Odds and Ends and Even Trades

Chapters

A Friend in Need
Things Gained and a Pony Lost
Odds and Ends

A Friend in Need

Odds and Ends and Even Trades

Chapter 1: A Friend in Need

I poured the coffee into a pair of mugs, preparing one with some sugar and crème. I placed the black coffee in front of Even Trade, and then took my seat across from her. The quiet between us spoke more than any words could have, as we awkwardly tried to find something to say to each other.

She took a sip of the coffee and looked up at me. “You remembered that I take prefer it black. Not too many ponies have that kind of eye for detail.”

“Thanks. I try to remember things like that.”

She had not changed much. Her peach coat and short, dark purple mane were still well kept. Her green eyes held their intelligence and savvy. However, her typical air of lightheartedness was gone.

She leaned on the table, and pointed a hoof in the direction of my flank. “What does that mark on your rear represent anyway? I don’t know if you ever told me.”

I automatically looked down at my cutie mark; it showed two bookends holding up three books.

“It represents my love of books, writing, and putting knowledge to practical use.”

The mark stood out against my sand colored coat. My copper red tail was tucked against me, half obscuring my mark.

Trade’s cutie mark of bits balanced on a scale against a diamond, an apple, and book was not as cryptic as mine. Trade had always been able to judge the value of something, no matter what the thing was.

She grinned over her mug. “Now I remember. I made some joke that it was because you are always reading or writing something.”

It was nice to see her smile again. She had been so lifeless when she showed up last night.

“I still think that could be an equally plausible explanation for my mark.”

“You want to know why I showed up on your doorstep in the dead of the night.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Your face did. You are worried about me. Whatever you think goes across on your face.”

I had been told that more than once.

She leaned back from the table, keeping her coffee in hoof. “To make a long and unpleasant story short, I bucked up. You know I have always been pretty sharp in business, but not on personal stuff. One of my professors recommended me to one of his friends in Manehattan as an understudy, and pushed me to take the position. I did and I loved it. I did not know it at the time, but the owner had been looking for someone to take over the business when he retired. I ended up buying out the business from him. I lived upstairs, and worked downstairs in the shop. It was perfect.”

Her face hardened. “That’s when I made my mistake. My parents were going through a hard time, so I offered to bring them into the business as employees. After a couple of years, my father told me he wanted to buy into the business. I agreed, thinking I could buy his interest out later, when he decided to get back into the grocery business. I never got that chance. Not too long after that, my father began working side deals with some of my major suppliers. Eventually, he shouldered me out of my own business.”

She downed the rest of her coffee, in one swig, before continuing. “Things got ugly between me and him. I sold my remaining interest in the business, to him, to end the whole thing. Two days ago I went out to get some breakfast, just like any other morning. By the time I got back, my stuff was on the curb and the locks on the shop, along with my loft apartment, had been changed.”

Her story explained why last night Quill and I were awoken by somepony pounding on the door. When I opened the door, I was shocked to find Trade and a cart with some boxes in it. We brought her inside, and let her rest as we unloaded her few boxes of stuff into the den. She was so tired, we barely exchanged words before I insisted that she go to bed.

Her eyes locked with the table top. “I remembered that promise you made, and hoped that you still felt the same.”

“I will always help you when you are in trouble. I meant it then, and I mean it now. You would do the same for me.”

“I would, but I hope that you never have to take me up on that promise.”

I reached across the table and held her hoof. “Why did you not tell me about all this in your letters? I didn’t know all the details, but I knew that you bought the business. Why did you leave out the problems with your family?”

She shrugged. “It was my problem, and you could not have done anything to help.”

“I would have tried.”

“I know. That is another reason that I didn’t tell you. You’ve had enough troubles of your own, without having me add to them.”

She closed her eyes and chuckled. “Well, that did not work out either. Here I am, with what little I own in your den, and I’m taking up your bed. You’re too much of a gentlecolt; I should be on the couch.”

“I can’t be too much of a gentlecolt. I didn't even change the sheets for you.”

“The sheets were clean. Besides, I don’t remember giving you much of a chance to change them. I went and collapsed on the bed as soon as you offered it to me.”

“Even so, I will change them before this evening.”

Trade looked guilty, and let go of my hoof. “As soon as I can, I’ll get out of your mane. My father paid me fair value for my part of the business; I think he just didn’t want to get sued, so I have some money to fall back on. You have helped me so much, just by giving me a friendly place to stay last night.”

“You are more than welcome to stay here. You certainly don’t need to waste money on a hotel.”

Trade came around the table and hugged me.

Quill walked into the kitchen, just as Trade lightly kissed me on the cheek. Quill stood there in silence, his mouth hanging open.

Trade must have sensed something was going on. She turned, and saw Quill standing in the doorway. She smiled her mischievous grin, and I knew I was in trouble. Trade had always known how to stir things up. I had a feeling that she was about to do so with gusto.

Quill stammered, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt a special somepony moment! I’ll give you some privacy!”

Quill had just added fuel to the fire.

“Your brother is something special. He lets a down on her luck mare take his bed, offers to help her find a place, and is even going to cook breakfast. If you follow his example you can have the heart of any mare you want.”

She turned back to me. “Though, I would like to ask for one thing. May I use your shower?”

I nodded. “Sure. Just be careful, the hot water comes pretty fast.”

She walked past Quill and headed for the bathroom.

Quill waited for the door to close, before turning to me with a grin. “I didn’t know you two were that close. I remember her from when I was a foal, but I certainly can’t think of you telling me about something like this.”

I shook my head. “We're not special someponies. Sit down, and I’ll explain.”

It was hard to keep a straight face. Quill’s white mane had not been combed. His dark cinnamon coat was also in need of attention. The only things that seemed awake were his caramel colored eyes.

I talked as I prepared breakfast. “Do you remember that little group that I ran around with?”

“Yep, you guys were pretty close back then. Weren’t there four of you?”

I nodded. “That would’ve been us. Me, Fair Trade, Deep Query, and Moon Shadow. I started to really feel for Trade, but I kept getting mixed signals if she liked me or not. She flirted with me; like she does everypony, but when I tried to talk to her she just dodged the issue. I basically poured my heart out to her one night. I didn’t go quite the way I had hoped. Trade told me that she liked me, but not romantically. She had a thing for Moon Shadow.”

“But Moon Shadow is a mare.” A look of comprehension came across his face. “Oh, that had to be horrible.”

I shrugged. “It stung, but she was kind and understanding through the whole thing. We stayed friends, and the group survived my little faux pas. However, after Trade did her own confession to Moon, a little while later, everything fell apart. Moon rejected Trade pretty staunchly. After that, Trade felt strange being around me when we were with Moon. Query, for his part, thought the whole situation was nuts.”

“That really stinks.”

“Well, our group would have not lasted much longer due to graduation anyway.”

“What happened to…?” He stopped mid-sentence as Trade walked in, with a towel wrapped around her head. Quill’s wings started to lift, but he managed to stop them before he completely embarrassed himself.

While she had dried off to an extent, Trade’s coat was still sleek with moisture, which accented her form.

She gave Quill a sultry smile. “It’s nice to know that I still have that effect.”

“Trade, would you not torment my brother? His mind breaks with relative ease when mares are around.”

“I’ve noticed.” She turned back to Quill. “Look, I know you saw me kiss him. Your brother is very sweet, but we are not special someponies.”

“I know. He just told me about you and him.”

I waited, with baited breath, for her reaction.

Her eyebrows rose at Quill’s statement. “Oh, what exactly did he tell you?”

Quill rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. “He said that he had a crush on you a while back, and that you were nice when you let him down.”

She turned to me and asked, “Is that how you explain me telling you that my barn door swung the other way, and that I planned to drag Moon into said barn?” She put her hoof under her chin, as if in thought. “I also said something about jumping your apple cart right there, had you been a mare.”

Quill sat in stunned silence, and then slowly turned to me for confirmation of her words.

I put my head down on the table and muttered, “I thought I would leave those particular details out.”

*****

After breakfast, Trade and I headed towards the library. I had an errand to run before we started hoofing it around town. The snow made the walk less comfortable, but everything was covered in a picturesque blanket of white that made up for it. I carried along a small bag of sapphires for Spike.

“What’s with the gems?”

“They are a thank you to Spike for helping Quill with a problem.”

“What problem?”

Trade sounded like she would have beaten the stuffing out of anyone who messed with Quill. She had really taken to the maretial arts. The lessons that she had gotten me to tag along to had left me battered, bruised, and with mat burns.

“I think I will let Quill tell you about it, it’s a little on the personal side. Everything turned out just fine; but it took quite a little bit of courage for him to work everything out.”

“That’s good to hear, I was ready to beat the fuzz off of somepony if they were bothering him.”

