Handyman in Equestria CH 8

>Following Lyra's display, the two of you stand there, trying to make sense of what just happened.
>”Was it something I said?”
“Fuck if I know.  I've never seen her get like that before.”
>”Perhaps you should go and speak with her...”
>You pause a second to weigh the options.
“Whatever it is, I think it would probably be best to give her some time.  I'll ask her what's up tomorrow.”
>A brief, but awkward silence falls over the two of you.
>”All the same, do give her my regards when you see her.”
“Sure.”
>”Well, then Anon.  I should really return to the castle.”
“You sure?  We could grab another drink before we call it a night.”
>She looks at you with a soft smile.
>”While I would like that, I'm afraid I've neglected my duties enough for one night.  I do hope we can do something like this again, though.”
>Well, you'll take what you can get.  You did want to at least make a little headway on the backlog of orders back at the workshop before morning.
“Alright.  Let me walk you back to the castle, at least.”
>Her expression becomes a tad playful.
>”Very well, Anon.  Shall we?”
“You got it, Luna.”
>The two of you make your way back to the castle.
>Seems the mood was less jovial than the walk over, but you do what you can to get it back.
“So...  What's on your plate for the rest of the night?”
>”Little pressing.  Only maintaining the night sky as well as observing our subjects dreams.”
>Did she just say 'observing dreams'?
“Run that last part by me one more time...”
>”Observing the dreams of ponies allows my sister and I to gauge the state of Equestria.  It allows us to run the country as efficiently as possible.”
>Meta-physical wire tapping?  That's a new one.
>The thought comes crashing into you, sending a chill up your spine.
“Hey... Luna?”
>She giggles the instant you start your implied question.
>”Don't worry, Anon.  You tend to sleep past my usual hours of observation.  Your dreams remain yours.”
>Thank you, Jesus.
>The minute you think you have this place figured out, something new comes along that surprises you.
>”Still, I would like to know a little more about you.”
>The comment catches you a little off guard.
“What did you want to know?”
>”Nothing incriminating.  I am just curious.  A being from another dimension would surely have some interesting tales to tell.”
>It's not like you were a superhero back on Earth.  You feel a little guilty that your mundane life wouldn't live up to her expectations.
“Not much of a story to tell, really.”
>Luna turns to you pouting a little.
>”You're no fun, Anonymous.”
“Haha.  Alright tell you what, you tell me about when you were younger and I'll tell you some stories from Earth, deal?”
>She grins at the proposition, closing the distance between the two of you as you walk.
>”It's a deal, Anon.”
>Follow up date acquired, you suppose.
>The two of you continue heading towards the castle.  Considering the way the concert ended, it looks like your little date with Luna was going to end on a high note.
>Still, Lyra's reaction to seeing you was still niggling at you.
>Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to stop by Bon Bon's place to ask her about it...
>You remember you had a delivery to make at Berry Punch's place the next day, so stopping by would be a good idea.
>Mental note taken, you continue with Luna, eventually coming to the castle garden once again.
>”Thank you for walking me back, Anon.”
“My pleasure, Luna.”
>The two of you grow silent for a moment.  Luna begins to make her way to the castle before stopping and turning to you.
>She's blushing intensely, shooting you periodic gazes.
>”Anon... I.  Wanted to thank you again fro inviting me on to the concert.  It's been centuries since I've been able to go on a date like this.”
“No problem, Luna.  We should do this again...”
>Wait...
>Did she just say 'date'?  Sure, you entertained the idea, but you had no idea Luna thought the same.
>She looks at you with a gleeful smile, trotting over and resting her head on your ribcage for a moment before pulling away.
>”Please, when you find yourself with the time, stop by the castle.  I'd love to hear some of your stories from Earth.”
>No way your going to be able to say no to that.
“For sure.”
>You smile as a feeling of joy falls over you like a blanket.
>You place a hand on her head as she brings her head back to your torso.
>This was... something.
>Nice.  Nice is a good word.
>After a short time, she pulls away again, making for the door in earnest.
>”Until then, Anon.”
>She trots merrily back into the castle.
