The Golden Chain

by DarkPony4444

Rating: everyone
Tags: Random
Length: 11333

Jewelry isn't such a boring business after all.

Meet Shimmering Agate, the proud owner of "The Golden Chain", a jewelry shop in Canterlot. He's renowned for being the best jewelry maker in the world. He sells only the most rare of gemstones, ones that can only be found in Equestria. And he goes to the ends of the earth to find them.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-05-19 18:44:26 UTC

The First Day

Ah, Canterlot.  A great place to be, if you ask me.  Being a jeweler, it's probably obvious I would say such a thing.  The rich always wanting, or should I say "needing", the finest pieces of jewelry for every occasion.  However, I am happy to provide.  Whatever brings me the thrill of a new adventure, that is what I pursue.

You see, a jeweler is nothing without his jewels, and their jewels are nothing without adventure.  Whether it is the legendary Stone of Dark Aura, found only in the pitch-black caves in the north's freezing tundra, or the simple Dewdrop Sapphire, which only appears in Spring during the pollination season.  Nothing will stop me from hunting down such artifacts to satisfy my customers.

"Shimmering, why do you do it?" you may ask. "Don't you know that it's dangerous to put your life on the line for nothing more than shiny rocks?"  Ha!  I laugh at your ignorance.  What good is it to sell regular old diamonds and pearls and whatnot, hm?  Where's the fun in that?  Not to be found!  But hunting down that one truly elusive gem after climbing so high and going so far just to reach it is just so very rewarding... especially once you put a price tag on it.

Of course, it requires quite a lot of effort, study, and the most perfect execution, but what more can I do?  I want nothing but happy faces at my shop.  Everypony wants that.

Still don't understand it, do you?  Well, maybe if I told you about my first adventure, you'll start to understand my business.  You see, it all happened when my father and I first opened this shop many, many years ago...

The shop was nothing but perfect.  Flowing over the top of the place was bright, golden lettering reading "The Golden Chain", followed by an actual golden chain, big enough to fit a giant.  The interior of the shop was small and quaint, but not confining.  The walls were painted the lightest hue of blue, but showed no trace of white.  The floor, covered with the most beautiful marble ever to be cut, stretching across the room giving the place a glorious shine, but there was no glare.  The glass cases sparkled with cleanliness, and the wooden frames around it shone with the most luscious shade of chocolate brown.  The place was to be filled with jewels, and as soon as it was, it would be the most heavenly spot on the face of the planet.

"It looks simply divine, darling! Just how did you afford it?" my mother inquired.  That was back when she was still doing her whole dress-making business.  My father laughed a hearty laugh, saying, "My dearest, you know I would never allow imperfection in matters such as this."  He had been in the jewelry business longer than I had been alive.  He knew the ins and outs of this like the back of his hoof to be cliche about it.

"It's looking at its very best, I have to say." I added.  I was younger then... much more agile and capable of handling things on my own, but also very naive. This was to be my first shop, the one in which I would sell all my fine jewelry crafted over the years.  My father was to be my guide, allowing his experience to pass onto me... at least, until he thought I was ready.  I didn't like the prospect; I thought I knew everything there was to know about this whole jewelry business.  There was no time for learning!  This is when and where I turn a profit!  However, no matter how I debated it with my father, his stubborn ways always won out in the end.

"Yes, so make sure not to scuff up the floors.  I don't want this place getting ruined on the very first day." my father ordered.

"Please," I comlained. "It's my place, and I'm not about to wreck it.  I have enough responsibility to keep it in order."

"We'll see about that, my boy." he replied, patting me on the head.  He always did that.  I always hated it. "Come on now, no time to waste.  Let's get your pieces all set up."

I had created some simple designs to show off to the public on opening day.  Some emerald earrings, a few pearl necklaces, and some very good diamond rings. Basically, whatever I thought would be good to sell was here.  They weren't good enough, looking back on it all.

The display case did look good, though.  The amount of jewelry filled every shelf, making the whole place shine with radiant beauty.  My father was impressed... for about two whole seconds.  Then he told me that we had to wait.  Patience was a part of any business like this; the first customer who comes in may arrive at any time with any request, and you had to be prepared to serve them as quickly and efficiently as possible.

And the first customer happened to be the most influential pony in Canterlot.

He came in not three minutes after the grand opening.  His name was Fancypants.  He looked so strange back then... he didn't have the monocle and mustache he has now.  However, his hair was still slicked back in that... that...  Well, I'm not a hairdresser!  I don't know the term for such things.

Anyway, he strolled into the shop, looking at every ware we had as he did so.  I walked up to greet him.

"Good day, sir.  How can I help you on this fine day?" I inquired.

"Fine day??" he asked, bewildered.  "It's hotter than ever out day!  Celestia must be punishing us for something, or it would never be this bad!"

I assumed he was joking.  It seemed very cloudy out.  At least, it was earlier that day.  Another look outside showed that the stallion spoke the truth.  The sun shone brighter than ever today.  Of all the thoughts to come to mind, I hoped that the golden sign wasn't blinding ponies as they might be walking by.

"I see.  Well, all the same.  Now, how can I help you?"

"Well, besides any water you could provide, I'm looking for an engagement ring for my finance, Fleur de Lis.  I heard you just opened, so I came running to see the selection.  I love to see an entrepreneur and his work."

I was astonished by the fact that he had already heard of this place.  High society ponies must be looking forward to our success if he was here.

"Son, go get the water." my father instructed.  I would never groan in front of a customer, but I did twitch my eye a bit at him to show him my displeasure of doing the small things around my own shop.

"But of course, father," I replied, stretching the last word as much as I could to get the message across.  As soon as I went to the back of the shop, I sighed and lumbered over to get some water from the sink.  I hardly thought tap water would be good enough, but if this stallion wanted better, he could visit a restaurant or something.  This was a jewelry shop, after all.

I came back, carrying the glass back to our patron, when I saw the look on my father's face.  He was looking very concerned.

"Not good enough?  Whatever do you mean by that?"

"I'm sorry, but it's just not enough.  The ring has to shine as brightly as she does, like a shimmering star in the midnight sky!"  I took this opportunity to give him his water. "Thank you, my good sir." he told me, taking a dignified sip out of the cup.

My father looked at him, then the rings, then back at him again. "Is that so?  Well, that simply won't do."  My father looked outside and smiled. "However, not all is lost.  Come back in a few hours, and I'll have exactly what you want.  You won't be disappointed."

Fancypants thought for a moment. "Fine, but if this proves to be a waste of my time, I'm not coming back here again.  I need a ring, after all, whether you provide it or not.  However, I have high hopes in your business, and I expect that you won't let me down."

