Perparing to open... remembering the tragety.

[Stellaluna]

Stellaluna took a step back outside of the shop to look over her work. For a week staight she’d been working tediously on the new shop. It was brand new, and in a different location that the old pet store had been. For that, she was glad. She was a strong beliver in ghosts, and she didn’t want to rebuild in the very spot that the previous owner, Cubby, had died in the fire as well as the poor animals.

Hopefully she wont come back here to haunt me. She worried. She shook her head at the thought. She had to stop worrying so much about ghosts. So many ponies had told her that there were no such thing as ghosts, but she couldn’t help it. She’d seen to many horror movies and it was too late for anyone to try to convince her.

Shrugging the thought of it off, she stepped inside. It was a bit larger than the old shop had been. There were many more cages and tanks. All of them empty. The animals would not be arriving for another two days. She hoped they’re trip was safe, and that they’d make it in alright.

She had ordered a more extensive variety than there had been before, also. Including not only dogs, cats, rodents, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds, but there would also be small monkeys, bats, ferrets, porcupines, hedchogs, and tarantulas and scorpions. (Which she wasn’t particularly thrilled about.) Basically any animal you could think of that was capable of being a pet was going to be available.

She had built the shop with a spare upstairs room, a bedroom, in case she had to work late and was too tired to go home.

Of course her parents had helped with the cost of all this. She’d be getting no birthday or FoL presents for about three years, but it was worth it. This was something she wanted to do. Deep down inside it was almost like something she had to do. She remembered that very day when the building was up in flames and started to shudder. She walked up the stars and sat down on the bed in the upstairs room.

All those animals…and the shop owner…they died… They died and I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t get all of them out in time… it’s partly my fault that they’re gone. She thought and started to hug the pillow in her forearms tightly, holding back tears of regret.

[spookytale]

Spookytale had gone from being extraordinarily hyper about the Grand Re-Opening of Novel Ideas, to accustomed to the idea, to somewhat worried about it in just a few hours. She'd resorted to pacing around town. She'd just begun to mumble to herself about how worries were like inedible chuthuloid squids, except they didn't usually try to eat your eyeballs, only sometimes they did, when she spotted another store that looked like it was going to reopen. Except it was in a different spot.

The door was open, and there didn't seem to be a sign expressly saying she shouldn't go in. So in she went.

The first thing she noticed was that all of the pets were invisible.

And also that Cubby wasn't there. Spooky frowned, then remembered that she wouldn't be able to see the original owner now anyway, she wasn't exactly around for the looking at and shaking hooves with any the way.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a rustling, and she went over to investigate. It turned out to be a rather visible brown and grey mouse and it was wedged under the molding eating what looked like a bill.

"Come here" Spooky gently cooed "Don't eat that, it's really bad for you..."

[Stellaluna]

Stella heard footsteps that sounded like they were coming from downstairs and looked up, her ears twitching sensitively.

“Oh dom gammit!” She said to herself, and whipped away any traces of moisture in her eyes. “I forgot to hang up the sign.” She was referring t the Open/Closed sign that was still in a plastic back near the register. She trotted downstairs, stumbling only once, and stopped when she saw Spookytale.

The mare appeared to be looking at something on the floor, so Stella walked up next to her to see for herself.

“Ah…” She said smiling when she saw the mouse. “It looks like one arrived early.” She said jokingly. She knew this was not one of the animals she had ordered and this it was a wild mouse.

She slowly leaned her head down and remained still for a moment. In a few seconds the mouse climbed onto her nose and looked at her very strangely. Even the animals sometimes found Stella a bit odd but she didn’t mind.

She raised her head again and looked at Spooky, now with the mouse looking at Spooky as well with it’s adorable beady eyes.

“I’m sorry…” Stella began. “…but the animals won’t be arriving for two days, the ones that are for sale at least. I’m assuming this one’s wild and he found his way in here by accident.” She would have sounded very professional, had she not had a rodent resting on her nose. The small brown creature did not seem to mind, however. Indeed Stellaluna had a way with animals. Now if only this held true with ponies…

[spookytale]

"Hehe, oh sure, wild like a snuggelump," Spooky's tail swished on the floor.

"I'm really sorry I snuck in. I'm re-opening a store too and I guess I wasn't thinking, " her head drooped down as she frowned. "It looks really nice, like you're going to have more sorts of animals then the other one. Like..." Spooky's head perked up, "bats?"

[Stellaluna]

"I'm really sorry I snuck in. I'm re-opening a store too and I guess I wasn't thinking, " her head drooped down as she frowned.

Stella smiled to Spooky sympathetically. “Hey, don’t sweat it. I’m actually glad that the place attracts people even if it isn’t open yet. At least now I know it draws peoples’ attention, and that’s definitely a good thing.” She grinned. “What kind of store are you opening? I’ll drop by sometime soon when it’s opened. Hey, maybe you could give me tips. I mean, if you’re experienced in this sort of thing. It’s kinda my first time ever running a shop.” Her bobbed tail wagged from side to side. She was glad to meet a fellow shop-owner.

"It looks really nice, like you're going to have more sorts of animals then the other one. Like..." Spooky's head perked up, "bats?"

Stellaluna blinked for a moment, registering Spookytale’s question in her mind. “Oh sure. I ordered a few types of bats, the ones that were available to be kept as pets anyway. Vampire bats were out of the question though.” Stella shuddered. She didn’t want to think about how they suck the blood of other animals.

[spookytale]

"Tips. Uhhhmmm...." She wasn't sure she should mention that she wasn't exactly a natural. "Well...we've been trying to advertise, and make the store look inviting. I'm reopening Novel Ideas." Spookytale paused, "We're going to have an open reading night and party, so people won't be so scared to come in. You know, rough history and all. But I think it will be nice to be surrounded by books and coffee." And possibly a ghost, which would be awesome. Spooky's mind began to wander back to ghost stories, but with a concerted effort she dragged it back again.

Spooky's ears lay back thoughtfully, "Oh well, maybe it's too cold for them here."

And then Spooky's mind meandered back to the topic of shops. "It's my first shop too, but I have a manager"

[Stellaluna]

"Manager?" Stella blinked in question. "Hmmm...I never thought about that..." She scratched her chin. Perhaps she could get one of her friends or maybe Don for the job. She could even drag Victor and her mother into it and make it a family business. No, she decided. That'd be a bad idea.

She lowered her head for a moment and let the mouse off her muzzle. She didn't seem to mind the fact that a wild mouse was running free in her shop. In fact, she would probably enjoy his company.

"I'm going to post an advertizement at the message board in Ponyville Squre real soon. Until then, I've got alot of work to do."

[spookytale]

"Oh....oh! right! Then...I should go. Yup." Spooky bumbled to the door, "Good luck! Maybe I'll see you when my store opens tomorrow night?"

[Stellaluna]

"Sure, sure!" Stella nodded. "I'll drop by to see how things are going. See you then." With that said, she went dutifully back to work setting things up.

[spookytale]

Spooky grinned, then waved goodbye to the little mouse, then Stella.

"See ya!"

Spooky slipped out, and resumed her nervous pacing.

(con't....elsewhere?)