8. A Day in the Life
The first rays of the rising sun greet my eyes before the shrill beeping of my alarm clock brings me further into consciousness. Time to begin another day in Ponyville.
Getting out of bed, I make my way to the shower. The water helps wake me up more, and now that I’m cleaner, I rub my whiskers and contemplate a shave. It has been a while, and I do have an important bit of business this morning, so perhaps a clean-shaven appearance would be the best thing. I manage to scrape the whiskers off and apply a bit of after-shave lotion after toweling off. I get dressed, putting on my usual work outfit of jeans and a T-shirt, comb my hair, and head downstairs for a quick breakfast.
I’ve never been a big fan of oatmeal, so I was glad that eggs are sold here for consumption. It also helps a little with getting the necessary proteins I need without eating meat. Oh, I can still obtain it, usually from sources that sell to griffons. Doing that gets expensive due to import fees, however, and I haven’t had that level of craving yet, so I think I’ll be fine with some eggs in the morning. Two eggs and some toast with jam later, and I return upstairs to brush my teeth and head out for my first stop of the morning.
*~*~*~*~*
“Oh! This is a pleasant surprise, darling!” Rarity chirped when I entered the Carousel Boutique. “It seems the only time I see you is to repair something. I mean, it’s not like you stop by regularly to buy clothing or anything like that…” She gave me a pointed look.
I raised my hands in surrender. “Okay, guilty as charged. It’s just that I haven’t been here all that long, and most of my clothes are still in decent condition. However, I do find myself in need of a tuxedo for the Gala, and I was wondering if you could fit me in your schedule.”
Her expression as one of shock. “You mean you’ve changed your mind? Last I heard from Twilight, you were dead-set on avoiding the Gala at all costs.”
“My situation has changed a bit since then,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “It appears I now have a very compelling reason to attend the Gala, despite my misgivings.”
Rarity gave me a sly look. “Would it have anything to do with the cellist I’ve seen you around town with lately?” She grinned like she knew she had me trapped in regard to my answer.
“It might,” I mused, “or it might be because a plea from your dear princess has moved me so that I could not bear to break the poor dear’s heart.” I affected a dramatic pose. “Lo, her entreaties have broached my soul and touched my heart, that I could only relent and summon every ounce of my courage to brave the slings and arrows of the ill-informed bourgeoisie to honor the request of my sovereign.”
Rarity giggled and lightly clapped her hooves. “Well done, darling. You should really try out for the Ponyville Theatre some day.”
I gave a theatrical bow. “Your praise honors me, dear lady. Now, is it too late to get a tux started for the Gala? I know how busy it must be for you this time of year.”
“Not at all. All I’ll need to do is get some measurements and we’ll have you looking dapper in no time at all.” Rarity produced a tape measure and began measuring just about every part of me. “I do think it’s very sweet of you to fore-go your misgivings about the Gala for Octavia, quite gentlecoltly of you.”
I shrugged. “It wouldn’t be right not to attend, and at the very least I now have an excuse to hang around the bandstand all night long and avoid the hoitiest of the toity.”
Rarity’s tape measure rewound itself with a flick of her magic. “All done! And, since Octavia has already been in for her dress, I can coordinate the two of you so you’ll both look simply dashing!”
I smiled. “I would expect nothing less from the premier seamstress of perhaps all of Equestria,” I remarked. Rarity giggled and blushed. “Now, there is the little matter of what this will cost…”
“For all of the work you’ve done for me, I will give you a very generous discount,” Rarity assured me. “I promise I will not break your bank account.”
“Wonderful. Payment now or when it’s ready?”
“When it’s ready, and for you, no down payment required.”
I bowed. “You are too kind, madame. Send word when it’s ready and I’ll come settle up then. I must get back to my shop, I have a few things to work on today. You know how it is.”
Rarity sighed and nodded. “Indeed I do, especially once Gala season approaches. Ta-ta for now!”
