//------------------------------// // Help for Hire // Story: To Call the Moon My Own // by That_Random_Pony //------------------------------//                        The morning went by as the last. Tony got up, changed into another set of Rarity's clothes, ate, and left. This time though, he went down the dirt road to the Acres. And maybe his new job. It was very cloudy, due to the pending rain storm that was supposed to hit tomorrow.                         He could see the rows of apple trees well before he actually got there. And of course, the orange mare with her stetson bucking the trees down. He didn't see Big Mac, but then again he messed up a leg pretty bad. Tony cringed slightly as his instincts told him to duck and cover every time Applejack landed a hit on the trees. Just the thought of gunfire got It excited.                         " Applejack", Tony called to get her attention. She stopped midkick to turn and wave at him.                         " Hey Tony", she tipped her hat. " Come to help out with th' apple buckin'?".                          " Actually yeah", he smiled. He grabbed one of the baskets that was filled. " I came by to ask if you were hiring around the farm".                          Applejack rubbed her hoof on her chin as she thought. " With Mac outta it we could use some help. But ah'm afraid it won't pay much", she said sadly.                           Tony's usual self took over. " It's fine Applejack. I'm just glad I can help out", he smiled. This seemed to lift her spirits as she returned the smile.                         " Then get to it. We gotta haul in all these apples 'fore that storm hits", she directed. " Rainbow said it wad gonna be a doozy an' ah don't doubt'er when its th' weather".                                  Tony nodded and got to it. The extra sleep really seemed to help out. He could already feel some of his strength returning. Not enough to power his rites but enough to work with Applejack. Most of it was him just helping her bring the apples to the barn so they could store them. They worked in sync, Tony placing the baskets, then Applejack bucking them down, and Tony running to the barn to empty them out. It was a nice change from doing nothing, which he wasn't very fond of.                         Still, the extent of the damages were clear. He was out of breath way before he should have been. He was practically pushing himself harder each time he ran to and fro. Once they did finally get all the apples inside the barn they started piling the hay. It was much easier for Tony, since hands came in handy. It also gave him a chance to see how much strength he had left in them. And again, not enough to access his rites. Even without them he worked as hard as always.                        " One...last...bale", Applejack grunted as she pushed the hay into a wall of them. " Phew! Thank ya kindly Tony. If ah didn't have you helpin' ah don't think ah woulda got this done!".                         " But didn't you say you have a sister?", Tony reminded her. Applejack chuckled lightly.                        " Yeah, mah little sister. She ain't cut out fer the heavy stuff me an' Mac get done aroun' here". Tony nodded and sat on one of the bales of hay he placed. Applejack sat on another, sweaty from their work.                         Tony took this moment to catch his breath. He was definitely low on energy, both rite and stamina wise. But the work on his muscles were for a good reason. He had helped Applejack before a big storm, and Minira knows what would have happened if he didn't help. His help also brought up another question, one he hadn't asked any of the girls.                        " Applejack". The farm pony looked to him from where she sat. " Are we...friends?". She seemed surprised by the question, but it soon changed into a smile.                       " O' course we're friends!", she laughed. " Ya helped save Luna, kept Rainbow from hurtin' herself, and ya helped me out around the farm! Yur a mighty good friend from what ah can tell".                         He was starting to get used to being called friend. Before it sounded strange to hear it being directed to him, but now it filled him with a sense of warmth. Something he hadn't felt in a long time.                          " Thank you Applejack", he said softly. " You're a good friend too". She smiled at him and looked outside.                        " Looks like it's gettin' dark out", she said. " Might wanna get to the library 'fore Twilight locks ya out".                         Tony smiled and nodded. " Yeah, don't wanna be anymore soggy right?", he chuckled. She chuckled as she put the stetson back on her head and stood up. " See ya, boss".                         Applejack rolled her eyes playfully and pushed him out. " Go on then", she chuckled.                         With another light shove Tony jogged out of the barn. A smile covered his usual serious face as he made his way back into Ponyville. He even waved to some of the ponies, and Lyra who was with Bon Bon. He passed by Sugarcube Corner and waved to Pinkie who was serving a table of ponies.                          Not far from the tree that was the library he slowed down. The acheing in his legs was something he would expect from fighting a pack of soldiers or a Signa, but today it was from honest labor with a friend. He still couldn't get over the happiness from knowing he had a friend. Before he could knock he froze. Celestia, Luna, Rarity, and Applejack. They all...think I'm their friend. Do the others...think the same?                          His thoughts subsided when the door opened. Dan walked right into him as he walked out.                         " Oh. My bad", Dan chuckled. " So how'd it go?".                         " I got the job", Tony smiled. Dan gave him a high five and shouted victoriously. " And where are you going?".                         