//------------------------------//
// Fillyfooler (?) 
// Story: Shattered 
// by Zeck 
//------------------------------//

	Sea Swirl set the last box on the counter and let out a sigh of relief. She took a few moments to catch her breath before lifting her head to look around the small shop. The display cases were full, the floor was clean, and the Hearth Warming decorations were all hung up, save for the last few pieces in the box she had just set down.
“Just in time,” the Unicorn said with a weary voice. “Thanks for the help, Symphony.”
“You are welcome,” the mare replied from somewhere behind her. “What do we do now?”
Sea Swirl turned around and faced the beautiful pony standing in the middle of the shop. She had her mane tied back in a rather alluring fashion to keep it out of her eyes, and the small patches of dirt, dust, and sweet that covered her face only served to make her more attractive. 
Sea Swirl had been fighting a losing battle ever since Symphony had sort of asked to spend the night a month ago. Before that, she had been able to keep her feelings firmly stuffed in the back of her mind, but after waking up in her own bed with Symphony next to her, those feelings had been clawing their way to the surface. 
The fact that Symphony had been spending the night more and more—despite the fact that Sea Swirl always ended up snuggled next to her come morning, much to the Unicorn’s embarrassment—wasn’t helping Sea Swirl in the slightest. 
Just having her around is enough.
Even though a part of Sea Swirl wanted more—much more—from Symphony, she found that she truly believed her thoughts. It was nice having Symphony around, even if it was only to have another pony to talk to and keep her company. Travelling between Canterlot and Ponyville, as well as all across Equestria, got pretty lonely, so having the mare be a constant while she was in Canterlot was something she really appreciated. 
“Now,” Sea Swirl said, shaking the thoughts from her head, “we take a much deserved break. Lunch?”
“Lunch sounds enjoyable,” Symphony replied.
The two mares sat down on the rug that Sea Swirl had placed on the floor and began to eat their lunches. They ate in silence, but Sea Swirl didn’t mind. Before, when she had first met Symphony, moments like this were awkward, with Sea Swirl constantly trying to find something to talk about. But over the past few months—and especially the month since that first night—Sea Swirl had grown used to this sort of thing. It was just the way Symphony was. 
Sea Swirl still wished the mare would open up to her a bit more, because she could still see the pain in her eyes, but most days it was in the background now.
“You do this every year then?” Symphony asked. 
“Uh-huh.” Sea Swirl nodded as she swallowed the last bite of her sandwich. “Most of the time I just do business out of my home, but three days before Hearth’s Warming Eve, I always rent out this shop. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but we’ve been getting a lot of orders recently.”
“Indeed,” Symphony replied with a small smile on her face. “It has been amusing watching you frantically fill orders.”
Sea Swirl blushed. “Yeah, well…having you here has made it a lot easier, let me tell you.”
Symphony blushed and Sea Swirl had to struggle not to faint on the spot. “I am…happy to help. Truly.” 
Sea Swirl looked at the clock on the wall and nearly choked on her drink. “So, we’re pretty much done for today, Symphony. I just have some cleaning to do here, and then I have to run some errands. You don’t have to hang out here if you don’t want to.”
“I will help with the cleaning, if you like,” Symphony said. 
An image of Symphony in a maid outfit popped into Sea Swirl’s head and she almost died from the thought. 
“It’s, uh…just busy work, really,” Sea Swirl said, avoiding Symphony’s gaze. 
“Oh,” Symphony replied, and her tone threatened to crush Sea Swirl’s soul. 
“But!” Sea Swirl said quickly, remembering that Symphony really didn’t have anywhere else to go besides her home—which Sea Swirl had still never officially been invited to visit—and Sea Swirl didn’t think the mare liked the idea of just spending the rest of her day by herself; not if the look on her face was any indication. “I do have something you can do for me, if you want.” 
“And that is?” Symphony asked as she blinked once. 
“Here we go.” Sea Swirl levitated a small box over to them and set it on the floor. “These are some flyers that I put up around the city. Lets ponies know that my shop is opening tomorrow. If you want to put those up, that’d be a huge help. I’ll give you a small bonus too.” 
Symphony put her hoof on the box and pulled it toward her. “I will take care of it,” she said. “Shall I meet you back here once I am finished?”
“No!” Sea Swirl said quickly. She wasn’t expecting her meeting to take long, but she didn’t want to risk Symphony walking in on it.  She wasn’t entirely sure how the mare would deal with Sea Swirl’s guest if she saw her. “I’m actually going to head out and do some last-minute Hearth’s Warming Eve shopping after I finish up here. Um…” Sea Swirl swallowed. This had been going on for a month now, but she still got a knot in her stomach every time she asked. “You can come over this evening…?”
“I will be there at four,” Symphony said with a nod.
That gives me two hours, Sea Swirl thought. That should be enough time.
Symphony stood up, opened the box, and began to load the fliers into her saddlebag, when an idea popped into Sea Swirl’s head. 
“Here you go, Symphony,” Sea Swirl said as she pulled out a key from her saddlebag. She floated it over to Symphony and dropped it into her bag. “It’s a spare key to my place. If you finish early, or I’m not there, don’t think you have to wait for me in the cold, okay? You can even take a shower if you want. This place was kind of a mess.”
