"I'm so booooored!" Tony groaned exaggeratedly. Spike's claws scratched against the fine wooden staircase.
"Why don't you just read a book or something?" he asked.
"I read them all," Tony sighed. "Twice. The Daring Do novels three times."
Spike was amazed at how fast he read them, but shrugged in the end. "What about those jobs you were talking about?" Spike reminded him. "Maybe one of those are hiring. Pinkie could use some help, too."
Tony remembered. There was the Flower sisters' garden that they used for winter flowers. Some snow plowing jobs, a few construction projects that needed wrapping up. But those were mostly short-term jobs. He needed something to keep him busy all fall and winter. There was only two options.
Sugarcube Corner bakery, or Bon Bon's Sweet 'n Sour candy shop. Pinkie and Bon Bon were very good friends, Tony knew that, but during this time of year he heard things got heated. The two shops were notorious for having all out sales wars to compete for the most bits. It was also a time for baking experiments. They would be producing hundreds of different recipes, some rejected and others accepted.
He heard that one year it became so tense that Celestia had to settle the taste test between the inventions. They were all shocked when Celestia decided she just couldn't pick, so it was a tie. Of course no pony was not-okay with that, but it still sparked their desires to make something out-of-Equestria.
Working during this time of year was supposed to be hectic, and that was something Tony was used to, in his little revenge skirmishes. He chuckled softly as the thought came back. Sure, it was something from a darker part of his life, but it felt pretty good to be able to talk about it and not break down. It was progress, and that was all that mattered.
"Helloooo," Spike called for the third time, waving his claw in front of Tony. "What's so funny?"
Tony snapped out of it and stood up. "Nothing much, just thinking about what Pinkie would be like," he shrugged. "Twilight should be back in a little bit. Don't burn down the library while I'm gone."
He snickered as he shut the door behind him. He'd busted the Nera'ak's balls about it for the past few days, since he was a dragon and all. Spike thought it was funny the first few times, but now it seemed to irritate him. He knew Tony was just kidding, but it sometimes felt like he saw him as a child. Well… he was a baby dragon, but he was mature enough!
Tony walked into town with his black long-sleeve under his white hoodie. His jeans - which he had Rarity custom make - were a faded blue, but the style satisfied the fashionista. Clashing and matchig colors and such. The chill he felt was much more effective on him, hating the cold and all.
He passed through Ponyville's inner city, looking for any jobs that could keep him occupied for the coming winter. Mainly odd and dead-end jobs, but it was to be expected. He went over to the Flower sisters' shop. It was a normal greenhouse, but the entrances were built like regular homes, as was most of the walls. He ducked under the doorway and looked around the garden. It was… beautiful.
Even with the cold conditions outside, the flowers of summer and spring still bloomed. It was only then did he notice the warmth of the building, and an unreal sunshine. The flowers though, they reminded him of Eishla's own garden. It was something she taught him among other things. He knew how to keep a plant alive as long as it could.
"Hi, Tony!" Rose called from the other end of the room. She made her way past the assortments and stood in front of him beaming. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Prince."
Before she could bow he placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Just because I said that doesn't mean you have to bow," he chuckled. "Besides, I barely even know you."
"So? My coltfriend and I met a day before we even had our first date!" she giggled. "But nevermind that. Daisy! Lily! We have company!"
Her sisters came out of their offices and trotted over. "Who's… whoa," Lily chuckled. "He's bigger than I remember."
"Lily!" Daisy scolded. "Prince Tony." Again, he stopped her before she could bow and told her the same thing.
"So Tony was thinking about working here!" Rose beamed. "Until his old job at the Acres is open in the spring."
"We could use an extra… what do you call it?" Lily asked, a slight tint in her cheeks from embarrasment.
"Hands," Tony said.
"An extra set of hands could be very helpful!" Lily continued. "Have you ever worked on a garden before?"
"Yep," he nodded. "About six years."
"Great! That makes things much easier!" Rose smiled. "All we really do, is come here every day to make sure the plants are watered, rotated, and spoken to every day!"
