“Order 12 for Zuberi! Order 12 for Zuberi” Echoed throughout Sugar cube Corner, a slender zebra with long hair tied in a ponytail walked up and grabbed his order.

“Enjoy your breakfast!” Mrs Cake said as she smiled, the bags under her eyes showing her exhaustion where her voice did not. She was a rather attractive mare for her age.

“Thank you. I intend to.” Zuberi said as he gave a polite nod and smile to the hardworking mare, while a blur of pink zipped around behind her carrying bowls with batter on its lips, pans and trays that followed a similarly used and dirty appearance. Zuberi tilted his head, raising an eyebrow as he tried to register what he was even seeing. “Oh, don’t mind her. She’s just very energetic.” Mrs Cake said, catching Zuberi’s attention.

“O-oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” Zuberi said, as marveled at the sheer speed the pony was moving. “I was just trying to follow the pink blur… what or who is that, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, that’s just Pinkie Pie. She’s quite the active mare. She’s been a lifesaver since my hubby is across seas and my little ones aren’t so little anymore and going to Princess Twilight’s school. They both got scholarships!” Mrs Cake said. The pride in her voice showed a great deal of joy. “Oh, but don’t let my rambling keep you, sweetie.”

“It’s alright. I have a little one of my own…” Zuberi smiled at Mrs Cake’s remarks. A parent himself, he knew the joys of watching one’s children grow. “Though she often runs circles around me with all her energy.” His voice filled with his own sense of pride and joy as he did. Mrs Cake let out a small giggle at his words. She had plenty of experience handling energetic children.

“They never seem to run out of energy, do they?” Mrs Cake said as she began her small talk before a crashing of pans could be heard, breaking the conversation that was only just starting between the two. Snapping her head towards the sound and letting out a deep sigh but her soft smile remaining all the same. “Sounds like Pinkie might need help. Please, enjoy.” Before he could respond, the mare had excused herself.

Zuberi made way for the door as the blue mare excused herself. Zuberi pulled out his breakfast from the paper he had gotten from the small shop. It was a ‘breakfast’ cupcake, a mix of fruits and berries. It was very fluffy while being soft to the touch. Taking a bite of the cupcake surprised the Zebra. It was like a whirlwind of flavor that appealed to him greatly. Walking out the door with a rather stunned expression as he took another bite, quickly finding he devoured the whole ‘cupcake’, he almost turned around to grab another, but seeing the chaos that had quickly started, he figured another time was best.

‘I’m going to have to stop by here in the future…’ Zuberi thought to himself as he strolled down the busy streets of Ponyville. The clicking of hooves and clattering of claw met the well-kept stone roads. ‘Such a peaceful town.’

---

Zuberi made his way through the busy streets. Taking in the sights of the rapidly changing Ponyville. For the last few weeks, Ponyville has seen a great deal of change. Just at a glance, almost anyone could tell how different Ponyville was now. Shops seemed more vibrant and engaged with its customers. These changes carried over to the residents as well. Most have become far less prudish and far more open about themselves. It was a comfortable feeling as he continued to walk along the streets, hearing the sounds of the many pony voices speaking in such cheerful moods.

Moving through Ponyville’s streets made these changes far more apparent. Where he saw a pony that once just sold produce. Now, beside it, another stall had opened up. A griffon that sold seeds and grains, both for consumption and for personal gardens. Ushering customers to consider their neighboring stall. Many street vendors filled out many of the empty areas as the powerful aroma of spices and seasons filled the air. Now, new buildings are being built as well. A mix of ponies, zebras, pegasus and griffons worked together while a unicorn in a white hard hat ordered them around.

It was all an extremely drastic change, though he played a part in this change it was all very minor but ultimately a collective effort, but Zuberi grew rather attached to Ponyville since his time here. It reminded him of the busy bazaars across the sea and to the east. Ponyville felt far more alive with the bustling activities of its residents. Because of how much busier the streets had become. It was far easier to walk around the city more casually. It also doubled, if not tripled, his own workload, much to his own dismay.

