Summer (The Fence)

by 206-Ginge


Chapter 5

I awoke with a start for the third morning in a row. The dream wouldn’t go away. It haunted me every night, refusing to let me get anything resembling a pleasant rest.

I rolled up onto my haunches and stepped out of bed, rubbing my eyes with my talons. I glanced over at the clock next to the window. 8:30. Lyra and Bon Bon probably were off to work again. I hadn’t really seen much of them since the first night when they welcomed me in. They didn’t knock on my door after I had shut myself up in my room on my first full day out of the hospital, and they ignored me all of yesterday. After Lyra’s behavior the first night, I found it bizarre that they weren’t even trying to make contact with me.

I opened the door and began what had become my morning routine. I waltzed into the bathroom, took care of business, trudged out in a tired haze, made my way to the kitchen, looked at the note written on the counter, and grabbed a box of cereal.

It was only after I finished in the bathroom that I noticed something was different today. I heard voices coming from across the hall, in the kitchen. When I stepped out of the bathroom and walked out of the hallway into the room that served as both a living room and a kitchen, I saw them. Both of them.

I glanced at the clock. It was definitely later than they usually went to work.

“Hey, Jack!” Lyra greeted me warmly. “Happy Saturday!”

Oh. Right. Weekends.

“Good morning,” I replied groggily. Coffee would’ve been nice right about then.

“Lyra and I figured that since we’re off work today we’d show you around town,” Bon Bon said.

“Your candy shop isn’t open on weekends?”

“Caramel works weekends.”

“Ah.” I had no idea who Caramel was, but that wasn’t all that important right then.

“It’s gonna be super-fun!” Lyra interjected. “We’ll take you to the museum, and Sugarcube Corner, and Town Hall, and we’ll stop for lunch at Hoagie’s restaurant...”

“Yes, we’ll do all those things, Lyra,” Bon Bon cut her off, again. Lyra smiled sheepishly.

“Sounds great,” I sighed. “Can I have some breakfast before we head out?”

“Of course,” Bon Bon said, opening up their pantry. She grabbed a box of grass flakes and proceeded to serve me a bowl. I ate it slowly, not talking to either of the ponies as I did. Lyra just read the paper, while Bon Bon tidied up the kitchen and moved into the living room, turning on the morning news.

I finished up just as Lyra folded up the section of the paper she was reading. Lyra told Bon Bon that I was done and just like that we were out the door.

We walked out of the residential area and into the heart of the town. Lyra and Bon Bon stayed close together, and I often found myself falling in line behind them at certain narrower points when we passed other ponies on their way about. They didn’t really try to make much conversation with me as we traveled that day, limiting their attention mostly to each other. At times I felt as if they’d forgotten they had a guest, and they were just out on a romantic day alone.

After a brief walk we arrived at the first stop on the day’s agenda, the Ponyville Art Gallery. The lobby was crowded with various ponies, some looking more confused than others. I played a game of picking out the tourists and the locals as Bon Bon went over to grab our tickets.

“This is a good museum,” Lyra said, trying to get some sort of conversation started. “The curator here has a real eye for the art that slips through the cracks of other galleries.”

“Yeah...” I was never an art lover. The old idiom of a picture being worth a thousand words never held true for me. I felt that writing had much more power than a single image could ever hope to have. Maybe that’s why I found my way to a publishing company in the end.

“It sure is nice that we’ve got such a great art gallery in our little town.”

“I bet it is.”

“This is our only real tourist trap, too, so sometimes you’ll see local ponies trying to promote their work outside.” We had seen some posters up outside advertising the local businesses.

“Whatever works, I guess.”

Bon Bon came back with our tickets and we went into the gallery. It wasn’t anything particularly impressive. The pieces all were pleasant enough, but nothing particularly stood out to me as excellent. Then again, to the untrained eye the Mare Lisa just looks like an earth pony smiling.

Bon Bon led the way through most of the museum. Lyra stayed glued to her side nearly the whole time. I followed behind them, glancing at the pieces as we walked by. Neither of my guides made any attempt to give any context to the paintings. We were kind of just on a scenic walk, really, more than a visit to an art gallery.

As we entered the third wing of the gallery, Lyra stopped in front of a painting. Bon Bon quickly realized that she was suddenly walking alone and went back to stand with the unicorn. I stopped behind them. It was a painting of a red rose, nothing particularly special. Lyra nuzzled closer to Bon Bon, who responded by kissing the top of her head. I turned away.

