Scootaloo pricked her ears up, letting out a groan from the obnoxious tone emitting from the alarm clock. She took the pillow, doing her best to smother the sound away, until finally the increasing volume was too much for her to take.
She sighed and smacked a hoof over it, ending the ringing immediately. She groaned into Rumble's chest, who had brought a hoof up to rub her back.
"First day of work," he teased, putting on an overly-cheery tone. She lifted her head up, showing her displeased and tired eyes.
"Shut up," she grumbled.
Rumble smirked.
"You got your saddlebag?"
"Check," Scootaloo said, strapping it into place.
"House key?"
"Yep."
"What about-"
"Rumble, calm down. You're acting like my Dad." she teased, glancing up from her saddlebag.
Rumble sighed, rolling his eyes at the accusation. "I just hope you're going to be okay." he said.
"Aw, look at you, all worried over little ole' me." Scootaloo continued, grinning.
"I'm serious," Rumble said with bemusement.
"I know, I'm just saying I'm going to be fine, I can take care of myself Rumble."
Rumble looked into her eyes, seeing trust in them. He sighed. "I just don't want you to feel..."
"Unsafe?" Scootaloo asked.
"Vulnerable." Rumble decided, referencing Comet.
Scootaloo softened, quickly catching on to what he meant. It was her turn to sigh now. "Look, Rumble. I'm going to be fine. I promise. Besides, the worst that could happen is that Sunny will try to flirt with me." she teased, re-adopting her smirk.
Rumble rolled his eyes. "I guess you're right." he looked to the time. "C'mon, we don't want to be late. It is your first day after all."
"Then let's go."
Before he could add any witty remark, she was already waiting outside the door.
He shook his head and smirked, taking the time to lock the door behind him.
"Good morning!" A cheerful Sunny greeted, smiling once Scootaloo came in. Rumble came in behind her, and earned a not-as-cheerful smile.
"Morning," Scootaloo replied.
"I take that you got the call?"
"Yep, a couple of days ago."
"Congratulations, then! Hope you enjoy your first day. You might want to go talk with the boss." he said, pointing down a hallway. "She likes to greet herself to new workers."
"Alright then." Scootaloo said. Rumble took to following.
"Wait," Sunny said.
"Yeah?"
"She prefers for introductions to be..." he cleared his throat, "private. Maybe it'd be better if you went to work." he suggested, looking to Rumble.
"But-"
"I'll be fine, Rumble. I'll see you soon." Scootaloo assured him. Before he could object, she gave him a promising wink.
Rumble held back a sigh, before turning away.
"Fine, see you soon then."
Scootaloo went down the hallway, finding it was longer than she had originally expected it to be. She looked from wall to wall, glad to see there were signs indicating what each room led to. She didn't want to end up spending her first day in a maze of closets and storage rooms.
Towards the end of the hallway, she finally reached the door. She drew in a quick breath, and opened her mouth to speak, -you can't knock on a door made of clouds.
"Come in." she heard. She shut her mouth, surprised the mare inside knew of her presence.
She opened the door, finding a mare peering over her reading glasses, which were connected to a chain that hung at her neck. She gave a warm and friendly smile, showing laugh lines. "Take a seat," she offered.
Scootaloo did as asked, sitting in one of the chairs before her. She noticed the mare was drinking tea, and if she paid attention to it, there was a faint smell of mint leaves and honey in the room.
"I take that you're Scootaloo," the mauve mare asked.
"Yes ma'am. " Scootaloo said. "It's my first day here."
"I know." she said. "And you'll be with you station shortly, I just wanted to have the chance to introduce myself. I'm Feather Scheme. But if you'd like, you can call me Mauve."
"Mauve," Scootaloo said, testing the name out. It seemed to fit the mare. What with the coat of matching color and the indigo eyes, and the way her tea rose hair; tied up in a prim bun, complimented it all.
"Tell me, what made you consider this job?"
"Well, I need to pay the bills somehow, and Rainbow Dash suggested it for me, since she's worked here herself once. So when I saw there was an opening I qualified for, I decided to apply."
"Ah, yes. Rainbow Dash. She wasn't always the most...timely, with her position. She'd often spend her work hours practicing for those Wonderbolts. I hear you're trying to join them as well?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Well, good luck to you then. Hopefully you won't spend your time practicing as she did."
"I won't, ma'am." Scootaloo assured her.
"You know, when we first considered you, one of our employees, Sunny, I believe. He eagerly suggested that we put you into consideration."
'Oh no.' Scootaloo thought. She didn't let anything show on her face. "Did he?" she asked.
