//------------------------------// // From the frying pan into the fire // Story: Good Vibes // by sunsetsjournal //------------------------------// Chapter 7: "From the frying pan into the fire" “It's here”. Sunset thought to herself, while sitting on a bench in the very middle of one of the hallway of the mall, calmly taking sips from a fizzy drink she had purchased a moment before from the nearest cafè. Her eyes were set on the entrance to what looked to be a sushi restaurant. Its logo, shaped like a smiling pufferfish, swimming in a concave plate, was rather peculiar. Sunset had been staring at the front door for a good fifteen minutes now and from the look on her face it was easy to guess that she was feeling very anxious. “Still ten more minutes”. The young girl said to herself, after taking a look at her ticking watch. “Ten more minutes before I must go in. I wonder what is waiting for me behind that door”. While reflecting upon these things, Sunset sighed repeatedly, as her anxiety grew stronger and stronger. What bothered the youngster so much was not so much the prospective of being stuck in a restaurant every afternoon for the rest of the month, as one could easily imagine, instead it was that of being unprepared for what might go wrong, while she was working. Unlike most of the other teenagers from her school, Sunset had never had to deal with an actual job and the only thought made her shiver, even if hers would only a part time occupation. She had tried to talk to someone with more experience at school, but that had not helped that much, if not to cause her to worry even more than she did already. As none of her friends knew too well what it meant to bare the weight of the responsibilities of a job upon your shoulders, the youngster had decided to turn to Bon Bon for advice; the girl was in fact said to have been working every summer since she had started high school. Sunset would never forget the expression the other youngster put on her face at the moment she had asked her help to figure out what to do, when working professionally. “What?!”. Bob Bon shouted, as soon as she heard Sunset's question. “You want me to...Don't tell me you are taking a summer job?!”. “That's exactly what I and the other girls intend to do, after the school closes for summer vacation. We have even found some nice working options for us to choose already: it seems that they will need more personal at the mall this summer than we thought. So we decided to just go there to get our part time summer jobs. What's wrong with that?”. Sunset asked, confused by Bon Bon's unexpected reaction. “Everything”. The other girl exclaimed, answering. “Simply everything!”. “Everything?”. Sunset repeated, unsure of what the other girl meant. “That's a little too generic to me. Could you please be more specific?”. “Oh, where do I have to begin?!”. Bon Bon shouted, looking more desperate by the minute. “Sorry, Sunset, but it would be far too painful to me to even think about the tremendous summers I spent at the mall. Yet I will tell you that I had to work so hard I could barely take a break to go to the toilet. Please, Sunset, please don't do the same mistake I did. Spend your summer in a different way or I guarantee they'll make you work yourself to the bone at the mall; no matter what job you choose. The shop owners there are all the same. You'll end up being exploited like I was”. “Exploited?”. The other girl questioned, while an expression of utter confusion and disbelief appeared on her face. “I am not saying that I don't trust you, Bon Bon”. Sunset said, as she began to speak. “So, please don't take it personally. But I guess what I am trying to say is that what you just finished telling me sounds a bit exaggerated to someone like me who is supposed to work probably in some random restaurant only for four weeks during the afternoon”. “Exaggerated?!”. The other youngster exclaimed, protesting. “Sunset, I thought you were here to hear my advice”. “I am, Bon Bon. That is exactly the reason why I am here”. “Then you'd better listen to me, while you still can. Abandon your brilliant idea, put it out of your mind. And if this plan wasn't yours in the first place, go tell whoever was to come up with it that they are going completely nuts”. “But...”. Sunset uttered, but was soon interrupted by Bon Bon who had apparently not finished her speech. “Stay away from those job positions at the mall if you want to survive this summer”. “Survive?!”. Poor Sunset exclaimed, now visibly worried. “Bon Bon, now you are definitely exaggerating.” “Do as you wish, but don't come tell me I was right, after you have a taste of what having a part time summer job truly means. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go: Lyra is waiting for me outside. We agreed to spend the evening together”. Those last words sounded like a threat to Sunset. From the exact moment they came out out Bon Bon's mouth, they made her bones shiver. What if the other girl was right? What if the shop owners at the mall were as terrible as she had described them? And worse, what if they fired her on her first day? What would she do at that point? She already had to struggle, when she had to find the perfect jobs for her and her friends, what was she supposed to do if she lost hers? How in Equestria would she be able to raise money for the Rainbooms' beach trip? And if she could not come up with a second plan, in case the first one failed, she and the other girls would have to say farewell to their summer project all because of her! “Sunset, snap out of it!”