“Um, sir… Sir, it’s time to wake up.”

Ares sighed, trying not to groan or pull the covers over his head when he felt someone tentatively poking his side. Grumbling, he tried to swat at whatever was poking him, to try and scare it away, but the poking continued undaunted after a second or two.

Please god, he begged, please let me have a little more sleep; I don’t need that much, just another hour or two… Please?

“Sir, you have to get your lazy flank up for work.”

It was the day that Ares had been waiting for for weeks: the day that he could go out and make himself useful by becoming employed. Coming from a family that was used to working hard from five in the morning to ten at night, it had been killing him to just sit on his butt all day and do nothing. He was a man dammit; he was supposed to make a living, not leeching off others!

It was why he jumped at the chance to get a job as soon as he made it up here to the empire. Sure, he might love Cadence, and sure, she might made him do a lot of things that he usually would do, but there was no way in hell that she was going to stop him from getting a job; even if he had to wash dishes he’d do it with a smile on his face if that meant to had something to do.

Luckily for him he didn’t not have to work as a dishwasher; he actually managed to get a job as a florists, something he had been doing since he was little,and he couldn’t be happier about it. Now he didn’t need to bother other ponies because he was a jobless shmup, walking around and doing nothing and pretty much being useless; he was the one that was going to be bothered!

He had really had looking forward to going to work the other day, but because of the whole Shining-knocked-a-hole-in-the-wall-and-it-was-awkward thing Ares feared that he might have made a bad first impression on his new boss by not coming to work. So, to make it up them, he had asked one of the maids if she’d be kind enough to go ahead and make sure that he actually got up at the ungodly hour of four thirty in the morning to head on in early.

And why did he have to leave the comfort and warmth of his bed to go out into the cold, cold world at that hour; an hour where most shops were still closed with their owners tucked away in their beds?

Well, being someone who had worked in a flower shop most of his life, Ares knew that it actually took a lot of work to make your merchandise look good so people would buy it. One had to get up bright and early to ‘feed’ the plants, get the shipments of new stock, pesticides, soil, and what have you, you needed to make sure that all of your plants looked healthy and if they didn’t you needed to either throw them out or trim the plant to make it look better; and that was stuff you needed to do before your customers came through the door.

So, instead of going into work at eight like he had been told, Ares had decided, in an effort to look like a good new employee, to actually get up and help out when the owner of the store was actually doing most of her work. The problem with that was that he actually had to get out of his bed at three in the morning.

“Sir? Are you awake yet?” The maid pony asked, giving his side another poke while he tried to get his brain up and working. “Come on; rise and shine!”

With a quiet groan, he groggily swatted away her hoof with a hand. “I’m up, I’m up,” he muttered, opening an eye to glare at her. “Just give me a minute…”

The mare looked around the room, adjusting the collar on her dress. “Um, I can’t do that, sir,” she said apologetically, poking his side again. “You told me to keep pestering you until you got out of bed so you wouldn’t just go back to sleep.”

Cadence, who was sleepily clinging to him with a wing draped over his body, and who also still smelled like pizza and chocolate from the night before, frowned and grumbled to herself, pulling him closer. “…No,” she muttered, nuzzling his cheek. “…Sleep.”

Ares smiled, leaning down and kissing her on her forehead. “Even though I’d love to, Candy, I have to get up and go to work.”

The princess’s wing tightened around him and her hooves latched around his neck. “No,” she murmured again. “It’s national sleep-in day.”

Looking over at the maid, who was watching this little scene unfold with a little smile on her face while she quietly awed, for support, and receiving none, Ares then tried to reason with his fillyfriend whilst also trying to wiggle out of her iron grip.

“Come on, Candy,” he pleaded. “I don’t want to be late.”

Cadence just buried her muzzle deeper into his neck. “Maid,” she grumbled loudly. “Make sure to note that your princess has decreed that today is national sleep-in; a day in which everypony has to sleep in and or actually go to work when they’re supposed to; not hours beforehand.”

The maid saluted with a giggle. “At your command, your majesty.”

Ares gave the mare a dirty look before pressing his cheek against Cadence’s. “Come on, babe; I already made a shitty impression by not going in yesterday,” he muttered into her ear while trying to unhook her hooves from around his neck. “If you don’t want me to keep going this early that’s fine, but I need to at least go early today to make up for not going yesterday.”

