Handyman In Equestria CH 6

 

“So let's hear this song of yours, Lyra.”

>You make your way to the kitchen, pulling some stuffed mushrooms out of the freezer and tossing them in the oven.

>”Alright.  But you have to be honest.”

“You sure about that?”

>You shoot her a sly look

>”Hehe.  I'm serious, Anon.”

>You sit down in a stool, lighting another cigarette.

“Alright.  I'm no musician, but I'll try my best.”

>Lyra get's ready to begin playing, bringing a hoof to the strings.

>No matter how many times you see it, you're always shocked at how well she manages to play that thing without fingers.

>She plucks and strums like a damn champ.

>How long did it take her to get that good?

>She continues, eyes closed, her face in her trademark, carefree smile.

>The song itself is actually... Really fucking good.

>It's a light hearted melody, you even notice a toe bob up and down.

>It was almost jig-ish.

>She continues, her head starts to bob as she gets more into the song.

>You join her in getting into the music, patting your lap to add some rhythm.

>She takes notice, playing more enthusiastically, her smile growing wider.

>Eventually, the song comes to its conclusion with one final, drawn out strum.

>You respond with light clapping.

“Not bad at all, Lyra!  I liked it.”

>She lowers her lyre, blushing at your accolades.

>”Thanks.  I just wrote it this morning...”

>She's starting to fidget.

>God that's cute...

“Seriously?  Damn, Lyra.  I'm impressed.”

>”Hehe.  Stop it already.”

“So are you going to play that tomorrow?”

>”Yeah.  I think so.  To be honest, I'm a little nervous...”

“Seriously?  You love playing in front of ponies, don't you?”

>”Yeah, but this is the first time I'm playing in front of so many.”

“I'm sure you'll do just fine.”

>She picks up her Lyra and gives it a flamboyant strum.”

>”You know it!”

>You chuckle at the showing.

“So do you play the tavern at all anymore?  I haven't seen you there in months.”

>”I don't usually get to do small gigs as much as I used to.  I'm getting a lot of requests for larger shows these days, so I'm pretty busy.”

“I can understand that.  Hey, remember the first time you played Barley's tavern?  The one where I met you?”

>”Haha!  Do you?”

“Of course I do.  It wasn't that long ago.”

>”I seem to remember you being pretty... festive that night.”

“Hey... I was adjusting to Canterlot.”

>”By challenging every stallion in the place to a hoof wrestling match?”

”Undefeated champ, I'll have you know.”

>You puff your chest out.

>Lyra rolls her eyes at you.

>”I also remember you yelling about 'free birds' or something... What was that about?”

>You didn't recall this part, but it did sound like you.

“...Earth joke, forget about it.”

>”Whatever you say, Anon.”

>You both chuckle a little as Lyra packs her instrument back into her bag.

>”So are Barley and Hops still going at it like always?”

>You come to your feet, heading to the kitchen to check on your dinner.

“Pretty much, how did you know?”

>”I was at Bon Bon's today when he came in for a box of chocolates.”

>That fucking guy...

“Heh.  Sounds like him.”

>”Yeah.  Tell him I said hello if you see him.  I'm gonna get going.”

“You leaving already?  I made an extra one if you're hungry.”

>She dons her saddle bag before starting to trot to the door.

>”You're the only one in Canterlot that eats dinner at midnight, Anon.  I'll pass.”

>She smiles wryly at you.

>Hands up, she's got you there.

“Alright, suit yourself.”

>”I'm going to get a little more practice in before bed.  Thanks for listening to the song, Anon.”

>You walk over to the door to see her out.

“Thanks for playing it for me.  You'll do great tomorrow.”

>She turns to you, a blush joining her smile.

>”And... Thanks for talking to me.   I feel a little less nervous since you're going to be there.”

“Wouldn't miss it-”

>You're cut by a surprise attack hug.

>Lyra wraps her mint colored forelegs around your chest, burying her face into you.

>Your hands stay frozen at shoulder level for a second as the shock washes away from you.

>You put a hand on top of her head, letting the other one fall freely.

>Confounded ponies were too cute for their own good sometimes...

>Lyra breaks the hug after some light nuzzling and returning to the door.

>”'Night, Anon!”

