8 - Case 04: Thriving
Robert showed up for his first true day of work, wary, but ready. The older stallion met him at the door and began showing him how the register worked, which was not as similar to a human one as one might think. Still, the basics were there, and Robert soon felt confident enough to man the station.
"I'll be in the back," reported the owner. "I've been meaning to do a full cleaning and organization, but I haven't had time, what with me watching the front and not wanting to come in on the closed days. Thankfully, you're here, so you keep things straight up here, and I'll get to it." He lifted a hoof to point to a guitar that hung over the back wall. "By the way, if anypony asks about that, it's not for sale. This ain't that kind of store and she's mine."
Off he went, leaving Robert to sit there. Most of the day was just that, waiting for someone to come in. It made Robert laugh. It was just as boring as when he was a human, though he had wings to stretch and flap and feathers to preen to pass the time.
A bell rang. It was the front door. A pony that looked like she was going full goth wandered in. "Hey, where's the old stallion?" she asked on seeing Robert in the usual spot.
Robert's ears lifted. "He's in the back. How can I help today?"
She rolled her eyes. "Guess I don't need him specifically. Did the new song, Night of the Timberwolf, come out?"
He didn't know that off the top of his head, but he was fairly sure where it would be, so he hopped off the cushion that was his seat and went trotting over to the goth section. He hooved through it a moment before the mare behind him snorted. "What?" he asked, looking back at her.
"Why aren't you using your wings? Are they hurt?"
Robert blinked softly.
She approached with a bemused expression. "This kind of work, I don't know any pegasus that doesn't use their wings to speed things up." She reached out a spiked-collared hoof and poked his right wing just so to make it spring out, then nudged it over to the case. "They don't look hurt."
Why was this strange mare touching him, and trying to give him advice all of a sudden? Ponies were odd. Hoping to mollify her, he brought both wings forward and brushed them over the records. Focused on the task, he found the leading feathers could indeed slip in and pull or push, like fingers. He had hands the whole time?! Sort of.
The goth flipped her hair aside. "That's more like it. Now, is it there?"
Giddy with the idea of having hands of a sort back, Robert eagerly leafed through the covers and pulled out the song the goth was looking for. "Here we are!" He saw a price written on it and quoted it for her.
"Sure thing." She pulled a few coins from her pocket and slapped it down on the counter. "I've been waiting the whole week for this one. I hear it's real, you know?"
'Real' was a keyword that remained true across worlds, and Robert nodded to her as he surrendered the record. "Enjoy it, and tell me how it went."
"I will," She turned for the exit and got to walking. "Hey, take it easy."
It was his first customer, but far from the last. He greeted each as they came in, got them the music they wanted, and sent them on their way. It was simple, but each pony left with a smile, as opposed to the human customers who often could never be pleased. Well, except one pony. He didn't have the record for the stallion, and he grumbled the whole way out, but Robert still called the day a success.
The next day was much the same, and the one after that. He had found a groove, and he was getting comfortable in it.
Then she came in.
It was a pony he knew. DJ Pon3, AKA, Vinyl Scratch. Her headphones were on, as always, and with them, her head bobbed softly to the tune of whatever she was listening to. She stopped though when Robert came into view. It must have surprised her at least as much as Robert, as a word spilled from her lips. "Aqua?"
Robert frowned. "Robert. What can I get for you?" Bad history or not, he didn't want to be fired for being snippy with a customer.
Vinyl seemed to regather herself and gave the softest cough before she nodded and moved past, browsing the aisles slowly. It was awkward, having her there. Why her, of all ponies. She was one of the few that knew Robert's start in Equestria. He was doing better, dammit. He didn't want to face that past.
She sudden gave a whistle, drawing his attention to a record player. She was holding up a record in her magic and pointing at it.
What was she asking? Oh! "Yeah, sure, go ahead."
Vinyl gave a pleased nod before she set the record down and moved the needle over with her magic. Soon the store began to fill with lively tunes. It wasn't techno at all. It was more like an old timey quartet. Robert felt compelled to laugh at how unexpected it was.
His boss suddenly poked in from the back. "Who--Oh! Miss Scratch, lovely to see you." He quickly approached Vinyl. "I hope my new cashier hasn't been bothering you."
