He could feel it. He could just feel it. He, a middle-aged shopkeeper and the premier dealer of rare artifacts in Equestria, could feel it. He knew what it felt like because he had felt it before. It starts with a slight chill running through his spine, then an erie silence falls over the room, finishing with the sound of hoof steps approaching in the distance. Yes, he distinctly remembered when he’d felt it before. The last time he’d experienced the chill, silence, and hoof steps was about a couple of months ago. At first, the feeling had confused him, for it had never happened before. However, that confusion quickly turned to understanding and a slight dread after a hooded mare had entered his shop. That mare, he remembered, had purchased from him the alicorn amulet, a particularly dangerous part of his collection. He was sure the mare was not to be trusted, but he’d sold it to her anyways. Hey, a customer is still a customer.
Anyways, that feeling had made itself present once again, and he was not particularly happy about it. When the chills started, he convinced himself there was simply a draft in his shop. The silence fell, and he prayed that the hoof steps would not follow. When the hoof steps followed, he accepted it and prepared for the worst. The worst being the same hooded mare entering his shop, which she did. However, the hooded mare was no longer hooded. She didn’t have the menacing smile or intimidating stature that she had the last time. This time, the mare looked quite deflated with a massive frown and droopy eyes. Without the hood covering her head, he could see that she had dreary blue fur and a lighter, shocking blue mane. Like the last time she was there, it was raining and without the hood, she was completely soaked.
The mare, annoyed that the shopkeeper had been staring at her revealed appearance, cleared her throat in hopes of getting his attention. The move succeeded, for the stallion was snapped out of his thoughts and blushed slightly when he realized he had been staring. Acknowledging that she was here for another transaction, he addressed the mysterious mare for the second time in his life.
“Back so soon? Was one of the most powerful artifacts in Equestrian history not satisfying enough for you, hmm?”
She, slightly angered by his sarcastic questions, took a moment to stare him down before replying. In the shopkeeper’s opinion, the mare’s eyes, who he felt had lost their scary demeanor, had definitely just gotten it back.
“For your information,” she began. “yes, your powerful artifact was not enough to satisfy the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
He was a little taken back by the mare’s sudden outburst, but slightly more confused about who the mare was referring to.
“So you bought the amulet to give to this Trixie or...?”
“No, you fool! I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, was not satisfied with your stupid necklace.”
“Stupid necklace!? I remember you coming in here the last time and acting like that necklace was the best thing in the world!”
“Well, it wasn’t,” Trixie squeaked back.
“Is that why you’re here, huh? To return it?”
At this, Trixie looked away nervously and shuffled her hoofs on the shop floor.
“Well, you see, the thing about that is, um...”
“You lost it, didn’t you?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie did not lose it!”
“Then where is it?”
“Uh, Trixie....does not know.”
“So you did lose it?”
“No, it was stolen from Trixie!”
“Off your neck, while the amulet made you one of the most powerful magicians in Equestria?”
“Well, Trixie kind of took it off.”
“Really?” The shopkeeper asked surprised. “You were able to resist the necklace’s corruption and take it off on your own?”
Again, Trixie looked away and shuffled her hoofs. Catching the gestures, the shopkeeper instantly realized what had happened.
“Somepony tricked you into taking it off then.”
“What!? Nopony tricks the Great and Powerful Trixie! Trixie is the pony that tricks other ponies. Trixie is....”
“Somepony tricked you.”
“Yes, that is what happened.”
The shopkeeper grinned slightly after getting the “Great and Powerful” Trixie to admit her mistake. Trixie, he thought, while obviously self boasting and arrogant, was extremely incompetent as well. His grin then morphed into a frown as another thought crossed his mind.
“So, if your’e not here to return the amulet, which one of my artifacts have you come to lose next?”
“Did you not hear, Trixie did not lose the amulet!?”
“You took it off and someone stole it. That means you lost it. Either let it go and buy something else to lose or get out of my shop.”
Trixie was a tiny bit shocked due to the shopkeeper’s forwardness, but realized he did have the upper hand in this situation. Choosing not to retort in a way that let her say “Great and Powerful Trixie” once again, she elected to accept the stallion’s rules.
