"Mommy! Mommy!" a little white foal exclaimed with excitement as it pressed its face into the display window, "Can we go inside?!"
The display window was made of a myriad of countless little pieces of glass colored in all imaginable colors, and behind the breathtaking display of craftsmanship was something even more beautiful... Toys. Countless toys of so many different shapes and sizes that it seemed impossible for all of them to find a place within in the display. Yet there they were.
Puppets, dolls of all the races of Equestria, little tin soldiers, wind-up ponies that pranced and jumped as if they were real, little figurines carved so delicately that one could stare at them for hours and still find some new, hidden detail. Not even the tiniest part of the designs was left to chance, no nuance of the toys without thought... everything was made to fascinate and bring joy.
"Snowflake, honey." his mother replied with a soothing voice, "These things look terribly expensive."
The price wasn't actually the real issue. The mare had already heard of the little shop... of course she had, ponies everywhere where absolutely crazy for anything the human produced in his little shop. Human, that word still sounded strange to her. As far as she knew he was the only one in all of Equestria, and nopony really knew anything much about him or what he even looked like but the moment he had opened the small shop the ponies had gone insane for his creations.
The really strange part though, was his agenda of sale.
You couldn't just go and buy anything from the shop directly, no... the human selected those who had the privilege of buying from him. His prices weren't even high, but the fact that not just anypony could get them combined with how few he sold quickly set up a collector's market unlike any other before. To many ponies, his works were nothing less but art... and they were willing to pay ridiculous sums to obtain them.
And still, ponies from all over Equestria took it upon them to journey to the small and secluded village at the border simply to marvel at his creations... and just maybe get lucky enough to get selected. Blue Fern wasn't among those. Her job demanded of her to travel a lot, and as she was a single mother there was no alternative than to bring her foal along with her wherever she went.
"Please, mom!" Snowflake begged, "I just want to look at them!"
"But what if you break anything?" she asked with concern, "And I still have to finish my work..."
"If I may..." the two looked up to see that the sales mare had pushed herself past the countless visitors to step outside, "You can rest assured that the toymaker is absolutely fine with foals playing with his toys. If anything is broken, it can be repaired easily." she said with a kind voice, "All visitors of his shop are free to enjoy themselves as much as they want."
"See, mom?!" Snowflake almost cried with excitement, "You can just pick me up on your way back!"
Blue Fern hesitated, "Is it really alright? I do not wish to burden you with looking after my foal..."
The sales mare nodded, "It is no problem at all. We'll keep a good look over him to make sure he isn't lost."
Blue Fern turned to Snowflake, "Alright, but only if you promise to behave and be here when I return."
The little foal gave a shout of joy, "Yay! You're the best, mom!" and dashed inside the shop with a huge smile on his face.
"Such youth..." the sales mare laughed softly, "He really enjoys it when the little ones find joy with his toys."
Blue Fern nodded with a small smile of her own, "It is really kind of him to let them play with his toys... thank you very much."
The mare gave her a warm smile, "Like I said, it is no problem at all. This is our purpose, after all."
Inside the little shop, Snowflake found himself at a complete loss for words. The display outside had already been a thing of wonder to him, but inside... it was like a miracle coming to life in front of his own eyes. The walls, even the ceiling... everything was covered with countless toys, and none was like the other.
Everywhere around him, laughter of joy filled the air as little foals played with the beautiful toys and adult ponies swooned over the details and craftsmanship of the marvelous creations. The whole shop was like a little wonderland of its own.
As Snowflake walked through the little shop, his eyes constantly jumping from one toy to the other, he found something the likes of which he had never seen before. Puppets with strings attached to them.
Dozens of them in varying shapes and sizes hung from the walls at the far end of the shop. There were puppets that looked like ponies, others that looked like diamond dogs and even changelings... or yet even of a shape he had never seen before. What really stunned the little foal though, was the detail. Even with the joints connecting the parts of the puppets with one another, even with the strings and in spite of their small size... they looked so real he almost expected them to jump off the wall and start moving at any moment.
