Symphony’s crystal cerulean eyes slowly fluttered open. She instantly tried to close them again and go back to sleep, where her problems left her alone, but it was too late. She let out a heavy sigh and sat up in her bed. Instantly her body reminded her that her mattress was the worst possible thing to sleep on in all of Canterlot.
Groaning, the yellow Earth pony rolled out of her bed and stood in her tiny room. It wasn’t the happiest place ever, that was for sure. The walls were discolored and cracks were beginning to line the ceiling. Her landlord would no doubt blame that on her and force her to pay for it. Her one window, which had a huge crack in it, was covered not by blinds, but by an extra sheet. She had used pushpins to hold the thing up, because she knew that if she tried to use actual nails, she would get in trouble.
But the room was clean. There was no trash and no clutter. Symphony wasn’t a slob, and besides, she lived in Canterlot. Even if it wasn’t the best part of the city, it was still the city of the elite. As such, she took pride in her living space, even if the space was less than ideal.
Symphony made her bed, doing her best to smooth out the blankets on the lumpy mattress, but she eventually gave up on that. She just tucked the corners down, fluffed her horrible pillow once, and then left her room and walked into the the living room.
That room was several steps up from her bedroom, but it was still the bottom of the barrel. The walls weren’t discolored, but there were signs of cracks running along the ceiling. She had actually managed to find real curtains to hang over her main window, because the thought of other ponies seeing a bed sheet from the outside terrified her to no end. She had even managed to secure a sofa, although it was used and one of the cushions was so worn that it couldn’t really be called a cushion anymore. And she had had to use a small piece of wood to balance out the uneven leg. She had planned to get that repaired when her big chance finally came, but it looked like she was going to have to wait. Again.
Symphony turned and walked into her kitchen. It was nearly spotless too, with no dirty dishes in the sink and the counter was completely free of any sort of mess. There were no dried food scraps or stains, but the kitchen still looked shabby. The sink had a small leak near the nobs to turn the water on and as such, an annoying water ring had formed around them despite her best efforts. The faucet had warped over the years too, so that it was no longer flush with the sink. There was a small opening at its base, and despite her best efforts, Symphony had never been able to fully seal the thing. But at least the water that came out was clean and clear.
The Earth pony walked over to her refrigerator and opened it. Its barren shelves greeted her. She had two apples left, a few pieces of celery, and less than half a gallon of milk. She was going to need to go shopping again soon. She tried to push the thought that she was down to her last few bits out of her mind as she pulled the milk out and closed the door.
She placed the milk on her table and then pulled out a bowl. She filled it full of plain oats and wheat cereal and then carefully rationed her milk into the bowl. She poured just enough to soak her breakfast and then returned the milk to the refrigerator. She returned to the table and sat down to eat.
As she sat there, Symphony remembered the previous night when she had shared soup with Sea Swirl. The Unicorn had started to use a spoon, but she had refrained for Symphony’s sake. Symphony scowled at the memory. How rude of Sea Swirl, reminding her of a Unicorn’s superiority. And then she had had the nerve to pretend like she was being polite by not using a spoon.
Symphony scowled even more. She knew how to use a spoon. She was using one right now to eat her cereal. It was just made with a bigger bend in the handle so an Earth pony could use it. It almost looked like a ladle because of the handle.
She finished her meal and took the bowl to the sink. She washed it, trying to ignore the pooling water around the faucet as she turned the water on, and then dried the bowl and put it back in her cupboard next to her three plates and two glasses.
With her belly full, she walked back down her small hallway and into the tiny bathroom. She brushed her teeth and then brushed her luscious, wavy purple mane. She then turned her attention to her tail and brushed it too, and then looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was perfect and her yellow coat was glistening like it always did. She considered applying a touch of eye makeup, but then she saw her face.
A dark purple bruise was on her left cheek. Carefully, she reached up and touched it. She winced slightly. It was still tender. Of course, it had been an Earth pony that had hit her, so it wasn’t surprising that it hadn’t fully healed yet.
“Stupid…what was her name?” Symphony said bitterly as she tried to recall the mare’s name. “Beauty Bass?” Symphony shrugged it off. She didn’t care what that mare’s name was. She didn’t need to know it because she wasn’t important. She was dating Fiddlesticks, after all. And any pony that was involved with Fiddlesticks was clearly not a pony of any importance.
