With an uneasy silence the two stallions watched as the earth pony departs, taking with him a stifling sensation of inability. It was the same kind of inability that is often found in the common house plant and some governmental employees, which is to say the sensation of being unable to do much more in a conversation than accept the fate placed upon you by the other side of the conversation, however, they had elected to not take up photosynthesis or write a report to be filed away in some cabinet forgotten by mortal pony. At least one had the little victories in life, right?
 
No sooner had the soft clicking of the door been heard than the duo exchanged glances, neither quite wanting to be the first to speak, or for that matter, throw suspicion upon the other (admittedly a rarity among ‘villains’). So for a few moments they reflected, reading each others facial expressions as the soft tick-tock of a nearby clock wore away at the edges of their now paranoid psyches.
 
“I didn’t do anything, did you?” Mistguard finally murmured as his amber eyes narrowed to mere slits, studying the feminine features of his counterpart’s face.
 
“Nothing recently,” The other kelpie replied with the same indignant tone of a burglar who had been convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, but wished he had. “and you’re not known for being terribly subtle, so…”
 
Mistguard frowned for a moment, rolling his eyes about as he listened. Subtle, he could be plenty subtle! … He just favored the same kind of bluntness generally attributed to siege weapons. The spotted pony shifted uneasily for a moment glancing to the side. “Hmph. Is he gone? Good. First things first then, if I didn’t do it, and you didn’t do it, we had best figure out who did. You go and make sure Lars is still in the closet, and I’ll check the more… Troublesome grimoires.”
 
The two parted ways for a time, Morning Tide trotting off in a hurry towards a room behind the counter, smiling reassuringly to a cervine patron who had perked a questioning brow at the kelpie as he bustled past. Within moments of breaking line of sight with the deer he made his way to a heavy wooden door properly labeled with words so simple a idiot could understand them - something that in the past still hadn’t deterred more adventurous patrons.
 
DO NOT OPEN
 
Of course for himself and Mistguard this was more of a guideline. It wasn’t so much that what lurked within was dangerous, at least not unless told to be. But it wasn’t exactly something most ponies would look favorably upon! Not that Morning Tide cared what most ponies thought, as far as he was concerned their opinions upon himself or the things he choose to surround himself with meant less than the air that was required to voice them.
 
Such confidence had it’s merits Mistguard had to admit, even if at times it came with repercussions, especially when speaking to figures of authority, or in the far rarer cases when those walls of confidence came tumbling down around Morning Tide.
 
The shopkeeper found the door to be unmolested, it’s latch still tightly secured. Despite this he carefully unlocked it and peered within - the light from the world outside splitting into the darkness beyond and silhouetting him in the door frame. Somewhere within that darkness something large shifted with a odd sound, something rather like a xylophone being moved down a stairwell. Two icy blue orbs appeared on the edge of the light for a moment, growing wide then turning to slits that curved upwards like the cartoony eyes of a particularly happy cat.
 
“Laaaaaars, you okay in there?” Morning chimed in a voice soaked with honey. The reply he got was a gargled mess that bounced about the rooms in a mad cacophony of laughter. For some this might have been unnerving, the harbinger of chills that would dart up the spine, however for Morning Tide this brought little more than a sigh of relief! “… Right, thanks big guy.” He replied as he carefully sealed the door once more.
 

 
Debating putting actual story with each post, whatcha think?