"Oh yes, I believe that he's been awaiting your arrival."
"Maybe so." Scootaloo agreed.
"Well, I won't be holding you much longer. Before you go on to work, is there anything you'd like to mention?"
"No ma'am, not at the time." Scootaloo said.
"Alright then. You're dismissed."
Scootaloo gave a friendly smile and turned for the door, just as she pulled it open, Feather Scheme called.
"Oh, and Scootaloo?" she said, directing her attention back to her paperwork.
"Yes?" Scootaloo asked, turning back to her.
"Enjoy your day."
"Thank you ma'am." Scootaloo said.
Scootaloo glanced around, looking for the other ponies of her station. She turned once she heard something, and before she could react, something ran straight into her.
"Sorry." a voice said. Scootaloo, who, unlike the pony who ran into her, was still standing, though she nearly fell backwards, she put a hoof to her head, hoping a bump wasn't forming where she'd been hit. "Oh my goodness, are you alright?" the voice asked.
Scootaloo glanced up to see a taller mare looking back at her, she stood in place, hovering a couple of inches or so over her, glancing behind black glasses, which she took to adjusting. She was lanky, and her baby blue mane hung in her orange eyes. She bit her lip nervously, worried about Scootaloo.
"It's okay." Scootaloo assured her.
The mare didn't seem very convinced. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see where I was going, and I guess I just sort of ran into you. Stupid mane, I knew I should've tied it up this morning."
"It's fine, really." Scootaloo assured her.
"It is?" the mare asked, she turned away, hanging her head shamefully, before glancing back to Scootaloo again.
"Really. I'm just trying to find my station."
"Wait, are you the new mare?" she asked.
"Yes, I just came here tod-" Scootaloo was stopped midsentence, interrupted when the mare smacked a hoof to her head, her mint green coat turning a light shade of red.
"Of course you're her. And of course I have to run into her, on her first flippin' day." she said to herself. "I'm such a clutz."
"It's fine, I don't mind, really." Scootaloo said. "Um, by any chance do you know where I'm supposed to go?"
The mare glanced back up, adjusting her glasses again. "Oh, yes. How forgetful of me. I was just coming here to introduce myself. You can call me Twister. I'm supposed to be one of our colleagues." She cleared her throat.
"Scootaloo, nice to meet you."
"Oh, what a nice name." Twister commented. "You want me to show you around, we're supposed to head over there," she pointed away from the balcony they stood on, towards a place where several clouds were, being pushed about by a variety of pegasi.
"I see." Scootaloo said. "We're supposed to clock in, right?" she asked.
"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about that yet." Twister assured her, pushing up her glasses.
"So what do we do first?" Scootaloo asked.
"We're supposed to make sure everything goes according to schedule, in their scheduled places." Twister explained. "We make sure the right amount of clouds are distributed at their proper times, and that they're in the proper conditions."
"Sounds simple enough." Scootaloo said.
"You'd be surprised." Twister said. "Just wait until we have to schedule a storm, or winter. Anyway, there's our first batch for the week, fresh out of Cloudsdale." she said.
The two made their way over, coming to a landing on the runway, where several of Cloudsdale workers were herding the clouds into the building. "That's the storage area." Twister said.
"Neat. I never saw one up close before," Scootaloo admitted. She's studied them for a bit, she took a class in high school describing Equestrian weather, and recalled a lecture about how those storage areas were specially made to keep the clouds in working conditions, despite how long they may remain.
"Really?" Twister asked curiously.
"Yeah, I never really got the chance to tour this place." Scootaloo continued. "It's pretty neat."
"I guess." Twister shrugged. "C'mon, let's head inside. Our shift's about to start."
Scootaloo nodded and followed, following her new colleague into the building adjacent to the storage facility. Once she stepped inside, she was surprised to see how few ponies there were. At the most, there were probably 15, Twister and herself included. She wasn't quite sure on how to feel about the room, it was big enough to walk around without bumping into someone, yet at the same time she felt pretty stuffy.
She followed Twister, who was going on about explaining the graphs and the charts on the walls. As well as the paperwork that littered the desks. She led Scootaloo to a space with an open window, in which she had a clear view of everything outside. She was glad to have some sunlight, she was worried she'd go crazy if she had to work in the dark so often.
"Here's your station, we made it all nice and neat for you." Twister said, motioning to the row of pencils and paperwork, as well as the diagrams on the wall. She then went over to the wall next to it, pointing to a calendar with a kitten on it. "I added this for you, to spice it all up a bit. -I hope you don't mind. I could always take it down or get you another one-"
"It's fine, thank you." Scootaloo smiled.