“You had a good reason not to go yesterday,” Cadence grumbled. “And I sent a messenger to tell your boss that you weren’t going to be able to make it in, so I don’t see what you’re all worked up for.” With a grunt she pulled him back against her and wrapped her wings fully around him.

“Now be quiet and let your princess use you as her teddy bear.”

The maid cleared her throat. “Sir, you really need to be going.”

Ares growled, trying to resist the urge to just go back to sleep. “Just give me a minute…” He looked up at Cadence. “Come on, Candy, it’ll only be this once,” he begged. “And I’ll even make sure to get you some flowers to eat when I get off.”

Cadence cracked open a blood-shot eye and eyed him critically. “You’ll get those yellow roses that I like?” she demanded with a sleepy yawn.

Ares nodded. “I’ll get a dozen of them for you, but first…”

Cadence just grumbled before letting him go, her wings tucking back to their sides. “Alright,” she said, yawning. “Go and have fun at your job.” She waved her hoof toward the door and sniffled sadly. “Go and leave your marefriend to sleep all by herself so you can get some brownie points with your boss.”

“You monster,” the maid added a dramatic gasp and another giggle.

Ignoring the maid, Ares leaned down and kissed Cadence on the cheek. “I’ll see you later today, Candy,” he said, tucking her in. “Go and get some more sleep; I’m sure you’ll need it.”

Cadence nodded. “You make sure that you don’t burn anything down,” she said, nuzzling her cheek before letting her head fall back onto the pillow. “And make sure to come back to the castle for lunch, alright?”

“Alright, I will.” With a grunt, Ares rolled out of the bed, trying not to fall over anything in the dimly lit room, and walked over to the closet to throw on some clothes.

“You better throw on a coat, sir,” the maid suggested, watching the tired human as, with a little more stumbling and swearing than was really necessary, he threw on some clothes. “It gets chilly out this early.”

Doing just that, Ares looked around the room to see if he had forgotten anything before rushing over to the bed and kissing his half-awake marefriend again. “Alright, I gotta go, Candy. Have a good day, I love you, bye.”

Not waiting for an answer, Ares walked over, picked up the maid, and jogged toward the open door; closing it quietly behind him. The maid, who was holding her little candle so she wouldn’t accidently burn herself or Ares, squirmed in the human’s clutches until he carefully put her down in the brightly lit hallway.

Clearing her throat, the maid pulled a plate from… somewhere. “Sir, I thought that you’d like to eat something before going out to greet the day,” she said, hoofing him a plateful of donuts, buttered toast, and even bacon.

Grinning, Ares quickly snatched the food from the plate and started to sprint down the hallway.

“Thank you!” he called over his shoulder before stuffing the toast in his mouth.

The maid shook her head as he turned the corner. “At least he remembered his coat,” she muttered, yawning hugely as she slowly started to make her way toward the maids quarters where a warm bed was waiting for her. “Why the hay anypony would wake up at this hour just to play with dirt and plants,” she shuddered in disgust, “when winter is around the corner is beyond me.”

&^^&

Tulip woke up, just like she had every morning, with a big smile on her face. Sure, she might have to wake up a little earlier than most ponies to open her flower shop, and she was probably going to have to wear a warm hat and a scarf out when she needed to go out to get that new shipment of soil from that grumpy old stallion that sold it at the supply store, but at least she woke up bright and early doing what she loved.

Being a shop keep was a quiet, calm, and fulfilling life to her. She wasn’t running around worrying about every little thing, she didn’t have ponies running into her store yelling at her for no reason, all she had to do during that day was take care of her plants and deal with a few customers; one could almost say that it might be one of the most stress-free occupations out there. Which was good for her in more ways than one.

You see, Tulip was a mare that didn’t like loud noises, or loud ponies, or large crowds, or surprises, or mean ponies that yelled at her when she was just trying to help, and she tried to stay away from all of those negative things; for her heart if nothing else, and that was where her plants shined. The plants never scared her, nor did they yell or scream; all they did was sit there, looking pretty and sucking up carbon dioxide while she cared and nurtured them.

And this day, like most of her days, would have just been perfect, if not for that fact that her new employee, that weird cuddle-alien thing named Ares, was going to be starting work today.

