//------------------------------// // Unexpected Gifts // Story: Norrath, Earth, Equestria. A Construct's Journey // by Nimnul //------------------------------// They'd returned home without incident and settled in for a quiet evening with Lyra's parents. As opposed to the meal after their arrival in Canterlot, companionable silence seemed to be the norm. Landshark was somewhat surprised to see Enny knitting, although the construct had already begun to suspect that ponies, at least those from smaller settlements, placed a great deal of value on a personal touch in such things. "Who're you knitting for?" "This is a warm hat for one of the little colts at the orphanage. I noticed his current one is rather threadbare, and not everypony is so well insulated as I." She grinned. "I also have some scarves completed. Perhaps you knew, but many of their things are previously owned and donated. They are very active children, there is wear and tear." Enny pursed her lips. "I spoke unkindly of the Matron previously. I should say that she has been making an effort to behave nicer towards her charges." "You used some of your last words before being captured by changelings to call her out on being unpleasant." Landshark shrugged. "Maybe that triggered some introspection later." "Hah, perhaps that is so." She turned her attention back to her knitting. Landshark enjoyed moments like this, where nothing much happened, and nothing was expected to happen. She'd once told Bon Bon that she enjoyed the idea of existing to no special purpose when the pony had remarked that Landshark wasn't making particularly good use of all the extra hours freed up by barely needing any sleep. She took note of the fact that Bon Bon was at rest near the fireplace, eyes closed, only occasionally flicking an ear at whatever fragmentary conversation took place. As the construct had explained to her friends, fighting, even particularly frightening foes, or instances where she'd been dismantled, didn't cause any permanent damage to her. They weren't good memories, of course, but her mind processed them like anything else. That's why she was fairly good at slipping into civilian life. Well, okay, she'd been incompetent at it, but that had been ignorance, not any serious affliction. On the other end of the spectrum were people like Bon Bon. Landshark wasn't so conceited as to think that the meat brain was inherently unsuited to dealing with trauma when compared to her own mind. Why did some people get marked so much more obviously by their experiences? The construct would probably never know, so she didn't think about it much. Hardly seemed productive anyway. All she knew was that there were extremely few people and places that allowed the part of Bon Bon's brain that would always be wired for crises to simmer down sufficiently for the mare to truly relax. Landshark enjoyed moments like this, where nothing was expected to happen. To Bon Bon, not expecting anything to happen had to feel far more precious. She spared a thought for her old comrades. Hopefully the humans got to enjoy their holidays undisturbed. "Do you guys have a honing steel in the kitchen?" Landshark hesitated. Did unicorns even need a tool like that to realign curled knife edges? "Allow me." Mutual Advantage put down the book he had been reading and stood up. Enny shot him a smile and continued knitting. Landshark got up as well. "Thanks. Have to grab something from my coat." The stallion returned with the requested tool. "Here you go." "Thanks, M." Landshark had retrieved her folding knife and some of her maintenance kit. The knife didn't see particularly heavy use, but lint and dirt could accumulate over time as she kept it in her coat's pocket. While she was at it, she applied a drop of oil to the hinge. She hadn't found any evidence of dry lubricants so far, whether they hadn't been invented yet or had yet to catch on she didn't know. She worked the hinge a few times before carefully wiping off any excess oil, to prevent dirt from sticking to it once the knife was returned to her coat. Unable to detect any need to actually use the honing steel, she snapped the knife shut. She turned to her next blade, also a relic from the human world. It was more like something she might have crafted. Not legendarily sharp, but very sturdy, the sort of tool you could hit with a blunt object to drive the edge through wood or bone more easily. Again, there wasn't much to do but to wipe the blade off, then apply a thin coating of oil. "Whatcha' using?" Apparently Bon Bon had taken an interest. "Mineral oil. Two Bits a bottle at the pharmacy. Doesn't go rancid but also not unhealthy if I ever prepare food for anyone with the knife." "Mhm. Fair enough." Landshark finally turned to the last knife she'd brought to Canterlot. It was, in fact, something she had crafted, a cheap, mild steel number to get back into practice. It was certainly more prone to the sort of deformations one might smooth out with the honing steel. It was more disposable also. The construct had never thought very much about knives. They were useful utility items, of course, and rarely might be used for actual fighting, but they had merely been things. Now, the blades she'd had in her possession when she was torn away from the human world seemed like