>You offer her a half smile and a wave.

>She trots out of the workshop and out of view.

>...

>Cute kid.

>You close the door, heading back to the kitchen.

>Part of you wishes she'd stuck around, but you're glad to have your shop to yourself again.

>The this job wasn't going to finish itself.

>You smash your stuffed mushrooms, putting the extra in the fridge for later.

>The rest of the evening is fairly uneventful, for a change.

>You spend the rest of your night working on the table, saving the chairs for a later date.

>There's a certain bounce to your step after Lyra's little visit.  She always did put you in a good mood.

>...

>After some time, you take a look at the clock.  Seems the sun is going to be up soon.

>Alright, you're comfortable leaving it here for tonight.  You can do the detailing tomorrow.

>you take a second to get the shop swept up.  Business should pick up now that Summer Sun thing was over.  Hopefully you could sell some of those pieces you made.

>With the shop spiffy enough for your tastes, you carry yourself to the bedroom and fall into the bed.

>It was a good day.

>Sleep comes quickly.

 

 

>The following morning comes with a piece of good news to it.

>You've managed to wake up without somep0ny pounding your door like it owed them money.

>Had the curse finally lifted?

>You can only hope it lasts.

>You pull yourself from the bed, relishing the fact that you managed to get a good night's sleep for once.

>You innitiate your morning ritual; shower, shave and the like and heading to the closet for a change of clothes.

>You open the doors to stacks of blue jeans and white t-shirts on hangers.

>Decisions, decisions...

>You grab a combo and get dressed.  Time to get to business.

>You walk into the workshop and arrange the pieces in a way that would display them properly.

>With everything set, you head to the kitchen to whip up a little coffee.

>It doesn't take long before you hear the door open.  Seems business was back to par after all.

>You let the coffee brew as you walk to greet the customer.

“Welcome!  What can I do for...”

>”Morning, Anon.”

>Bon Bon...

>Right.  You're in business mode.  You should probably keep this professional.

“Morning Bon Bon.  What brings you by.

>She stays a quiet, scrubbing a hoof against the floor of your shop.

“You broke a shelf again, didn't you?”

>Nothing.  This confirms your suspicions.

“Christ, Bonny. What happened this time?  I'm not making these things from card board.”

>”... I might have had a little too much fun at Berry Punches part the other night...”

>The plot thickens as you raise an eyebrow.

“Get a little rowdy that night, Bonny?”

>”A little... Into her coffee table...”

>She's blushing pretty heavily.  

“Well you're in luck.  I just finished some I can sell you at cost.”

>This seems to bring her out of her funk.

>”Really?”

>Yo turn to an example that would suit Berries flamboyant tastes. Shoot a Bon Bon a quick grin.

“Hell bonny, as much as you tend to break around here, I should be giving you a kick back.”

>Her muzzle scrunches a little.

>You can tell she's rattle through comebacks, but since you were doing her a favor, she bites her tongue.

>”Thanks...”

>Score one for you.

“This one should do the trick.”

>You pull out a small table and bring it to her.

“Let's call it 35 bits and I'll deliver it to her place tomorrow, yeah?”

>Her expression softens into a light grin.

>”No arguments here.  Thanks, Anon.  You're alright when you're not being a complete ass.”

“Compliments at this hour?  Christ, Bonny, you're delirious!  Let me get you some coffee.”

>She giggles a little before stepping further into the shop.

>”That actually sounds pretty good.  I'll take a cup.”

“Make yourself at home.  Cream and sugar, right?”

“Please.”

>You head to the kitchen to grab the mugs.  

“Hey, Bon Bon.  You didn't happen to notice any orders in my mailbox, did you?”

>She responds from the recliner in your workshop.

>”Nope.  Sorry.”

>Balls...  Oh well.  You figure it's still early.

>You walk back out of the kitchen and over to Bon Bon, handing her the mug.

“So how are things at the shop?”

>”Fine.  Lyra's been around a lot talking about the show tonight.  I swear she's getting more and more excited by the hour.”

>You think back to her visit last night.

“Yeah, she popped over late yesterday to show me one of the songs she's doing.”

>Bon Bon takes her sip, gaining a curious look.

>“And?”

“And I told her it was great.  She said she was stoked and booked.”