“Are you hoping to walk in on me while I am soaking wet?” Symphony asked. Her voice was completely deadpan like always, but Sea Swirl thought she detected just a hint of something else in it.
“Er…” The mare felt her ears warming and she flattened them against her skull. “I’ll…make sure I knock first, okay?”
“I will see you at four then,” Symphony said. She finished loading the flyers, wrapped the scarf that Sea Swirl had bought her around her neck, and then walked out the door. There was a blast of winter air for a moment and the chime of the bell as the door opened, and then the mare was gone. 
“Whew,” Sea Swirl said. She closed her eyes and started to relax, but a moment later, the cold air came flying back and the bell sounded again. Sea Swirl shot up, expecting Symphony to be walking back in saying she forgot something, but that wasn’t the case. 
“She is rather beautiful,” came the peaceful voice. Sea Swirl felt like her face had found a whole new shade of red as she stared at the pony that had just walked into her shop. She was dressed in a long, brown cloak and had a hood covering her head, but her height gave her away easily. “Wherever did you meet her?”
“Princess Celestia!” Sea Swirl said, bowing her head slightly. “You’re right on time. We just finished.”
“Oh, I know, Sea Swirl,” the Princess of Equestria said with a smile. “I was actually outside for a few minutes. I believed you wouldn’t want me interrupting.”
“Eeep!” Sea Swirl squeaked as her friend’s smile turned into a grin. “It’s…it’s not like that! She just works for me.”
“Hm?”
“Honestly!”
“That is too bad,” Princess Celestia replied. “Like I said, she is quite striking. Are you sure that she only works for you?”
Sea Swirl bit her lip and made a face. “Okay, yes. Fine. You win.” Sea Swirl flopped down on the floor and her body collapsed in defeat. “Her name is Symphony, and I’m trying really hard not to fall for her any more than I already have.”
Princess Celestia walked in and sat down on the floor next to Sea Swirl. “And why is that? You are not still holding on to Yukari, are you?”
“No,” Sea Swirl said. “Although I did see her last month.”
“Why restrain yourself then? I have not seen you this excited since you and Yukari were together.”
“Symphony doesn’t like mares,” Sea Swirl whispered. “So, yeah…kind of a dead end.”
“Really?” Princess Celestia looked out the door and rubbed her chin with her hoof. “That was not what I saw.”
“Nice try, Celestia,” Sea Swirl laughed, nudging the Princess slightly. “But Symphony told me when we first met.”
“Well, you know her better than I,” the Alicorn answered, although Sea Swirl got the feeling that her friend was far from convinced. Celestia looked around the shop and smiled. “I see you are all set up for another Hearth’s Warming Eve sale. Were there any problems?”
“Nope,” Sea Swirl replied. “I really appreciate you holding this building for me this time of year. I’m sure a lot of ponies are constantly asking for it.” 
“It is a simple enough matter,” Celestia responded. “All I do is make certain that it is kept off the market. Without a sign or an ad, most ponies don’t give this place a second glance. Save, of course, for when you open your shop. No doubt you will have a line starting early tomorrow.”
“Probably. I have pretty much every year since I started this.”
“Will you have help this year?”
“You mean Symphony?” Sea Swirl asked. “I…think so. At least for one or two of the days.” 
“I am certain that will make your days much easier.” The Princess leaned down so that her rainbow mane was cascading over Sea Swirl’s head. “And possibly some nights too?”
Sea Swirl jumped back so fast that she got tangled in the Alicorn’s flowing mane and crashed down on her back. “All we do is cud—” Sea Swirl slammed her hooves on her mouth, but the smile on Celestia’s face told her she’d already been caught. “Who…? How did you know?”
“I keep an eye on my friends,” the Princess replied with a knowing smile. “It was hard to miss the fact that my close friend was having a mare spend the night rather frequently. Are you certain she just works for you?”
“Yes, Celestia,” Sea Swirl said, rolling her eyes. “The most we’ve done is unconscious cuddling, and it’s always because of me. She just likes sleeping in my bed, and I…well, I fall asleep on my side of the bed, but when I wake up…”
“Am I to believe that you find no enjoyment because of that?”
“I…don’t mind waking up wrapped around her,” Sea Swirl whispered. “She’s very soft.”
“I’m certain those mornings are rather amusing, are they not?”
Sea Swirl chuckled. “Yeah. It usually involves me apologizing profusely and falling out of my bed while she just stares at me.” 
“That sounds adorable. And you are positive that she does not prefer mares over—?”
“Okay, Princess, stop teasing the little Unicorn,” Sea Swirl said as she sat up. She wasn’t going to lie to herself. Part of her desperately wanted what Celestia was saying to be true. She would love to be able to fall asleep with her body pressed against Symphony’s, listening to the mare’s breathing and feeling her body rise and fall as they drifted off to sleep together, instead of just waking up wrapped around her. 
But the fact was that Symphony just didn’t go for mares. There was nothing Sea Swirl could do to change her mind, and she didn’t want her to change just to make Sea Swirl happy. 
“I am simply looking out for my friend’s interests,” Celestia teased. “But as you wish. I will not mention Symphony again. Today.”