We passed through the rest of the gallery without much event. My favorite painting was a depiction of a rolling grassland. I could tell by looking at it the emotion the artist was putting into it. It wasn’t just another drawing that tried its best to emulate the object it was supposed to be. Rather, the artist used the hill as a medium to express the frustration he was feeling. The thick, pressed brush strokes were evidence of this.

Bon Bon led us out of the gallery, which had gotten busier as the day had progressed. There weren’t a ton of ponies, and it was still obvious that Ponyville wasn’t the biggest town, but this certainly seemed to be the main attraction.

With the increased crowd came more booths outside. A busker played a cello, several vendors used the smell of cinnamon and grease to attract hungry customers, an earth pony was selling cheap souvenir-like items to various passers-by. Overall, it seemed like standard tourist fare. Not something I’d expect in a town this small, but, as I’ve said, the hotel had to be filled somehow.

“Well, did you like the gallery?” Bon Bon asked, turning her head to look at me. I nodded.

“It’s always so relaxing in there,” Lyra said. “That was a good way to detox from this week.”

“Oh? What happened?” Bon Bon looked with concern to her partner.

“Work problems, you know, the usual.” Lyra sighed. “Anyway, this is supposed to be a break from all that.”

“Right. Well, next up on the agenda is getting lunch. You hungry, Jack?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit peckish.” We’d spent about three hours in the gallery, and grass flakes weren’t exactly designed to fill you up for that long.

“There’s a great sandwich shop shop just a short walk from here,” Bon Bon explained.

“OOH! Yeah! Hoagie’s is the best!”

Hoagie’s. Now I remembered the name. She’d said it before when I woke up but I was tired and it didn’t register. It was the same restaurant Twilight had taken me to on Thursday. I didn’t mind all that much, the place seemed nice enough. I just played along as if it was my first time so as to not make Bon Bon feel bad about taking me somewhere I’d already been. Plus, Lyra seemed excited, and with what she said earlier about work I figured the least I could do was give her something to be cheerful about.

Bon Bon didn’t lie when she said it was a short walk from the gallery. I hadn’t really registered where we were back when I was with Twilight. The painkillers kind of messed with my concentration. I’d started easing off of them, as my wings had started to hurt less, so I was better equipped to remember things now.

Again we wound up sitting outside. The pegasi in the town had given us another clear day, and most everypony was outside enjoying the sunshine.

“So, Jack, what’ve you been doing with your days?” Bon Bon got the conversation rolling.

“Well, on my first day I just kinda wandered around. Yesterday I just read in the bedroom.” I decided against specifics. I wasn’t too interested in opening up to a pony with an unhealthy interest in griffins and her lesbian partner.

“What’cha been readin’?” Lyra said, glancing up from her menu.

“A book I found on the bookshelf in that room.” I felt weird calling it my room in front of them.

“Where’d you go when you wandered around, exactly?” Bon Bon asked.

“Oh, you know, I went to the bank, grabbed some coffee, just walked around for a bit…” I didn’t tell them about the hotel. Or Twilight. I didn’t want them to get too suspicious that I was holding out on them, though, so I added, “I went to a park and pony-watched for a while.”

“Which park?” Bon Bon gave me a suspicious stare. “I wouldn’t think many of them would’ve had much traffic on a Thursday.”

“I don’t know the name of it,” I said confidently. “And there weren’t too many ponies, but there were a few playing with some dogs.”

The key to successful lying is to rapidly change the lie as new information comes in. Fortunately for me, Bon Bon was easy to read, and I was able to gauge her reaction well as I made my fabrication. I’d gotten good at lying thanks to my boss, who always questioned the stories I told when I was late to work. Half the time the real reason was that I had been out late at Cameron’s the previous night, but Ron the Suspicious often bought my explanations.

Lyra hadn’t contributed much to the conversation. Instead she occupied herself by sipping her glass of water and staring off into space. I looked up at the sky and noticed a few pegasi flying around, presumably for recreational purposes. It was a great day for flying. I looked back down at my casts and cursed the entire pigeon population in my head.

We sat in silence for a while, looking at the menus. Bon Bon and Lyra quietly discussed the entrees that stood out to them. I was indecisive, myself, but after a brief thought I decided on the romaine mix over the daisy sandwich.

“What are you getting, Jack?” Lyra glanced over her menu, her amber eyes looking inquisitive. She’d gotten happier since the gallery visit.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I responded. “I might just get a salad.”

“You should try one of their soups!” Lyra said. “The chef does a really good job with them.”

