Clip Cord stood in front of an empty canvas, mind as blank as the pristine white in her vision. She became aware of her intense focus on the canvas, and blinked slowly, swiveling her head. She was in a room, blank as the canvas itself. To her left, was nothing. To her right, she noticed the color of her own magic aura, sparkling faintly as it suspended about a half dozen paintbrushes loaded with paint. Clip Cord blinked again, feeling confused and detached, staring hard at the wet paint on the brushes - it was so vivid against the stark whiteness of the room, even against the glow of her magic.
With sudden purpose, Clip Cord turned back to the canvas. She floated the brushes closer, closer, tilting her head with concentration. Soon great swatches of color tore across the canvas; and to Clip Cord's amazement, across the room itself. Each brush stroke brought bursting to life the scene on the canvas - a rose garden in full bloom. Soon, the unicorn mare stood no longer in a small white room, but in a vast, wild rose garden surrounded by sun and birdsong. As she finished the final details of the painting, she dropped the brushes to the ground and backed away from the canvas in amazement.
Birds flittered past her in a burst of color and sound as she stood awestruck. After a few moments of standing still with the breeze in her mane, Clip Cord took off with a laugh, trotting through the rows and rows of roses. She let her eyes roam over each bush, admiring the many colors and petal formations. The pale unicorn paused for a moment and tilted her head back towards where she left the canvas; she could have sworn she heard something. Standing totally still, she listened intently for it again.
*beep beep beep*
Furrowing her brow, Clip Cord slowly turned back towards the canvas. It was unmoving, though the sound seemed to be centered on it, and was steadily growing louder. Clip looked around at the rose bushes again, and froze in shock.
*beep beEP BEEP*
The roses had all parted in the middle, revealing hundreds of eyeballs. Hundreds of eyeballs in all colors, all staring back at her. Clip Cord felt her blood run cold as the roses seemed to shake and shiver and reach towards her, eyes open impossibly wide. All the while the incessant beeping gained in volume, until Clip Cord covered her ears and gritted her teeth. It was impossibly loud now, drowning out every other thought. She frantically looked at the roses as they seemed to crowd menacingly around her, pulsating wildly in time with the horrible beeping. The unicorn collapsed to the ground, and opened her mouth to scream-
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
Clip Cord shot up in bed in a tangle of sheets, yelping and flailing. Her alarm was screaming on the nightstand next to her, angry for having been ignored for too long. She reached out blindly, smacked her hoof in the general area of the alarm clock a few times, before she finally made contact and silenced it. With a groan, she sank back into bed for a moment, heart pounding from her dream. After she felt like she had a moment to collect herself, she opened her eyes and rolled gracelessly out of bed, tripping on the sheets and cursing.
The unicorn mare untangled herself and yawned hugely, then cast her eyes around her flat. It wasn't exactly the most posh of places, though Clip Cord liked it that way. After all, she spent a huge amount of time in the shop, and not so much at home so there was no need for anything fancy. Clip Cord's bed resided in one corner of the flat, surrounded by discarded articles of clothing, a few socks, forgotten candy wrappers and a veritable army of tattoo magazines scattered everywhere. Tucked next to the bed was a nightstand with a clock and lamp, and a writing desk, which Clip really used for drawing. The desk was covered in notes, doodles, pens, pencils, and all kinds of art junk. There was a small kitchen area with a breakfast bar, stove, sink and cabinets, as well as a door next to the kitchen that lead to a small bathroom. In the part of the flat she considered the 'living room', Clip had a TV, a huge well worn couch, and a three level rat cage that housed her two rats.
As her eyes swept over the cage, Clip Cord smiled, and trotted over to greet her little friends. The unicorn was particularly fond of rats for some reason, and adored her clever little fuzzballs and their entertaining antics.
"Good morning Pin, good morning Pigment!" she cooed happily as she unlatched one of the doors on their cage and reached inside for their food bowl. The rats in question, sisters, were curled up on the topmost level of their home, staring at the unicorn with sleepy eyes as she measured out some kibble in their bowl and checked their water bottle. Clip Cord replaced their full bowl in it's spot, and reached to very gently stroke each rat's head before closing up the cage again. They were cutest in the morning, Clip thought, when they were still too sleepy to get up to much trouble. At night, though, was another story.
Giggling at her little friends, she turned and trotted into the kitchen to find something to eat. Spotting on apple on the counter, she shrugged, tossed the whole thing into her mouth and crunched her way noisily into the bathroom for a quick shower.
