or dull, cloths that have been enchanted to shimmer like polished stars, scissors that always cut in a straight line,” he muttered, pointing out clusters of objects as they flowed around the room, creating a circuit along the walls that flowed out of and into the dark room.

“I have many things that could help Rarity the Seamstress,” he proclaimed lazily, dismissing all of the items back into the room with a wave of his hands.

“But,” he said softly as he leaned forward. “What of Rarity the Mare? Rarity the Generous? Rarity, The Element of Harmony?” He leaned back, called his drink to his paw and taking a sip, before sending it back to the table. “Rarity, the Nightmare?”

She bristled, then forced herself to relax. “That part of me no longer exists,” she muttered.

“No, it doesn’t,” he agreed. He cocked his head to the side. “But… But, if you miss the power, then maybe…”

“No,” Rarity snarled, leaning forward and slamming her hooves on the table. “She will never exist, ever again!”

Panting, she slowly calmed her breaths, slowed her heart rate. Coal sat where he was, stirring his drink with a naked digit. When she sat back against the chair, he put down his drink and pulled out a dark purple handkerchief, offering it to the mare.

“Thank you, dear,” she muttered, swiping at her eyes. “Though, I would like to know how you came across the information. It was not exactly a… public affair, you know…?”

“You changed the gods-damned moon, Rarity,” he pointed out, a short bark uttered afterward that Rarity assumed to be a laugh. “The dirt itself noticed.”

“Hmm, fair,” she muttered, looking suspiciously at the carpet for a moment, as though it was the aforementioned dirt,  before shrugging.

“While I have no craving for power,” she started, before pausing and restarting. “I mean… You mentioned, before all of that dreadful nightmare business, that you may have something for Rarity, the Mare? How did you mean, precisely?”

“Oh, well,” Coal said, a bit hesitantly. “I could have meant many things, honestly… I have things for a lady’s mind, and, body,” he said delicately, clasping his hands in his lap. “If you, er…?”

“Oh, oh I… I think I understand, yes.” Rarity coughed into a hoof, before waving it through the air. “I think I’m doing just fine in that area of my life, yes?”

“Right, right of course,” Coal muttered, sipping at his mug. “Well then, I have certain connections in places that may benefit you, as well. Any aspirations to higher things in Canterlot?”

Rarity flinched, trying to cover the action by leaning forward and fetching her tea. “Ah, I prefer to handle such things myself. I’ve have too many things fall through in the past, merely because they’ve been delegated instead of handled personally.”

“No problem, no problem,” Coal said, nodding. “Hmm, mayhaps a connection of a more intimate manner? I happen to know that things fell through, quite heavily, with a certain alabaster prince-ling?”

Having just lifted the cup to her lips, Rarity sighed heavily and set the cup back down.

“No offense, darling, but I doubt a minotaur, new to town, could even begin to know my tastes.”

She could swear that she saw a glinting in his eyes through the mask, and she almost convinced herself that he emitted a small chuckle.

“So, you’re not the sort of mare to look for a gallant Prince, pleasing in looks and mannerisms, with enough gold and heritage to back up any pursuit the couple could wish for?” He leaned back, and this time she knew she heard his chuckle. “Then tell me, dear mare, what it is you look for?”

Smiling, she made herself more comfortable, and proceeded to do just that.

There was next to no interruption from the minotaur, only a hoof-full of questions sprinkled in. Once, he paused her to go into the kitchen, and returned with a refresher for both of their drinks and a box of buttery Madeleine cakes.

Rarity finished speaking for a moment, leaning forward to grab her drink and float one of the small pastries over to her.

Coal waited for her to finish her sipping this time before asking, “And how old did you say the fledgling dragon was?”

“Oh, I didn’t, but I believe Twilight hatched him when she was six, so...” Her eyes unfocused, staring into her teacup. “I believe that makes him… nineteen, or so…”

“And if I may, dear, what is your own age?”

“Oh, I’m just a few months older than Twilight…” she muttered into her cup.

Coal ran a finger around the edge of his cup, absently. “Six years isn’t so far apart, Rarity,” he pointed out, gently.

Rarity didn’t say anything for a moment. Leaning forward, she held a hoof over the ground, a little under her shoulder height.

“When I first met Spike, he was this tall, and still acted very… juvenile, shall we say. He seemed like such a foal, but…” She sipped from her cup before placing it back on the table. “But now that I’m thinking about it, he hasn’t acted like that for… years, now.”

“And I know for a fact that Kirin are not extremely rare in the countries bordering the dragon countries, so that throws the issue of crossbreeding out the window…” Coal said thoughtfully, cocking his head at her sudden redness. “What exactly is still holding you back, Rarity dear?”

She stared into his face, somehow getting across a gentle humor even now.

“You must show me what is beyond your covering one day,” she said, absently.

