18th Movement
Day broke over Canterlot. As expected, the day was sunny and warm - a fact Sketchy was made aware of as he stumbled out of bed to pull open the window of his bedroom.
“It’s about time!” remarked the armour-clad pegasus who was stood outside, for she had been the one to rouse him from his sleep with a steady incessant knocking.
Sketchy blinked his eyes tiredly, squinting in the morning sunlight. “Ugh... what time is it, Freezy?” he inquired. Despite his near-blindness in the sunlight, he could tell who it was on his balcony - he recognised the voice issuing from the figure before him.
“Time you were out of bed.” she replied sharply, though there was a note of amusement in her tone. “Listen dude, I’m not sticking around long. I’ve only come by to drop off something important.”
That was enough to shake off the sleepiness from the earth pony’s mind.
“Something important?” he repeated. “Like what?”
“Like this, Sketchy.” his pegasus friend replied, fishing in a small bag around her neck. She pulled out a small and somewhat plain-looking envelope with his name written on it, and passed it to him. He carefully set it down on the desk in his room, and looked back to her questioningly.
“Any idea what’s in that?”
“I have some idea. Look, it’s related to the competition, I know that much. I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head what exactly it is though. I don’t know.”
“Ah... wait, how come you’re delivering these?”
“Because the Princesses have written back to every single entrant, Sketchy. Have you any idea how many letters that is? In order to speed things along here in Canterlot, they’re having us play mailpony.”
“Whoa, that must be a heckuva lot of letters!”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Freeze replied, sticking her tongue out. “I ain’t complaining though, it’s more fun than hanging around the palace all day. Anyway, listen. I gotta get going, this bag ain’t getting any lighter. I hope there’s some good news in that envelope.”
“Sure!” Sketchy nodded, smiling at the last part.
“Later!”
With that, the pegasus was gone in a flurry of wings. Sketchy closed the window and turned his attention to the envelope.
...alright. Let’s see what they say.
He picked up the envelope and carefully pulled it open, almost holding his breath as he retrieved the letter from inside. Setting the letter itself down on his desk, he quickly saw to reading over it.
Dear Sketchy Sounds,
Thank you for your submission to the Anniversary of Harmony Art contest.
It is my considerable pleasure to inform you that, after careful consideration of the assorted and varied works we received, we have selected your submission for use on some of the smaller postcards and fliers that will be used to promote the celebrations. Your delightful depiction of the Element bearers has received rather high acclaim from our panel, and due to the format of your work, it was decided that this would be the best application for its use.
You are of course aware that this also means we shall be rewarding your diligent work with a modest sum of money as a token of our appreciation. Please bring this letter to the Royal Treasury at your earliest convenience to collect your fee. We hope that it will be put to good use in furthering your artistic endeavours, and we wish you the very best with your works.
Signed,
Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, The Anniversary of Harmony Judges Panel.
(P. T. O.)
A broad smile formed across Sketchy’s face as he read through the letter. He knew the prize for flyer and postcard usage was far from being the biggest reward on offer, but it would definitely go a fair way to help with the worry of his rather delinquent accommodation bills. He let out a rather relieved sigh at that thought.
“That was way too close for comfort... I’ll have to write the panel a letter expressing my gratitude.” He had no doubt the Princesses would be delighted to hear how the reward for his submission had saved his skin. He then blinked and raised an eyebrow as he read the last part of the letter.
P. T. O? As in, Please Turn Over? he thought to himself. He did as it said, and blinked once more in surprise at the hastily scribbled text on the back of the letter.
Dear Sketchy,
Pardon the impropriety of appropriating official communications, but I wanted to get in contact and felt this to be the most time-efficient manner rather than sending you a separate note.
I was rather taken with your picture of the Elements, and I would like to commission you for some more work. I will be calling round to organise this with you within the next few days.
Please forgive me if I withhold my identity for now. As I am sure you are aware, those on the Judges’ Panel are obliged to remain anonymous to entrants to avoid swaying us. Judging should be complete by the time of my visit – I shall hope that my busy schedule does not put me at odds for contacting you!
Sincerely,
An Impressed Judge.
“Huh.” he mumbled to himself. “Not sure what to make of the cloak and dagger approach, but whatever.”
Anonymous or not, it was an offer of work – and if it was a member of the judges’ panel, then there existed the possibility that they might pay well for what they got, especially if he did an excellent job of it.
On the other hoof, if I screw it up it could be a total disaster. Folk always talk more about when they don’t get what they want than when they get exactly what they want.
He shook his head vigorously, clearing that thought out. It was no way to think when he’d had some good news. Heck, it was safe to say that this was the best news he’d had in a long while, especially as far as his finances went. He headed down the stairs, still feeling slightly groggy from his rude awakening, and saw to the task of preparing some breakfast. As he sat munching through the cereal he’d prepared for himself, though, his mind confronted him with an obvious fact.
You may have pulled through here to some degree, but you really screwed it up with Octavia.
“Ugh!” he said out loud to himself. He had to stop focusing on the negative things. He finished off munching his breakfast and rose to his feet.
A few minutes later saw a more tidy-looking Sketchy making his way down the stairs of the Old Chapel’s interior, his usual bags slung over his back and the envelope he’d received before tucked safely away inside one of them. For perhaps only the second time in his life, he found himself with a reason to be headed for the Canterlot Royal Palace: the Royal Treasury, whilst not exactly a part of the Palace itself, was still housed within its grounds. He knew roughly where it was as he’d heard his pegasus friend talk about it before. He’d never visited himself, however, so he wasn’t sure what to expect.
He made his way at a leisurely pace through the city. The sky overhead was a little busier than usual with a good few armour-clad pegasi flying back and forth, many of them bearing the same sort of mailbags he’d seen his own pegasus friend wearing earlier. He smiled to himself a little at the thought that each of those pegasi he saw carried with them a stack of personal notes of thanks from the Princesses themselves.
I wonder how many hours that must have taken them? he pondered. After all, such a call as the one they had sent forth would have no doubt seen a huge response. For them to have written back personally to every entrant, assuming that was indeed what they had done...
They obviously care a lot... we really do take it for granted.
He rolled that thought around in his head a bit as he climbed the hill toward the magnificent palace. As always, the gates were guarded by two sturdy pegasi - though he was certain neither one of them was his blue-maned acquaintance, as he’d already seen her earlier on mail duty. He approached the gates slowly, looking to one guard and then the other, just to be sure.
