//------------------------------// // The Working World // Story: Working Girl Sunny // by redandready45 //------------------------------// "Do you need any help around the farm?" Sunset asked Applejack. "I'm fine Sunset," Applejack said with a forced smile. Sunset and Applejack sat the latter's bedroom doing homework together. The two were working on trigonometry homework when Sunset suddenly offered, or more specifically begged, to do chores for Applejack and help out on the farm. "I could clean your gutters, mow your lawn-," "Sunset," Applejack said with a frustrated frown, "Big Mac and Apple Bloom already do those things! You don't have to-" Sunset looked downcast. "Sunset, what's wrong?" Sunset became even more morose. "Sunset, what's-," "My community service ended last week," Sunset recounted with despair, much to Applejack's confusion. "So?" "Now that my weekends are free, I wanted to spend more time with Twinkle and his teammates." Sunset's expression became more downcast. "But...Twinkle and his friends are doing extra training, which means they don't have time for me this month, which means my schedule is clear, which means I got nothing to do, and no where to go." "Go join a club," Applejack said. Sunset's frown became even more bitter. "Every time I try to join a club," Sunset said with frustration, "they all get up and leave." "It can't be that bad," Applejack said with a reassuring smile. Sunset looked at her knees. Sunset was excited. She was going to indulge in a long forgotten pastime of hers: sword fighting. She had practiced sword fighting back in Equestria, and she was eager to pick up the next best thing. Fencing. She walked to the fencing club, sabre at the hand, her white uniform pristine and new, and her face covered in the black mask. With an optimistic smile, she entered the fencing club at room 137. Her optimism faded as everyone in the room stopped talking and turned to look at her with apprehension. "Sunset," Cloud Kicker, the head of the fencing club, said skittishly, "what are you-," "Look, I know what I did to that poor girl was terrible," Sunset said in desperation, "and none of you want to see me. But I just want a chance to prove myself. I'm just asking for one day to prove I'm not that horrible person anymore. I'd love fencing and I feel I'd have a lot to contribute. Just give me one day to prove I'm in a better place." The group chatted among themselves in a huddle, the conversation too unintelligible for Sunset to hear. When the huddle ended, Cloud Kicker approached Sunset with a warm smile. "OK Sunset," Cloud said, "We'll give you a chance." "Really?" Sunset said. Cloud held up a cardboard box "Just take that box of masks up to room 302," the blond girl said, "and we'll be good." The other members also gave her an odd smile. "That's it?" "That's it," one other member with red hair uttered. "Alright," Sunset said carrying the box underneath her armpit, "I'll see you guys later." "Sure," one guy said with a strained smile. Sunset went to the third floor, dropped off the box, and came back to the room after a few minutes. "So," Sunset said happily as she came through the door, "who's up for some-," Sunset paused. The entire room was darkened and empty. "Oh Sunset," Applejack uttered sympathetically, putting a warm hand on Sunset's shoulder. "And then I tried to give those freshman a tour," Sunset said, almost on the verge of tears ,"and I hoped that I could make a good impression there...but,". "And this is the music room, which you can use to practice in, as long as you ask for permission in advance," Sunset said with a professional smile to the assembled freshmen who were following her around. "Any questions?" Sunset tried to hide her excitement. This was her first day as the school's tour guide. The perfect chance to meet new people before they could learn about her bad reputation. "Yeah," one prospective freshman said, "it is true you put a machine gun in a girl's purse because you wanted to buy a discount designer bag?" Sunset forced a patient smile to her face. "No," Sunset said, forcing the kindness through gritted teeth, "that's not what happened." For a couple of weeks, Sunset had been the object of public ridicule after the "revelation" that she got someone sent to juvie because she wanted to become a prom queen, as far as the public knew. Her infamy was so great that Laugh Out Loud, a popular sketch comedy show on channel four, portrayed her as some vapid bimbo who planted machine guns on people out of materialistic jealousy. The sketch was so popular, some people still believed that she was guilty of that. She was frustrated. Not at the derision. She deserved that for what she had done to Muharib. What angered her was being portrayed in the media as some stereotypical teenaged floozy who maxed out her credit cards and threw hissy fits over not getting the right clothing. It was beyond insulting to her intelligence. But she had to put up with it. The truth, that she was some magical being who brainwashed minors and blew up the school, would lead to her getting locked up as a terrorist. Or worse, being dissected in some secret government lab. "No," said one other girl, holding up her smartphone, "she planted a bloody knife on someone because she wanted to be a prom queen." Sunset glanced at the story in the Canterlot Post-Gazzette and frowned. The writer in that newspaper had been the one to promote that demeaning narrative of her. It enraged her so much. Sunset realized her jealous rage was becoming visible, if the fearful looks of the freshmen were any indication. The one at the head of the tour, a tall girl with long blond hair and tan skin, was taken aback by it. "Thanks for the tour," the tall blond uttered with a nervous smile, "but I think we can...finish it ourselves." "Look," Sunset said, trying to hide the desperation in her voice, "I know what you of