*~*~*~*~*
Usually, when a pony drops an item off at my workshop, there’s no real timetable to getting it done. I can take all of the time I need to make sure I do a quality job, including testing and making sure that everything is ready to go. And as is only fair, I only bill for the actual time I work on the item, which in most cases runs under an hour for simple jobs, and sometimes up to two for more complex fixes.
This job, however, was the exception to the rule. A couple of days ago I was visited by a unicorn stallion in desperate straits, almost to the verge of tears. He had bought this gift for his little filly, but quickly realized he was in over his head when it came time for the assembly, and no amount of magic was going to be able to help him, no matter what he tried. He came to me and practically begged me to please, please, please assemble this scooter for his little filly, whose birthday was coming up quickly and he didn’t want to disappoint her, oh pleeeeeeeeeeeease would I help him? I looked at the scooter, and it wasn’t that complex a job for me, but then I knew how to rig the brakes and set up the safety equipment. I agreed, earning the most profuse thanks I had ever received before, and he left me to the task. It turned out the rigging was more complex than I had originally estimated, and so it took me a little longer to get things ready.
And so it was that I had about forty-five minutes to finish the work, my trip to Rarity’s taking longer than I had anticipated. I worked quickly, double-checking each bolt was in place and fastened securely; the brakes were rigged properly and worked as they should; and all of the safety guards were installed and no pieces were left over or missing. I was cleaning it up when he returned with his daughter in tow. Her eyes lit up when she saw the scooter. I swear, that filly darn near hugged that poor stallion’s eyeballs out of his head.
We brought it outside and I showed her how everything worked, and suggested she ride it around by the shop to make sure everything was working okay, and if something needed tweaking, I could do it on the spot. She readily agreed, and soon she was speeding around like a pro, saying everything seemed fine. I gave it one last look, checking the bolts and screws, and agreed that it was good to go. The stallion was so happy, he even gave me some extra for the fine and speedy job I did. I thanked him, and he and his daughter went on their way. I may be a cynical old human, but jobs like that, and seeing the look of joy on that filly’s face, make me feel pretty good inside.
*~*~*~*~*
I was getting ready to close for lunch when a familiar pony approached the shop. It was Longhaul, no doubt out making deliveries around town today. I looked at the wagon he was pulling. Smaller than the one he used to haul my stuff through the portal, this one had a pronounced lean on the left side. I recognized that from my days driving truck. I figured lunch could wait. I could always take lunch after I worked on this. I knew the boss and he was pretty lenient about things like that.
“Hey Longhaul,” I said as he approached. “Lose a leaf spring, did ya?”
He nodded. “Hit a rock coming around a tight corner and heard something snap, looked back and saw this,” he replied, nodding toward the wagon. “Any chance you can get it fixed up?”
I looked underneath. Sure enough, the connector had snapped, and the spring was hanging loose. I counted the metal leaves. “I’ve got some spare parts I salvaged from one of the Apples’ old wagons. Might be good to get you back to the yard so they can put a proper one on. You done for the day?”
“Yup,” Longhaul affirmed. “I sent word back to the terminal telling them what happened and where I was going, so I should be clear for the day.” He looked down the road. “Oh, here’s my terminal manager now.”
An earth pony with a brown coat and darker brown mane and tail, both with streaks of grey, approached. “Hi there, name’s Hoss Carter, I run the Ponyville freight yard. You gonna be able to get him back running again?” he asked, indicating Longhaul.
“Well, I can get him back to the yard, so your mechanic can put the proper spring on,” I answered. “I used to be a trucker myself, and I remember how strict our inspectors were about making proper repairs. I can only imagine it’s the same here.”
“Guess our worlds ain’t that much different after all,” Hoss said with a chuckle. “Can you tell me what it’s gonna cost, and will you accept a P.O. with payment next week?”
I nodded. “Sure. Give me the purchase order number and I’ll put it on the invoice.”
Hoss gave me the details, and Longhaul limped the wagon behind the workshop. One thing I knew from experience was that leaf springs weren’t simple fixes. I was lucky to have been able to disassemble one from an old wagon the Apples were disposing of, and so I was able to use that knowledge to take the old one off and get the new one back on fairly quickly.
