What's in Store
A torrential downpour was relentlessly hammering at the dirty cobblestones that paved the narrow alleyways that crisscrossed the lower reaches of Canterlot. The scheduled storm making all ponies that would normally be walking down the poorly lit streets of the poorest neighborhood of Equestria’s capital, either going home or perusing the many small stores that littered the labyrinthine roads, to have long since deserted them.
Nothing moved amidst the dark alleyways, the heavy rainfall and the late hour, combined with the area’s general unpleasant reputation, making sure that nopony with a lick of commonsense would dare to tread the watery muddy paths that crisscrossed the lowest reaches of the gleaming city.
Not unless they had any other choice in the matter, that is.
But as the fact that somepony darted from shadow to shadow proved, her hooded figure briefly appearing as she swiftly crossed the pool of light cast about from an rusty street lamp, apparently uncaring from the torrential rain that was soaking her to her bones. It seemed that at least one pony felt she had enough cause to brave the elements this cold rainy night.
Stopping underneath a leaking awning, barely even noticing the freezing cold drops of water dripping at her perfectly still form, she stared at her objective with unwavering eyes, the lowest part of her light blue muzzle the only thing that could be seen from beneath the dark brown hooded cloak that was covering her body.
She stood there for over a minute, eyes transfixed at a deceitfully unimpressive old oaken door. The only thing marking the battered and cracked piece of wood as any different from the dozen others that littered this dark narrow alleyway being a faded imaged carved upon the old wood.
A triangle, an x, an square and a circle.
A confident smile surfacing upon her muzzle the mare started forward, unminding of the freezing rain, her mind completely focused at the fact that she had finally found her destination, and perhaps with some luck, the answer to her current pesky little purple problem.
Trixie had heard the whispered rumors during her travels, the tall tales that were told in smoky taverns or around warm camp fires. Of the forgotten little shop nested deep within the mazelike alleyways of lower Canterlot, of the odd little store hidden away amidst the darkness of the gleaming capital.
Of a place where anything could be found, where any item no matter the purpose or the rarity could be bought no matter how ludicrous said item was. Of a place where one could buy dreams and fantasies, forgotten tomes and artifacts of power, pieces of lore long since thought lost or enchanted items the brightest minds of Equestria sworn should be impossible.
A hidden shop where all that and more could be found, if you could pay the price that was.
Trixie remembers scoffing at the wild claims the first time she heard the stories, dismissing it as another of the many tall tales that littered the countryside. Just like she remembers doing the same the second time she heard it as well, and the third, and the fourth.
But as time passed by and the rumors continued, Trixie started to notice an interesting pattern to this particular tall tale. All rumors of such kind tended to morph and change with time, growing almost organically as everypony that passed it on either embellished something or forgot a minor detail, changing and warping them until what remained was barely recognizable as the original story.
But not this particular rumor.
For even after hearing dozens upon dozens of variations of the story, in dozens of locations hundreds of miles apart, its core principles always remained the same. Regardless of where she heard it or who was passing it on it always remained unchangingly the same, the shop, the fantastical items that could be found within, and the odd little pony who owned the store.
The Merchant.
It was such a glaring discrepancy to what she knew should have happened that, as the years passed by and the rumor stayed stubbornly the same, the Great and Powerful Trixie started to think that there could maybe be a grain of truth to this particular tall tale after all.
And now, in this cold stormy night, Trixie would finally find for herself how much truth there actually was to said tall tale. For Trixie now found herself in desperate need of something, of something she knew should be impossible to obtain, but if the rumors proved true then this was the place where she could find it.
Pushing open the old and cracked oak door she stepped into the poorly lit dusty shop, the fur at the back of her neck immediately standing on end due to a feeling that had nothing to do to the cold water soaking her fur.
Warily eyeing her surroundings, the various wooden shelves lining every wall and the myriad of strange objects packed to capacity from floor to ceiling, some of which she could actually recognize from old dusty books she had read in the lonely nights on the road. And with her senses tingling due to all the powerful magic she could feel permeating the very air she was now breathing, the Great and Powerful Trixie started to think that those rumors may actually not be such tall tales after all.
“Greetings young one, how can I help you this fine night?” An old but strong voice asked from the counter at one side of the shadowy room, cutting short her musings. “I got a fine selection of things for sale.”
There standing behind the heavy wooden piece of furniture stood a dark brown earth pony wearing a simple but well tailored black vest, a golden chain of a pocket watch peaking from within its pocket. His muzzle sporting a large, well kept, long brown beard and his crimson eyes staring at her with undisguised amusement, an unearthly blue glow overshadowing his features for a moment as a ball of ethereal blue light disappeared from above his outstretched right hoof.