>”Right...  You're still coming tonight, right?”

>You pause for a second, shooting her a confused gaze.

“Well, yeah.”

>”Good.  She's looking forward to having you show up for once.”

>There's that classic Bon Bon sarcasm you know and loathe.

“Come on, Bonny.  I said I'm going.”

>”You said the same thing for the last Hearth's Warming Eve show she did.”

>And today was starting so well for you.

“I told the both of you that something came up.”

>Bon Bon sighs.

>”I remember.  Look, just make sure you to this one.  Lyra is going to freak out if you flake on her again.”

>There was no way you were going to blow off Luna, either.

“Don't worry about it, Bonny.  I'll be there.”

>She smiles a little, finishing off the cup and heading back to the door to the bag she left when she entered, pulling out a bag of bits.

>”Here's 45.  Try to wear something nice tonight, please.”

>You smile, Taking the bits and tossing them in your safe.

“I'll be sure to starch my finest underwear.”

>She grins, rolling her eyes.

>”See you tonight, Anon.”

“Later.”

>That went well, you think to yourself.

 

>The rest of the day is pretty uneventful.

>A handful of p0nies came by looking for miscellaneous furnishings.  You sold what you could and placed the rest on your projects list.

>Seems you were going to busy this week afterall.

>Soon enough though, the day starts to come to a close as the sun makes it's usual decent.

>By now, that leftover stuffed mushroom is but a memory.

>A good day for business, your pockets a little heavier than when you started.

>With that, your attention turns to your date.

>...

>Fuck.  You just called it a date...

>You ponder it for a second, considering the gravity of your mental verbiage.

>Maybe Dash had a point.

>You were going to see a show with a mare.  She may have been royalty, but she's still a mare.

>Fuck it, you bagged a date with a princess.

>Tonight was going to be a lot of fun.

>You head to the bathroom to freshen up before heading out.

>You walk back into the workshop flossy, dipped, buttered, suited and booted in your finest white t-shirt and jeans.

>Same boots, but how often do you ever look at someone's feet?

>It'll do.  You grad your smokes, passport, and a fistful of bits just in case.

>You then pull the moon stone Luna gave you as a way to get her attention in the castle and pocket it.

>Heading to the door, you open it to a calm summer breeze.

>It was perfect outside.  That familiar blue glow from the alabaster stone of the city giving you a sense of nostalgia.

>You always did prefer the city at night.  It had more charm to it.

>You close the door behind you, lighting a cigarette and making for the castle garden to meet your date.

>Excitement starts to take hold the closer you get.  You're almost shocked at how this played out.

>After a short stroll, you're at the south end of the castle, back in the familiar garden, your gaze turned up to the balcony.

>You notice a faint light from Luna's room.

>You pull out stone.

>Probably not a good idea to chuck it up there like last time.

“Right.  Now how does this thing work...”

>You recall Luna mentioning that you were supposed to talk into it.

>Bringing the stone close to your mouth, you try to call Luna.

“Uhh.  Is this thing on?”

>...

>Bupkis.

>Is it suppose to be on a certain frequency or something?

>You fiddle with it for a second before you notice a pale glow come from the stone.

“Dafuq is this?”

>”Is that you, Anonymous?”

>This fucking rock just spoke to you in Luna's voice.  Is this thing a two way?

>You pull it back to your mouth and continue.

“Yeah.  The show should be starting soon.  You ready to go?”

>It starts to glow again.

>”Yes.  Please give me a moment.”

“Take your time.”

>You pocet the stone and take a seat on a nearby bench in plain view of the balcony.

>After a few minutes, the dark blue mare comes to edge of the balcony, taking notice of you.

>She proceeds to dive from the balcony and shoots over to you, fluttering herself steady, making a deft landing in front of you.”

>”Good evening, Anon.”

“Likewise, Luna.  You look great.”

>She always looked great.  Her taller, sleeker frame gave her a regal beauty the other skittle ponies lacked.

>”I hope you didn't have to wait too long.  I wasn't expecting you so soon.”

“Not at all.  I figured I'd come by so we could head to the show together.  Shall we?”

>Luna widens her eyes at you.  A slight blush creeps in.

>”Yes.  Lead the way”

>This was going to be fun.