* * * * * * *
Twenty minutes later found Clip Cord on her way out the door, bright eyed and bushy tailed. She waved goodbye to Pin and Pigment, locked the door to her flat, and set off with a whistle towards the shop downtown. As she trotted, saddlebags bouncing against her flanks, she couldn't help but ponder over her dream. It was fascinating, and soon she found herself forgetting about the scarier parts, and daydreaming about creating reality with her art, like she created the rose garden. She amused herself by playing out various 'what if' scenarios in her head, and soon found she was almost to the shop already. As she turned the final corner, she raised an eyebrow in surprise; it seemed she wasn't the only one early today.
Scrub stood by the shop door, staring into the darkened interior. He seemed to be a million miles away, face blank and eyes distant. On his back balanced a familiar pink bakery box, no doubt full of donuts. The donuts were a sort of habit of his - a couple months after he began his apprenticeship, he started bringing donuts every morning. At first, everypony thought it was a lame ploy to garner affection, but soon realized that Scrub was simply a generous and happy pony that liked to share what he had. He admitted that he stopped by the bakery every morning and had a donut on his way to the shop, then started feeling guilty that he didn't bring any for anypony else. Thus, his generous donation of donuts every morning was born. Clip Cord had offered to pay for them herself after a while, but Scrub insisted that it was the 'least he could do' and always used his own bits from his part time job for them.
As Clip Cord approached the shop, Scrub perked his ear towards her, followed by swiveling his head around at the sound of hoofsteps. Clip Cord grinned at him, although his returned smile was a little less enthusiastic than hers. Taking no notice, Clip whistled impressively as she fished the key out of her bag to open the door.
"Well, well, well," she started, "Here I thought I was the only pony who ever got here early." She shook her head in mock amazement, grinning as the lock clicked open. "I guess there's no Scrub Song this morning, eh kiddo? I was starting to think that maybe you thought the shop opened later than it did or something; either that or you secretly love karaoke." She laughed as she stepped inside the shop, holding the door open for Scrub as she reached out with her magic to flip all the lights on.
Scrub laughed a little, though it was short lived and not very chipper, as he walked into the shop with ears drooping. Suddenly clueing into Scrub's unenthusiastic behavior, Clip Cord turned around and looked at him carefully. She levitated the donut box off his back and to the front desk, then went to stand in front of her apprentice, putting a hoof on his shoulder.
"Hey," she said gently, "Is everything alright, Scrub? You don't seem like yourself this morning. Are you sick?" She furrowed her brow, looking for a moment like a worried parent as she eyed him over, and even pressed her hoof against his forehead to check his temperature.
Scrub, for his credit, shook his head and blinked at Clip Cord, confused. He stared at her concerned face for a moment - something he admittedly wasn't used to seeing. He didn't even realize she cared for his personal well-being so much. Realizing she was waiting for an answer, Scrub blushed and cleared his throat, looking everywhere in the shop except for Clip Cord.
"Uhh, no, I'm fine," he started, "I mean, well....there's something wrong, but I'm not sick or anything. It's just, that....well..." he trailed off, scuffing a hoof against the floor. His brows knit in frustration.
Clip Cord nudged him lightly. "Well?" she demanded, sounding more like her no-nonsense self again, "Spit it out then, Scrub. I'm not gonna have you moping around all day, so you might as well just tell me what's bothering you."
The aqua pegasus sighed, then cast his eyes forlornly up at his mentor. He was afraid of this moment, had dreaded it all morning. She stared back at him expectantly. He sighed again, then dropped his gaze to his hooves.
"It's...my job," he said softly, "I stopped in there this morning for my paycheck, and my boss said that if I don't give them more hours they're going to hire someone else," he finished miserably, laying his ears back against his head. Oddly, Scrub wasn't so concerned with the fact that his part time job was at risk - after all, it was just simple newspaper delivery four days a week, early in the morning. It had worked out well for him, hours-wise, even though working and being at the shop left him with little free time. He was more concerned about Clip Cord's reaction to it, as she had made it clear that she expected him to maintain a part time job while he learned from her, while still spending at least twenty hours a week in the shop.
Clip Cord was silent for a moment, seeming to debate something with herself. She stared at Scrub with a tight little frown on her face, then turned away, standing with her back to her apprentice. Scrub winced inwardly, afraid that maybe she would say he wasn't cut out for this, or he was too much trouble and should just take more hours at his job and forget about being a tattoo artist. His insecurities danced mockingly in his mind's eye, giving him a creeping feeling of paranoia over Clip's response, making the seconds roll by in agony.
After a few silent moments, Clip Cord lit her horn and opened the donut box. She stared into it for another tense, silent moment, then turned back to Scrub. Her expression was hard to read, and Scrub found himself nervously adjusting his wings.