irreplaceable relics, in a way. Despite the mundanity of their construction, she'd feel regret when they were no longer of use, although realistically this would probably take a very long time unless they were severely damaged. Resharpening was not required often and the process only removed relatively minute amounts of material. Still, she might eventually retire them and keep them as mementos. "I'm on to you, Shark." The construct had no idea what her friend meant. "That hurts. I've been making an effort not to plot against you." Bon Bon rolled her eyes. "I've lost count of how many times I've watched you tinker around with your guns, even though you never use them, and store them properly. Now we're on vacation, you left 'em at home, and you start doing it with your knives. And you barely did anything because they're in good shape." "Treat your kit right and it treats you right. Yeah, I don't spend any time practicing on the range because of the supply situation. But if I start slacking off on maintenance for a good reason, I might start doing it for bad ones. Just because I'm not worried doesn't mean I shouldn't be prepared." "Aw, you just hate being unarmed." Bon Bon smiled warmly and closed her eyes again. "Just reminding you that we're not that different. In the spirit of Hearth's Warming, if you want." "I guess that's true as well. Doubt I'll ever drop that particular habit. You don't just stay in shape because you're health-conscious, do you?" She certainly appreciated the sentiment, considering she was never going to see any of her sisters again. "Just seems sensible. Can't fly or summon lightning, can't do magic, and trying to bite things can get impractical. Less than arm's reach. Gotta make sure the tools are in good shape." She wasn't actually that proficient in a knife fight either, and ponies kicked with enough force to mess up her knees, but with some pointers from Bon Bon, the construct had at least gotten some sense for how ponies moved in a fight, so she could avoid damage to herself better, because at least she could move very quickly. Nobody back home had told her how to handle hostile equines, however small. "You're also a lot less imposing than diamond dogs can get," Mutual Advantage added. "Although the ones I've known prefer to be armed as well. You know, caravan escorts, that sort of thing. I think some of them find biting uncivilized. Depends on the pack, of course. Anyway, we always prided ourselves on hiring anybody willing to put in honest work, not just ponies." "That is a thing I noticed about you, back when we first met. Perhaps I would not have taken an interest if you had been the way we think of Equestrians – poorly suited to cooperating with beings other than ponies." Enny smiled. "Quite a shame that would have been." "I'm not arguing with the results either," Bon Bon joked. "Truth is, of course, that non-ponies worked for cheaper and didn't complain as much." The stallion took a sip from a glass of wine before elaborating. "It's often that way out on the fringes. You can't always get a pony with an applicable cutie mark for whatever the job is. So for performance, it makes no difference if you hire some other creature or a pony with an unrelated mark – but the pony might run off to chase the chance to really do something with their cutie mark. A dog or a gryphon's just as loyal as any pony if you treat 'em right. They don't get so dissatisfied from doing scut work, either. They're there to make a living, not because it's their destiny." "I guess that makes sense." Cutie marks would probably always be bewildering to the construct, but they mostly seemed to work out for ponies. Finding out that the task her sisters had been made for was at its core malevolent tended to leave Landshark a little wary of anything that seemed to indicate what a being should do with their life. Perhaps if the start of her life had been completely meaningless she might appreciate a little direction, but as it was, the idea of cutie marks continued to hold little appeal to her. Lyra's father chuckled. "I don't mind telling you, I was a little jealous how well they dealt with the cold. Almost made me miss Zebrica." "Well, I would not like Zebrica. I barely tolerate the warmer parts of Equestria." "You wouldn't sweat so much if you got your coat trimmed down in the summer, love." "Trimming? This is already barely a coat fit for a real winter, and thinner yet when it gets warm." Enny snorted. "The concessions I make, pah. I'm too prideful to go around looking like some thin-bone summer pony." Bon Bon snickered. "Thin-boned? Don' make me laugh." "I suppose I never did mind avoiding hotter climates for vacations," Mutual Advantage conceded before picking his book back up. "You just don't wanna look any less cuddly," Bon Bon accused her. Enny just snorted again in seeming derision, but she was smiling. The lazy calm was interrupted by forceful knocking at the apartment door. Bon Bon grumbled. "Be real surprised if that was Lyra already. You expecting anypony?" "We do not," Enny declared as she carefully put away her knitting. "Hopefully it's not a tenant with some manner of problem or complaint." Since Bon Bon also got up from her spot, Landshark stood up, presumably to accompany the two ponies to the door. Mutual