Twister paused, before shyly returning the smile herself. "I better get to work myself, Your trainer, he should be here soon," she said. "you can just look around until he arrives."
"Thanks." Scootaloo said.
Twister crossed her forelegs, looking to the floor as she rubbed them nervously, unsure of what to say next. She pushed up her glasses and opened her mouth, before deciding better against it.
"I guess...I'll see you, at lunch, then?" she finally stated awkwardly, finally convincing herself to say something, rather than just leave out of nowhere. Though her response came out choppier than she intended, making her mentally kick herself.
Scootaloo nodded. "Sure." Before she could get another word out, the mare hurried off to her own station.
'She was nice.' Scootaloo thought. She seemed pretty shy too, but nice. The mare reminded her a bit of Fluttershy, only a bit more clumsy and flustered. Scootaloo smiled, she could see herself making friends with her. She looked to the calendar, it was a bit too cute for her tastes, but she appreciated the gesture. It did bring color to the little corner after all.
"Are you Scootaloo?" she heard.
Scootaloo turned, finding an ivory gray stallion standing before her, his mane was a snowy white, and he had a scruffy salt and pepper beard to match his slightly snarky and displeased tone.
"Yes Sir. Are you my-"
"So you're the new mare I'm supposed to train." he interrupted.
"Yes Sir," she replied.
"Strange, I'd have suspected they put you outside, in another station, instead of this scruffy old room."
Scootaloo felt relieved to find she wasn't the only one to find the place scruffy. "Well, I applied for this position. The other spots weren't open at the time, and I had the requirements."
"I see. Do you know what you're supposed to be doing here? A mare fresh out of High School can only have so much experience."
"Well, I've done projects and I've used diagrams like this before, plus I know a few ponies who've worked here." She didn't add how they worked outdoors rather than in.
He seemed a bit skeptical at first, but then shrugged. "Well, let's get to it then, we haven't a moment to lose."
"Yes Sir," Scootaloo said.
"Could you quit it with the 'Sirs', you're making me sound old." he grumbled.
"Oh, um...okay then."
"You don't need to be so uptight either." he said with a roll of his eyes.
Scootaloo wasn't sure how to respond, she would've responded 'Yes Sir' again, but grew hesitant. Rather, she looked to the first diagram the stallion motioned to.
By the time everyone went to lunch, the two had gone over the basics to the job, and Scootaloo found the work was more complicated than she had originally expected, though she was sure she could manage it, with a bit of practice.
Scootaloo took to going around, looking for Twister, since the mare said she'd see her at lunch, and found herself in a different room. She spotted Twister, who didn't seem to notice how everyone had gone.
"Hey," Scootaloo greeted, walking over. Twister glanced up, adjusting her glasses and dropping her pencil. She looked to Scootaloo before coming to a realization.
"Oh, is it lunch already?" she asked.
"Yeah, do you want to go anywhere?" Scootaloo questioned.
Twister seemed surprised. "You mean, together?"
"Sure, why not? I'd like to get to know you, anyway." Scootaloo replied.
"You're not going to go out yourself? Or with anyone else?" the mare asked, pushing up her glasses in surprise.
"There was someone else," Scootaloo admitted, referencing Rumble, "but he'll be fine. He should've left half an hour ago anyway."
"Oh...." Twister replied. "um, sure, I guess." a bit of surprise was still hinted in her voice.
"Great, where'd you like to go?" Scootaloo questioned.
"Oh, anywhere." Twister stated, getting up from her seat. "I'm fine with anything."
"We can go to this one place," Scootaloo suggested. "I go there with my friends all the time."
"That sounds nice. What do they have?" she asked, matching Scootaloo's pace.
"You don't mind hayburgers and fries, do you?"
"Oh, not at all. I adore them, actually."
"Good. Let's go, before it can get crowded."
Twister nodded and they took off.
By the time the pair had arrived, Twister was in hysterics, hardly able to steady herself with her flying. She wiped a tear from her eye, trying to focus her vision she couldn't crash to the ground. Her laughter was contagious, for she managed to get Scootaloo to laugh with her.
"You can't be serious."
"Believe me, I am."
"Why would he do that?" she asked.
Scootaloo shrugged. "That's just stallions for ya. Or at least the ones I've met."
"Amen to that," Twister agreed. She chuckled again, turning red from her laughter. "What is it with boys and being so protective?"
"I have no idea. He worries too much. But hey, at least he cares."
"So this Rumble guy," she said. "Is he your boyfriend, by any chance?"