“Ugh.” Sea Swirl stood up and walked over to the counter where she had set up the register for her store. “You’re here to pick up Princess Luna’s gift, right? I have it right here.” She pulled out a small box and set it on the counter.
“Thank you, Sea Swirl,” the Princess said. Without opening the box, Celestia levitated the jewelry case into her cloak and out of sight. “At least this is going well.”
Sea Swirl cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head. She hadn’t heard about any new crisis threatening Equestria, so she couldn’t help but wonder. “Is something wrong?”
Celestia let out a weary sigh, and for a few moments, the regal aura of one of the Princesses of Equestria fell away, leaving behind a simple pony who just happened to be nearly twice the height of Sea Swirl. 
“I’m just having problems finding entertainment for the New Year’s Party. Octavia has been away from Canterlot for some time now. To make matters worse, Vinyl is with her, as is Lyra. Luna assures me that they are safe, but she cannot be certain if any of them will return in time for the party.”
“Why does it have to be Octavia?” Sea Swirl asked, a small idea suddenly building in the back of her mind.
“She is the belle of Canterlot’s music circle, so to speak,” Celestia said. “She is usually my go-to pony for all these fancy dinners and parties, but when she can’t make it, I can usually get Lyra. In extreme cases, even Vinyl.”
“Vinyl?” Sea Swirl asked. She had a hard time picturing the rather loud D.J. being anywhere near any type of Canterlot function. 
“You’d be surprised,” Celestia said with a smile. “While it’s not her first choice, she can host a regal party or two. She’s told me she’s learned a lot of it from Octavia. Sometimes, guests even ask for her over Octavia. It’s rare, but it happens.” 
“Well…” Sea Swirl bit her lip a little. “I…might be able to help you with that. Symphony supposedly plays the violin. Would that work?”
Celestia raised her eyebrows in delight. “Yes! That would be perfect. Should I ask her?”
“Um…” Sea Swirl scratched the back of her neck with her hoof. “Could you wait until the day after Hearth’s Warming? It’s…kind of complicated. I’m not sure she’ll be up for it, but I’ll let you know one way or another. I promise.” 
“Thank you, Sea Swirl,” Celestia said. Her eyes lit up for a moment, and then she took a deep breath and the graceful ruler of Equestria was back once more. “I will keep looking for replacements, but as it stands now, Symphony will be my primary choice.”
“Thanks, Celestia,” Sea Swirl said. She was pretty sure Symphony would hit the roof for the opportunity—Wouldn’t that be a sight to see!—but she had to make sure that the mare still enjoyed playing.
And in order to do that, she needed to go start her errand for the day.
“I should be going now,” Princess Celestia said as if she could read Sea Swirl’s mind. “Be sure to let me know about Symphony.”
“Of cou—”
“All about Symphony.”
Sea Swirl snapped her mouth shut and glared at the Princess. The Alicorn grinned back, put her hood up, and walked out the door, looking over her shoulder one last time with the same grin before disappearing into Canterlot’s streets.
Sea Swirl sighed and looked around her shop. Everything was all set up, and come tomorrow, she’d have the cases fully stocked with plenty of jewelry and other fine items. But right now, she had an appointment to keep. 
Grabbing a long case she had kept hidden behind the counter while she and Symphony had worked, Sea Swirled left her shop, locked the door, and began to make her way through Canterlot’s festive streets. 
The spirit of the holiday was in full swing in the city. While the streets themselves were clear, a fine layer of snow covered the roofs of buildings and had been plowed aside on the sidewalks. Here and there, fillies had built snowponies or little forts from the white powder, and Sea Swirl even found one such fort engaged in a furious snowball fight as she walked by. 
Tinsel was draped from nearly every possible fixture, from lampposts to the giant candy canes that lined some of the streets like guards. Lights were strung throughout the city as well, although their illumination wouldn’t become noticeable until the sun set later this evening. Bells were ringing everywhere, but it was more like a comforting background noise than annoying clattering, and they only helped to lighten Sea Swirl’s mood even more. 
Canterlot always went all-out for Hearth’s Warming Eve, and Sea Swirl was thankful that she was always in the city when the holiday started. 
“This is the place,” Sea Swirl said as she looked up at a sign hanging from a rather old-fashion looking shop. She pushed the door open slowly and poked her head inside. “Hello?”
“Welcome to Wind and Strings,” a fluttery voice answered. A moment later, a crimson Unicorn with a royal purple mane covering half her face walked into view. She pushed her mane aside with her hoof and her mauve eyes shot open as a smile spread across her face. “Welcome back, Miss Sea Swirl! Did you bring it?”
Sea Swirl walked into the store and pulled out the case she had grabbed on the way out of her own store. She floated it over to the Unicorn and the mare took the case with her own magic. She popped it open and tilted her head to the side. 
“Hm…” the mare said. She floated the box’s contents into air to get a better look at it. She turned the ruined violin bow over a few times, allowing the severed strings to flop in the air over and over. “Interesting…”
“What?” Sea Swirl asked, an edge of panic sneaking into her voice. “Can you not fix it?”
The mare snorted and giggled. “Oh, I can fix it.”
Sea Swirl breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes for a moment. “Thank goodness. You had me worried for a second.”
