Pillars of smoke rose into the clear expanse of the sky. Clanging and roaring of industrial equipment rumbled from inside the rustic brick walls of the factory as if it were some beast deep in its slumber. My knocks on its metal door, feeble as they were, seemed to perturb the creature and caused it to stir. Its eye slit opened suddenly.
“What do you want?” a gruff voice asked.
Warily I replied, “I’m here to see Gravel Bubble. It’s about my employment.”
The door mumbled to itself quietly. “Alright then, come through and follow me.”
A stallion opened the door, revealing his bulky form and glimpses of the factory's interior. He led me through a series of corridors and stairways until we arrived at another door labeled “Manager”. My escort pushed it open and prodded me into a plain, but messy, office. Filing cabinets overflowing with paper lined the walls. A desk, opulently designed and covered in miniature skyscrapers of paperwork and documents, was at the epicenter of the chaos. The stacks of paper spoke.
“Who is it?” they asked, fatigued.
My escort replied before I could answer. “It’s your 5 o’clock appointment, Ms. Bubble.”
“Oh, lovely! Let ‘im have a seat, and can ya also get me the shipments catalog before ya leave today?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The stallion directed me to an empty chair facing Gravel before exiting the room. As I sat down, the mounds of paper moved aside, unveiling a pair of green eyes and a slate coat. She quickly arranged some stubborn strands of her frazzled sky blue mane around her horn.
“Pleased to meet ya again Mr. Toffee Brulee!” Gravel shook my hoof violently. “A’hm very happy to say ya now got a job here at my little factory!”
Her cheeriness took me aback. “Why, uh, thanks for accepting me. I’m surprised you would consider a pony like me for your factory.”
She chuckled. “Oh don’t be! We’ve all sorts of ponies here like painters, musicians, even some skilled magic users. I have ‘em all!”
I furrowed my brow. “Really? Why would they be here rather than out there with their special talents?”
Gravel’s smile faded somewhat. “Well...it’s fer the same reason ya gave me at yer interview. These forlorn souls just couldn’t make it in the big cities with a whole buncha other ponies with similar talents.” She sighed deeply and scowled.
The silence thickened for a while, yet her smile returned once again. “Ya don’t want to hear that though, and a’hm sure ya want to get going. Work starts for ya in two days, and make sure yer here before sunrise. Important information is in this folder. Have a good rest of yer day now!”
After receiving the folder and thanking her, I made my way to the factory’s exit, but not before getting lost and finding myself at Gravel’s door again. She snickered at my predicament while she led me to the exit.
“You’ll get used to it, friend. Ya kinda have to now.”
The Beast snored quietly behind me as I left its door and trotted away.
My apartment was not the most comfortable place to live in, but it was at least more affordable than the ones in Manehattan. Luggage made up a majority of the furniture in my otherwise barren abode. I started unpacking, and amongst the many necessities and novelties I saw the fruits of my talent. Candies and chocolates galore of various flavors and textures stared back at me. They were as numerous (and as redundant) as all the sweet shops back...home.
“I’m sure somepony here will appreciate these more than Manehattan did,” I murmured quietly to myself.
As the day began to rest, I managed to fix up my room somewhat, at least enough to sleep in for the night. I decided to celebrate with a favorite candy of mine, caramel chocolate. I bit into the confection and smirked when I saw its altered form. It appeared as a crude mirror of myself with its chocolate coating and caramel mane. The fate of this effigy fell upon my hooves and the poor little sweet could do nothing about it. I shook my head. Consuming the rest of the candy, I looked out the window of my bedroom. The stars were glistening softly amidst the choking darkness as the Moon carried on with its passage.
“Home sweet home, Princessyn.”
Even as the night deepened, I could still feel the rumbling of the Beasts from their secluded and outcast district, but they too went to sleep as dreams festered in my mind.
“Sorry bud, but you gotta pay.”
“I can get the bits later, I swear! I just need another chance!”
“There isn’t any more for you, Toffee. Fact is, nopony wants to buy your candies, therefore you can’t get the lease paid.”
“Please…”
“If you can’t pay, then you better start closing up shop and getting out.”
The landlord leaves.
“...all I want is another chance.”