She shook her head and gave a hoof's up gesture at Robert before offering that same hoof to the boss. They hugged briefly before she began to point at things.
"Things are good, real good. You wouldn't believe it, this pegasus here literally comes out of the sky and fills the vacancy I didn't even know I had." He looked to Robert. "Hey, how're our sales for the day?"
Robert pressed a button that made a total pop up and he said it out loud.
"Huh, not bad. Here I was, thinking you were maybe fibbing about the retail experience." He raised a brow. "Or maybe customers just dig your mane style, either way. Vinyl! What's going on with you?"
They talked, even if it was one sided with Vinyl not speaking, but the air was thick with friendliness.
Robert stopped paying much attention to them until he saw magic wrap around the guitar and pluck it from the wall. "H-hey! That's not for sale."
The boss held out a hoof. "It isn't, but Miss Scratch here, for her, she can borrow it."
Vinyl nodded softly as she fastened it to her side, somehow. Ponies.
He put a leg around her neck and hugged her. "She has a concert and she really wants a classic instrument for it, and it doesn't get much better than that. You just take care of it, alright? It has a lot of sentimental value."
Vinyl gave a sharp salute, then trotted from the store. Along the way she glanced at Robert, but she didn't slow and was soon gone.
"So, you know her?"
Robert started, not noticing his boss had been approaching. "Y-yeah. She was one of the first ponies I met here, in Equestria."
"Huh, you need to tell me where you're from some day. Good mare, that one. Not big on words, but big on heart, and she lives for music. You can't argue that."
The day ended peacefully, and Robert went home just a little richer. He was paying off his rent, eating, and stashing some aside for Dr. Fetlock. He hadn't forgotten her. In fact, he had a better idea of exactly what he wanted.
It would be one part revenge of sorts, but mostly just hot and fun. He had a life, finally, and he was going to make the most of it.
"Excuse me."
Robert stopped on the sidewalk. He had been on his way to work. Before him was Twilight Sparkle. The Twilight sparkle. "Uh, yeah?"
Twilight was squinting at him. "Aren't you Aqua? No! You're--"
Robert popped his hoof in the princess' mouth as he had seen many other ponies do before. "Stop that right there. I'm Robert. I'm not causing anyone any trouble."
Twilight stepped back from that hoof. "So you are him." She tilted her head left and right. "Are you... alright?"
Alright? Robert's ears twitched fitfully. "You care?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Twilight sat up. "It was my spell that caused... this." Her ears went down. "I never had a chance to apologize."
Robert shook his head. "You made those? The figures?"
Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Sort of. I cast the spell here, and it became figures in your world. I had no idea it would work that way. Still... I was worried. I know you... did some unkind things, but you're still an alien in a strange land, with nopony. I was worried you might get hurt, or lost, or worse."
Robert quirked a little smile. There was Twilight, the queen of all Mary Sues, worried for him. It was touching in a way. "I'm alright. I have an apartment to myself, and a job."
"Oh, what kind?" she asked, perking up.
"Didja find somethin?" came the voice of Applejack as she emerged from the crowd. "Oh, hey there."
Twilight gestured at Robert. "Meet Robert, a human I partially caused to be here."
Applejack blinked rapidly. "What? Oh! The, uh, not-Aqua." She looked Robert up and down quickly. "Huh, looks just like 'em."
Robert shook his head. "As she said, I'm Robert. Hey, Applejack."
Applejack recoiled. "How'dja know mah name?"
Twilight answered that before Robert could. "Humans from his world know about ours, especially myself and my friends, which includes you, of course. It's odd to think about, but we're celebrities where he's from."
Applejack colored. "Well shoot!"
Robert held up a hoof. "Relax. I'm not here to fawn over either of you. Nice to meet you, Applejack, Twilight."
Both mares nodded at him before Applejack took a step forward. "There's a unicorn in town grabbing more humans, just like you, and turnin' them inta ponies. We're here to stop her. Have ya seen her by chance?"
Robert had, of course, but he wasn't so eager to have Dr. Fetlock stopped. "Oh yeah, dark mane, with stripes going lengthwise?"
Applejack perked up. "That's the one! Where is she?"
