With Celestia's sun (or does Twilight control the sun now?) shining down on Hope Hollow, I, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well – also known as the new pony of Hope Hollow – in my civilian appearance was walking down the streets, looking for a job to apply to make a living in this town, and to hopefully fund my secret superhero career.
Everywhere I go, I find myself enchanted by the colorful atmosphere of the townsfolk. It's almost like being back in Ponyville again. Every neighbors greeting each other a good day. Every ponies welcoming one another, despite their differences, be it a unicorn, a pegasus, or an earth pony. Makes me wonder how, or why some equines are quick to forget the Hearths Warming Eve on how we defeated the Windigoes, because of a little filly, like Cozy Glow. I still don't know how we could ever be that deceivable.
Anyway, onto the task at hoof. I was checking out some of the businesses they've got going on in this small town. First stop was a fashion store that is owned by a mare named Kerfuffle. Something about her reminds me of Rarity. Maybe it's the fact that they're both fashion designers.
I saw her store has a sign that reads, "Help Wanted." So, naturally, I walked in to see what kind of job I could be applying for.
Upon stepping in, the door rang the bell, alerting the mare of my arrival.
"Well hello there!" A voice greeted, revealing herself to be the pegasus mare. "Welcome to my shop! I'm Kerfuffle. Spelled like it sounds, with a double "ffff" for the "fuff"!" She gave a chuckle, and sighed, "I should really stop talking now."
"Uh...yeah," I said hesitantly. Not wanting to sound rude, I introduced myself to the mare. "I just moved here in Hope Hollow and I'm–"
"Oh! Stacks on a pancake, you're a new pony?!" Kerfuffle exclaimed happily, before she grabbed my hoof and eagerly shook it. Very strongly, I might add, "Oh! It's so great to meet new ponies! I'm always so happy to welcome a new neighbor in our town of Hope Hollow! How can I help you?"
"Actually, I came here to help you," I said. "I saw your sign reads, help wanted. So I'm looking to apply for a job here."
"Oh! That's fantastic news!" Kerfuffle smiled happily. "It's been awhile since any pony's applied for a job here, don't you know? And it's great to finally get some helping hooves around the store, what with this prosthetic leg of mine. The darn thing just keeps getting rustier and rustier everyday."
At the mention of a prosthetic leg, I immediately took notice that Kerfuffle's left hind leg was replaced by a prosthetic where a hoof used to be.
"Oh! I...Pardon me for asking, but what exactly happened to your leg there?" I felt kinda bad for asking, but I was just curious and I wanted to know.
"Oh! This?" Kerfuffle asked, taking a look at her leg. "I lost it in an accident, couple years ago. Got it replaced, thanks to my friend, Torque Wrench. It's not pretty to look at. I know."
"Oh no! It's fine," I said, feeling even more bad with myself for asking. 'Way to go, moron!' I berated myself. 'You came to interview for a job, and you're already making your potential employer feel uncomfortable with you!'
"Any who," Kerfuffle began, regaining her cheery demeanor. "Tell me what you can do? How can you apply for a job here at my store?"
"Oh, well, uh," I cleared my throat and took a deep breath, before I began. "First off, I am a graduate from Princess Twilight's School of Friendship. And Professor Rarity happens to be one of my teachers." Kerfuffle nodded, at least knowing I have a reference. "I've learned a thing or two about sewing and fashion designing, which I believe are some of the skill–er, expertise you're looking for in a pony."
"Yep! No one knows better than Rarity!" Kerfuffle agreed.
"I'm also very organized with colors and I like to keep places neat and tidy," I added, feeling that would be a bonus for my application. "So, if it helps to make the work in fashion designing any easier, then I could help with cleaning up the store and getting the workplaces ready for a new fashion design, if you'd like, Miss Kerfuffle."
"Hmmm, do you now?" Kerfuffle asked, looking intrigued.
"Yes, I do," I answered. "And I figured you might have some use of me and my expertise."
"Well, things have been backing up around here," Kerfuffle answered. "So, yeah, I could always use an extra helping hoof with the supplies and the orders and all, don't you know? Think you can handle keeping track of a hundred orders a day, and organizing a storage of 7 shades of colors, each with 100 shades?"
"No, problem!" I nodded. 'Actually, if I have to be honest, that last part about a 100 shades of colors, is scary. That's like asking if I can work with 700 colors per day! Getting a front row seat and watching a Sonic Rainboom, full blast, is one thing, but this...this is a different story!'
"So, when can I start working?" I asked.
In response, Kerfuffle simply handed me a sheet of paper.
"Just fill out this sheet of paper," She said. "And then you can start working tomorrow, first thing in the morning!"
"You got it!" I answered, as I took my leave out the door, with the sheet of paper in my mouth. 'I think I really hit it off with her.'
Just as I walked out the door, however, a gust of wind blew the sheet of paper out of my mouth.
"Hey!" I immediately galloped after the paper, flying away from me.
The paper was flying to the left and right through the streets of Hope Hollow as I chased after it. I kicked my legs and ran as fast as I could in pursuit of the flying paper. If I had a horn and could do magic, this would never have happened.