Even as she stared, all warmth seemed to melt away, cold steel gleaming even as he chirped out, “Perhaps. Even so… Is your request truly so easy? An ear to listen and an outside perspective?”

Shivering, she nodded quickly. “Oh, yes dear, especially if…” She blushed, looking away.

Chuckling, Coal nodded. “Especially if, right. For the time, however, I believe my lunch break must be over…?”

Glancing at the strange clock, Rarity stared at it for a few seconds before making out that it was currently the third hour after noon.

“Oh, my, it is a bit late, isn’t it? You can’t have walked in to the boutique much later than noon, and we returned here not too much longer after…”

“Nonetheless,” he said, waving absently at the clock. “I need to return to the store. If you’ll meet me up there, I’ll put away the dishes down here,” he said as he snuffed out the smoking tube, the second, in the same nearby tray, reaching for the cups with his other paw.

“Oh, nonsense, you don’t need to see me out,” Rarity started, pausing when Coal shook his head.

“I have one other thing to talk about, if you please. It’ll be quick, though, I promise.”

“Oh, well, I suppose I am in no rush… I’ll wait in front of the counter?”

The minotaur nodded absently as he gathered the remaining items on the squat table, whisking them into the door opposite the one she left by, quickly trotting up the stairs and into the main area of the shop. She barely had a moment to cast another glance around the room before Coal was behind the counter, setting out three small items.

“I am not altogether comfortable just giving out speech for a favor, so I’ve taken the liberty of withdrawing three small items for the Seamstress,” he said, pulling out a small paper bag and setting it beside the selection.

Picking up the items one by one, he briefly displayed each before tossing them into the bag.

“A spool of thread enchanted to match the color of the cloth surrounding it, a bobbin set that discourages entanglement inside the machine, and,” he held up a paper packet, shaking it gently before tossing it in with the others, “a set of three needles, strengthened and worked to stay both sharp and straight. None of them are machine needles, I’m afraid, but I’m sure you still feel a need to free-hoof certain items?”

“Special things, yes...” she muttered, glancing into the bag and back up into the minotaur’s mask. “You are sure? I see our conversation as repayment enough, these...”

“Could be considered a bonus, then,” he said, firmly.

Bowing her head for a moment, she levitated the items over to her back and secured them with a simple sticky spell, placing it on her spine.

“Thank you very much for stopping by, then,” Coal said, a bit awkwardly. “I do hope to see you again, whether to shop, or to just spin a tale on how your...” he cocked his head to the side, tapping a digit on the counter for a second before straightening.

“Well, on how your conversation with Spike goes.”

She blushed at his tone, giggling slightly as she asked, “Coal, darling, are you perhaps asking for… Hmm…” She looked around the store dramatically, before leaning forward and stage whispering a single word.

“Gossip?”

“Nothing of the sort, my dear,” he muttered, waving a paw through the air. “I would merely like to follow up on the favor. I try my best to not do things halfway, you see.”

She looked up at him from the corner of an eye; her smirk rapidly disappeared under his ever unfaltering gaze.

“Ah, well. I suppose it was a bit too much to hope for another conversationalist,” she muttered, turning to the doors. “The spa sisters, I’m glad to tell you, have no compunctions when it comes to the matter of gossip.  In case you ever change your mind, of course.”

“Of course. Farewell, Rarity.”

As soon as she was clear of his doorway, Coal sighed heavily, resting his face in his hands as his elbows propped him on the counter.

“It had to be relationship bull,” he muttered, reaching into his shirt and pulling out another cigarette. Sliding in into his lips, he popped another match and lit it as he pulled a stool over to sit on. “Here’s to hoping I didn’t just fuck something up,” he muttered, pulling off his right glove for a moment to flick his fingers towards the door, flipping the sign over.

“Gods, let the next one be easier.”
> Chapter the Second
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coal looked up at the jingling of a bell, looking towards the front of the shop. Placing a finger purposefully in between two pages of his book, he met the eyes of the pony wandering in.

"Well hello there," he said, slipping a small piece of paper into the book as the small mare closed the door. "Welcome to Lender's, the curio store with a little bit of everything. Anything I can help you with?"

Nervously, the puce-maned mare looked around at the shelves decorating the floor around her. Her entire coat seemed to be shivering, blurring her rose-shaped cutie mark.

"W-w-well, I-I was wonder, wondering, if-"

Coal cocked his head to the side, before pulling the book back up.

"Got dared to go into the weird store, huh?" he asked, looking for his spot on the page again.

He heard a gulp, and looked up into the guilty face of the pony.

"That's alright," he said, soothingly. "If nothing else, you get to look over what I have. If everything goes alright, I might even get a sale," he chuckled, "so please, relax. You're welcome here."

The pony did not look altogether convinced, but she did at least look less likely to wet his carpet, so Coal turned back to his book and wandered through the lines as she walked through his aisles.

"Uhm, sir?"