“Yes, fine, Trixie lost it. And...yes, Trixie is also here to buy another one of your items. But that does not mean she will lose this one too!”
“Okay then. Was that so hard? Anyways, last time you came in here and pointed right to that amulet. I’m guessing this time you also have something already in mind.”
“Yes, shop pony, you guess correctly. Trixie requires something that will enable her to control another pony.”
Stunned by Trixie's request and quite frankly, a little annoyed by how she said “shop pony,” he took a second before responding to his customer.
“Are you talking along the lines of hypnosis.”
“Yes, hypnosis that will allow Trixie to control another pony forever.”
Again, the way Trixie said that with a completely straight and serious face nagged the shopkeeper, but like before, he quickly regained his composure.
“Well, if you’re looking to control another pony, I can’t help you. Hypnosis for ponies all come from spells. You’re a unicorn. You should be able to cast one.”
“What!? Trixie wasted her time coming back to this dump for nothing!? Ooh, Trixie would destroy your measly shop if she was not already on parol!”
Trixie turned to leave, but the shopkeeper quickly stopped her. While he thought she was indeed incompetent, he knew he could still get her to buy another one of his more expensive items.
“Wait, Miss Trixie! While it is not exactly what you are looking for, I do have an artifact that may be of some use to you.”
Hearing this, Trixie postponed her exit and turned back to the shopkeeper. She wondered what item he could have if hypnotizing ponies could only happen through a spell.
“What do you have to offer Trixie?”
To answer her question, the shopkeeper lifted his hat and revealed a key sitting atop his head. Quickly, he grabbed the key and replaced the hat. Ducking under the shop’s counter, the stallion lifted a panel on its hidden side. From the new space, he pulled out a large box, which he shoved onto the countertop. Replacing the panel, the shopkeeper then turned the box until a side with a lock was face up. Trixie watched as he used the key to unlock the box and pulled out a smaller box. However, this one was quickly torn apart, revealing the item the shopkeeper had been referring to.
Trixie saw that the artifact was yet another necklace. However, this one was quite different from the alicorn amulet. It was more of a traditional piece of jewelry and could be easily mistaken for regular apparel. It had a long, thin golden chain that attached on two sides to a glowing gem. This gem was icy blue and had multiple straight grooves and edges. Even without any mystic abilities, the artifact was beautiful, no doubt crafted perfectly by an expert. Trixie inner mare came out as she found herself transfixed on the item.
“Like I said,” the shopkeeper began, snapping Trixie out of her trance. “This item does not hypnotize ponies. No, the Nightingale gem hypnotizes other species. Dragons.”
Trixie, who was impressed by the name Nightingale, was instantly disappointed by what it was for.
“What!? You expect Trixie to be interested in such a worthless item!? There are no dragons around here and even if there were, this puny thing could only control a small...........purple.....one.......”
At the end of her outburst, Trixie began to grin. While the Nightingale first sounded worthless, a sudden thought had revealed its use. While her initial plan was to control her rival, Twilight Sparkle, her friends had then popped into her head. Specifically, the one who seemed closest to her: the baby dragon she had turned into a basketball. If she could control that lizard without Twilight knowing, Trixie thought she could ruin her rival’s life without even being discovered. That way, she wouldn’t have to return to that awful town and those ponies could not mock her once more.
As these thoughts piled on inside her mind, Trixie’s grin only grew and grew. To Trixie, it was perfect. To the shopkeeper, it was extremely creepy. While Trixie had been thinking and grinning, she had not let her eyes wander from the gem the entire time. Starting to feel too uncomfortable with the lack of conversation, he put the Nightingale back in its small box and placed it on the counter. Seeing that the gem was no longer in front of her, Trixie turned her attention once again to the shopkeeper.
“How much does Trixie need to pay in order to get this Nightingale?”
“Normally, a one of a kind item like this would go for thousands of bits, but looking at you...” The shopkeeper stopped to glance at Trixie. “I assume you don’t have the money.”
“What!? How could you accuse Trixie of being so cheap!?”