To the side, another sales pony was giving a demonstration with one of the puppets, and as the mare moved about two pieces of wood that were connected to the strings... the puppet moved too. It was the most beautiful thing Snowflake had ever seen.
The movements looked so smooth, so realistic that he even forgot about the pony operating the doll. Instead, he and the other visitors of the shop continued to watch in wonder as the little doll danced over the floor and silently greeted the world around it.
When the demonstration was over, Snowflake felt a brief moment of sadness overcome him. But then he remembered where he was, and he started to play... it felt like a never-ending dream of laughter and joy.
After what felt like hours and with a slightly spinning head, the foal paused his games to look around himself for a moment. There were considerably less ponies around, but there was still bustling life in the small shop... his mother would probably return soon.
A sigh of dismay escaped Snowflake, there were still so many toys left he had not played with yet. His eyes scanned the shop and the countless toys that surrounded him... and spotted a strange door at the far end of the store, almost hidden behind the many puppets hanging from the walls and ceiling. Was this an additional part of the store he hadn't seen before?
Following his curiosity, Snowflake quietly dispatched himself from the main part of the crowd still present in the shop and approached the door, Puppet Hospital was written in curved letters upon it, and it stood slightly ajar. The little foal poked his head towards the opening and saw a set of stairs leading downwards... was this where the puppets were created and repaired? Joy washed over him, maybe he would get to meet the one who made all these beautiful toys downstairs?
Fueled by his desire to meet the creator of this magical little shop and thank him for all the joy he had brought to him, Snowflake slipped through the open door and started to head down the stairs... each step he took downwards making the wood creak softly beneath his hooves.
This place felt... strange. Snowflake couldn't really find another word for it. For one thing it was huge, it seemed to be much larger than the shop upstairs and there were many locked doors down here set in heavy iron. It was dark, and it smelled funny... and there were more puppets here as well... so many more than he could have imagined.
It seemed like there were hundreds of them sitting in shelves or lying on workbenches between tools and cloth... and they were entirely different from the other ones he had seen before... They weren't finished. Everywhere he looked, he could spot something missing. An arm, a leg or a joint... even a few heads here and there. A strange feeling started to spread in Snowflake's stomach as he passed the countless dolls... he felt watched.
As he came around a corner he spotted a large workbench in the middle of a dimly lit room, and upon the workbench... he spotted a puppet bigger than any others he had seen before. Snowflake approached it carefully and jumped onto a small stool next to the workbench to get a closer look.
It was a pony, as big as his mother by his estimate... and the detail was unlike anything he had seen before. Even with the countless mechanical joints connecting the different body parts it still looked so close to the real thing that it amazed him. Snowflake let his eyes travel over the puppets surface, marveling at how well the coat and hairs were painted onto the smooth surface of her form, there seemed to be an actual depth to... he froze.
They were real... the hairs weren't painted on, they were really there... covered beneath a layer that almost looked like dried wax... to his side, a small crack could be heard in the silence of the dark room.
He didn't want to... every fiber in his body protested against it, but still... Snowflake started to turn his head to the side, his eyes traveling up the still form of the puppet with his mind screaming in terror...
It was looking at him...
Even on its side, and even with its head lying unmoving on the workbench... the puppet was watching him... a blue eye of glass watching him in silence.
A small crack started to form in the thin layer covering the puppets mouth... and as small pieces of the substance started to fall off to reveal a mouth beneath... he could hear a whisper escape the tiny opening...
"... Run..."
Snowflake didn't even realize he was running until he could see the stairs leading up again. He wanted to scream... but he couldn't... every part of his body seemed to be lost from his own control, there was only one command his body would accept...
"... Run..."
The words echoed in his mind like a scream, and the little foal increased his pace as countless glass eyes followed his dash through the dark corridor and up the stairs.
As Snowflake shot up the stairs only one thought was in his head, he needed to find his mother... then everything would be alright.
He shot through the still open door and into the light... and collided head first with something standing in the way, both him and the obstacle crashing to the ground.
