//------------------------------//
// The Day After 
// Story: To Call the Moon My Own 
// by That_Random_Pony 
//------------------------------//


                     " Come on Tony, you promised me yesterday", Spike grunted as he tried to pull the man out of bed. 

                     When he was reminded of his promise he jumped out of bed. Spike fell to the floor from his quick movement. Tony got into the camo pants and grabbed a plain white shirt. They would be digging so no point in getting a better shirt dirty after all.  

                    " Okay", Tony yawned. " Just wait downstairs. I just need to wake myself up a little".

                    " Don't take long", Spike pointed a claw. Tony nodded and the Nera'ak went back downstairs.

                    Dragging himself to the bathroom he replayed all the events of last night. He not only had a fun time with Luna, but he helped her with a problem similar to his, and best of all, he got a kiss. A. Freaking. Kiss. Something he never even thought he would get. He could still feel the tender, moistness of Luna's lips mashing against his. That feeling vanished with the cold water he splashed on himself. The effects were immediate, he was awake and a little offset with the cold. 

                   Leaving his hair its usual self he descended the stairs to find Spike waiting on Dan's 'bed'. " Let's go. Rarity gets really upset when I'm late", he warned. 

                   Tony nodded and the two of them left for the Boutique. Being with the Nera'ak reminded him of his times with Nyla, minus all the aerial battles and breakneck speeds. It made him comfortable being with a fellow Loki'ir inhabitant. Another piece of home to remember.

                   " So why does Rarity need these gems again?", Tony asked, trying to start a conversation.

                    " We went gem hunting a while ago but she got some order from her customer Fancy Pants", Spike explained. " And with her other orders she said we'd have to find more".

Fancy Pants? These names just get weirder and weirder

                    " Sounds stressful", Tony commented. 

                    Spike nodded. " Trust me, you do not want to see her when she's like that", Spike chuckled.

                   Tony laughed some with the Nera'ak. They reached the Boutique at last, and through the windows they could see various things flying around. Spike took the initiative and knocked on the door. Several thuds could be heard inside. 

                   The door burst open and knocked Spike to the floor. " Spike! Spike?". The fashionista stepped out and looked at the star-seeing dragon. " This is not time to delay! I-...Tony. What are you doing here?".

                    " Ugh, Rarity, I forgot to tell you I can't come with you", Spike scratched the back of his head. 

                    " Why not?! Spike, we have a very important customer that wants these dresses by Wednesday! We need those gems!", she rapidly reminded him. 

                    " I know I know! But today's the day I hatched and Twilight's celebrating it with me", he waved his hands. " So Tony's gonna help you".

                     " Uh, yeah", Tony said. " I'm covering for Spike".

                     Behind Rarity a large wagon and a shovel levitated out. The shovel was shoved into his chest and the wagon to his feet. " Well come on then! We don't have all day!", she motioned for him to follow.

                    Tony glanced to Spike who mouthed the words 'thank you' to him. With a sigh Tony followed after the marshmallow mare. She led them out of town and towards a rockier place. There was a lot of dirt, and dirt, and rocks, and pebbles, and dirt. He could hear Rarity mumbling something to herself as her horn began glowing. 

Guess this was what Spike was talking about

                    He wheeled the wagon along and rested the shovel on his shoulder. Rarity's horn picked up a nearby stick and she started drawing small X's in the dirt. 

                   " Uh, should I start digging?", he asked the frantic mare. 

                   " Well of course! How else would we get the gems out?", she said like it was obvious.

Acting like a total bitch

                    Tony shook his head violently. That wasn't him. It was It. He pressed it into the deepest recesses of his mind and started digging. When he heard a small clink he clawed at the dug up ground. Various colors shined in the rays of the sun from the gems buried. He collected them and dropped them into the wagon. While he dug Rarity rambled on about not wanting to miss the deadline and marking the X's. 

                   He had to have shoveled twelve holes in the ground to be even halfway done. The wagon itself seemed to have an endlessly growing amount of gems. It was unbelievable at just how many gems they collected, and how she still needed more. Without his energy it was proving to he just as tiring as working on the farm. It occured to him that Spike couldn't possibly dig up this many gems and still be good to go. Then again, Nera'ak were fast diggers. Or at least the one's lacking wings. 

                    On the sixteenth handful he dropped some. When he went to gather them he saw the bit pouch. It reminded him that he still needed to give her some of the bits that were left. There was still a good amount, since him and Luna spent most of their time at the bowling alley. It had to have only been 180 bits at the most. That meant 1820 bits remained, more than enough to share with the mare making his clothes free of charge.