I smiled and noted, “Still protective as always.”

She nodded. “I might not be able to solve my own problems at the moment but, by Celestia, I will solve those that I can for anypony. If I am able to let off some steam while helping, that is even better.”

“I think I will wait to spar with you for a while then.”

She grinned. “You chicken. What does Spike do with the gems? Is he a jeweler?”

“No, he eats them.”

She stopped in the snow, and looked at me as if I had lost my mind. “What?!”

“Spike is a dragon.”

Her eyes lit up. “Do you have any idea how expensive powered dragon scales are? You are friends with a dragon, and you didn’t tell me? You are sitting on a gold mine!” She started off at a full gallop; throwing snow into the air.

I caught up just as she opened the library door and stepped in. I wiped my hooves, and followed.

Spike had been dusting some of the lower shelves, and turned towards Trade as she entered. “Hello, and welcome to the Ponyville library. If you need any help just ask me or Twilight, and we will be right with you.”

The look on Trade’s face was worth the run through the snow. She had surprise, irritation, and fascination expressed all at the same time.

“You ran off before I could tell you he was a young dragon.”

She shot me an amused look. “So I did.”

Spike saw me and smiled. “Hey Bookend, is this a friend of yours?”

I was always glad to see Spike working the library. Twilight may have been a powerful magic user, and national heroine, but she was a lousy librarian. The last time I had come in, I asked her for a book on Neighponese philosophy. In response, she levitated a whole bookcase worth of books and all but buried me under them. As she walked off, she cheerfully told me if I could not find what I needed in those she could get more.

I introduced Spike and Trade to each other, and handed him the sapphires. “These are a little late, but they are from Quill and me for helping with his letter.”

He all but giggled when he opened the bag. “Thanks! I’m so glad that went well, he was pretty mad when he thought I had burned the letter and journal. I didn’t know if he was going to give me a chance to explain what I did.” He paused for a moment, putting a clawed hand up to his chin in thought. “He never did tell me what that was in that letter to Luna.”

Trade looked at me, with questions written on her face, but she let the matter go.

“Trade is looking for a place to live and I thought we would come see you before we really got searching. Would you happen to know where we could get some listings with town hall being closed?”

He shook his head. “The only place I would know about would be at Land Grab’s, but I don’t think he’s open on weekends. Personally, I would go to town hall and work any leads myself. Grab is not what I would call a wonderful pony to work with.”

“Spike! You should not talk about other ponies like that.” Twilight had just come up from the basement, and did not even break stride as she headed up to the second level of the library.

“But Twilight, you know it’s true. Just think about what he tried to pull when Goldengrape and Daisy moved in together!”

She did not even pause in her search for the book she needed. “That was one incident that we know of, that is not enough to establish a pattern.”

Spike just rolled his eyes and cited, “And the trouble he got into with Mayor for his business not paying its taxes, and then there was that time him tried to sell a cloud house to Doodle. He’s a donkey for crying out loud.”

Twilight found whatever book she had been looking for, and headed back towards the basement. “That may be, but you still should not talk about another pony like that.” As she started to descend, she added over her shoulder to Trade and me, “You will have to wait until town hall is open again.”

Spike groaned. “Sorry about that. She is in the middle of some magical experiment, and she is totally focused on that.”

Trade waved it off, “No problem. I could tell she was busy. I have been there myself with my own work. Thank you both for the help. Before we go, I would like to ask if you would be interested in bartering any scales that you happen to shed, with me. Would you?”

Spike shrugged. “Sure, but I could just give them to you. Nopony around here uses them, and I just get rid of them.”

“Absolutely not, I must make a trade with you of some kind. Maybe later, after you shed a few scales, we can get together and make out a deal.”

“I like this plan. I will see you then.”

We left the library and started looking for places that might fit her needs.

“You certainly are quick to start making business deals.”

“I can’t help it, it’s in my nature. Besides, if I’m going to start a business again I have to start working on making contacts as quickly as possible.”

“So you are planning to stay in Ponyville long term?”

She shrugged. “I guess so. I had not thought it through to be quite honest.”

“You could do worse as far as location. Ponyville is almost in the center of Equestria, and with the railroad we get a lot of trade and ponies passing through.”

“I see those business and finance courses paid off for you.”

“I had a very good tutor.”

She blushed, and there was a comfortable silence between us only broken by the sound of our hooves in the snow.

There was a shift in the wind, and the smell of chocolate wafted over us.

Trade hummed in appreciation at the scent. “That smells wonderful. Where is that coming from?”

“It has to be Sugar Cube Corner. They make some really good hot chocolate.”

“That sounds great right about now. Why don’t we get some? It will be my treat.”

I started leading us towards the confectionary shop. “I have to warn you about something. If Pinkie Pie is the one working the counter we are in a world of trouble, especially since you are new to Ponyville.”

“How bad can she be?”

We came to the shop entrance and I tried one last time to brace Trade for what was coming. “She is the town’s party pony. She will have a fit, and throw you a party just for moving here. She can do all sorts of wild stuff; you never know what is going to happen around her.”

“She sounds like my kind of pony.”

I opened the door and let her head in first. “I warned you.”

Over an hour, two hot chocolates, half a dozen cupcakes apiece, and a cake to go later, we staggered out of the shop with Pinkie inviting us to come back as we shut the door.

“What just happened, and why do I feel that the laws of nature and physics no longer apply to this dimension?”

I grinned. “I tried to tell you. If you think that was something, just wait for the party. She had not even gotten warmed up when we left.”

“I think I’m scared now.”

We wandered around the business section of Ponyville, and saw a couple of places with for sale signs in the windows. Trade looked them over with her keen eye, and jotted down notes about a couple of them.

The cold began to get to us, and we headed back home.

Quill asked from the kitchen, “What took you guys?”

“Pinkie Pie happened.” Trade and I unwrapped ourselves from our scarves, and made sure that no snow had stuck to our hooves.

“Say no more.” He stuck his head out, and saw the cake. “Good, I’ve about got supper ready. Soup and daisy sandwiches I can do. Bake a cake from scratch like Pinkie, not so much.”

We joined Quill in the kitchen.

“Who taught you how to cook?”

“Mom started to, and Bookend finished.”

“I remember your brother’s cookies. If you are anywhere as good as he was with those, this is going to be wonderful.”

The meal was great; Quill had outdone himself with his mixed veggie soup and sandwiches. For dessert, we made short work of the cake.

We gathered back in the den. After we moved Trade’s stuff around a bit for safety, I started a fire.

“So, your brother told me that you ran into a bit of trouble. Would you care to tell me who I need to beat into the snow?”

Quill laughed. “No, it was nothing like that.”

As Quill began his story, I got blankets for everypony. We all nestled down in front of the fire, and it turned into one of the most pleasant evenings I could recall. Quill told about his inadvertent adventure, and I occasionally added my own parts to it. Trade would ask a question every now and then, but for the most part she just absorbed the story in silence.

At the end of Quill’s tale, Trade looked over at me and asked, “He’s not kidding, is he?”

“Everything he said is true.”

She turned back to Quill. “I don’t even know what to say. Can I ask a favor?”

Quill responded, “Sure.”

“May I see the feather?”

Quill smiled, and got the display from his room. He put it down in front of where Trade had curled up on the floor.

She looked over the display intensely, never making a move to touch it. After almost a full minute all she said was, “You have a priceless treasure there, take good care of it.”

“I will.”

*****

There was a bit of a debate as to who was going to sleep where. I tried to take the couch, Quill offered his bed to Trade, and Trade told us the couch was her’s.

Quill came up with a solution. “Look, I’m a pegasus. Let me sleep outside on a cloud, the cold won’t bother me. You can have Bookend’s bed again, and he can have mine.

I grumbled about him sleeping outside, but Quill insisted. Just him opening and closing the door for a moment, and feeling the cold air he let in as he left, made me worry about him freezing.

I had just begun to drift off, when I was poked in the shoulder.

“Move over you big lug.”

I flipped over, and came nose to nose with Trade.

“What are you doing? Besides, I’m not that big.”

She lifted the blanket, and made a show of looking down towards my hindquarters. “I’ve never heard a colt belittle their own virtues before. Shall we have a peek and find out?”

As I stuttered, trying to think of some response, she pushed me over and slipped under the blanket.

“May I ask, what prompted this?”

“I just needed to talk.”

Despite her words, neither one of us said anything for a couple of minutes.

Trade broke the silence. “Thank you again. I would have been in some rat infested motel had you not taken me in.”

“You have to have other friends that would have helped.”

“Nah, I was too wrapped up in my business to make friends in Manehattan. You and your brother are all I’ve got now.”

Another few silent moments passed.