“Pardon me, gents,” he said, after assuring himself neither of the resplendent ponies was indeed Freeze Pop, “I’m looking for the Royal Treasury?”
“The Treasury? Just follow the perimeter fence that way.” the Guard on the right responded. “You literally can’t miss it.”
“Thanks!” Sketchy replied with a brief bow of his head, turning and setting off in the direction indicated at a steady trot. It wasn’t often that he set foot in the royal quarter of Canterlot. He found his gaze wandering as he trotted along, marvelling at how one single city could manage to look and feel so different from one part to another. This being the oldest part of the city, the architecture was also some of the most grandiose. Naturally, the most obvious example of this was the Royal Palace itself, but its surrounding shops and houses showed many of the signs of older times, too. Even the streets themselves made their age apparent - there were many narrow lanes leading behind some of the tightly packed little shops.
This wasn’t to say that this part of the city hadn’t moved with the times, however. The main thoroughfares were properly paved with large flagstones, making for a smooth ride for any wheel-bound traffic. The footpaths too had proper stone paving, rather than being cobbled or dirt tracks. Not only that, but the lamp posts found here were of the electrical variety - a relatively recent development from the great minds found in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.
In that regard, the royal city was somewhat of a paradox: a lot of it looked no different from the day it had been built, yet in many ways it was the most modernised city in the entire kingdom. Of course, the finest example of ancient meeting modern was the palace itself. Sketchy had never set foot inside the venerable castle before, but he knew from firsthand account that the entire building was kept well lit and at a comfortable temperature all year round. He suspected that was likely a combination of both scientific and magical accomplishment – if there was even such a thing as a distinction between the two.
His wandering took him round a corner as he continued to follow the perimeter fence. He made his way down a gentle slope, and then blinked as something blotted out the sunlight ahead of him. He cast his gaze upward slightly to see what had cast such a shadow. An impressed-sounding whistle left his lips.
Before him was the Royal Treasury. There was no mistaking it for anything else: the huge, imposing building was wrought of the same white stone that the castle was made of, though it looked to be of a slightly more modern architecture than the ancient royal house. Nevertheless, it was easy to see that the Treasury was definitely older than anyone in Canterlot, with two notable exceptions.
Sketchy found his way around to the front doors of the building, which were so large as to make even a tall pony as himself feel rather small. Thankfully, they were held open to allow the easy passage in and out of those who had business here. It was a somewhat alien environment to him, however. Generally speaking, he had never held so large an amount of money that he would have want or need to have it kept under lock and key – especially in as intimidating a place as this. The vast interior of the building was almost entirely made of stone, and his footfalls echoed in the hallway he now found himself walking through. The end of the hall widened out into a sort of reception area, where he saw a row of desks each with a pony sat at them. He also noted as he strode into the room that there were Royal Guards positioned at every corner of the room, just as there had also been a pair of Guards at the entrance, now he thought on it.
He gingerly approached one of the desks. The unicorn stationed behind it looked up at him with the same sort of neutral expression worn by the Royal Guards.
“How can I help you, sir?” she inquired, her voice carrying the sort of practiced formal tone of high-ranking civil servants everywhere.
“Uhm. I’m here for, ah...” he began, before remembering he had the reason for his attendance sitting in his bag. “Er, pardon me a sec.” He quickly fumbled around in his saddlebag, producing the envelope he’d received earlier in the day.
“Aha, I see.” the unicorn nodded, deftly taking the envelope from him and quickly scanning over the letter therein. “Mmm... yes, this is official. Sketchy Sounds... pardon me one moment.”
Sketchy found his letter returned to him as the unicorn clerk quickly skimmed over a list she had sitting on her desk.
“For the unrestricted reproduction of your work over a period not more than one week... the Treasury awards you the sum of eight hundred and fifty bits, to be disbursed to you directly.”
Sketchy simply nodded, doing some mental calculations. Off the top of his head, he knew that would be enough to settle his long overdue rent, whilst leaving him with some money to live off of for the rest of the month. That was a weight off his shoulders – though he knew he would still need to raise enough to pay for the current month’s rent as well.
A lot easier to raise one month’s rent than several, though.
“Will you take that as a deposit into a holding account, or to yourself sir?”
“Buh?” Sketchy blinked, shaking himself out of his internal mathematics.
“As in, do you want us to just give you a big bag of money, or would you rather it be put in a big box in here for safekeeping?” the unicorn said in a somewhat deadpan manner. It was abundantly clear this was neither the first time she’d had to explain this to someone, nor the last time she expected to have to do so.
“Oh, uh. Big bag will be fine.” Sketchy replied somewhat self-consciously.
“Right.” the unicorn clerk nodded, signalling to one of the Guards in a corner of the room. The Guard simply nodded and walked through a large door at the back of the hall, behind the desks. “Please sign here to confirm you’ve been in and received your award, Mr Sounds.” the clerk continued.
Sketchy nodded, carefully picking up the pen on his side of the desk between his teeth. That actually elicited a raised eyebrow from the clerk, but she said nothing of it as she watched him deftly sign his name on the page she’d pushed towards him.
“Thank you sir.” she stated flatly, though her mild surprise at seeing how dextrously he handled the pen was still apparent on her face. “...exactly when did you learn how to do that?” she queried at length as the two stood waiting on the return of the Royal Guard she’d signalled to beforehand.
“Huh? Oh, uhm, I learned how to draw when I was a foal.” he replied, inwardly grateful to see the otherwise autonomous seeming clerk displaying some emotion other than terminal boredom.
“I see.” she replied with a slight nod, then glanced round as the sound of steady clanking footfalls signalled the return of the Guard. “Well, here you are.” she stated. A mirthful undertone made its way into her voice as she added “Try not to spend all of it in one place.”
A grin plastered itself across Sketchy’s face at that – partially from the clerk’s little joke, but also from the fact that her display of humour was further reassurance that she did indeed possess the capacity for expression.
“I’ll try not to.” he replied, taking the rather weighty bag from the guard and carefully tucking it into his saddlebag.
I think that’s more money in one place than I’ve ever handled in my whole life. he thought to himself. I’d be a good bit happier if I wasn’t going to have to part with most of it.
“Thank you.” he added, addressing both the clerk and the Guard.
“You’re welcome. Have a lovely day, sir.” the clerk replied, her tone at least slightly more buoyant. The Guard simply nodded in response before turning and clanking back towards his corner.