Except…Fiddlesticks was Octavia Melody’s cousin. And Octavia was a pony of importance.
Symphony shook the thought away. None of that mattered right now. All that mattered was finding some way to cover up the bruise. The last thing she wanted was ponies asking her if she was okay out of some false sense of sympathy. She settled, rather reluctantly, on draping her mane partly over her face. It took some doing, but in the end the purple color of her mane managed to hide the bruise fairly well.
As satisfied as she was going to get with her new mane style, Symphony left the bathroom and walked back into her living room. Without thinking, she walked up to the small end table by her front door and reached down for her bowtie. When her hoof touched nothing but the smooth top of the table, she looked down in confusion. Sure enough, the end table was empty. But then where was her bowtie? She always put it right there whenever she—
The memory came flooding back like a rush of cold water. She was standing on the cliff, staring down at the water far below. Her bowtie was resting in her hoof. She slowly dropped it off the cliff, and then…
“Great,” Symphony said as she hung her head. The only thing she owned that made her feel like she belonged in Canterlot, that allowed her to mingle in the crowds and present herself to other ponies, and she had dropped it off of a cliff. It was probably long gone now, either torn to shreds in the raging waterfall, or carried far away by some breeze. Now she was going to look like some bed-head with no class.
Sighing, Symphony shook her head and collected her saddlebag. There was nothing she could do about it now. Maybe, if she stretched her bits, she could manage to buy another, but right now the most important thing she needed was food. She opened the front door and walked out into the morning sun. She quickly looked around and, seeing that there was no pony around, she began to make her way out of the apartment complex.
Symphony had almost reached the street when she heard the familiar huff behind her. She flinched and froze, too embarrassed to turn around.
“Did you think changing your hairstyle would allow you to sneak out?”
“No, of course not,” Symphony said. She took a deep breath and turned around, holding her head up as high as she could. “It’s not like I changed my cutie mark or something. I’m just…trying something new.”
“Symphony, you’re two months late on your rent,” her landlord, Complex, said. He was a rather burly Earth pony, with a short brown mane and a dusty red coat. And two very disapproving purple eyes.
“I know,” she replied. “I’m sorry. Things have been…rough, recently.”
“Look, Symphony, I’ve given you enough breaks,” Complex said. His gaze softened for a moment, but then his face darkened again and he shook his head. “You have until the end of the week and then I’m kicking you out. Full payment, up front. No extensions, no excuses. Either have the money, or I kick you out. Understand?”
Symphony couldn’t help it. She lowered her head slightly, but she instantly snapped it back up. She didn’t want to look like she was trying to garner sympathy from Complex. She’d find her own way to get that money. “Yes. I understand.”
“Good.” Complex turned and walked away, but then he looked over his shoulder. “Um…have a nice day.”
Symphony didn’t dignify his false compassion with a response. She just turned around and continued to leave the apartment complex. She reached the sidewalk and turned toward the main marketplace. As she walked, her mind began to frantically try and come up with a plan.
All the bits to her name were currently in her saddlebag. She had enough to buy maybe three days of food if she stretched it, but the amount didn’t even begin to cover her rent. Normally, she would simply find a small little restaurant and offer to play her violin in exchange for tips, and if that didn’t work, she would just stand on a street corner playing. She almost always brought in enough money that way to keep herself afloat, but that was no longer an option. That stupid country pony, Fiddlesticks, had her violin because of a mix up at a recent talent show. There was no way Symphony was going to go ask for it back. She wouldn’t come crawling to that stupid mare.
Besides, she had smashed Fiddlesticks’ in a fit a rage, so she doubted the country bumpkin would give Symphony’s back.
Asking her parents for money was out of the question. She wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her in such a tight spot. She would sooner starve to death on the streets, or resort to begging from total strangers, or even throw herself off of the Canterlot cliffs again before crawling back to them. Of course, if stupid Sea Swirl hadn’t interfered, she wouldn’t even be in this—
Sea Swirl. Symphony’s mind stuck on the name for a moment, and she felt the beginnings of an idea taking root. It started with the thought that had crossed her mind last night. Sea Swirl was clearly well off. She could easily pay for Symphony’s rent. It would probably just be a drop in the bucket for a Unicorn as rich as she was. But Symphony wasn’t about to go up to her and ask her for money. She wasn’t going to let Sea Swirl get the better of her like that. She wasn’t going to bow down to any Unicorn, but then how was she going to get the money she needed?