She squirmed uncomfortably. “Do you regret helping me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you loved me, but I don’t see why you are going so far out of your way to help me. You know how I am, that we will only just be friends. Why are you doing this for me?”

I kissed her gently on her forehead.

“I would help you, no matter what. You are, and always be, somepony I care for.”

She hugged me, and I returned the embrace.

“Please, don’t feel bad about being who you are. I would not change one thing about you.”

She laughed softly. “That was really sappy. You realize that, right?”

“I meant it, even if it was.”

“I know.”

We fell asleep, still holding each other.

*****

The next morning the bedroom door opened, waking me up.

Quill asked, “Have you seen Trade? She wasn’t...“

I quickly sat up, inadvertently taking the blanket with me.

Trade was still mostly asleep. She reached out for me and said, “Hey, get back here. It’s not nice to leave a mare alone and cold after sleeping with her all night.”

She could not have chosen worse words.

“Bro! I’m glad that you got her barn door to swing the other way, but not in my bed!”

I put my head in my hooves.

Trade laughed her flank off.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading my story. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment and vote for it. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Things Gained and a Pony Lost

Chapter 2: Things Gained and Ponies Lost

It took a bit for me to convince Quill that nothing had occurred between Trade and me. Trade did not help the process. She would add little remarks that would set me back two steps, as I managed to advance three.

She finally bailed me out by stating, “I promise that the sanctity of your bed is intact. He just helped me with some of my troubles last night, platonically.”

I made breakfast, and they discussed her previous business. From what I overheard, it was a much more involved undertaking that what I had pictured. Magical herbs, out of print tomes, magical artifacts, and dozens of other things seemed to have been part her inventory.

Her sigh blew the steam off of her coffee. “I miss it. It was what I loved. I got out of bed looking forward to seeing what kind of deal I could make.”

Quill’s eyes lit up. “Ponyville has all sorts of businesses and ponies that you could work with. You could start again here.”

“I know you’re trying to help, but it’s not possible that I can revive my business like it was. There just aren’t enough suppliers of the types of goods I need here.”

He got a mischievous look. “Really, you think so? Well then, I won’t tell you about the zebra herbalist that lives in the Everfree forest. I won’t tell you about Rarity, the fashion designer and gem coinsure. I won’t tell you about Twilight Sparkle, who collects rare magical books for her studies. I also won’t tell you…”

She all but drug Quill over the table as she grabbed him, and pulled him close. She looked straight into his eyes and commanded, “You will tell me about these ponies, you will tell me where to find them, and you will do so quickly.”

“Trade, put my brother back where he belongs. He and I both would be more than happy to help you, after breakfast. Right now, I need him off the table so I can set it.”

She winced at what she had done. “Sorry about being so rough, but the very idea of getting back in business so quickly is too exciting.”

“It’s alright.” He slid off the table, back to his seat. “Dear Luna, you’re strong.”

“Years of maretial arts will do that.”

“Hey, Bookend and I have a maretial arts lesson today. Would you like to come too?”

Had I not already had the plate I was carrying over the table, I would have dropped it on the floor.

*****

The three of us met up at the dojo that evening. I needed some exercise, Quill was eager to see what Trade could do, and Trade wanted to let off some steam. We each got what we wanted, but not with equal satisfaction.

After the lesson, I staggered back into the house. I slowly, gingerly, and painfully unwound my scarf from my neck. I then, just as slowly, peeled off my jacket.

Quill was in worse shape. He was not as sturdy as an earth pony, being a pegasus, and he all but collapsed as he came in.

He groaned from the couch, “I got beat by a mare. No, I was trounced by a mare. If it had been Applejack, that would be one thing. How I am I going to get into the Lunar Guard if I get beat by a skinny, little mare?”

Trade patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve been taking lessons about as long as you have been alive. You did just fine. I could teach you a lot. Oh, and thanks for the compliment. I do try to watch my figure.”

He grunted in response.

“You’ve improved, Bookend. I was worried a desk job might make you soft.”

Not raising his head from the couch arm, Quill piped up, “No chance of that, he typically exercises about an hour a day. He calls it stress relief.”

“Well, that hasn’t changed at all. I can’t remember any time he would sit still, unless he was reading or working on something.”

I ignored their jabs. “Speaking of stress, I got the forms you will need to start up a business. They’re on the table.” As she looked them over I asked, “Did you see any places that you liked today?”

“Two actually, but I was only able to get hold of one of the owners. I found out the owner of the other place was off having a dispute with that Land Grab character. Evidently, Land Grab made a couple of errors in the listing that the owner was not too happy about.”

Quill snorted and said, “No surprise there. He is always trying to rip ponies off or messing things up.”

“You’re the second pony to tell me that. Wait a moment, I don’t like this.” She pointed to a clause in the application and asked, “Why in Equestria do I need a Ponyville resident to sign for me? And they have to be a partner for six months?”

I looked at the page she showed me. “Ah, yes. There was a pair of brothers that tried to con the Apples out of their farm not too long ago. The whole mess nearly wiped out cider season. Cider season is very important to the town, so ponies knee-jerked and added that requirement to the application. It’s just a way to see if anyone in town will put their name down for you.”

She flipped the page back, and looked down towards the end. “I noticed you took the time to fill your own name and address on that particular part.”

“It’s just a formality; there are no teeth to it whatsoever.”

She gave me a concerned look. “You realize this means that you are exposed to any liability that I may have for that six month period, right?”

“I have never seen you mess up a deal, or do anything remotely shady. I am perfectly comfortable with this.”

Quill sarcastically remarked, “You mean you’re perfectly comfortable with her. You two even shared my bed.”

Trade grinned, and nodded to Quill. “You’re learning! Look, you made him blush.”

“I’m not going to live that down, am I?”

“Not for a long time, bro,” Quill said.

*****

The week went by quickly. Trade found a place, near the market, that she liked. It had a similar setup to her shop in Manehattan, with an apartment over the store. She put in an offer and began the waiting game.

Not too long after breakfast, there was a knock at the door. Quill got up from his homework, and opened the door.

“Hello, Quill. Is the new pony here?”

My ears shot up in alarm. I could hear her, even from my room, it was Pinkie Pie.

“Yes, she’s here. She’s in the kitchen.”

“Here, take this. It’s for you.” Pinkie handed Quill an invitation.

Pinkie bounced in, and headed for the kitchen. I had just stepped out of my room and could not intercept her.

She looked over the papers that Trade was going through. “Hello! What c’ya working on?”

“I’m looking over the local business listings. I’m trying to see if there are any contacts I can make, before I start up my shop.”

“Ooo, you’re a business pony! That’s neat. There are a lot of businesses around here. Sofas and Quills, Bon Bon’s Sweet Treats, Rarity’s Boutique, Sweet Apple Acres, and…”

Trade smiled, and gently interrupted, “I know, but I have to find out if they have the types of goods I need.”

“Well then, it’s a good thing I came along. Your auntie Pinkie Pie is going to help.”

Trade looked over at me in confusion, and I just shrugged. There was no way I could even begin to explain Pinkie Pie.

“I’m here to invite you to your welcome to Ponyville party.” She handed Trade an invitation, and hopped around Trade and the table.

“It’s going to be great! There will be cake and music and dancing and pin the tail on the pony and most of Ponyville will be there! You can meet all kinds of business ponies there, and I’ll help you meet every single one.”

“Thank you Pinkie, but putting on the party is going to be hard enough. Bookend can help me with meeting ponies.”

Pinkie noticed my arrival and handed me my invitation. Pinkie paused, and looked around. “She’s staying with you, right?”

I nodded.

“Where does she sleep?”

I did not like where this was going. “She sleeps in my room.”

“Oh, you’re friends like Doodle and Matilda?”

I managed to stammer out, “No, I sleep in Quill’s bed.”

She turned her head towards Quill. “Then where does he sleep?”

Quill spoke up, “I sleep outside.”

Pinkie whipped her head back around to me. “You meanie, you threw your own brother out in the snow for your special somepony?!”

“I sleep on a cloud, Pinkie. I like it out there.” Quill spread his wings. “I’m built for it. I come in when it’s scheduled to snow at night, and Bookend takes the couch.”

Trade chuckled, “Why does everyone assume I’m his filly friend?”

Pinkie turned back to Trade. “Well, he is really nice to you. He likes you, and you like him. You are friends, and live in the same house. If you were special someponies with Quill, it would be weird, since he is so much younger. If you were special someponies with both of them it would just be kinky.”

For the first time in a long while, Trade was completely flabbergasted.

I face-hoofed myself and said, “Pinkie! Surely you have other invitations to deliver?”

“Oh that’s right! I’ve got to get going! See you tomorrow!”