“Alright then, my apologies. That will be seven thousand bits.”
“.......I, uh, don’t have........that is an outrageous price! Trixie refuses to pay such a high amount of bits!”
“Exactly, now, I you are not a first time customer, so I’ll give you a slight discount. However, you did lose the last one, so I’ll have to raise the price once again.” The shopkeeper stated, calculating the price in his head.
“So how much will this cost Trixie!? She doesn’t have all day!”
“It’s eleven at night.”
“.....Trixie still wants you to hurry.”
“Fine, the Nightingale costs two thousand bits. Take it or leave it. And by it, I mean me. Leave me alone.”
“Trixie...has a thousand bits, but...I can give you tickets to Trixie’s next show.”
“Front row?”
“Of course not! Trixie does not want to perform with you so close to her.”
“Well, if there’s nothing else you can give me, then I’m afraid we don’t have a deal.”
The shopkeeper was about to put the Nightingale’s box away again, but froze when Trixie’s magic stopped him from doing so. Surprised by the action, the shopkeeper raised an eyebrow questioningly at Trixie.
“There is something you can offer me then?”
“Trixie believes so,” she said smugly. “Do you like...fireworks?”
At the mention of fireworks, the shopkeeper’s ears perked up. While dealing ancient artifacts was a profitable business, fireworks were somewhat of a novelty, especially in Canterlot.
“Fireworks, huh. You really have some?”
“A few. Want to see them?”
“Well, of course. How can I take them from you if I can’t see them.”
“Well here they are!”
Suddenly, Trixie’s horn fired up its magic once again. The shopkeeper was stunned by the unicorn’s actions and could not react fast enough. It only took a few seconds for Trixie to charge enough magic for her plan to work. Without hesitation, she began firing pyrotechnic spells from her horn and into the shop. The “fireworks” flew wildly in the air before crashing into multiple shelves and artifacts. The shop was plunged into chaos as small fires began burning and bright lights blinded the shopkeeper. Seeing her opportunity, Trixie stopped firing her spells and, with the Nightingale gem still in her magical grasp, ran out the shop’s door. Trixie ran and ran until she could no longer hear the angry screams of the shopkeeper or the sound of fire ravaging his shop.
Author's Note
This chapter has got some major feels in the beginning, but gets funny again later on. Don't worry, next chapter is on track to be hilarious.
Oh, and thanks so much to everyone whose liked, commented, favorited, and viewed Nightinagle. Also, thanks to everyone that's followed me or read my other story. I've got another one planned that ships Luna and Zecora. Can't wait. 
Chapter 2
For many, extreme pain is the sign that tells you when to stop. It tells you when you’ve done too much and it’s time to call it quits. Thankfully, most normal ponies acknowledge it and indeed cease whatever painful activity they are doing. However, pain cannot accomplish this if the pony who is working isn’t in charge of when they may stop. Unfortunately, the pony who is making them work cannot feel their pain and keeps them going. It’s an unfair situation, really. It’s also the situation that a young, purple dragon has found himself in.
Spike the Dragon, assistant to Twilight Sparkle, hero of the Crystal Empire, and Ponyville’s second most famous reptile (everypony knows about Gummy) was in a lot of pain. Hours of carrying enormous books and sending numerous scrolls for the aforementioned unicorn had taken its toll on the small drake. Twilight had woken him up way before normal and screamed at him that it was not a time to be sleeping. Confused, Spike had questioned his lavender companion about what she meant and why she was so frustrated. In response, Twilight grabbed Spike, shook him quite violently, and simply yelled that work had to be done.
After a while, plus a breakfast that Spike was forced to skip, Twilight calmed down enough it explain the situation. Apparently, she had forgotten that an important delegate from the Crystal Empire was visiting in a few days. While an event like this would normally be somewhat simple, Twilight Sparkle had other ideas. After all, Twilight Sparkle didn’t want simple; she wanted perfection. Unfortunately for Spike, perfection meant reorganizing all of the library’s books, cleaning the entire place twice, and sending apology letters to Princess Celestia, asking her for forgiveness because Twilight had forgotten an event that was yet to happen.