. A voice shouted from inside her head. “You are never this anxious, what happened to you today?!”. “Great”. The youngster thought to herself at that moment. “Now I am starting to hear voices in my head. Congrats, Sunset, this job thing is officially driving you nuts”. “That is beside the point”. The voice added, as it kept whispering in her head. “You are not here for fun, but because all of the other girls are making sacrifices to raise money for the beach trip you all planned for the next month. Am I right?”. “Yes, you are right, me”. Sunset replied, giving up at the fact that she was far too worried to mind a voice, talking to her from inside her head. “We all agreed we would take part time jobs”. “Weren't you in the music room, too, when the girls shook hands and everything?”. “Yeah, I was there. I shook hands, too, you know?”. “So, you haven't forgotten everything, good”. “No, I haven't. Not yet anyway”. “Then why are you still wasting your time here, sitting on that bench? Stand up and walk through that door this instant!”. Finally understanding that her subconscious would not leave her be, if she had not done what was right, Sunset sighed, defeated by herself, and stood up from her seat. The moment she walked through the restaurant door felt one of the hardest in her life. The girl heard the wooden door of the sushi restaurant squeak, as if its hinges had not been oiled in years. From the inside, the restaurant looked even larger than from the outside. The floor was covered entirely in an elegant dark parquet. There was little light, as the place as just a few small windows, which made the atmosphere of the restaurant dark and even more spooky for Sunset. However the interior of the place was illuminated by many candles, placed each one on a different table, and a large chandelier, hanging on the ceiling. The tables were, too, made entirely of dark wood, which made the atmosphere in the restaurant rather monotonous, too. Despite all, every seat was already occupied, which meant that business was booming for the owners. “Maybe if things go well already”. Sunset began to think to herself. “The owners won't be as awful as I expected. Maybe they'll even be polite and kind!”. “Stop daydreaming, Sunset”. The youngster almost made a jump in the air, as soon as she heard that cursed, creepy voice, whispering in her head once more. “You again!”. Sunset went on saying in her head. “What do you want now? I've done what you asked for already. I've entered the restaurant without wasting time just like you asked, see? Now could you please go away and leave me alone, so I don't have to talk to myself ever again?!”. “Ha, ha!”. The creepy voice giggled, teasing her. “Very funny, Sunset. You should consider becoming a comedian in the future”. “Maybe I'll do that sooner than you think, since you you've clearly planned to keep tormenting me, so they kick me out of this place on my first day of work”. “Oh no, my dear”. The voice in her head kept saying, this time using a sweeter voice. “I am here for a completely different reason”. “And that is?”. Sunset asked, visibly getting tired of hearing that annoying presence inside her head. “Why, but to make sure everything goes smoothly, of course!”. “Why do I doubt that?”. “Because you are too suspicious, Sunset. You should learn to trust in your good sense more often”. “And that would be?”. “Me, of course!”. “Now listen here, I...”. “Miss. Sunset Shimmer, I presume?”. A masculine voice asked, suddenly interrupting the girl's reflection. “Oh...Yes, of course. Sunset Shimmer, that's me! The one and only!”. Sunset shouted in response, almost taking a jump in the air from the shock. “There was never any reason to doubt that, Miss. Shimmer”. “Yeah, of course. No reason at all, Mister....”. “Demsey”. "Demsey, right...”. Sunset repeated, trying her best to picture the man's face in her mind to see if she remembered him. “As a matter of fact, Miss. Shimmer...”. The man went on saying. “...We have met before”. Being lost for words, Sunset only stared at the man, expressing her visible confusion. “We have?”. “Yes, you came to me for your job. You remember, don't you?”. “Eh...”. The youngster murmured, attempting to make up a solid excuse for her lack of memory. “It doesn't matter anyway”. Mr. Demsey added, interrupting her thoughts. “I suppose you do remember taking a job here, since you have come. You're ready to start, I take it?”. The girl replied by nodding her head. “Splendid! Now follow me”. As the man was leading her out of the main room, Sunset began to feel slightly awkward: witnessing all those people eating was not exactly the most beautiful things to watch, but she quickly came to accept that as part of her job. “Here”. Mr. Desmey said, stopping walking. “Enter the closet room, you will find your uniform there. I'll be in the kitchen, waiting for you”. “Uniform? But I...”. Unexpectedly the man left the room without letting Sunset finish her sentence. “Wow...”