Advantage had apparently decided to stay put. She wasn't that curious, really. Her hosts had their own lives and she couldn't begin to guess who had to see them the evening before Hearth's Warming Eve. If Bon Bon was curious enough to get up, the construct might as well follow suit, however. Apparently it just wasn't going to be that simple, for when Enny reached out with her magic to open the door, it was Princess Luna on the other side, flanked by two of those peculiar pegasus guards with the bat wings. Although Landshark would have loved to make a glib comment about the princess intruding on their evening, she managed to keep her mouth shut, this wasn't her home, after all. "Well, this is unexpected." Enny bobbed her head downwards ever so briefly, even being extremely charitable, it could barely count as hinting at a formal bow. "Come in, come in, Princess!" "Greetings! You are the Lady Heartstrings, I presume?" The princess also nodded acknowledgements towards Landshark and Bon Bon as she stepped into the apartment, her guards remaining outside by the stairwell. "Princess." Bon Bon nodded curtly and turned towards the kitchen, probably expecting Enny to offer the latest guest a snack or a drink. That was pretty much what Landshark had planned to say also, so she just nodded. "Lady? Hah, we're no nobles, princess." Enny sounded amused as she pointed a hoof towards the dining room. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Perhaps you'd care for coffee? Your night is only just starting, yes?" "A fine idea, thank you." Apparently Enny's husband wasn't hard of hearing, because he came trotting out from the living room to greet the princess as well, with a real bow. "Princess Luna. Welcome. What can we do for you?" "Please, rise. There's no need for that." Luna didn't seem to mind the gesture too much. Perhaps she was a little more old fashioned than her sister and less embarrassed by the deference? They settled into the dining room while Enny prepared coffee, although Landshark merely leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms as Luna addressed the others. "I apologize, but I am actually here to speak to one of your guests." The princess inclined her head towards Bon Bon. This, for some reason, seemed to annoy Bon Bon, but before the earth pony could say anything, the stallion responded to Luna. "That's fair enough, Highness. Just so, I'll say that Bon Bon's as good as family here, so if it's anything unpleasant, my wife's liable to ask you to leave and save it for after the holidays." Mutual Advantage obviously wasn't comfortable saying this at all, but the statement was just as obviously appreciated by Bon Bon. "I'll back her, of course." Luna quirked a brow, she probably didn't get to hear that sort of thing all that often. "I assure you, that won't be necessary." "How'd you know I was here anyway?" The tone of Bon Bon's question was almost accusing. "T'is quite simple. Although I do not usually differentiate between our ponies as they lay dreaming, you've opted out of the service I provide, so it is necessary to be able to recognize you, yes?" As an explanation, she added, "The realm of dreams is not well suited to tracking the location of a pony. By its nature, it is imprecise. Such things do not readily map onto geographical reality. Still, you did not rest 'where' I last noticed you, for lack of a better term." She gestured towards Landshark. "Your friend has been seen in Canterlot. Heartstrings is the name of your beloved. Call it a bit of detective work, or a well-founded guess." It was nice to know that apparently a little bit of effort had to go into tracking someone down, even if you were an alicorn. Still, maybe there were other ponies who just happened to be called Heartstrings who had nearly gotten a royal visit? It was a big city, and Landshark had no idea which names were common and which weren't among ponies. "Fair enough," Bon Bon conceded. "So how can I help you?" "Don't you have a job? Or is the palace closed for the holidays?" It obviously wasn't that easy to get a rise out of Luna. Still, the princess actually offered a response, which Landshark hadn't necessarily expected. "I may raise the moon earlier in winter, but I do not open the night court sooner." "Fair enough," the construct echoed Bon Bon's earlier response. "I am here as a favor to another, in fact." Luna produced a slim folder. As she wasn't wearing saddlebags, Landshark suspected some manner of magical sleigh of hand was used to retrieve the item, which Luna set down on the table. "Twilight asked me to share this with you and Lyra. Although she has not invested as much time as Lyra has, she assures me that some of this should still be new to you." "Well, that's jus' playing dirty." Bon Bon didn't scowl, merely frowned. Landshark thought of Bon Bon as a reasonably pony, so she assumed that Bon Bon would accept a well-meaning gesture, although perhaps not right away. She could be grumpy. "I don't wanna owe her." The earth pony grumbled moodily. "Fine, we'll give it a read later. She better not expect special consideration for this, though!" Landshark was sure that Twilight meant well, and she also knew that Bon Bon wasn't particularly good at accepting help from people she wasn't close to, perhaps that