                    " Hey Rarity", Tony called to her. 

                    " Yes yes what is it?", she impatiently asked. 

                    Before he could reach for the bit pouch a thought came to him. He had nothing to put the bits in. And with Rarity focusing on the hunt, he doubted she would just levitate 800 bits in the air. He peered behind him and saw the tall stack of gems that needed to be emptied. 

                     " I was just thinking that maybe I should go back to the Boutique to drop off these gems", he excused himself. " There's gonna be gems falling if we don't empty it out a little".

                    " Of course, put them in the chest beside the center manequin display", Rarity directed. " And hurry back, there's still more to find".

                    He nodded and slung the shovel over his shoulder. It was a long walk with the hundreds of gems, and dumping them into the chest was a bit messy. After he put every gem in the chest he could run back to where they were digging. But when he came he saw three bipedal figures surrounding Rarity. They had...fur, and dog like ears, and they wore some kind of leather. And they were about as tall as him.

Soldiers

                     " Where is the small purple one?", the smartest, however low, diamond dog demanded to know.

                     " I thought we taught you a lesson the last time you beasts!", Rarity scolded. The biggest, and undeniably dumbest, dog growled some.

                     " Well now that you're alone", the smartest one, with a red coat grinned. " We don't need to worry about those other ponies. Now where are the gems?".

                     " Right here shit for brains!". The three dogs turned, only for the smartest to get nailed in the face with a shovel and the smallest to get tackled by a wagon.

                     Tony ran up to the biggest and ducked under a paw. He leaped over the dog and grabbed it by the shoulders, then pulled it with him. The mutt whined as it arched through the air and straight into the dirt. A whiney yelling made Tony spin around and get sideswiped by the same shovel he threw.

                    " Take that!", the smart one snickered. Tony recovered faster than it expected and he grabbed a hold of the shovel.

                    " Good idea", Tony taunted. He yanked the shovel out of the dog's grasp and smacked it over the head with the flat of the spade. 

                    The third, and smallest, saw what happened to the taller and stronger ones and decided it was best to run. Quickly it dug a hole and retreated to the caverns. The whole time, Tony wasn't the one fighting. That changed when he shook his head violently once more to get a hold of himself.

 What's It doing?

                      " My goodness Tony! Your eye!", Rarity pointed to the now swelling cheek and lids.

                      " Its fine Rarity", he raised a hand to stop her from getting any closer. He glanced at the largest of the dogs, this one having an oddly blue coat of fur. " I can't believe these soldiers attacked you".

                     Rarity tilted her head, until it came to her. " Oh, you mean these brutes? They're just bullies Tony, and thieves, and ponynappers", she rolled her eyes. " I would have thought they learned their lesson the first time".

                     " Are these those Diamond Dogs you were talking about?", he guessed. She nodded and glanced at the smartest one clutching its bashed head. " Just stay here".

                     He got up and felt the blood rush to his head. His cheek began throbbing as he walked over to the still conscious diamond dog. " Ow ow ow!", it muttered. 

                    Tony grabbed it by the shoulders and pulled it up. " Now listen to me, you're going to apologize to the lady or else you and your friend won't see another gem", he threatened. " Got it?".

                    The mutt nodded his head frantickly. " Yes! I'm sorry!", it whimpered. Tony shoved it towards Rarity.

                    " Not me", he sternly spoke. " Her".

                    " I'm sorry! We shouldn't have tried to take your gems!", he apologized to the correct one. 

                    Rarity huffed and flipped her mane behind her. " I hope you've fully learned your lesson", she scolded. " You're lucky he hasn't harmed you worse".

                    It nodded again and scampered over to the blue dog. Then it dug another hole and pulled him into it. 

                   Tony turned back to Rarity. " Shall we continue?", he joked. She glanced worryingly at his eye, but nodded all the same.

                   She slowed down her pace so Tony didn't strain himself, now that he could barely see. She even helped shovel out some of the dirt with her magic. He knew she just felt bad for what happened, but she was just concerned. The wagon was filled up once again and they started their return trip.

                    " Again, I'm sorry for what happened", she leaned her head to the side. " I should have warned you". 

                    " Its fine Rarity, really", he assured her. " Besides, better me than you".

                    " Why do you say that?", she questioned.

                    Tony smirked at her. " We both know I've been through a lot worse than a black eye", he chuckled. 

                    She shivered from the memory of him having his face bashed in. " Oo-hoo don't remind me", she shuddered. " Well if it's alright with you I'll take your word for it".