She seemed to vanish out the door, and it shut behind her without having been touched. Trade’s papers were blown across the table, and onto the floor, by the resulting gust of air.

Quill laughed. “That’s Pinkie for you. I can’t tell if she is a genius or just crazy.”

I sighed in relief, at her absence. “There is a fine line between inspiration and madness. She bounds back and forth between them so fast it’s impossible to tell which side she is on.”

Trade shuffled her papers back into stacks, and started to pick up the errant pages off the floor. I offered a hoof, but she waved me off. “You don’t like her much do you?”

“It’s not that at all. She is a gifted baker, and a wonderful pony. It’s just that our personalities are so different. I like peace and quiet, and Pinkie would have an unplanned block party just for the fun of it.”

Quill gave his own version of my explanation, “She likes to party, and he is a stick in the mud. They don’t mix.”

I turned to him and mock smiled. “Thank you for putting it so bluntly, Quill.”

His return grin was genuine. “You’re quite welcome.”

Trade grinned at our antics. “Well, you will have to put up with her a little tomorrow night. Pinkie is right; this will be a wonderful opportunity to get to know the ponies in the area. Who knows, I might be able to get this thing off the ground after all.”

*****

The party was held at Applejack’s barn. It was one of the few places, besides town hall, that could accommodate a good number of ponies in Ponyville. Pinkie had decorated, baked enough sweets to feed both the royal and lunar guards, and even provided the music.

Trade dived into the party. She mingled, talked shop, and danced in turn. Some of the pressure that she had been carrying dropped off her, and she seemed more like her old self. I was more of a wallflower, but still enjoyed the evening.

I headed back to get some more punch, when a filly bumped into my legs. I looked down, and found it was Dinky.

She looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to levitate the cookies, like Twilight showed me, and I…” Her face fell as she looked at the broken pair of cookies. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.

Being able to levitate two objects, at her age, was an accomplishment.

I could not help but smile at her. “Don’t worry about it; I’ll get you another couple of cookies. Just don’t eat too many.”

“I won’t. One of them is for Mist.”

I got another pair of cookies for Dinky, and held them out. “I hate that I missed your levitation magic. Let me see you do it.”

She concentrated for a moment, her magical aura appeared, and then the cookies slowly left my hoof.

“That’s great! Most unicorns your age do well just to pick something up, much less levitate two things and move around with them.”

Dinky smiled, but her concentration on her task kept her from saying anything.

I looked around, and saw Quill and Mist sitting at a nearby table. Morning Mist and I had only met a couple of times. Her yellow coat and green mane made her easy to spot in the crowd. I was not surprised to see Quill talking with her. He talked about Mist often when we discussed what was going on with his classes.

“I’ll lead the way. You just make sure those cookies get there safely.”

Dinky nodded, and followed me. I directed the flow of ponies around us a couple of times, allowing Dinky to complete the trip with the cookies intact.

Dinky and I joined Quill and Mist.

“Thanks Dinky.” Mist took the cookie from Dinky’s magical field. “Twilight’s lessons have really been helping you. If you keep this up, you may pass her one day.”

Dinky grinned at the praise.

I wondered where Derpy and Turner where in the crowd. “Where are your mom and dad? I haven’t seen them since you guys came over for dinner.”

“Mom and dad are at home. Mom has another morning route tomorrow; she needed to get some sleep.”

Mist explained, “I’m foal sitting for them so they could ‘relax’ this evening.”

“Ah, got it.”

Dinky looked back and forth between us, thankfully not getting the undertones of the conversation.

Quill changed the conversation’s direction, before any awkward questions started. “Somepony has an announcement to make.”

Mist tried to hush him. “Quill, I don’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

“You don’t have to stand on a table and shout it. Just tell Bookend.”

Mist sighed in happy resignation. “Alright, I got accepted into the weather team assistantship program.”

I shook her hoof. “Well done! Those spots are hard to come by.”

Quill enthusiastically voiced his opinion, “She is the best in our class at early morning weather. They would be crazy not to have her with them.”

Mist blushed. “Thanks, Quill.”

Quill rubbed his neck, and blushed as well.

Trade took that opportunity to sneak up behind Quill. She threw her forelegs around his neck. Quill’s blushed deepened, and Trade put her chin on top of his head. She grinned at Mist, and squeezed Quill a little. “I thought he only got embarrassed around me. Looks like I have some competition.”

I tried to wave Trade off, but she continued: “He is a wonderful colt. Did you know he has been helping me get my new business going? He has even given up his bed to help me.”

Quill looked up to say something to her, and she kissed him right between his ears. His wings unfurled, brushing past her sides as they extended.

Trade laughed, as she fell off of him. “That’s not fair. That tickles.”

Mist gave Quill a look that a cockatrice would have been proud of. Quill started to try to explain, when Dinky came to the rescue.

Dinky stomped in front of Trade, and let loose. “Don’t kiss Quill! Mist has been trying to get him to ask her out for weeks! You can’t just take him!”

Mist’s blush matched Quill's in intensity.

Trade smiled and then quickly covered her mouth. She composed herself, and apologized, “I’m sorry. I did not know that he was spoken for.”

Dinky pointed to Mist. “She is the one that you should say that you are sorry to.”

“You’re right. Mist, I’m sorry for kissing your coltfriend. Let me make it up to you.”

Trade walked over, and whispered in Mist’s ear. Mist’s blush suddenly returned.

Trade gave Mist a knowing look. “I promise it works, try it.”

“I think I will wait a while before I put that to use, thank you.”

“You’re young, enjoy it. Besides, both Quill and his brother are fun to tease.”

I lifted my hooves in a warding gesture. “Leave me out of this.”

Trade smiled. “Just wait till you find some mare that you like, you won’t have a moment’s peace.”

Mist started to ask Trade something, when Applejack’s voice, assisted by a megaphone, cut across the party noise. “I hate to have to break up this shindig, but I’ve got apple bucking in the morning, and ya’ll have work tomorrow too. Thanks for coming, and welcome to Ponyville Even Trade!”

There was a round of applause for Trade, and she bowed. “Thank you for the warm reception; it has been an evening I will never forget.”

*****

As we headed back into Ponyville, our little group started to break up. We all said our goodnights, and Mist and Dinky started down another path back towards Derpy and Turner’s.

Quill asked, “Do you mind if I walked Dinky and Mist home?”

“I assume you’re planning a walk to Dinky’s, then a nice flight all the way to Cloudsdale with Mist?”

Quill nodded. “Yeah, I would like to talk with her for a bit. Looks like I’ve missed a few signs.”

“Get going, and good luck.”

He nodded, and then galloped off to catch up with Dinky and Mist. His hoof prints mingled with theirs as he went, and the image struck me. I wondered how long it would be before he started out on his own path, leaving me to travel mine alone. I watched the falling snow slowly fill up the hoof prints, while pondering that question.

My moment of thought was broken by Trade.

“I hope it goes well for him. If I had known that Mist liked him, I would have not have harassed him like that.”

“What did you tell Mist, anyway? She looked so shocked.”

“Well, I did a little damage control first. I told her that Quill was safe from me; since I would much rather ruffle her feathers. Then, I gave her the hint that Quill likes mares freshly out of the shower.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Trade, that’s horrible!”

She grinned. “Well, I like to help a mare out when I can.”

“I meant flirting with Mist; she is almost half your age!”

Trade snorted, her breath misted in the air. “It was nothing serious, and she knew it.” She paused for a moment, giving me a concerned look. “I saw you zone out for a moment. What’s got you thinking that hard?”

“Quill’s growing up. Before too long, he will be gone. It’s going to be strange, being alone again.”

“He can take care of himself; you’re the one I’m worried about.”

“What do you mean?”

“You work too hard, and never take time for yourself.”

I started to say something, but she would have none of it.

She held up her hoof. “Don’t start, I know you. You’re idea of fun is exercising, and then curling up with a book. If you’re feeling wild, you might have a cup of coffee too. You need more than that.”

I ducked my head. “I know. It’s just been so crazy lately with the move. I haven’t taken the time to get out much.”

“You haven’t gotten out at all. I’ve talked to Quill, and he told me you have not been out without him since you moved here. He’s concerned about you too. He wants to see you happy and not so isolated.”

“I plan to get out more, before too much longer.”

“That won’t cut it. You can’t keep planning for the future all the time, you’ll run out. Live in the moment more. I thought all those Neighponesse books you read stress that.”

I smiled a small, sad smile. “Reading it is one thing, living it is something else.”

“Then it’s time to start practicing.” She kicked some snow in my direction, and challenged, “Catch me if you can.” She bolted off at a full gallop, her strides muffled by the snow.

I shook as much of the snow off me that I could, grinned, and gave pursuit.