Scootaloo smiled. "I guess you could say that." she shrugged, walking through the glass doors, relieved to find the line wasn't too long.
"I'll just take that as a yes." Twister remarked. "He sounds like a nice guy."
"Even if he suggests that I carry around pepper spray?" Scootaloo reminded with a smirk, raising an eyebrow. Twister broke into another fit of laughter again, trying to steady herself as they inched forward in the line.
"That's a bit over-the-top, don't ya think?" she asked.
"That's exactly what I told him. He must get it from my Dad."
"Don't tell me he does it too,"
"Please, he's the one who taught me how to defend myself. In case I ever 'run into trouble'. And he's basically raised me to cringe whenever someone mentions me getting married." she shuddered at the statement, proving her point, and make prompting Twister to giggle some more.
"That is hilarious. I wish I had someone to do that." she said, wiping away her tears.
"Yeah, but I love him for it. Not many other ponies can say they have someone who cares about them that much. Even if that means I need a curfew." she chuckled, referencing her father again.
"Well, save for Swan," Twister mentioned.
Scootaloo rose a brow.
"Oh, sorry, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. I'm talking about this book character, from this novel I read."
"They sound interesting, with a name like Swan."
"Her first name's actually Belle, but yeah. To make a long story short, she has an overprotective spouse too."
"How so?"
"He-nearly-killed-someone-who-tried-to-hit-on-her-protective." she answered.
"Wow." Scootaloo stated.
"I know. Though, in a way, it's romantic."
"I suppose so. I guess that's just a stallion's way of saying they care about you. I can appreciate that. Even if they tend to go overboard sometimes."
"In the most comical of ways." Twister agreed.
"Amen to that." Scootaloo quoted. They finally reached the front of the line, and took to ordering their lunch. Once it was paid for, they decided to take a seat on the side lines to wait.
"So what else is there?" Twister asked. "You seem to be pretty interesting."
"Not much. I already told you the basics. What about you? Tell me about yourself."
"There's not much," Twister admitted. "I mainly live a pretty un-extraordinary life."
"It can't be that bad. There's got to be something interesting about you."
"I have two cats?" Twister tried.
"That would explain the poster." Scootaloo smirked. "What else?"
"I moved out of Manehattan a couple of years ago." The mare added. "I used to share an apartment with my little brother, until I saved enough money to go someplace else. You can only live in such a huge overpopulated city for so long."
"So you live here, now?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't the first place. I moved around a bit. That's how I got my little kitties." she smiled.
"Really?" Scootaloo asked curiously.
"Yep, one's from Trottingham, and the other's from Fillydelphia. They were strays, and I had some extra space, so I took them in."
"That's pretty sweet."
"I guess so. Right now, they're the light of my life." she sighed. "Boy are you lucky, though."
"Why do you say that?" Scootaloo questioned.
"You have a nice boyfriend and awesome friends you can visit all the time. All of my family and friends are back at home."
"Have you made any more?"
"Yeah, here and there. But we're not really that close. Not as close as the other ones. They're all busy with their own lives and such, I'm more of an acquaintance. Plus, I usually keep to myself. It's fair to say that I don't get out very much."
"I see," Scootaloo replied. She would've at least recognized the mare around the town before. Yet she didn't recall seeing her any time before that day. Plus, Twister mentioned she lived on the outskirts of Ponyville, near their workplace.
"Sorry," she suddenly said, tracing the pattern in the wooden table. "I'm spilling all of this on to you all at once. I probably seem like some sort of weird cat pony now."
"It's fine, to be fair, I did it too. And you're pretty nice, you don't seem weird at all."
Twister smiled. "You're so easy to talk with. I haven't talked this much with anypony since I met up with my Manehattan friends a while back." she chuckled. "I think you're pretty nice too."
"Number 23!" The cashier called out. The two stood, heading over and taking the heavy paper bags.
"Thanks," they said in unison.
"Have a nice day!" the teen replied, giving them a friendly smile. She then turned to another customer.
The two decided to take their lunch to outside, eventually finding a cloud that hovered close to their workplace. Twister pulled out a straw, sticking it in her milkshake. She took a long pull at it until she finally decided to say what was on her mind.
"So...um, Scootaloo," she started, picking at her salad.
"Yes?" Scootaloo replied, looking up from her fries.
"Does this mean we're friends, now?" the mare asked quietly. "-I understand if we aren't yet, or if you still only view me as a colleague, that's fine. I was just curious."
Scootaloo gave her a friendly smile. "Sure. I needed a work buddy anyway." she stated.
Twister smiled, taking one of her own fries.
"Thank you."