Zuberi found solace in his downtime, one of the few things he had to ease his mind. He had taken up gardening as a hobby even if he wasn’t good at it; it was relaxing, and it reminded him of his own little flower back at home. He missed his little one dearly. He hated the fact he was so far from her, but he didn’t resent the Siri either. All Siri knew this fight they had entered was needed, what Celestia had done…

“Damn Sun.” Zuberi cursed under his breath, his mood soured for a moment as he saw the sight of the flower shop and the flowers he had been growing in his downtime. ‘Too bright…too annoying…’

Quickly approaching the flowers, he was happy to see them blossoming. Zuberi wasn’t very good at gardening, but he wanted to get better for his little flower back home. Zuberi moved about the front of the shop as he grabbed a watering, but as he did, he noticed the shop wasn’t actually closed anymore. Peering through the window, he saw three mares. It was the group of Sisters that ran the flower shop Lily, Rose and Daisy. They were struggling with a rather enormous trunk that was rather intriguing in design and caught his interest.

Zuberi moved swiftly as he entered the shop, wholly unnoticed by the sisters as they tried moving the trunk. Though he was not given much time to observe as chaos erupted when the truck came to life with magic. It bounced around the room. It was a strange sight, but wildly dangerous as the trunk bounced within the walls of the building before it made way towards the flower sister, Rose. From the way it looked and sounded, they were struggling with this magical trunk.

Zuberi should have just let it happen if he followed his Siri training. This wasn’t his problem, and he was by all means still behind enemy lines…but he didn’t. He shouldn’t have made himself known, but he did, his body acting faster than he could think. Zuberi darted towards Rose, grabbing her by her hand and yanking her out of the way. A wood snapping crash mixed with the shattering glass followed soon after. It took a moment to digest what had happened after what had happened between the four. Though that time was not given, because now he was the center of their attention. Rose looked up at him, while her sisters gazed at him. Before he could even say a word though, Zuberi had three unconscious mares in the room.

“What the actual fuck.” Zuberi said to himself, as he didn’t know how to even process what had just happened. “Why did I do that?”

---

Zuberi stood before Zecora, hands behind his back as he looked forward as the tapping of her finger seemed to echo in his head like a hammer on a brass bell. He was beyond nervous. The last few weeks were not what he had expected after meeting those three mares. Zecora’s gaze weighed heavily over Zuberi as she looked over the report he had submitted. Normally, this type of report would be left to one of her assistants that helped with day to day managerial tasks. This was a special case and one she had to be involved in.

“Let me make sure I understand this correctly.” Zecora’s voice caused Zuberi to flinch. “In the last several weeks, you met three pony mares, grew close to them and genuinely have an interest in these three?” She walked over towards Zuberi, who was visibly sweating.

“Yes, Mistress.” Zuberi was curt and quick. “I have.”

“I see.” Zecora said, as she started circling him around the room, examining Zuberi with a critical eye. “And you want to take these three as your wives and bring them into the fold?”

“Yes, Mistress, with what will happen in the future, I want to ensure their safety.” Zuberi commented, maintaining his composure as best as he could. “I will do what’s needed to ensure that.” The conviction in his voice spoke a great deal more than his actual words.

“Prove it.” Zecora said, standing in front of Zuberi with a few feet between them. “Prove your claim.”

“I ZUBERI…” Zuberi stated, as he dropped to his knees, his hands on the ground with his forward meeting stone. “SWEAR IN THE NAME OF THE GODDESS! MY WORDS ARE TRUE! I WILLINGLY SUBJECT MYSELF TO A BRANDING TO SHOW MY SINCERITY OF MY WORDS!” His voice carried the weight of his conviction once more as he prostrated himself in front of Zecora. “I pray Mistress Zecora understands my feelings, for these three are not fleeting or fickle.” Zecora looked down at him, her eyes as cold as ever.