Spike, who was exhausted, starving, and a tiny bit angry, nevertheless continued with his work, not wanting to disappoint his best friend. However, even he knew that he was going to reach some point where he was going to have to speak up.
“Spike, I need you to resend all of those letters you sent to the Princess. Only after you finish re-restocking the shelves of course.”
That point had been reached.
“And why, Twilight, would I do that?”
Twilight, still slightly stressed from earlier in the morning, was taken aback by her assistant’s tone.
“Well, Spike, I would like you to send those letters again because I forgot to......”
“Yep, that’s what I thought,” Spike said angrily, dropping the heavy stack of books he had been carrying. “This whole thing started with you forgetting something. Something, I might add, that hasn’t even happened yet and will happen in a few days. A few days, Twilight! There is no need for me to do all this work today! I can do some tomorrow and hey, I can even do some the next day because that’s how much time we have to do this! Oh, and ‘this’ doesn’t even have to be done. If you had read any of the letters Princess Celestia sent back, you would have noticed that we’re meeting the delegate at a restaurant, not here! And you know what else you forgot, Twilight? You forgot about me! You forgot to give me a breakfast that I cooked, forgot that I have other chores to do besides clean up your crazy, and you forgot that these books are really really heavy!”
By the time Spike had completed his speech, Twilight herself was speechless. Spike had gotten upset with her before, but this was something else entirely. Her little dragon was genuinely angry at her. Surprisingly, the more she thought about it, the more Twilight believed he had every right to be. Truth be told, it was her fault for forgetting the delegate was coming and Spike was the one being punished for her mistake. She had woken him up maybe a little too early, forced him to cook breakfast, then made him skip it in order to get to work quicker. Twilight did overwork Spike in stocking shelves, sending letters, and cleaning their home.
“Wait,” Twilight thought. “Do I do this to him everyday?”
“W...well, Spike. I...I...I, uh.”
Without warning, Twilight Sparkle collapsed to the floor and burst into tears. The unicorn completely broke down while wailing about being a horrible friend and guardian. Seeing this, Spike’s anger instantly dialed down. While he was happy Twilight had gotten the message, he hated seeing his best friend, who was basically his sister, cry. Waddling over to her, Spike took a few deep breaths to smother any of the anger that may have been left inside of him. Once he had reached her, Spike gingerly wrapped the sobbing mare in a hug and pulled her in tight.
“Twilight, I’m sorry.” he cooed. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”
“B...but, Spike,” Twilight began in between light sobs. “Y...you...you’re right though. “I wasn’t th...thinking about how you felt and...”
Twilight was shushed by Spike, who put a clawed finger to her lips and smiled. Seeing her friends’ reassuring gesture, Twilight smiled back and tightened the hug. Eventually, the two broke apart and Twilight used a hoof to wipe her face clear of any remaining tears. Looking around, the two saw that the library was already decently clean due to Spike’s hard work, but there were still a few things to be done.
“Hey, Spike?” Twilight asked.
“Ya, Twi?”
“Why don’t you go down to Sugarcube Corner and get some lunch. You deserve a break and you said you were starving.”
Spike’s stomach rumbled almost to prove the unicorn’s point. However, Spike’s face showed a completely different answer.
“But what about the library? I know I got mad about doing the work, but I’ll still do it if you want me t....”
This time, Spike was hushed by a hoof on his lips. Looking up, he could see Twilight smiling down at him. Spike simply smiled back and nodded his head in acceptance. Breaking up the tender moment, Twilight lighted up her horn, causing Spike to look away. Spike wondered what she was doing, until he saw a bag of bits levitating towards them. Twilight flew the bag in front of her and turned it upside down, pouring most of the coins into her hoof. Levitating the remaining bits away, she then handed the money to Spike who quickly tool it.
“Here you go, Spike. That should be enough to get you something really nice to eat.”
“For real, Twi? I mean, this is a lot of money. Are you sure you want me to take it all.”
“Don’t worry,” Twilight chuckled. “I don’t thing I’m going to spend it myself and besides, you deserve it.”