think of me, but I'm not that girl-," "No this isn't about you." The girl argued unconvincingly, her eyes darting back and forth. "We've just got-," "Things," another girl chimed in with a nervous smile. "Yeah things," the tall blond girl parroted. "I'm not gonna frame you," Sunset pleaded as the group began walking away from her. "I'm in a much better place." "Have a good day," another boy said like he was talking to a violent mental patient. The group stormed away from her like she was going to attack them. Sunset leaned against the locker, fell to the floor, and let her face fall into her hand. Sunset felt her eyes becoming increasingly wet. "It feels like my reputation is even worse than it was when my first suspension ended," Sunset said with some despair. "Sure no one's beating me up, but almost everyone's avoiding me even more now." Sunset clenched her fists. "If it wasn't for little bastard Quick-," "Don't bring him up," Applejack said forcefully, nervously rubbing her somewhat scarred cheek. Sunset felt deep pity for Applejack, remembering that the farm girl still hadn't fully recovered from Quick's attack. The stammering creep scarred Applejack in more ways that one, and left a deep scar on Sunset's reputation that also hadn't fully recovered. Sunset could forgive Quick for attacking her, and getting a second round of community service, but she would never forgive him for damaging her image even more, for hurting Applejack, and for attacking Principal Luna. All that made Quick the subject of Sunset's revenge fantasies. However, her hand was stayed by Twinkle and Rainbow, who still wanted to be friends with the dwarf. Which she could respect. It was their right. But that didn't fully get rid of her hatred for the pale shrimp. Sunset could only take comfort in the fact that he was doing community service and was also a pariah, outside of his teammates and Rainbow. "Sunset you still got us," Applejack said sympathetically. "Why don't you join their- "I'm too much of a social liability," Sunset lamented. "I can't latch on to them and join their clubs." "Well you sure as heck can't latch on to me," Applejack said with stern voice. "I didn't give you a chance just so you could use me to hide from the world. You have to put yourself out there, sugar cube." "But where? A lot of people still remember me as the horrible brat who got someone sent to juvie for a stupid reason." "Maybe you can try to find a job outside school," Applejack offered. "The world isn't just Canterlot High, you know." "Who's gonna hire me?" Sunset said with some frustration. "Again, everyone knows-," "There's a friend of my Granny's who can help ya," Applejack offered. "Really?" Sunset said, a touch of optimism in your voice. "Who?" "Ms. Shimmer," Joan Search said with a warm smile after looking at her computer for a few moments. Joan was a bespectacled woman who was almost retirement age. She had a stout build, pink skin, purple curly hair, and green eyes. She wore a tacky orange sweater that looked bigger than the planet. Not that Sunset would utter that out loud. "I believe that I can find you a job." "Really?" Sunset said. The amber-skinned former unicorn arrived at Trouble Teen Services, a non-profit that claimed to help juvenile delinquents build a future. She met with the rotund woman in a small office near the school, somewhat skeptical that she could find any kind of work. "Ms. Smith vouched for you," the woman said encouragingly, "anyone who the Smith family vouches for is not only a good person in my book, but has a good reference." "Really?" "The Apple Family are very prominent in the area," the woman said with a sly smile, "even though they don't appear to be. Their word is pretty mighty, because they're both honest and smart enough to catch snakes." "Yeah," Sunset said with a small grin, "I agree with you on that." "And I have connections within the business community in Canterlot. I've always set them up with kids who want to work hard for a second chance. They'll believe me when I say you're not the person you used to be." "But I got someone framed," Sunset lamented, "on top of everything-," "Oh please," Alicia said with a roll of her eyes. "I helped a girl who was a pyromaniac make something of herself." "Really?" Sunset said. "What does she do now?" "Firewoman." "What?!" Sunset began only for Joan to start laughing. "I'm kidding," the woman said with a sly smile, "she's a masseuse." Joan typed something into a keyboard. "I have some positions here for you. Menial jobs, but that's just fine for someone your age, and all you have to do is walk in." Joan printed up a list and handed it to Sunset. Sunset looked at the list. It showed the jobs and the hours available. One position in the middle suited her, meeting both her skill set and hours. "I'll take this one," Sunset said, pointing to it with a hopeful smile. Sunset walked to the food court at the mall with trepidation. She was nervous. This would be her first real job, outside the labor she did for the Apple Family and her two rounds of community service. The interview had been professional, and the manager had been surprisingly accepting of her, but she was still afraid. Afraid she'd screw up, afraid she'd be unable to handle the work, afraid no one would eat where she would work. But then she remembered Applejack's kind and stern words, urging her not to give up. She looked up and saw the place. A Taste of Neighpon it was called. The owner wanted to create traditional Neighponese culture in the middle of Canterlot Mall. The exterior had oriental aesthetics. A wooden arch thing covered much of the entrance. Below the arch was a blue curtain that stood in place of actual doors. Above it was a silly illustration: a puffer fish lying contentedly on a bowl of rice. Pushing away her anxieties, Sunset marched through the curtain, ready to begin her first day of work.