                   Tony dragged the wagon inside and dumped what gems he could into the chest. He still needed to give Rarity her money, and he got another bag. " Rarity, here". 

                   She was completely surprised by the amount of bits he gave her. " Tony I can't take this! This is much more than a dozen of my finest dresses!", she insisted while levitating it back. Tony pushed it back to her.

                      " And you've made me much more than a dozen sets of clothes for both me and Dan", Tony countered. " C'mon, your gift was our clothes. Now our gift is this".

                    Reluctantly, Rarity placed the bag of bits on a nearby shelf. " Then thank you Tony. For all your hard work and the bits", she smiled. Tony nodded and headed for the door.

                    " Oh, and by the way. The suit's perfect", he said. " I can't wait to wear it at the Gala".

                    He heard Rarity squee in delight as he exited. The only place he needed to go to now was the library. He was informed by Twilight that the new Daring Do would come out that morning. The one he read was actually pretty good, so he decided to read the entire series. The new one was supposed to be about Daring Do escaping some kind of haunted ruins. 

                     Since the Boutique wasn't far from the library he got there in few minutes. When he walked inside he saw Dan sitting on the couch lazily. And to his surprise, something he never thought he'd see, was Dan reading a book. 

                     " Who are you?!", Tony shouted. Dan properly flipped him the bird and put a bookmark where he was.

                    " Ah shat up", he waved his hand. " That Daring Do book really is like Indie, only in pony fo-...whoa. What happened to your eye man?".

                  He softly rubbed the swollen eye. " Just some incident when I was with Rarity. Its fine", he waved it off.

                   Tony looked at Dan's attire, which consisted of jeans, a black shirt with the words Party Animal written on it, and...headphones? 

                   " What's with the getup?", he questioned.

                   " 'Member how I said I work at the club from Thursdays to Saturdays?". Tony nodded. " Well, Sunday is her recovery day, and Monday to Wednesday is when she does birthdays and anniversaries and weddings and stuff".

                    " Oh. So you're DJ'ing or not yet?", he asked. Dan did his famous shrug once again.

                    " She didn't say, but this is supposed to be for some guy turning 20. No drinking", he glumly stated. 

                    " Relax, you can always party with Pinkie", Tony joked. Dan chuckled then took on a more serious face. He had to say it, now or never.

                    " Hey Tony, remember last night how I asked what if the princesses don't find a spell?", Dan asked. Tony recalled it and nodded his head.

                     " And remember when I said we are getting out of here?", he pointed out. Dan didn't respond, and instead sighed.

                    " Tony, you can't go back", Dan finally said. Tony leaned back a bit.

                    " What do you mean I can't?", he sternly asked. 

                    " If they find a spell, you can't go", Dan restated. 

                    Tony stood up to show his seriousness. " Dan, I'm going back. Why wouldn't I?". Dan stood up too, to show his seriousness.

                    " Because, there's nothing for you on Earth", he reminded him. " Tony, this place is probably the only place where you made friends yourself. On Earth you wouldn't talk to anyone unless you had to. Here, you made like 10 friends in two days".

                      " That doesn't matter", Tony retorted. " They're not really my friends, they just feel bad for what you told them. If they knew what I was and what I'm doing, they'd act like everyone else".

                     Dan could hear the growing toxicity in Tony's voice. " No they wouldn't. You have a perfectly good reason for it, but what happens when you kill him? What then?".

                    Tony's anger flared. " What do you mean what then?! I kill him, and I get to live without the guy trying to kill me!". Dan had to match his level to get the point across.

                   " No! You kill him, and that's the end of your life! That's the only reason you're still even here!", Dan yelled back. " Sure you get live but what then?! There's NOTHING for you back home!".

                  Unlike any other time, Tony advanced on Dan. " And what's for me here?! Not Nyla! Not Rody! And you saw what happened when these guys came here! They almost killed them! What if Rody finds his way here?! Huh?! I'm nowhere near as strong as him and the only damn way I will be is if I find the other Signa!".

                    " But he hasn't! You don't need to find the Signa anymore! Nyla will be fine! And now you have Luna!".

                  Dan was completely shocked by what Tony did. Never had Tony laid a hand on him in all seriousness. But now, he found himself against the wall, Tony's hand crushing his airway.

                   " Leave her out of this", he growled. " She has nothing to do with any of this. And me staying here will only put her in danger".

                   Dan struggled to wrench Tony's hand away from his throat. " Tony...I...can't...breathe!", he strained. As if he got slapped in the face, Tony dropped Dan. 