“Wow, thanks Twilight.” Spike said, giving her a quick hug. “I promise I’ll help out some more around here when I get back.”
“Take your time, Spike. You can come back whenever you want, just be back before dark.”
The young, purple dragon smiled once more at his unicorn friend before walking out the door and starting his journey towards Sugarcube Corner.
Spike’s “journey” did not take him too long. The walk from Golden Oaks Library to Sugarcube Corner was a five minute walk for most ponies. Spike, being noticeably shorter than ponies and having way stumpier legs, usually took around seven minutes to finish the walk. However, this time Spike was taking his time, wanting to enjoy the feeling of not working himself to death. After around ten minutes, Spike had arrived at his destination.
“Not a moment too soon,” Spike thought to himself, as his stomach gave off another giant rumble. “I seriously need to get something to eat.”
Walking in the front door, Spike was instantly met by the amazing smell of homemade baked goods. Sugarcube Corner had developed a pretty consistent reputation for having the best pastries fresh out of the oven. Having been here countless times before, Spike knew this was true and seeing all of the cakes and brownies on display made his mouth water just a tiny bit. Spike, unable to wait any longer, quickly started a mad dash to the counter, but was stopped soon enough by a fast moving oink blur. When the blur came to a stop in front of him, Spike saw it was none other than Pinkie Pie, which wasn’t surprising considering she worked there.
“Well, hey there, Spike!” Pinkie greeted while quickly wrapping Spike in a hug. “I haven’t seen you in like, forever!”
“Hey, Pinkie.” Spike responded. “Well, then I guess forever means yesterday when you came by the library to get Twilight for a picnic.”
“Oh my goodness, that’s a good one, Spike! Forever meaning yesterday, ha!”
Spike, who was previously cheered up by Pinkie’s demeanor, was now slightly confused by her antics. The dragon, thinking he was possibly getting lightheaded from the tight hug and didn’t heard Pinkie Pie correctly, pulled away from the pink mare.
“Wait, are you serious? Because, I’m being serious. You actually did come to the library yesterday and we did see each other.”
“Oh, Spike, stop it. You can’t pull a fast one on Aunty Pinkie. You know that. I think I would have remembered seeing such a good friend.”
Again, Spike did not know what to think. On one hand, Pinkie had just called him a good friend, which made him pretty happy. On the other, she really didn’t remember what had happened yesterday. Remembering himself that he had come here for a reason, Spike decided to drop the whole thing.
“Haha, ya, Pinkie. You caught me. I was just trying to uh, pull a fast one.”
“Wow, seriously Spike? I was just kidding around. I knew I saw you yesterday. We had that conversation about scales, remember? You said your scales were itchy yesterday and I said that sometimes Gummy’s scales were itchy so I used a toothbrush to scratch him and then you said...”
At this point Spike simply stopped listening to his hyperactive, pink friend. After all, Spike was still concentrating on fighting major starvation while also trying to comprehend the fact that Pinkie did remember seeing him yesterday, but was trying to get him to admit that she had not. After a while, Spike turned his focus back onto Pinkie Pie, who was still rambling on.
“...and then they said that the bank couldn’t be broken into and then I said that I didn’t think so and then they said that they...”
“Uh, Pinkie?” Spike asked, interrupting.
“Oh, yes, Spike?”
Not having to say anything, Spike once again let his stomach do the talking. It gave off one final, massive rumble, loud enough to cause a few ponies to stare at the duo. Getting the hint, Pinkie Pie smiled at the ponies who had turned their heads before turning her own back to Spike.
“Well why didn’t you just say so, Spike? You’re in Sugarcube Corner after all.”
Just then, Pinkie ducked down and seemingly disappeared from view. Spike was in complete awe before seeing Pinkie reappearing again behind the counter. Acting like nothing amazing had just happened, Pinkie smiled at Spike and beckoned him forward. Driven by hunger, Spike eagerly got his legs moving.
“So what can I get ya, Spike?” Pinkie said when he had reached the counter.
“Hmm, I guess I’ll have the.....”
Just then, Spike was interrupted and he and Pinkie were nearly deafened by a scream coming from outside the bakery.
