“Tirek gets a job.”
Suggested by Animation Crusader
Gray Gravel’s rock farm had been in his family for generations. Sometimes, when he lost control and got too deep into his cups, he’d often brag that Saddleburg had in fact been founded because of the family rock farm. Rock farming was an art, an exact science, and he was immensely proud to be the patriarch of one of the only two rock farming families in the whole of the world.
But it was because rock farming was so difficult that times were getting tough for his little family. Crusher, his strongest worker, had up and left town a month back to seek his fame and fortune in the burgeoning world of professional wrestling, and there were now a number of large boulders on the property that nopony could move. Time was of the essence, and if those boulders weren’t moved and positioned perfectly, the entire harvest could be undone. Gravel had been getting desperate, had almost reached the point of swallowing his pride and sending a request for aid to the distant Pie family.
Then he’d found the note on his door requesting a job interview long after sunset.
Truth be told, he’d had no idea what to expect when he heard the knock on his office door just before midnight. And even with those wide-open expectations, he’d still been caught off guard when the door opened and an enormous red centaur had stepped in and sat heavily in the chair in front of his desk.
Gravel swallowed hard. “You… Ahem. You sent the note, I take it?”
“I did. Or rather, I had my wife drop it off for me.” The centaur smiled uneasily. “She’s able to blend in with you ponies more easily than I.”
“Strange… I think I would recall seeing a lady centaur traipsing across the fields.”
“Oh, she’s no centaur. Just a normal pony.” He chuckled lowly. “Sometimes.”
Gravel, who had no idea what could be amusing about the sentence and was still considering the possibility of running screaming from the room, forced a few small chuckles of his own. “Well, I’m here. And what is it I can do for you, Mister…?”
“Tirek. Lord Tirek.” The centaur reached out a huge hand.
Gravel barely swallowed the scream, got hold of his nerves, and extended his hoof. They shook carefully, and Gravel audibly sighed in relief when his appendage was free of the iron grip of the monster before him. “Lord?”
“Well, not anymore. I suppose it’s just Tirek now. That’s going to take some getting used to.”
“Well, the question stands; what can I do for you, Mister Tirek?”
“I need a job.”
The statement sounded so absurd, so comical, coming from the imposing beast before him that Gravel very nearly burst into laughter. He caught himself, turning the first giggle into a cough. “A job?”
“Yes. A job.” Tirek sat back in the chair, apparently not noticing the audible creak as it strained under him. “My family has recently relocated to Saddleburg, and I need to bring in some bits while my wife gets her business going.”
“And her business is…?”
“Photography. She’s quite good. I have little doubt that she’ll do well once word gets around, but we will need money before then.”
Gravel nodded slowly. “And what is your skillset, Mr. Tirek?”
Tirek only raised an eyebrow… and flexed his arms.
Gravel considered, then nodded. “Alright, I’m listening.”
“I’ve been watching your farm the past few days. I’ve seen some large boulders that neither you nor any of your farmhands are able to move. I can move those boulders, Mister Gravel. Those, and more. Any kind of heavy lifting on your rock farm, I can do with ease.”
“An interesting thought.” Gravel leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. “I don’t suppose you’d intend to work in the daytime, like the rest of the hands?” He looked back at Tirek and smiled. “You’d make quite the spectacle. I reckon the Pies don’t have a centaur workin’ for them.”
“I’d prefer not to.” Tirek actually looked somewhat embarrassed. “My family and I, we… we’re trying to lie somewhat low. I’d hate to attract any unnecessary attention.”
“…Are you in some kind of trouble, Mister Tirek?”
Tirek bit the inside of his cheek. “I… we… My family has done some… bad things in the past, Mister Gravel. We can’t change that. All we want is a fresh start, the chance to build something new.”
“And what’s that?”
“A home. Surely you can understand that.”
Gray Gravel did understand. “So you’ll wanna work at night. And I suppose you’ll also want me to pay you under the table.” When he saw the uncomprehending look in the centaur’s eyes, he smiled. “So there’s no paper trail.”
Tirek returned the smile. “Yes, that would be preferred.” He leaned forward. “So… does this mean I have the job?”
Gravel thought about the possible loss of the harvest. He thought about the ponies who depended on him, from his family to his field hands. He thought about acting in a borderline illegal way in order to pay an apparent fugitive from justice.
He thought about how much courage it must have taken for this powerful being to throw himself down to this level, just to provide for his family.
Gravel extended his hoof once again, and this time there was no hesitation. “Let’s give it a shot.”
Tirek grinned shook the offered hoof gratefully. “You won’t regret this, Mister Gravel.”
“Please, call me Gray.”
“Only if you call me Lord Tirek.”
Gravel froze.
“I’m kidding.”
The two shared a laugh and spent the next few minutes hashing out the details; hours of work, rate of pay, and the like. Once everything was sealed with another shake, the two stood and made for the office door. “So your wife’s trying to be the new town photographer. I’m sure that’ll work out. Ya’ll have any kids?”
“One.” Seeing the question on Gravel’s face, he answered it before it could be asked. “She’s a pegasus. Adopted.”
“School-aged?”
“Yes. That’s a major reason we decided to settle here. Your school system is quite superb.”
“I’ll be sure to pass the compliment to my cousin, seein’ as how she’s the superintendent.” Gravel opened the door for his new employee. “My youngest, Onyx Bolt… I’m sure he’d love to show her around once school starts back up.”
“I’m sure Cozy would enjoy that.” Tirek paused at the door and looked at his new employer. “Thank you, Gray. Not many ponies would take a chance on… on someone like me.”
Gravel shrugged. “What you did before you came to Saddleburg ain’t any concern of mine, Tirek. I look at you, and you know what I see?”
“A monster?”
“A husband and a father. Somepony who just wants to do right by his own.” He tapped his hoof against the solid muscle of the centaur’s arm. “Somepony like me.”
Tirek smiled and nodded. “See you tomorrow night, then.”
“Bright and early. Er… or whatever the opposite of that is.” Gravel closed the door behind the centaur and trotted back to his desk. With shaking hooves, he opened a drawer, pulled out a bottle of clear liquid, and took a long, burning drink. The liquor steadied his nerves somewhat, and he breathed out in relief.
He was sure that things were going to work out, and that Tirek fella really did seem like a genuinely good guy…
…but stars above, was he ever intimidating.
Gray Gravel took one more swig, then capped the bottle and put it back where he found it. He hopped back into his chair, opened his ledger, and started making notes.
It looked like the harvest was going to be just fine after all.