"The best kind of a job work would be one that you could make a living off of, without having your soul killed in the process"
― Pressed Bit
Emerald turned over in his sleep, he could barely hear the birds outside the window chirping, but they were quiet enough that the sound was of little bother to him. As he slept in the early morning sunlight, the bedroom door creaked open to reveal his older brother. Steam chuckled silently as he stealthily slunk away to the other end of the apartment. It was then that Emerald was suddenly jolted awake by a cacophony of sound that had all the musical enjoyment of a piano falling down stairs. Giving a shout as he tumbled out of bed, Emerald groaned aloud as he started to crawl to the living room. Upon entering, he yelled the first eight words that came to mind, "WHAT IN THE NAME OF TARTARUS IS THAT?!"
Steam Shine was grinning from ear to ear with welding goggles mounted over his eyes. He danced about adjusting several valves sticking out of what looked like an upright piano with other instruments attached to it. "ISN'T IT FANTASTIC! I CALL IT A PLAYER PIANO! IT'S GONNA REVOLUTIONIZE MUSIC AS WE KNOW IT!"
"WHAT?!"
"SORRY I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
Emerald flew over to the piano with his hooves over his ears. After looking at the machine frantically for a few moments he yelled, "DOES THIS THING HAVE AN OFF SWITCH?!"
Steam Shine smiled wide and laughed before adjusting another valve. As excess steam blew out he yelled out a response, "NOPE! FORGOT TO DESIGN ONE! BEST TO LET IT FINISH THE SONG!"
Emerald quickly looked over the infernal machine in hopes of finding some way to kill it. Finally after a few moments, he found near the top a roll of paper with holes punched in it. Without thinking he grabbed the paper, and Steam instantly shot a hoof into the air and yelled, "EMERALD NO!" He ripped the paper out of the turning drums, and for a moment every key on the piano struck, while every instrument attached to the monstrosity played one last sour note before finally going silent. Rather than being angry, Steam Shine was laughing so hard he looked like he was going to split a side, "Well good morning sunshine! Equestria says, HELLO!"
Emerald growled at his older brother before walking off into the kitchen. "So what's for breakfast,” as he asked and began to open all the cabinets in search of something tasty, “I could go for a daisy sandwich right now… maybe some eggs and toast."
"I don't have any of those things," Steam replied with a frown. Emerald groaned slightly, but before he could start to really complain, Steam Shine gestured with his wings to the top of the fridge, "But I have some Toasted O's cereal and cold milk if you're hungry."
Emerald snorted as he grabbed the cereal from the top of the fridge. He frowned at the smiling foal on the box and turned it over so his older brother could look at it. "Toasted O's? What are you four?"
Steam Shine grinned, pulled a Daring Do toy off of a shelf and held it up. "Why grow up all the way when there are all these toys to play with?" he quipped before placing it with a small collection of other toys.
Emerald rolled his eyes as he poured the cereal into a bowl. "Idiot," he muttered to himself before raising his head. "Why even invent such a contraption in the first place? That piano I mean, don't we have records for home music already?"
Steam smiled as he patted the top of the player piano. "Hey, I don't know if you ever noticed, but unless you are a unicorn it's really hard to play piano." Emerald continued to chew his food, gesturing with a hoof for Steam to continue. "So, I decided to give those struggling earth pony and pegasus musicians a way to get on an even playing field. All they have to do is program the machine by punching holes in this paper roll, feed it in, and BAM instant musician!"
Emerald finally swallowed down his food, and after a few moments of silence he gave his brother a deadpan look and responded with, "So, it's a cheat machine."
Giving off a sigh as he removed his goggles, Steam suddenly gave Emerald a serious look. "Let's just change the subject. I want you to get ready, we have a long day ahead of us."
Emerald looked up at his brother and watched as he grabbed his saddlebags and a fresh white work coat. "What do you mean we?" he asked in confusion. “Do you mean as in the royal we?”
"We, as in us. The plural we, as in you and I, are going to Cloudsdale today to see about getting you a job," Steam paused as he struggled for a few moments getting into the coat. It wasn't until he put the last button through it's hole before he continued. "So do whatever it is you do in the mornings, but do it quick and make sure you smell good. I'm going to have you meet with my boss about working at the factory."
Emerald snorted a bit before laughing for a moment. Finally he looked at his brother with a frown. "I'm an artist, what are they going to do? Have me make cloud sculptures?"
"Not likely," Steam replied with a snap. "Now hurry up."
The morning was all a blur to Emerald. One moment he was eating cereal, the next he was in the shower. Then he was brushing his teeth, tail and mane. Soon followed by the usual routine of applying the black X over his cutie mark with a stencil. The next thing he knew, he was out the door and suddenly he found himself in Cloudsdale with his saddlebags and ID card ready to go. "So, your first real job interview, how do you feel little brother? Excited? Nervous?"
"Confused,” he answered honestly. “Why am I doing this? Aren't we rich enough I shouldn't have to work?"
The two ponies flew around the cloud buildings and talked as they headed to the Weather Factory. "No, MOM is rich enough that she doesn't have to work. We, as in you and I, couldn't buy our way into a doughnut convention without a job to back us up."