"I... I..." the little foal started to stammer as he struggled to get up, still reeling from his shock.
"It is no problem at all." something cracked beneath his hoof and he looked down to see the same strange substance he had seen before... "This is our purpose, after all."
Snowflake looked up, and into the face of the sales mare he had just knocked over... his mind came to halt.
Her face... there were cracks running over the whole side of it, and as more pieces started to fall off... Snowflake saw bones and rotten flesh beneath. A terrible smell reach his nostrils...
CLACK
The mare tilted her head slightly, and for a moment Snowflake could see a joint move under her mane, "Would you like to see some more toys?"
CLACK
Her head tilted in an unnatural angle as the broken joint refused to move correctly, "We have a doll hospital down..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the foal was on its hooves again and ran through the shop and towards the entrance with an endurance only terror could fuel. Where was everypony else? There had been so many ponies up here and now nopony could be seen!
He shot out onto the streets and down the road, screaming for help as he shot by the houses. Nopony answered. No matter where he looked, not a single pony could be seen. In the distance, the sun started to touch the horizon, the sky already starting to darken.
CLACK
It was close... behind him...
Not daring to look back the little foal ran down the empty roads and past silent houses towards the small lodge where he and his mother were staying...
CLACK
Something was moving behind him.
His lungs on fire and his heart feeling like it would explode, Snowflake pushed himself to the limit and with a last, desperate dash he ran through the door of the lodge and slammed it shut behind him, his shaking hooves almost failing to turn the big key in its lock.
Silence.
Trying to catch his breath, the foal looked around himself... not a single pony could be seen or heard. Where had they all gone? There had been so many ponies here when they had arrived! A terrible thought started to spread in his mind... his mother...
CLACK
It came from behind the wood of the door, making him fall to the floor in shock.
His hooves struggled to find a hold on the polished wood, but somehow Snowflake managed to get on his hooves again and run up the large set of stairs as he headed towards the room his mother had booked with terror in his heart.
"MOM!" finally, his voice returned to him, and he screamed, "HELP! MOM!" the foal's shout thundered through the corridors of the lodge as he continued to run.
On the verge of collapsing, Snowflake reached the room and ran through the open door, "MOM! M..." he stopped, frozen in his tracks.
On the small bed, barely moving or even breathing... lay his mother... her lower half already covered with the strange substance and above her... something moved.
Countless arms, hands, faces and eyes twitched ceaselessly around the mare on the bed as the formless creature continued to apply the outer layer of what would soon be a new puppet for its master.
As Snowflake continued to watch, unable to move or even think in his horror... his mother's eyes turned toward him, a single tear forming in her eyes before her face was covered as well...
"... Run..." a final whisper escaped her now unmoving form.
CLACK
Slowly, not even realizing what was happening anymore, Snowflake looked up at the source of the sound standing above him... and into more countless eyes and faces.
CLACK
"Look, mommy!" the little filly cried with joy, "The nice lady said I could have this!" she showed her mother the puppet, holding it like a treasure.
The mother gave the sales mare an unbelieving look, "Are you sure? For free?" the mare nodded, "That is very kind of you... Honey, thank the dear mare for your gift!"
The filly turned to the mare, "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! He's so pretty! Thank you so much!"
Her mother patted her daughter's head, "This is such a beautiful shop... it's such a pity we have to travel so far just to see it though..."
"It won't be a problem much longer..." the sales mare replied, "The toymaker has decided that since we have been growing so quickly, we'll be starting to expand soon." she turned to the little filly, "Take good care of him... the toymaker said that he's special."
"I promise!" the little filly replied with gleaming eyes, "Thank you so much!"
The mare gave her a warm smile, "Like I said, it is no problem at all. This is our purpose, after all."
The little filly happily held onto the small, white pony doll, hugging it tightly as two glass eyes stared out at the world with unseen sadness.
Author's Note
I normally don't enjoy writing stuff without a happy end... let's just call this an experiment.