The mare took her eyes off the bow and looked at Sea Swirl. “What I meant was the break in the strings. It’s too clean.”
“Uh…” Sea Swirl stared at the bow. “What’s that mean?”
“Usually I can see signs of wear and tear on the strings, but there’s barely any on these.” She turned the bow so Sea Swirl could see it, but Sea Swirl had no idea what she was looking at so she just nodded. “Plus, it’s really rare for the strings to snap in the middle of the bow. Like, really rare.” The mare gave Sea Swirl a look. “Were you sword fighting with it or something?”
“No!” Sea Swirl protested, mostly due to the fact that she had often wondered how much fun it would be to use a bow that way. “My, uh…friend just opened the violin case and the bow was like that.” 
The mare’s mauve-shaded eyes seemed to light up when Sea Swirl spoke. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I can fix this easy. But…” The twinkle in the mare’s eyes grew brighter as she stared at Sea Swirl. “These strings are completely useless. I’m going to need new ones. So…?” The mare raised her eyebrows and smiled. 
Sea Swirl pursed her lips. “So…it’s going to cost extra? That’s fine. As long as you can get it done by Hearth’s Warming Eve.” 
The mare sighed so hard that she managed to blow the lose strands on her mane around with her breath. “Okay, let me try this again. I have some strings ready to go, right over there. If I use them, I’ll have this thing fixed by the end of the day at the latest. And it would only take that long if something unexpected happened.”
Sea Swirl looked to where the mare was pointing, and then back at the mare. “Um…okay?”
The mare sighed again. “They’re the cheapest ones I have and they’re top quality to boot. You put those on this bow, and I promise you they won’t break for a long time—unless a pony deliberately breaks them. Solves all your problems, right? Bow fixed in plenty of time with top-class work.”
“Right!” Sea Swirl said. “But, uh…somehow I get the feeling there’s still a problem?”
“Oh, there’s no problem,” the mare said as she turned around and started to walk toward the violin strings. She stopped after two steps and looked back over her shoulder. “If you’re okay with the gift just being plain.”
“Huh?” 
“Sweet Two Princesses, you really have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” the mare said with a shake of your head. “Maybe it would be best if I just use regular string. I just thought the pony you wanted to give this to was special to you.” 
“She is!” Sea Swirl protested, and then quickly added, “But, uh…not like that.”
“If you say so,” the mare said with a tone that implied she didn’t believe Sea Swirl’s excuse for a second. 
“So…what do you suggest I do?”
The shopkeeper smiled. “Well, instead of using plain old, generic strings to fix this, why don’t we make it a bit more special? What if we use some of your hair instead?”
“My hair?” Sea Swirl asked, her hoof immediately going to her scalp. “What are you talking about? You’re not going to shave my head, are you?”
The mare raised both eyebrows in a mix of disbelief and bafflement. “Bow strings are made with horse hair, usually taken from the tail.”
Sea Swirl looked back at her two-shaded iris tail. “Oh, that makes much more sense,” she said as she flicked it around a few times. “So you think I should use some of my hair to fix the bow?”
The mare smiled in a way that made Sea Swirl question just how deep she was about to go in the music world. “Only if you want to,” she said as she floated a pair of scissors into the air. “But if your little violin player is smart, doing so will make this mean a lot more than just fixing the bow.”
Sea Swirl hesitated for only a moment, and then only because she got the feeling that the mare wasn’t telling her everything. Still, if getting her tail trimmed a bit was all it took to up the ante on the gift, she was for it.
“How much do you need?” she asked as she turned around.


*                                                  *                                                  *


The water beat down on Symphony’s neck as she stood in a shower that rivaled the one in her parents’ home. Sea Swirl was well off in Canterlot, of that there was no doubt, but she didn’t seem to flaunt her wealth. Her home was average size, and while all her furnishings were hardly thrift-store quality, they weren’t screaming lavish either. If anything, the Unicorn seemed to enjoy being comfortable, with soft pillows and comfortable bedding, but she wasn’t about to spend two thousand bits on sheets made from the finest silks from the Crystal Empire or something.
While all Sea Swirl’s possessions were leaps and bounds beyond anything Symphony owned, the Earth pony never really felt worthless when she spent time at Sea Swirl’s place. And, if she was being completely honest with herself, she had grown rather fond of the slight luxuries in the Unicorn’s home. 
But Sea Swirl’s bathroom was a different story. Instead of tile, like in her kitchen, the mare had installed white marble. She had made it look almost like Cloudsdale, with two mini pillars running up to the ceiling and a few plants scattered around, giving the room a feeling of ancient royalty.
Three small steps lead up to the tub’s edge, and they were all engraved with stunning designs so that a pony wouldn’t slip while walking up or down them. The bath itself was big enough to hold at least five ponies comfortably, or more likely in Sea Swirl’s case, allow her to swim around a bit. The nobs for the water were either made of gold or had gold inlaid in them, and several expensive looking soaps were stacked neatly along the edge of the tub. The faucet itself had been designed to look like the water was cascading down a some rocks, and when Symphony had looked in the tub, she had found that the inside had been painted blue with dozens of pictures of sea life. No doubt when the tub was full, it gave the impression of being in the ocean. 