“Very well. Then understand this.” Zecora said as she went back towards her desk, her butt sitting on the edge as her eyes never lost track of Zuberi. “They will not be brought into the fold yet, but they will be recognized as your wives by the Siri. They will receive your protection, they will be solely your responsibility…If anything happens that endangers the Siri, they will become secondary. Do you understand this?”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Zuberi said, as he remained prostrated. “I will shoulder the responsibility for them and their actions as if they were my own!” Zecora had heard enough. She was going to further question the Siri but knew it would be much of the same. She knew this could and would likely happen. The Siri, while loyal, were still people themselves, urges and desires that were more than revenge on a millennium old enemy.

“Alright, stand up and take your shirt off and your belt, and present to me your back and bite on your belt unless you wish to bite your tongue.” Zuberi did what he was told with hesitation, removing his shirt and taking his belt over and folding it up, then putting it in his mouth, and biting down. Her eyes glowing once more with a sickly green magic that reached down her neck to her arms and at her fingertips. “Don’t pass out, or we will have to start over. Do not hate me either… if you had risen in rank just a bit more before this happened. You would not suffer this pain to come, but let your conviction speak louder than your words for now.” Zuberi flinched slightly at her words, but the resolve in his eyes did not. “Let’s begin.” Was all Zuberi heard before the searing of his own flesh was followed by a ghoulish scream of agony barely muffled by the belt he was biting on.

---

Hours had passed since Zuberi had passed out, barely withstanding the magic branding. He awoke in the infirmary within the base. His vision was hazy and his body felt limp. He tried to move, but failed to even move a finger. Trying once again, he managed but a finger, but his twitch and attempts to move garnered the attention of another in the room he couldn’t see before. He was still sore, where the brand had touched continued to ache, but it was a more shameful pain, the pain of passing out when he should’ve remained standing.

“Knock it off.” A female voice startled him as his eyes darted to the left as a small griffon approached him from the side. Her gaze was as cold as most others of her species. Zuberi went to speak, but he was too weak to even do that. “I said knock it off, don’t speak and don’t move. You will be here for a few days and I don’t want more work than I need to do. I have enough to do as is.” Zuberi looked at her blankly. “Good boy. Now go back to sleep.” The griffon said, her eyes shimmering white before Zuberi was quickly engulfed by his exhaustion. As his unconscious body lay on the bed, the griffon rolled her eyes at the throb under his sheets. “Not my problem.”

---

Having saved the trio from the enchanted, insane trunk, Zuberi was standing there. The trunk was laying there, partially broken, but no longer moving. As for the mares, Rose was standing behind him, while the others, Daisy and Lily, were only standing there, jaws agape as they saw this zebra spring to action. There was just something about his strong, muscular body that was able to defeat this trunk. They were also looking at the trunk. Though none of the three were unicorns, they had asked the trunk to be enchanted beforehand, but now regret it. As he managed to break the trunk momentum, it managed to get a strong hit on him, knocking the zebra out.

Zuberi awoke some time later, not sure how much time had passed. Looking around, he saw he was on a bed, with one of his arms, one of his legs, and part of his chest was covered in bandages. His body was sore, but not as sore as he expected. He took a large trunk to his face and body. By all accounts, he should be in a lot worse shape. Looking around a little more, he saw there was a partially empty bottle with a reddish liquid remaining inside. From his time in town, and knowledge of brews, this was a healing remedy, common, which explained why he was still injured, but wasn’t fully broken.

‘I see…I must’ve gotten hurt against that trunk…’ Zuberi thought to himself, looking over the bandages. ‘But did they tend to my wounds? And am I in their bed? Why not a hospital?’

As he was thinking, the door creaked open. Walking into the room were the three mares in question. Rose seemed to be the one leading them, with Lily and Daisy following her. In the first mare’s hands was a small box that held a medical symbol on it. The other two carried a tray that held a bowl of hot soup in a large bowl. As he heard them getting closer, Zuberi could hear the three mares talking amongst themselves.

“Why are we bringing him soup?” Lily’s voice asked the others. “We don’t even know if he’s awake.”

“The potion should’ve healed enough of him to help him wake up.” Rose’s voice replied, sounding confident in her answer. “Besides, if he isn’t, then we can leave to cool a little.”