"Spoken to?" Tony parroted.
"Of course!" Daisy exclaimed. "Everypony knows talking to your plants gives them confidence, a friend, and-"
"Carbon dioxide," Rose giggled, rolling her eyes at Daisy's exaggeration. "Daisy's a little more into gardening than we are."
"Just like our mom was," Lily giggled.
Tony still felt the heat of the sun bearing down on him, but there was no sun. "Hey, why is it so hot in here anyways?"
"Oh, that would be the enchantment Princess Celestia put on the windows," Rose pointed to the glass above. "When Princess Luna returned, they both picked out bouqets of our best flowers!"
"She must have liked them a lot because when winter came, she enchanted the glass and asked us to send her a bouqet of our best winter flowers!" Lily added. She pointed to a seperate arrangement of pots with small, colorful stems growing.
Tony kneeled down and looked at them in astonishment. "Wow. I've never seen stems like those," he gasped.
"They get better when the petals come," Daisy smiled. "But it's too bad we only get them in the winter."
"But why are they called winter flowers if they're grown with heat?" Tony asked. "Seems kinda pointless."
"Well, no pony knows for sure, but these are kinda like zap apple trees. They only grow in dirt found from the Everfree, and they only grow during winter," Rose explained. "We've tried every other season, but they can only be planted in fall, and grown until the middle of winter."
"Then, we send them to Princess Celestia free of charge!" Daisy squeed. "It's the least we can do for the sun enchantment!"
"So, I'm assuming you rotate them to give them equal amounts of sunlight?" The sisters nodded.
"And the enchantment kinda dries them up faster, so there's that," Rose sheepishly chuckled. "But it isn't too hard with the three of us helping!"
Their upbeat attitudes were starting to remind him of a calmer Pinkie. Speaking of which…
"Okay. So, I'll think about it and talk to you girls later," he smiled. "And thanks a lot."
"No problem, Tony!" Rose smiled and waved.
"Don't forget!" Lily called after him. He chuckled and left the store, heading to his next option.
"Look out below!" Tony ducked just in time to avoid a mass of grey.
He ran over to where the mailmare of Ponyville was shaking her head to clear the double vision. "Are you alright?"
Ditzy, more commonly known to her friends as Derpy, smiled and nodded. "I'm alright, Mister!" she beamed. "Just got a bit confused is all."
He noticed her strange eyes and their orientation, but he stopped staring and helped her collect some envelopes strewn about. "Here, let me help," Tony said.
After the mail had been packed away, Derpy looked closer at him, be it his body or his head; he couldn't really tell. "Hey! You're that human prince guy!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah," Tony chuckled. "That's me."
"Oh, I have… something… aw muffins, where'd I put it?" she grumbled as she rummaged through her mailbag.
Tony was put off slightly as one eye focused on the bag, but the other strayed. It was… weird, to say the least. Still, he didn't want to say anything. She laughed triumphantly when she found an envelope with his name on it. He took it in his hand and nodded.
"Thanks," he smiled. "By the way, my name's Tony."
"Ditzy! But my friends call me Derpy, so Derpy if you want!" she smiled. She was very jovial, he could tell that much.
"See ya around," he waved as she took off a bit shakily.
As he walked to Sugarcube Corner he opened the letter, his brow raising slightly. It was from Cherilee, the school teacher. He'd met her, but what could she want?
Dear Tony,
Twilight and I were talking the day you got back from the Gala, and she told me about your people. I was very fascinated! But she could only tell me about some of your history and culture. I was wondering if you would be willing to give the class a small history lesson next Friday for their benefit as well as mine.
And if you aren't busy, I would be thrilled to have you tell me more of your people after school. And just a reminder: these are fillies and colts. She told me about your main careers, so I'd like to ask you to minimize the specifics of your wars. Stop by whenever you'd like to tell me your answer. Or just send it back, whichever works for you! Thank you!