                   He stepped back and realized what he had done. He nearly...he nearly killed him. " I'm sorry!", he helped Dan back up. Dan coughed as Tony helped him onto the couch. He lowered his head and put his hands behind his head. " I'm sorry".

                  " Its fine", Dan coughed. " That wasn't you, I know. I shouldn't have brought her up like that".

                  " Still, what if this comes out in front of any of them? I don't even know how I'll explain It to them", he sighed. " Listen, I don't know what to do Dan. I don't know".

                    Dan put his hand on Tony's back. " Kid, I know how much Eishla, Herod and Heraj meant to you. I do. But revenge won't solve anything. Eishla taught you that". Dan gently rubbed his 'little brother's' back. " 

                   " I know, but...he took everything from me", he clenched his fists in his hair. " I...I just wish...that I was strong enough to protect them". A tear hung on his nose as he remembered their faces. " I wish...I could've saved them".

                   Dan hugged him to console him. " Tony, you were little in your years. You couldn't fight Rody, and It would only destroy everything. But you're making a life here, and you have friends. This is where you should be Tony".

                  With a sigh he looked back at Dan who had a faint smile. " Thanks Dan. I guess you're right". Dan smiled brighter and stood up.

                   " Good. So I'll be back later alright? See ya", he two finger saluted.

                   Tony nodded as he stepped out. He glanced at the book Dan was reading to see it was the newest edition. He flipped to the front of the page and started reading in silence, contemplating what Dan said.





                    " Good evening sir", a private guard saluted.

                    " At ease", Shining Armor said. " Is my wife inside?". The private nodded. " Good. Head to the mess hall, you earned it".

                    The private nodded and marched off to the mess. Shining sighed and removed the helmet from his head. He stepped inside to see his lady reading on their bed. She heard the door close and looked up from her book, a warm smile covering her muzzle when she saw who it was.

                   " Back already Captain?", she teased as he came to the bed. They gave each other a quick peck on the lips.

                   " I could never stay away long", Shining returned the banter. He removed the heavy armor that had done its job of tiring his back. 

                    Cadence could see her husband wince as he floated the armor off his back. " Need another massage?", she asked a but worriedly. He nodded and climbed onto the bed, Cadence running her hooves over his muscular back.

                   " Sorry Cadence, ever since that incident with Tony I've had to set up more recruits in the castle", he groaned as she worked out a bothersome knot. 

                    " I don't think its necessary to have three guards following me", she giggled. 

                    " We have to be prepared Cadence, what happened with Princess Luna could've been avoided if we had more guards nearby". He groaned as she got to his shoulders, the main cause of his discomfort.

                    " Shiney, he literally bashed through your barrier in ten hits", Cadence reminded him. " Even with all of our magic. If we had any more guards they could have been killed".

                   Shining tried to sigh but instead it turned into a groan. " But we could have stopped Luna's capture". 

                   " Shiney you can't-...do you smell that?", Cadence asked. Shining took a whiff and smelled something sweet. 

                    " Yeah. Did you get new flowers?", he questioned. Cadence shook her head as she tried to figure out what it was.

                    Suddenly, Shining Armor felt his muscles loosen up. His mind fogged up as he felt the familiar drowsiness of sleep overtake him. Cadence gasped as Shining Armor collapsed onto the bed. Before she could say anything, her body went limp and she fell on top of him. Their breathing slowed until they were in deep sleep.

                   A few thuds came from outside and the same eerie silence resumed. The door to Cadence and Shining Armor's chambers opened. The hooded figure stepped inside and walked to the bed. He reached his hand underneath it and grabbed the vial he had wirelessly popped open. That was the last vial of the Merick dew he had left. He stood up and looked at the two ponies. 

                   Like the other royal members he reached into his pocket for the miniscule device. Thankfully, she always wore the same tiara like her aunts. He stuck it against the base of the tiara and checked his wrist. Four yellow blips marked the royal ponies and the blue him. He glanced a second time when he saw a yellow blip nearing the door. This room was the only one that wasn't a tower, so no balcony. Quickly the hooded figure ran behind the door. 

                   " Cadence I was wondering if you-", Luna's voice halted as she saw her niece on top of the Captain. With a slight blush Luna backed out of the room and closed the door.

                   The hooded figure watched the blip move away until she was a safe distance away. Swiftly he ran out of the room and jumped to the ceiling. He climbed to the nearest open window to escape. This time however, he did not have the Alpha and Signa child with him. With the last tracker in place everything was set. Now, time would determine the outcome. And oh how little time seperated their reunion.