And that had just been the bath. The shower that Symphony now stood in was another story altogether. While it wasn’t nearly as big as the bath, it was still roomy, certainly large enough for a pony and a griffon—again Symphony bristled at the thought—to stand in together. There were even two showerheads, both adorned in shining silver it seemed, so that each pony or griffon would have their own and didn’t have to fight over the water. 
The walls and door surrounding the shower were made of styled glass. They were etched with the design of the ocean, with the crest of the waves coming up just to a pony’s neck, obscuring the rest of the body from view from the outside. Like the bath, the waves had designs etched in them, ranging from fish, to dolphins, and even a whale.
Symphony had been a bit overwhelmed when she had first entered the bathroom. She had almost turned around and walked straight out, deciding that she would rather just wait until she got home to shower, but then she had caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror and thought better of it. 
Now she was standing in Sea Swirl’s shower, her entire body soaking wet, and carefully scrubbing her mane with some sort of fancy shampoo. Thoughts of spending the night at Sea Swirl’s home swam in the back of her mind as she rubbed her scalp and her body began to tingle as the thought of the mare wrapping her forelegs around her filled her mind. 
“What am I doing?” the pony asked herself as she finished lathering her mane. She hung her head under the pouring water and her purple hair fell around her face as the shampoo was washed away. “How did my life come to this?” 
Sea Swirl was a Unicorn, which was bad enough, but worse than that, she was a mare! A mare! 
So what if Octavia had a marefriend? So what if that stupid Fiddlesticks had one too? Symphony wasn’t like that. She wasn’t a…a…
“Fillyfooler.” The mare practically spit the word. She wasn’t one. She refused to be one. So what if she liked being held by Sea Swirl? She just liked the warmth, the feelings of security and belonging. So what if she found herself looking forward to seeing the Unicorn nearly every day now? Of course she did. Sea Swirl was paying her—handsomely, no less. It was only natural for her to look forward to seeing her. 
And sleeping in the same bed? What pony wouldn’t want to sleep in Sea Swirl’s bed? It was so comfortable that Symphony bet it rivaled a Pegasus’ bed. It didn’t mean anything. And of course Symphony sometimes found herself getting aroused when Sea Swirl rubbed against her. It was only natural. She’d have to be broken for her to feel nothing when the Unicorn’s leg accidently slipped between hers. It wasn’t like Sea Swirl had made her…climax or anything. 
And even if the Unicorn had done that, would it really mean anything? It would just be Symphony’s body reacting to stimulation, nothing more. And since Sea Swirl was a fillyfooler—or at least liked females of other species—then of course she was going to know where to touch and what to do. As long as Symphony didn’t feel anything about it, as long as it was just a natural reaction, then it meant nothing. It didn’t make Symphony into…that.
“I’m not a fillyfooler!” she said again, hitting the shower wall with her front hoof. “I’m not! I admit that she is…attractive, in a way, but that is all! It does not mean anything! Get out of my head!”
The mare placed her head against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to sort out thoughts she didn’t understand as the water soaked her yellow fur. After five minutes of running circles in her mind, she gave up and decided to get out of the shower. She turned the water off and opened the shower door, allowing the steam to flood into the bathroom as she reached for a towel. She walked over to the giant mirror by the sink and began to dry herself off as she stared at the fogged up mirror. 
“I cannot see,” she whispered. She wrapped the towel around one of her hooves and proceeded to wipe the mirror clean until she could see herself, and then went back to drying her body.
She wrung out her tail and shook her head a few times to get the extra water out, and then she stood up on her hind legs to dry off her body. As she got her balance, her mane fell over her front and the soaking wet strands clung her to body. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and froze.
I…look like one of those models, she thought. Water was dripping from nearly every part of her body, and a few small streams were flowing down from her mane, tracing the curves of her hips and down her thighs. She had the towel in a rather risqué position, and her soaking wet mane was clinging to the side of her face and her body. She truly did look like one of those models that were often used in pictures for the more…racy activities in Canterlot and around Equestria. The only thing that was off was the expression on her face. She looked bored, instead of sultry like the models did. 
Scrunching her lower lip, Symphony blinked her crystal blue eyes and tried to mold her face into what she recalled of those models. She relaxed her cheeks so that her lips were flat, uninterested. She tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, and when she opened her eyes, she did it slowly, only opening them half way.
Now she looked like a model. 
Slowly, Symphony began to rub the towel over her body, not aiming to dry herself off but more of putting on a show. She rubbed it across her chest, her movements a poor imitation of a professional, but she didn’t care. She ran it around the back of her neck, flipping her wet mane back and sending water flying. She ran it down one of her forelegs, and then the other, blinking slowly with each one. She wrapped it around her waist and swayed her hips as she dried herself, and then moved down the outside of her hind legs. She then started to bring the towel on the inside of her legs, never breaking eye contact with her reflection.
Would…Sea Swirl like this? 
The thought hit Symphony so hard that she jerked out of reflex and the towel went up between her thighs. She clenched as the unexpected pleasure tickled her body and her balance failed her. She tossed the towel away, horrified that it had aroused her, as she fell forward onto all fours. Her breathing was ragged, as if she had just run a marathon, and her entire body was shaking despite the fact that nothing beyond a simple touch had happened.