. She exclaimed both surprised and bothered. “Thanks very much for your concern, boss”. Sighing, the youngster set her gaze upon the door to the supply closet: she had seen what kind of attires teenagers were usually forced to wear, while working, and the idea of walking around the mall in a bubble fish outfit, adverting the restaurant did not certainly amuse her. In the end girl decided that standing in front of the door would not solve her problem and entered the room before her. What she found in there was clearly not what she expected, she let a worried sigh escape her mouth the moment she first laid her eyes on it. The uniform she was supposed to wear was not certainly the worst thing she had seen, but, truth to be told, it was not the best either. It consisted in a dark blue attire, covered in white stripes; the edge below ended in a skirt. After putting it on Sunset immediately realized it was a bit too tight for her: who ever had prepared it had not clearly estimated her measurements correctly. Nearby the girl found a pair of high heeled sandals and a hat, shaped like a ridiculous smiling bubble fish, swimming in a concave plate. “I suppose it could be worse”. Sunset sighed once more, while staring at her own reflection in a mirror. “Yeah, it could definitely be worse, so less complaining and more working, Sunset. You are doing this for the girls after all”. The youngster felt deep love toward all of her friends, she was conscious of that. Every night, after coming back home from school and jumping on the bed, she thought about how happy having her friends made her feel and how grateful she was to them. Every time she grabbed a pen from her table and began to write to Princess Twilight in her journal, she remembered how lucky she was to call such a wonderful pony her friend and how much she owed her. And the love she felt toward that group of girls helped her overcome every time life pushed her down. It did not really matter if she only needed to pass her driving test or protect the world from the mysterious magic, coming from Equestria. Whatever happened, she knew her friends would be by her side, she knew she would not be alone, not even this once... “Miss. Sunset Shimmer”. A familiar masculine voice exclaimed, calling her. “Ah, yes?!”. Sunset replied, once more interrupted in her thoughts. “Is everything alright in there? You've been in the closet room for an awful lot of time”. “Oh, it's okay. There's no need to worry!”. The youngster answered, trying to sound as convincing as she could. Quickly she realized that she had spent an incredible amount of time, reminiscing about how special her bonds with her friends was, which obviously did not seem right to Mr. Demsey. “I'm coming out now”. Closing the squeaky door behind her back, Sunset found herself before her new boss. “Are you sure everything is alright, Ms. Sunset Shimmer?”. The man repeated, clearly still worried. “Do you need me to take the medikit, call a doctor or...”. “No, I feel quite alright, Mr. Demsey”. The girl quickly replied, bothered by her new boss's excessive attentions: it was clear to her that what Mr. Demsey really wanted was avoiding a sick employee, walking in his restaurant, from spreading her disease. “The outfit was just a bit tight to put on. That's everything really”. “I see...”. The man replied, not surprised. “Don't worry. I am sure that you'll feel more comfortable in it, once you have started working. Are you ready to begin, Miss?”. “Yeah, I am ready”. “Very well, follow me”. Mr. Demsey led the youngster to the kitchen were almost a dozen of chefs, all wearing professional jackets and toques, were working at an incredible speed. Sunset herself blinked her eyes in disbelief: not even Granny Smith was this fast at cooking and it was surely hard to handle an entire crowd of hungry students, when lunch break came. “Now Miss Shimmer...”. The man said, as he began to speak again. “I am sure that a young and efficient girl such as you already knows what to do, but I'll say it just in case. Our team of chefs are highly qualified and therefore you are not allowed to prepare the food by yourself. You will merely assist them in their job, following their every instruction in case they need any kind of help. Is everything clear?”. “Yup...I guess”. Sunset answered, gulping, feeling a terrible pressure, rising inside her again. The truth is that Mr. Demsey's explanation had not been terribly illuminating, but the young girl thought that she would be able to manage things anyway. “I'll leave you to your job then”. Her new boss then said. “I'll be outside if you need me”. Contrarily to what Sunset was expecting the chefs did not loose even a tiny bit of their composure, after their boss had left the room. “Now, that's what I call being professional!”. The youngster exclaimed, seeing what a true team of qualified cooks could do. “What I am supposed to do in the meantime?”. Unexpectedly no answer came. “Uh, hello?”. The girl said, trying to draw the others' attention. “I am here...”. Again nobody seem to care about her question. “Great start, Sunset”. The noisy voice in her head began to speak again. “Great start”. “Is there anything I can help you with?”. The girl asked, getting closer to one of the cooks. “Not now lady...”