*****]

Quill coming back into the house woke me. With me being on the couch, it was impossible for him to come back in without me knowing.

I raised my head and asked, “How did it go?”

He brushed the snow from his hooves. “They both got home just fine.” His tone was not what I was expecting.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m confused.”

I guffawed. “Mares will do that to you, trust me.”

He shook his head. “No, I meant about what I want to do. Mist and I talked, and I really like her. I just never thought about having her as a marefriend before. It seems almost crazy that I didn’t. Now, I’m just lost. I thought I wanted to join the Lunar Guard, but she makes me think about what I would be missing during that time.”

I sat up. “Are you worried that she won’t wait for you?”

He walked over, and then sat down in front of me. “That’s part of it, but there are other things too. Like the times here in Ponyville. Hearths Warming, Winter Wrap Up, Hearts and Hooves Day, I’d miss them all. I could join the weather team without any trouble. I even got selected for storm duty when I applied for my assistantship for the summer.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to say anything until I made up my mind. I’m worried it might get in the way of my training for the guard. Now that I ‘ve been thinking, I just don’t know what I’m going to do.”

I joined him on the floor. He did not say anything. He stared into the dying fire, as his thoughts took him far away.

I let him think for a little while, and then I lightly punched him on the shoulder. “You could have talked to me about it, if it was bothering you. You’ve trusted me before.”

“I know, but you can’t keep helping me with my problems for the rest of my life. I appreciate it, but I have to grow up.”

I gave him a proud smile. “Sounds to me you already have. You’re planning ahead, and having to make some real weighty decisions. I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Thanks. Right now I just want some sleep; school’s going to be rough enough without getting any rest.”

He walked on to his room, and I lay back down on the couch. My last thought, before going to sleep, was that everypony in the house seemed to be grappling with their futures.

*****

Trade’s offer on the store was accepted. Considering it was three weeks from Hearth’s Warming, the process went quickly and with a minimum of fuss.

We helped her move in to her new place, and she immediately began to order goods for her new business. A few of her old suppliers came through for her. Between them and the new connections that she had in Ponyville, she began to get stock quickly.

A couple of days later, Quill and I were helping Trade get the shop ready. Quill unpacked items and took inventory with her, while I wrestled with putting up display shelves. Even with blinds to the shop were pulled, there came somepony knocked on the shop’s door.

I looked from the shelf that I was trying to reattach to the wall. “Who could that be? I thought I put the ‘opening soon’ sign in the front window.”

Trade bounced, in a way that reminded me of Pinkie, all the way to the door. “I don’t care! At least somepony is already interested in my store. I don’t even have a name for the place yet, and ponies are knocking to get in.”

She opened the door, and let out a delighted whoop when she saw who it was. She leapt out the door, tackling somepony to the ground, sending snow flying everywhere. “Derpy, I have not seen you in ages!”

Derpy smiled up at Trade. “I haven’t gotten that enthusiastic of a greeting in a long time, and that was from my husband.”

As she stood over Derpy, Trade addressed the other two ponies that had come with her, “Hello Dinky, and Mist too.”

Dinky smiled at Trade’s antics. “You can let mom up now; she’s not going to run off.”

Trade helped Derpy up, dusted her off, and then invited everypony inside.

Mist immediately gravitated towards Quill. Dinky began looking at the few items were out, studying them with an intensity that was beyond youthful curiosity. Derpy and Trade stood near one of the open crates, and talked about how things were progressing.

I finished securing the shelf, and headed over to Derpy and Trade. “Everything is going pretty well. Besides one shipment that got delayed, everything seems to be getting here on time. Trade is right on schedule to open about a week before Hearth’s Warming.”

Trade flinched. “Please don’t say that too loudly. After all the trouble that I’ve had, I would rather not jinx it.”

There was a flash of light, and a wave of magic pulsed through the air. Almost at the same time, there was the sound of something metal hitting the wooden floor.

Quill suddenly lunged forward yelling, “Dinky!” His hooves met with empty air.

Mist’s wings went out in shock. She stammered out, “She can’t teleport yet, where did she go?!”

Trade rushed over, and almost stepped on what appeared to be a broach. She looked it over for a moment, after picking it up, and her eyes went wide. “I needed you to tell me exactly what happened. I mean literally word for word and motion by motion.”

Quill nodded and said, “I was unpacking the crate, while talking to Dinky and Mist. I asked if Dinky was ready for Hearths Warming, and she said that she still needed to get something for Derpy and Turner.”

Mist added, “I suggested that I could bring her here sometime, so that she could get them something later.”

Quill continued, “She seemed enthusiastic, so I said she could help me unpack things. We would treat it like a sneak peak, so she could get some ideas. I said something about it being like looking for lost treasure in an old castle, or going through a dragon’s hoard. Dinky said that she would love do something like that. Then there was that flash, and she just disappeared.”

Trade gave him a no nonsense look. “How did this,” she held the brooch up, “get out of the box.”

“Dinky was levitating it.”

Trade paled. “Not good. Not good at all.” She sat down suddenly, as if her hind legs had lost their strength. “This brooch is calmed the Wandering Heart. It teleports a pony towards their desire when activated with magic. Dinky could be anywhere in a twenty mile radius, depending on what she was thinking.”

The implications of that caused everyone to pause.

Mist spoke first, “Horse apples. That means that she is either in the princesses’ old castle…”

Derpy finished Mist’s thought, “Or in a dragon’s lair.” She said it rather calmly, for a mother whose foal had just vanished. Her voice still told that she had to fight the impulse to rush to find her daughter.

Trade spoke up, “Well, I can tell you this. The brooch is limited in range, and it only teleports a pony if their destination is safe.”

Quill asked, “How is an ancient castle safe, much less a dragon’s lair?”

I thought for a moment. “Well, dragons don’t eat ponies, so she is probably safer with the dragon than being in the old castle. The dragon wouldn’t let the creatures of the Everfree Forest into its cave, so she even has an odd sort of protection there. The old castle is not all that accessible either, so it should be pretty safe from any creatures. I would still go there first, just in case.”

“Stay here everypony, I’ll be right back.” Trade went up to her apartment, and came back down with a pair of saddle bags. Trade filled the bags with bits, gems, and a few magical artifacts. “I may have to make a deal with the dragon to get Dinky back, so it helps to be prepared. You three have wings; you need to get to the old castle as fast as you can, in case Dinky was sent there. I’ll head to the dragon’s lair, and see what I can do. We’ll all meet up back here.”

Mist asked, “Why don’t we just use the brooch and go to Dinky?”

Trade shook her head. “It has to charge its power again. You have to leave it in the sun for five days before it can be used. The thing really isn’t all that useful, but there are some collectors that would pay quite a few bits for it.”

Quill volunteered to lead the way to the old castle, and the winged ponies were out the door, and gone, before I could wish them good luck.

Trade walked out the door, and I followed. I pulled the door shut, and asked her for the keys so I could lock up.

“You’re not coming with me.” The look she gave me showed her determination, and made it clear that she would book no disagreements.

I still announced, “You’re not leaving me here.”

The next thing I knew, my hooves were in the air. The snow cushioned the impact, but it still knocked the wind out of me.

She leaned over me. “Don’t make me really hurt you. I don’t need foolish heroics out of you, or any chivalrous aspirations. I have already put four other ponies’ lives at risk; I’m not adding yours to that list.”

I gasped just enough air to state, “You’re wrong.”

“I’m right. This is my business, and my inventory caused this. I have put my best friends’ lives on the line. I don’t care what it costs me, but I will not make somepony else pay for my mistake.”

I was still trying to get my air back. I wheezed, “Not your fault. (Gasp.) Accident, she just wanted to help.”

“That doesn’t matter; I still have to fix this.”

I finally got my air back. “I agree, but there are a couple of things that you’re not thinking about.”

She looked unconvinced. “Alright, what am I forgetting?”

“The first thing is business related. I’m your partner, so this problem is also my problem. The second thing is something a little more practical. You have no idea where the dragon’s lair is, and I do.”

She helped me back to my hooves and dusted the snow off me. Her eyes filled with tears. “Sorry, I’m just terrified that somepony might-”

I hugged her, stopping her before she could complete that sentence. “You said it yourself, the brooch does not work if somepony would be hurt, so Dinky’s safe. Quill, Mist, and Derpy are grown ponies and can handle themselves in a rundown castle. I’m more worried about us getting to the dragon’s lair. We can’t fly away from danger, like they can.”

I let her go, and she locked the shop’s door. Without another word, we started towards the Everfree Forest.

Odds and Ends

Chapter 3: Odds and Ends

Trade and I kept a look out for the creatures of the Everfree Forest as we walked along the shaded path. Typically they didn’t bother ponies, especially during the day. We still didn’t want to take any chances.