“Maybe I will.” I took another glance at the section of soups. I did have a salad last time I was here; maybe I should try something else. I picked out a lentil soup, and decided on getting half a daisy sandwich with it. I wasn’t too sure if that was going to be a great combination, but I was too hungry to care too much, anyway.

Soon after the waiter showed up, floating a notepad and pencil in front of him.

“Welcome to Hoagie’s, how are you all doing?”

“We’re fine,” Bon Bon answered. “We’re ready to order now, I think?” She glanced at me. I nodded.

“I’m going to have the cheese sandwich with a cup of tomato soup,” Bon Bon said.

“I’m having the same thing,” Lyra said, smiling her overly-wide smile. The waiter turned to me.

“Can I get half a daisy sandwich and the lentil soup, please?”

“Yep. Anything to drink for any of you?”

“I’m fine with water,” Bon Bon said.

“Yeah, so am I,” Lyra added.

“I’ll have a cup of apple juice,” I said.

“Okay, we’ll be out with your order as soon as we can.”

And just like that my menu barrier was gone. I now stared directly across the table at my hosts. Lyra was still smiling eagerly, and Bon Bon wore a smaller version or the grin. Both of them looked at me expectantly. Did they want me to start the conversation? What was I supposed to say?

“So…?” Lyra began. I stared blankly back at her.

“Are you gonna answer?” Lyra asked. They’d asked me something?

“Sorry, I must’ve missed your question.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Lyra said. Bon Bon gave her an “I told you so” look. “I asked which book you picked out to read. You know that bookshelf is my personal collection.”

“Oh, I’m reading A Thousand Paces to Trottingham.” It was a good enough book so far, despite having a recycled plot. It told the story of a mare who had to walk all the way from her home in Canterlot to Trottingham in order to meet with her dying mother.

“That’s a pretty good one,” Lyra replied. “When you finish that, though, you should check out The Forgotten Ones. It’s my favorite.”

“I’ll give it a shot, I guess.” I was already halfway through Thousand Paces, so I was going to need some more to read if I kept up my current pace.

Bon Bon gave Lyra a disapproving look after she made her recommendation. “Strings, I thought you grew out of your love of those fantasy stories.”

“Really? What gave you that impression?”

Bon Bon glanced at me. I reached for my water glass and took a sip, not wanting to interfere with their little domestic dispute. “I don’t know, I guess you just weren’t reading them as often.”

“Well, the sequels weren’t nearly as good,” Lyra replied. “They kept talking about wars that happened between the humans, but why would they fight against each other? It didn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

Her eyes met mine and she instantly looked down. “Oops, sorry, spoilers.”

I had no idea what she was talking about, but I guess I would find out if I read the book. I made a note to put The Forgotten Ones at the bottom of my “to read” list.

“Anyway…” Bon Bon was outwardly discomforted by the behavior of her roommate. “How’s the bed treating you, Jack?”

“Good enough, I guess.” I returned to my one-sentence answers, waiting on the food to arrive. Bon Bon asked me a few more pointless questions before the waiter returned, a platter of food floating alongside him.

I managed to eat in silence. I didn’t bother looking up at my hosts, and they made no effort to intrude. They probably just assumed I was lost in the good food, which in a way I was. The soup was absolutely superb, much better than the salad I had before. The daisies in the sandwich went well with the lentils. Bon Bon and Lyra both dug in to their respective dishes, and only occasionally commented on the fact that the chef was obviously at the top of his game today.

After a short while we were all finished. The waiter came over quickly with the check, since we were mostly alone at the restaurant. I insisted on paying my share of the check, and we were up and off to the next activity of the day.

Little did I know I’d managed to make it through the most social part of the day. Our next stop was a dessert shop that was only a short walk away. Lyra and Bon Bon resumed their walking pattern, leaving me to trail a short length behind. We didn’t talk much after lunch.

We walked in to the dessert shop and immediately were assaulted by an incredibly eager voice. “Hey Lyra! Hey Bon Bon! Hey…” The voice stopped as I walked in, and I noticed the source. A pink earth pony looked at me, a quizzical expression on her face.

“Hi, I’m J-” I was cut off by a loud gasp.

“YOU MUST BE NEW!” the pink pony exclaimed, a smile even wider than Lyra’s on her face. “My name is Pinkemina Diane Pie! Everypony calls me Pinkie Pie for short! Nice to meet you!”