“Well, she did try to sleep with me,” Symphony whispered. She knew it wasn’t true, but she couldn’t help but give voice to the thought. And when she did, she latched onto it like a drowning pony grasping a branch. “That’s right! She did, didn’t she? For all I know, she…she might have…”
Symphony shuddered and chased the thought away. No, Sea Swirl wasn’t like that. She couldn’t be. But she had tried to get sex from Symphony, and that was pretty low. Yeah, that was it. How dare Sea Swirl try to exploit her like that? She would make the Unicorn apologize for such rude behavior. She would demand one or two of those pearls that she had had in her bedroom as compensation for Sea Swirl thinking Symphony was some two-bit street mare. And then, she would have enough to cover her rent and probably enough left over to pay for a new violin.
Symphony grinned to herself. Her plan was perfect. Sure it was a bit mean spirited, but that was the way in Canterlot. Ponies stepped on one another on their way to the top. It was all about which ponies you knew and how you used them. Sea Swirl was surely familiar with the game, and besides, it wasn’t like Symphony was going to ruin her business. The Unicorn clearly had the money to spare.
Still, Symphony couldn’t help but feel a little bad about what she was going to do. Sea Swirl had seemed like a genuine nice pony. Maybe she really would just give Symphony the bits and not even ask for repayment or lord it over her.
“No,” Symphony said firmly, shaking her head once. This was the way it worked. She would use Sea Swirl to pull herself up, and then she would move on. “And once I’m the most famous musician in Canterlot, then…” Symphony stopped in her walk and blinked twice. “Then…I’ll pay her back. Yes, of course. It would do wonders for my reputation. Everypony would see what a gracious pony I am, remembering some no-name who helped me when I was down on my luck.”
Symphony had no idea why she was suddenly trying to assuage her guilt, but she didn’t dwell on it for too long. Instead, she smiled to herself and resumed walking down the streets of Canterlot, heading for Sea Swirl’s home. She was grateful that she had paid attention to her surroundings the previous night because she could easily remember where the Unicorn’s home was.
Symphony started humming to herself as she walked. Things were finally starting to look for her. All she had to do was get her hooves on one of those pearls from Sea Swirl and—
“Can you believe the nerve of her?” a contempt-filled voice asked.
“Oh, I know. How she has managed to stay in business with such poor standards is beyond me,” another voice said.
Symphony turned a corner and arrived at Sea Swirl’s house, but she stopped before she reached it. Two Unicorns were standing outside of Sea Swirl’s home, and they looked rather annoyed. They also looked like the typical Canterlot Unicorn: noses upturned, dressed in gaudy clothes, and radiating an air of superiority that Symphony hated. She was about to turn and walk away, but the mare turned and spotted her.
“Good morning, dear,” the mare said. “Are you here to see that pesky jewel dealer too?”
“Um, I don’t—”
“I’m sorry,” the stallion added, “but she’s run off. Rather rude of her, wouldn’t you say?”
Symphony blinked. Run off? Oh no. Had Sea Swirl left the city? If that was the case, then Symphony was in serious trouble. “Did she say where she went?” she asked tentatively.
The yellow Unicorn flipped her purple and white mane with her front hoof. “Please. As if I could be bothered remembering every little detail about that Unicorn’s schedule. Not that her schedule matters much, seeing as she promised that my necklace would be ready today.”
The stallion rocked his grey head briefly and used his magic to adjust the glasses he wore on his face. Symphony found the gesture extremely annoying. “No doubt she went to gather more stones like she always does. She was supposed to do that yesterday.”
“Indeed,” the mare said with a curt nod of her head. “As I said, I don’t understand how she manages to stay in business. What type of artisan allows herself to run out of supplies?”
“Uh, thank you,” Symphony said and then quickly walked away. She needed to get away from them for her own sanity. They were the very embodiments of everything she despised about Unicorns. And how dare they talk about Sea Swirl like that! She clearly knew what she was doing if she had such a nice house and—
Symphony stopped cold. Why was she defending Sea Swirl? She didn’t care what those two said about her. She barely knew Sea Swirl herself. The words of two strangers weren’t her concern.