Narrowing her eyes at the little trick the shopkeeper had just displayed Trixie started to walk towards the amused looking Earth-pony, her eyes glimpsing the extremely diverse array of magical and enchanted items all around.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie can see that. But Trixie has no need for paltry trinkets and cheap gadgets such as those.” She haughtily spoke, defiantly gazing straight at the merchant dark eyes. “Trixie is already quite Great and Powerful by her own rights! And mere average magical items like those you have in store will do nothing in aiding Trixie in her quest of vanquishing her foe.”
“You wound me with your words, miss Lulamoon.” The dark coated Earth-pony said with an amused chuckle, the fact Trixie was quite sure she hadn’t told him her last name effectively stopping her haughty words short, unblinking crimson eyes staring straight at her. “I assure you, my wares are quite unlike anything you have ever seen. And should you but give my humble shop a chance; I assure you, we shall find exactly what you currently desire.”
“Trixie supposes you may be right.” The blue mare said with a hint of hesitation, trying to hide the fact the stallion was starting to unnerve her. “So tell Trixie, what exactly do you sell?”
“What do I sell?” The merchant asked with dark amusement, a twisted smirk slowly surfacing upon his muzzle.
“Why my dear showmare, I’m glad you have asked!” He cheerfully exclaimed, moving towards a small back door and opening it while gesturing her to follow him into a large dark room.
“What I sell, is glorious pandemonium!” He proudly exclaimed as the room was suddenly engulfed by light, revealing the hundreds of artifacts of power, mythical enchanted objects and legendary magical weapons carefully lining the walls.
Mouth hanging open Trixie entered the room, her eyes immediately recognizing dozens of the items as either extremely dangerous, highly restricted, or more often than not both. Others were things she only barely recognized from myths and legends. And quite a few more she had not an inkling to their origin or purpose.
“A glimmer of oblivion.” He continued in a fondly amused tone of voice, gently caressing a dark brown wooden staff that slightly resembled a tuning fork.
“Mastery over time and space.” He continued without hesitation as they passed by a large blue box, as if he hadn’t just shown her enough restricted and forbidden magical objects to throw him in the catacombs of the palace for several consecutive lifetimes.
“Instant immortality.” He proudly declared gesturing with his right hoof to a set of half open drawers from which emanated a bewitching golden glow. The drawers closing upon his gesture despite the fact he was an Earth-pony or the lack of any visible magical aura to do the deed.
“I sell, a peek at the abyss.” He whispered enticingly, stopping at a railing overlooking a large room covered in polished metal plates, a floating metal decahedron lazily spinning at its center, the words CelestAI engraved upon one of its faces.
“A catalogue of truths.” He stated while giving her a darkly amused smile as they passed through a corridor full of several scrolls. The closest of which Trixie could see was labeled as MLP:FiM Season 3.
A spine chilling maniacal giggle stopped her perusal short before she could see more. Fur raised on end her frightened eyes darted towards the source of the unnatural sound, an open metal door filled with darkness, from where a pair of dark pink slitted eyes hungrily stared at her.
“The occasional nightmare.” He nonchalantly declared with an amused chuckle, contemptuously closing and locking the door with a simple lock, as if nothing noteworthy had just happened
“What I sell, is life and death itself.” He continued while idly playing with his pocket watch as they entered another room filled with even more heavily restricted and rare magical artifacts.
Stopping in the very middle of the room the merchant calmly opened a velvet lined drawer, picking an object within before turning to stare at the unnerved and apprehensive Trixie with hooded eyes and a darkly amused expression.
“The real question is, what are you looking for?” He simply asked with a massive fanged grin, displaying to her with a flourish the item he had just picked up
A small amulet that could be worn as a pendant, shaped in the form of an Alicorn with a blood red gem shining at its center.
And staring at the alluring gleam of the crimson gem with transfixed eyes, a small part of Trixie’s mind realized that she was also grinning in kind.
Rumor stands that deep within the shadowy maze of lower Canterlot there is a curious little shop. A shop where one’s deepest wishes and darkest desires can be found. A shop where the Merchant that dwells within can find anything his buyers could ever desire.
If you are willing to pay the price that is.
So come, don’t be shy. Steep in and see his wares with your very own eyes.
You won’t believe what’s in store.
Author's Note
This little one-shot was inspired by this little video and the question of exactly how did an artifact as dark and powerful as the Alicorn Amulet could be found at an ‘ordinary’ Curio Shop.
Hope you all enjoyed it.