Emerald looked at his brother with an eyebrow raised. "You have a funny way of putting things."
Steam shrugged as they flew up to the gate of the factory. "Whatever works, any-who we're here." Emerald looked up at the cloud structure with an almost bored look as he took in the sheer size and scope of the cloud structure.
As they flew closer to the pristine white industrial cloud material, Emerald couldn't help but notice a definite ancient pegasus motif. Grand columns and intricately sculpted art reliefs graced the walls. Images of pegasi creating different kinds of weather patterns tried to grab at his attention, yet failed to impress.
"Pretty neat huh?" Steam cut in as he patted his brother on the back. "I tell ya babe, er... I mean bro, working here really fills you with a sense of pride." Emerald’s response was to roll his eyes as they landed in front of the open door and walked in to the giant reception room. The interior showcased different pieces of fine art relating to weather and the stewards of it. The two ponies walked together over to the main desk, and Steam Shine gave the mare a wide smile. "Hey Sunshine, this young stallion to my right is applying for a job here."
The secretary gave off a bored expression as she ran a file across her hoof. "You know what to do Steam," she pointed lazily with her file to a basket full of applications. "Have your friend fill out an application, take a seat, and prepare to be processed."
As the two walked away, Steam gave his younger brother a sly wink. "She digs me."
The bored voice of the secretary called out to the duo as they walked to the seats, "Not if you were the last stallion on earth, goggle butt."
Steam laughed a bit to himself as Emerald fished a quill and inkwell out of his bags and started to fill the paperwork out. Steam looked over his shoulder in the meantime, making sure that everything was taken care of properly. A few moments in and Emerald looked up to ask a question. "Uh, Steam, what position am I applying for? Weather team? Snow artisan or cloud sculptor?"
"None of those, they have a waiting list a mile long kid," Steam said with a wave of his hoof. "No, if you want a job starting Monday, you apply for assistant mechanic."
Emerald tried to restrain the groan that was building up inside him. He turned to look him in the eye and said, "But I'm not a mechanic!" in a loud hissing whisper.
"No you are not,” Steam Shine said is he leaned in to whisper more quietly. “That's why you apply for assistant. That way you are payed to learn a trade, and if you become good enough you can become a full on mechanic." Emerald stared at his brother with a deadpan face for a few moments before the elder of the two gave off a sigh. "Look, just do this for me, okay? This is all just a hoof in the door, and when it's all said and done, you can try out for those other positions when there is an opening, 'kay?"
"Alright,” he said in a begrudging tone. “You're the boss." He checked the little box his brother suggested before moving down the rest of the application.
It only seemed like mere moments later when Emerald found himself sitting in what had to have been the world's most uncomfortable chair ever designed by a pegasus. Sure, it was made of clouds, but the shape was clearly made for looks rather than comfort, and tortured his body to actually sit in. Naturally this caused the already nervous young stallion to twitch while trying to find a way to be comfortable, all the while wishing that the pony interviewing him would turn her back for at least a minute so he could remold it into something more comfy. This of course meant that her eyes were on him the entire time.
The mare behind the desk glanced down at Emerald with a heavy frown. He couldn't help but feel like he was being scrutinized, like he was a disease that needed to be eliminated. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him and finally asked, "So tell me Mister Shadows, what makes you think you are weather pony material?"
Emerald flashed his best smile as he tried his best to stop fidgeting under her glare, and look her in the eye as he spoke. "Well, as a student of Luna's School of the Arts, I had used many tools such as welding torches, sculpting knives, and wrenches over the four years there. I am a quick adaptable learner, and I am sure that before you know it, you will be having me move up to a full on mechanic."
The older mare behind the desk leaned back in her chair and placed her forehooves together across her chest. She closed her eyes and looked at the ceiling for a few moments before asking, "You know what I can't stand?"
Emerald looked her up and down for a few moments before answering, "A pie without ice cream?"
The mare blushed slightly as she tried to suck in her slight paunch and slouch behind the desk a little more. "I can't stand smart asses that think they know it all." She looked over the paper before her as she continued to speak. "Congratulations to you on taking the safest, most generic route a dropout could muster up, but I want the truth this time," she gave a cruel smile as she leaned forward at Emerald. "Why should I hire you."
Emerald gave off a shrug, already fed up with the mare, and the seat he spoke his mind. "You know what? I don't know. I'm an art school drop out and I owe my mom a ton of bits. I'm staying with my older brother, and I just need to do something with my life." Emerald paused and thought about what he said. Suddenly, he started to laugh a little as he finished with, "You know, my brother is the only reason why I am here."
The mare held up a hoof, "I've heard enough." She looked him up and down for a few moments, scrutinizing and looking over every little detail about him. After several uncomfortable moments of silence, she spoke. "I'll tell you what, your brother is a good guy, puts a lot of hours here." Emerald nodded at the statement as he began to feel the sweat pour out of his face. "So here's the deal, I'll hire you on your brothers word. You will assist him and Silver Streak. If I hear any complaints anywhere about you, you're out. Got it?"