Symphony pushed the concern from her mind and thought about what she knew. Sea Swirl hadn’t left Canterlot, at least not forever. She had simply gone to gather more stones, which meant that she would have to return home eventually. Symphony supposed she could just wait, but she didn’t know how long that would take. She doubted it would take several days, but if it did, she wouldn’t be able to pay her rent and Complex would kick her out. She needed to find Sea Swirl as soon as possible.
“But where could she be?” she asked herself as she stood on the sidewalk. She went over everything she knew about Sea Swirl. She was clearly a diver, seeing as she had so many pearls in her home. Pearls mostly came from the ocean. Her heart sank as she realized that fact, because if Sea Swirl was at the ocean, there was no way she’d make it back in time.
No, calm down. She said she was going to the ocean this weekend, Symphony thought. It was still the middle of the week, so it was unlikely that Sea Swirl had gone to the ocean. So where else would she have gone to find pearls?
Symphony’s eyes snapped open and she whipped her head up. Of course! The lake down at the bottom of the mountain. Sea Swirl had been down there yesterday because she had pulled Symphony from the water. She must have been diving for pearls or other stones in the lake.
It was far from a sure thing, but it was the only place that Symphony could think of, so she headed for the Canterlot gates. The trip down the mountain was going to take a while, and coming all the way back up was going to be even worse, but it wasn’t like she had anything better to do for the day. Finding Sea Swirl and getting her to give her a pearl was all that mattered at the moment.
Symphony reached the city gates and walked out of Canterlot, paying no attention to the guards or the other ponies that were coming and going. She walked over the bridge that lead into the city and nervously looked at the water rushing underneath her. She followed it until it dropped off the edge of the cliff and then looked away with a shudder. She needed to hurry up and find Sea Swirl.
The yellow Earth pony reached the other side of the bridge and began to follow the paved path that would eventually lead her to the bottom of the mountain, but she only made it a small way before she stopped in surprise.
Sea Swirl was coming up the path in front of her. Her head was hung low and her two-toned purple mane was hanging in front of her eyes. She was walking rather slowly, with several ponies easily passing her on both sides with nothing more than a casual stroll. Symphony briefly wondered what was wrong with her, but then she saw that the Unicorn was pulling a cart, and it was filled to the brim with gems. How was that possible? It wasn’t even past ten in the morning. How early had she gotten up in order to gather that many so quickly?
Symphony couldn’t help but grin with delight. If those two snobby Unicorns could see Sea Swirl now, no doubt they’d change their opinion of her. She was clearly very skilled at her business if she was able to gather so many stones and gems in such a short time.
Sea Swirl suddenly stopped in the middle of the road and took several deep breaths before she sat down. Many ponies glared at her as they passed her, and it looked like some of them even said something to her, but the Unicorn refused to raise her head or move. She simply waved the passing ponies away with a flick of her hoof.
Symphony took a deep breath. Now was the perfect time to confront Sea Swirl. She was clearly off balance, and with a push in the right direction, Symphony knew she could get that pearl from her. She walked up to the Unicorn and stopped directly in front of her.
“Okay…okay…” Sea Swirl said before Symphony had a chance to open her mouth. “I’ll…I’ll move…the stupid…cart. Just…give me…a second.” Sea Swirl stood but didn’t raise her head. She began to try and pull the cart off to the side of the road, but she lacked the strength to do so. Instead, she let out a small laugh and shrugged. “Sorry.”
“Um…are you okay, Sea Swirl?” Symphony asked.
What am I doing? I don’t care about that!
Sea Swirl’s head turned to the side and a raspberry eye peeked out from under her mane. She started to lower her head again, but then she whipped it back up and both of her eyes locked on Symphony’s face.
For a long moment, the two ponies simply stared at one another. Symphony studied Sea Swirl’s face. Her coat was covered in sweat and parts of her mane were plastered to her head because of it. She was breathing heavily through her mouth, but she quickly snapped it shut and tried breathing through her nose, making her sound like a bull getting ready to charge. Her eyes were wide, but they were having trouble holding Symphony’s gaze. They kept looking at anything but Symphony.
Finally, Sea Swirl scratched the back of her neck and looked up at the sky. “Um…hey, Symphony. Uh…what’s up?”
“Are you okay?” Symphony asked again, much to her bafflement. “You don’t seem well.”
No! Get the pearl!
Sea Swirl forced a smile and a laugh. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little…winded.” She nodded over her shoulder. “I had to get up early today to go get these back. It’s a long walk, and a full cart of gems going uphill kind of wears me out.”