"It's settled then," my father said. "We'll get you the perfect ring in the allotted time."  Fancypants left the shop, but not before finishing the water we gave him.  The glass was not returned.  Yes, Fancypants really was much ruder when he was younger than he is now.  It wasn't until after his marriage that he gained a consciousness and a respectable attitude.

"Well, son," he said to me, "this is where we go and do the fun part."  He began walking to the back room.  I followed, being very curious as to what he was talking about.

"Father, whatever do you mean?"  I saw as he gathered some unusual things together.  A rope ladder, a grapple, a book (of all things to bring), an many more things that I couldn't keep track of.  It was like he was packing for an expedition in the wilds or something.

"Just do as I say and everything will be fine," he replied.  He passed me a small vial full of a strange liquid.

"What's this potion for?" I asked him. "What are we doing?"

"Keep that potion close, as it will keep you safe.  We're going hunting, son."

"Hunting?  Didn't we just get a request from a customer?  Why in Celestia's good name would we go hunting at such a time?"

He said nothing as he trotted over to the front door.  This silence was really getting me angry.  I had to know what was going on here!  I supposed the only way to find the answers was to follow my father to.. wherever we were headed.

It was about a half-hour walk in scorching hot sunlight to get to the place my father was going, which was the center of town.  He took out the book and his pocket watch and sat, waiting for something to happen.

"Father, what are you doing?  First you say we're hunting, now we're sitting here in the heat doing nothing at all!"

He put a hoof over my mouth and silenced me. "Patience, my son.  Patience."

I had little patience for this nonsense.  The heat must've be driving him mad, I thought. "Let's just go back to the shop.  We can polish one of the other rings until it's bright enough, right?"

He said nothing, replacing the book for the grappling hook.  He looked at his watch, seemingly counting down the seconds.  Then, when the time was right, he swung the hook around once and tossed the grappling hook far up into the sky.  Surprisingly, I saw the rope attached to it go taut, as if the hook had caught onto the air itself.  I was in shock and awe; my father started climbing up the rope.  A minute or two later, the end of the rope ladder he had brought hit the ground in front of me.  Instinctively, I began to ascend the ladder, driven by curiosity.

When I reached the top, I saw the most amazing thing I had ever seen. A giant castle made made of... I had no idea what to call it.  A stone that shined brighter than diamonds in this light, that much I knew.  My father was nowhere in sight.  I had to find him, I decided.  Putting one hoof in front of the other, I trotted over... what was I walking on, anyway?  I looked down to see a cloud.  Okay then.  This was probably a questionable surface to be standing on...

It was then I realized I wasn't a pegasus.  Upon this realization, I fell through the clouds.  An Earth pony like myself had nothing that would help here.  Nothing at all...

Keep that potion close, as it will keep you safe...

As I fell, I searched for that little vial.  I knew I had it somewhere around here...  then I noticed it falling next to me.  I quickly popped it open and drank it ( which is really hard to do when you're free-falling to the ground.)

Suddenly, gravity disappeared, and I felt a weightlessness I had never known.  I was floating in midair.  It was an unusual feeling.  I got back to the rope ladder and climbed back up to the top, where I could now comfortably stand on the clouds.  I imagined what would've happened if I didn't take that potion.

"Well, I think that's enough of that," I said to myself.  Danger wasn't really something I like having around then, including in my mind.

Eventually, I reached the castle in the sky.  Seemed like a fairy tale, really, seeing such a thing.  I found my father rummaging around in the main room just inside the front door.

"Father, why didn't you tell me something like this exists?" I asked him.

He turned to face me.  "You made it up here?  Good.  Now, help me look for a lever."

"What?" I asked. "Why are we doing that now?"

"Because we're hunting," he replied.  I really didn't like his half-answers.

"Alright... hunting it is." I replied, rolling my eyes.  My dad had clearly lost his marbles, or so I led myself to believe.  "What are we hunting?"

"Only the best, my son."

"Why are we hunting it?

"Because I said so, and I'm your father."

"I don't understand!" I shouted at him.

"Good!  That will help." he said.  This nonsense was driving me up a wall!  What in the wide world of Equestria were we doing here?

His hoof hit something and he put on a smile, saying, "Found it!" I heard the clanking of mechanics as he pulled down a hidden lever, creating a huge staircase leading to the top of the place.  He ran up it so quickly, I hardly had time to catch up to him.  At the top was a normal door made of wood.

He turned back to face me. "Son, now is the time.  Go through that door."

"Now hold on just a second!" I objected. "Why should I do that?  Why aren't you explaining anything to me?"

He sighed and checked his pocket watch. "Son, there's not enough time.  You have to find it.  Just go through the door, now!"

He pushed me through the doorway, and the door slammed shut behind me.  I tried reopening it, only to find it was locked.

I turned around to see where I was now.  It was a long, dark staircase going up.  I slowly ascended the steps.  It lead into a long hallway.  At the end of that hallway, something was glowing with intense light.  As I drew closer to it, I shielded my eyes to avoid blindness.  It turned out to be a bright, translucent stone in the shape of a raindrop, sitting on a stone pedestal.  I quickly snatched it up and examined it.  This thing had to be more valuable than anything else in the world!  This must've been what my father was talking about!  This was why we were here!  The shape was so refined, yet so natural.  So bright and shiny, but yet also so full of color...

I noticed as the world around me turned red.  The floor started to fall down into nothingness.  I ran back to the entrance and rushed up the stone stairs.  I could see the exit now, but the ground was dangerously close to collapsing.  I wouldn't make it.  I still gave it my all, and as the last stone beneath my hoof threatened to fall, I jumped to the exit and...

Missed.

I flailed my hooves out in front of me, desperately trying to grab onto something.  I feel into the abyss, sure I was dead, but just when all seemed lost, a rope wrapped itself around my rear leg, and I was suddenly thrown in the opposite direction.

I landed on the other side, watching as the exit door slammed closed and burst into flame, turning to ashes in mere seconds.

All was quiet and still for a moment as the adrenaline drained from my system.  My father started to laugh hysterically, "You made it!  Hahaha!  I can't believe that worked!"

I was not so happy. "Why did you make me do that?!  I could've died in there!"

"Yes, you could've... but you didn't!  You survived, just as I planned!  And with the Tear!"

"The Tear?" I asked him.  Then I looked at the object in my hoof.  It did look like a tear all right... "You mean this thing?"

"Here, look," my father said, pulling out the book.  He flipped it open to a page showing an illustration gem. "Celestia's Tear, they call it.  They say that when our fair Princess sent her sister to the moon, she wept tears of sadness.  But she could not be mournful forever.  She closed off all emotions she had to regain control over herself, and the tears that she cried turned to stone.  As if to hide the proof that they ever existed, she hid them all across the land.  The one we found in only one of many others, and is actually very small compared to the rest."