She deliberately bumped into me. “How do you know where the dragon’s lair is?”

“It’s kind of a rite of passage in Ponyville for a colt to sneak into the forest and grab one of the rocks outside the dragon’s cave, while your buddies watch.”

“I’m surprised you took part in something like that.”

“I loved it, actually. It was one of the few times that I went out of a limb. Besides, I kind of cheated.” The faces of my fellow classmates alone had made the whole trip worth it. I had always been known as quiet and straight-laced.

Trade raised an eyebrow. “I have even more trouble picturing that. How, pray tell, did you manage to cheat?”

“I found out that dragons don’t eat ponies. Knowing there is very little danger involved takes the challenge out of it. All you have to do is be quiet, sneak in, and grab a rock.”

“What do dragons eat?”

“Gems, for the most part, somehow they are able to digest them into energy and fuel for their flames. I don’t understand it myself. I never was the best at chemistry.”

We were quiet the rest of the way. The length of the walk gave us time to brace ourselves for our meeting with the dragon, but the sight of the cave made us pause.

I decided to take the initiative. “Look, I know the mare is supposed to go first. Just this once, let me. I don’t think the dragon is dangerous, but I would rather not risk you to find out.”

A deep voice cut through the forest. “How noble, but unnecessary.” The dragon stepped from his cave. “I have been expecting you.”

The dragon’s green scales were much more vivid than the sparse, dark foliage surrounding the cave. Its yellow eyes, with their vertical pupils, marked it as a predator. Despite its fearsome appearance, it made no aggressive moves and seemed amused to have visitors.

Even knowing that dragons didn’t partake of pony, having a creature that was larger than my house stare down at me was disconcerting. I somehow managed to make our introductions, “Hello, I am Sturdy Bookend. This is my friend, Even Trade. We’re sorry to bother you, but you wouldn’t happen to have seen a young unicorn filly?”

He made an exaggerated bow. “My name is Targe. It is a pleasure to meet you both. And yes, I happen to have seen a young unicorn.”

Dinky walked, from the cave, to Targe’s side.

I started towards her, but Targe barred my way with his tail. She didn’t seem hurt, but I couldn’t see her well enough to tell. “Dinky, are you alright?!”

“Yeah, I’m not sure how I got here. Targe and I have been talking since I landed in his cave. He is a little grumpy because I fell on his tail. I don’t know what he is going to do to me.”

Targe’s laugh was so deep that I could feel it in my chest. “I have no intention of doing anything to you. However, I would like compensation for having a trespasser literally drop in on me, and for providing a small filly protection from the dangers of this forest.”

Trade unpacked some of the items from her saddlebags. “I am willing to pay for your damages, and your services.”

There was the sound of beating wings. We all turned, and Quill landed beside Trade. “What did I miss?”

Trade unpacked a couple of more items. As she did so, she explained what was going on.

He raised a wing in a pegasus salute. “If anyone can make a deal with a dragon, it’s you.”

She nodded grimly. “I hope you’re right.”

The bartering began. At the end of the protracted negotiations Trade’s saddlebags were empty, and Targe was still not satisfied.

Trade’s confidence was shaken by that point. It began to tell in her voice. “I have nothing else with me.”

After a theatrical pause, Targe made his price known. “Well, it is often said that a thing can be worth its weight in gold. Since I have enough of that, let us settle for gems. Bring this filly’s weight in gems by this time tomorrow, and she is yours. Otherwise, she will stay with me.”

Dinky was outraged. “That’s not fair!”

My mouth dropped open. “That’s draconian! We can’t gather that many gems so quickly.”

Thankfully, Targe thought my word choice was funny. “You’re quite right to use that term. We dragons are a strong willed people, and are services do not come cheaply. If you need a little more time, I can always tack a little interest to the price.”

“Consider it done.”

All of us were surprised by Trade’s words.

I leaned to her and whispered, “What in the name of Equestria are you doing?”

Trade gave me a determined look. “I can do this. This mark on my flank is not just for show.”

“I’m all for being gung-ho, but there are not enough gems in all of Ponyville for this. You can’t make it to Canterlot and back in a day, especially not with a load of gems in tow.”

“I’ll figure something out.”

“Then it is settled.” Targe turned, and started to usher Dinky back into the cave.

Quill’s voice caused them both to pause. “Might I also make an offer?”

Targe craned his neck back towards Quill. “Oh, and that would be?”

Quill thumped his chest. “Me for Dinky, let her go home. Her mother is frantic, and with me as collateral you don’t have to worry about the deal falling through.”

Targe’s smile showed all of his impressive teeth. “What a marvelous idea. I won’t even increase the price to your weight in gems, in recognition of your honorable aim.”

Dinky bolted to Quill. “You don’t have to stay with him! I’m brave! I can handle it!”

“Your mother helped me, now I get to return the favor. I’ll be fine.”

Dinky stood on her hind legs, and gave him a hug around the neck. “We will get you back.”

“I know.” He gave her a quick hug back, and then headed into the cave with Targe.

Trade was stunned by the whole exchange. “I can’t tell if you’re brother is brave, or crazy.”

“I don’t know. Crazy or not, I’m still proud of him.”

****

Derpy and Mist were waiting for us at Trade’s shop. Our arrival cut through the tension that had built up around the two. Dinky raced to her mom, who grabbed her up in a hug that enveloped the filly in the safety of her mother’s forelegs and wings.

“I’m so glad you’re back, safe and sound.”

Mist smiled at the scene. “I’m glad this worked out. How much did the dragon ask?”

Trade’s face told more than her words. “It’s not over yet.”

Mist’s wings started to rise as the realization struck her. “Where is Quill?”

A couple of tears rolled down Dinky’s face. “He traded places with me. The dragon wasn’t going to let me go till he got my weight in gems.”

Derpy made an incredulous sound.

“It’s true. I have to come up with Dinky’s weight in gems by tomorrow afternoon. If not, who knows how long he will hold Quill.”

Derpy voiced the question that had been running through my mind. “What are we going to do?”

I closed my eyes and tried to think. “Who would have a high inventory of gems around here?”

Mist responded, “Two places come to mind, Polished Facet’s jewelry store and Rarity’s Boutique.” Mist’s face showed little hope. “The problem with Facet’s is that all his gems are involved with jewelry of some kind. We can’t buy up his inventory, and take the gems off. We don’t have that kind of bits. Same goes with Rarity’s boutique, and her clothes.”

Dinky offered, “Sweetie Bell told me that Rarity sometimes has whole chests of gems that she uses for her designs. Maybe she hasn’t used a lot of them?”

Mist looked at her, pleasantly surprised. “If she doesn’t, maybe she can tell us where she gets that amount of gems.”

We had something to go on, at least. I voiced, “Good enough place to start.”

Trade put a few more items in her saddlebags. She had trouble getting the straps to close, but she managed. “I don’t know what we will need, but I’m bringing as much as I can.”

Derpy wrapped a wing around Dinky. “I’m taking Dinky home. She’s had enough excitement for one day. I’ll meet you at Rarity’s in a bit.”

Dinky ducked out from beneath Derpy’s wing. “Mom, I need to help Quill. He’s with that dragon because of me. I have to do something.”

“I know you want to do something, but I don’t think a little filly can help us right at the moment. It would help us if you were safe at home, so we wouldn’t worry about you while we get Quill back.”

Trade saw Dinky’s crestfallen face, and intervened. “Derpy, I think we may need her. I can’t demonstrate some of these magical items without a unicorn to help. Since she is the only unicorn with us, she almost has to come.”

I inwardly grinned. Trade always did know how to make a sale.

Derpy knew what Trade was doing, but seeing the hope on her daughter’s face, she relented. “Alright, but you are not leaving my sight. Do you understand, little lady?”

Dinky vigorously nodded.

*****

The bell to Rarity’s shop rang as we entered. The shop was lined with impressive garments of every description. I noted that there were lots of gems used in the designs, but I knew that had we taken every one they would not be enough.

It only took a couple of seconds for the shop’s proprietor to appear. “Welcome to Rarity’s Boutique, where everything is sleek, chic, and magnifique. How may I help you?” Rarity had a tape measure around her neck, and a pair of red rimmed glasses perched on her nose.

She looked at our small group with a designer’s eye. “Outfits for five? I don’t typically do group ensembles.” She dramatically threw her head back. “No matter. I’m up for the challenge. Now, what venue were you planning to attend? Is there a particular theme I should work with?”

I could not fault her for lack of enthusiasm. “No, my partner and I need help. Mist recommended your shop as the first place we should go.”

The words had barely left my mouth, when the tape measure flew towards me. Rarity circled, taking measurements as she went.