“Or it’ll just get cold before he wakes up.” Daisy’s voice added, sighing a little. “Lily’s right, we should wait.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter now.” Rose commented, still taking charge of the others. “There’s no harm in opening the door and checking in.” As soon as the three of them saw he was awake, Lily and Daisy nearly jumped back. Thankfully, they didn’t spill any of the soup; though she looked at the others with a smug smirk. “Oh good! You’re awake.” She sighed as she knelt beside the bed, getting the medical box on the bed. “How are you feeling? Is anything still broken? Any pain? Sorry, but you were really hurt, and thankfully, I knew some first-aid.”

“I’m fine, a little sore, but fine. Are you three alright?” Zuberi asked, looking between the three mares. “Nopony else was hurt?”

“No…no, we’re fine.” Rose replied, looking at the zebra, then to the trunk. “I have no idea what happened. The trunk was doing fine for a while now.”

“Perhaps the magic had a misfire?” Zuberi suggested. Unicorn magic wasn’t exactly his field of expertise, but he knew that magic could have unforeseen effects. “Where did you get it?”

“I think it was…who was he again?” Rose asked, looking at the other girls. “That unicorn who works at the furniture store?”

“No, I think it was from that show mare, Trixie.” Daisy added, looking between her sisters. “It was that, or the old trunk.”

“Old trunk? This has happened before?” Zuberi asked, seeing the blushing look on their faces. Sighing, he playfully rubbed his temples with his unbandaged hand, then let out a small chuckle. “Well, I’m glad I was able to help.”

“So are we.” Lily chimed in, rushing over to give Zuberi a hug in gratitude, to which he winced a little in the pain, causing her to pull away with a blush. “T-thank you so much.”

“It’s no problem. I only did what I thought was right.” Zuberi commented, nodding his head before heading out to depart. But just as he was near the threshold, Rose grasped at his hand. “Hmm? Yes? Is there something else you need?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just you went out of your way to help us, and we wanted to thank you.” Rose commented, looking deeply in Zuberi’s eyes. “That’s why we used the only healing potion.”

“So that is what they are called.” Zuberi commented, looking over to the bottle. “In my homeland, they are quite common. Is that not the same here?”

“Well, yes and no.” Rose explained, looking at the bottle. “The instructions are to take half the bottle for the first dose, wait several hours, or until the injuries start healing. And then drink the rest. So right now, your body will need to be bandaged for a few more hours before we can fully heal you.”

“That is fine by me.” Zuberi commented, nodding his head as he accepted his circumstances. “I supposed I’ll be in your care in the meantime.”

“Oh, yes, well, how about you try some of the soup?” Daisy suggested getting a spoonful for him. “It’s a special hay soup that’s sure to get your strength back.”

“Thank you, miss…” Zuberi replied, only to then look at the three. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe I know your names.”

“Oh, silly us.” Rose giggled. “I’m Rose, and this is Lily and Daisy, were the Flower Sisters.”

“Ah, lovely names, and such lovely flowers, too.” Zuberi commented, smiling at them as he took a sip of the soup. “Oh, this is a very hearty soup, too. It tastes wonderful.”

“Thank you. It’s a family recipe.” Daisy giggled, feeding another spoonful to the zebra. “If it’s not too personal, why don’t you tell us about yourself?” She was getting a side glance from Lily, who seemed to feel the questioning was a bit intrusive. “We weren’t really expecting you to appear and, well...we’ve been curious. You kinda appeared and saved the day out of nowhere. It could have been a lot worse.”

“Well, I will be here for a while, so I don’t see the harm.” Zuberi replied, playing along with the mares. “My name is Zuberi. I’m from the Zebra Lands. I came to Equestria in search of work, actually. I’ve been spending the last few weeks working at that farm…” Snapping his fingers a little, he recalled the name, or at least pretended to have remembered it. “Yes! It’s called Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Oh? You work there.” Rose asked, rubbing her chin for a moment. “That’s amazing. I’ve always liked the way Applejack keeps those apples so neat and tidy.”

