The tea was cold now. The warmth had faded into the winter air. All of its appeal was long gone, and yet Symphony couldn’t bring herself to look away from it. She glared at the half-empty glass and felt her face turn into a scowl. Her crystal blue eyes narrowed and wrinkles appeared in the yellow as she stared at her reflection.
Why is this so hard? she thought. She let out a huff of air through her nostrils and the vapor only reminded her that her tea had gone cold. She made a face and smacked her front hoof on the table in frustration.
As she did, something bumped into her backside. Symphony’s hoof slipped and she knocked her tea over. The liquid spilled onto the table and the Earth pony growled. She blinked once and looked for a napkin. Normally, she would have turned around and glared at whomever had made her spill her drink, but she was just too annoyed to care at the moment.
“Pinchy!” a stern voice called out over the clamor of the outdoor café. “Say you’re sorry right now young lady!”
Symphony suddenly felt a small tug on her purple tail. She looked over her shoulder and felt her day get instantly worse. Staring up at her was a little filly. She was a soft pink color with a raspberry mane and tale. She had big lime-green eyes that were staring up at Symphony, practically bleeding apologies, but the thing that really made Symphony’s coat itch was the small tip of a Unicorn horn poking through her mane.
Great. Just great. Probably another little spoiled brat.
“Um, I’m sorry, Miss,” the filly said. She blinked once and Symphony felt her distain for the child lessen. A little. “I was just in a bit of a hurry. We’re trying to find Mom a present.”
“No sweetie, you’re trying to find Mom a present,” came the stern voice. “I already picked something out for her. Did you apologize to this nice lady?”
Symphony looked up, expecting to see some stuck up Canterlot Unicorn, but she was surprised to be looking at another Earth pony like herself. Her coat was darker than the filly’s, almost a purple, and her curly mane and tail were a raspberry pink like the filly, but darker too. Most surprising of all was that the mare didn’t carry herself like a Canterlot pony in the least. She was so lose with each step, and even though she was wearing a scowl, Symphony was willing to bet she was normally a very happy pony.
“Yes, Mommy,” the little filly said, looking up at the newcomer with big round eyes.
Mommy? Wait, then she’s a…?
“Good girl,” the mare said as she ruffled her daughter’s mane playfully. “Now go hurry up and get Mom that present. I’ll wait here.”
What? No!
“Okay!” The filly took off in an instant. She zipped inside the seventeenth store Symphony had visited today and was gone.
“Sorry about that,” the Earth pony said as she sat down at the table with Symphony. “She can be a bit of a hoofful sometimes, especially when we’re in Canterlot.”
“Um…don’t worry about it,” Symphony said quietly. Why was this pony talking to her? She wasn’t in the mood for chatting, and the last thing she needed was to be seen in public with…with a mare like this. There were plenty of same-sex couples in Canterlot, but it was an unspoken rule that ponies kept it private. To talk about it so casually was just—
“Pity about that drink,” the pony said as she looked down at the spilled liquid. “Allow me to get you another one.”
“No!” Symphony said, trying to be polite. “It’s fine, honest. The tea was cold anyway.” She frantically looked around for a napkin. Hopefully, if she busied herself enough, this mare would take the hint and leave her be.
“Tea huh?” the mare continued. She cocked her head to the side and made a face. “Stuff’s okay, but I’ve never really been a fan. More of a wine girl myself. Excuse me!” The mare waved to a nearby waiter. “Fresh cup of tea and a glass of red wine please.” The waiter nodded and went about his task.
“Look, you don’t have to do that,” Symphony said with a bit more force behind her voice. Now she wasn’t just worried about being seen with this mare. She was worried that a certain pony would see her with this mare and get the wrong idea.
Symphony didn’t realize the thought was upsetting her until her bowtie started to itch. She was about to rub it with her hoof when she stopped. Why did she care if that pony saw her sharing a drink with a stranger? It wasn’t like that between them. They were just friends…
“Ugh…” Symphony growled as her head began going around in circles again. She no longer cared about the mare sitting across from her. She just wanted her life to stop being so…difficult. She lowered her head onto the table and stayed there, trying to silence her brain as hundreds of conflicting thoughts raced through her mind.
Symphony heard two quiet taps on the table and the sound of bits changing hooves, but it wasn’t until she heard the waiter walk away that she raised her head to peek out from under her purple mane.
The mare was sitting at the table and taking a long sip from her glass. A very long sip. She drank the wine like it was water, gulp after gulp, until the glass was completely empty. She then smacked her lips together and let out a contented sigh as she set the glass back on the table. She licked her lips and cocked her head to the side.
“Hm…a little too watery if you ask me,” she said after a moment. “But then you Canterlot ponies never understood a good wine. Too much tea drinking if you ask me.” A sly grin spread across the pony’s face as she spoke.
“Hilarious,” Symphony said without lifting her head. “May I help you, or are you quite finished?”
“Yeah, I’m finished. Both with my wine, and my shopping.” The mare locked her gaze on Symphony’s eye and stared at her until the violinist felt uncomfortable. “You want to talk about it?”
“I have no idea what you mean,” Symphony replied, hiding her eye back behind her mane. Why couldn’t this mare just leave her alone? What gave her the right to pry into Symphony’s life?
“Honey, you were bleeding misery from across the city. If my daughter hadn’t crashed into you, I was going to come over and talk to you myself.”
Symphony scoffed. “You really aren’t from Canterlot, are you?”
The mare laughed. “What was your first clue?” She looked herself over and grinned.