>You stand there for a moment, soaking it in.
>A follow up date with Luna...
>Barley's gonna lose his shit at this one.
>You pull out a victory cigarette and light it, making your way back to the workshop.
>Perhaps you should think about ginning up a few stories for Luna.
>You walk through the city streets, noticing that the city seems to be a little brighter in spite of the time of night.
>Tonight was a great night.  Luna was incredible, you managed to keep your spaghetti to yourself, and she even invited you back to the castle to swap stories.
>Aside from that thing with Lyra...
>Right...  Lyra...
>The mood is cut a little as you recall how she left.
>...
>Screw it, it's a conversation for tomorrow.
>You finally reach your workshop, entering and tossing your affects onto the counter.
>Glancing at the clock, you notice that it's already 4am.  Seems that concert ran a little longer than you thought.
>Looks like you'd have to make a day of it tomorrow.
>You put the bits and your passport in the safe, putting Luna's stone in the top cabinet above your workbench.
>It's not until you make your way to the bed and fall into the covers that you notice how tired you were.
>It had been a big day, between making a decent amount of dough from work and the date with Luna, you're noticeably more tired than you typically are.
>It's a good feeling though.
>Sleep comes with open arms.
>It was a good night.

>The following morning, you wake in your bed, the sun high in the sky.
>Glancing at the clock, you notice it's still a little before noon.
>Good.  This means you had plenty of time to get some work done.
>You shuffle from the bed, going about your morning rituals.
>Shuffling into the workshop, you see the coffee table siting in front of the door, a not on it reading 'Berry Punch'.
>Right.  Bon Bon's order needed to be delivered today.
>Best get that done and out of the way now before getting started.
>You grab your smokes and pick up the table, making your way into the Canterlot city streets.
>Seems the city is back to it's usual hustle and bustle.
>Back to looking like a five-year-old's fever dream.
>Never gets old.
>Carrying the table under your arm, you make your way to Berry's.  Thankfully it wasn't a long walk.  This fucker was heavy.
>You come to what you assume is the right house.
>Grape vines along the fence, not a bit of fruit on it...
>Yup.  This was the place.
>You plop the table on it's legs in front of the door before knocking heavily.
>...
>Zilch.
>You knock again with a little more force.
>”HANG ON A MINUTE!”
>Oh good.  She's home.  Cheery to boot.
>After a brief wait, the door opens to a purple pony, her magenta mane noticeably frazzled.
“Morning, Berry.”
>She blinks a little, wincing at the sunlight,
>”Anon?  What are you doing here?”
>You nudge to table with your knee.
“Courtesy of Bon Bon.”
>She looks at the table, eyes half open before a grin comes to her face.
>”Man, I told Bon Bon not to worry about it...”
“Don't worry about it, I gave her a good price.”
>”Hehe.  Thanks, Anon.  Say, want a drink before you head out?”
“Sorry, Berry.  Still on the clock.”
>”Suit yourself.”
>The smell of wine is pouring out of her house.
>Jesus, when was this mare not toasted?
>”Well anyways, if you see Bonny, tell her I said thanks.”
>...
“Hey, Berry.”
>”Yeah?”
“Do you mind if I ask how...?”
>She smiles wryly at you.
>”No can do Anon.  Bonny would kill me if I gave YOU any dirt on her.”
>Damn.  Worth a shot.
“Alright.  Later Berry.”
>”Bye Anon.”
>Berry Punch hauls the table inside, closing the door behind her.
>Right.  That done, time to go pay Bon Bon a visit about Lyra.
>As you make your way to the city circle, you start to ponder what the cause was for Lyra's 180 after the concert.
>Nothing comes to mind as you reach the circle, heading for the door of Bon Bon's shop.
>You open the door to a chimming of bells.
>Luckily, the place was empty, so you could ask Bon Bon what the deal was with relative privacy.
>”Just a second!”
>Bon Bon emerged from the back of the shop.
>”Welcome.  What can I...”
>She takes one look at you, her face instantly taking on a death stare.
>This isn't good.
“Uhh.  Hi, Bon Bon.”