“Yes, but unfortunately, working on a large farm like that wasn’t for me.” Zuberi replied, partially lying, but being partially truthful. “I came here to do more than simple labor jobs, and am currently looking for work elsewhere. That’s when I just so happened to be passing by your home when I heard the shouting.”

“Oh? That’s amazing!” Lily commented, helping Rose with Zuberi’s bandages. “Do you have any family back home? Hobbies?”

“Lily, don’t overwhelm him.” Rose commented, playfully rolling her eyes as she was re-wrapping the bandages. “Sorry about that. She can get very nosey.”

“It’s no problem at all.” Zuberi chuckled, lying comfortably as Daisy continued to feed him the hot soup. “I have a daughter back home, and I miss her dearly.” Zuberi’s voice carried a pang of sadness, the voice of a father longing to see his child. “She has this wonderful garden back home, and I often engage in some gardening to cope with my longing for my precious little girl. She’s the reason I’m here, for a better future.”

“Oh!” Daisy commented. “That’s so sweet.” Daisy didn’t expect such a heartfelt response, but it struck her own emotions.

“Though, I must confess. During my days walking around the town, I noticed that your front flowers, as well as your nursery on the side, weren’t being tended to.” Zuberi commented, speaking as respectfully as he could as he continued. “So I couldn’t help but tend to them while you were out of town.”

“I was wondering why so many of our flowers were in such good condition when we got back.” Rose commented, smiling at the zebra. “Even with our pots and nurseries enchanted to last during the trip, I expected some of them to die by the time we get back.” Rose replied, piecing together things now. “So that was you? I was trying to figure out what we did differently to make them live that long, but it was someone else tending to them.” Rose’s voice seemed slightly disappointed.

“Oh, I’m sorry to have intruded. I just couldn’t help myself.” Zuberi smiled, being more surprised that despite his Siri training, he was caught so easily. “I’ve always enjoyed viewing and tending to such beautiful flowers. And I didn’t see the harm in clipping away any of the fading parts. I’m sorry if that came across as intrusive.”

“Not at all.” Daisy smiled. “Since you’ve been doing it, I didn’t need to tend to them myself after we got back home. I didn’t have to repot any plants or clip away anything. Thank you!” Daisy’s sincerity carried as she spoke.

“You do gardening?” Lily asked, smiling with glee at the zebra. “What sort’ve flowers do you grow?”

“Oh, well yes, my daughter and I enjoyed gardening.” Zuberi replied, blushing a little as he thought back to his home, and the daughter waiting for him when all of this was over. “Though many flowers in my homeland are not native to Equestria, so I’m sorry to say many of the things I would describe might be too much for your imagination.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Rose commented, finishing up her task. “Well, you should be all healed up in a few more hours.”

“I appreciate the kindness, but respectfully, I would like to repay the ones who healed me.” Zuberi commented, smiling at the mares. “If that would be alright with you three?”

“Oh, you don’t have to, you did so much for us already.” Rose commented, blushing a little. But she could see the determination in Zuberi’s eyes. She was hard pressed not to deny him. “B-but…if you insist. We could always use another pair of helping hands. The Nursery can be a bit of a handful at times.”

“I would like that.” Zuberi replied, enjoying a bit more of the soup as it had cooled off. “I look forward to seeing what flowers you have in your gardens.”

---

Following a few more hours of rest and left to his own thoughts alongside another dosage of the healing potion, Zuberi’s body was healed up. Not fully recovered, as he could feel his limbs and chest were feeling slight echoes of soreness, he could feel a slight weakness in his muscles. Though he knew it was temporary, it was still noticeable.

Perhaps gardening would be the best way to get some of his strength and energy back. Once out of bed, and fully dressed, his clothing having been cleaned and not noticing sooner, he was left in just his underwear before. Zuberi checked his pockets and found that things were mostly left undisturbed. He noticed his tools were handled. “I hope they did not find themselves too curious with these.” as he checked the several vials and smaller tools he had, it seemed they had not gotten too curious.