Marking the line with his hand, he once again looked up from his book. Taking a second, he finally glanced her looking at him from over one of the freestanding shelves.

"Yes, dear?" he asked, slipping that same slip of paper into his book.

"W-what exactly are these, s-sir?" she asked, holding up a large paper sleeve.

"Ah," he said, nodding to her, "a fine selection. You are holding what is called a Record. If one has a player, you would be able to listen to audio that has been stamped into the grooves of the disc."

"Audio?" she asked, her ears perked towards him and all hesitation dissolved.

"Well, yes. Music, singing, even some political speeches and college lessons have been embossed onto records. You happen to be holding on to a selection by the Royal Canterlot Orchestra."

Looking around the store, the pony deflated a bit. "I don't have a player," she started, "and I'm sure something so advanced would be expensive..."

"Perhaps," Coal said, finally placing his book on the counter. Standing, he stretched a bit and cracked his spine by arching it with his forelegs. Walking around the counter, he neared the pony and started rummaging through the shelves nearby.

After a minute, he pulled a thick paper box from behind a group of vases and walked it over to the counter. Looking around himself, he nodded when the pony appeared beside him, still holding the record.

"This is perhaps not the fanciest player in the land," he said, removing the top from the box and pulling out a crank and a large brass disk. Pulling at the brass, he elongated it to resemble a sort of trumpet. "It's designed to be small and portable, so the sound is stunted a bit." He pulled a wooden box from inside the other one, and placed the trumpet on top of it and affixed the crank to one side. With a finishing flourish, he pulled a small arm from the top of the wooden box, which snapped briskly into place.

"May I?" he asked, holding out a hand. The pony held out the paper sleeve, and the minotaur pulled out a black disc with circling grooves covering both sides. He gently set it on a padded circle on top of the wooden box which seemed to perfectly fit the disc. Moving the box slightly, he cleared the crank from the counter and begun winding it.

A quiet clicking could be heard from inside the box, before suddenly the crank went rigid. A very light blue magical aura surrounded the top of the box, and the disc started to slowly spin on its pad. The arm jerked up, then slowly moved over the disc before gently descending upon it.

A scratchy sound filled the air first, a soft hissing of air. Then, quietly, the sound was replaced by a piano. At first it was played gently, solemnly, a single note blessing the air at a time. Soon the song was joined by a violin, the tempo picking up and coming to a sweet swelling before all the energy seemingly drained away. The violin fell back, and by the end of the song, the piano was once again alone, playing softly.

Coal leaned forward and pressed an insert on the box. The arm moved away from the disc, reclaiming its position to the side. The disc slowly came to a stop, and he pulled it from the pad and slid it back into the paper sleeve.

With his free hand, he reached up to his breast pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Flipping it open lightly, he offered it out to the pony.

She looked up at him, a bit surprised, and started to asked him why. As she inhaled, her face let her know of a cold spot. Reaching up with a hoof, her eyes widened as she felt tears running around her muzzle.

"O-oh, uhm, thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling and husky. "I-I don't-"

"It's alright," he said. "Again, that was two of the Royal Canterlot Orchestra. If any music could move a pony, it would be from those two."

She nodded as she mopped at her face. "Still, I d-don't usually cry in front of strangers. I have to be making you uncomfortable..."

"Not at all," he murmured. "I've found that the strangest things move deeply within certain hearts. I'm not unused to tears."

She looked up at him. There was a strange air around the minotaur, like he wanted to continue.

Instead, he turned back towards the record player and started pulling it apart, gently refolding the horn and pulling out the crank.

She watched him get it ready to go back in the paper box, then gave a small start. "Oh, uhm, I think I am wanting to purchase that," she said, blushing a bit. "Especially with your record selection over there."

"No problem at all," he said smoothly, placing the lid back on the box. "I will tell you though, it's the only record player you're likely to see out of Canterlot, and perhaps Manehatten. The price will reflect this, a bit."

"How much?" she asked, looking longingly at the box.

"Hmmm," Coal hummed appraisingly. "I think about fifty bits will cover it. With an extra ten bits, I'll throw in a limited... Well, it's called a warranty. If something goes wrong with the device, I'll look it over and fix what I can. As long as it doesn't look like you've broken it through disservice, that is."

Biting her lip, the mare pulled out her coin purse and looked inside of it. Thinking for a while, she sighed before nodding. "I'll take it, with the warranty. As well as two of your discs."

Coal nodded, sliding behind the counter and pulling out a ledger. "Each disc will cost a different amount. The one we just played will be eleven bits."

She did another counter, before her ears turned back. "Ehrm, just the one disc today," she said, blushing a bit.

Nodding absently, Coal looked down to the ledger and pulled out a quill from beneath the counter. With a quick scratching, he recorded the two items before pulling out a silver box. Pressing his thumb into a latch, he opened the box and looked up at the pony.

Looking once more at the purse, she held up the pouch to him.