. Was the answer she heard. “...Can't you see I'm busy?!”. “Yes, but I am supposed to assist all of you”. Once more the chef ignored her. “What about you, sir?”. The youngster questioned, turning to the chef to her right. “Is there anything I can do for you?”. “Perhaps later, dear”. The man quickly replied, not stopping what he was doing. “Right now I am in the middle of something delicate”. Hearing those words, the girl sighed in sadness, giving up. What was she supposed to do if none of those hoity toity character gave her instructions? What if Mr. Demsey came in to check on her and saw her, doing nothing? What if he did not believe the explanation she would give him? What if he decided to fire her for not putting enough effort in her new job? What would she do then? The fear that those numerous questions gave her was enough to make the young girl chew her nails off; luckily the answer was soon smacked right in the middle of her head. “What are you doing, standing here, young miss?”. As Sunset heard that voice, she raised her eyes to see a grey-haired man, probably the eldest of the chefs, gazing upon her. “I was just...”. “No time for chatting, Miss”. The cook exclaimed, interrupting her. “We've already wasted enough of our precious time, talking. If you're really supposed to help, then go to the refrigeration chamber and get me some salmon”. “Of course, sir!”. Sunset replied, rushing to the refrigeration chamber. “If this is what working here is like...”. The youngster thought to herself. “...Then I suddenly feel like I should have picked something a little lighter”. “I for once agree”. Said the voice in her head. “And that was it!”. Sunset exclaimed, sighing, while Rainbow Dash was listening, sitting next to her on the edge of a large fountain, built at the very centre of the mall. “I spent my whole afternoon, running from the refrigeration chamber to the kitchen, as if it were some kind of race”. “When you put it that way, it does sound fun”. The athlete said, stroking her chin. “Not funny, Dash”. Sunset replied, interrupting her, clearly not amused by her friend's joke. “I did not mean that kind of race”. “I know, I'm sorry”. The blue-skinned went on saying. “I was just trying to cheer you up. I'm usually good at making jokes”. “You are, Dash. I'm just not in the mood”. “Hey, chillax, Sunset!”. Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a wide smile on her face. “Don't be too hard on yourself. My day was just as awful as yours”. “No, not as mine”. The other girl sighed hopelessly. “What makes you say that?”. “I suppose that they promised you a compensation for your service at the end of the day”. “Yes?”. Rainbow Dash answered, unsure of what Sunset meant. “And they probably did not give you this...”. The youngster went on saying, unwrapping a box from the small bag in her hand. “What's in there?” “Sushi”. Sunset replied, opening the box. “More precisely my payment for the day”. Rainbow Dash looked at her friend confused. “The owner of the restaurant said it is customary for them to give a new employee a box of sushi on their first day. So mush for raising money for our beach trip”. Seeing her friend frowning, Rainbow Dash did the first thing that came to her mind: she grabbed a piece of sushi from the box. “What are you doing?”. Sunset exclaimed, caught by surprise by her friend's sudden reaction. “Not bad”. “Sorry?”. “I said, it doesn't taste bad”. “Geez, Rainbow Dash”. The young girl exclaimed, rising her eyebrows. “Thank you very much for comforting me”. “Listen, Sunset...”. The blue-skinned girl went on saying, placing her hand upon her friend's shoulder. “I get you're not feeling well, but I am sure that everyone of us had a bad experience today. It's part of this job thing we've gotten ourselves into. So jsut chillax and let the good vibes flow through you”. “The what now?”. Sunset exclaimed, astonished by what Rainbow Dash was saying. “Good vibes!”. Pinkie Pie's voice exclaimed, coming from behind Sunset's back. “Never heard of them?”. The red-haired girl replied by shaking her head. “They represent the purest form of energy that flows through you. If you let them go, they are supposed to make you feel much better”. Fluttershy said, as everybody else turned toward her. “...My friend Tree Hugger taught me”. “However unscientific they may be...”. Twilight added, appearing from around the corner and approaching the others. “They are said to have amazing effects”. “Are you all sure about this?”. Sunset questioned, still not fully understanding what her friends meant. “Sure as spring, girl!”. Applejack exclaimed, walking toward her and the others with Rarity by her side. “Give it a try!”. “Besides what do you have to loose?”. The young fashionista said, intervening. Sunset was still reluctant to believe in what the others were saying, plus she had no idea how this whole vibe thing worked but, looking around herself, she realized that what she really needed to feel better at that moment was right there by her side. “Good vibes...I guess then”. She finally said, taking a deep calming breath. “Good vibes!”. The others girls shouted in unison, pulling her and each other into a tight, affectionate embrace. “Good vibes to you all...”. Sunset repeated louder than before. “... my friends!”.