Sketchy turned away from the desk and made his way back along the corridor to the exit, having to blink a good few times as he passed back into the open air and the sunlight dazzled him. His next stop was in a different part of town, closer to home. As he set off on his way, a smile spread across his face.
I bet they’re going to be surprised to see this. Pleasantly so, though. he thought to himself. His relationship with his landlords was, it had to be said, a bit of a tenuous one. They had little dealings with each other outside the occasional exchange of either correspondence or financial resources, and in the case of the latter it was usually one of the landlord’s agents that would call round to collect the monthly dues. Nevertheless, considering that he now possessed the means to mostly settle his account, he didn’t want to waste any time waiting on said agent to come round again.
A brief walk from the royal quarter into the business district saw him arrive at the office of the Canterlot Stable Company. He strode into the comfortably furnished reception area, approaching the desk. Taking the sizeable bag of bits from his saddlebag, he plonked it down on the desk in front of the receptionist. There was an audible jingle of coins from the bag, causing the bespectacled unicorn to raise her eyebrows and her ears as she looked up at him for an explanation.
“Hi! I’ve come to settle my rent.” he declared, a rather triumphant grin on his face.
“Sketchy Sounds, isn’t it?”
“That’s me!”
“I’ll get one of the owners right away.”
Roughly an hour later, Sketchy was making his way back through town. The bag of bits he carried was now somewhat lighter – but so was his mood, as he nigh-on skipped along the streets, feeling a lot better for having unburdened himself of so much debt. There was another stop he had to make now – or rather, not so much had to make as wanted to make.
He made his way through town, back towards the district he was most familiar with. It wasn’t long til he was pushing open the front door of Graze, the bell on the door tinkling melodiously as he passed through.
“Good afternoon, welcome to—oh, hay there Sketchy!” his unicorn friend called happily upon seeing him. She quickly effected her more refined tones once more though as the stallion approached the counter, seeing as there were other customers present.
“Hey there, Sally.” Sketchy replied, his buoyant mood evident in his tone. “Guess where I’ve just been.”
“Ooh, going by that huge grin... to the Stable Co perhaps?” Salad guessed, the stallion’s mood proving infectious as a big smile spread across her own face.
“Ding ding ding! We have a winner!” the big earth pony chuckled. “You have no idea how relieved I am... barely slept the other night waiting to hear back about my contest entry. First thing this morning though? Freezy came and knocked on my window, gave me a letter.”
“Well Sketchy, that’s wonderful news!” the unicorn replied. “How much did they give you?”
“Enough to clear out most of the overdue. I’ve still gotta raise enough for this month’s, mind.”
“Right... so not completely out of the woods just yet, then.” Salad nodded, then smiled as she went on. “Still, not too early to celebrate, right? I was going to ask anyway, but this gives me more reason. Did you wanna have dinner tonight?”
“You need to ask?” Sketchy laughed happily. “Of course I would, lass. You know I wouldn’t pass that up for the world.”
The sandwich chef giggled at that, her horn lighting up. “I take it for now just your usual will be fine?”
“Sure, Sally – though don’t fill ‘er too full, I’ll wanna save room for dinner later!” he winked.
The attendant unicorn smiled happily at that, nodding as she attended to preparing her friend something to eat. “No worries, Sketchy hon.”
A little while later the large earth pony was comfortably seated with a sandwich in front of him, which he was happily devouring. Salad idly watched him from where she was stood behind the counter as a slight lull in the afternoon rush granted her some free time. She was relieved to see him so happy once more after the rather gloomy state he had been in recently.
And perhaps tonight’ll help make up fer some of the other stuff life’s thrown at yuh. she mused to herself as she watched her long-legged friend finish off his snack. She hadn’t let it show on her face at the time, but she had been a bit knotted up inside when she’d invited him to dinner. There was a good reason for that, of course – one she planned to make known to her friend later on tonight.
She was still a little unsure about the course of action she had planned – but, she told herself, it was better to snatch the opportunity whilst it was there. Her parents were both advocates of the philosophy that any particularly great opportunity would only present itself perhaps once in a lifetime, and to let it pass you by was foolish.
Besides, Ah can’t just leave him this way.
It would be for the best. And besides, there was no way he’d missed the little signals she’d given here and there. He hadn’t said anything about it, so she took that to mean he was open to what she was conveying. Though one thought still troubled her about it all.
What if Ah’m wrong?
She dismissed that though. She knew Sketchy probably better than anypony. He had no reason to lie to her, nor to be anything but honest. Not with her, who could get him to open up with just a bit of determination and persistence.
She smiled sweetly to him as he rose and left the shop.
“See you later, Sketchy!”
Across town, the afternoon found Octavia sunning herself with her favourite blend of tea at the little bistro table outside of her house. She had no commitments later in the day, as it was the end of the week and the orchestra would not be meeting for rehearsals tonight. This left her free to enjoy some leisure time – and she had vowed to herself that tonight she would not even touch the music in her possession for the ever-approaching concert.
Surrounded by the slowly cooling air and the faint twittering of birds, her mind wandered over the past few days. The memory of her disagreement with her fellow earth pony musician was no longer as sore as it had been, no doubt thanks in large part to her having sounded out her woes to the calm and collected knight who had escorted her home the other evening.
Come to think of it, she said that she would talk with him. I would expect she has done so by now, she does not strike me as the kind to waste time, nor words. Perhaps I should go and speak with him myself.
Her mind played out the picture positively: with the stallion having had the wise counsel of a trusted friend, he would doubtless have seen the error of his ways and therefore be looking for forgiveness.
She rose from her seat, deciding that if that were the case then she should waste no time in striking while the proverbial iron was hot. It would take about three quarters of an hour for her to get there with her average-sized legs. She didn’t mind, however – it would no doubt mean a resolution to her disagreement with her friend, and that was worth the distance. Her course decided, she set out from her house towards the Old Chapel.
Sketchy, meanwhile, was also setting out from his home; though he was not seeking out the stone grey earth pony with whom he’d fallen out so recently. He was instead making his way to the Sandwich family home and business, as per the invitation he’d had earlier in the day.
As he made his way down the hill at a leisurely pace, his mind wandered between thoughts like a foal picking their way between carts on a busy street. There was little direction to the course his mind took, as it made its way from the sheer relief of the morning’s news to the triumphant feeling of taking his reward and using it, and then onto other things: where he would look for some more income, though that had potentially taken care of itself; how he would have to let Freezy know about what had been in her delivery... and then on to tonight’s dinner, and the thought that there would only be himself and Sally present.