After exiting the room, he made himself known and was quickly accosted by the Rose who doted on him. Assuring he was fine, things calmed for a moment. He followed the mare into their backyard, where his eyes and nose were met with the wonderful, colorful sights and smells of the numerous plants and flowers these mares were growing.

For a moment, Zuberi could see it, the land his daughter was waiting for him back home. The simple house, with a spectacular garden and his darling daughter, was growing with every ounce of love and care. He had worked in the nursery for a bit in their absence, but it seemed far more vibrant and full of life. It felt homely… It reminded him of home. It was enough to almost bring a tear to his eyes as he looked out. Rose, Lily, and Daisy didn’t seem to notice as he composed himself. The mares began by getting the equipment they needed, each one seemingly specializing in a different part of the task.

Rose seemed to be the strongest, easily wheeling out a large wheelbarrow with a large number of seed sacks inside. Lily was getting several tools, carrying them the way someone would carry large bundles of wooden logs. And finally, Daisy was putting on a small cap with an umbrella on it as she was untying a long watering hose. From what Zuberi could tell, each mare seemed to work in perfect unison in their gardening duties. It was very impressive to the siri to see such flawless teamwork.

“So, what would you like me to do?” Zuberi asked, looking over the mares to see who could use the most help.

“Alright, so how about you help Daisy out with the hose.” Rose suggested, taking some of the tools from Lily. “Lily and I can handle the potting of new plants. So help her with the watering of the ones that didn’t need to be repotted.” Zuberi looked at her in a little confusion. “I know you say you feel better, but I’d rather not have you overwork yourself. Not this soon after getting out of bed. So help her, and we can work our way up to the heavier tasks.”

“Sure, I can do that.” Zuberi commented, nodding before he turned to walk over to Daisy as she was currently unraveling the hose. “So, what do you need me to do?”

“Well, for now, we just have to wait for them to do their steps, then we can do ours.” Daisy explained, smiling up at the zebra. “Besides, you’re still recovering, so it would be better to start with the simple, easier work.”

“As long as you don’t over-water them and do more harm than good.” Zuberi chuckled, looking at Rose and Lily as they started setting up a section of the gardens for new flowers. They worked like a well-oiled machine. Flowing between each other’s movements, they worked in tandem to create a rapidly growing section of yellow, red, and baby blue flowers. “Too little water, and you risk it drying out, even the roots you can’t see. But put on too much, it won’t grow properly and become overly saturated.”

“Oh? You know, that’s good.” Daisy giggled, fidgeting with the hose sprayer a little.

Zuberi smirked a little. “Yeah, I know most of the basics. Needed to if I didn’t want to end up making too many mistakes.”

“Well, that’s one of the joys of gardening.” Daisy commented, smiling a joyous expression. “When you garden, you can just relax, be gentle, and be patient above all else.”

“My daughter says the same thing.” Zuberi chuckled, crossing his arms casually. “But in any event, what are we tending to?”

“Violets and Lavender for now.” Daisy answered, seeing as Rose and Lily were hard at work digging into the garden’s warm soil. “We have several back orders for many such flowers to be sent to Canterlot by the end of the month.”

“Canterlot you say?” Zuberi asked, his eyes gleaming as the Siri’s mind immediately considered every possible means he could turn these plants into tools against Celestia, only to shake his head at the idea. “I’m a bit surprised. That is quite the distance away from flowers.”

“Well, the smell is soothing, and some of them use it to sleep. Neither of these, we use poppy flowers for sleeping, but we have to be careful with those.” Daisy explained, looking at the gardens with pride in her eyes. “Princess Luna herself even complimented our gardens once. So we take great pride in them. The poppy flowers more so, most would have issues being overexposed to them, but she seems just fine.” Daisy exclaimed. “What do you mean? I am unfamiliar with poppy flowers. Do they do something special?” Zuber questioned.