"Scrub, I don't think you need that job anymore," she started, then smiled softly at the pegasus' stunned expression. "You've been here for a while now, and you know the ropes." She walked over to him again as she continued talking, "You're a hard worker, and you're dedicated. You don't have to prove that to me anymore." She paused, looking at her apprentice thoughtfully. "Ultimately," she started again, "the decision is up to you. I was going to tell you today that I was giving you a raise on your weekly tip allowance. The shop has been busy, and you do a lot for me."
Scrub stared at her for a long moment, unblinking. "B-but..." he stammered, "even if you give me a raise, I won't be making very much." He winced, but it was the truth. "That job really is helpful..." he looked thoughtfully at the box of donuts, and smiled. "I wouldn't be able to buy us all donuts anymore."
Clip Cord laughed, and shook out her mane. She smiled warmly at Scrub, "Kid, you don't have to buy donuts. Look...you're an apprentice." She paused to put her hoof on his shoulder once more, "It's not your job to bring us all breakfast." She chuckled, then continued, pacing slowly as she talked, "Okay, look. You can quit that job if you want to. I'm giving you a raise either way, and it'll be a good raise I assure you. I'm also going to start paying for our donuts and coffee in the mornings. I want you to be here six days a week, just like the rest of us."
Clip Cord was about to go on, when the door bell chimed. Scrub and Clip both turned and grinned as their co-workers filed in the door. Belle was chatting excitedly with Day Dream about something, while Ink Cap followed a few paces behind the girls, levitating an art magazine in front of him as he walked. As morning greetings were exchanged and saddlebags hung, soon everypony made their way back to the front desk with eyes on the donut box.
As Ink Cap approached, however, he frowned and cast his eyes around the shop quickly. His frown became a desperate look of horror, and he turned to Scrub with wide eyes. Everypony else raised their eyebrows expectantly.
"W-where..." the stallion stammered, "w-where is the coffee? W-why isn't there any coffee?!" he cried out dramatically.
Scrub seemed to grow a shade paler as his pupils shrunk, and he gasped, "Ohmygosh I forgot the coffee!" The young pegasus was airborne and halfway to the door already when a strong jaw locked on his tail and he was forced to make an awkward landing. Scrub squeaked as he turned around, half expecting to confront a vengeful Ink Cap.
Instead, Clip Cord stood behind him. She sighed and rolled her eyes, then levitated a small bag of bits out of her saddlebags, which she handed to Scrub. The pegasus stared at it for a moment, until Clip raised an eyebrow at him and he quickly reached out with his wing to retrieve it.
"Scrub, go get us all coffee, extra large, before Ink Cap bursts a blood vessel." Clip grinned and winked at her apprentice.
With a bob of his head, Scrub made a hasty exit, zooming off down the street to their favorite coffee spot as quickly as his wings would carry him.
That settled, and with Scrub out of her mane for a moment, Clip Cord decided it was a good time to get some second opinions from her crew. Clearing her throat, she joined everypony else back by the front desk.
Day Dream was casually looking over the appointment book, while Ink Cap was staring listlessly at his hooves. Barbelle had sat down next to Ink Cap and was flipping through his discarded magazine. Belle looked up as Clip re-joined them, and got up to hip-bump her best friend.
"Ahh, Clippy darling, good morning!" She trilled cheerfully as Clip Cord returned her greeting with a quick hug. "I never knew our sweet Inky could be so grumpy-wumpy without hims' coffee, eh?" she teased, winking over at Ink Cap as he sullenly scowled at the mares.
"Yeah! Tell me about it," Day Dream chimed in, giggling, "I almost thought we broke him!"
Clip Cord giggled along with the girls as Ink Cap pouted. After a moment though, she raised her hoof and cleared her throat. Her friends all looked at her with perked ears, sensing an on-coming announcement.
"You know guys, all jokes aside, this is a really great time for me to point something out," she said, glancing out the glass storefront to make sure Scrub wasn't zooming back quite yet. "This morning is a great example of how we've all become too used to Scrub and his generosity." The unicorn paused, looking at the expressions of her friends.
Ink Cap, for his credit, looked suddenly ashamed, raising himself to all fours with a little frown. Even Day Dream and Belle shared a look, before all three looked back towards Clip Cord. The pale unicorn lifted the lid of the donut box again, eyes lingering on the succulent sugary treats within. She smiled softly, then looked back at her friends.
"Scrub is a good kid, I think all of us agree on that," Clip started.
"No doubt!" Day Dream chimed in immedietly, "He's so super helpful! Like, when you're busy and stuff Clip, he really helps out everypony else including me. He always helps me with inventory," here, the earth pony paused, and blushed, "Actually....he's particularly helpful at getting stuff off the really tall shelves for me so I don't have to get the ladder out."
