//------------------------------// // Gone Fishing // Story: Strange Gifts // by Rocinante //------------------------------// Never let it be said ponies know how to make a comfortable handle. The tackle box only weighed a few pounds, but the bite-grip handle still dug into my fingers. Stubbornness had made me carry it several minutes after it had become painful, but finally I paused to trade which hand held the fishing poles, and which the box. As I took an extra moment to stretch, I studied Castle Friendship. It was a bizarre looking thing: cold and jagged. I had never been able to get comfortable inside the place. As I neared the castle, my mind drifted back to my first days in Equestria. Princess Twilight had offered me a room after I landed here, but Applejack’s spare room was far more cozy. I laughed. That seemed like so long ago. It was hard to believe I’d only been here a year. Heck, it was hard to believe I’d only been keeping Lambert for a month now. The “Library Open” sign was hanging on the castle’s door, so I let myself in without knocking. Though, I left the fishing tackle outside; it seemed rude to bring it into a library, let alone a castle. “Hi, Mary,” Spike greeted me as soon as I stepped inside. In front of him he had a note pad and an Ogres and Oubliettes book. “They’re in the study room.” “Thanks,” I said before walking over to him. “Notes for guys' night?” I asked, looking over his shoulder “Yep!” Flipping through the book, he came to a page bearing the image of a pony in white with a saddlebag full of medical supplies. “Lambert’s healer leveled last game. I need to make a quest for him to earn his new class ability.” “Cool,” I said, not sure what else to say. I didn’t know the first thing about the game, but Lambert had fun and it got him socialize a bit more. I continued on into the library proper, then made my way to the study room. Inside I found Princess Twilight walking Lambert through some kind of math problem. “How’s it going?” I asked from the doorway. They both looked up at me, Princess Twilight smiling, and Lambert fluffing up in a happy way. Looking back to Lambert, Princess Twilight tapped on the worksheet in front of Lambert. “Finish that last one, and you can go,” she said before walking out of the room to speak with me. I gave her a little bow. “How’s he looking for school?” I asked. “I really wish you’d stop that,” Twilight said as she led me to a nearby table. “You don’t need to bow or use titles with me.” “Aww... But it’s fun,” I protested with a grin as I sat down. “Fun?” Twilight’s look of confusion made me grin all the more. “When I was little, I had a small obsession with princesses and, to be honest, unicorns. Being formal with you, it’s like I’m six again, but instead of pretend, you’re real.” “Oh...” Twilight blinked as she sat down across from me. “That’s right, you mentioned children’s literature used both as recurring themes. Well, as long as you’re not doing it because you think I expect it.” Floating a folder out, she sat it down between us. “Lambert’s math is pretty far behind, except for geometry; he has an uncanny grasp of that. His history and science scores are a little weak, but his reading is almost university level.” “Yeah...” I drawled, dragging the folder closer to read. “He read to pass the time while his parents were working, if he couldn’t help. What’s the plan to get everything else caught up? Can’t say I know your history, and your definition of science is a little fuzzier than where I come from.” Twilight smiled. “And that’s why Cheerilee and I are making a program the you two can do together. Cheerilee is going pick out some books on science and history that should hold Lambert’s attention. You can both read them, and then talk about them!” “So, a book club?” Twilight nodded. “Okay, sure. That may even be fun. What about his math though? I can’t teach that.” “Cheerilee and I are going to take turns working with him a few days a week. We can work out a schedule for that later in the week.” “Wow, Thanks. You all are really going out of your way to help him.” “It’s nothing,” Twilight said with a wave of her hoof. “Helping your friends and neighbors makes everypony better off.” “Still, I really owe you all. And I hate to ask, but I need another favor.” Twilight perked up, seeming happy to hear the request. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a little envelope. “I know you said sending me back was too dangerous to try, but can you send a letter back through? There’s a two dollar bill in there. My grandfather carried it for years, before he gave it to me. It has a lot of sentimental meaning. I thought it could help.” “I can try.” Twilight took the letter in her hoof. “But I can’t promise it will be in one piece when it gets there.” “All done,” Lambert declared, trotting out of the study room. Pulling the worksheet from under his wing, he handed it to Twilight. Twilight studied the paper from a moment. “Looks good. I’ll give this to Cheerilee.” Tucking the worksheet away, she looked back to me. “Any plans for the rest of the day?” “We’re going to go fishing,” I answered, scruffing Lambert's head. “It’ll be too cold soon. I wanted to take him at least once.” “That sounds fun.” Twilight said. “Make sure you report to Fluttershy if you catch any tagged fish.” “We will.” As we began to walk towards the door, I looked down to Lambert. “Speaking of Fluttershy, you want to visit Skippy? We’ll pass her house along the way.” Lambert all-but bounced. “Can we?” “Sure, come on.” Outside, I delegated carrying the tackle box to Lambert. After walking in silence for a while, he shuffled the box onto his back, keeping it in place with his wings. “Think Skippy liked the house I built for him?” Lambert asked. “I bet he loves it.” Last week, Lambert had decided his pet needed a house, so he