I presented the invoice to Hoss, along with a paper that stated the repairs were only temporary, no freight was to be hauled in that wagon until properly repaired, and if they chose to ignore that I wasn’t responsible for whatever happened. Hoss signed the paper and looked at the invoice.
“That’s pretty reasonable,” he said, grinning. “How’d you like to be our new permanent mechanic?”
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m happy being a general handyman. Tell you what, I’d be willing to do emergency repairs for you, if you don’t have anypony doing that now. All I need are the specs on the wagons you use so I can get the proper parts.”
“I’ll get you that info and send it along with the check.” Hoss extended a hoof, which I bumped with my fist. “’Preciate ya, sir. And thanks again.”
“Glad to help. Take care Hoss, you too Longhaul,” I said as the two of them headed back toward the freight yard.
*~*~*~*~*
I had to forgo my planned sit-down leisurely lunch for a quickie take-out meal from the local burger joint. I’d never been a big fan of veggie burgers back home, but here, there was something definitely different about them. It would figure that a primarily vegetarian population would have the know-how to make a decent veggie burger. It didn’t hurt that the horseshoe-shaped fries were cute as well as tasty.
I had barely returned to the workshop and managed to get a few bites of food down when Lyra burst in, mane askew and breathing heavily from running. “Quick! Bon Bon — trouble at the shop — sink — water — HURRY!!!” Just as soon as she finished saying all of that, she ran off again.
Sighing, I wrapped my lunch and set it in the refrigerator, then gathered what I figured I would need for a sink emergency. Collecting my plumbing tools, a large bucket, and an assortment of pipes, traps, and fittings, I was soon on my way to Bon Bon’s sweet shop. Bon Bon was waiting at the kitchen door when I arrived. She appeared a little damp.
“Hi Bonnie, I hear you have some form of apocalyptic event that threatens the very existence of Ponyville, if Lyra’s reaction is anything to go by.”
Bon Bon giggled. “Nothing that serious, just the main sink is backing up. I tried plunging it but it just blows the air back out at me…along with some of the water in the sink. I knew I couldn’t fix it so I had Lyra get you.”
I grabbed the bucket and toolbox. “Okay, let’s take a look.”
If you’ve ever looked at the drain pipes under your sink, you may have wondered why there’s a curved one in between the sink and the main drain pipe. What that pipe does is hold a small amount of water to prevent sewer gases from traveling up the pipe and entering your home. It also tends to trap a lot of small objects, eventually blocking the pipe completely. Usually, a good plunging or a dose of caustic drain cleaner will clear that issue right up.
I removed the connector from one end of the trap, and after positioning the bucket to catch any water in the pipes, removed the other connector. To my great surprise, nothing started to flow once this connector was released. I pulled on the pipe. It begrudgingly gave way, revealing a solid core of …something. It was pinkish in color, with multiple other colors mixed through it. Curious, I poked this cylindrical mass and was able to chip off a small piece. I gave it a quick sniff.
“Think I found the problem, Bonnie,” I said. “Seems somepony dumped a small batch of taffy down the drain, and it solidified here just above the trap. I’ll need to replace the pipe between the sink and the trap.”
Bon Bon peeked under the sink and saw the column of taffy. “I think I know who did that,” she said, “and it seems I have to yet again discuss proper disposal techniques. How soon can you fix this?”
“I’ve got the parts, shouldn’t take more than a half hour, maybe fifteen minutes at the earliest,” I replied.
Bon Bon seemed relieved. “Good, at least I’ll still be able to finish cleaning up and not have to let everything sit overnight.”
I cleaned out the trap and removed the now-worthless pipe, and after measuring it, took an identical length from the assortment I had brought with me. Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, Bon Bon’s sink was back in service once again.
“I don’t suppose I could pay you in trade? Maybe some nice sweets for your sweetie?” Bon Bon asked, looking at the bill I presented her.