"Oh, I agree completely!" Belle called out, nodding. She pursed her lips thoughtfully for a moment, then smiled fondly, as if remembering something. "Why, I remember the time that I had that really nervous young pegasus mare for an industrial. She just wouldn't relax no matter what I tried. But when Scrub came over and talked to her, and held her hoof..." she trailed off, smiling at Clip, "Well, I couldn't have done it without him."
Ink Cap nodded slowly, a half-grin creeping onto his face as he added, "Yeah, the kid is tough as nails, too. Once when you weren't here, Clip, I made him pose for three solid hours with a front hoof up and both wings extended so I could reference it for a painting," the stallion paused, managing to look a little sheepish under Clip Cord's wide-eyed stare, "Okay, so, it wasn't really the nicest thing to do, I admit. I was kind of testing his character, and I gotta say I was impressed. Kid sat still the whole time without a peep." Ink Cap threw his hooves up defensively as Clip's jaw dropped with the revelation of this incident, "Woah, woah," the stallion added hastily, "I tipped him an extra fifty bits that day, as well as a bunch of art supplies. It may not have been nice, but it erased any doubt I had about Scrub's integrity."
Clip Cord scrunched her face at Ink Cap, looking like she was about to start yelling, but instead she sighed. Clip knew that Ink Cap probably endured a much rougher 'old school' apprenticeship than Scrub would ever have to, and although she found it slightly upsetting that Ink had tortured her apprentice just a little, she couldn't help but feel proud and impressed that he had bested the older stallion by complying flawlessly. Shaking her head, she gestured with a hoof as if to get back on topic.
"Alright, well...weird stallion initiation hazing aside, I'm glad we can all agree that Scrub is a good pony and a welcome addition to our little family," everypony nodded as Clip Cord continued, "Thing is, the kid told me this morning his part time job is putting the pressure on, and he has to decide what to do. I told him this morning that I'm giving him a raise on his tip allowance, but it's going to take more than that to make sure Scrub can stay here if he looses his job. I'm going to start paying for coffee and donuts every morn-"
"No!" Ink Cap interrupted Clip Cord with a stomp of his hoof. All eyes turned towards the bay stallion, "Er...what I mean is..." Ink Cap smiled sheepishly, "I would really like to pay for the coffee at least, Clip. Y'know, specially after this morning."
"Yeah!" Day Dream chimed in, clopping a hoof on the front counter and grinning, "Ohhh! And if Clip is paying for donuts, and Ink Cap is paying for coffee, I could offer to buy Scrub's lunch for him! He always went out and picked up MY lunch for me anytime I've asked him to, so it's the least I could do to help out!" Day Dream beamed, quite proud of herself.
Belle was nodding thoughtfully as the other ponies came up with solutions for taking some weight off of Scrub's wallet, the elegant piercer was hatching a plan of her own. Luckily, before all eyes could turn towards Barbelle for her input, the shop bell sang out as Scrub re-appeared with the familiar tray of coffee cups balanced between his wings. Smiles ignited along with horns, and soon the coffee was all distributed into waiting hooves and fields of grasping magic. A collective sigh passed through the misfit family of ponies as the first sips of the day were indulged in.
Clip Cord cleared her throat after a moment of silence, and gestured towards Scrub, who seemed to be lost in thought again as he stared listlessly at the coffee in his hooves. The young pegasus looked up as Clip Cord addressed him.
"Scrub," she started, "I told everypony else about your job dilemma, and I think you should know that we're all behind you, whatever you decide." Clip Cord paused, looking intensely into Scrub's eyes, "If you really want this, Scrub, we will help you make it work. It may be a little harder, and you may have less bits to spare, and I'm going to expect more from you. But ultimately, it's up to you. Do you want this?"
As Clip finished, she gestured her hoof around as if to encompass the other ponies, the shop, the art, even perhaps the very idea of the industry itself. Scrub looked at each pony in turn, and around the shop slowly, then back to Clip Cord. He nodded firmly, eyes shining and jaw set. Clip smiled at him, her expression softening somewhat.
"That's what I thought," she said, nodding. Then she turned back to the others, and grinned, "Well! Looks like Scrub is gonna be here six days a week now, like the rest of us. Ink Cap is now in charge of coffee funding, I'm in charge of donuts, and Day Dream has offered to get Scrub lunch from now on," the pale unicorn paused to chuckle at Scrub's wide eyes from this revelation.
"Oh, yes," chimed in Belle suddenly, horn lighting up to retrieve a donut as she spoke, "and I have some absolutely priceless advice for our dear apprentice as well, which we will speak of at length later." The tall, slender unicorn winked at Scrub, who looked a little confused.