built an oversized bird house out of some wood left over from Mac’s bathroom remodel. Oversized bird house was a bit of an understatement though, with three rooms, insulation, and a window that could be opened from the inside. As we neared Fluttershy’s house, I spotted her and Rarity taking tea by the garden. “Hey, girls,” I called, crossing the bridge. Rarity waved politely, covering her mouth as she chewed something. “Skippy and Angel are playing inside,” Fluttershy said to Lambert. Taking the box off his back, I motioned him to go play. “Don’t go too far. We’ll be going in just a little bit.” Bright-eyed, Lambert bounded off without having to be told twice. “Catching the early trout run?” Rarity asked, her snack having been washed down with a sip of tea. “Umm... yeah, actually.” Rarity grinned at my surprise in her guess. “My father adores fishing. When I was a filly, he would drag me out there at least once a year.” Rarity’s magic floated a third cup and saucer out of a basket. “Would you like to join us?” I smiled. “Sure. Some hot tea sound good.” “If you have enough-” Fluttershy paused, watching with a nervous grin as Skippy and Lambert scurried up a tree; her pet rabbit riding Lambert like some rodeo bull the whole way up. “—could I get a few fish from you? Harry would be very grateful.” “Sure.” I watched Lambert disappear into the top of a tall pine. “Father gave me some of his catch from yesterday.” Rarity sipped at her tea. The sound drew our attention back to the table. “They’re rather fatty this year: very good broiled.” I added a bit of cream to my tea. “I didn’t know you ate fish?” “Seafood is a wonderful delicacy. Speaking of delicate. What did Thunderlane think of that night gown I made?” Fluttershy stifled a choke as she sat her teacup down. “Night gown?” Ignoring my expression, Rarity continued. “She had me make a lovely dress of sorts. Cream with black trim.” Rarity’s magic lifted a napkin from the table and folded it into a near-perfect model of the gown she’d made. “Loose on the shoulders, but darted to rest on her hips, and sheer enough to almost see through.” A long sigh escaped me. “That sounds...” Fluttershy took a moment to search for the right word. “...pretty. Did Thunderlane like it?” Rarity leaned forward, her face the picture of serene expectation. “I’m not leaving without talking about it, am I?” “Afraid not, Dear.” Fluttershy remained silent with her ears pointed at me. “I’d rather not Lambert hear anything.” A rustle of tree branches drew all of our attentions to the sky just in time to see Skippy and Lambert launch out of the tree. We stared for a second, watching the two glide out into the big field: Angel poised like a knight riding his mount into battle. “I do believe they’re well out of earshot now,” Rarity said, drawing our attention back. I took a breath and shrugged. “Spike had invited Lambert over for guys’ night a couple weeks ago, and I invited Thunder over for a special third date.” Both girls leaned forward a bit more. “I really wanted to take the next step here. I mean it’d been over a year since I’d been with anyone, and he’s a great guy.” “But...” Rarity interjected. “I choked. Totally blue balled him.” Leaning forward, I covered my face. “I felt so bad.” Fluttershy reached over with a hoof and patted my shoulder. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to.” “No. Thankfully, he was a perfect gentleman about it. We ended up just cuddling and talking till Spike brought Lambert home.” Fluttershy sipped at her tea. “He sounds nice.” I nodded in agreement. “So last week, I decided I needed a little something to get me in the right mood.” “Ah,” Rarity’s face lit up with understanding. “The proper attire to frame the evening.” Thirty minutes later and I’d escaped without having to share anything too embarrassing. It’d been good to talk, though. Beside me, Lambert still buzzed with playful energy as he carried the tackle box. “It was cool seeing you fly out of that tree.” Lambert stiffened for a heartbeat. “I just glided.” “Rumble seemed pretty excited about flying with you. When you’re ready, I’m sure him and Thunder both would help.” The gloom lifted from Lambert a bit. “That would be fun.” At the river’s edge I cleared a spot to sit. “Alright, which pole do you want?” I asked, once I had everything set up cozy. When only silence answered me, I looked up to realize Lambert was gone. Panic prickled at me as I turned to look around. “Lambert!” I called. “Up here,” he answered me from above. My panic vanished into amusement when I spotted him perched on a tree branch over the water. He leaned forward a bit, watching me with one eye and the water with another. “What are you doing?” he asked. “I was about to ask you that,” I said half laughing. Lambert turned his full attention to the river’s bubbling water. “Waiting on that fish to swim upstream just...” Lambert’s wings took a strange posture, rigid and half extended. “...a bit closer...” My jaw hung slack as Lambert launched himself downward. The shy child became something between an olympic diver and an alpha predator as he fell like a dart. His talons snatched at something beneath the water just as his wings flared, pulling him out of the dive. With a flap, he struggled to gain a little altitude, then banked my direction and glided to the shore, a massive trout writhing in his talons all the while. “Got one!” he cheered, landing beside me. I stared at the fish for a moment in silence. “Lambert.” He looked up at me, wilting a bit. “That was probably the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” “Really!?” he asked, fluffing at the praise. “Oh yeah.” I laughed, then scuffed his head before picking a fishing rod up “Now string it up.” With a flick, I sent my lure out over the water. “So I can have time to get one before you catch them all.”