With a quick deftness she had only seen from unicorns, he counted out the coins in neat stacks on the hard counter space. With the purse mostly empty, they each confirmed the correct amount between them.

Placing several of the stacks into the lock-box, Coal hesitated as he looked at the remain two, short, stacks of coin.

"I seem to have over counted," he said slowly, closing the silver box. As the pony stared up at his hidden countenance, he quickly slid the two stacks back into her purse before holding it out to her.

"We both counted, that was the right amount of coin," she said, shaking her head and pushing the cloth bag back towards the minotaur. "I don't want you to short-charge yourself-"

Gently, he pressed the coins into her hoof and pushed her leg down.

"I don't want you to starve for something you didn't intend on buying," he said firmly. "Call it a favor, among friends," he said, and she could hear the gentle smile from behind the mask.

Looking up into the dark eyes for a moment, she nodded before replacing the purse in her mane. "A favor, then," she said, nodding.

"Maybe you could take me out to dinner sometime?" Coal asked, smile now dancing behind the dark slot of his mask. He laughed when her face fell, before leaning over and placing both the record player and her chosen disc on her back.

"Completely in a platonic sense, of course," he chuckled. "I've only been here a week, so I don't know all the good places to eat yet."

She sighed, before smiling up at him and nodding.

"That sounds fair," she said, before holding out a hoof. "I'm Roseluck, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Roseluck," he said, giving her hoof a shake. "Coal Prower."

"So, when do you plan on closing up shop, Coal?" Roseluck asked.

"Oh, around sixish," he said, giving a shrug with his shoulders. "Do you want to hit up a restaurant tonight, then?"

"Well, I'm not up to much tonight," she said, blushing and mussing with the carpet with a forehoof.

He nodded, and she felt him smiling out from behind his mask.

"That sounds lovely, Roseluck, thank you," he said, nodding.

They stared at each other for a moment, before she squeaked out, "Okay, see you tonight!" and turned to the door.

He chuckled at her as she left, and he was smirking at the door for a few seconds after she left.

"Damned cute ponies," he muttered to himself, before he looked around the counter. Reaching over, he snagged the book he'd left there. Flicking it open, he riffled through the pages until he found his bookmark.

He'd just settled back into it when the small bell over the door rang again. Two mares looked over the shop nervously, both with flower cutie marks. Sighing, he closed the book and straightened his back again.

"Hi, I'm Coal. Welcome to Lender's."
> Chapter the Third
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coal stood in the middle of his store, looking around as he busied himself with taking inventory. It was mostly out of habit at this point. It was late in the night, almost into the morning, and he wasn't even sure as to why he was still awake.

He held a hot mug beneath his mask and breathed in the vapor rising from the coffee that was the only reason he was still awake. He barely remembered making the brew, but he cherished the warmth in his hands if nothing else. He'd barely sipped at the concoction, still hoping to be asleep soon.

Looking around the twilight almost darkness of the room, he felt that familiar tickle underneath his skin that kept him from sleeping. Shaking the feeling away, he quickly looked around the shop, trying to find anything out of place.

The issue resolved itself shortly when a hoof knocked on his door.

A shiver ran up his spine, and he felt that he'd been waiting on this particular customer.

Walking over, he inspected his simple white and blue striped pajamas and made sure his mask was firmly in place. Nodding, he unlocked the door and pulled it open a bit.

"Hi, can I help you?" he asked his customer.

Listening, he nodded after a minute. "Sure, but opening the store just for you will cost you extra."

He listened for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. In that case, welcome to you. My name is Coal, and this is Lender's." Moving aside, he gestured inside the store.

He watched the customer enter, then closed the door. He didn't bother with the lock, but he did reach out with a spread hand and twist it in the air. Slowly, the light in the shop increased, bathing everything inside with a gentle yellow glow.

Watching his customer for a moment, he walked over to the door at the back of the store. "Coffee? I have some decent tasting instant mix."

The customer spoke to him again, and he nodded, walking into the back room. He paused for a second, his head cocked, before walking to his kitchen. Setting a kettle on the stove, he spooned a bit of fresh coffee into a mug. The water was quick to boil, and he stirred in a little sugar with the water.

Taking the mug, he carefully walked back in to the main room of his shop.

"Ah," he said as he spotted the customer, "this must be for you." He held the mug out to them, and they took it. "I hope I made it right."

They murmured to Coal, and he was reassured. Standing around, he walked over to his mug and sipped at it, watching the customer as they moved slowly through the aisles. After a moment he put out a hand and pulled a thing wooden box from the air.

"Smoke?" he asked.

Listening to them, he nodded before rolling a tube of paper and herbs for himself and lighting it. A soft purple cloud exhaled from the slit in his mask, and he nodded at it.