“Get them back?” Symphony asked as she looked past Sea Swirl. The cart did look rather heavy. “Did somepony try to steal them or something?”
“What? No. I left them behind yesterday when I—” Sea Swirl stopped and looked at Symphony.
“You…left them behind when you brought me up the mountain,” Symphony said quietly. This time it was her turn to hang her head.
“Yeah,” Sea Swirl said quickly. “But, um, don’t worry about it. They’re just rocks. You’re a bit harder to replace than them.” Symphony’s ears twitched and she looked up at Sea Swirl. “Uh, I mean, any pony is harder to replace than a stone. Not that I mean that you’re not special or anything, because you are. But, not that type of special. At least, not that type of special to me. I’m sure that you’re that type of special to some other pony though.” Sea Swirl stopped and took a deep breath. “I’m…uh, doing it again, aren’t I? Look, Symphony, honest. I wasn’t trying to…you know, with you or anything. I was just trying to be nice.”
Symphony stood still for a moment, and then she blinked. Before she realized what she was doing, the words left her mouth. “I know.”
For some reason, seeing the relief flood into Sea Swirl’s face made Symphony smile.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Sea Swirl said. “I didn’t want you to think I was some sort of creepy pony who fillynapped random strangers just to have sex with them. Although, that might be fun.”
“Excuse me?” Symphony asked, raising one of her eyebrows.
“Uh…forget you heard that.” Sea Swirl looked back over her shoulder to hide her blushing. “Well, I better get going. Jet Set and Upper Crust are no doubt royally ticked off at me by now. Take care of yourself. And I like what you’ve done with your mane. Very exotic.”
Symphony reached up and brushed her purple mane that was covering half of her face. Sea Swirl liked her hairstyle? But it was so…undignified. “Um…thanks.”
Sea Swirl started to pull her cart away. Symphony stepped aside and let her by. She was still running her hoof through her mane, and it wasn’t until the cart passed her that her mind suddenly remembered the whole reason she had tracked Sea Swirl down.
“Wait!” Symphony said as she trotted to catch up.
I have to get a pearl, otherwise…
Sea Swirl stopped and turned around. She looked utterly exhausted, but she still managed a truly warm smile. “What’s up?”
Symphony froze. Her entire plan vanished in the face of that smile. It had already started to come apart when Sea Swirl had apologized for something that she had never actually done, and now Symphony could feel the last of her resolve fading. Great. How else was she supposed to pay her rent now? Or buy a new violin? Just ask Sea Swirl? And what would Sea Swirl think of her then? Coming to see her, begging for money, after Symphony had accused her of such terrible things. She would hate her, or at the very least think she was a no good beggar who—
“Do you…want some help with that cart?” Symphony asked.
What the hay did I just say?!
“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Sea Swirl said with a wave of her hoof. “I do this all the time. I just didn’t get as much rest last night as I usually do, so I—”
Symphony’s eyes narrowed. “Because of me, right? If you think you’re going to make me carry that debt around, then you can forget it.”
“No, I didn’t mean—”
Symphony walked forward and pulled the harness off of Sea Swirl. “Move.”
“Symphony, really, I can handle this,” Sea Swirl said, still refusing to move so Symphony could put the harness on. “You don’t owe me—”
“You’re right, I won’t owe you anything after this,” Symphony said as she pushed the Unicorn out of the way. “You Unicorns may have your magic, but an Earth pony is still stronger in terms of physical build.”
Symphony slipped the harness on and began to walk. The cart was a bit on the heavy side, but once she started moving, it wasn’t so bad. She didn’t even start breathing heavily once she found her rhythm.
Sea Swirl trotted up next to her a moment later. “Uh, Symphony, you really don’t have to—”
“I am not going to be in debt to some Unicorn,” Symphony said darkly as she put more force into pulling the cart.
“Oookay…” Sea Swirl said. She stared at Symphony with a raised eyebrow as the two of them walked over the bridge and back through the gates into Canterlot. “Anyway, I need to bring that cart to my home. It’s over by—”
“I know where it is,” Symphony said shortly. “I was there last night, remember?”
“Right,” Sea Swirl said with a smile.
“I even walked by it this morning”
Sea Swirl grinned. “Stalking me, hm?” Symphony shot her a look and the grinned vanished. “Uh, right. Sorry. Bad joke.”