Clip Cord shot Belle a curious glance, but inwardly grinned. She had a feeling what her best friend was up to, and it was admittedly a good idea. Scrub, for his credit, was looking both a little overwhelmed and enormously relieved, and seemed speechless for the moment. Clip Cord chuckled, and lit her horn, plucking a donut out of the box and floating it over to Scrub.
"I know it's a bit to take in, kid," chimed in Ink Cap, "But if you want to be here, and you've shown you do, then we want you here. You're family, Scrub, and we take care of our family."
Still speechless, Scrub smiled at everypony, sniffled, and took a tearful bite of his breakfast.
* * * * * * *
Besides the exciting morning everypony had with Scrub's new position in the shop, the rest of the day was a typical day in which nopony had much going on. Although Ink and Clip both stayed relatively booked, the stallion had no clients until much later that afternoon, and the mare had nothing on the books today. The early afternoon found Day Dream brainstorming some marketing plan or another, Belle taking painstakingly detailed inventory of her jewelry and needles, Scrub sitting alone in the drawing room with his new assignment, and Ink Cap and Clip Cord huddled over the stallions station, muttering to eachother as they worked on something amidst a pile of scrap machine parts, bolts, pins, and random bits of metal.
Golden yellow eyes swam, staring at the blank paper in their field of vision as if it would magically do some trick or other. Soon, they orbs shimmered with moisture, due to the intense focus, and their owner blinked, bringing two light aqua hooves up to rub at them until everything was darkness and swirling points of light and pattern. Scrub groaned as he blinked his eyes open again, ears drooping as he stared at the still blank paper before him. The young pegasus sighed, casting his eyes around the drawing room for the millionth time in the last hour, before returning to the paper.
"Five pages, five designs each, traditional," Scrub muttered to himself. This had become his mantra as he sat having a battle of wills with this awful blank paper. He knew what he had to do, but this was the first time Clip had given him such extensive creative license with an assignment. Before, it was always 'Scrub, draw an owl. Scrub, draw a pin-up pony. Scrub, draw an anchor. Scrub, do a realistic rose with a skull.' But now, the pegasus was lost in the possibility. Here, he could come up with something truly his own! At first, he was stoked as a fireplace to have the creative freedom while still remaining in the rules of traditional. But now, after an hour of fruitless brainstorming, he was starting to feel panicked.
With a groan, Scrub rested his forehead against the drawing table for a moment. He wanted to do something unique, something Clip would really be proud of. But everything he thought of seemed to be bland, boring, or missing some crucial element of interest. He had considered a page of skulls, then fretted over what he could do besides snakes, daggers, and roses to accent them. Hadn't that all been done before?
With a start, Scrub bolted back into a sitting position, suddenly inspired. That was just it! Clip Cord had told him NOT to be afraid of visiting the tried and true. He didn't have to come up with some mind-blowingly amazing design - there would be plenty of that in his future - he simply needed to make five sheets of correctly done traditional flash with his own personal flare. With renewed interest, Scrub reached for his drawing brace, and snapped it onto his right hoof.
Clip Cord and Scrub had come up with the drawing braces by basing their design off of traditional earth pony tattooing braces. The brace was made up of a lightweight, flat, metal 'bracelet' that was padded on the underside and fit snugly right behind the wrist bend of the hoof, secured by an adjustable buckle. On the left side of the brace was an vice, where a pencil, pen, or paintbrush could be fed between two pieces of metal with a half-circle out of each one, tightened on top with a wingnut so that the two pieces of metal would squeeze closer together, effectively trapping the tool within the vice. With the brace, Scrub could easily draw and paint with his hoof, and it gave him a fine sense of control that his mouth could not match. It was tough at first, learning how to draw with his hoof, but he had picked it up quickly after a few weeks of practice.
With new determination, Scrub double-checked the brace again, then got to sketching on the paper which so patiently awaited his artistic direction. Soon, the sounds from the front of the shop faded into a murky haze as Scrub concentrated on the creation pouring out beneath his hoof.
On the other side of the shop, Day Dream was on the phone. The plucky, enthusiastic mare had been on the phone for a couple of minutes already, and was seemingly answering a plethora of questions. Clip Cord had walked away from Ink Cap's station for a moment to stretch and give her eyes something else to look at besides their project. The pale shop owner found herself over by the front desk, curious as to whatever phone conversation was taking place.
"Yes ma'am," Day Dream was saying cheerfully, "you really do have to wash it a few times a day for the first few days." The pink mare paused as another question must have been rattled through the phone at her. Day Dream winked as Clip came up to the front desk, then playfully rolled her eyes while gesturing to the phone. "Oh, yes ma'am, that's right. The product we would like you to use during your healing process is printed right there on the aftercare sheet we gave you. I realize that you have used other ointments for cuts and scrapes before, but I assure you if you attempt using Neigh-O-Sporin on your tattoo the ink will draw out and it will heal patchy and incomplete."