I remember before when it was dinner for three...
He shook his head at that. He knew there was little point in dwelling on that thought – the classy cellist was different in the end after all, and he wasn’t one of the ponies whose opinion mattered enough.
Let’s just enjoy tonight. Sally’s trying her best to cheer me up.
With that thought in mind, he made his way inside the little sandwich shop. He was quietly surprised to note the single table towards the back of the shop, away from prying eyes, lit by candles and already set – and even the quiet sound of a gramophone adding some background ambience.
As he stood taking in the surroundings, Salad emerged from the kitchen. He blinked once more in surprise: the usually fairly plainly dressed unicorn had quite obviously taken extra care in her appearance this evening. Her ordinarily tied back mane had been let free of its bindings, and flowed freely down her neck and shoulders. Her tail had also been brushed straight rather than left to curl of its own accord here and there. With that said, she still wore the same green and yellow dress that she was almost always seen in. That at least was something he was grateful for: despite the sudden accentuation of her looks, Sally was still Sally.
“Evening, Sally! You’re looking prettier than usual tonight.” he grinned.
“Why, thank yuh hon.” she replied, walking over and promptly hugging him. “Ah thought, seein’ as tonight’s a call fer celebration, Ah might pretty the place—and maself—up a bit.” she joked.
The unicorn’s joking manner elicited a laugh from her taller friend, as he returned her affectionate gesture. “Well, you sure managed. Colour me impressed, lass.”
“Yuh wanna sit an’ chat a while? Ah already got dinner goin’.”
“Sure!”
The two of them walked over to the pleasantly adorned table, seating themselves. Had either one of them looked out of the shop’s window at all, they may have been surprised to see a familiar stone grey pony trotting quickly by on the other side of the street.
At the Canterlot Royal Palace, Sergeant Freeze Pop the Hard-headed had been relieved of duty for the day. The sun was making its very gradual descent towards the horizon, casting long shadows everywhere. She yawned and stretched out her wings, taking to the air for the flight home. She’d already mentioned to Blacklight earlier in the day that she was going to try and catch up with her earth pony friend today, and that she “might be a while talking to him”. The other pegasus hadn’t seen fit to question what she meant by that, taking the hint that whatever it was about was personal.
So it was that following a trip home, depositing her armour, taking a bath and then having herself something to eat, she took wing from the rooftop of her apartment block. Her destination was of course the Old Chapel, but upon reaching it and alighting on the balcony outside of her earth pony friend’s window, she soon realised that there was nopony home.
She frowned in thought for a moment, then soon came to the conclusion that, this being the evening, if he wasn’t home then he was probably over at the Sandwiches’ place. She jumped from the balcony, letting her wings carry her in a gentle glide to the end of the winding thoroughfare below, and set off towards Graze. Little did she realise that she was in for somewhat of a surprise upon reaching the shop, however.
“Ahem. Might Ah have a wurd with yuh, young ‘un?”
After only a few minutes of them having sat down to talk, Sketchy had been somewhat surprised to find his chatting to Salad interrupted by none other than her father. He was even more surprised to realise that he wasn’t addressing his daughter, but rather Sketchy himself.
“Uh... sure?”
“Upstairs, if yuh don’t mind?” Although the way in which it was said sounded like a question, Sketchy could tell it wasn’t actually a request. Mustard’s voice was as calm and warm as ever, but the earth pony could see a certain familiar look in his eye. It was one he’d seen a few times, mostly directed toward Sally.
“Alright.” he agreed. He knew that in actuality he had very little choice in the matter, so he rose from his seat and moved toward the older unicorn.
“Keep yer dinner goin’, Sally honey. We won’t be long.” her father smiled.
Salad looked slightly relieved at that, although her expression still displayed both a mix of surprise and concern over her dad suddenly needing to whisk her friend away. She nodded as the two left the room, and sat idly watching the candles flickering in the still air.
The shop’s door bell tinkled quietly all of a sudden, snapping her out of her mesmerised state.
“Uh, Ah’m afraid we’re closed—” she began, but then she laid eyes upon who had just walked in. Her face moulded itself into a suspicious frown.
“What’re yew doin’ here?” she demanded.
Octavia was a little taken aback by the rosy-coated unicorn’s somewhat hostile manner. She couldn’t think of anything off the top of her head that she had done to warrant this sort of a welcome. Except perhaps...
Oh, of course.
“I, ah, was searching for Sketchy.” she replied, adding hastily “I take it he is not here, then.”
“Even if he was, why would Ah be tellin’ yuh?” Salad replied curtly. “Last Ah heard, he ain’t nothin’ but an inconvenience to yuh anyways.”
“Now hold on just one moment!” Octavia replied, narrowing her eyes at the unicorn. “I know I might have said—”
“Ooh, Ah knew it!” Salad interjected, glaring at the cellist. “Yuh came in here all stuck up, actin’ like yuh were somethin’ special. And Ah went and thought maybe yuh weren’t just some snob cos hey, yuh set yer hoof in here and all without lookin' down yer nose. But no, in thuh end, you’re all bread and no butter!”
“Do you know who you are talking to?” Octavia snarled, her already frayed nerves from a second failed attempt at finding the pony she actually wanted to talk to at home starting to snap. “I assure you, I am far from being some fool musician who cares only for image. But so be it! If you wish to swallow such lies, I shall not stop you!”
Having said that, the cellist turned neatly around. “Nevertheless, I did not come here to be insulted. I shall take my leave of you.”
“Yeah? Don’t let the door slap yer butt on the way!” Salad shot back. Her horn sparked briefly right as Octavia was about to cross the threshold.
The cellist stopped where she was. She had felt that - a telekinetic slap to her hindquarters. She turned around, and before either she or Salad realised what she was about, she had marched straight back up to the unicorn mare. Her hoof flew before she had time to think about what she was doing, and Salad reeled slightly, her cheek stinging.
“Ooh.” she snarled, her eyes narrowing, at the same time watering a bit at the edges. “Yew gone done it now!”
“See, son, Ah’ve been keepin’ an eye on yuh like Ah promised yer maw I would.”
As he had feared, there was a very good reason Sketchy had been called aside by Mustard.
“Now then, Ah already know from whut ma darlin’ little Sally tells me that yuh got some of yer rent sorted out t’day. Now, Ah was mighty pleased to hear about that, but Ah was a bit less pleased when Ah noticed how Sally was actin’.”