Dan held up the schedule. " Thursday night? Unts-unts?", he pumped his hands in the air. " I'm helping Flare behind the counter until V trusts me enough with her equipment".                         " When are you comin' back?", Tony questioned as Dan went around him.                          " I'll be back around 12. Maybe 1 if business is boss", he grinned. " And a word of advice bro. Take. A. Shower".                          Tony pulled his collar out and sniffed inside his shirt. Sweat and dirt...with a hint of hay. All in a day's work. " Sure", he chuckled. " Peace".                          " Peace", Dan shouted as he did his two finger salute. He walked off and Tony went inside. The bookworm was at it again, finishing the Daring Do novel.                          This time however, she put it down and turned to him. " Hey Tony, so how'd it go?", she asked.                           " Pretty good. I got the job", he smiled. Spike walked in with an emerald in his hand.                           " Told you", he said with his eyes sparkling at the gem. He tossed it up and caught it with his tongue, then rolled it into his mouth and chewed.                           Tony knew of the Nera'ak's diet aside from meat. They enjoyed the fine gems such as rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds. Especially diamonds. Though Nyla rarely got any because of Earth's lack of them.                           " Hey Twilight, some pony named Mirror Crescent was asking for that book about the Elements of Harmony", Spike said. " Do you remember where it is?".                           " I think somepony already checked it out", Twilight told the young drake.                            Tony disregarded their conversation and went upstairs to shower. When he went into his room however he saw a flat box sitting on his bed. He walked over to it and examined it carefully. He picked it up and gently placed it on the floor, then he took off his shirt and tucked a piece of it between the wedge of the lid. He went to the other side of the bed while holding his shirt. At the count of three he yanked his shirt and covered his head.                           When nothing happened he peered over the bed and saw the box and his room was still there.  Maybe I should relax like Dan said                           Inside of the box was a note on top of what looked like a fancy shirt. He put the note on the nightstand and took everything out. Along with the dark blue shirt was an even darker blue pair of pants. The crease at the front of it ran all the way down the pant legs. There was even a black undershirt and belt to go with it. He laid it on his bed to get a better look at it. He even imagined himself wearing it, and boy was it nice. He noticed that at the right of the chest was outlined diamonds of white. Rarity                        After neatly folding the clothes to keep them decent he looked at the note.                                      Tony,                      I stopped by to show you your new suit. I can't imagine you'll look anything but charming at the Gala! Dan also received his ensemble for the occasion, but I haven't gotten your word on it. If there's anything wrong with it don't be afraid to tell me.                                                                         --Rarity                         Tony smiled at the note and put it inside the box. He pushed it under the bed for it to stay until the Gala. Truthfully, he didn't think one thing was wrong with the suit. It looked very exquisite, but nothing less was expected from Rarity. He got back to what he had come for and stepped into the shower to get rid of the stench. Even after the soothing warmth against his tired muscles he wasn't exactly tired.                          Twilight would be heading to bed anytime now, and Spike may have gone to bed. So Tony did the only thing he knew to pass the time. He stepped out onto the platform and climbed on top of the tree. The tree was stable, even though it was hollow, and he was able to climb onto a particularly large branch. He laid himself on the slanted branch, his feet against the trunk of it. The feeling of being on the branch brought back all the memories of when he was three cycles. Before any of it happened.                         He would always be out on a starry night like this one, the moon with its luminous glow, and the cool breeze brushing against his cheek. His brothers would be with him, Agner pointing out all the constellations of the Makti's past weapons. Derekosh would keep silent with him as they basked in the beauty of the night. Jaqeluu would meditate, and miss out on the sight, while Fermot played his Ukra. It was similar to a flute, only it produced deeper and more soothing notes.                        He closed his eyes as the warmth of his childhood came back to him.                       Luna was going through some of the requests she had received that night. Many ponies who couldn't attend night court often sent her letters voicing their needs. As she went through them she listened to the music on the iPod Tony had given her.  If you wanna scream YEEEEEAAAAAH Let me know and I'll take, you there Getcha goin' like ah-oo baby baby ooh baby baby Ah-oo baby baby ooh baby If you wanna turn riiiight Hope you're ready to go, all night                          She came to an odd request from Pinkie Pie for fireworks. Hesitantly, she pressed her green inked hoof to approve her request. Luna only hoped it wasn't like the stunt last year. She and Rainbow had practically hospitalized Cherilee for a heart attack.  Scream, Usher Usher Usher, la da, la da da da da dow, Hey, tonight I'm screaming my needs Oooooooooh-oooooooooooooh-oooooooooooooh-ooooooooooh Aow! Ye-                        Luna stopped as the song faded until she heard nothing. The iPod sat on the desk she was using to sort the papers. She wiped her right hoof on the sponge she used to get the ink off and tapped the screen. Nothing. She tapped it again but still nothing happened. Using her magic she brought closer to her and she pressed down on the button on top. Then she tried the circular buttons on the side.                         " What is wrong with it?", she wondered out loud. The thought occured to her that it could have broken, she had been going to sleep with the headphones playing music as she drifted.                              A bit frantickly she shook it in her magic grasp. When that didn't work she tried tapping it slightly harder with her hoof.                         " Maybe Tony knows what is the matter", she said to herself. She turned back to the requests, only a medium stack remained to be approved or disapproved. She weighed out the possible consequences, until she finally decided.                         " I'll only be gone a minute", she declared silently. She magicked the filled out requests to her sister's chambers then stepped into the hall where her night guards waited. " Lancer, Stalker, if anypony should ask for us inform them we are busy at the moment".                           " Yes Princess", they saluted.                            " And if Celestia should ask inform her we have gone to visit Ponyville for a brief moment". The Lunar guards opposite the door prepared to join her. " Alone. We will be back shortly Liutenant Lancer".                          The guards weren't about to argue with their princess. " Yes Princess", they saluted again.                          In a flash of magic their princess was gone. Liutenant Lancer sealed her door and stood at attention.  In Ponyville...                         Luna appeared on the platform that led to Tony's room. When she stepped in she half expected him to throw her down again. To her surprise the room was vacant. She knew he liked to look at the stars, which brought his words of her night back to mind. She took flight and looked to see where he was. Her mane and coat kept her hidden from Tony as he half stargazed half remembered.                          She went to every spot that would give a clear view of the night. He wasn't at any of them. She flew back to the library in hopes of finding him there, but again his room was empty. Before she could go ask Twilight Sparkle a branch fell onto the platform.                              Tony had barely caught the explosive when it slipped out of his pocket. If it wasn't for his heightened senses the platform, and most of the library, wouldn't be where it was. He carefully put it back in his pocket and went back to gazing at the moon, though a little less attentative as before.                        Luna looked up into the tree that served as Twilight's home and job. She couldn't see much because of the leaves still on the branches. Quietly she took flight and ascended the massive trunk. She stifled a small giggle at what she saw. Tony was on lying on his stomach as he stared into the sky with his head held up by his fists. It looked like something a filly or colt would do. He was completely unaware of her hovering there, and a sly grin worked its way across her muzzle.                         Tony still remembered the night he watched his father do something he would have thought impossible if he didn't see it himself. A small breeze blew against his back and brought with it the smell of the tree, flowers, and nightshade. For a moment he thought about the last smell. The only time he smelled nightshade was when-                     " Boo!". Tony pushed himself off the branch with his elbows and tried to activate his rites, forgetting he couldn't. The result was him trying to stay level with the trunk but falling flat on his face.                      " Ah crap", he muttered into the bark. He spat out the bark he bit into and heard laughter. He looked up and saw Luna laughing herself silly. A part of him was embarassed for what he did, and another equally amused. " Luna, what are you doing here?".                       She calmed down gradually from not only scaring him, but watching him faceplant into the tree. Tony blushed slightly from her laughs, as funny as it was.                       " I-I would have thought you would tr-*snicker*-try and pin me, Tony", she forced out as she held back the laughs. Tony scratched the back of his head, both nervous again and embarrased. " I apologize for bothering you at this hour but I must ask a favor".                      Holding back his eagerness to help he smiled calmly. " Its no problem, it's one of those days I can't sleep", he said. " What favor do you need?". His answer floated over to him in a midnight blue aura.                        " I had been filling out some request applications when it stopped playing music", she said as she landed on the branch. " I tried every solution but none succeeded. Is it broken? Or has it malfunctioned?".                        If it was broken there would surely be some damage. A malfunction, not likely. He had the touch device for two years and Dan held onto it for ten and it worked. He highly doubted it would stop working after being turned on after ten years. He pressed the home button to see if the screen would light up, nothing. To confirm his theory he held the lock button on top. The screen gave a dim picture of a battery with a blinking red sliver.                       " Can you tell what is the matter?", she asked from beside him. His heart raced at how close she was, but he got it under control.                        " Uh, I mean, it just died". Luna gasped.                      " It was alive?!", she nearly shouted.                        Tony almost facepalmed. " No, its just a term we use to say it lost power", he explained. " It runs on electricity, and its run out".                      Luna relaxed after hearing she didn't kill it. " Then how are we to give it the power it requires?", she questioned. He didn't need to be himself to know that there were probably no outlets around.                       " Maybe, maybe you could hit it with some kind of electricity spell?", Tony suggested.                       " You mean a spark spell?", she corrected. " I will try". Her horn charged the desired spell until the tip of her horn cackled with live electric power.                      " Okay, just funnel it into this little port", he pointed to the charging plug. Luna nodded and put the tip of her horn to it. The screen lit up again and the battery showed it wad charging. After a minute the entire battery was green.                       Luna ceased the spark spell and looked at the iPod. It was on again, bringing a big smile across her face. " Thank you Tony! I thought I had broken it", she said happily. Tony felt the weird sensation grow to happiness, upon seeing hers. " Thank you Tony. I'll see you soon".                     Just as she prepared to take flight Tony's mind yelled at him to stop her. " Luna", he called to her. She folded her wings back in and looked up to him. " Um, Luna, I was kinda, wondering if uh, maybe you wanted to, um, do something sometime?".                      Luna tilted her head to the side. " Such as?", she asked. Tony fumbled with his words as he thought of something they could do together.                      " Um, well, I wanted to know if, you would like to just walk around town, or Canterlot if you'd like", he finally managed to form the sensible sentence. Luna thought of when they could possibly do such a thing, and a smile came to her face.                      " I have not seen much of Ponyville aside from Nightmare Night", she smiled. " Perhaps you could show me around in three nights?".                      Utter glee originated from Tony's heart. He wanted to sing to Minira, or jump off the mountain Canterlot was on, or even wrestle a fully grown Nera'ak for fun. But right now, he had to keep calm so he wouldn't ruin anything.                     " Uh, yeah. Sure! I could do that!", he nervously chuckled. " Three nights it is!". Luna smiled again and gave him another warm hug. " S-see you then".                       She conjured the headphones once again and plugged them into the mp3 and picked up where she left off. She soared into the sky, leaving a silently cheering Tony. He jumped back and forth on the branch and even dropped to swing on it. He had just made a sure fire way of seeing her again. The hug was still numbing, but welcomed no less.                       As Luna flew away, she too smiled at his offer. True, she hadn't been to Ponyville in a while and she barely saw it on Nightmare Night. She was too busy playing games with Twilight and her friends to take a good look around town. However, she also wanted to see Tony again. Visiting him again, though brief, was nice. She could hear the way he stammered when he asked her, but it was returned when she accepted. Never had she done that with any stallion.                      But Tony wasn't any stallion. He not only saved her, but he did so even when he didn't know her. She had been meaning to ask why, but she couldn't find the right time to ask him. In three nights she could probably ask, and for 72 hours she would wait eagerly to see him again.                      Tony dropped back onto the platform and took one last look to where Luna had gone. With a sigh he stepped back into his room. What he didn't expect to see, or who, was a cross armed, smiling Dan standing in the doorway. Tony froze midstride to his bed.                    " Hey kid", Dan said in a mock innocent tone. " How's your night?".                     Tony could hear it in his voice. " Fine. Aren't you supposed to be at Club Remix helping Flare?", he steered clear of the question.                    Dan pointed a finger above the doorway, where a clock rested. The big hand was on the seven, and the little hand was a little past the twelve. Tony didn't even realize the time had gone by so quickly.                     " Club closed fifteen minutes ago", Dan smirked. " I got here twelve minutes ago". All the blood in Tony's face fell to his feet.                       " Well, maybe you should get to bed", Tony stammered as he walked to his bed. Dan only entered his room.                    He sat at the foot of the bed and motioned for Tony to do the same. For a minute they just sat in silence, Dan grinning. Tony kept his gaze strictly on the interestingly carved floor.                       " Now Tony, I want you to tell me the truth", Dan said with all playfulness aside. " Do you like Luna?".                     " Of course I like Luna", Tony said. " She's my friend". Dan kept his serious composition.                      " No Tony, you know what I mean", he sternly spoke. He leaned in closer before he spoke. " Do you 'like' like Luna?".                      Tony felt his face heat up again. " Damn it Dan", he sighed as he buried his face in his hands. " I don't know".                      " Well, what do you feel when you see her?", Dan asked. Tony didn't need much thought as to what he was feeling.                       " When I see her my stomach feels like its fluttering around. I can feel my heart beating faster than when I fought the Signa", he admitted. " And when I try to talk I just can't say anything that makes sense".                       Dan nodded, his smile growing as he looked at his best friend. " And when she hugged you?".                        " It was amazing. I could feel her heart beating calmly, she was so warm, I never wanted her to back away. I wanted her to stay with me just like that". Tony couldn't believe he managed to put all of his feelings into words.                         " Tony, you don't 'like' like Luna", Dan said. Tony sighed a bit. " You really 'like' like Luna".  Damn it                        " You're not saying-"                        " You do. You do Tony!", Dan said with growing excitement. " You love her!".