Day Dream stifled a chuckle, and held the phone away from her ear for a moment as it erupted in a flurry of angry gibberish that Clip Cord couldn't quite make out. Calmy, the pink earth pony put the receiver back to her ear and grinned.
"Goodness, ma'am! By no means was I trying to say you had done anything wrong by using Neigh-O-Sporin in the past for your injuries. Indeed I use it myself for my scrapes and boo-boos! But when it comes to healing the tattoo, we here at Spectrum trust the product listed on your aftercare instruction. It's proven to effectively heal your tattoo safely and vibrantly." Day Dream paused again as the voice on the other end must have said something in response. Day Dream listened, then nodded to herself, "Yes ma'am, not a problem at all. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us again."
After saying goodbye, Day Dream hung up the phone and giggled at Clip's slightly disgusted expression. The pale unicorn shook her head, looking at the phone for a moment and then back up to Day Dream, who was beaming enthusiastically. Clip couldn't help but chuckle at her expression. Day Dream was really the perfect shop manager. Clip never could stand having conversations with ponies like the one Dream just had - she was nowhere near as patient or understanding with stupid questions.
"Dream," Clip started, smiling up at her, "I sure don't know what I would do without you. I can't stand answering phone calls like that. Did that pony really just argue with you about using Neigh-O-Sporin on her tattoo?"
"Oh, yes!" Day Dream giggled, and nodded at Clip Cord, "That's actually the third time she's called this week to ask about or argue about something," Day Dream giggled even more at Clip's wide eyes, "Oh, it's nothing to get worked up over! Some ponies are just, uhmmm..." the pink earth pony seemed to search for the word for a moment.
"Stupid?" Ink Cap suggested from his station, which was within earshot of the front desk.
Day Dream gasped and shot Ink Cap a glare that he didn't catch, since his back was turned, still hunched over his and Clip's project.
"Ink Cap!" Day Dream admonished. The stallion merely flicked his tail. "That's no way to talk about our clients," she continued, then grinned, "besides, it's so totally amusing! Ponies are all unique, after all, and Celestia knows we meet enough of them. It's no skin off my flank to sit here and answer silly questions."
Clip Cord chuckled, and nodded appreciatively at Day Dream, "Better you than me, Dream. I'm just glad you're so good with ponies."
Day Dream smiled at the compliment, and waved a hoof modestly. "Aw, Clippy, you know I'm so totally happy to be here with you guys. It's the least I can do!"
Clip Cord smiled at Day Dream again, and was about to say something else when a loud, groaning rumble split the air from behind the front desk. Day Dream blushed brightly, ears folding back as she grinned, "I do admit though, dealing with ponies sure does work up an appetite!"
* * * * * * *
After Scrub was sent out with a bag of bits to get everypony, and himself, some lunch, the Spectrum crew sat lounging in the reception area on couches and seats as they ate. Soon, with lunch devoured and drinks drained, everypony took a few minutes to merely sit and feel comfortable and content. Talk of after lunch coffee was mentioned as the sun dipped lower into the late afternoon. Everypony was reluctant to get back to their various projects, feeling the mutual tug of a lazy day with no clients. Even Ink Cap's client called to re-schedule. With nothing but menial tasks left to do for the day, nopony felt particularly inspired to move off of the comfortable couches and overstuffed chairs. Even Scrub lounged with a feeling of accomplishment, as he had managed to produce the rough drafts for two of his pages already, and felt confident he could finish the whole assignment within the week.
Day Dream yawned and stretched her front hooves out, sinking back into the armchair she was curled up in. Soon the yawn travelled all around the ponies, and everyone giggled at the strange phenomena of yawns. After a moment, Clip Cord looked towards the clock above her station, and grinned.
Sitting up straighter on the couch, she gestured to the clock with her hoof, "Alright ponies, now, you guys know I'm usually a stickler for stayin' in the shop until it's closing time," all ears and eyes turned towards Clip Cord, more alert than they had been a moment ago. "But it's pretty obvious that we don't have much going on today," she paused, to look at Scrub, "And I think in light of this morning, we should all go out and celebrate Scrub's proper welcome into the Spectrum family!"
Instantly, all faces lit up and suggestions were tossed out in rapid succession:
"YES!! Shop Bowling! Lazer tag! Pie eating contest!" called out Day Dream, hooves waving excitedly in front of her.
"Oh my, how exciting! Surely that means we'll be having Shop Karaoke Night at The Rainbow Room? First pitcher of cider is on me!" added Belle, eyes sparkling.
"Oooh, I hear that Deathcarriage for Cutie Marks is playing at the Iron Horse theater tonight, we could totally catch a show!" suggested Ink Cap, grinning from ear to ear.