“I wouldn’t object to that, but the plumbing supply place has this funny rule about wanting money for the parts I buy, regardless of how tasty the candy I present to them is. I will, however, buy a box of sweets from you and you can deduct the cost of that from the total.” I chuckled. “I love how word spreads so fast in these smaller towns. How did you hear about me and Octavia?”
Bon Bon smirked. “A mare knows, from seeing how much of a spring she had in her step, her more radiant smile, her more cheerful attitude…I knew she was seeing somepony, but it wasn’t until I heard from a few other sources that it was you.”
“I was more surprised to see word made it all the way to Canterlot, given that even Princess Luna knew about it,” I observed.
Bon Bon laughed. “Octavia probably had a good dream about you one night, that’s how Luna would have found out. Let me get those candies and the bits from the till, I’ll be right back.” She walked out to the sales floor.
*~*~*~*~*
The sun was beginning to set when I finally made my way back home. Another emergency call, this time to replace a broken window at City Hall, kept me out of the shop for the rest of the afternoon. I was glad the glass place was still open so I could get the supplies I needed. Apparently, a friendly request from Mayor Mare was all it took for a little overtime on their part.
I parked my bicycle by the shop and unloaded my tools. Securing everything, I walked through the connector to the main house and went straight upstairs. Stripping off my clothes and throwing them in the hamper, I once again plodded to the shower to wash away the day’s grime and dirt. Funny how a shower can be invigorating at one point in the day, and completely draining later on. I toweled off, threw on some shorts and a bathrobe, and went downstairs to reheat my lunch from earlier. I was too tired to cook anything elaborate, and I figured it would taste just as good now as it did earlier.
I took a good look at the comfy sofa and decided dinner could wait. I flumped down face-first, letting the cushions absorb me as much as they could. I was dimly aware of my front door opening and hoofsteps approaching me. I recognized the perfume right away. Only Octavia wore that particular scent. “Rough day today?” she asked.
“We’re sorry, the person you are trying to reach is no longer in service,” I replied, my voice muffled by the sofa cushion. “Please try your call again later. This is a recording.”
I heard a giggle, and felt a set of hooves start massaging my back through my robe. I sighed happily. “Oh, that feels so good after the day I had today,” I said dreamily. “Oh, and before I forget, there’s a present for you on the kitchen table.”
“For me?” she said, stopping the massage and walking to the kitchen. I heard her squee with happiness upon seeing the box. “My favorites! When did you get these?”
“I was at the candy shop earlier, and picked them up after I finished the job I was doing there.” I smiled, knowing Bon Bon had filled the box with Octavia’s favorite treats. Which was good, because I really didn’t know what they were yet, and now I had a list to go by for future purchases. I reluctantly rose to a sitting position. “How was your day?”
“It went well. We have the scores for two of the pieces that we picked out, and we began rehearsing them today. The more orchestrated piece is being transcribed and will take longer to rehearse, as I figured it would.” She popped a candy in her mouth and joined me on the sofa, giving me a chocolate-flavored kiss on the cheek. “What were your dinner plans?” she asked.
“I have a burger and fries in the fridge I was gonna reheat, that’s about all I can manage right now.”
“It’s still early enough, I could run out and get us some take-out,” Octavia suggested.
“What do you have in mind? Neighponese?” I asked.
She nodded. “It’s the quickest and closest.”
I pointed to the bag of bits on the table. “I’ll buy, you fly.”
She looked confused. “Fly? I’m not a pegasus.”
I smiled. “Figure of speech from my world. Means I’ll pay for the food if you’ll go get it. Miso soup and tempura veggies for me, along with a veggie roll. Don’t be afraid to get whatever you want or how much it costs.”
She grinned and kissed my cheek again. “I’ll try not to be too long,” she said softly, getting off the sofa and grabbing the bag of bits. She walked to the door, and gave me a smile before stepping out into the approaching night.
I sat back and reflected on the day. Tired though I was, I felt good having done a full day’s work, helping a few ponies along the way, and knowing there was somepony that wanted to just enjoy my company for a little while made it all the better. I lightly dozed while I waited for Octavia to return, wondering what adventures tomorrow would bring.