>She says nothing, only closing her eyes and making her way to the register at the counter.
>”What do you want?”
>Fuck.  If looks could kill.
“Um.  Lyra kind of left in a hurry last night after the concert.”
>”Yeah.  She told me.”
>She's almost talking through her teeth.
“So I wanted to ask if she was alright.”
>She pauses, bringing a hoof to her face.
>”You're such a clod, you know that?”
>She's rubbing her forehead with a hoof, sitting down at the counter.
>”Okay.  I'm going to make this as clear as I can...”
>Right before she can say anything else, the door opens to two ponies.
>Almost on a dime, she turns her attention, a wide smile comes across her face.
>”Welcome!  I'll be right with you.
>She looks back you you completely deadpan.
>You'd admire that last stunt if she wasn't giving you the daggers.
>”You.  Kitchen.  Now.”
>You quietly get up and head for the back of the shop, taking a seat in the breakfast nook.
>It kind of feels like you've been sent to the principle's office.
>It doesn't take long for the ponies to take their leave.
>Bon Bon eventually makes her way into the kitchen, still giving you the death stare.
>She takes a seat across from you, placing her hooves together over her mouth.
>”Anon.  Lyra came right to my place after the concert was over.  She told me everything.”
“Well, feel free to enlighten me.”
>”Tell me, Anon.  Lyra came by to show you that song, right?”
“Yeah.  The one she led with.  It was great.”
>Her look grows more and more stern.
>”Tell me, Anon.  When did she tell you she wrote that song?”
“Um... The day before the show.  That morning, right?”
>”Right.  The day after you promised to come to the show.  And who do you think she wrote that song for?”
“How should I...”
>Buffering.
>Buffering.
>Your file has been loaded successfully.
>You feel a twinge of guilt as the realization comes to you.
“She wrote it for me...”
>Bon Bon leans back, taking her hooves away from her mouth.
>”Congratulations, Anon.  Help yourself to a dog treat.”
“Funny.”
>This just made things a lot more complicated than you were bargaining for.
>Seems Lyra had the sweets for you, enough to write you a damn masterpiece and play it in front of half the city.
>How did you let that one slip past you?
>You always did work better with wood, you suppose.
>”You can imagine why Lyra would be so devastated to learn you went on a date with the Princess of all ponies.
“Yeah.  I get it, Bonny.”
>”So?”
“So, what?”
>”What are you going to do now?”
>Now you're leaning forward, resting your head in the palm of your hand, rubbing the side of your head.
“I don't know.”
>”Are you planning to talk to Lyra about this?”
“Serious, Bonny.  I don't know.  I need a minute to think this over.”
>She sighs heavily.
>”Alright look.  Lyra is my best friend, and she really likes you, so as much as I want to buck you into a pile of gardening equipment...
“I appreciate the restraint.”
>”... I'm here to give you whatever advice you need.  Just do me a favor and make your decision soon.  I hate seeing her like this.”
>You soak in the comment.  She had a point.  This shit shouldn't linger any longer than it had to.
“Alright.  I gotta get back to work.  Thanks, Bonny.”
>”Sure.  Grab a pack on your way out.  You're gonna need it.”
>She shoots you a dead pan look.
>Another point made, though.
>You exit the shop with a fresh pack, opening and lighting a cigarette.
>The walk back to the shop was a long one...
>Your head bounces back and for the between Luna and Lyra.
>The more you think, the less you can think of a suitable course of action.
>As you finally make it to the shop, you enter and close the door, making a bee line for the recliner.
>For what feels like an eternity, you sit in your chair, pondering more and more over the situation.
>Lyra was great and always brought a smile to your face, but Luna had something else that you appreciated.   Grace, a softness of tone.
>You take a second to take a look at the workshop, the unfinished projects and the dining room set are strewn about waiting to be completed.
>You could realistically finish everything by nightfall if you got cracking.
>With a grunt, you drag yourself from the chair and make for the workbench to plan out the day's activities.
>One thing is for certain.  If you're going to figure this out, you're going to need an unbiased opinion.
>A trip to Barley's was assured.