"Small?!" I asked in surprise. "Others?!"

"This is only one of the many Tears in existence.  They are supposed to be locked away in places where thieves cannot go, for if they know of its existence, the room will crumble, as you saw, and destroy the Tear as well as anypony else with it.  That is why the greatest amount of trust is needed to obtain it.  Although the gem is small, it does shine as brightly as our customer requested... Perfect for a wedding ring, if you ask me."

Then he checked the time and became quite alarmed. "I'm afraid if we don't hurry up, we won't be back in time to prepare the piece for Fancypants.  Come on, son.  Let's get back to the shop."

I smiled and followed him out of the castle in the sky having high expectations for the future as well as high hopes.

Little did I know that those high hopes would become a reality someday... however, that's for another time.  I have yet to wrap up this story.

Upon our return, I fashioned one of the best rings I'd ever made... of course, I went on to make better ones, but at the time it was pretty good.  I had to use a durable alloy to protect the gem it held, as it turned out the the Tear was very fragile.  The whole process took an hour to complete, and that was before the detailing, which took even longer.

Fancypants returned three hours past the last time we saw him, just as we planned.  The finishing touches on the ring had just been completed moments before his arrival.  I didn't know how my father had so much foresight.

When we showed him the ring, he claimed he couldn't believe his eyes.  He said many other compliments, most of which I had go through one ear and out the other.  I don't much care for praise, you see.  Eventually, we got down to pricing the piece, which rounded out to a nice 110,000 bits.  Quite the profit for just the first day.

I am very displeased with this story, as it is the most boring one of them all.  So simple it was to get such a priceless item... it almost made me sick to my stomach.  I'd rather do paperwork all day than recall that memory.  The show, however does not end here... oh no, my friends.  In fact, it hasn't even begun.

You see, I had to mention Fancypants at some point, just to give credit where credit is due, and sooner was better than later.  For after our business, word spread like wildfire throughout all of Canterlot about my shop.  And that's when the letter came... the one that was sure to change my life forever.

The Best Worst Day

Mail-carrying must be such a boring job.  All you do is open a box, read the names, and deliver the mail.  So simple.  Unless you're a certain mail carrier.  Exhibit A: "Derpy".  Her eyes are misaligned, so she can never read the names on the letters or packages, and she's constantly dropping things.  I don't blame her: she can't undo what has been done to her vision.  She doesn't a have a choice.  Saddening.  However, she still gets on my nerves every time I have to see her.  I just can't stand clumsiness.

And today was that day of the week.  Sunday is when she delivers it.  You know, on the day where you shouldn't get mail?  At all?

"Hiya, Agey!" she introduced me today, as she always did.  I keep telling her not to call me that, but she's like my father; stubborn.

"I have no time for small talk.  Have you got the mail?" I asked.

"Right here!" she exclaimed, handing me the wrong mail.  I took it anyway; chances were that the pony who needed this mail had my mail.

"Thank you," I tried to say.  It came out a little differently, though, and I think she didn't hear me.  However, this run-in was not quite over.  Derpy always had one question to ask me.  The same one every time.

"Could I get a muffin?"

I did my best not to facehoof.  "Derpy, how many times have I told you that I'm not a baker?"

She blinked at me with an expressionless face.  "You're not?"

"I'm not.  I'm a jeweler.  I've told you that for the last five years."

"Huh." she hummed.  Then, she just left.  There was never a full conversation with her.  Just a bit of back and forth, then she's gone, like an angry tennis player who always quit before she could lose.

So anyway, I took Luna's mail and... Wait, I forgot to mention something there didn't I?

The next few days of running the Golden Chain were so very boring.  Not even worth mentioning.  However, there was one day that still stands as significant in my book.  The very first mail day.  I didn't know the ins and outs of the conversation with Derpy as I do now, so it was very awkward trying to phrase things.  I only know them now because of her mother.

I remember that I was walking down the lane to the post office to pick up my mail, since I didn't have a mailbox at that point.  The  place was always so busy, with ponies running about, trying to sort the mail to the best of their ability.  Little did they know their work would always be in vain, as somepony would mess it up.

"Hey there, sir.  Something you need?"

The first word out of her mouth made me cringe.  I'm not sure why, but it just... made my mind sting a little.

"Actually, I was hoping to get my mail today." I said. "Are you a mailpony?"

"Yessiree.  I'll get your mail for you mister...?"

"Agate.  Shimmering Agate."

She gave me a smile, which I was very put off by, and started digging through the piles of mail nearby.  I assumed that the mail sorting must be different around here, as she was searching through the pile labeled "P-T".  She popped out of the pile holding several different papers.

"Foooooound 'em!"  she sang.  I assumed that the mail I was getting was actually for me.  Well, was I wrong on that one!  I took my mail that day, and, without knowing it, took my neighbor's mail.  It was very embarrassing.  I found this out when I got back to the shop, however, so I decided to take it over to them in hopes that they had my mail.

I knocked on their door three times, not too hard as to make it sound rude, but not too soft as to make it unheard.  In about three seconds, a mare with a white coat and a purple and pink striped mane answered the door.

"I'm very sorry about this, but I seem to have received your mail from the post office instead of mine.  I came over to bring it to you."

"Oh!  Why, thank you!" she said accepting the letters. "You must be one of our new neighbors right?  I thought I saw you and another stallion moving boxes into that shop over there a few days back."

"Yes, my father and I have set up shop next to your house.  I'm terribly sorry if we've caused you any trouble.  I know that living near this part of town must be very noisy and such, and I'd hate to add onto all that."

"It's no problem at all.  In fact, why don't you come in?  I'm sure the rest of the family would like to meet you too!"

"If you insist." I replied simply.  There was no reason why I shouldn't get to know the neighbors.  I immediately noticed her husband, who was trying to multitask reading and feeding their daughter.  Another pony sat at the table as well, a white stallion with a blue mane.  It made me happy to see such a normal family.  At least, before everything with that family happened.  Most ponies know what I'm talking about when I say that.

"Everyone, we have a guest!" she said.  Her husband looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow at me.  The little filly kept babbling at her food, her magic levitating it up and around.  The white stallion ignored me altogether.  Figures.  At his age, nopony outside his family, friends, and ponies he really didn't like existed.

"Who's this?" The father asked suspiciously.

"This our new neighbor!  You remember seeing them move in, right honey?"

He dropped the suspicion and became more neutral towards my presence. "Ah yes, them." He said, lowering the foal food that was dangerously close to the ceiling with his magic.  That's when I noticed that they were all unicorns.  Oh, no... they were already starting to underestimate my intelligence, weren't they?  All unicorns did that...