“I’m Jack,” I replied. I gave a weak smile in response to her mile-wide grin. I noticed her cutie mark was neither pink nor a pie. Instead, it was three differently colored balloons. So her name had nothing to do with her talents, unlike everypony else. She was quite pink, however, but that made more sense. At the same time, though, I was glad my parents didn’t name me Grey Cheesecake or something like that.

“He’s staying with us for a few weeks while his wings heal up,” Bon Bon said, motioning with her head to my casts.

“Oh, I’m sorry you’re hurt. HEY! Wanna cupcake?” She motioned to a rack of baked goods with her hoof. “First one’s on the house, courtesy of your local pastry chef!” She glanced at Bon Bon, who gave her a half-hearted smile in return. Were they competitors? No, Bon Bon made candies, not baked goods. What was with the weird chemistry, then?

Lyra, Bon Bon, and I walked over to the desserts. They all looked absolutely delectable, and I still had plenty of room after lunch. Since she had said the first cupcake would be on the house, I decided two couldn’t hurt. I picked up one and carried it over to a table where Lyra and Bon Bon already were sitting with their selections before going back and grabbing another.

Pinkie came over to our table immediately after I sat down. “Ooh, great choice, or should I say choices!” She giggled. “You know I always say, two cupcakes are better than one!”

We all chuckled a bit. “Is this going to it for you guys?” Pinkie asked.

“Yeah,” Lyra said. “Thanks, Pinkie.”

“No problem! That’ll be twelve bits!”

I tossed in four while Bon Bon dug in her saddle bag for her wallet. Pinkie collected the money and headed back towards her station at the counter just as another group of ponies walked in.

The cupcakes were both delicious. I ate mine slowly, savoring each bite. Lyra and Bon Bon both ate theirs quickly, taking only four bites to get through the whole thing. I wondered how anyone could rush through something so rich, so tantalizing. I wanted to make the flavor last, they wanted to consume as much of it as possible. Then again, I was the one with two cupcakes in front of me, so I guess I shouldn’t be talking.

“They’re good, aren’t they?” Lyra asked, smiling, an empty plate in front of her. “Pinkie’s one of the best bakers in all of Equestria!”

Well, I didn’t know about that, but she certainly held her own. My taste buds delighted as I finished up the second cupcake. I looked forward to returning to Sugarcube Corner often during my stay.

As it stood, though, I was done being escorted around town. My legs were aching, and I was tired. While I had reduced my dose of painkillers, I still didn’t have the amount of energy I used to. I knew Lyra had mentioned some other things she wanted to do today, but I needed to go back to their house and rest.

I told this to my hosts and they agreed that I should go back to the house. “If you don’t mind, though,” Bon Bon said, “Lyra and I are going to wander around town by ourselves.” They looked at each other, a small smile on each of their faces. I looked down at the green plate my second cupcake had come on and picked it up, taking it to Pinkie at the counter.

“Come back soon!” she yelled as I left the bakery, Lyra and Bon Bon still inside.

Ponyville wasn’t really the type of town you could get lost in. It wasn’t quite big enough. In a way I was surprised there would even be a hotel in this town, let alone a full one. It was quite relaxing, but that was about all it had going for it. I quickly found myself back at Lyra and Bon Bon’s, and I pulled out the key they had given me and stepped inside.

In all honesty I wasn’t nearly as tired as I had been when I had met with Twilight that first day. I had kind of used the painkillers as an excuse to get away from spending time with my hosts. They were nice and all, but I just didn’t want to spend time with them.

I went into my room, crawled into bed, and opened up Thousand Paces to where I’d left off. The mare, Ruby Red, was stuck in a small town halfway between her hometown and her mother. She was trying to get a train ticket out of the town, but the next train didn’t come for another two days. She had nowhere to stay, and no idea what to do. I kind of empathized with her, my own situation being so similar. Still, she was complaining about two fucking days, whereas I was stuck here for six weeks. She could get over it, her mom wasn’t going to die until she got there.

I read for a while before I got hungry and grabbed some dinner. I went back in my room when that was finished. It was 6:00, and Lyra and Bon Bon were still out.

I had nearly finished the book when I heard the sound of the front door opening.

“What a fantastic day!” I recognized the voice as Lyra’s.

“It was nice spending time together, Strings.”

I put the book down and pulled the green sheets over my head, trying to isolate myself from the voices.

“You know we should go out together on weekends more often, Sweets.”

“Maybe we should.”

I closed my eyes, begging for sleep.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

Why couldn’t they stay on their own side of the goddamn fence?