N-not that she thought he was going to be a bad employee or anything, her aunt had told her that he had been a florist on his home planet (Darth or something like that) and she had put a good word in for him, so she already kind of knew that he wasn’t going to be one of those meanies that would yell at her or bully her. No, she wasn’t concerned with his work ethic, or the type of worker her was going to be, she was concerned for his well-being.

The messenger that had come to her little flower shop had been vague, but she, and almost half of the city, had heard the explosion the other night, and though not many ponies were worried because they had seen the guard running around the other day, Tulip was concerned that her newest employee might have hurt himself in some way. He was her first employee after all, and she wanted to make sure that he was in tip-top shape.

It might have been a silly thought, and she knew she shouldn’t be worried when her aunt had come by the other day saying that he was alright and he’d be more than ready to come to work tomorrow, but a nagging feeling lingered and she was sure that it wouldn’t go away until she actually saw him alive and whole.

I hope he takes another day off if he needs it, the mare thought as she trotted into her bathroom to brush her salmon-colored coat and wrestle the tangled mess that was her mane. I don’t want him straining himself if he’s hurt…

After grooming herself, putting a clip in her mane to keep it in place, and eating a simple but filling breakfast, Tulip left her home and slowly made her way toward her little flower shop: Flowers and Flattery.

It was a little shop on the corner of Ruby Street and Platinum Avenue that got just enough traffic that she was able to live actually quite well, which was why she needed more help in the store in the first place. It seemed as the weeks and months went by more and more ponies would wind up in her store to buy a little something to nibble on while they were on their way home, which was great for business, but doing everything by herself was really starting to wear on her.

“But now it’ll be easier,” the mare muttered, her breath fogging from the frigid morning air. “I may even be able to expand my store like I’ve wanted!” With a little squee at the thought, along with a little happy skip, Tulip quickly made her way toward her little shop and unlocked the door. As soon as she opened it, the smell of her plants with just a hint of soil assaulted her, making her little happy smile all the bigger as she trotted over and threw on the light switch.

“And how did my babies sleep?” she cooed, quickly closing the door behind her to keep all of the warm air in.

Row after row of plants, some common, some not, each of them on specially heated tables that also had a sun lamps that kept the plants happy and warm, lined the main room of her little store almost to the point of bursting. For many ponies, the humidity and all of the flowers so close together and just out there like they were may have been a little odd but there was a method to Tulip’s madness.You see, unlike many of her competition, she wanted to show her customers that she grew her plants with just love and care; hence why she didn’t have them hidden away from the publics eye.

She didn’t trim up the plant so much that you could barely get anything edible out of them, nor did she pump her plants full of nasty chemicals. It made her flowers a little smaller than some other flower shops, and a bouquet may cost a little more, but when you bought something at Flowers and Flattery you knew exactly what you were getting, which was how Tulip liked it.

After trotting around to see if all her babies were healthy and delicious-looking, making sure that she watered them, and going to her strongbox in the back to see if everything was where it was supposed to be (a habit that her aunt had told her to pick up) Tulip made her way out of her little shop and into the chilly and foggy outside with a happy smile.

By now the sun was just peaking over the horizon, and the once deserted streets were starting to fill up with ponies either going into their own shops to get ready for the day or farmers bringing in their wares. Soon the streets would be filled to the brim with ponies; something that Tulip would like to avoid.

I hope that Mr. Sow is in a good mood today, she thought, quickly making her way through the streets and toward the supply store where she got her soil. He always tries to make me pay more when he’s—

The mare stopped in the middle of the street when she heard the sound of somepony charging through the streets toward her, though it sounded a heavier than a pony, and the sound that was being made was more of a thud than a clop. That isn’t a pony…

Straining her vision to pierce the fog that surrounded her, she could just make out the outline of what appeared to be a yeti. Just the thought of meeting one of those monsters almost made the mare bolt, but then she remembered that the barrier around the city kept those monsters out.

Then what IS it? She thought, racking her brain as the mystery creature quickly came closer. Taking a shaky breath, she took a step forward and called out, “Um, e-excuse me?”

The creature, supposedly noticing her, slowed down to a walk. “Oh, hello,” it said, sounding out of breath. “Do you need something?”