"Excuse me, I'm so rude.  I forgot to introduce myself." I said. "My name is Shimmering Agate."

"That's a nice name.  I'm Twilight Velvet, and that's my husband Night Light, our son Shining Armor, and our daughter!"

I nodded, but then realized something was wrong in that sentence. "Does your daughter have a name?"

"Oh, no, not yet.  We just can't decide!" Twilight replied. "Night wants it to be something like Sunset or something like that.  I think she should be Twilight, as I know its a fine name."

"It just doesn't feel right to have two Twilights in the house!" Night said in his defense. "How will you two know when I'm talking to one instead of the other?"

"Oh, please, we'll figure something out."  She noticed her son hadn't said anything. "Shining, what's your preference?"

"It doesn't matter.  My opinion has no standing, anyway." Shining replied.  Typical adolescent, he was.  At that time, it'd be hard to believe that he'd become the captain of the royal guard and end up having a marriage with a princess for a bride.  It was inconceivable!

"And so there's the standstill."  Twilight sighed. "I'm starting to think you'll never get a name, my little muffin."  The foal babbled at her and put on a tiny little smile.  It was cute, I'll admit it.

"Did somepony say 'muffin'?"

All of us jumped at the new voice.  The same one that made my mind tingle.  I turned to see the mailmare again.  It was then I noticed her eyes.  So strange... even now I can't look at them.  I don't know if that's genetic or just bad luck that they had the same eyes, but it sure is creepy.

"Well, if it isn't Ms. Hooves!  Hello again!" Twilight said.  I could tell she was faking it completely, as her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"I got your mail right here, ma'am!" she said, taking a few letters from her bag.  I could see my name written on them, but Twilight accepted them anyway.

"Well, it's nice to know that our favorite mailpony has come through again!  Thank you and good-bye!"

She practically pushed the mare out the door.  It didn't seem to faze the mailmare, as I could see her smile as she flew away.  Twilight heaved a sigh and hooved me my mail.

"I swear, that mare is such a hassle to put up with.  A pegasus with the intelligence of an Ear--" She realized the thought too late, and interrupted herself. "I mean, err... she's not very bright."

I showed no offense.  I really shouldn't, anyway.  It's not like there's too much of a difference between Earth ponies and Unicorns other than their control of magic.  I see us on equal terms.  However, at that point, I was still forming a little grudge against the family in the back of my mind.  I could only hope that their daughter would not be so... judgmental.

"Well, it was nice meeting you all today.  I hope we can be the best of neighbors in the coming years."  I made sure to stress years as much as possible to see what reaction I would receive.

"Us too.  Good-bye!" Twilight said.

The foal turned to me and did a cute little wave, babbling something close to "Bye Bye".  Too cute for me to handle.  I had to leave the place before I looked like some kind of creeper who overly adored their child possibly causing an indirect message that I wanted their relationship, which would be awkward.  Maybe I'm overthinking that.  Anyway, I'm glad I only smiled and waved as I left, bypassing any social inconveniences.

You know, racism is not something I really concern myself with nowadays.  Unicorns will always look down upon Earth ponies, and Pegasi down upon Unicorns, but in the end, we can all live in harmony knowing that the Princesses look down on us all.  Equally, of course.

I sifted through my mail.  Most of it was the normal things, with a letter from my mother and a weekly update of the situation at home.  I always enjoyed the way she phrased things, such as "your brother was being quite the little pain in the ass again today" and "your father was being quite a pain in the ass again today".  I think the best part is the diverse vocabulary she has for them, repeating the same word four times in one sentence and seventeen times in the paragraph it is included in.

The obligatory letter of apology from the post office was in that pile, too.  It'd be an awful shame if Ms. Hooves saw it.

What really stuck out, or rather, failed to stick out but really should've was a peculiar letter with a royal stamp on it.  I believed it must've been from someone of the nobility, maybe Pureblood, the conniving bastard.  He was the father of Blueblood, and possibly the second worst prince to exist in the history of Equestria.  We were still discussing terms and prices on the fifteen horn-rings he ordered over a month ago.  I'm hoping negotiations are either made or stopped before they fall apart, but then again, it was kind of my fault for not taking the initiative and making them one at a time.  Now I have a horn-shaped cone of gold and sapphires that has fifteen little bumps in it.  Truly a poor display of what would've been talent.  Had to cut each of them apart and round off the edges, and even then it didn't look too good.

Anyway, I opened the letter to find that the Princess of the sun herself had invited (that's a loose term meaning "legally obligated" in this format) me to attend a ball she would be having.  I wasn't really much for dancing.  I tried taking lessons when I was younger.  I ended up getting kicked from the class after the instructor started making death threats to my parents saying if I didn't learn my manners, she would personally teach me how to tango in the fiery pits of the lowest rings of Tartarus.  You just can't please some ponies.

Anyway, I did have suitable garb for the occasion.  My mother had picked it up for me from a pretty well-known designers by name of... I'm blanking on it... Belle?  Anyway, moving on.  My mother told me this day would come eventually, but I didn't expect it so soon.  Fancypants must've really put in a good word with the nobles that it reached that far up in the ranks.

However, the events that transpired that night were far from my expectations.  You see, this was no mere ball.  Every ball in Canterlot had some third party gathering held at the same time in the same place.  The ball was a mask of what this truly was.

I arrived fifteen minutes early, as is the standard for high-society.  You never arrive at the scheduled time or later unless you had a grand entrance, and I was here to just blend with the crowd, maybe catch the eye of some ponies willing to do business with me.

The majority of the guests had already arrived at the ball when I got there.  They took one look at my lack of horn and brushed me off as some commoner who had somehow stumbled into this place by accident.  While it it is more a of a rich stallion's phrase, I must say, the gall!  Some ponies just don't know respect!

However, the nobles were hardly what I was here for.  The Princess had summoned me, so I am here for Her Highness.  And as such I found her guards telling me to follow them to throne room sometime in the midst of the ball.  At first, I was confused.  I wondered if there was something I had done wrong, something that made me deserve some terrible fate.

"Shimmering Agate.  Did I say that right?" she asked, sitting high up on her throne.  I had bowed before, hoping that she was not about to sentence my swift and immediate death.

"Yes, Your Highness." I said, shaking a bit.  Stress can do that to a calm pony such as myself.

"I have been informed that you found and crafted a piece of jewelry out of a very rare stone." she said, expecting a response.  I choked on my own breath, realizing that she was talking about the Tear.

"I am sorry, your Highness!  I'l never make something like that again!" I shouted at the floor.  One does not simply shout at the Princess.  I heard many had died trying doing that.

Surprisingly, my response was met with laughter. "You have nothing to fear, my little pony.  I wish only to commemorate your mastery in crafting such a piece with that stone.  It is very fragile, as I'm sure you know."

