//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: The Honeymoon // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// “You know, yesterday was fun and all. But I think you are jumping to some pretty brash conclusions here, Acrylic.” Fancy spoke in a low voice as they made their way to the pub for breakfast and a drink. “Rock Slide is no drug lord, especially whilst he is so close to Braeburn. He was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time, or better yet, doing his job! Rock Slide, it’s in the name.” “Fancy, you are way too trusting sometimes. I think he is pulling the wool over both yours and Braeburn’s eyes.” “I’m supposed to be the paranoid one!” Fancy cried. “Shh, let’s not talk about this in public.” Acrylic and Fancy looked over to the receptionist they were just passing, she looked back, an unamused, unhappy expression plastered on her face as she slowly turned the page of her book. It sent a shiver down Acrylic’s very core.  Trotting into the bar, it was a totally different atmosphere from the damp and dreary experience the night before. The two stallions went up to the bar where a slimmer, younger stallion was at the bar. Yet, regardless it didn’t change the notorious Southern commercial hospitality.  “Good morning, can we get some breakfast and a drink from you?” Fancy asked, Acrylic sitting up next to him on the bar. “Yeah…” the bartender replied slowly. “Ya can…”  Fancy and Acrylic waited for nearly a minute for him to finish, only to have the barpony continue to stare at them. “Oh… alright, can we grab two breakfasts, one tea, and one long black?” Fancy asked, smiling as brightly as he could. Acrylic looked around, the sleepy residents of the bar slowly munching on their breakfasts or looking at the paper. Some of them called out or commented on a news article and the rest of the bar would put their two cents in, like a single conversation had the entire bar’s attention.  “We got Coffee....” Fancy and Acrylic blinked. “And we got beer.”  They blinked again, forever waiting on the bartender for the next part of the sentence. “But we don’t got them together.”  A cackle of laughter erupted from down the bar. A stallion clutched his sides, abandoning his coffee and breakfast to laugh at the horrendous joke. “Alright then…” Fancy began just as slowly. “Well have…” The barpony blinked, excruciatingly slowly. “Two coffees...” Fancy leaned back and came forward again. “Annnnnd two, breakfasts…” The barpony wrote down the order and slowly put it in the window to the kitchen. “Y’all know…” He turned around and slowly put their change on the table. “Ya can speak a bit faster next time…. Ah got ponies waitin’…” Fancy nodded and turned to his husband who looked rather unhappy, still as his spouse commented: “You know, I do hope that there’s at least plenty of cream and sugar that comes with it.” His spouse patted him on the back, “I know you’re not much of a coffee drinker, but it is what it is.” Acrylic looked behind him, scanning the bar to see if Braeburn or Rock were around. Since he didn’t see either, he returned to his unicorn. “You know, I actually do want to be proven wrong.” “Oh?” his husband inquired. “You mean with Rock Slide?” With a sigh, he told him. “Fancy, I really don’t want to fight with you, it’s just… It’s just that I had some bad experiences with ponies like him.” “In what way?” “Being… As you would put it, taken advantage of. Being exploited? (If that’s the right word.) Because, when I first came to Equestria, I was tricked before by ponies that wanted to use my gifts for their ends. I remember that when I was in Applewood, some guy had taken a look at some of my art and said that he would put it all in a gallery. All he needed from me was at least five pictures from me.” He shook his head, “Never saw those paintings again. And yes, call it prejudice or what have you, but I was conned by ponies that acted like him. So… I guess it’s my own way of trying to protect you from it as well.” Fancy nuzzled him, “Aww, ‘Crylic that is sweet of you. But do remember, I have been in this sort of business much longer than you have. I’m always careful when it comes to suspicious things. I mean, that was what I was doing the other day. However, sometimes you just need to see that not everypony is pure evil. There are some good blokes when you least suspect it. One must judge a pony by what he does after all.” He looked behind him and spotted Braeburn walking in, taking each optimistic step as if he were walking on sunlight. Right behind him was Rock, who had a suspicious hint of a limp from his hindquarters. “Mornin’ fella’s,” Braeburn, with the raw energy of the Sun, sat down at the bar, beaming his usual go-lucky smile. “How are y’all this mornin’?” “Here’s your breakfast,” the barpony said as he placed their meals before Fancy and Acrylic.  