I kept on chasing the paper, until it flew into a bakery, through an open window. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath, from the adrenaline that wind just put me through. I'm not as fast as Applejack, but I'm quite the runner in my track and field class. Just...nowhere near as her level of stamina, or endurance.
I was just about to walk into the bakery, when I stopped and saw the sign, which reads:
"Ditzy Doo?" I asked. 'As in, Derpy? The mailpony from Ponyville?' I thought. 'What's she doing here?'
"Oh, hi there!" Speaking of whom, I could hardly believe it. Before my eyes is the same wall-eyed pegasus I knew, all the way back in Ponyville. "How may I help you?
I shook my head, to get myself back into reality. And sure enough, it was no dream. Derpy really is standing before me.
"Uh, hi," I greeted. "I was wondering if–"
"If you would like to have some of my finest muffins? Of course!" Derpy smiled as she presented her muffins of the day, on display. "What will it be? Today, we have the cranberry muffin, the blueberry muffin, the cinnamon muffin, and the cherry bomb muffin!"
"Sorry, but I'm not here for muffins," I politely declined. "I'm just here to get an important paperwork of mine that just flew into your store."
"Oh! That was yours?" Derpy asked me. "I thought it was meant for Kerfuffle. So I had Pickle and Barley Barrel deliver it to her house."
"You what?!" I shouted, looking to the right, to a couple of pegasus foals, who were already flying away, with the paper in hooves. "Hey! Come back! That's mine!" I immediately galloped after the two foals.
From behind, I could hear Derpy calling out to me, "Hey! Haven't I seen you from somewhere before? Were you in Ponyville by any chance?"
But I didn't stop to answer her. I just got to get my sheet of paper back from the two pegasus foals.
"Hey! Excuse me! Kids?" I called out to them. "That sheet of paper is mine!"
But it was no use. They were too far out of earshot to hear me. So I kept on galloping after them, throughout Hope Hollow with the intent to get my job application back from them. And sweet Celestia, did they gave me a workout. I nearly ran into a few ponies, along the way. I had to make a few sharp turns to avoid crashing into some ponies, or something. I jumped over a wagon of apricot pies, and I got yelled at by a grumpy stallion.
"Hey! Slow down there, Rainbow Crash!" He called out to me.
Just when I thought I was going to collapse from all the running, the two foals arrived at a house, where Kerfuffle herself was arriving.
"Oh! Hello Pickle and Barley!" Kerfuffle greeted the two ponies, before she noticed me. "Oh, hey! You're the new pony! What'cha doin' here?"
I was out of breath, but I managed to explain the whole misunderstanding between me, Derpy, the paperwork, and the race the two foals had gave me. After everything was cleared up, I got my paper back and I was on my home. On the way, I was followed by the two foals, Pickle and Barley. They felt kinda bad for giving me a lot of troubles.
"We're sorry for taking your job application from you," Pickle apologized. "We thought Kerfuffle lost it and we only meant to return it to her."
"Yeah," Barley added. "Sorry."
"It's okay," I accepted their apology.
"So, you're the new pony?" Barley asked. "So you're like our new neighbor then?"
"That's right," I answered.
"Where did you moved from?" Pickle asked. "Kerfuffle said you knew Rarity, and she's from Ponyville. Were you from Ponyville?"
"I lived there once," I answered.
"Oh! Then, do you know Rainbow Dash?" Barley asked excitedly, flapping her wings and hovered in front of me. "We know her! We're huge fans of hers! In fact, I'm the official president of her fan club, here in Hope Hollow!"
"And I'm the assistant president!" Pickle added.
"Wow, that's great you two," I answered.
"And we're not just big fans of her," Barley added. "We actually had the honor of meeting her in pony!"
"And she helped us perfect some of her flying moves we've been practicing forever!" Pickle added.
As a quick demo, the two foals immediately zipped through the airs, performing several arial dynamic stunts that I recognized from Rainbow Dash's performance in all of the Wonderbolt shows she flew in. Without a doubt, these two foals have definitely learned from the best flyer there ever was.
"Wow! That's awesome you two!" I commented, applauding my hooves at their performances. "Those are definitely Rainbow Dash's best moves, and I can tell you've learned well."
"Right, right, RIGHT?!" Barley asked, maybe a little too excited in my face. "And she said if we are good enough, she'll consider us as future Wonderbolts!"
"And we'll be heroes, like her!" Pickle added excitedly.
I couldn't help but shake my head in amusement at their excitements. In a way, I can kinda see myself in these two foals. They remind me of me, when I was first amazed by Rainbow Dash's feat of speed, agility, and bravery, and how inspired I was by her performance at the Young Flyer's Competition, with her Sonic Rainboom literally blowing away the competition. And not to mention how fast and clever she was in the face of danger, like during the Changeling invasion in Canterlot, when she tricked several changelings into thinking she was one of them to save Fluttershy. And how quick she was to saving her friends from the tornado at the Wonderbolt Academy.
Long story short, like these little foals, I too was inspired to do my part in making the world a better place, by Rainbow Dash and friends.
"Well, if you kids are really this good, then I have faith in you two," I complimented them, as I walked into my house. "You're gonna go far kids. See ya tomorrow."
"See ya!" Pickle and Barley said, as I closed the door to end this chapter of my story to begin another.