“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.