…I know that voice from somewhere, Tulip thought as she slowly trotted over toward what sounded like a male. The closer she got to the creature the more familiar he became, until she was standing before the cuddle monkey himself: Ares.

The man smiled down at her before looking down the road. “Did you need something, ma’am?” he asked again. “I actually need to hurry up and get to work…”

Tulip looked up at him with a mixture of embarrassment and shame. Oh dear, I didn’t even remember what he looked like! In her excitement to get the day started, Tulip had forgotten what her newest employee had looked like! Sure, the fog had made him a little hard to see, and she had been a little too nervous about him actually being a yeti to think clearly, but to her that was not excuse. What kind of boss am I if I can’t remember what my employees look like?

“Oh, hello, Ares!” I mean, how many other giant monkey things are running around?! It’s not like he’s a zillion time different than a pony or anything! “It’s me, Tulip, you’re boss.

Ares cocked his head and peered at her intently, before a look of recognition came to his face.

“Oh, hello ma’am, I didn’t recognize you in all of this fog,” he said politely. “I was just about to go to you flower shop to see if you needed anything help with anything. I know how early a florist needs to get up, and I thought you might need someone to help with some heavy lifting.”

Ares took a step forward, frowning when he noticed how strained Tulip’s smile appeared. “…Are you alright there, ma’a—“

“Oh, please, just call me Tulip,”

“—Tulip? You seem a little... off.”

Don’t tell him that you didn’t remember what he looked or sounded like, the mare thought as she trotted up to him. Don’t you bucking dare!

“I’m fine,” she said with a cough. “I just had something else on my mind.” She smiled up at him again. “And thank you for coming down so early; I could actually use some help carrying some soil, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Ares smiled, letting the mare lead him through the streets. “I’d be happy to help Tulip,” he said, an excited pip in his step.

&<><>&

“Move your bucking hooves more, Armor, or Watcher’s going to make your ugly mug even uglier!”

Shining grunted, barely registering the advice as he rolled out of the way from the hulk of a stallion that he was trying his hardest to beat him into a fine paste.

What do you think I’m trying to do?! he thought with a tired snort, bracing himself as his opponent threw a haymaker. It’s not my fault that Watcher takes up half the damned courtyard!

Shining had been looking forward to sparring with a pony or two, to see if he could take a punch like the old days, but now, after losing at least three matches to the Sergeant before him--a usually nice stallion that went by the name of Watcher--, he really looking forward for his beating to end.

The Sergeant was over a head taller than Shining and probably could knock an Manticore out with a kick; which was really not making this fun for him. Just raw strength wasn’t the only thing that Shining had to deal with; the earth pony was also a good deal faster than his size suggested. That along with being a five year veteran of the guard, which meant that he had a lot of experience under his belt, had made the last two hours a rather painful experience for him.

“She’s right, Shining,” Watcher calmly said, almost knocking Shining off his feet with a well place shoulder bump. “You need to keep moving or you’ll—“

Weaving under another punch, Shining swing with as much force as his tired, shaken, and beaten body was capable of, hitting Watcher squarely on the jaw, causing the stallion to stumble. For a second, Shining almost thought that he was going to hit the ground, but then Watcher simply shook his head and stared at him with an almost bored expression.

Sweet Faust why did I get paired up with the giant? He thought, steeling himself as his opponent came charging toward him with a roar. Why couldn’t they have parted me with Flash?

While this would have been a simple fight if he was allowed to use his magic, Shining wanted a fair fight with his opponent… Or at least Echo did, since the mare, with a big smile on her face, had placed an inhibitor on his head and told him to buck up. So, even if he wanted to, (And he really wanted to) he just couldn’t simply pick up Watcher and slam him into the ground until he gave up. He was going to have to win this spar with his wiles, and he was going to have to do it quickly, because if he took anymore punches he was pretty sure he was going to get some kind of brain damage.

Come on, give me something! Shining begged, gritting his teeth in frustration as he dodged and weaved around and rolled from his foe, not bothering with throwing any punches because they weren’t doing anything other than annoying him, trying to find a weak spot in this monster of a pony.

Watcher simply kept driving the unicorn backward, his punches and jabs controlled and calm as he waited for Shining to tire out so he could land a finishing blow. “You’re not going to beat me by hopping around like this, Shining,” he said calmly. “You know you could just surrender; there’d be no shame in it.”