“I AM NOT A FILLYFOOLER!” she screamed at her reflection, tears swelling in her eyes. Disgusted, she tore herself away from her reflection and made her way to the bathroom’s exit, leaving the shameful towel crumpled on the floor. She flung the door open, stomped into the hallway, and made her way toward the living room. 
“Home,” she said to herself. “I am going home. I am not sleeping here tonight. I am not attracted to her! I am not a fillyfooler! I am—”
The front door opened before Symphony could reach it. 
Symphony froze as Sea Swirl walked in. The Unicorn made it halfway through the door before she caught sight of Symphony and then she, too, froze.
“Whoa…” Sea Swirl’s mouth was hanging open and her eyes were as wide as saucers as they locked on Symphony’s face, then they slowly began to go over every inch of her still damp body, lingering extra long on the purple mass of mane that was still clinging to Symphony’s neck. Eventually, she managed to close her mouth and gulped, but that was all. 
Symphony was disgusted with what was happening, but not because it was painfully obvious that the Unicorn was drooling over her. No, she was disgusted because part of her was pleased, excited even, that Sea Swirl was staring at her with abandon. The raw shock in those two reddish eyes gave Symphony a sense of joy that utterly horrified her as the memory of what had just happened in the bathroom clawed its way to the forefront of her mind.
Symphony blinked furiously and shoved the entire memory, as well as all the feelings that came with it, into the back of her mind. If they were physical things, she would have stomped on them until they were nothing but dust. 
Desperate to break Sea Swirl out of her gaze, Symphony looked the pony over and noticed that she had a bag with her saddlebag that she hadn’t been carrying before. “What is that?” she asked, and Sea Swirl shook her head as if she was waking from a dream. 
“Uh…sorry,” the Unicorn replied. She gave a smile that looked more like half her face was crunching up as she forced a weak laugh. “Guess I should have knocked before coming into the house, and not just the bathroom, huh?” A confused look then crossed Sea Swirl’s face and she added, “You’re not leaving, are you?”
“No,” Symphony answered. She couldn’t very well storm out of Sea Swirl’s home now. She would give the Sea Swirl the wrong idea, and for some reason, she found that thought very unappealing. “I was just…never mind. What is in the bag?”
“Oh, right!” Sea Swirl said. She used her magic to pull the bag forward and held it in front of Symphony. “Just a few gifts for the holiday. Oh, and before you try to sneak a peek, your present is still being worked on.”
“…What?” Symphony blinked once as she stared at the Unicorn. 
“Oh, don’t worry! It will be done by Hearth’s Warming Eve! She promised me she’d get it finished in time.”
“No, that is—” Symphony stopped and took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. “You…purchased a gift for me?”
“Yes…?” Sea Swirl answered, a little thrown by the question. “I mean, you’re my best employee and everything, so…”
“I am your only employee.”
“Fine,” Sea Swirl said with a sigh as she rolled her eyes. “I…just wanted to get you a little something, okay? You’ve been a really big help and I…I like having you around, so this is my way of saying thanks.” 
An icy dread began to build in the pit of Symphony’s stomach. It was so cold that, when Sea Swirl walked in, she had to squirm her way past Symphony because the mare was frozen to the spot. 
She bought me a gift! She bought me a GIFT!
“So…did you manage to hang up those flyers?” Sea Swirl asked as she set the small shopping bag down on the couch and hung her saddlebag by the door.
“Indeed,” Symphony asked, still trying to fight off the panic. Stupid Unicorn! Why did she feel the need to get her a gift? “I put them up along several of the main streets. I had several ponies come up and ask me questions, or simply tell me how excited they were for the shop to be opening. A few tried to place orders with me, but I told them I was not part of that.”
“Yeah,” Sea Swirl said as she collapsed on the couch in her living room. “Probably should have warned you about that. Sorry.”
Symphony, in spite of her better judgment, walked over and sat down on the couch. Sea Swirl immediately scooted to the far end of the couch, leaving plenty of space between them. Symphony did her best to keep her wet mane off the cushions. 
“It was not bad,” the Earth pony said. The two of them sat in silence for a few moments before Symphony continued. “You have an impressive bathroom.”
“Heh,” Sea Swirl said, leaning her head back on the couch and staring at the ceiling. “Yeah. I kind of went overboard in that room. I didn’t want to put a pool in because it’d be too much trouble to keep up, so I decided to go for the extra-large bathtub.” The Unicorn rolled her head along the couch to look at Symphony. “So…are you staying for dinner tonight?”
“If you would like,” Symphony replied, even though the voice in her head was demanding to know why, after she had nearly stormed out of the house not ten five minutes ago. 
“Sure!” Sea Swirl said, a bit too quickly it seemed, because her cheeks blushed a little. “And, uh…are you…uh…staying…?”
“Staying the night?” Symphony asked. She had to admire Sea Swirl on this point. Despite the fact that Symphony had been staying over nearly every other night, sometimes several nights in a row, the Unicorn never assumed it was a sure thing. Even though Symphony could easily see the excitement and hope in Sea Swirl’s face, even though every morning Sea Swirl always apologized profusely for ending up wrapped around Symphony, the Unicorn still always asked, giving Symphony the option to go home each time.