"C-Commemorate?!" I asked, very surprised.  So surprised, in fact, that I raised my head a little, only to remind myself not to do that.  As I reminded myself, I threw my head back down, nearly hitting it on the marble floor.

"Yes.  You see, you have a unique talent, Agate.  I'd like to put your talent to work.  How does being my new Grand Crafter sound?"

"G-G-G-GRAND CRAFTER?!" I shouted, immediately ending my bow.  Again, I reminded myself not to do that and threw my head back down, hitting my forehead on the floor, making it sting a little. "My Princess, I cannot accept such an offer!  My work cannot be good enough to grant me such a title!"

If you don't know what that title means, Grand Crafter is the one title given to the royal jeweler.  The pay grade on just one piece could set a pony up for life, if the job was done right.  My father made it very close to this position before he called it quits and retired after thirty years in the business.  Now, it lay before me like a red carpet, inviting me to follow its path and see where it takes me.

However, at that moment, I was sweating bullets at how horribly I was taking this.  First I end my bow, and now I reject such a generous offer?  It was against my moral code, but this was surely going to get me killed, or at least imprisoned!

Again, she laughed, and it sounded like it was even harder than before, then turned very stern. "Oh, my little pony...  Perhaps you'd like to go back to the ball and be frowned upon by all of the ponies there?" she asked. "Or maybe you actually want their approval?"

I thought for a moment before saying, "Well.. on second thought, I'm sure if the Princess herself has faith in me, then I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"Good.  So you do really want to be the Grand Crafter.  Well, keep up the hard work and one day, you might make it." I should've known this wasn't a job offer from the beginning, but I still was surprised when she pulled the reward away from me like that. "Consider yourself in my references for the position."  She took out a rolled up piece of parchment and placed it in my saddle bag. "What I just gave you is a map of magical quality, one that will tell you the destination for any gem you may seek, but it will only show you where to go under certain conditions."

"Certain conditions?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied with a nod.  "First, there must be the desire for a special gem, and it cannot be your own.  It may be useful for seeking out items for those special cases you will undoubtedly get.  Second, there are special words and phrases that must be spoken by that pony before the map shows you anything, so be sure to listen closely for that word in your conversations, otherwise you will not be shown what you need."

"That seems rather difficult," I replied, my hoof on my chin. "However, I am up to the challenge.  I thank you for your generosity."  With this map, I could make thousands, no, millions of bits!

"Consider it your tax refund." Celestia said, marking that down. "I don't just give these things away for free."

Well, I expected there would be a price for such things.  I'm sure the Princess was just as much of a money-grubbing scoundrel as I was at that point.

There was still a looming question that was written all over this situation. "May I ask why Your Highness is being so... charitable, to a pony such as myself?"

"You are the son of another great jeweler, are you not?  You also crafted that piece from that Tear of mine.  I have enough faith in you to see you succeed.  However, there is one thing I must warn you about."

"And what is that?" I asked, shaking a little bit at the thought of a terrible drawback.

"This path is neither for the simple ponies nor for the faint of heart.  If you truly wish for this to be your path, I won't convince you otherwise, but I also cannot guarantee your safety.  Knowing this, will you still see this through to the very end?"

It took me a second to put on a smile and laugh a bit. "Princess, if you think I'm going to back down at the thought of a little scratch or two, you are most definitely wrong.  I will keep on this path, should it lead me to ruin or great success."

"Very well.  You may go now." Celestia said.

I exited the room and heaved a sigh of relief.  I didn't take more than two steps out side of the door to the throne room before I was intercepted by... his voice.

"So, you're the one she's got lined up for my position.  Figures she'd dig up the lowliest casual to do the job."

A figure stepped out of the shade nearby, and I swore some music followed with his entrance.  He wore some kind of elaborate garb, possibly one the newest fashion lines. On his face was a frown.

"Who are you?" I asked him.  He immediately changed from his frown to a giant, ugly smile and laughed a taunting laugh.  I immediately knew he was going to be trouble.

"My name is the Great and Powerful Keeper, and I am the castle's current Grand Crafter."

The current one?  Why was his job up for the taking if he was still here? "What do you want?"

"Oh, that doesn't matter, friend." he said leaning over me. "What matters is you plan to take me from my rightful place.  I will not allow such a thing to happen!"  He pointed at me rudely with his hoof, poking my chest every time he spoke.

"I can guarantee you, I am no friend of yours," I said, a little miffed at his attitude.  I pushed his hoof off to the side as I said this.

"Oh, believe me: I know," he said, frowning once more.  He shook the expression from his face and put on a "slick" smile again. "But that doesn't matter, either.  Because you will fail, you see.  Only somepony like the Great and Powerful Keeper will prevail!"  He laughed that taunting laugh again.  This... colt mocked me, yet he showed to worth to his words.  I hated ponies who did that.

"Anyway, "he continued, "I have some business matters to attend to.  I'll see you around on the streets, where you belong.  Ta-ta!"

Ta-ta?  Who in Equestria used that phrase anymore?  I grit my teeth as I saw him walk away.  I just wanted to destroy him...

I shook away the thoughts of killing another pony.  I could never bring myself to take another's life, even if they did not deserve said life.  At all.

I returned to the party, where the rest of the guests noticed me coming from the throne room and greeted me with some degree of respect.  I didn't care if they were faking it; I just wanted to feel appreciated.  I took up some drink and a few of the delicacies laid out before me.  I actually felt like I deserved these after what I just went through.  Now that I think about it, that may have been comfort eating.

Anyway, the party ended in the next hour or so, and I made sure to say good-bye to the ponies I met that evening.  Of course, its been so long since then that I don't recall what all their names were, but I'm sure I was polite in remembering at the time.

Returning to the shop, I went to into the back room and threw the fancy clothing on my bed.  I laid there for a moment trying to think of exactly how I was going to do business tomorrow with all of the occurrences today.  Of course, I told myself to sleep on that one, and so, I went to rest.

"Princess Luna?  Princess Luna?" I asked as I entered every room in the castle.  The princess of the night seemed to be missing.  She wasn't in the throne room, or the governmental quarter, nor was she meeting with the council.  It seemed she was neither busy nor present.  I thought I had checked everywhere, but looking at the time I was finally getting these letters to her, I knew where to find her.

I climbed the tower to the Observation Deck.  Sure enough, she was there watching over the ponies of the land as they all started a long rest.

"Princess Luna, I've been looking for you everywhere!"

She turned her head to me and then turned it back towards the ponies and sighed. "So... the worst day of the week arrives.  You have the mail, then?"

"Right here," I said, holding it out.  She levitated it out of my hooves and opened the first one, reading over it as the silence surrounded us.