“Why are you here?” Symphony asked. “In Canterlot, I mean.”
The mare slouched back a little and flicked her empty glass with her hoof. “Believe me, it wasn’t my choice. I know I don’t fit in here. All these stuffed shirts make my fur itch. But this is where my wife grew up. We’re visiting her family for the holiday.”
“They approve?” Symphony asked before she could stop herself. She instantly slammed her mouth shut, but the words had already escaped. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“So that’s what’s bothering you,” the mare said, her grin changing from good natured to knowing. Symphony wanted to reach across the table and smack it off of the smug mare’s face, but something told her she’d regret it.
“No, I do not mind if you’re a, uh…”
“’Fillyfooler’ is the name most ponies use.”
Symphony’s ears burned at the sound of the word. To use such language in public was…unheard of in Canterlot. “Um…yes. That.”
The mare snorted a little and then spun her glass. “Frankly deary, I couldn’t give two bucks about whether you mind my sexual prefrences.”
“Uh—” Symphony swallowed, suddenly terrified of the direction the conversation was taking. Why couldn’t this psychopath just leave her alone?
“Like I said, I’m not from Canterlot. All your social norms and acceptable behaviors? Screw ‘em.” The pony’s face soured a little and her eyes grew dark, but then a smile returned to her face and she leaned forward in earnest. “But! That’s not what we’re here to talk about.”
Symphony’s fear suddenly vanished in a puff of confusion. “Um…then what did you mean about—?”
“You don’t know what to get her, do you?”
Symphony sat straight up and her ears jumped. “How dare you! You might be a, a...that, but I’m not! I am a sophisticated Canterlot pony! I am an accomplished musician! I have suitors waiting on me night and day to—stop smiling at me like that!”
“You might want to keep it down babe,” the mare said with a smirk. “Ponies are starting to stare.”
To Symphony’s horror, she realized that that mare was right. She quickly sat back down—she hadn’t even realized she had stood up!—and made it a point to glare straight ahead at the mare. She didn’t dare make eye contact with any of the other ponies who were clearly gossiping about her now.
“I am not a fillyfooler!” she hissed under her breath.
“Uh-huh, whatever you say, sweetheart. I never said you were. I just said you don’t know what to get her. You’re the one who jumped at some imagined insult.” The mare continued to grin at Symphony in that obnoxious way, and if it wasn’t for the fact that leaving would no doubt cause a scene, Symphony would have stormed away right that second. “I didn’t even know it was a her. I just took a shot in the dark.”
Symphony growled until her bowtie felt tight around her throat. This mare had tricked her! And she was probably going to keep tricking her until Symphony made her leave.
“Look,” she said darkly. “You clearly have something you want to say to me. Just say it and go away. I’m sick of your games.”
“You don’t know what to get her, do you?”
As much as it killed Symphony, she nodded. “That’s…correct.”
“You want it to be special. Something that she’ll love, but you can’t think of anything. Seeing as she’s in Canterlot, I’m betting she’s pretty loaded, so fancy gifts are out.”
Symphony thought about what Sea Swirl did for a living. There was no denying that she was well off. “If she wanted something, she could easily afford it.”
“Could she afford you?” the mare asked with a suggestive grin. “Relax, I’m just teasing. So you want it to be special, but I’m betting you don’t want it to be too special. Don’t want to give the wrong impression, right?”
“Yes,” Symphony said quickly. Too quickly, judging by the mare’s smile and the twisted knot in her own stomach.
“Well, then it’s easy. All you have to do is—”
“Mommy! I’m back!” Symphony and the mare looked to see the little filly trotting to the table. A small bag hung in her mouth and she had the biggest smile on her face. “Hi lady. Sorry about bumping into you.”
“It’s…fine,” Symphony said. She stared at the present. That child had it so easy. Of course her…other mom would love the gift. It was expected of a parent. It could be the ugliest thing in the world and her mom would adore it. She didn’t have to worry about the possibility of her mom completely rejecting her and her gift.
At least, that was how it was suppose to work. Symphony wasn’t sure.
“Let me see what you got her,” the mare said. She leaned forward and looked into the bag. She let out a quick laugh.
“Will she like it?”
“Of course she will, Pinchy.” The mare rose from the table and ruffled her daughter’s mane. “Now come on. If we hurry, we can still get some lunch before we have to meet up with your Mom.”
“Wait!” Symphony said as the two ponies began to leave. She rose slightly and stretched her hoof out to stop them.
“What’s up?” the mare asked.
“You, uh…said the solution to my problem was easy. What is it?”
The mare looked down at her daughter and her eyes clouded over. Her expression softened and Symphony could tell that she was drifting through her memories. “You just have to do what my little girl did.”
“Um…okay,” Symphony said. She stood and moved to look in the bag, but the mare yanked it away. “But you said—”
“Get her something only you can get her,” the mare said with a soft smile.
Symphony’s eyes narrowed. “I already told you that I’m not—”
“Not that, although that’s always a good follow up gift.” The mare grinned. “Get her something special.”
“Like what?” Symphony asked. She knew she had to get something special. The problem was that she didn’t know what that something special was. Didn’t this mare understand that?
“All you have to do is get her something from you.” With that, the mare turned around and walked away with her daughter.
Symphony stood there and watched her go. She wanted to be furious with the mare. She had sat at the table and mocked her, played mind games with her, and called her names. Symphony had every right to be angry with her, and on any other day she would have been, but the mare had given her a small idea.
As she left a small tip on her table and began walking through the busy streets, the idea began to grow along with a small smile on her face.