I should do that now. I need time to think. I need to get away from this place. I need to get away from her!
“I…” Symphony looked at Sea Swirl. She felt like she was looking at the eyes of a filly who was trying very hard not to be disappointed if her parents turned her down for an ice cream. “If you do not mind.”
Now Sea Swirl’s face looked like a filly who had just been given an extra scoop on her cone. “Not at all!” She sat up and clapped her front hooves together. “So, what shall we have for dinner?”


*                                                 *                                                  *


The room was dark, like the bottom of the ocean late at night, and the only sounds were Symphony’s breathing and Sea Swirl’s own. Usually the Unicorn would be fast asleep by now. Normally it only took her a few minutes of lying on her bed before she was out cold, even when she had to split it with Symphony. 
But tonight she just couldn’t fall asleep. She didn’t know if it was because of setting up her shop, or if it was because Hearth’s Warming Eve was only a few days away. Maybe it was because she was secretly fixing Symphony’s bow, and had added some extra flare to it, both of which she wasn’t sure the Earth pony would approve of. Then again, it could be because she was anxious to hear Symphony play so she could tell Princess Celestia whether or not the mare was suitable for the New Year’s Party event. 
It might have been a combination of all of those things, and her brain running around trying to sort them out as she lay on her side in the darkness, but whatever the reason was, sleep was simply eluding her. 
Careful not to wake her guest, Sea Swirl sighed to herself and rolled onto her back. She spread her forelegs out and jerked when the right one touched something. For a moment, she was afraid she had touched Symphony, but then she realized it was just the pillow that the mare insisted they keep between them. Not that it seemed to be doing much good. Sea Swirl always woke up tangled around Symphony, no matter how hard she tried. 
Must get pretty annoying, she thought. But then again, it couldn’t be that bad, because Symphony kept spending the night and kept sleeping in the same bed. Still, Sea Swirl wondered if maybe she should buy another bed. She had a spare bedroom she could set it up in, and that way Symphony could enjoy this bed without having to always suffer through Sea Swirl’s annoying sleeping habits. 
Would she like that?  Sea Swirl rolled onto her side so that she was staring at Symphony’s back in the dark. She wrapped her forelegs around one of the pillows separating them and waited for her eyes to adjust. They slowly did, and eventually she was able to make out the form of the pony sleeping next to her. 
A wound in Sea Swirl’s heart, one that had never really healed since Yukari, began to ache as she looked at the body next to her. While she knew it would never happen, part of her wanted to be able to slide up next to Symphony and just hold her. She had to admit that she did like those few moments every morning just before she woke, where her brain was still asleep but her senses weren’t, allowing her to relish having the mare’s form wrapped up in her embrace.
This isn’t healthy. She said it’s never going—
Sea Swirl stopped thinking when her eyes caught the hint of movement in the darkness. At first she thought it was just Symphony shifting in her sleep, but she quickly realized that wasn’t the case. She watched in complete silence as Symphony slowly turned in the bed, rolling over until she was facing Sea Swirl. The Unicorn slammed her eyes shut, fearing that the mare was awake and had noticed her watching, but when she didn’t hear anything, she risked opening them again just a bit.
Symphony had carefully pulled out the bottom pillow of the barrier. She tossed it to the foot of the bed—where it always seemed to end up every morning—and then she looked back at Sea Swirl. Sea Swirl tensed as the Earth pony reached out and touched her front hoof. She held her breath as Symphony slowly lifted it into the air and then used her other hoof to slide the pillow out that Sea Swirl had been cuddling.
What is she…? No way! She’s not…she can’t be!
Sea Swirl, watching through eyes that were slowly opening more and more with each passing second, stared in quiet disbelief and Symphony rolled back over, still holding Sea Swirl’s hoof in the air, and began to slide her body closer to Sea Swirl’s. 
It hadn’t been Sea Swirl that had been causing the sleep cuddling! It had been Symphony! The practiced way she pulled the pillows out and then slid herself in between Sea Swirl’s forelegs without a sound proved that she had been doing it for a while now.
But…why?
Sea Swirl waited until Symphony was pressed firmly against her chest and stomach before she allowed herself to breathe. Her heart was slamming against her ribs as Symphony slowly lowered her foreleg down and then wrapped it around her yellow body like a towel. A second later, Sea Swirl almost yelped when she felt Symphony’s hind legs trying to wiggle their way between her own. When one of them succeeded, Sea Swirl’s breathing became ragged as she felt the mare’s firm back leg begin to slide up her thighs. Just a little more and she would be dangerously close. 
Sea Swirl couldn’t take it anymore. “Um…Symphony? What are you doing?”
The mare that had deafly moved into her embrace suddenly went stiff, as if her body had been turned to marble. The hind leg that was between Sea Swirl’s thighs tensed and pressed against her, causing her to clench in return. As soon as she did, Symphony moved like an arrow released from a bow. In a heartbeat, she had freed herself from Sea Swirl and was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to her.
Sea Swirl stared at her dark form for what felt like a lifetime, until she finally noticed that the mare was trembling violently. She strained her ears, and sure enough, she could just barely make out the sound of stifled tears. 