"You, uh... wouldn't have happened to get my mail, did you?"

"I am sorry to tell you this, but... nothing was sent to you today, Sir Agate." she said.

I sighed and drooped my head. "Well... I guess that's why it was so hard to find you, since you didn't know who had your mail and everything, so..."

"You should go now." she suggested.

"All right." I replied quickly, leaving as soon as possible.  I don't know what it is about her, but Luna gets scary when it becomes nighttime.  It's like she loses everything that makes he a pony and just becomes... omnipresent and lifeless.  Even now, I could still feel her watching me, even though I was far, far out of her view.

What scared me more was that I didn't get a single letter today.  That means a few things.  One of those is that I will have no planned pieces for this week.  Another was that I might not see my family this week, either.  It's a hard life in the castle, being away from those who you have always known, and have always cared about you, but what really eats away at me is the prospect that I could be forgotten.  I live so far off, and I hardly get to see anypony anymore unless they're royalty, so this is the one day in the week I expect a letter from them telling me that they remember, and that they care.

Freedom is a one-way deal: if you want it, you have to fight to keep it, and even then ponies try to take it from you.  Peace is its counterpart: if you want more peace, you need less freedom, and more rules to keep everyone and everything in check.  Balancing the two is hard to do.  Either I can live peacefully in the castle, or I can live freely on the streets.  The choice was my own, yet it was already decided.

Ugh, I've lost that spirit I had just the other day.  Tomorrow, I will write about one of my greater finds.  Perhaps that will give me that confidence I had before.

The Day the Music Thrived

I awoke to the sound of music coming from outside my window.  I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I got up and got dressed.  I knew not the piece being played, but I knew the pony playing it.  It was a musician of high esteem, Octavia.  You only ever needed to know her first name, as everypony in Canterlot knew precisely who you were talking about.  Today was her practice day.  Most ponies would lock themselves and their work away to work on it, but not her.  She practiced openly, letting the music flow through all those who could here it.  I practically danced to the tune as I gathered my things for today.  Then, all together, it stopped after a long note.  It seems she was done for the morning, but I knew she'd be at it again this afternoon, just as she always was.

I never knew this kind of luxury when I was younger.  Hearing a musical master at work was entirely out of the question, what, with me working all the time.  No, I never knew her works before I lived here in the castle... in fact, I'll tell you of the first time I ever heard such beautiful tones.

I looked at my customer with confusion. "It doesn't... sound right?"

She threw a look back at me. "All of zees pieces 'ou have created zound 'orrible!" she shouted at me. "'Ou should be ashamed!"

It had been quite a day, and I was prepared to close up shop when this last customer had walked in, claiming she wanted the best sounding piece of jewelry I had in stock.

She tapped it once. "Listen to those reverberations!  Zey are terrible!  I expected better, Monsieur Agate!" she said with a huff.

At this point, I was lost.  How was I supposed to figure out how to make a piece that sounded right?  Even if I were to try and fix it, I wouldn't even know where to start!

"Look, I'm sure there's at least one piece I might have that can--"

"No!  Eef you want me to take anything less than the most musically capable piece--"

At those words time just simply stopped.  A bright light shined from behind the counter.  I had remembered putting my saddlebag behind it, and when I looked back behind the thing, I saw it was the source of the glow.  I opened it only to be blinded by the light the flashed out at me.  I was in a world of white, where the map Celestia gave me was rolled up in front of me.  It unraveled, and I saw it mark a place on the map called "Horn River", with a strange gem floating over it.  The map floated closer and closer to me until it was inches from my face.  It flashed again, burning the words and image of the gem into my eyes and mind and throwing my body back into reality.

In all, the event couldn't have taken more than a few seconds, but there was seemingly no lapse in time.  I hadn't even moved an inch.

"'-- 'ou will be sorely disappointed!"

I smirked. "Now that I think about it, I believe I might have something right up your alley."

"Well, bring it here, then!" she exclaimed.

I rubbed my chin. "It will take some time for me to make it... give me a day or two, and I'll craft up the finest sounding piece on the face of the planet!"

"Very well," she replied. "I suppose that's understandable.  Two days.  No more, no less." She opened the door to leave.

"And, Monsieur Agate?" she asked.

"Yes?" I replied.  What more could she want?

"Eef I come back in two days and 'ou are empty-handed... I'll have zee nobles know how much of a failure 'ou are."

"Understood, ma'am." I said.  Then, I put on a fake smile. "You have a good day now!  Good-bye!"

She left the building and I let my smile fall into a disgusted frown.  It had been four days after the ball, and every day after it, the nobles have been testing my ability as a jeweler and as a secret gem-finder.  This was the first time I've had to use the map for anypony.  It was interesting how familiar the feeling was seeing that map... it was almost as if I'd already used it, a long time ago...

I shook my head.  No time to think about the map.  I had to seek out the gem.  I immediately made plans for tomorrow to take a train to this "Horn River" and discover its secret.

That map... I never did learn exactly what it was.  It certainly wasn't what Celestia had described it as.  It must've been some kind of ancient relic from a time when the racial wars were going on, and the unicorns had Star Swirled the Bearded with them.  At that point in time, however, it was nothing more than a resource, something for me to keep my customers content.

The trains in Equestria are a peculiar thing.  They run off of coal, and yet they are created using magic.  It's hard to say if there's any correlation between magic and science through this, but I'd like to leave that to the scholarly types.  As for me, I was simply going to my destination.

When I got to Whinnying Station, I was surprised by the culture that surrounded me.  This part of the country housed a large population of mules.  Now, I find mules equal to ponies in every way, but sometimes their faces catch me off-guard.  I mean, none of them seem to be able to keep their skin on their skull, which I will admit is offsetting.  However, they are such a mentally sturdy race, suffering what would be tons of taunting and hurtful words every day.  Or, at least, when there are those kinds of ponies around.  You know the ones.

None of them seemed to turn an eye in my direction, so I assumed they either didn't care for ponies, or simply didn't acknowledge the fact I was here.  I could deal with either one of those things.  My only purpose was to find that melodic stone.  I opened my father's guide and searched for the gem I saw in the map.  I found it, and read its legend.

The Horn River Emeralds

These artifacts were created in the Post-Ponyplutian Era, when the Horn River was nothing more than a creek.  It is said that meeting between the first settlers, the mules, and the zebras happened here, but in that time, each spoke a different language.  They couldn't communicate verbally, and the two groups thought up ways of how they could communicate.  They tried drawings, sign language, and tried learning each others' languages, but it was no use.  The two couldn't understand each other no matter their efforts.  One day, by accident, one of the zebras got into the ponies' stash and found emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and many more valuable things and cooked them in a cauldron.  Strangely, this was the key factor to finding a way to communicate.  By simply tapping the cooked stones together in different patterns, formed a musical language (the most expensive one in history) in which was used for the next decade, until the zebras mysteriously learned the foreigner's language.  These emeralds are said to be the ones that started it all, but they were lost to time.  It is rumored that the gems still lie at the delta of the river, in "the place of honor and disgrace", as denoted by the zebra literature of the time.