Sketchy winced. “She’s, uhm... she’s been really nice to me lately, Mr Sandwich.”
“Ah know.” The unicorn’s eyes locked with Sketchy’s, who found himself feeling all the more uncomfortable for it. “Listen son, Ah don’t know how wise yuh are tuh the ways ladies work. Heck knows, Ah know Ah ain’t no expert. But Ah’ll say this, Ah do know the way a stallion’s mind works. Especially when he’s not long been shot down by a lady he likes, do yuh get where Ah’m comin’ from?”
Sketchy nodded, slowly. “Uhm... you know I wouldn’t wanna pursue Sally that way though...”
“Ah do, and that there’s the problem Sketchy. You know that and I know that. And Ah think maybe if she’d be honest with herself, Sally knows that too. But thing is, she’s gettin’ it into her head that maybe yuh might be interested in her that way. And son, Ah’ll level with yuh. Ah know how it feels tuh have yer heart broken, and the kinds of things it makes yuh think of. So Ah figured Ah should step in now, ‘fore ma dear daughter does somethin’ tuh get herself hurt—”
His sentence was interrupted by a commotion from downstairs, causing both him and Sketchy to look round toward the staircase.
“Well whut in tarnation’s that!?” Mustard exclaimed, swiftly getting to his feet and heading downstairs.
Freeze Pop was rather unable to believe the sight presented to her as she pushed open the door to Graze. The two ponies in the middle of the room were certainly two she recognised: one of her best friends, and the star cellist of the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra. However, what made the sight of the two of them so alien was the fact that, unless she was much mistaken, the two of them were locked in a rather nasty-looking struggle. The rosy pink unicorn was currently on her back, her front legs shoving back against the body of the grey earth pony on top of her. There was an overturned table to one side of them and a few knocked over chairs, and a few lumps of black and blonde mane here and there.
She was not the only one to discover the mind-boggling sight - she saw, across the room, two other ponies enter the scene. She recognised them both instantly: one was the father of one of the combatants, and the other was the foolish pony whose lack of thought to his actions had likely been at least partially responsible for this.
Her eyes shifted back to Mustard. The two of them shared a brief glance of acknowledgement, and then both of them took in a deep breath. She noted Sketchy to one side covering his ears.
“SALAD SANDWICH!”
“MISS OCTAVIA!”
The ceiling shook slightly from the combined sound of two loud shouts issued in almost perfect unison. It was certainly more than enough to make both ponies in the centre of the room freeze in place.
Slowly, Salad turned her head towards the source of the voice that had shouted her name, with Octavia doing likewise. The latter was the first to speak.
“I...” she faltered, hastily stepping away from the unicorn she had been pinning. She stumbled a little, her mind reeling from what she had been doing.
Salad, meanwhile, slowly got to her feet and approached her father, her head hung low with shame. He spoke up before she could utter a word, his voice calm and yet at the same time carrying an obvious undertone of righteous authority.
“Go upstairs an’ get yerself cleaned up. We’re all gonna have a little talk.”
Sketchy watched his friend walk slowly past him and then up the stairs. She had the look of a convicted criminal being taken away to her incarceration. He shuddered slightly, for he knew that the older unicorn’s words definitely meant that he himself was to be included in their conversation.
“You as well.”
Octavia blinked. That had been directed at her. She looked over at the yellow-coated unicorn questioningly – and her gaze was met with the same sort of piercing stare that she had only ever seen used by the robust white pegasus standing nearby. She shuddered a little under that look. It was not the kind that allowed room for disagreement.
“Ah... alright.” she replied shakily.
“I’ll go look after them.” Freeze stated with a glance to Mustard, who simply nodded.
“As for you, ma boy, we’re gonna start cleanin’ up this mess.”
Sketchy winced. He knew very well that the unicorn meant more than just the overturned table and chairs.
A good half an hour later, the two unicorns, two earth ponies, and one pegasus were sat in the living room of the upstairs home of the Sandwiches. Sketchy was sat directly across from Mustard, with the mares sat to their sides in a rough circle.
“Alright. First things first.” Mustard’s calm tones permeated the air, snatching the attention of the others. “Somepony better tell me why Ah found two gurls havin’ a smack-down in ma shop. And it better not start with the words "she started it".”
“...I must apologise, sir.” Octavia spoke up. “I... was not in the right state of mind. I sought a vent for my frustrations. And... I am ashamed to say that Miss Salad made herself a target.”
“Is that true, Sally?” Freeze Pop questioned the unicorn to her side.
Salad slowly nodded her head. “It’s true... but! It ain’t her fault, Ah wasn’t thinkin’ straight neither! Ah... Ah just felt real angry with her! Ah mean, tonight was s’posed to be just me an’ Sketchy there... and then she had to come in an’ spoil things. Ah just wanted her out!”
Sketchy felt his stomach knotting itself as he heard his friend speak. The way she spoke and the look on her face confirmed what her father had already been telling him.
“Ah see. Well now. Ah think perhaps it’s time we got some explainin’, cuz Ah’m pretty sure there’s somepony here who knows the whole story.”
Sketchy felt the unicorn’s keen gaze fall on him. “That’s yer cue, boy.”
“R... right.”
He cast his gaze to the floor for a few moments, trying to think of a good way to put it all into words, before shaking his head and lifting it once more.
“Sally... Octavia... I’m sorry. I’m sorry to both of you. I’ve been a horrible friend recently.”
Both his friends simply nodded at that, remaining silent for the time being. He could sense there was still some unspoken animosity between them.
“Octavia... I let my situation get the better of me. I’m sorry. I couldn’t tell you about it because I felt it was something I had to handle on my own. Sally knows about—knew about it, I mean, cos she kinda forced it out of me.”
Octavia raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing, silently telling him to continue.
“See... well, you probably know yourself, talent’s not always gonna see you through in life. I’ve had a debt building up for months—er, had, I mean. And just over the last month or so, they basically told me if I couldn’t settle up, I’d be booted out of my house. So... that was constantly on my mind. That’s why I was so... on edge.”
The cellist let out a long sigh at that, nodding her head.
“I... I can identify with that feeling, Sketchy.” she replied. “I am well aware of the ways in which the pressures of life can cloud one’s thoughts and feelings. To that end, actually, I owe you an explanation also. The day that we had our... disagreement, I too was feeling strained by my commitments. If I am honest, that is still true.”
Sketchy felt slightly relieved at that, nodding his head. “I thought that might be the case. But listen, I have to apologise for something else.” With that, he looked over to Salad.