"At least you're not like some of the other customers I've had like you." They spoke to him. "Oh yeah. I had one that was radioactive, made me go get a lead suit just to sell them a wooden toy. Eleven gold, for all of that trouble."

He listened for a moment, before saying, "Sounds rough. Most people like you were trying for something like this when it became permanent, but an unlucky few are just cursed."

They asked him a question, and he shook his head sadly.

"Unfortunately, I'm not completely immune. Not really immune at all, but I've had enough of these sorts of conversations to know what needs to be said. I can remember my side of the talks well enough, which is rare but not unheard of."

They spoke to him, before turning back to the shelves.

He took a pull on his smoke, letting the cloud seep out of his mouth before taking a sip of his coffee. "Any more of you around, that you know of?"

They spoke, and he nodded.

"Good, although not definitive. Sometimes you can be hidden from each other, depending on the situation."

They spoke to him, and he nodded.

"Oh yeah, there could be another one out there who you could be forgetting, just like with you. All depends on the cause."

They spoke for a moment, before picking something up from one of his shelves.

"Ah, right," Coal said, a little surprised. "I forgot you were looking for something. You've got some coin, right? Because I had one of you who thought I would just forget him as soon as I blinked, and tried to take off with some stuff. Burnt their tail off trying to get them out of my shop."

They spoke, and a bag of coins appeared on the counter.

Looking at what they were holding, Coal reached into the bag and felt out some coins. Waiting for his hand to finish the process, he looked down and counted out ninety bits in his palm. Looking at the purse, it was still quite full.

"I've got ninety. Acceptable?"

They said something, and when Coal looked at the counter again the purse was gone. Coal walked around the counter, then pulled out a lock-box. Opening the latch, he placed the money inside before pulling out his ledger.

Blinking, he yawned and looked around the empty store. Looking down at the counter, he saw two mugs. Both smelled of coffee, but his favorite mug was still half full while the other was empty.

Looking around his store again, he reached over to the till he kept on the counter and pulled a sheaf of papers from below it. Shuffling the pages, he found the one he wanted.


Unknowables



III


Yawning, he looked over his ledger to see what they had bought. A music box, apparently, one of the older ones with tines and a music cylinder.

"Hope it was worth keeping me up for," he muttered, before walking over to the door and locking it. Twisting his spread hand in the air, he dimmed the lights in the store dramatically before scooping up the mugs on the counter and heading downstairs.
> Chapter the Fourth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coal huffed as he counted the stitches again, hurling them away as he confirmed his fear.

"How the fuck do you even go from twenty-five stitches to forty-two?" he yelled after the gray yarn, cradling his masked face in his hands afterward with a sigh.

The tangle didn't answer.

The bell at the front of his shop, however, let out a small jingle as it was disturbed from its rest by the large door beneath it. Looking up, Coal noted the vibrant hair atop of pinkish-red eyes and a sky blue coat.

"Looking for a pair of cursed knitting needles?" he asked, nearly pleadingly.

The pony blinked at him, confused thoroughly, and their mouth cracked open to let out a half-formed, "What?"

He still wasn't sure if it was a mare or a stallion.

"I just said 'Welcome to the store'," he quickly muttered. "My name's Coal. Looking for anything in particular today?" He glanced over at the trail of yarn that led to a dark gray skein on his countertop. "Craft supplies?"

"Uh, no," said the pony with a scrunch of their rounder face. "I was told that this place had some neat old stuff. I was wondering if you have some old stuff that used to belong to the Wonderbolts?"

"The what?" he asked.

"Ya' know, the Wonderbolts?" she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Who?" Coal asked, his tone slightly too confused to be completely serious.

"The elite flying group with ties to the E.U.P Guards of Equestria? The first ponies dispatched when you need speed and precision? The best and strongest fliers in the known worlds?" she deadpanned.

Coal reached up and scratched his head.

"... Where?" he asked.

The pegasus made a disbelieving noise in her throat and her eyes widened, one eyelid flicking up and down quickly as she stared at the creature on the other side of the room.

He stared at her for another second before shrugging. "Yeah, figured that one was too far." He reached into his shirt pocket, pulling out a thin silver rectangle. "What kind of stuff you looking for? Out of print posters, old action figures?"

Snorting, the pegasus made her way up to the counter before looking around the rest of the shop.

"I dunno, Twilight and Rarity just said you have some cool junk and I thought maybe you might have picked up some of their old equipment or something?"

"Ah," said Coal, nodding as he brought up his ledger. "You're after the lore items then. You want the story behind the memorabilia, not just something with a logo on it."

She slowly sounded out the long word, silently, before shaking her head. "Uh, sure. Just, something cool."

Coal stared at her for exactly the length of time something would need for an eyebrow to be raised.

"I've got a 'The Protomares' record in the back if you just want something cool," he said, raising a paw and pointing at the door behind the counter. "And a pair of aviators signed by Raul Panther the Third. Those're pretty cool."