I closed the guide. The delta of the river was no more than a mile off from where I stood.  If I could decrypt what was meant by "a place of honor and disgrace", I would be in the clear for this noble's request.

However, something about the story intrigued me.  This river, just a creek?  How did it get this large?  Usually, rivers start big, then get smaller over time.  It didn't make sense.  Perhaps I could find out more if I found the gem.  I made my way down the riverside, I began to feel quite thirsty.  So, I stopped to take a drink from the river.  Sooner than I'd known it, I blacked out.

What I hadn't known about the river was that the water was contaminated, not by pollution, but by magic.  I'm pretty sure that water was magically unstable poison.  I'm lucky that I survived... with some help, that is.

Now, I'll admit, I was a little scared to wake up right next to a big, frowning mask.  I scrambled away from it and into a cauldron, which got knocked over as I ran into it.  I hadn't the slightest idea where I was.  However, the zebra that was shouting at me in some uncommon language probably confused me the most.  I just sat there as this zebra shouted at me.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand you..." I said.  The zebra didn't seem to know what I was saying either.  Here we were at this standstill, unable to actually speak to each other.  It was incredibly awkward.  Then, the Zebra sighed and pushed her cauldron upright again, preparing to clean its contents from the floor.

Like an idiot, I said, "My name is Shimmering Agate.  What's yours?"  She didn't respond, she simply set everything in this place straight again.  The stew that was in the cauldron was completely ruined, but as for everything else, they were fine.  In fact, this place seemed like something else from what I knew.  Hung everywhere were masks, and totems lay on some of the shelves alongside bowls of herbs and what I could only assume was the flora of this place.

"What is this place...?" I asked.  The zebra turned to me, and I half-expected her to respond to me.  She, instead, moved me out of the way as she set some of the masks I knocked over back up.  I remained confused, but then realized I had no reason to be here.

"Well, I suppose I won't cause you any more trouble..." I said, heading for the door.  She cut me off from it, holding up the book on the page I had bookmarked.  She pointed at it and spoke some jumble of words that probably meant "I want in."

"The Emerald?  No, that's for one of my customers.  I can't let you have it, or I'll get in big trouble."

She tapped the picture twice and repeated herself.  I rolled my eye and took the book from her.

I pointed out the places and objects as I stated them, putting emphasis on the words I wanted to clarify.  "This is not for you.  I am going to go outside to look for this.  Understand?"

The Zebra looked outside then back at me and laughed.  I was confused almost ot the point of offense, but then she opened the door and waved me on.

"Thank you." I said with a bow.  Then, I left.  I trotted back to the river, which was still in sight, and realized I din't have eight hooves hitting the ground.  I looked behind me and saw the zebra following me.  She tilted her head, wondering why we had stopped.

"Ugh... fine, I suppose you can follow along." I said, moving ahead and waving her along. "C'mon."  She beamed with glee as I walked along, my head lowered at my situation.  It seemed ridiculous at the time, but that zebra was to be the most helpful non-pony I would ever know.

The delta of the river was a bit closer than I had previously thought, and we reached it in only a few minutes of walking.  Of course, one doesn't simply walk into the delta of this river; after all, it was a waterfall.  Looking down at the waters below made me wonder how bad it would be if I fell form this height.  The zebra was ecstatic.  I don't think she knew about this kind of wonder.

"Well, this is it." I said. "That gem has got to be somewhere in this mess.  Let's find it, shall we?"

When I turned around, I saw the zebra was watching a glowing butterfly.  I hadn't seen one of those before, either, but the way she stared at it... it was almost with some sort of admiration for the thing.  I rolled my eyes.  While some nature is to be appreciated, it is a waste of time to be distracted by it.  I noticed the thing as it flew down a side path I hadn't previously noticed.  And no, just because I was watching the thing doesn't mean I got distracted as well.

I'm serious.  I didn't.  I swear on it.

...

I've got four thousand bits for anyone who says otherwise.  A master jeweler like me always stays on task.

Anyway, that zebra kept following me as I entered some hidden caverns underneath the waterfalls.  Inside, there were glowing mushrooms and  bugs everywhere.  It disgusted and intrigued me at the same time.  I had expected the emerald to be somewhere out of sight, possibly in a place that had a hidden entrance.  If it was truly lost to time, it could be anywhere, but if somepony hid it, it would probably have a special place set for it.

This was a special case.  The story said that it was both lost to time, yet it had a special "place of honor and disgrace" for it to be held.  I went with the assumption that perhaps one of the higher-ranking zebras got greedy and stashed it away, making it a pace of disgrace for one so honored.  It was the best guess I had to work with.

Eventually, as time passed, I lost myself in the twisted tunnels beneath the waterfall.  I couldn't hear the water crashing down, and when I did, falling the sound lead me around in circles.  The zebra stayed right behind me the entire way.  Eventually, she spoke up in her unfamiliar language, possibly to ask what I was doing.  I tried explaining it, but as anypony knows, she didn't understand me.  It was so frustrating!  I thought to myself: "If only I had that gem!"

The zebra started poking a round a bit, examining the glowing mushrooms around the cave before plucking them from the wall and putting them in her saddlebag.  I rolled my eyes at her, as collecting such a thing was for lesser folk.  Not that I considered her that; It's just that I didn't want to have to consider her that.

I didn't know how far into the cave I had gotten.  I could feel the place breathing, its cold air swooping by me like the cold of winter.  I had learned about this when I was young, but I had forgotten the details of what exactly that meant.  The one thing I did know about it meant that there was an exit of some kind nearby, and that seemed illogical, as there was no other entrance to these caverns.

The zebra felt the cold wind and a smile appeared on her face.  She jumped around me happily and shouted something in her language that sounded quite exuberant.

"What's gotten into you?" I asked, partly laughing at her display.  She looked at me and pointed down on of the halls of the cave.  She said something which I could only assume meant "This way".

Then, she suddenly started galloping away where she pointed.  I quickly picked up my hooves and followed her.  I could barely keep track of her!  She rushed ahead and very nearly left me in the dust a few times.  I could only see her wild, striped tail as it trailed behind her as she zipped around corners.

"Wait!"  I shouted. "Where are we going?"

I could hear her yell something, but I didn't understand it.  I don't know why I bothered trying to communicate this way.