“Sally... I’m really, really sorry. I’ve been lying to you.”
Salad looked as though he’d just walked up to her and slapped her right across the face. The fact that she was still nursing a mildly bruised cheek from Octavia doing exactly that to her beforehand really added to the impression.
“Ya whut!?”
“I’ve not been completely honest with you. Remember when I told you what happened when I fell out with Octavia?”
“Of course Ah do, hon.” she replied, her expression slowly fading from shock to a mix of shame and sadness. “...it were all just a big fat lie, then?”
“...no. Not completely.” Sketchy replied, intensely aware of the cellist’s gaze on him despite him not looking her way. “But what you need to understand is, I... well, I exaggerated a bit, here and there.”
“So in other words, Sketchy, yuh made me hate her guts fer no reason. Right!?”
Sketchy recoiled from that. The truth of her words hit him like an arrow to the heart.
“I’m... I’m sorry, Sally.”
“And here Ah was, bein’ so nice to yuh and all...” She then gasped slightly at that. “And Ah bet you knew, didn’t yuh? Yuh knew why Ah was doin’ that!”
“Sal... I initially thought maybe you were just being extra nice to pick me back up. So I clung on to that, because you helped. You honestly helped. But... I didn’t know how to tell you, after that, that you were doing too much.”
“Yuh used me.”
“Not on purpose!”
“Yuh still did it, though!” Salad snapped, glaring furiously at the earth pony.
“Simmer down, Sally.” her father piped up, his calm tone instantly checking the younger unicorn’s temper. “Yer to blame here as well, after all. Heck knows, Ah done tried tuh warn yuh ‘bout this, but yuh didn’t listen. Yer as bad as yer old man sometimes.”
Salad seemed to deflate a little at that, letting out a long sigh as she took a moment to compose herself.
“Yuh did, pops. And Ah just didn’t wanna hear it. Ah’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted, ma gurl.” he smiled, holding out a foreleg to the filly. She smiled, got up from where she was sat, and hugged the older unicorn. She then turned her gaze on Octavia.
“Uh... Tavy? Listen hon, Ah’m real sorry. Ah shouldn’t have let ma own feelings and what Sketchy told me mess up how Ah thought of you. Can yuh forgive me?”
Octavia looked towards the rosy-coated unicorn, her violet eyes full of thought. She smiled a little, though, and nodded. “Yes, dear. It was a simple misunderstanding, and it is clear enough that both you and I have been misled in some regard. I too must ask your forgiveness... I do not feel words alone are suitable recompense for the trouble I have caused you tonight, however.”
“Yuh don’t? Octavia, yuh don’t have tuh—” Salad began, but she was silenced by a wave of the cellist’s hoof.
“I insist, my dear, and I already know how to repay you. The Summer Equinox will be upon us in approximately a month. You shall come to the celebratory concert, at my expense.”
“Ah... well shucks, hon, if yer sure.”
“I am absolutely certain.” Octavia replied. She then looked over at her fellow earth pony. Her expression was questioning and expectant – and still held some hostility.
“Again... I’m sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I really am.” Sketchy stated, looking pleadingly back at her. “You heard for yourself what I did. I don’t have a good excuse for doing so. All I can say is... I simply didn’t know how to take it all. That night, I honestly thought I’d completely wrecked things. And to be honest... I can’t tell at this point if I haven’t actually done so.”
Octavia found herself wrestling internally one way and the other between forgiveness and condemnation. One part of her still felt very strongly that she ought to forgive the stallion his indiscretions. As she’d told him, she knew very well how external pressure could distort a pony’s perception of their situation, and she was even slightly critical of herself for being so unobservant as to not notice the change in his behaviour.
However, that did not change the fact that, after giving way to the pressures on him, he’d insulted her, lied to one of his other best friends, and then taken some advantage of said friend’s good nature. Although, that said, the friend in question was no doubt capable of being as irrational or stubborn as either herself or the large pony opposite her.
Every one of us has been wronged, to a greater or lesser extent.
She closed her eyes, making her decision.
“Are you truly sorry? For hurting both myself and Salad, and causing us to even come to blows?”
Sketchy needed barely a second to reply. “Yes. I am, I honestly am.”
Octavia rose slowly to her feet, and then made her way to the door. The assembled ponies gave her a mix of reactions, ranging from shock to bewilderment. She paused at the threshold, fixing her gaze on the grey-white coated earth pony. The look in her eyes was a mix of deadly seriousness, judgement; yet also desperation and longing.
“I will need proof.”
Without another word, she turned her gaze away and headed out of the door and down the stairs. The silence she left in her wake lasted several seconds. It was Freeze Pop that finally broke it.
“...well, Sketchy. I think this one’s going to live on in infamy for a bit.” she stated plainly.
The stallion’s shoulders slumped, as he dropped his attention to the floor again. Freeze trotted over next to him, and put a foreleg over his shoulders.
“Easy there, bud. That coulda been worse. But I gotta say, it coulda been way better, too.”
Sketchy looked up and round into the pale blue eyes of his friend. “Be honest... how badly have I screwed it up, do you think?”
“Well dude, I dunno. I think before you try to work that out, you oughta talk to Sally.”
The unicorn looked round at the mention of her name, her attention falling on the larger of her two friends. He looked over at her, clearing his throat.
“So... how much do you hate me?”
Salad let go of her father at that, walking over to her two friends. “This much.” she replied – before throwing her forelegs round his shoulders and hugging him tightly.
Sketchy was startled by her reaction, having initially thought that perhaps she was about to wallop him with her front hooves. He was relieved, if not genuinely surprised, however, to feel her embrace him.
“Now don’t get me wrong.” she continued. “Yuh still owe me. It’s gonna take me some time tuh stop hurtin’ – an’ Ah don’t just mean from her clobbering.”
Sketchy was promptly reminded of the somewhat bizarre spectacle he, Mustard and Freeze Pop had discovered downstairs nearly an hour previously. A part of him mused on that for a moment, dwelling for a short spell on the image of the two mares grappling with each other, their hair messed and their bodies pushing against each other—
He very quickly dispelled that thought as he quickly refocused on the more important matter. Salad had been hurt, and that was his fault.
“She, uhm, didn’t mess you up too badly, did she?”
“Heck no, hon. Ah think you folks stepped in before either one of us really went to town, which is just as well. Ah’ll say this though, that gal has a mean right!”