The artist looked down at his plate, soggy toast, undercooked eggs, burnt haybacon, and a mysterious brown substance leaking onto the rest of the food. Fancy’s plate looked fine, much to the Artist’s disgust.  The barpony went to walk off but stopped, leaning in close to Acrylic’s ear. “That’s fer askin’ questions,” he whispered, snorting up phlegm whilst still only centimeters from the artist’s head. A chill went down his spine at the menacing look from the cold stallion behind the bar as he moved away to serve somepony else. Acrylic’s eyes widened as he looked down at his breakfast. “I suddenly don’t feel hungry,” he groaned, pushing away his breakfast. “Huh,” Braeburn commented, “What’s gotten’ inta him?” He looked over at Acrylic’s plate. “Shesh, whatever ya did, you sure made him pretty mad.” “How’d you know he’s upset at me?” the artist asked. “Ah know that if yer unpopular here, they’ll do what they can ta make ya not come back. And by the state of yer eggs alone, you really must have upset someone here.” “Here,” Fancy scooted his plate until it was between them. “I know it won’t be much, but you can half of mine.” “Oh no I can’t-” “I insist,” he said, grimacing at his spouse's plate. “Your meal isn’t fit for a dog. Now come on, I’ll split this with you.” He said as he divided up the breakfast. “So uh… Acrylic isn’t it?” Rock Slide said as he hopped next to him. “What are ya fella’s planning on doing today? Like are you planning on doing any new paintings?” “Well I would, but I gotta probably find a good spot to get the ones I’ve already done to a solid spot to dry properly. Our room doesn’t exactly have the best conditions, plus it’s starting to stink up there since I was given oils by mistake.”  Rock Slide’s eyes shone brightly, “Oh! Well have Ah got the spot fer you, it’s perfect! Just leave ‘em near Brae’s old house, Ah’m sure my Brae can look after them, we can put it in the backyard. ‘Cause there’s a sand-shield up there so the paintings can get some sun and dry quickly without no sand sticking to ‘em.”  “I don’t know…” the artist muttered. “Hey, Ah wouldn’t mind pal,” Braeburn said. “Sides, it’s where Ah’m stayin’ fer the festival, however, hardly anyone goes there so that place should be more abandoned then an ice rink on the sun. While I can’t exactly stay there mahself, it would be the perfect place as only me and Rock go there. Oh! Hey Ah jus’ got an idea,” he grinned. “Why not you fella’s come over to the festival? That place always has color that I think would be perfect fer ya to do a picture.” “That sounds like a splendid idea,” Fancy agreed. “After all, I don’t think we have anything to do today, and it would give us an excuse to have ponies to interact with.” Acrylic thought about what was being proposed. He knew that the paintings were already taking up space in their breadbox-sized room, and having them in an airy, hot place would indeed help them dry quicker. On the other hoof, however, he knew pretty well how valuable his paintings were, and the last thing he wanted was for them to get stolen. “Thanks for the offer Mr. Slide, it means a lot, I just kind of have one little favor to ask,” he said. “I know that you have miners around, but if I agree to this, I’m going to need somepony to look after those paintings while we’re at the festival. The last thing I want is for them to either be damaged or stolen. So could I at least give you a sum to hire a few of your ponies to act as guards to make sure nopony moves them?” “Done and done! You can use me miners, they don’t care for the festival all that much and any bits are good bits. Ah’ll head over right now ta see if Ah can get a few.” Rock Slide beamed, slapping his hoof on the table and hailing over the barpony to give him a coffee. “Now, I gotta get to the mine soon, but you colts help yerself to the backyard to get those paintings nice and dried.” He smiled, sculling his coffee, smacking his lips, and kissing Braeburn as he dashed off.  “Well… he was… keen?” Fancy said, raising an eyebrow and looking over at Braeburn whilst munching on half of an egg he didn’t spare for Acrylic. “Yeah, he loves helping others, while I’m not busy, how about we get the paintings? Many hooves make light work!” He smiled, taking a swig of his coffee. Acrylic told him that so far, he made three that are all underneath their bed. But even when they had finished breakfast, the artist didn’t exactly trust Rock completely. Fancy was right, he did seem a little too keen. However, the paintings were taken up too much room and they have been trying not to get any paint on… It was then that the artist got an idea. It was at moments like this that Acrylic was thankful that his husband was a unicorn. Fancy levitated two of them in his aura as they followed