Swirling Smoke

"Come again!" 

Another pony swindled out of their bits, the front door's bell singing behind them. I watched the same routine every day. It was a wonder anypony in this city still fell for Fetlock's gold-digging scheme. But, I suppose that came with living in a bustling city. There would always be somepony left to fool.

Fetlock's Fantastic Shop of Wonders- an antique shop specializing in magical artifacts. Well, supposedly anyway. Most of the stuff in here is cheap knockoff junk. Except for me. I'm the real deal. I sit up on one of the highest, most cluttered shelves in the shop, completely unnoticed and forgotten. Fine by me. I certainly wouldn't be for sale up here if Fetlock knew what I really was, and a weasley swindler like himself didn't deserve my power. No one has for a long time, not since-

The door rang again, calling my full attention. Watching the traffic in and out of this place was all I had anymore, so I had to catch the action when it happened. Personal reminiscing could come later. 

I strained to look from behind these dusty piles of junk. Normally, at least the top of a customer's head could be seen from here, but now I got nothing. Carefully, quietly I shuffled along the wall to get a better view. 

"Welcome, welcome," Fetlock sang, trotting to the front. His eyes pinpointed their prey moments before I did. My heart would have sunk if I had one- it was a young colt. Sadly, Fetlock wasn't above cheating a child out of their money. "Can I help you find anything, my young sir?"

"Um, I'm looking for something to help my Ni'Ni," the young, nervous voice answered. "She's sick, and the doctors don't know what to do, so... I thought maybe something magical might help?"

"Ah, what noble cause! You've come to the right place young lad." 

'You've come to the absolute worst place,' I thought, yet disgustingly invested in this story. I followed as close as I could, tracking them back along the edge of my shelf. Now that the colt had ventured within view, I could make out his muted orange coat and firey pink and red, pointed mane. He wobbled along on knobby, stout knees and hid behind his own bangs, nervously, yet curiously, following Fetlock.

"I have precisely what your, erm, Ni'ni, needs," Fetlock went on. He had led the boy a little farther into the shop. While Fetlock dug through a precariously stacked bookshelf, the colt began looking around, astounded no doubt by the sheer amount of stuff. Head still buried, Fetlock began his sales pitch. "What I have in mind for your Ni'Ni is an ancient artifact, said to have belonged to the great healer, Mage Meadowbrook herself! A teapot, rumored to have been sculpted from a type of clay that when fired, infuses- healthy minerals into the tea it brews. Why, just two cups a day will-"

*CRACK*

The colt had wandered right beneath my shelf and out of my sight. I strained over the ledge to see, assuming he'd broken something. The *CRACK* sounded again, louder beneath me. Air caught in my throat as I realized, the sound was too loud, and too close to have been caused by the colt. 

'Oh, buck-'

Time froze as the floor gave way- well, technically the shelf. I couldn't even see through the sudden flurry of dust. It was all I could do not to flail, or scream and reveal myself for what I was. I didn't, but I paid for it. Glass shattered, and numbness gripped my entire being. I hadn't been stored up on that shelf with any old china or vases. No. The only glass item that had fallen, was me. 

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Scrambling, Fetlock abandoned his teapot scavenger hunt to survey the damage in horror, ironically dropping more behind him than what had fallen from my shelf. I vaguely sensed the embrace of magic, and found myself face to face with the hysterical colt. 

"I don't know! I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to break your toy! I didn't touch anything!"

"That isn't a toy, that's a very expensive incense pot! You break it, you bought it! Empty your pockets kid!"

"I'm sorry! All I have is fifteen bits-" No sooner did Fetlock spy out the glint of coin than he snatched them out of the sobbing colt's saddlebags. 

"Now, GET OUT!"

The colt ran. He bolted out of the store and down several blocks faster than I would have ever guessed those stumpy legs could carry him. And he ran out with me in his saddlebags. 

Numb. I was just numb- in every sense of the word. My head was absolutely swimming, which probably dulled the searing pain on my back. Even reaching back to inspect the area hurt (I wasn't built for bending, but turning was abnormally difficult now). But upon eventually inspecting the area, I confirmed my fears. My handle had snapped completely off.

I supposed I should be grateful the damage wasn't worse. My thoughts were still too hazy from such a tumble to think straight. All I could do was lay down, rest, and try not to be smothered by books and folders at the bottom of this bouncing bag.

I didn't realize at the time, that would be the last jangle I heard of Fetlock's bell. The last customer I watched him scam out of their bits. It all happened so suddenly. I'd spent so much time forgotten and abandoned on that shelf... it never occurred to me that someone might buy me. Sold for fifteen bits. Maybe I was just hysterical, but I almost laughed at the thought. Even in my current... broken... state, this kid had just stumbled across the deal of his life. That reminded me. The colt...

Though the bag was bumping and bobbing against his flank, I managed to muster just enough strength to poke my head out pf the pouch. He was still sobbing, tears streaming past. I wasn't sure if he even had a destination in mind or if he was running blindly. I guessed in this state, probably the latter.