“Shut… up… Watcher,” Shining growled, sweat dripping off his face as he distanced himself from the earth pony. “Give… me a… minute and… I’ll have… your flank… laid out… in the dirt.”

Watcher simply smiled before charging Shining again. I’m not going to be able to outlast an earth pony, Shining thought, crouching low to the ground and tensing his muscles. Watcher seemed to increase his speed, probably intending on just steamrolling him; which was just thing that he needed. For the first time in all two hours of fighting him, Watcher had finally made a mistake, and Shining was more than happy to make him pay for it.

Trying not to let his smile show, Shining held his ground. Come on, just a little closer, he thought, his lips drawing back into a snarl.

Watcher smiled when he saw that his opponent had seemingly given up, increasing his speed and lowering his head to make his finishing blow all the more powerful.

Almost….THERE!

With a snarl, Shining darted forward, launching himself into Watcher’s legs and pointing his horn downward. (He didn’t want to gut his opponent by accident.)

Watcher, not able to stop himself in time, hit Shining’s shoulders with an almost bone crunching amount of force. Ignoring the pain that was coursing through his body with his little stunt, Shining grabbed Watcher’s forelegs, and, with a mighty roar and every bit of strength he had left, he lifted the bigger stallion off the ground and let inertia do the rest. Watcher yelped in surprise as he was launched into the air, spinning a few times, before he hit the ground hard, landing face first and sliding for a few feet before going limp with a pained groan.

Getting back on all fours, Shining spun around and launched himself at the fallen stallion, rolling him onto his back and pressing his hooves against his throat. “Yield,” he growled, his whole body shaking from exhaustion.

Watcher tried to weakly rise but Shining just shoved him back into the earth with a grunt.

“Watcher, if you… don’t yield right… now I’m going… to hop on your sack… until you cry like… a filly.” Shining tapped the stallion’s lower belly with a hoof, making Watcher squeak like a in surprise and fear.

.
“I… yield,” he grumbled before letting his head fall back into the dirt with a groan. “Good match, Shining.”

With a tired grin, Shining hopped off the bigger stallion and helped him up. “I got lucky during that last bit,” he said modestly, not noticing that someone was making their way toward him with nervous, but, hopeful, hoofsteps. “If you weighed any more than I’m sure that my back would have bro—“

Shining’s eyes widened when he felt someone’s hoof touch his shoulder. Wondering who it could be, and realizing that the training field was now silent, he slowly turned around, only to be pulled into a pink, furry chest, and wrapped into a tight hug.

The unicorn stiffened in surprise as the pony wrapped her wings around him. “Hello, Shining,” she said, sounding a little apprehensive, leading Shining to guess that she had been gathering her courage to walk up and hug him like she had. “I’m glad to see you didn’t go and run away before I could get a chance to talk to you.”

Shining leaned into the hug and closed his eyes.“Good afternoon, your highness,” he answered, looking into Cadence’s purple eyes.

The small smile that had been on the princess’s face faltered. “Now, don’t be like that, Shining,” she quietly said, sounding hurt.

Shining sighed. “What? I thought that you had to be formal during a trial,” he said casually, cracking open an eye to see that every one of the guard was staring intently at them.

“A trial?” Cadence asked, sounding confused before a look of realization flashed across her face. “Oh, you mean what happened yesterday with the wall?” Giving him another nuzzle, the princess stepped away from him and turned to address the rest of the guard. “I had almost forgotten about that. Sergeant Echo?”

As if she had teleported, the Sergeant was beside the princess in the blink of an eye, the bat mare saluting before saying, “Was there something you needed, ma’am?”

Cadence regarded her with a critical eye. “I’ve read the report you sent me the other day explaining you and the rest of the guard’s actions. After some thought, I thought it would be best to come down here personally to speak to you about it..”

Echo simply nodded. “Ma’am yes ma’am,” she said.

With a thoughtful hum, Cadence began circling the mare. “As you know, Sergeant, every action has a consequence,” she said calmly, though her face was unreadable. “The other day you decided that the best plan of action, after hearing somepony yell, was to break into my room using excessive and frankly unnecessary force, knock down a section of my wall in the process.”

All around the training yard, stallions and mares alike flinched at the accusation, but Echo may as well have been made out of stone because she didn’t so much as flinch.