--Cherilee
Tony mulled it over, unsure of what he would decide. He slipped the envelope into his back pocket and turned the corner. The famous bakery was in sight just down the block.
"Watch out!" This time, Tony turned to get thrown to the ground.
Her eyes rolling around disorientedly, Rainbow shook her head and chuckled. "That's the second time this week, Rainbow," Tony groaned.
"I said 'watch out,' slowpoke," she snickered. Tony prepared for another pie, or an ambush by Pinkie, but it looked like it was clear. For now. "Where ya headed?"
"Sugarcube Corner," Tony said. "I hate sitting around all day, so I'm trying to find a job."
"So the first place you thought of was Pinkie's job?" she asked, a small grin evident.
"I passed by the greenhouse and some other places," Tony chuckled. "Trust me, this was never my first choice."
"Well, at least I won't have to go too far to prank you," she smirked. Tony rolled his eyes, then laughed softly.
"Just wait and see what I've got for the two of you," he mumbled. As soon as they walked into the bakery, loud wails could be heard coming from upstairs.
"Aw man, is it past their nap time again?" Rainbow groaned, rubbing her head from the irritating crying.
Tony learned a while ago about the Cakes' foals, Pumpkin and Pound. He only saw them asleep once, and they were absolutely adorable, no question there. No pony was behind the counter, but most of the customers were looking annoyed by the crying.
"Maybe we could help?" Tony suggested. Rainbow shrugged, but hovered behind him as he climbed the stairs.
As they neared the door to their play room, he could hear them frantickly scrambling around the room. "Hun, where are their bottles?!" Carrot called.
"They should be in their bag!" Cup told him. "The blue one!"
"Pumpky! Poundy! Lookie here! C'mon, show Auntie Pinkie those smiles!" Pinkie cooed. When Tony stepped inside, all he saw was chaos.
Carrot was rummaging through a blue bag while Cup tried soothing a crying Pound. His sister was on the ceiling, throwing their plushies around the room randomly. He brushed off the small hits and went over to Pinkie.
"What's wrong?" he asked over the wailing.
"I don't know!" Pinkie shouted. "They've been crying for an hour already and there's nothing they want!"
Tony glanced up to Pumpkin, then to Pound. The brother of the two opened his eyes long enough to see the strange biped. Pumpkin heard nothing from her brother, so she stopped crying to see what he was seeing. She too stayed quiet as she gazed at the tall man. Pumpkin ran a hoof through his hair, and Pound crawled away from his mother to hover near his hand. They giggled as they played with his hair and hand.
"You're working!" Pinkie squeed in a hushed tone.
Tony scratched Pumpkin's ear softly, and let her twin suckle on one of his fingers. "Ow!"
Pound unlatched his teeth from his hand and his sniffles returned, along with Pumpkin who he scratched a bit hard. "Here we go," Rainbow sighed, covering her ears.
The twins wailed once again. Pumpkin's magic threw the stuffed animals around the room again. Tony wasn't exactly experienced with kids. But he did know one thing, the moment he saw Pound yawn.
They were tired as hell.
"Give me a minute," Tony called as he ran down the stairs.
He jumped down the steps and ran outside, looking for the nearest patch of green. Quickly grabbing a bunch of grass, he tossed away several pieces before he chose one to fold up. After folding it completely he ran back into the room and put it to his mouth. The low notes echoed over their wails and into the halls. It took a few seconds before the music drew their attention, silencing them and letting the Kital be heard throughout the store.
Tony held his hand out; Pumpkin floating down to it and watching him play. He closed his eyes and slowly sat down, crossing his legs. Pound flapped over to his lap and cooed some as he watched with his sister. Their parents and "auntie" watched and listened to the beautiful music. Pinkie hummed along slightly to the lullaby he was performing, smiling as the twins eyes drooped.
The foals snuggled into his sides, falling asleep sooner than he thought. With that, he slowly brought the Kital verse to a close with a soothing high, and pulled the grass away from his mouth.