Sketchy finally felt a chuckle escape from his throat; one which was joined soon after by a laugh from his pegasus friend and the unicorn before him. He let go of her, looking down into her face with a smile.
“I’ll make it up to you somehow, Sally. I promise.”
“Yuh better!” she replied. Despite the warmth in her tone and the smile on her face, Sketchy could see in her eyes that she genuinely meant that. He nodded, a look of determination crossing his face.
“I know.”
“So what’re you gonna do about Octavia, then?” Freeze Pop’s cool tones inquired. Sketchy frowned at that.
“I’m just going to have to think of something, amn’t I?” he replied, shaking his head. “I honestly don’t know at this point how to make things up to her... but I’ll be damned if I’m going to just leave things out to dry like last time.”
He got to his feet, turning towards the door. “I’ll have to sleep on it. Sorry about dinner, Sal. I think we’ll have to postpone.”
“Yeah, I hear ya.” Salad replied, nodding. “Ah’ll see yuh out.”
The two of them headed down to the shop’s front door. Sketchy noticed neither Freeze Pop nor Mustard following them. He paused at the front door.
“Hey... Sal?”
“Yeah?”
He reached over and pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly. “I didn’t wanna be all sappy in front of everyone so... lemme just say it here. You’ll always be my little sis, no matter what.”
He heard her sniffle slightly, and he loosened his grip to look at her face to face. Her eyes were wet at the edges, but she was smiling.
“Ah know, Sketchy, Ah know. Yer like ma own flesh ‘n’ blood too. Ah’ll heal up – so long as you’ll help.”
“I will.” he nodded, hugging her tight again. “Love ya to bits, Sal.”
Salad’s grasp on him tightened briefly as she squeezed him, and then she let go. Her gaze met his own again, and he could see now that already there was less upset written on her face.
“Ah love yew too, hon.” she whispered. Her voice returned to its normal tone as she pulled open the door. “Go on, yuh big lug. Get on down the road, ya still gotta figure out what tuh do ‘bout that fancy filly.”
“You’re right. G’night, Sal.” he nodded, heading out the door. He turned in the street to look back. “Catch you tomorrow, perhaps?”
“Sure thing!”
Sketchy had not travelled far up the winding avenue of his home street when a flurry of wings overheard signalled the arrival of his pegasus friend, who alighted on the ground before him.
“Mind if I walk you home?” Her voice sounded it out as a question, but her posture said otherwise. The pegasus was obviously determined to talk to him some more, for whatever reason.
Sketchy shook his head. “Not at all.”
They walked along in relative silence for a spell, before Freeze spoke up.
“Got a plan yet?”
Sketchy shook his head once more. “Not a one... I mean, a bouquet’d be a tad cliché – and besides, she gets roses chucked at her every other time she finishes a concert.”
“True.”
“And I already drew something for her before.”
“Mmm...”
“I’d write her a song maybe, but... well, I’m not brilliant with lyrics. I can compose a little, but... heck, it’d take ages of practice to be able to perform something for her without her noticing every last mistake.”
“Fair point... hmm. Well shucks dude, that’s already covered everything I might’ve suggested. Sorry.”
Sketchy grinned at his pegasus companion. “Eh, you wanted to help, that’s what matters.”
“Glad you see it that way, Sketchy.” Freeze replied with a chuckle.
"Yeah." His expression faded slightly as he added “I just wish there was a straightforward way of mending a broken heart.”
“Don't we all? But hey, I know you. You’ll think of something, somehow.”
“I hope so.”
“Well listen, I’m gonna have to head back home after all this excitement. I need to be up for duty tomorrow, after all.”
“Alright. G’night Freezy. Take it easy.”
“No worries there, bud!” she replied with a snicker, spreading her wings. “I’ll seeya around!”
With that she was gone, leaving Sketchy on his own to head inside the Old Chapel and climb the stairs to his apartment.
This is bad... I haven’t the slightest idea how I’m gonna make this all up to Tavy. I’m lucky Sally doesn’t hate me, goodness knows I deserve it.
His somewhat grim internal monologue was rather suddenly interrupted, however, as he entered his flat and heard a voice from the darkness within speak up.
“Is this a bad time?”
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428150
You better mean the pony.
428166 Haha, of course I did.
428166 Whoops, now that I have read the 18th Movement I understand why you were asking. I meant the discussion about the "Cos she’s special." kid in the Intermezzo update.
This update was great, and I appreciate that the potentially huge misunderstanding was nipped in the bud. I also really loved the use of "simmer down, Sally" directed at a character actually named Sally.
I'm guessing that was Luna there at the end to discuss her commission request?
And then Luna provides the best solution ever.
428150
It's not Twi it's referring to. It's a reference to one of the stars of this tale. :)
Great chapter! Things are looking up, but who is the mystery voice? Dun dun dunnnnn.
Some more suspence after the previous movement.
(Glad to see that relationship progressing well, by the way. I can kinda relate to Blacklight. Been rooting for him.) Great update, the scenes were well painted in my mind. Looking forward for the next update.
A voice from the darkness spoke up.“Is this a bad time?”
images.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw575_Applejack_Spooky.gif
Any bets on who our mystery guest is?
I'll put ten bits on Princess Luna!
DUN-DUN
DU-DUN
God, that cliffhanger sent chills up and down my spine. Can't wait the next chatper. :D
429719 Ahh, OK.
My prediction is that Sketchy must choose between attending Octavia's symphony and doing something that would ensure he gets his money from his artwork (either from the mystery judge and his/her commission or from a resulting get-together with Canterlot elite which is his only realistic chance to make it into the big-time art league).
Either that or the commission is for a statue or something equally long-lasting and he sculpts Octavia into it, which might be his proof.
429756
Sketchy's no sculptor - and it's fair to say that there is no way he would miss the concert for anything.
Let's just say I'm not done putting one or two ponies through the wringer yet. :)
As always, good work, Sketchy.
430980
Luna's fondness of Octavia is in a purely platonic sense. Whilst this fic does take some inspiration from Claro De Luna, the attraction from Luna's side is due chiefly to the fact that Luna can see in Octavia a kindred spirit. In other words, both she and Octavia are ponies whom have few friends in the world, and have difficulty getting on with others sometimes.
As for Sketchy and Sally... while it is of course true that there are some unrequited feelings from Salad's side at least, their relationship is closer to being familial than romantic. Sadly for poor little Sally, it's been made clear that this is how things will stay - but, as stated, she kinda knew that anyway, deep down. She just didn't want to listen to that internal voice of reason.