“Symphony, I—”
“Shut up!” the mare snapped in a voice more broken than Sea Swirl thought possible. “You…you’re supposed to be asleep! You’re always asleep! Or…or have you been fooling me this whole time? Just pretending, so I’ll sleep next to you? That’s it, isn’t it?”
“No,” Sea Swirl whispered. She wanted to say more, wanted to flatly deny the whole thing, but the way Symphony was shaking, the way she was holding herself in the darkness, and the crack in her voice told the Unicorn that Symphony wasn’t really speaking to her. 
“Well why not?” Symphony asked. “I know you like it! You think I do not feel you rub up against me in the morning? You think I do not hear your little moans? You think I didn’t feel your thighs just now?”
“Um,” was all Sea Swirl could say. It was all she dared to say. 
“I should leave,” Symphony continued a second later. “Leave, and never come back. It would be for the best. I’m not…I’m not a…” The mare looked over her shoulder in the dark, and for a brief second, Sea Swirl caught a flash of two blue orbs looking at her. “I am not like you. So I should just leave. I’m just teasing you, and you probably hate me for it. Tell me to leave! Now!”
Sea Swirl wasn’t sure what she should do. Part of her wanted to tackle Symphony onto the floor and bury her in a hug, telling her that everything was okay. Another part of her thought it would be best if she did as the Earth pony wanted and told her to go. Another part wanted to reach out and gently pull her back into bed and hold her while she cried.
“You want me to leave, don’t you,” the mare whispered. 
Sea Swirl swallowed and took a gamble based on the agony in Symphony’s voice.
“No.” 
Sea Swirl held her breath. Symphony seemed to be on a knife’s edge as she sat on the edge of the bed. She could fall either way, and while Sea Swirl knew which way she wanted her to fall, she dare not try to encourage her, out of fear that her very breath might cause her to go the other way.
“Fine,” Symphony said at last. “I will stay.” 
Sea Swirl’s body filled with relief, and for a long time the two mares remained where they were; one sitting on the edge of the bed, shivering with barely bottled emotions, and the other laying on her side, too frightened to make a move.
“Do…you want to come back to bed?” Sea Swirl finally asked when it seemed like Symphony’s silent weeping had subsided a little. 
“Will you…?” Symphony let the question trail off and she made no move to get back into the bed.
“If…if that’s what you want,” Sea Swirl answered, taking a guess. 
“It…it does not mean that. It doesn’t! Understand?” Symphony whispered as she crawled back into the bed, her back to Sea Swirl the entire time. 
“I do,” Sea Swirl answered, although she wasn’t sure Symphony was talking to her.
Slowly, the yellow mare slid back up against Sea Swirl’s body. She wasn’t as smooth this time, and Sea Swirl could feel the tension in every muscle, but she didn’t stop until she was pressed firmly against the Unicorn’s chest.
“Do you want me to put my foreleg around you again?” Sea Swirl asked.
“...Yes.” 
Sea Swirl carefully placed her foreleg around Symphony, and she was surprised when Symphony wiggled her body so that Sea Swirl could slide her other foreleg under her. When both of the Unicorn’s front hooves were firmly around Symphony’s chest, the mare wrapped one of her own forelegs around them and held them there.
“Hind legs too,” Symphony whispered. She started to force one of her legs between Sea Swirl’s back legs.
“Uh, Symphony? I’m not sure that’s such a—”
“If this is what I have do for it,” Symphony’s free hoof reached back and found Sea Swirl’s stomach, and then slowly moved down “then…I don’t mind.”
“Oh no,” Sea Swirl said quickly. She parted her hind legs just enough for Symphony’s, and when the mare seemed to find a comfortable position, Sea Swirl wrapped the mare’s back leg with her own. “That’s, um…you don’t need to do that. But…are you sure you don’t mind? You’re pretty close to my…you know.”
“I do not mind,” the mare answered. “You have controlled yourself all the other times. I doubt tonight will be different.”
“What if…what if I want it to be different tonight?” Sea Swirl felt the blood drain from her face. “Shit! I didn’t mean that! Just forget I said it! Please!”
“As I said,” Symphony whispered without turning around. Her free hoof came up in the darkness, but it made no move toward Sea Swirl this time. 
Sea Swirl stared at the hoof for a moment, and then nuzzled closer to Symphony. She moved her head until her chin was touching Symphony’s shoulder. The mare’s purple mane tickled her muzzle in the dark, and she caught a faint scent of her own shampoo coming from it. 
“Symphony,” she whispered. “Are you…okay?”
“No.”
“Do you…should we talk about it?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
A long moment of silence, and then, “Yes.”
Sea Swirl blinked. “Okay.”
“I like being held. This…it makes me feel…I don’t know. I simply like it. But it doesn’t mean that I…like mares. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Sea Swirl wanted to ask what Symphony offering to pleasure her was all about then, but she didn’t think now was a good time. 
“You met my parents. You saw what they’re like.”
“Yes.” 
“They care about me, in their own twisted way, but…”
“I understand.”
“Then all you have to do is hold me.” Sea Swirl felt a few drops of liquid splash on her forelegs. “Make me feel like…like this.”
“Got it,” Sea Swirl whispered as she squeezed the mare a little tighter.