The blue mare scrunched her face again. "Who? No, just, augh-" She shook her head, clearing her mind and taking a breath. "Do you. Have any. Cool old. Wonderbolts things."

Coal leaned forward over the counter, propping the bottom of his mask in his paw as his elbow rested on the counter.

"You're a stubborn one, aren'tcha," he slowly asked, gazing through the mask at the mare.

The mare let out a snort, glaring into the dark slits of the shopkeeper's eyes.

The stared at each other for a minute before Coal shrugged. Reaching beneath his register, he pulled a massive book from beneath the counter and started flipping through it, searching for something in the lines of neat, precise ink.

"How old are you..." Coal started to ask, looking back up at the mare, trailing off as he looked at her.

"Cool old stuff," he muttered, his gaze returning to the book as his digits continued to play along the lines and through the pages.

The mare sat in front of the counter, waiting... well, waiting quietly at least, her hair bobbing as she looked around the shop.

"What's that thing?" she asked, pointing towards a strange silver cylinder on a stand to the side.

"Scroll case," he muttered, glancing at it before looking back at the book. "Keeps your scrolls dry. Looks fancy."

"Oh," she murmured, looking around the store again. "How about that?" she asked, pointing towards something that looked like a bat skeleton with a weird head on it.

"Model pterodactyl," he said, barely looking up. "Ancient being that used to be around long, long, loooooooong before ponies."

"Oh," she said again, hesitating on the skeleton before looking around once more. "What about that?"

She looked back to Coal, only to find his masked face a few inches from hers. She blinked, flinching away heavily. When her eyes opened again, Coal was still where he had been a moment ago, looking at her over the book.

"Something cool," he said with a chill in his voice. "Something probably old. Almost definitely not something of the Wonderbolts', though."

Her ears folded back, and she turned away from the minotaur, a large frown on her face.

He watched her for another moment, before returning to his book, flipping through it towards the end. After a minute, he cleared his throat.

"I've found a couple of things you may be interested in," he said, finally looking up from the tome of his own accord. "One is a leather bracelet, worn by one of the founding Wonderbolts. The other is an old helmet, made of gold and steel, worn by the guards who would become the Wonderbolts. It's from about eighty or so years before their founding, though," he finished, looking over the counter at the mare.

"How much is the bracelet?" she asked, reaching over her shoulder and pulling a large bag of bits from its place under her wing joint.

"Well," he said slowly, "it belonged, once again, to one of the founding members of the renowned crew of fliers known now as the Wonderbolts." He drew a circle on the counter in front of him, placing his paw flat over it before flipping his hand up and displaying a thick brown band that unfolded from his palm to nearly half a meter long.

The rainbow-haired mare quickly went to snag it off the counter, her foreleg moving as quick as a released arrow.

"Yeooow!" she yelled, mostly in surprise, as a bolt of magic shot down from the ceiling and into the frog of her hoof, zapping her hard enough to make her tail stand straight out and causing her to drop her bit bag.

Coal clucked his tongue towards her. "Careful moving too fast like that," he groused, moving the leather thong back towards him. "The anti-shoplifting runes will think you're..." He paused oddly, cocking his head towards the mare.

"Up to something," he finished.

"I just wanna look at it!" she half-yelled at him, rubbing the sore part of her hoof against her chest fur.

"Then ask, oh impatient one," he said, holding the flat cord out to her.

She gingerly reached out and took the cord in both of her hooves, taking a long moment to look over the long piece of leather.

"This doesn't look much like a bracelet," she groused, spreading her hooves and making a show of measuring out the cord. It was well over the length of one of her forelegs, and she could honestly almost stretch her legs out completely.

"Well, ponies in the older days were larger, longer-legged and thicker too," he said, reaching out and gently pulling one of her hooves towards the counter. He started looping the bracelet over and over on her leg, reaching from her fetlock up to just over her elbow and tying off both ends.

Stretching out and moving the limb, she found the strap to be very flexible and comfy against her leg. Turning it over, she saw a series of old runes stamped into the work that was quite misaligned, barely even on the same side of her foreleg.

"Wassat say?" she asked, nodding to the old letters.

Looking over the runes, the minotaur took a moment to pull up a piece of paper, scribbling on it as he read over the runes. "With this here, that means, u as in oo... black spaced white spots passion..."

He looked over the notes. "Star anger?" he said, unsure.

"Star Fury!?" she asked, once again excitedly looking over the runes. "She was the second captain of the Wonderbolts, after Sky Ranger had to retire after pulling a wing muscle!" She pulled the leg back and started looking over the straps, and the runes that were so deeply punched into the leather.

"I'll give you eighty bits," she said, picking up the purse and opening it.

"Now, hold-" Coal started to say until she blew a strand of her hair out of her face and plopped the bag down on the counter.

"A hundred bits," she said, giving a small smile and a cocked eyebrow.

"Listen," Coal tried again, the smile falling off of her face.