“If there were any ponies stalking you, I would say they were the two Unicorns that were waiting outside your door when I walked by.”
Sea Swirl visibly flinched and closed her eyes. She opened one half way and looked at Symphony. “Um…they weren’t…grey and yellow, were they?”
“They were.”
Sea Swirl’s shoulders shank and she hung her head. “Great. Listening to those two this early in the morning is the last thing I need.”
Symphony remained silent for a long moment as the two of them walked down the street. They turned a corner and started heading down the block that would eventually link up with the Unicorn’s home.
Symphony could understand why Sea Swirl was rather annoyed. She herself had only spent a few moments in the company of those two and her patience had been tested. “How long do you need to finish their order?”
“Oh, it was supposed to be done yesterday,” Sea Swirl said, raising her head to look at Symphony. “I’m pretty much done with it. I just need to string the pearls together and set the middle one. I was actually looking for a large one yesterday, but I, uh…got a little side tracked.”
Symphony’s ears fell and she looked at the ground. “Sorry.”
“What? No, no it’s not your fault!” Sea Swirl said quickly. “I actually wasn’t even supposed to be down there. I just thought Upper Crust would prefer a bigger pearl in the center, so I went to look for one. Good thing I did though, huh?” The Unicorn nudged Symphony slightly and smiled.
Great. My plan was ruined by random chance, Symphony thought. “Yes, I suppose…”
“You suppose?” Sea Swirl asked. She stopped and looked directly at Symphony. Symphony stopped as well, grateful for the pause. Pulling the cart was a bit harder than she had expected. “What? Are you saying you wanted those ponies to throw you off the cliff?”
“What makes you think anypony threw me off that cliff?” Symphony asked sharply.
“That bruise on your cheek,” Sea Swirl said. She pointed with her hoof at the cheek that was covered by Symphony’s purple mane. “Unless you’re telling me that you fell off on purpose…?”
And what if I did, huh? What if I was so sick of being a failure at everything, at life always spitting in my face, of all my dreams being shattered every step of the way? What then, you stupid Unicorn?
“Somepony…hit me,” Symphony said as she lowered her head and rubbed her cheek. She didn’t know why she was afraid to tell Sea Swirl what she really thought. Come to think of it, she didn’t know why she was still pulling her stupid cart. She didn’t know why she was even still talking to Sea Swirl. She should have left right when her plan had fallen apart.
“Well, if I ever meet that pony, she’ll regret it,” Sea Swirl said. Symphony looked up to see the Unicorn once again smiling at her.
“Why?” Symphony asked.
“Because you seem like a nice pony, and whoever hit you was a jerk,” Sea Swirl replied. Her smile vanished and her eyes narrowed. “Plus, they did try to kill you. In fact, maybe we should go to the guards.” Sea Swirl stopped and began to turn around. “Yeah. I don’t know why I didn’t do that in the first place. Come on. I’m sure they—”
“No!” Symphony said quickly. If they went to the guards, Sea Swirl would find out the truth, and that suddenly bothered Symphony.
“But they might come after you again!” Sea Swirl protested. “We can’t just—”
“Just leave it alone!” Symphony shouted as she stomped her hoof. Sea Swirl recoiled slightly and several nearby ponies looked at the two of them. “I mean, why do you care? It’s over, and…they won’t be back.”
Sea Swirl opened her mouth but closed it almost immediately. She bit her lower lip a few times and then slowly turned back toward her home. “Okay,” she said. “But if you ever need help, you let me know.”
Symphony was about to tell her to mind her own business, but a torturous voice cut through the air.
“Finally,” Upper Crust said. Symphony froze and looked ahead. The Unicorn couple she had seen earlier was walking down the street toward her and Sea Swirl, and they were both wearing obnoxious facial expressions. “Honestly, Sea Swirl. I should refuse to pay you for being so late.”
“Indeed,” the stallion said in a huffy voice. “The nerve. If anything, we should demand compensation.”
“Make all the demands you want, Jet Set,” Sea Swirl replied. “It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.”
Symphony’s mouth fell open slightly and her eyes widened. Had Sea Swirl just done that? Was she even allowed to do that?
“Hmph!” Upper Crust replied with a raised chin. She looked down her muzzle with judging eyes at Symphony. “Hm…I remember you. You were at this pony’s residence earlier today. Ha! Don’t tell me she was late because of you!”