He shakily nodded at her again, "Yes ma'am, I got it."
"Good, you are officially on your training period. You start Monday bright and early. Come to work with your brother, stick with the crew." She passed a sheet of paper across the desk to Emerald before pointing to the door. "Go talk to the secretary, she will have somepony escort you to get your work badge and uniform. See you Monday."
The young stallion took the paper and ran out the door, thankful to just be out of the chair. After the door was closed, the sky blue pegasus pushed down on the intercom to her private secretary. "Paper File, I need a list of the best gyms in the city..."
Emerald Shadows was lost. Having decided to decline a guide to Pony Resources, Emerald instead thought that he could find it himself. As he wandered through the maze like halls, he saw various sections. He discovered Division One made various clouds, Division Two would impregnate some of them with rain, and Division Three was hail, while Division Four was sleet. Sometimes Emerald would find an open door, and he couldn't help but peek into them, and saw some of the different ways the pegasi would work with water to make different precipitation patterns.
Emerald shook his head as he continued down the hall muttering to himself, “Come on you don’t have time for this. Just hurry up and find the pony resources department.” That’s when he came across an open area that looked up to the sky, and saw several rainbow streams flowing from a building higher up. The only thing attaching it to the main factory was a stairway, and several cloud columns. The round area reminded Emerald of a public park or courtyard, the way it had benches for employees to sit on and look at the rainbow pools and fountains.
Emerald looked around the area searching for any sign that could point him in the right direction. After a few moments, a gruff voice spoke suddenly behind him. "Can I help you?" He turned around to see a pegasus standing behind him. He was yellow with purple hair, but what made Emerald nervous was that he was wearing a security guard uniform and mirrored sunglasses.
Emerald swallowed down some saliva before giving off a nervous smile. "I am looking for pony resources, so I can get my ID and uniform."
The guard gave off a friendly smile as he pointed down one of the halls attached to the courtyard. "Head down that hallway there, take a left, go three doors down and you will find a sign pointing it out on the door, can't miss it."
"Say, thanks!" Emerald said with a smile as he took off to the hall, and several moments later, Emerald found himself standing outside the open doorway to Pony Resources. He walked across the floor over to a stallion behind a desk. "Excuse me, but I was told to give you this paper?" Emerald winced as it came out like a question, but the stallion took the paper anyway.
"Hmm, mister, Emerald Shadows?" He looked up from the paper and gave off a stern expression. "Have a seat and we will get right to you."
The pegasus sat down, and tried to find a comfortable position. "What is with these chairs, you would think that making a chair out of clouds would feel better than this."
An orange mare walked out from behind a door holding a clipboard. "Emerald? Emerald Shadows?" Quickly as he could, he stood up and trotted across the floor to her. "Come on back here, lets get you fitted out for work."
He gave off a sort of shy smile to the mare as he moved past her, took off his saddlebags and sat down in a chair before she fluttered over the desk into her own seat. "Now, I just need you to sign a few things before we get started, for insurance reasons." The mare pulled out a small pamphlet of papers for him to fill out, and slid them across the desk. "Just your name, and somepony we can contact if there is an emergency." Emerald nodded along with what she was saying as he quickly wrote the information down. "Okay now, initial here, here, and date here. Perfect, just sign on the bottom, and done. See that wasn't so painful was it?"
Emerald gave off one of his better smiles to the mare, "No, not at all. What next?"
The mare gave off a small smile as she filed away the papers. "Well, I just need a picture of your face, and cutie mark for the ID badge, and to know what size coat you wear."
"Oh, I wear a size medium." He said with a smile.
"Okay," she flew over to the far end of the room as she spoke." Now just follow me here and I'll get your picture taken." Landing behind the operational end of a camera attached to a rather large machine.
"Mister Shadows, against that wall if you please?" She pointed at a blank wall across from the camera. He followed her directions, and stood facing the camera. "Now I want you to turn to your left, and look at the calendar on my wall."
He complied, the calendar had a photo of Spitfire in a bathing suit, posing in a suggestive way in front of the weather factory . Emerald's eyes zoned in on the picture as a grin started to spread across his face.
*CLICK CLICK*
The mare behind the camera was trying to stifle a giggle as she saw Emeralds now shocked expression. "Sorry, but I never get tired of that trick."
The machine started to whir and click loudly for a few moments, before a little card with two pictures popped out of a slot. One was a profile shot of Emerald's face with a sleazy grin, the other of a black X on a grey background. "I think I captured your true personality with this shot." Emerald started to feel a blush come to his face as the mare turned away to pull down some freshly bagged work coats. "Replacement ID badges cost three bits, uniforms ten. Try not to lose them, alright?" The still flustered pegasus simply nodded at the mare in reply. "Then you are free to go, I hope you enjoy your first day."
As he made his way out the door, Emerald looked back at the calendar and noticed that it was two years old. "Hey, I think you need a new calendar in here."
"And miss taking pictures like that?" the mare said with a smile. "Not on your life bud."
Emerald gave her a nervous smile, grabbed his saddlebags off the floor, and ran out the door to meet his brother in the main lobby. He had good news to tell him.