Cup Cake tucked them in their shared crib and they tip-toed/hoofed out. "Phew, thanks, Tony!" Pinkie whispered. "I thought they'd never fall asleep!"
"No problem," he chuckled. "Hi, my name's-"
"Tony, right?" Carrot asked. He bowed with his wife. "Honor mestin' an alien prince!"
"Please, just Tony. No formalities," he said with a wave of his hand.
"So whatcha need, T?" Pinkie giggled.
"Oh. I was wondering if you needed any help around here," Tony told them. "My job at the Acres was put off since winters coming and all. So uh, is there?"
Pinkie gasped, pulling herself into the air in the process. "We could be baking buddies!" she silently shouted with glee. "Mrs. Cake, Mr. Top! Please please please, can he work here? Please!"
The couple looked at Pinkie's puppy eyes, at the same time wondering if they really did need any help. "I suppose another fella around would be helpful," Carrot Top said.
"And with all the business this time of year, another set of hoo-I mean, what do you call those?" she sheepishly asked.
"Hands," he chuckled.
"Well, with your help I'm sure it'll make things easier around here," Carrot chuckled. "Welcome aboard!"
"Yaaaaaaayy!" Pinkie wrapped her hooves around him and squeezed hard. "We're gonna have so much fun!"
"Yeah… fun…" Tony wheezed. Rainbow chuckled from the door.
Pinkie hopped back down, continuing her hopping with a smile that didn't fit her face. "You can come in tomorrow so Pinkie can show you what you're gonna be doing," Carrot told the two.
"Thank you," Tony nodded.
"Our pleasure," Cup smiled.
"See you Sunday, Baking Buddy!" Pinkie squeed.
What have I gotten myself into?
Tony made his way back over to the Flower sisters to tell them about his job. However, he did mention he could come in the earliest to water, rotate, and speak with the plants. They argued he shouldn't be handling two jobs at once, but he countered with the fact he needed something to do. He walked home, changed, and laid in his bed, fiddling with his mother's amulet.
Mother of Creation, Mother of Life, Mother of all Good. Watch over my family in your gardens of Eden. Keep watch over Eishla, and Daniel as well. Protect my new friends and family, as well as your daughters. Give me the strength you did my fathers before me, and help guide me when the time comes.
Abandoned Arthanian Stronghold, Surface Level
"AHHHHHHHH! RRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Jerosh screamed as his mind fully succumbed to the Iikro.
Your brother put up a better fight, Jerosh. Don't tell me you can't put up with a little pressure? What about the plan?
"Jiko jra! (Fuck you!)" he grunted, slamming into a tree. "AAAAHHHHHHH!"
You could make this less boring. I'll have your body, soon enough. And then, we'll be able to finally destroy Reku'un and this wretched planet.
"Tucal… endashinoga jot… jra drek trarg (Don't… underestimate him… you [Translation terminated for safety of the reader])" Jerosh strained.
His body spasmed, his bones transforming him without his consent. The Iikro slowly overtook his mind, but Jerosh had one more attempt. He funneled all over his and the Iikro's energy to create a field over his body. The red energy blackened as the beast's energy took over.
Your methods are admirable, but they still won't work
"Heh. Jro uto grek ot… hruj prot… jra egert turad vokonas (I only have to… make sure… you aren't fully powered)" he chuckled painfully.
Small bursts of the twisted energy dispersed into the equally twisted forest. The Iikro's power ran through the forest, tainting many of it's creatures and plant life. But one creature in particular absorbed a significant amount of it.
It's four heads roared in unison, scaring any animals away from them.
Jerosh took one final breath, looking at his fallen sword and eyeing the insignia of his family.
"Durakno jro, Reku'un (Forgive me, Reku'un)" he whispered. "Jrak getolsh jra (I've failed you)"
His bones snapped out of his skin, but they jutted out even more deformed than before. The mask spread over his face, blood trickling from the cracks and over the exposed bone. His eyes dilated until only black remained. Falling to his knees, Jerosh's body fully transmogrified.
He reared his head back and roared, a single tear falling to the grass.