“What?” Symphony asked darkly. She could feel her anger beginning to bubble under her fur.
“Bad show, Sea Swirl,” Jet Set said as he, too, looked over Symphony. “If you are going to hire an Earth pony to pull your cart, perhaps you should hire one that actually shows up on time.”
Symphony opened her mouth to shout at the couple, and she was fairly certain that if she wasn’t hitched to the cart, she would have jumped on Jet Set, but Sea Swirl stepped in front of her.
“You’re right, my mistake,” the Unicorn said.
What? Symphony felt like she had just been punched in the stomach. Worse, she didn’t like that fact that Sea Swirl’s words made her feel that way.
“I went down to collect more stones this morning and I got a little carried away, as you can see.” The Unicorn nodded to the cart that Symphony was still attached to. “I hadn’t meant to get this many, so I had to call for help. Thankfully, I ran into a Pegasus. He flew back up to Canterlot and found Symphony here. If not for her help, I’d still be down at the lake trying to pull this cart up the mountain. And you would still be waiting for me.”
That wasn’t true. Sea Swirl had been just outside the city gates when Symphony had found her. What in Equestria was she doing? And more importantly, how dare she pass Symphony off as some common moving pony?
It’s more than I’m doing now, she thought bitterly.
“You don’t say,” Jet Set replied. “But…the trip down the mountain on hoof takes…well, I imagine it takes some time. Not that we would ever know. Right dear?”
“Indeed,” Upper Crust replied. “And we saw Symphony here not more than half an hour ago. That is…a rather impressive record.”
Sea Swirl put her hoof around Symphony’s neck in a half hug. “Yep. That’s why I sent for her. She’s the best. But, her rates aren’t cheap. Speaking of which.” Sea Swirl turned to the cart that Symphony had been pulling and rummaged around for a moment until she found what she was looking for. “I think this should cover it. Right, Symphony?”
“Y-Yes…” Symphony said, unable to think of anything else to say. Sea Swirl was levitating a large, milky white pearl in front of her. It was at least twice the size of the ones Symphony had seen in the Unicorn’s room the other night. With that, she could easily pay her rent.
“Great,” Sea Swirl said as she casually tossed it back into the cart. “Now we better get moving. These two customers of mine are expecting their order, and I’m afraid my foolishness has caused them enough of a delay.”
Sea Swirl casually walked past Jet Set and Upper Crust. Symphony, after finally managing to look away from the cart where Sea Swirl had tossed the pearl, began to follow her. She noticed that Upper Crust kept looking at her and then at the cart with shocked eyes. Symphony pretended not to notice, but as she walked past them, she couldn’t help but let a small smirk come to her lips.
The two ponies reached Sea Swirl’s home and the Unicorn went inside. Symphony stood at the door, wondering what she was supposed to do, until Sea Swirl’s head popped back out. “Are you coming, or did your service end once we got to my doorstep?”
“But…where shall I put the cart?”
Sea Swirl laughed. “Just put it in the living room. I’m going to have to do some work, and it’s easier when all the supplies are in the same place.”
Symphony nodded and brought the cart into the plush house. Once again, she was immediately struck with jealousy as she looked around Sea Swirl’s home. No cracks in the walls or ceilings, beautiful curtains, comfortable furniture, and countless other things that Symphony dreamed of owning one day.
“Thanks for you help, Symphony,” Sea Swirl said from the kitchen. Symphony unhooked herself from the cart and stood next to it, eyeing the pearl that Sea Swirl had picked out. The Unicorn had to have been joking, right? There was no way she would just give something like that to her. “Are you thirsty? Pulling that cart can be a pain, I know.”
“Yes, please,” Symphony replied, still not taking her eyes off of the pearl. Slowly, she raised her hoof toward it. Sea Swirl had said she could have it, after all.
“Water? Milk? Pop?” Sea Swirl asked. Symphony could hear the sound of clinking glasses from around the corner.
“Water.”
“Coming right up. Ice?”
Symphony touched the pearl. It was so smooth. Slowly, she picked it up and held it in front of her eyes. It was beautiful with its shade of white and perfect sphere.
“Yeah, that one’s a rare find,” Sea Swirl said. Symphony jumped and quickly put the pearl back in the cart. “Especially around here. Usually, I have to dive into the ocean to find one like that.” She was levitating two glasses. She moved Symphony’s over to her and the Earth pony took it.