“Oh!” Daisy was a bit surprised but explained all the same. “Poppy flowers, at least the ones we grow here. They contain opium. It can help with anxiety, sleep and a bunch of other things. It’s very addicting if overused. We had that happen once. Princess Celestia set some very strict regulations regarding them. She seemed very touchy about the addiction it caused, the first time I had ever seen her sneer.” Daisy commented, thinking back on how the Princess reacted back then, causing her to shudder a bit.

“Addiction is a powerful thing. I can understand her ire.. Maybe she has experience with addiction or someone she knows?” Zuberi replied as he nodded, still pondering a little. This was indeed great information, something he could inform Zecora about later on. He knew little about pony botany. “But what about daffodils? I believe you can make soothing tea from it.”

“Oh, yes, yes you can. That would be a good idea.” Daisy replied, rubbing her chin as she was considering her own options. “Some nobles might enjoy some tea as they relax with the smell of violets and lavender. And the combined aromas might even get a stronger mix of comfort. That sounds like a superb idea! We could do them in the next set.”

“Set? You speak as if you can grow them overnight.” Zuberi asked, curious as to what this mare was talking about. “Flowers, even quicker to grow, take days, if not weeks, to grow before maturing.”

“Normally, yes. But since we began supplying flowers to Canterlot, Princess Luna had given us a few wonderful things to aid us.” Daisy commented, gesturing to her sisters. “The tools we’re using have been enchanted to not only dig up soil with ease, but nurture it. As well as this, we have had the ground in our gardens blessed with spells to aid in rapid plant growth.” She then held up the hose. “And this hose's nozzle has also been enchanted to help stimulate growth through a type of magic. I don’t really understand it, but it works well!”

“So such magic would allow you three to grow entire gardens seemingly overnight?” Zuberi asked, raising a curious eyebrow. “But even such enchantments have limits, right?”

“Well, yes.” Daisy explained. “We still need to change out the soil, which can be a tedious process, but overusing the same soil is a big no no. Normally we can resolve that in a day, but the magic isn’t infinite. Not just the hose, but everything else. It at least lets us handle other things without being overwhelmed. We are only three ponies doing all this, after all.” Daisy’s voice was filled with a sense of pride as she spoke as her chest puffed up… drawing Zuberi’s attention rather easily, noticing the spots of wet and the light pink fabric under her blouse. Shaking his gaze, he continued the conversation.

“That’s very impressive.” Zuberi commented, seeing as even as the seeds were being planted, he could almost make out a subtle, almost faint hum that was coming from the loosen earth and soil. “So after they plant the seeds, we spray them with the water, and they grow overnight?”

“That’s the idea.” Daisy smiled, handing Zuberi the hose. “I have it set to the soft shower nozzle, so it should be fine. A few minutes of that, and it’ll be finished.”

“Alright, I’ll try it.” Zuberi nodded, standing there a few minutes longer as Rose and Lily were digging and planting. “I just need to wait.”

The way the two mares worked together, how they were moving in unison. As well as this, he couldn’t help but look at their features, how they were so alluring, and yet beautiful. A mix of attractive figures, as well as such strong work ethics made the zebra pause for a moment. For a moment, Zuberi was back home. His daughter, who by now would’ve grown into a beauty, would be hard at work in the gardens. Maybe she would be selling the flowers to earn what coins she could, saving to better support herself while he was in Equestria working. It was a warm feeling; it was a loving feeling, and it made Zuberi sigh a soft calming breath.

But eventually, Rose and Lily finished their tasks, and Zuberi set out to do his. Waiting for the mares to move, he released the water. The cool liquid sprinkled down like a dense mist. The handle felt warm, and yet he could see faint trickles of the water becoming cold as it exited the nozzle. But rather than stay outside the water, Rose, Lily, and even Daisy move quickly into the path of the water. Though they were getting lightly soaked, they continued to work on the many seeds in the soil. Clearly, they weren’t afraid to get wet or dirty; another respectable quality they seemed to have.