Clip Cord and Scrub shared a look, before looking back at all the other ponies. Neither seemed to know what to say. Three sets of excited eyes stared back at them. Scrub looked to Clip Cord again, and the mare shrugged.
"Honestly, I was just gonna suggest we go back to my flat, order pizza and cider, and play Apples to Apples, maybe watch a movie or two," Clip Cord said, dumbfounded.
The other ponies all exchanged looks, murmuring this or that, before everypony broke out into smiles.
"Yeah!! Shop Pizza Night at Clip's!!" Ink Cap, Belle, and Day Dream all sang out at the same time. Scrub looked confused, as Clip Cord patted him on the back and chuckled.
"That's right, Scrub's never been to a Shop Pizza Night at my place yet. So it's agreed, then?"
All the ponies of Spectrum nodded, Scrub looking particularly excited about the prospect of seeing Clip's living space, thinking that it would be filled to the brim with amazing art and inspiring trinkets of his mentor's impeccable taste.
Clip Cord grinned wide, then lit up her horn to retrieve her saddlebags, as her magic simultaneously straightened her station up. Everypony else flew into action, straightening their own things and gathering bags, until the crew was assembled by the front desk and ready to go. Clip Cord nodded approvingly.
"This is a great night for a Pizza Night anyway, considering the shop is closed tomorrow," Clip Cord admitted. She couldn't help but feel excited - it had been months since they all got together at her place for pizza and cider. Everyone had just been so busy lately.
With everypony and everything gathered, the crew of Spectrum filed out the door in an excited cloud of chit chat, and Clip Cord locked the door behind them. In an unruly group, they all set off for Clip Cord's neighborhood, with the intention of stopping at the local market to pick up plenty of cider, sweets, and snacks.
* * * * * *
Roughly a couple hours later found the ponies of Spectrum crowded comfortably in Clip Cord's loft, munching happily on pizza and sipping cider as they watched a movie on Clip's TV. Clip Cord was actually pretty proud to own her little TV, as not many ponies had them or even cared for them throughout a lot of Equestria. But here in Applewood, the very heart of film-making and entertainment, more ponies were inclined to own one along with a few movies on tape. Currently, they were watching a horror film about fog, and Scrub seemed particularly terrified of the idea of sentient, evil fog, as it seemed to mostly prey on unsuspecting pegasi in the movie that tried to clear it away. The young aqua pegasus huddled on the couch between Clip Cord and Ink Cap, clinging to a bowl of popcorn in his lap as he watched the TV screen with wide eyes. Menacing music played as an innocent pegasus mare stumbled upon the fog on screen, as it twisted and boiled into a hideous shape behind her back. Scrub scrunched up his face and held his breath as the fog rolled closer to the pegasus on screen. Just then, something scurried over the back of the couch, brushing against the back of Scrub's neck.
A burst of light aqua feathers and a terrified scream of "FOOOOOGGGG!" took up the space that Scrub previously was, his shaking form having relocated to the ceiling, hovering as close to it as he could as he frantically scanned the couch from his elevated position.
Although his outburst startled the other ponies, everypony blinked in surprise as Clip Cord started laughing. Her laughs soon graduated into hysterics, as she rolled around on the floor pointing up at Scrub, tears streaming down her face while she cackled. After a moment, Clip Cord calmed down, and pushed herself up to her hooves again. Scrub slowly lowered himself to the ground, blushing, as the rest of the ponies chuckled.
Clip Cord wiped her eyes, then trotted over to the couch, and picked something up off the back of it. Hobbling back towards Scrub, she extended her hoof towards him. There, sitting on her hoof trying to look innocent, was a harmless little rat. Scrub blushed even more, suddenly understanding what the 'fog' was on the back of the couch. One of Clip's rats had gotten loose, and had decided to join them for the festivities.
"Oooh, Celestia, the look on your face was totally priceless, Scrubby!" giggled Day Dream, who reached out to pet the rodent culprit. "I didn't know you were such a scaredy pony!"
Scrub giggled sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof, "I didn't know I was either! That rat really snuck up on me."
Clip Cord put the rat back in the cage with her sister, and winked at Scrub. "No worries kid, you should have seen the look on Ink Cap's face when I first introduced him to Pigment and Pin."
Scrub looked over at Ink Cap, who did indeed look slightly uncomfortable, eyeing the rats with a small frown. Clip Cord bumped Scrub on the shoulder with her hoof playfully and nodded, "Yep, he looked about as scared as you did at first, although he seems to be more tolerant of them now."
Scrub turned to look back at the two rats, who were staring up at him with curious, bright eyes. He tilted his head, and gestured to the one that had scared him.