made Twilight's reluctance to deliver the reading material herself understandable. Nevertheless, she couldn't help help feeling annoyed that Twilight wasn't leaving her friends alone. Luna inclined her head in a small nod. "I will let her know. In the meantime, how have you been doing?" Maybe Luna just felt she could use a reminder on dealing with ponies who acted like surly jerks after her thousand years on the moon. Landshark wasn't sure why else the princess would bother. "Meh. Been worse." "Bonny," Enny stuck her head into the room. "Don't be such a sourpuss. You were having a perfectly nice day." It was more gentle coaxing than any sort of admonishment. "Coffee will be a few minutes yet, Princess." Luna acknowledged it with another nod while Bon Bon sighed softly. "Sorry Enny. I'll behave." Seemed to be a testament to Bon Bon's great fondness for Lyra's mother that her mood had been saved from tanking so easily. "C'mon Shark, don't just stand there like a lemon, take a seat already." Landshark pushed off the wall and sat down next to Bon Bon. Maybe the earth pony just didn't want to sit alone opposite the imposing alicorn. Landshark would have preferred to stand. When a pony only sat their rear end down, they didn't lose a lot of height. For a sitting biped, the loss of height was greater, and she didn't really appreciate Luna seeming so much taller. A petty concern, so she didn't bring it up, this time. "Life's good," Bon Bon admitted. "Business is steady. I seem to be getting decent sleep a little more often? Lyra's been wound up lately, that should be resolving itself now, too. And I got good friends." She smiled a little. "See? Nothing much to complain about. Winter just gets me moodier than normal. But what's it to you?" The princess didn't offer a direct response to the question. Her expression suddenly spread into an almost mischievous grin. "I'm glad that you're faring well, Bon Bon. Tell me, have you made any plans to propose to your beloved?" Bon Bon rolled her eyes, but she did seem to blush. Lyra's father chuckled quietly, but continued to stay out of the conversation. He was perhaps too much of a normal pony to just comfortably have a conversation with an alicorn. "Well," Bon Bon slowly explained. "I guess in our situation, you know, me running the store, Lyra only irregularly working, there'd be some tax benefits to being married. Some decent legal reasons, too. I do both our taxes anyway, would be less work." Although Landshark was aware that Bon Bon had a good head for numbers, having taught the construct how to handle her smithy's financial affairs, she wasn't sure Bon Bon was entirely serious just now. "I think it would be a bigger deal for Lyra, though," Bon Bon added. "I don't want her to feel tied down in case things stop working between us." Landshark made a fist and gave the earth pony a friendly punch to the shoulder. "Ow. What gives?" "That's for trying to sneak a 'Lyra could do better than me' past us." "That's the proper response to that sort of attitude," Mutual Advantage agreed with a smirk. "Look at it the other way around. Call a spade a spade, if you will." Landshark extended her arms in a sweeping gesture. "You're never going to score anything better than this. Nobody knows you as well as Lyra does, and she's still sticking around. Her parents like you and have money to spare. Lyra's smart, she's got a good heart, I assume she's easy on the eyes, too, if you react to that sort of thing. You on the other hand had nothing going for you but sleep deprivation and a surly attitude. Plus, you're awful at meeting new ponies unless it's forced on you." She wasn't a fan of speaking so bluntly about her friend, but it was Bon Bon who had started talking about financial factors of marriage when that probably hadn't been what Luna was thinking about. The princess probably didn't know the tax code by heart. The construct shrugged. "You already lucked out, might as well toss a ring on it." She snapped her jaw, then hesitated briefly. "If wedding rings are a thing here." Bon Bon glowered at her friend. "I got it on good authority that I cleaned up real nice, too." Well, that probably meant she hadn't taken real offense. Luna apparently wasn't entirely certain whether Bon Bon had been serious, but was seemingly willing to dismiss the construct as just trying to get a rise out of the present company. On the other hand, Landshark suspected the princess had just meant to tease Bon Bon anyway. "I had imagined a somewhat more sentimental approach to matrimony, I suppose." "Still kind of a big deal to a lot of ponies, I think." Bon Bon rubbed her chin and addressed Mutual Advantage. "Just never really been on my mind, I guess. You think Lyra would have brought it up if she didn't know I don't much like to draw attention?" "I don't know, I was still taught it's the stallion who usually proposes. At least that's how it was for us." He cracked a grin. "Not helpful, I know." At this point, Enny came ambling in, levitating a few cups of coffee. Placing one in front of Princess Luna, she offered her opinion. "I am not convinced she has thought of it previously. This may yet change. After all, she is overcoming her fears, lately." She passed right through the room, still carrying two cups, presumably to offer