‘Wow, I’ve never seen mares like this before.’ Zuberi thought to himself, still looking at the three. Now, with the water wetting their work clothes, he could see ever so faintly, it looked like they weren’t wearing any bras except for one that was more like a thinly laced strap than a bra. Their nipples rubbed and poked somewhat against the shirts, which brought a small blush to his face as he continued to spray. ‘So beautiful…I never knew the ponies here could put this much love and care in their gardens.’ Then another thought came to him, one he never considered when he first came to Equestria. ‘Maybe they’re not all that bad?’

---

Following the gardening, that was it for the day, but Zuberi seemed greatly interested in coming back to help further. Rose, Lily, and Daisy not only loved this idea, but we’re excited about having more help. Returning to his station, his first order of business was to report to Zecora. Knowing that these sisters were supplying flower shipments to Canterlot, and to the nobles and royalty no less, this couldn’t be ignored. Then the poppy flowers, Zecora would want to know about. The only problem was, he only had the mare’s word that they did this. For a moment, Zuberi hesitated. He was to make a report. That was his role and duty, but maybe he didn’t have enough information? Maybe there were things he hadn’t considered? No, no, it was too soon to fulfill a report. So he held his tongue when delivering a daily report to Zecora.

The following day, Zuberi returned to the three mares. This time, they seemed to bundle up flowers. Some were in bouquets, while others were in beautiful arrangements, packaging, and other displays. Upon arriving, the three flocked to the zebra, happy to have seen him return. After a few questions on his health, to which he replied he was doing well, the three set him to help with this current order. Sitting down at the table, where all the flowers were, Zuberi saw through the back door that all the flowers that had been planted the previous night had been grown, with almost half of them being harvested, which was probably what he was working on.

Looking among the many flowers, Zuberi could see the wonders of what these mares were doing. Bouquets, fine flowers wrapped in beautiful, shimmering papers. There was something else about these papers. They were smooth on the outside, but partially damp on the inside; yet he could see no water inside. Another enchantment? Something to keep the flowers fresher longer? While these mares seemed to overly rely on magic, despite the three of them being earth mares. Though he had to admit, it helped with their production. Three strong, hardworking mares were doing the work of maybe twenty or thirty.

Another thing Zuberi noticed, while gardening, the three were talkative, silly, and always smiling. But when they were working on the flowers into bouquets, displays in fine colored pots, or even as wearable corsages, the mares were silent, focused, and yet had such content and fulfilled smiles on their faces. It was quite the sight to behold, even as Zuberi would occasionally get distracted and be reminded to keep going. There was just something about such hard work, grace, and beauty about how they could move their hands productively, and yet hold on to their tender smiles.

There was something so soothing about working with these mares, how they were able to love their work so passionately, and yet be able to work so diligently. And so patient, letting Zuberi learn some of their tricks to how they’ve managed to streamline the production of such floral products. Massive amounts of flowers, bouquets, and other products were put in crates and left in a back end of the backyard. Thankfully, when the ponies who were hired to ship these crates to Canterlot came, Zuberi was able to hide himself. He wanted to take no risks, but made sure to memorize their faces, facts he would have to report to Zecora later.

And finally, he assisted them in the selling of these flowers. This showed a third side of these mares. Shrewd, brilliant, and exceptionally charismatic. The same friendly, smiling, and professional mares were now selling these flowers as if they were the greatest plants in Equestria. Rose was especially skilled in her words, choosing what she said and the one in which she spoke. Selling even the extras from the Canterlot order to ponies at a higher price, using Celestia and Luna’s own name as a selling point, which worked. More than once, Zuberi had to rub his chin to prevent his jaw from dropping in surprise.

By the end of the week, he had grown to respect these mares. They were brilliant, kind, caring, and had such a beautiful smile on their faces as they worked. It filled the zebra with a sense of comfort, something that, for a moment, reminded him of home. He missed his home, missed his daughter, but at least could take comfort in helping these three with their gardens. So much so, he felt these mares would be far too valuable to his Master’s cause to simply be broken. He would bring this case to Zecora. He would show her that they would be of far better use to them as they are, as allies.

Next Chapter: Chapter 09: Romantic Flowers Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 51 Minutes