Robert pointed off in an uncertain direction. "She said something about Vanhoover."
Both sagged. Applejack threw her hat on the ground. "Consarnit!"
Twilight put a hoof on her back. "Stay calm, we'll catch up with her. Thank you, Robert. Have a nice day, alright."
The two left and Robert let out a sigh of relief. He planned to get his mare, darn it. He couldn't have Twilight come in and spoil the whole thing with the power of Deus Ex Machina and rainbow his plans to bits.
But that was for another day. That day was for working. He had bits to save.
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We, this seems like a good way to destroy your credibility, to lie to your.
And... is this the first time it was revealed to him that these were abducted humans? Did he just let it go in one ear and out the other, or does he just not care?
Of course, with his ruminations about it being "revenge" like might just indicate how strongly he doesn't feel about the well being of others.
7796565 Lie to your...?
7796228
And it's going to make him absolutely miserable. And once he figures out who's the one who dreamed up this fantasy...
And even if it doesn't result in a nasty breakup...
7796571
... Yeah I definitely cut that off, there. Lie to the celebrities that are trying to investigate the doctor.
7796672 If she thinks he is an abducted human, which he isn't, how much faith can he have in Miss Mary Sue?
I loved the Family guy reference in the Author's note.
7796674
If he has the wrong idea as to whether or not she thinks he was abducted, which she doesn't... then alright.
Maybe he'll figure something out during/after the ordering process, as he notices things are just a tad different.
cast she spell - cast the spell
Dues Ex Machina - Deus Ex Machina
Well, so much for redemption.
Robert was almost a decent person for a while there, which is the trouble. He's almost a decent person. Harmony tossed him several bones and he just swept them aside.
Also, Twilight is a Mary Sue? For whom? Seems to me that if he thinks it's for Ms. Faust, it would be more likely to be Rainbow Dash.
If, by some miracle, Robert's empathy comes back online he might consider looking through the stacks for albums that might feature his boss's music. It seems likely that he used to perform. Showing an interest in other ponies, within reason and decency, is a good thing, harmonious, even.
He could just ask, but that feels like cheating and modesty may forbid a straightforward answer, anyway.
7796890 Typos fixed. How quick you are to toss Robert under the destiny train. My people seem quite harsh on him for not revealing Dr. Fetlock's accurate location.
7796930
I respectfully dispute that I'm tossing him under the train.
I am disappointed in him, especially now that I was beginning to warm up to him as we learn a little more and discover that he does have some good qualities. Now, if only he could be encouraged to yank his head out of his plot...
And to be clear, I am not disappointed in you as an author for taking a loosely defined character and filling in some of the holes until he's someone that I could identify with. Quite the opposite.
7796930
7796961 Hey! I'll have you both know that throwing characters under trains is MY shtick!
Beause seriously, I do that, like, ALL the time.
I can only hope that Robert pointed in the exact opposite direction of Vanhoover. It probably won't matter much in the short- to medium-term, but it amuses me to think that that's the case. Also, Twilight may want to consider something a bit more effective than a personal search of the entire country. Wanted posters, informing law enforcement, something. Has she even told the other princesses?
Delegation fails aside, I get the feeling that Robert will come to regret this decision. The question is how.
Oh, and I have to ask, how is a hoof's up distinct from a hoof's down?
7797170 Pointing up or pointing down mostly.
img06.deviantart.net/73e0/i/2013/270/e/6/pinkie_choose_me__hoof_up_high_5_by_lunabubble_ede96-d6ncc6w.png
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/4/48/Trixie_'And_now'_S3E05.png/revision/latest?cb=20121207075825
Oh Robert, you glorious bastard.
See, that bit of selfishness and disharmony cost you points, Robert!
Keep going! ;)
7796890
Twilight's Mary Sue Ness comes from Twilight as the most powerful unicorn ever born (by taking Celestia's expression of astonishment at her childhood power both 100% seriously and exaggerating it usually), from her being basically supernaturally charismatic despite being a social shut in for the majority of her life, or from her being destined for immortality and leadership despite only earning it by solving a magical riddle.
Authors who exaggerate this or overemphasize it can wind up with Twilight as a pretty serious Mary Sue.