them to the guards Luna brought with her. "Well, you guys do what feels right, I guess. If you ever decide to get married don't forget to invite me. Never been to a wedding before." Landshark assumed it would be a nice symbolic gesture to have a wedding, but the two had been together for a few years and would probably take offense to the idea that their relationship was somehow incomplete just because they hadn't made it official. "Yeah yeah, don't get your hopes up yet, jerk." Luna had patiently sipped her coffee. Landshark idly wondered if she'd just magicked it to be proper drinking temperature. Now the princess cleared her throat. "Have you reconsidered your stance, Bon Bon? You still do not sleep as soundly as I would wish for our ponies." "I don't want anypony rootin' around in my head." Bon Bon didn't meet Luna's eyes. "But I guess I can't stop you." That sort of resignation was hurtful to Luna, it seemed, but she gave it another try. "I'll respect you choice, but you might consider it as a gift to Lyra as well? I cannot take away what ails you, but I could grant you, and her, a few undisturbed nights. I do not think anything you could dream would shock or disturb me." Bon Bon frowned. It seemed as though she wasn't immediately sure what to say. Certainly, she'd expressed regret in the past that Lyra had to put up with her difficulties sleeping. Of course, Landshark wasn't certain Luna's assurance that Bon Bon's dreams wouldn't be anything new to her had been helpful. Besides, mentioning Lyra felt like a cheap trick, which made the construct angry. Getting mad at alicorns was ultimately unsatisfying. The emotion didn't feel visceral and she'd gotten pretty good at reasoning her way through it. For example, wouldn't it actually be good for Bon Bon to actually accept a little help now and then? Landshark snapped her jaws shut to draw attention before she opened them enough to speak. "Of course nothing she'll dream about it going to be shocking to you. She's a finite little mortal and fought little mortal battles. You screwed up big enough to get banished for a thousand years. Don't you think that's intimidating? What if you get a look at something that gives her nightmares and it's a real anticlimax to someone who's been around as long as you have?" She turned to face Bon Bon. "If that's the issue, you should just accept her help. The lady's just trying to feel useful, since pony civilization didn't fall into madness during a millennium of unsupervised dreaming." A cheap little thrill, insulting Luna while, technically, taking her side. But a thrill nonetheless. "I was having a good day, y'know," Bon Bon muttered. With a shake of her head, she continued. "Fine, if it makes you happy, keep an eye on my dreams for a couple of nights. But I'm not your bloody charity case. I don't wanna be well just because I'm made and kept so by a princess. I still got some pride." She pointed at the folder Luna had placed on the table earlier. "If it's anything like what Lyra's looked up in the past, at least that'll still take honest effort on our part to help." Seemed safe to assume it was some manner of coping strategy Twilight thought Bon Bon hadn't tried yet. Luna only glowered briefly at Landshark before smiling at Bon Bon. "Thank you. It grieves me whenever one of our ponies has cause to fear sleep as an inescapable enemy. But please trust your princess to set her priorities sensibly. Helping you will not happen to the detriment of other ponies in need." "Yeah, okay," Bon Bon mumbled, inspecting her hooves. "That's good." It was probably important for Bon Bon to know that she wasn't the only pony to suffer recurring nightmares. Or perhaps she just didn't want to draw attention away from someone supposedly more deserving, sometimes Bon Bon thought that way. "Lyra's going to appreciate it. Thanks, Princess." Emptying her cup of coffee, Luna stood. "Think nothing of it. And please do not worry. I shan't judge." She offered Mutual Advantage a nod. "My thanks for your hospitality, and apologies for taking up your time. But now, duty calls." "That's quite alright. I'm very grateful you're doing a favor to Bon Bon and my daughter, by extension." Realization seemed to strike him. "My wife never came back in. I hope she hasn't hassled your guards too much." There hadn't been a problem. It turned out that Enny had merely been trying to quiz the guards about their home and describing her birthplace as they drank coffee. After briefly being caught up on Luna's offer, the large unicorn seemed genuinely touched. She offered a real bow, this time. "It was painful to be unable to guarantee sound sleep to one under my roof, especially one so dear to us. You have my gratitude." Goodbyes were said while Luna's guards quickly drained their remaining coffee. Luna left, presumably to open the night court. "Those thestrals were quite polite. A little staid, perhaps," Enny commented. At least it reminded Landshark what to call those kinds of ponies. "No hoof-wrestling?" Mutual Advantage was probably joking. "I suggested nothing of the sort. I had to convince them to even accept the coffee, so I was not going to push my luck!" "They were on duty. Probably wanted to maintain some decorum. But let's just go back to what we were doin'," Bon Bon suggested.