Braeburn along a dirt trail with one of the paintings on his back. As for the artist, he carried with him a new canvas, paints, brushes, and the easel that he was taking with him to the festival. While they walked, Acrylic noticed how out of the way this place was, as it was a good distance from both the town and the mine they had gone down in yesterday. Plus, it was very quiet too in the heat of the sun. “There it is fella’s,” Braeburn announced, “There’s mah old folks house, we inherited it after… well you can guess.” Up ahead was a modest cabin in which the fencing was falling apart and what little vegetation was there had overgrown to a degree. In Acrylic’s mind, the facade almost resembles a haunted house. “Just follow me to the back, there’s a good place where we can put these paintings down.” Braeburn leads the couple around the back into the yard past the large white barriers being used as a sand shield. Inside the yard, cut off from the rest of Dodge Junction was a whole world of its own. Lush green neatly trimmed grass, plants of all sorts of varieties and colors surrounded the walls, and garden paths led to fresh fruits and vegetable patches on the far wall. Right in the center of the hidden oasis lay dormant a large empty aivery filled the centre of the garden. A beautiful sculpture made entirely of white marble with intricate patterns and designs leading to the cage part, the thin mesh being coated in beautiful bronze. “As y’all can tell,” Braeburn commented. “Mah folks loved their garden, they spent so much time tending to it and growing it right from when Ah was a colt. I don’t quite have their green hooves like they did, but I care for it as best I can. Ah had to sell the birds though, couldn’t look after them while I was living away in Appaloosa. Even the garden can be tricky, I often get family or friends to give it a quick spruce up when I can’t find the time… It’s good to have something of them, ya know?”  Fancy and Acrylic both looked around in awe of the magnificent garden. It truly was a spectacle considering no more than right over the sand shields lay nothing but cold hard desert. “It’s amazing Braeburn! In such good condition too!” Fancy praised while Acrylic’s creative mind went into overdrive to get in every last purple flower, intrigue shrub placement, and homely garden path. “The whole thing is done with underground irrigation, it’s quite nifty. Mah parents sure knew how to grow things, even when the land said no.” Braeburn smiled warmly looking around his handiwork in the upkeep. Fancy placed the paintings on the soft grass, making sure to keep the canvas paint away from every delicate blade of grass cared for to perfection.  “Braeburn? Do you mind if I painted this sometime?” Acrylic asked, wide-eyed and hopeful. Braeburn’s own eyes widened in delight. “You! Mr. Equestria’s famous painter wants to paint my folk’s garden?” “Or at least, sometime before we go back home. I mean…” the artist walked in a circle. “This place has so much color and life. Something out of a Moneigh painting with all its light. I mean I have been in plenty of gardens in Canterlot before, even at the palace. But this is simply gorgeous in every sense.” “Why sure ya can!” Braeburn beamed. “Sure, we have the festival, but after that, ya can come in here anytime ya want.” He said as Fancy lifted the painting off of his back and placed it carefully by a tree.  “Besides,” Acrylic wondered aloud, “when are those guys coming here to look after these things?” “Should be soon I think. Why?”  The artist said as he sat down to open up his bag of paints. “Before we go, I want to do something really quick. As a sort of safety precaution,” he took out a little jar and with a paintbrush, started to mix in white along with a little bit of yellow ocher and burnt sienna. “Crylic? What are you doing?” Fancy inquired. “This is just to be sure that by the time we get back, it would help identify and maybe help us in case these things get stolen.” He said as he compared his mixed colors with that of the blank canvas on the back. Once he was satisfied, he went over to the three paintings and carefully painted a thin lines on the very top edge and also on the sides as well as painted a series of “X’s” on the backs. Braeburn whistled, “Ah gotta say… that’s really clever. If anyone picks them up, it would bound ta get some of the stuff on them.” “Well, we gotta be safe with drug dealers around don’t we?” Acrylic got up from the ground, brushing the grass off his fur. Braeburn lowered his head and kicked at the grass, “Awww shucks, I didn’t mean to scare y’all. Don’t worry too much about that, we’ll have those evil good-for-nothings behind bars faster than you can say border patrol.” Fancy smiled and slapped the stallion on the back, “I’m sure you will Braeburn.”