Two-hundred and twenty-six bits. That was all.
She had collected it slowly over the course of three months, taking it strictly from her own salary, and never from Trixie's. Working as a geologist paid well enough now that she had her rocktorate — the college had awarded her contracts to study the local mineral deposits — but the new house came with a mortgage, and life had its various expenses as usual, and in the end she had saved two-hundred and twenty-six bits in her private stash.
And in theory, that was fine. That that was far more than the price she'd been promised.
But now the price had changed.
"Three hundred?" she said again, her face expressionless.
"That's right!" said the salespony, gesturing wildly like a carnival barker. "Only three-hundred bits for these fabulous cartwheels! You won't find a better deal this side of the Badlands!"
"You told me one-fifty."
"That was several months ago, before I'd acquired the goods myself! You must understand, of course, that there was quite a lot of work to do in getting these! Export fees, travel expenses, middlemen taking their cuts of course, and then of course the quality! Have you ever seen wheels like these?"
Behind him, a large cart did loops around the shop, inspiring wonder and some amount of fear in the passers-by who saw it. Maud glanced at the sparkling gold wheels as the cart passed for the dozenth time.
"Feast your eyes, madame, for these wheels are permanently enchanted! Premium top-grade magic from a unicorn who has wheels as a cutie mark. Completely reliable! Completely dependable! Completely obedient to the owner's ever whim!"
He raised one hoof toward the cart, and it stopped dead in its tracks.
He called out to the small crowd that had gathered. "Fillies and gentlecolts! Did you know that an earth pony can do magic? Well, not directly of course, but here we have the next best thing! I have with me a single set of magical cart wheels, the perfect gift for a pony on the go. And it's not just for earth ponies, either! You, sir! I see that you're a unicorn!"
"Um...yes?" said a passer-by who hadn't even noticed the cart yet.
"Wouldn't it be convenient to have a cart that moves on its own whenever you like, without having to cast a locomotion spell over and over?"
"Uh...yeah!"
The salespony turned to Maud, though he still spoke loud enough for everypony to hear. "And wouldn't you say that a prize like this is worth three-hundred bits, sir?"
The door was slammed, and Marble's ears perked up.
Actually, most ponies would not have described the sound as a "slam" per se. More like a door being closed somewhat harder than usual. It was an oversight, perhaps. An accident. A trick of the wind.
But when you grew up with Maud Pie as a sister, you learned to recognize the subtle things.
"Maud?" called Marble meekly from the guest bedroom, "Are you ok?"
(An outside observer might have claimed that Marble had just broken her personal all-time record for Most Words Spoken In A Single Day. But she always found it easier to talk to family, at least if nopony else was around.)
Maud sighed very slightly and hung her saddle bag on a hook by the door. Marble poked her head into the hallway. "Did you...have a problem with the gift?"
"He changed the price." muttered Maud, taking a seat at the kitchen table.
Marble's face fell. "Oh."
She took a seat next to her sister. "...you could always get her something else, right?"
"It's the perfect gift." Maud said simply. "It's our first Hearthswarming since the wedding. I'd be really sad if I didn't get it for her."
"...maybe I can help?"
Maud shook her head gently. "I have to do this myself. I'll figure something out."
Maud glanced to the side. Marble knew that look. It was not a good look.