"Which one is that, Clip? The one that scared me. Is that Pigment, or Pin?"
Clip Cord smiled warmly at her little rat friends. "That was Pin. She's a troublemaker, and really has a mind of her own. That's actually how she got her name. I named her after Brass Pin," she shot a look at Scrub, "who is a pony that you really should know about already."
Scrub's eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Oh! Actually, I do! I read some newspaper articles and a book about Brass Pin before I met you, Clip Cord. I read that he was a staunch lobbyist in Canterlot for the tattoo industry in Equestria. He helped revolutionize our current laws and safety practices." Scrub paused, and looked thoughtful as he recalled what he had read, "The book mentioned that he was so stubborn, he attended Celestia's Day Court every single day for almost a year, each day presenting her with a new and valid reason that the tattoo industry needed her support in zoning lenience, and to be officially recognized as an art form. They say he used to be called 'Brass the Ass' and that nopony ever saw his cutie mark because of this jacket he always wore. There are even rumors that Brass the Ass was the one to do the tattoo on Princess Luna, when she came back from her exile on the moon, though nopony has been able to prove it, as nopony knows where Brass Pin has been for the past six or seven years, and he had already left Canterlot when the Princess Luna rumor started."
Clip Cord beamed proudly at her apprentice, and was about to congratulate him, when she noticed that Ink Cap had mysteriously vanished from the scene. She patted Scrub on the shoulder for knowing his history, then trotted into the kitchen area to see if Ink Cap was perhaps making more popcorn, since Scrub had pretty much sacrificed the first bowl.
Clip Cord found Ink Cap staring into the fridge with a blank expression on his face, eyes unmoving, just sort of pointed in no particular direction. Clip Cord raised an eyebrow, and gently nudged the stallion's shoulder. He blinked, then hurriedly slammed the fridge and spun to face Clip Cord.
"Sorry Clip! I didn't mean to just stand there with the door open. I know it's a waste of power and all," he stammered awkwardly. Clip raised the other eyebrow, more shocked at his quick apology than anything. She waved a hoof, however, and laughed it off.
"Lighten up, Inky! You've been working too hard lately. Let's make some popcorn and get back to that movie, eh? I thought that's what you came in here for anyway," the mare said.
"Oh, right....popcorn," Ink Cap muttered, then grinned wide and nodded, "Yep! Totally came in here to make popcorn, let's get to it and get back to our shop night."
* * * * * * *
A few hours later found Clip Cord's loft even messier than before. The ponies had played card games, board games, and trivia. They had watched movies, gorged on pizza, popcorn, snacks, and cider. They had enjoyed some quality time together, and now they were all ready to crash.
Day Dream, Ink Cap, and Belle had all bid goodnight to Scrub and Clip, and filed out the door and on their own ways home, leaving Clip and her faithful apprentice to straighten up. It didn't take long between the two, and soon Clip's flat was at least back to normal, if not sparkling clean.
Clip Cord flashed Scrub a tired, yet grateful smile. "Thanks for helping me clean up, Scrub, I really appreciate it."
The young pegasus smiled back at his mentor, "Hey, what are apprentices for, huh?"
The two shared a laugh, then a yawn. Clip Cord glanced around her flat again, then motioned to the door.
"Well, kiddo, you ready to go home? C'mon and I'll walk ya," Clip Cord offered, lighting up her horn to open the door.
The two stepped out, and were soon trotting towards Scrub's home.
After walking in silence for a few minutes, Scrub turned to Clip Cord curiously and ventured, "So...Clip Cord, what was your apprenticeship like?"
Clip Cord looked at her shiny eyed apprentice trotting next to her, curious and innocent. She looked back ahead of her, and pondered over his question for a moment, brows furrowed.
"It pretty much sucked flank," she said, then laughed, "You're lucky I'm so cool, Scrub." The pale mare winked at him, and Scrub smiled.
"I guess I'm pretty much the luckiest apprentice ever then," the pegasus said thoughtfully.
"You very well may be, kid," Clip Cord responded. The two ponies, master and student, walked the rest of the way in comfortable, thoughtful silence.
* * * * * * *
After dropping Scrub off, Clip Cord had practically cantered back home. The unicorn was looking forward to her comfortable bed, sleeping in the next morning, and the fun day that she and Belle had planned out. They spent their day off every week together, as had been their tradition for many years. When Clip Cord finally got back to her flat, locked her door, and collapsed in bed, she was one very happy pony.
After all, she had the best friends any pony could ask for, a wonderful shop where they could all use their talents, and a loyal apprentice that she knew would do great things. What more could a pony ask for?
Oh right, practical jokers for rats.
Yes, life was pretty good for Clip Cord.