"One twenty-five, and not a bit more," she said, forcefully this time, her teeth almost audibly clipping off the last of her sentence.

"You're not-" he started, only to have her stand on one of her hind legs and push the purse towards him.

"Look, there's at least a hundred and fifty bits in here," she said, smiling and nodding as she said, "I'll just wear this out, thank you, bye."

She turned and started towards the door, walking at a trot and almost bouncing through the air like a certain pink pony. After a moment, she stopped, walking slower and slower, until she reached a stop.

Looking behind herself, she saw she was, maybe, four hoofsteps away from the counter.

"What the," she muttered, flicking out her wings and taking flight, speeding her way towards the door, reaching out with her hooves and pushing herself. Slowly her wings started feeling leaden, her forelegs drooping, sweat pouring down her face as she tried her hardest to make any sort of headway towards the entrance of the shop.

She fluttered towards the ground, splaying out on the wooden floor as she ceased the buzzing of her wings, drinking in the heavy air around her as she tried to look around herself to mark her progress.

She'd moved about an inch from where she'd been.

She heard a metallic scraping behind her, and she pushed her head through the dense air to look at the source of the noise.

Coal sat on the counter, his thin legs crossed as one of his arms stretched out to his side to support him, the other holding a silver box with a small flame on top of it. Slowly he held the flame to a small white stick of paper leading to the slash that was his mouth.

"What are you?" she slurred, her tongue feeling heavy as the words drifted through the air.

Ignoring her, Coal flicked the silver box closed with an audible snap before placing it within the vest he carried. Reaching behind himself, he seemed to feel around under his counter before pulling out two pieces of wood. One was a cube with a hinge running around the width of the hunk, and the other was some strange square with a handle leading out of one side.

Jumping soundlessly down from the counter, he moved to her front and gently pushed her hair to one side of her face.

She shivered twice as he knelt in front of her. The first time was from just how burning hot his digits were as he moved her hair. The second was when he unclasped the box and dunked the other piece of wood into it, before placing the freezing chunk to her head. As he pulled it away, she noted a strange design carved into the surface that had just touched her.

Closing the box, he held both items in his left paw before he grabbed her leg with the bracelet in his right paw. Quickly he ran his palm over the leather, the strip disappearing as he moved over it. With a small flourish he was finished, both hands completely empty and all three objects gone.

Walking over to the door, he opened it and looked expectantly at her.

"Good day, Miss Dash," he said, reaching out and making a scooping motion through the air towards her that finished with his paw outside the door.

She felt a soft force gather beneath her rump that moved under her, and then she was being rapidly moved towards the exit.

Just before she hit the portal she felt all of the force beneath and around her vanish, and she found herself launched into the air just in front of the shop. Quickly flapping her wings she caught herself, soaring through the air and circling into a slightly rough landing.

Quickly she snorted, feeling the anger coursing through her at the rough treatment as she planted her hooves and started stomping towards the door.

As she moved, she felt the cold mark on her head start to heat up, and as she neared the door she felt more and more force being applied to her forehead, as though she were a filly and the shop was a bully with longer forelegs.

"You'll regret this!" she yelled at the door, still ten feet away.

To her surprise the door opened, and Coal stood there with his blank mask just gazing at her.

Without a word, he tossed two things just in front of her, within easy reach even with the strange mark on her forehead.

The first thing she noticed was her coin purse, looking unmolested and plump as it had been to begin with.

The second thing was a pair of metal sticks with dark gray fabric stretched between them.

She looked up at him, bewildered.

"Banned," he said, holding his arms up so they crossed in front of his chest. "May your yarn always become tangled."

He turned and slammed the door behind him.
> Chapter the Fifth: Coal goes on a walk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coal glanced around himself, lifting a handkerchief to wipe at the back of his neck. Normally he'd pay somepony to be doing stuff like this for him, but nopony seemed interested in the pay he'd offered them. They'd actually looked confused, then played it off as a joke.

"That'll be three bits for the bagful, sir."

"Ah, yes," he muttered, jumping slightly at the words pulled him from his reverie, reaching into a pocket and letting three coins slip into his palm, then onto the counter between them. "Uhm, thank you."

The stallion nodded up at him carefully before scooping the coin into a lock-box under the stall's counter.

He lifted the grouping of chard and pressed it carefully into the large canvas sack he had strapped to his thigh, emulating a saddlebag as much as he could.

He dipped his head again at the stallion before moving awkwardly away, shifting his vest nervously as he wandered towards the flour mill. As he walked along he traced old arcane symbols into his palms with his thumbs, not putting any intent into them but just tracing the lines as he moved through a crowd that barely gave him a first glance, much less a second.

He supposed that passing two months with no larger issue than one angry mare would numb even the smallest town to the weirdness that was his store.