“It is beautiful,” Symphony said as she took a drink. The water rushed down her throat and she suddenly realized how thirsty she was. She quickly took another, longer drink.
“Well, it’s yours now,” Sea Swirl said. She took a long gulp of her own drink and them smacked her lips together. “Ah, I love milk.”
“You…you mean it?” Symphony asked.
“Yeah, milk’s delicious,” Sea Swirl said. Symphony glared at her. “Oh, you meant the pearl. Yeah, take it. It’s my way of saying thanks. And sorry.”
“Sorry?” Symphony asked. Had Sea Swirl figured out her guilt plan? No, that wasn’t possible. Symphony had never acted on it, and Sea Swirl had already apologized.
“Yeah,” Sea Swirl said. “Those two are a huge pain to deal with. Always trying to one-up every pony they meet. They pissed me off when they spoke about you like that. So, I decided to hit them where it hurts. That pearl was supposed to be the center for Upper Crust’s necklace, but I think you’ll get more use out of it.”
Part of Symphony’s mind snapped at the remark. How dare Sea Swirl patronize her like that. What, did she think that Symphony couldn’t take care of herself?
But Symphony quickly squashed the thought. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed the money and Sea Swirl had literally just given it to her. There was nothing to be gained, and everything to lose, if she didn’t swallow her pride. She could take this hoofout from Sea Swirl. It wasn’t even a hoofout, not really. Sea Swirl didn’t know about Symphony’s current situation. She was just doing this to be nice.
Plus, Symphony had pulled her cart.
“Thank you,” Symphony whispered. She looked at the pearl closely. It was rather beautiful. She almost felt bad that she was going to sell it the first chance she got, but she had no choice. She put it in her saddlebag and looked around Sea Swirl’s home as she took another drink of water.
“Well, you probably have places to be,” Sea Swirl said as she stared at Symphony. “I’ve kept you long enough, I’m sure, and I doubt you want to sit around here and watch me work.”
“Oh,” Symphony said and she turned to the door.
“I mean, you can stick around if you want,” Sea Swirl added hastily. “But it’s kind of boring to sit and watch. Plus, you’ll probably have to deal with those two again.”
“No, you’re right,” Symphony said as she reached the door. “I do have a few things to take care of. Thank you again for the pearl.” The Earth pony opened the door and walked out onto the sidewalk.
“Hey!” Symphony turned around and saw that the Unicorn was standing in the doorway. “I’m, um…still going to the ocean this weekend. Do you, uh…do you want to come with me?”
“Are you…asking me out on a date?” Symphony asked with a skeptical look.
“What? No!” Sea Swirl said quickly. “No, of course not. I just thought you’d like to come with me. You said you’d never been before, and it really is a breathtaking sight.”
Symphony thought for a long time. There was nothing to be gained by going to the ocean with this Unicorn. She had gotten everything she needed from Sea Swirl when she had received the pearl. No, she should spend the weekend looking for a new violin, rebuilding her connections, and trying to find a surefire way to get into the upper echelons of Canterlot. Spending the weekend staring at a boring body of water wasn’t going to help her accomplish any of that.
But then again, Sea Swirl was clearly somepony of importance in Canterlot. She had stood up to those to snobbish Unicorns without batting an eye, and her home décor implied that her business was well respected. It couldn’t hurt to be close to a pony of her stature.
“Very well,” Symphony said. “I believe I will be free then.”
“Great!” Sea Swirl said as her ears jumped up. “You can meet Aqua! I’ll come pick you up. Where do you live?”
Symphony felt her stomach fall out. Her eyes darted about and she was actually grateful that her mane was covering half of her face. She couldn’t let Sea Swirl see where she lived. “Um…how about I come over here? After all, I’ve already been to your home twice, so there’s no worry of getting lost.”
“Okay, sounds good,” Sea Swirl said with a smile. “The train leaves the station at ten, so you should probably be here by nine-thirty.” She looked down the street and winced. “Oh great, here they come again. You better get going. See you Saturday.”
Sea Swirl disappeared into her house and Symphony looked down the street. Sure enough, Jet Set and Upper Crust were walking toward the home. Deciding that she couldn’t stomach another encounter with the two, she turned in the opposite direction and walked away, smiling to herself as the pearl in her bag gently bounced against her side.