“Matching outfits for a couple. How romantic. I haven’t made something like that in ages.” She turned to Mist. “The next time you order something for yourself, I will be sure to give you a discount.” There was a momentary pause, as she looked at Mist’s mane. “Or, I could give you a free mane and tail styling. I would be more than happy to change the color of your mane too, if you would like.”

Rarity became distracted by the idea of coloring Mist’s green mane. As she took the measurement for my inside leg, I found out that the metal tab at the end of the tape measure was uncomfortably cold. I jumped in shock at the contact, and then swiftly sat down to protect my dignity from further abuse.

How Trade managed to not laugh, I will never know. She didn’t even protest Rarity’s assumption that we were a couple. She calmly stated, “We’re not here for outfits, we need your help.”

Rarity’s demeanor instantly changed. “I’ll be more than happy to help you however I can. What do you need?”

Dinky walked up to her. “Please Miss Rarity, I know you can help.” Dinky explained what had happened. Her telling of the events was exaggerated, but she held Rarity’s attention the whole time.

Rarity struck a dramatic pose. “He gave himself to a dragon to save a young filly, such a valiant act. You don’t hear about such deeds being done anymore, even by royalty.”

She muttered something about overstuffed princes, but I couldn’t catch it all.

“I will give you all the gems in my shop, but I’m afraid I don’t have enough. What you see here are all that I have. I just recently completed another order for Sapphire Shores, and it took the vast majority of my gems.”

Trade offered to pay for the gems Rarity had.

Rarity refused the offer, without a pause. “I would be honored to help with such a noble deed. I will not accept payment of any kind. Though, I’m afraid it won’t be much of a contribution.”

Derpy took a different angle to the problem. “Rarity, Dinky told us that you often have quite few gems here. Do you mind if we ask where you get them?”

“Dear, of course not. I have a spell that shows where gems are buried in the ground. I take Spike with me, and he digs up the gems. He keeps some as payment.”

The relief was evident on Derpy’s face. “Would you be willing to help us find the gems we need?”

She mulled it over. “I would be glad to, but we would have a problem digging them up. With all the snow, and the ground being frozen, it’s just not possible. Spike and Twilight are out of town at the moment, so we don’t have a dragon to fall back on either.”

Dinky jumped up and down. “Diamond dogs, we need diamond dogs! Sweetie Belle told me they gave you carts full of gems. We can go to their caves, and get all the gems we need. We can pay them like you do with Spike.”

Rarity wrinkled her nose at the idea. “Those brutes locked me in a cell, harnessed me to cart, swatted my flank, and got me dirty! I would love to help, but there is no possible way I am going back to their caves.”

Mist poked Trade’s saddlebags. “You wouldn’t happen to have something in there that would help us?”

Trade put her saddlebags on the ground, and went through them. She smiled, and pulled out what looked to be an ordinary stick. “Lady Luck may not have abandoned us completely. Rarity, would you mind casting that gem finding spell of yours?”

“Of course darling, but how will that help?”

“This is a Trick Stick. Trust me. It would be easier to show you, than try to explain it.”

Rarity’s horn flared for a moment, and every gem in the shop lit up with an aura. Trade lightly tapped the stick against Rarity’s horn, and it briefly glowed. Rarity released the spell, and the gems returned to normal.

Trade motioned to Dinky to come closer. “Use your magic on this.”

Dinky’s magic touched the stick, and the gems started to shine again.

Trade’s smile went from ear to ear. “Perfect. Now we have the spell we need, a unicorn to use it, and a place to get the gems.” She looked to Rarity. “I will not forget the help you’ve given us.”

Rarity politely waved her off. “I haven’t done anything. I just hope that this all works out.”

As soon as we exited the shop and the door was closed behind us, Trade broke down into hysterical laughter.

“Was that tape measure a little cold? I didn’t know that she was so thorough that she would be taking that particular measurement.”

Derpy covered Dinky’s ears. “Trade, there is a filly present!”

Trade barely paused. “I’m really envious of the diamond dogs.”

Poor Mist walked right into it. “Why in the world would be jealous of them?”

Trade was having trouble responding, she was laughing so hard. “I would have liked to have put Rarity in a harness and smacked her flank myself.”

I don’t know if it was caused by the tension that we were under, but I couldn’t help but laugh. Mist face-hoofed and Derpy giggled at the three of us.

Dinky’s ears were still covered. She looked at us, confused. “What’s so funny?”

*****

For the second time that day I found myself outside a cave, hoping that the creatures that lived in it would be hospitable. It was near sundown, and I was beginning to worry that we would run out of time before getting the gems.

Dinky, being young and fearless, walked into the mouth of the cave and yelled, “Diamond dogs, we need to talk to you!”

Derpy pulled her back. “Dinky, be careful. We don’t know how they are going to take us showing up out of the blue.”

After a couple of minutes, three pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the cave. “Ponies?! We promised not to take any more ponies. Besides, we’ve had enough whining. Go away!”

Trade bowed, and addressed the voice, “Hello, my name is Even Trade, and I am here to make you an offer. It’s a deal that includes my promise that there will be no whining.”

Three diamond dogs stepped into the light. One was large and burly, there was a short and stout one, and the last was a lean one that spilt the difference in height between the other two. They seemed much more leery of us than we were of them. The middle sized one seemed to be the leader, and did the talking. “Alright, what is this deal?”

Trade pulled out the Trick Stick. With an air that would have made a stage magician proud, she presented it to them. “I have learned that you need help finding gems. We need a little help ourselves. This stick is about to solve both our problems.”

Trade made a showy gesture, signaling Dinky over. “My assistant will demonstrate.”

Dinky smiled, and dived into her role. She made a production of gathering her magic, and using it on the stick. Rarity’s spell was cast once again, and the few gems at the cave’s entrance began to glow.

The two diamond dogs left their leader, and immediately began to dig up the gems.

The diamond dog’s yellow eyes looked Dinky over. “The little pony can cast the gem finding spell?”

Trade shook her head. “No, she can’t.” She waved the stick. “This is what is casting the spell, but it needs magic to work. We need a lot of gems by tomorrow. If you help us get the gems we need, I will make sure that you get three times what we require to keep for yourselves.”

He watched as his fellow diamond dogs dug up the gems. After a couple of moments he asked, “What if we want to use the stick later?”

“All you have to do is come to my come by my shop in Ponyville. I will have the stick ready, and I’ll make sure there is a unicorn that will use it for you.”

He held out a filthy paw. Trade didn’t hesitate, and shook with him. The result was a sealed deal and her having a dirty hoof.

He led us into the cave, which turned out to be the entrance to a sophisticated system of mining tunnels. He whistled, and several armored diamond dogs appeared from various side tunnels.

I worried that had walked into a trap.

The leader of the dogs commanded his pack. “You dogs, help the filly. She is going to show us gems with her magic.” He turned to Trade. “How many gems do you need?”

Trade met his eyes with a challenging look. “We need this filly’s weight in gems.”

He grinned smugly. “We diamond dogs can do that. Perhaps we could have a bit of a challenge?”

Trade hesitated. “What kind of challenge?”

“It’s getting late, so we’ll dig for one hour. You keep the gems you need, we keep the rest.”

Trade didn’t even take a breath before agreeing, “Done.”

Dinky and the diamond dogs turned it into a game. She walked around the mine, and they followed like overgrown puppies. As they came into areas rich in gems, the dogs would spread out and dig them up. Their efficiency was something to behold.

The amount of gems that they collected during the hour was staggering. Dinky’s weight in gems was not even a challenge for the industrious dogs. The majority of the time, they filled cart after cart with gems that they would keep for themselves.

At the end of the hour, the leader of the dogs called the digging off. “You take your gems, and we’ll take ours. I like you, pony. We will do this again.”

The diamond dog put a pair of bags, filled to bursting with gems, across my shoulders. The dogs never took Dinky’s weight, and I was sure that the bags were heavier that she was.

“Your share, now go home.” His words were curt, but there was some warmth to them.

Our group made our way out of the mines, and back into the snow and open air. Night had fallen, which caused us to make a difficult decision. We would wait till the morning before venturing into the Everfree Forest again.

Dinky was understandably upset. “We can’t leave him with that dragon! We need to go right now!” She turned to me, almost panicked at the thought of leaving Quill in the forest. “You’ll go with me. He’s your brother, you won’t leave him there.” She saw the look on my face, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Will you?” Silent tears started to slide down her cheeks.

It was very hard to keep my voice even. I was worried for Quill too, and I was having my own struggle not to head into the woods. “I would run all the way there, with you on my back, if I thought that was the right thing to do.” I knelt down to her level, and looked into her tear filled eyes. “Quill traded places with you to keep you safe from the creatures of the Everfree Forest. He would have both our ears if we tried to get to him during the night. The creatures are just too dangerous for us to take a chance.”