Oh and as for the title... that just comes from character names and themes as I honestly couldn't think of a better title at the time. XD
Welp this is really all I've got for you cruel sadistic bastard.
derpy.me/BpenApproves1
Very much liked this one. Though i find it interesting that I'm following a story as its written for once, usually the whole thing is out before I read.
Was the Song a reference to me?
439735
Well as is explained in the chapters hereafter, Sketchy isn't quite himself there. He's dwelling on his own problems, which as you probably know is not conducive to thinking straight. It's thus put him in a very negative state of mind: so when he then hears Octavia say something like that after she's been distant the whole time, rather than make a proper assessment and try to talk it through, he just jumps to the conclusion that her being around him is the problem.
Now likewise, Octavia ordinarily would not react so harshly or rashly as she does - but in the state of mind she is in with so much pressure on her, and him then acting like that, it causes her to snap.
All I can advise is, keep reading :) This stuff is all explained in the narrative; that sudden break in their friendship was supposed to feel as much of a shock to you as it was to the both of them.
432612
Nope.
440262 Okay, then
.
By the way, fourth movement complete. This is actually very fun and easy to do, considering the lengths of each movement are about a minute and thirty seconds to two minutes long at 86 beats per minute. ¡Que chevere!
*Blacklight out of nowhere*
Whoa! My mistake to not have been keeping a close eye on this…I check back and have /two/ chapters to read
…not to mention a hayload of comments…this is going to take a while
All caught up…now I just have to avoid replying to all the comments
Yes, I know it's 2:40…sleep, you say? What's that again?
…okay, I won't reply to /all/ the comments…just a /few/
Don't mind me, I'll just take over this comment thread…
*** BEGIN SERIES OF REPLIES TO OLD COMMENTS ***
403111
Another Symphony?
358163
You aren't the first to have said that…
…whoa, this is on Equestria Daily?
How did I miss that?!
…great, more comments to reply to
380568
Ooh! Do be sure to link us to it, won't you?
Haha, referral from a google of “quinto salad”
400326
CANNOT UNTHINK
414777
I DEMAND LINKS!
NAO!
440842
…err…what whole situation?
…okay, wow, it's /really/ late… *collapses on some random cloud*
You have fans, Sketchy…
447388
Oookaay... what's happening...? Because I don't know, that's for sure. Something must have derped
And I mean /seriously/ derped.
About that "whole situation", I'm talking about how Freezy handles her relationship with Blacklight, and how she acts towards him
447388
HOLY WOW MASSIVE COMMENT
Yep! I will write another after this one wraps up, when I find time and energy to.
Yes, it's been featured since about 11th Movement. XD
A few folks predicted Freezy smacking Sketchy about, but I figured given the circumstances he got enough walloping in a non-physical sense :)
And yep, that much is obvious. This fic has over 200 people actively tracking it dude. XD
Oh also in case it isn't clear, Blacklight Shining here is indeed the one and same Blacklight whose character is portrayed in the fic. Please feel free to inundate his comments with responses and make him panic over his following. XD
Hmm... My original thought for the mystery voice was Blacklight. I can think of what for, but I'll just keep that to myself. Now from the comments though, it's more obviously the judge who had contacted him (Probably Luna)
With that said, I'm just waiting for a development to arise between Freeze and Blacklight. Not that I want it to happen, but I'm expecting it at some point.
Also, let me say that I'm extremely glad you didn't turn this into a love triangle. That would have been very disappointing... (Honestly, I can't stand them)
Its got to be the benefactor, who is probable somepony new.....we shall see
"It's about time," remarked the human who scrutinizes your every move with a critical eye, for he is disappointed in your lack of proper proactivity about resolving your friend's (or perhaps your friends') dispute.
Also, I seem to have scooped up a typo as well. I keep trying to get out of editing, and they keep pulling me back in!
Like a WRONG ANSWER.
Though I suppose it was a bit much to hope that some circumstances had led her to visit your house off-duty but in armor to address the responsibility she shirked all day yesterday.
I suggest that what you make of it be "Yay! Somepony wants to pay me to do art! I might be able to pay next month's rent on time!"
It's a shame you don't have a friend who could help you patch things up.
They probably have a form letter for all the ones they rejected out of hoof. It would have been quite enough of an undertaking just writing a brief, personal, and helpful response to every entrant who fell just short of the bar, and that'd be very much a minority. You put out that sort of a call, everypony who can pick up a pencil or a paintbrush, and some who can't, is going to respond.
You're sounding a little condescending, there. Poor customer service, and all.
He said nothing because there are certain things he does not expect from his pseudo-sister, and thus will not see.
This is a bad idea.
See, Freeze? Tavi's with me.
This is going to end poorly. And I blame Freeze. Sally a little too, but mostly Freeze.
Imagine me glaring at you, Freeze. Because I am very disappointed in you, young lady. A difficult signature trick you may have, but clearly Rainbow Dash you are not.
And it only took you two days to get around to it.
You know, this explains how you ended up spending five days chasing down a fugitive. You probably knew about him within five minutes of him going on the lam, and you just didn't get around to taking action for a day.
Of course. We can't have a proper train wreck with only three ponies, after all.
I want to look away. But I am but human, and cannot resist the siren song of screeching brakes and rending metal.
. . . Super 8 had a great train wreck.
Sally, would it be too much to ask that you display some vague facsimile of maturity? I have faith in you; you could fake it . . . more or less passably for the circumstances. You'd just need to try.
Your daughter getting hurt.
You shouldn't let her escape that easily. Not with the part she played in all of this.
You would have deserved it.
And then she would have hugged you. And that, too, would have been proper.
It kind of is, Luna, but you might be able to help. You know Tavi; you might have some ideas for how to fix things.
“Yeah? Don’t let the door slap yer butt on the way!” Salad shot back. Her horn sparked briefly right as Octavia was about to cross the threshold.
The cellist stopped where she was. She had felt that - a telekinetic slap to her hindquarters. She turned around, and before either she or Salad realised what she was about, she had marched straight back up to the unicorn mare. Her hoof flew before she had time to think about what she was doing, and Salad reeled slightly, her cheek stinging.
“Ooh.” she snarled, her eyes narrowing, at the same time watering a bit at the edges. “Yew gone done it now!”
http://www.quickmeme.com/img/5b/5b7e0fdd39178dc8d4148618607fc96fb8908a1ea62c04119630f50f349c4ce1.jpg