As his mind wandered he found himself at the stall in front of the mill much sooner than he'd been prepared for. As he haggled down the price for a bag of flour he found his mind firing and drawing, well, not conclusions. Suspicions.

As he slipped the hefty bag of flour into his thigh pouch, he moved to the side and peered into town, lifting a gloved hand and pushing up a thumb, as though to blot out the market.

"Sir?" asked a voice down by his hip, causing Coal to look down at the vendor behind the stall, dirt-brown of body and dirty-blonde of mane. "Can I ask, uhm-?"

"I didn't walk long enough to be here," Coal told him, the nervous inflection that had been tinging his voice for the afternoon lost. "I was in the middle of the market not too long ago, you see, and I was walking this way to buy my last item. And before I knew it, I was here," he said, gesturing to the stall.

"Ah," said the stallion, nodding and looking into town. "I myself have found often been lost in thought while traveling around town, and at my destination before I knew it."

"Well now, that's the thing," Coal said, bending his knees and squatting beside the pony. "I have not. As a matter of fact, I do not get lost within my own thoughts, especially when I need my head around. So I could not have been lost in my thoughts, not while walking through town," he concluded, holding both paws up and framing the market between digits. "So now I'm attempting to measure the distance between here and there, to see how long it should have taken, and then I'm going to walk it again to see how long it does take."

The stallion gazed up at him for a moment, slowly frowning, before looking towards the distant wooden market. "Well buck," he whispered, his ears twitching.

The two males stood there, measuring in their heads for a few moments before Coal stood up.

"Alright, so, it should take me around twenty minutes to travel, what is that, like five-thousand feet?" Coal said, looking down for confirmation.

"Feet?" the stallion asked, his brow creased.

"About a mile," Coal said, the stallion glancing at the center of the market and slowly nodding.

"That's a bit longer than it would take me, but I guess you've got two less legs than I do," he said. "Hold on though, before you start. You've piqued my interest and I'd like to try it out with you."

Coal nodded absently, still gazing into the market, and the pony closed the window on the stall that was part of the mill before putting up an 'on break' sign. "Alright mister minotaur, whenever you're ready."

Coal nodded, before looking down and offering his clenched paw. "Coal," he said.

"Barley Bran," the pony said, gently pressing his hoof against the knuckles. "Not usually a pony of science, but I've definitely heard the 'curiosity hurt the cat' phrase before."

Coal chuckled. "My kind of pony. Don't suppose you grow barley then? I've got some uses for the grain."

"I do actually," he said, as they stood in front of the stall. Cracking the cover open a notch, he pointed at a separate woven bag. "That one's barley flour, but if you meant it when you said you wanted the actual grains, I got a couple of bags in the back for ponies that like to make tea out'a the stuff."

"Fantastic, I'll liberate one of those bags from you after the return trip," Coal said as he rubbed his paws together. "In the meantime, though, shall we?"

They were quiet in the beginning, keeping their eyes on the market and the road in front of them. Coal frowned when he heard Barley start whistling, but after a moment of focus was able to block it out. As a matter of fact, he was so successful at blocking out the whistling, that after a few paces he discovered he couldn't hear his hoof-steps anymore. After a moment an exclamation mark went off in Coal's head, and he paused in his steps to look down at Barley.

The pony wasn't there anymore.

Frowning heavily, Coal looked behind himself to see if he'd outpaced the distracted pony, but saw nothing but birds in the sparse trees on the trail behind him.

There was the sound of approaching hooves, and Coal turned back towards town in time to see Barley Bran himself, galloping towards the biped.

"What the buck, Coal?" Barley panted out, slowing to a stop in front of Coal. "We were walking, then I started whistling and looking around the path, and when I looked forward again I was in the marketplace!"

Coal hummed, tapping the mask's bottom point. "I think you lost concentration, and that let whatever is happening to distance here happen. Whatever force is doing this took hold of you, and carried you along to your intended finishing point, the market."

Barley frowned.

"So, some mysterious force teleported me to my destination as soon as I wasn't paying attention?" he summed up, his frown deepening when Coal nodded. "What has that sort of power?"

"Depends," said Coal, once again sitting on his heels as he stared into town, tapping the mask over his face. "Local distortion like this has been known to crop up by itself, in places of power or many lives, or even in places where power is used consistently. Powerful teleportations, in this particular case, I presume."

They both jumped a bit when a particular purple pony princess popped into presence beside them.

"There you are Barley, I've been looking for you!" Twilight Sparkle said, laying a hoof on Barley Bran's shoulder. "I ran out of tea ages ago!"

With a popping noise, both ponies disappeared from beside Coal.

Slowly, he raised a hand with a singlular digit pointed skyward, before dropping his arm beside him and shrugging.

"Gods damned miniature physics breakers," he murmured under his breath, patting his pockets as he started on his way back to his store. As he walked, the ponies that were around him took notice of a jaunty tune being whistled from below his mask as he strode along.