"You know, you could always slow down!  We're in no rush!"

I saw her just ahead, stopped in her tracks just outside an opening in the cavern.  I slowed down to a trot and stopping next to here to catch my breath.

"Why have we stopped, now?" I asked, as if I wasn't just asking why we were moving a second ago.  Her eyes were glued to something in front of us,  I turned my head and saw it.

A huge door, standing at least the height of three ponies, stood only few yards in front of us.  Many symbols were cared onto the door, but they didn't make any sense.  They were ones of ponies dancing, then singing, then crying, then laughing.  I wondered what it meant.

The zebra must've known immediately what it meant, because she took one look at that and her face lit up.  She walked up to it and gestured me over, a giant smile on her face.

"What is all--" I tried to asked before getting pulled off my hooves and into some strange dance.  She had put her hooves against mine and started bouncing around to some unheard beat.  Eventually, I joined in, trying to keep up.  I hadn't even noticed, at that point, the door's carving of the dancing ponies lighting up.

This dance... in any other culture, it would seem erratic, spontaneous, and disorganized but right now, with just the two of us, it was meaningful.  I looked at the zebra and saw she was blushing, and I saw that this dance must have some deeper meaning than I knew.  She started some nervous laughter and she started singing in her language, some song which made a shiver go up my spine and amazed me.  She had a beautiful singing voice...

I wanted to join in, but my voice was no good.  I couldn't sing if I tried.  So, instead, I listened to her lyrical voice, and felt as the dance slowed down to a slower pace, and her voice turning a lot more somber as she did so.  I may not have known what she was saying, but whatever it was, it made me shed a tear, and she let a tear drop from here eye as she finished her song with one long note.

We stood there for a moment, crying over the same song, over hooves still together.  All of the sudden, the door, whose carvings had all lit up, now shook the entire cave, rumbling slowly open.  Behind the door, I could see the light shining off of not one, but two emeralds.

My dancing friend and I approached them cautiously.  I picked one up and tapped it with one hoof lightly.  The sound reverberated around the room.  I didn't understand it, but at the same time, I didn't want to.  I got what I came here for.  It looked exactly like the picture int the book.  A snail-shell shaped, green and translucent stone.

"The Horn River Emerald..." I said to myself. "To think it was used to communicate at one point..."

"It still is."

The voice came out of nowhere, and I swear I damn near hit my head on the 12 foot high cavern ceiling when I heard it.

The zebra had taken up the other emerald.  She tapped it once more and spoke.

"I'm sorry!  I didn't mean to frighten you." she said.  I sighed in relief, but noticed that her lip movements didn't match what she said.

I tried doing the same thing, tapping the emerald I held, then speaking.

"I'm sorry for messing up your place."

I heard my voice speak, but as my voice passed over the gem, it changed into something else entirely.  Her language, I assumed.

"How does it do that?" I asked.  The zebra laughed.

"Nopony knows," she told me.

There was silence that followed, but it was  calm one, one that spoke to me and said, "Agate, this is it.  You're going to show those nobles!"

"This is amazing!" I said, laughing.  then suddenly, a question came to my mind. "What were you singing about before?  Why did you sound so somber?"

"It was an old song, one passed down through the ages.  It's called 'Honor and Disgrace'."

At the sound of that, everything finally made sense.  This wasn't a place that represented honor and disgrace... it was simply a reminder that to open the door, one would need to know this song.

"It's a beautiful song." I noted.  "Where did you learn it from?"

"My mother.  She sang to me when I was very young."

Another random question appeared in my mind, which I asked her immediately. "What's your name?"

She put down her stone. "Zecora."

I set down mine. "Agate."

We sat there for a moment, letting the moment sink in.  Then, I did something stupidly awkward.

"Well, I need to get going." I tapped my emerald on every word to make sure the message got across.

"So soon?  But we only just got to know each other!" Zecora said.

I lowered my head. "I'm sorry, I just--"

"No, don't speak.  I understand." she said, staring down at the emerald in her hooves, then at the emerald in mine.  At that point in time, I took her words at face value: I had to go, and she understood.  I was an idiot then.

I left with only slight hesitation.  The emerald in my hands no longer glowed as bright as it did it that room.  I don't think ever has since.

The caves seemed less of a maze now, and more a straight path homeward.  It was strange... no matter how far one goes from their place of origin, somehow, like messenger pigeons, they find their way back somehow.  The train ride was long and agonizing.  I kept questioning myself on that situation, and I know what I did was wrong.  I should've offered to take her back to her home at the very least, but instead, I ruined the newly-created friendship we had.  I didn't know anything.  I was an idiot.

I returned home in the afternoon hours of the second day, and out of my boredom I had drawn up plans for the setting I would use for this emerald.  It took no time at all to gather up what I needed, for this piece was to be set in wood instead of gold or silver.  For some reason, it just said more.  I created the piece with minor efforts, eventually making it into the necklace with the emerald placed in the front, showing off its full glory.  I tapped it once and tested it, and hearing that marvelous tone again, I sighed.

It was only an hour or two after completion of my work that the snooty noble came into the shop.

"Monsieur Agate.  I trust you have the piece I ordered?" she asked, sauntering up to the display cases.

"Yes, it's right here." I said. Take it and choke on it, I thought of adding.

"Let's see how well 'ou did on 'our work," she said, expecting failure.  She tapped the emerald and heard that tone, to which made her surprised.

"Eet's... BEAUTIFUL!  MAGNIFICENT!  MARVELOUS!" she shouted boisterously. "I've never heard a gem so beautiful!  You do some amazing work, Monsieur Agate!"

"You make sure to let the rest of the nobles know that, too." I told her.

"Oh, trust me, I will!" she said honestly.  I knew I had succeeded right then and there.  Whoever had come up with this challenge owed him some money, because they just lost this bet. "I will make sure everyone I meet knows the name 'Shimmering Agate'!"

"That's good.  Now, let's discuss the price of that little beauty.  I do have a business to run, you know."

She, of course, gave in immediately, and we agreed upon the substantial amount of 220,000 bits.  Not bad for a pendant such as that one, but I could've bartered for more.  However, I feared that would make her speculate that I was a penny-pincher, and I didn't want to be seen as that.

I never saw that gem, that customer, or the zebra that helped me get it  ever again, but I will never forget those days for as long as I live.

It's the late afternoon now, and I can see over the horizon that the sun is setting.  Octavia has picked up her bow and has started playing another one of her pieces, with long, emotion-filled notes of a minor key.  It did not help me feel any better after writing what I wrote, but it wasn't meant for me.

No new requests came in today.  It seems ponies are distracted with other business today, in which only now I think might be because of him.  I'll check tomorrow to find out what is going on, and hopefully, it won't kill me to do so.