“I did what I thought was right at the time,” she said, a bit of stubbornness coming into her tone. “I will accept any punishment that you give me, but I will not apologize for trying to protect you.”

Cadence stopped in front of the mare, her eyes narrowing. “Alright; I AM a busy mare, so I’ll just cut to the chase.” Spreading her wings, she continued. “Sergeant Echo, for your actions the other night I, Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess of the Crystal Empire, hereby relieve you of your rank as Sergeant—“ This made Echo wince slightly, her body tensing, “—and elevate you to the rank of captain.” Pulling her wings back to her sides, the princess giggled quietly to herself as Echo, along with the rest of the guard, stared at her like she had just grown a second head; open mouths and all.“Congratulations!”

After a moment, Echo finally managed to find her voice. “…What?”

Cadence nodded, a bright, cheery smile on her face, walked over and placed her hoof on the mare’s shoulder, she said, “You thought Ares and I were in danger and you responded quickly.”

She smiled ruefully. “Maybe a little too quickly, but you managed to make a plan and enact in with a group of ponies that don’t even know you and led them as a single, cohesive unit. It may not have been much of a plan, and you may have jumped to conclusions, but you didn’t panic; you went through what could have been a dangerous situation with a clear head. That, along with previous recommendations from princess Luna and Celestia, and having judged your character myself in the short time you’ve worked for me, I thought that promoting you would be the best. ”

With a nod, the princess turned back to Shining. “And, I also read from the Captain’s report that you, Shining Armor would like to join the crystal guard; is that correct?”

Shining nodded once. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, trying to keep his voice even, though his back legs were shaking slightly.

Cadence nodded. “I’d be more than happy to have you in the guard, Shining… as long as this is something that you really want to do.” Cadence took a step toward him. “I would be happy to give you a recommendation to any troop in Equestria, or I’m sure that my aunt would love to have you back as her captain…” She took another step closer toward him.

“Shining,” she said quietly. “I’m happy that you’re okay, and I’m happy to see you again, but if you’re doing this for the wrong reasons…”

Shining bowed his head. “I’m not here for anything like that, Cadence,” he assured. “I just think that I need to be up here,” he motioned toward the soldiers watching them intently. “I trained a lot of these ponies myself; it’d only be right to see it to the end.” Shining smiled at her. “I want to make sure you, and the empire, are in the hooves of trained, experienced guards.”

Cadence still looked unsure, though Shining could tell that she was trying hard to hide it. “…Alright, Shining, but I’m not going to play favorites with you. You’re going to have to work your way up from the bottom…”

Shining grimaced, looking down at his hooves. He had had expected Cadance to be a little… resistant. It might have been nothing; he might have been imagining it, but it actually seemed like she genuinely didn’t want him protecting her. Maybe it might not have been the best idea to come this soon. he thought. Maybe I should try to ease into thi--

“Well Private, are you going to just keep your face in the dirt or are you going to say something?!”

Blinking in surprise, Shining turned toward Echo, who was looking at him with a scowl and a borderline angry expression.

The mare smacked him on the shoulder. “You were going on about wanting to join my guard yesterday, and now that the princess herself just told you that you were allowed to join, you get cold hooves?! Do you really bucking need to be a bucking captain to join my command?!!!””

Shining took a nervous step backwards. “Well, um—“

“NO! I’ll bucking tell you what you’re going to do,” Echo butted heads with him. “You’re going to do what you came up here to do, and you’re going to like it! DO YOU GET ME CREAMPUFF?!”

Eyes wide, Shining found himself saluting. “Ma’am, yes ma’am!” he squeaked.

Echo growled. “I CAN’T HEAR YOU, PRIVATE! WHAT THE BUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!”

“MA’AM YES MA’AM!”

With a nod, Echo pushed him out of the way and saluted Cadence, who had watched the whole scene with a mixture of confusion, surprise, and amusement. “I’ll make sure he gets the proper paperwork filled out, ma’am. Now, if you’ll excuse us, the days still young and these slackers have a few more hours of sparring to do. DO YOU HEAR ME, FILLIES? BREAK TIME'S OVER, GET BACK TO WORK!”

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the wait; finals have me bent over a table, and my editors been busy, so please be a bro and point out and errors.