She sniffed. “But, he’s all alone.”

“Targe is with him. He may be a grouchy dragon, but he won’t let anything bad happen to Quill.” I wiped her tears away. “I’ll swing by first thing in the morning, and we’ll go get him together.”

She was not happy, but she nodded in agreement.

*****

That night, I tried to sleep. The silence and too many thoughts about Quill made getting rest impossible.

I curled up in the den with a blanket, and watched the fire dance in the fireplace. One part of me knew that Quill was safe as he could be in the Everfree Forest, being at a dragon’s side. The other part was running in small circles, in my mind, screaming I should already be at the cave with the gems.

I was not surprised to hear a knock at the door, and even less surprised at seeing Trade standing there in the snow.

“I have to quit knocking on your door in the middle of the night when bad things happen. At least this time you’re up.” She looked down at her hooves. “I couldn’t sleep, guess you couldn’t either.”

“No, the house was too quiet. Having you gone was bad enough. With Quill missing too, it was impossible for me to relax.”

She came into the den, I got her a blanket, and made us both some hot chocolate. I joined her in front of the fire. It seemed wrong to have such comforts, while Quill was sleeping in a cave.

Trade lightly punched me on the shoulder. “None of that, you lug. Quill is probably comfortably asleep right now.” She grinned lopsidedly. “I hope he keeps the dragon up with his snoring.”

I laughed. “Quill doesn’t snore.”

“He should tonight, just to aggravate that oversized lizard.” She looked into the fire. “I hate all this happened. But, in a strange way, I haven’t felt this alive in years. It’s like I'm turning into a new pony by facing these disasters.”

I nudged her with my shoulder. “Good times don’t challenge us. It’s when things get rough we find out who we are, and who are friends are.”

“I’ll have to wait and see who I am for a bit. But, I have no doubt who my friends are.”

We sat like that, in silence, till the first light began to show through the windows.

*****

Dinky was waiting for us outside her front door. We got there right at sunrise as promised, and it was clear she was eager to get going. With her were Derpy and Turner.

Turner looked over Trade and me as we walked up. “Well, here is a sight I never thought I would see again. I was not surprised to hear that as soon as you two were back together, trouble started.”

He patted Dinky on the head, and she brushed his hoof away. “With this little one added to the mix, it looks like just about anything could happen.”

Trade started to apologize for what happened, but Turner would not hear it. “These things happen, especially with unicorn fillies. As long as nopony was hurt, it can be fixed. I can’t wait till she starts trying to learn to teleport. Things like this will happen every day.”

Dinky was indignant. “Dad, come on, it won’t be that bad.”

He grinned down at her. “I’ll remind you of that someday.”

Mist landed, and joined our group. “Looks like I got her just in time.”

Derpy put a wing around her. “We would not have left without you.”

Dinky scampered back and forth in the snow. “Now that everypony is here we can save Quill from the dragon!” She started heading down the path, towards the Everfree Forest.

Turner sighed. “Just like her mother, boundless energy and enthusiasm.”

Derpy nipped his ear. “You love it, and you know it.”

Trade rolled her eyes. “You two, get a room.”

Mist offered, “I could sit for Dinky after all this is over, if you two need some more ‘rest’ time.”

I adjusted the bags on my shoulders, and set off after Dinky. There were aspects of my friends’ lives that I didn’t really want to know too many details about.

*****

The trip back to Targe’s cave was just as uneventful as the first. Though, thanks to Dinky setting the pace, we arrived there a bit quicker.

With the same gusto that Dinky had called into the diamond dogs cave, she yelled, “Mister Targe, we have the gems for you!”

Targe stepped out of his cave, making a show of putting a claw in his ear. “For such a little one, you make a lot of noise. What do you mean, you have the gems?”

She pointed at me. “He has them.”

He chuckled as I stepped forward. “It’s appropriate that you would be the one that was chosen to pony up.”

I winced at his pun as I put the two bags in front of him.

As he opened the bags, his shock at seeing the amount of gems was evident. “I didn’t think you could do it. I was going to accept any amount of gems that you brought. No self-respecting dragon wants to have to take care of a pony all the time.” He waved Dinky over, and scooped her up in a clawed hand. He weighed the two bags of gems in his other. “You brought more than enough.” He gently put Dinky down.

“Wait here for a moment.” He stepped back into the cave, and shortly returned with Quill and a smaller bag. “Here is your friend, and the extra gems you brought. I am a dragon of my word. I asked for the filly’s weight in gems, and that is all I will keep.” Without another word, he returned to his cave.

Dinky ran over and clung to Quill. “I told you we would do it!”

“I knew you would.”

Mist got to him next. “I don’t know if you’re brave, or just featherbrained.” She held his face in her hooves, and kissed him. “Don’t do anything like that again.”

Quill didn’t even try to keep his wings under control. “If you do that every time you have to rescue me, I’ll go looking for trouble.”

Mist playfully pushed him in the chest.

Derpy grabbed him in a hug. “Thank you for being so brave. I don’t know what I would have done, without Dinky at home.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. I think Targe wanted some company more than anything.”

Turner snorted. “So, it wasn’t that bad?”

“No, the worst I can say about is that I will need a bath from sleeping in the dirt.” Quill patted his coat as if to knock dust off of himself. He glanced up at Turner. “Oh, and Targe cheats at cards.”

“You’re not kidding are you?”

“I wish I were. He hid a couple of cards under his tail while we were playing.”

Trade pulled Quill into a headlock. “You’re a courageous pony, but don’t pull that kind of stunt again. I would give up everything I had, rather than see anypony hurt.”

As soon as Trade released him I grabbed him in a hug of my own. “It’s good to have you back, safe and sound.” I suddenly thought of something, as I looked towards the cave over his shoulder. “How did you know where the cave was? I never told you.”

“Would you believe me if I told you it was because of a rock?”

I grinned. “Actually, yes I would.”

Trade gave Derpy the bag of gems. “Take these. I put your daughter in danger, and caused you to worry. Nothing I can do can undo what happened, but I hope this makes some amends.”

Derpy looked at her wide-eyed. “We can’t take these. It was an accident, and it all worked out.”

“I insist. It’s the least I can do. If you won’t take them because of the trouble I’ve caused, consider them a finder’s fee. You put me in contact with a unicorn with a gem finding spell and incredible business connections, and Dinky has introduced me to the diamond dogs. Those two things will help my business far more than these gems are worth.”

Turner got a look in his eyes that I couldn’t place. “Thank you, Trade. I promise, we’ll figure out something appropriate to do with them.” He gave Derpy a wink, and she looked at him with curiosity.

*****

The next weekend our little group gathered outside of Trade’s shop. Everything had been readied for business, and her stock was on display. Above the door a cloth covered sign hung, waiting for its unveiling.

“I wanted all of you to be here for the grand opening of my shop. Without you help, I would not have been able to do this. You have given me a support, hope, and comfort when I needed them most.” Her eyes misted over. “More importantly you have been my friends, and have given me a new home.” She pointed to the cloth hanging over the sign. “Dinky, would you do the honors?”

Dinky’s magic pulled the cloth away to reveal a wonderfully crafted sign with the name ‘Odds and Ends’ emblazoned in gold letters. Golden images of a gem, a stick, a brooch, and a dragon each occupied a corner of the sign.

We all applauded, and Quill gave a long whistle.

Trade looked back at us. “The sign maker thought I was a little nuts, but I wanted something to mark our adventure. Besides, it will make ponies curious. Once they’re in the shop, I’ll be more than happy to tell them about what inspired the sign.”

She opened the door, stepped in, and took down the “opening soon” sign. She replaced it with a sign that proclaimed the shop was open. She stuck her head out the door, and shouted to all of Ponyville, “Odds and Ends is now open for business!”

We started to head in, but Turner stopped Derpy and Dinky. He whispered something to both of them and took a familiar looking bag out of his saddlebags. He gave the bag to Dinky, and nosed her towards the door.”

Trade caught my eye as the pair of them turned to leave. “You guys go on ahead. Derpy and I were going to get everypony some hot chocolate from Sugar Cube Corner to celebrate.”

I held the door open. Quill and Mist entered first, followed shortly by Dinky.

Dinky walked up to the counter. “Miss Trade, I need something for my mom and dad for Hearths Warming. What can I get with these?” She put the bag down, and deftly undid the string that held the bag closed. It was same bag of gems that Trade had given Derpy.

Tears fell down Trade’s face. “You can buy anything in the shop with that.”

Author's Note

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

If you enjoyed the story, please take the time to vote for it. Constructive criticism is always welcome.