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// Chapter 8:Joy 
// Story: Heart Beats 
// by Colt Bolt 
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You can do anything, but not everything


-David Allen


“Sorry.”

“Nope.”

“May I see your I.D?”

“We’re looking for experienced workers, not rookies.”
Those four lines of my life would easily sum up my gruelling sixteen hour track of applying for a job. Shop after company after odd job, I was frequently rejected because I wasn’t what they were looking for. Even the simplest occupations like janitors or papercolts seemed like you needed a degree and PhD in neural science. At the end of the day, the so called ‘City of Opportunities’ almost lead me to bankruptcy.

However, as the evening traffic rush hour began to quell down, I still pressed on. I probably would have walked more than all the ponies in the Running of the Leaves combined, zig zagging central Manehattan with blistering hooves, until finally, fate decided to give me a chance.

There was a grocery shop, a few minutes walk from my apartment, which had a sign on the front window hiring staff. It wasn’t any big company that had a shop at every corner but at least it had a job open for me. As I entered the store, the smells of vegetables, fruits, freshly baked goods and other foods flooded the air. Soft music played while ponies of all ages moved along the aisles and checkouts where beeping with anticipation.

Then something heavy fell on me, pinning my back down on the checkered marble floor.

I screamed in shock. “Okyougotme.Iamachangelingjustpleasedon’thurtme, Celestia!”

When I opened my eyes, a pony with pink fur and purple hair with a band holding it tidy took a deep breath in.

“Welcome-to-A-to-Z.Weselleverythingfromapplestozucchinis.” She held up the fruits in her left hoof. “MynameisJoy.HowmayIhelpyou?” She chattered with barely any air left in her lungs.

I would of ran away to the next city if she didn’t have her whole entire weight on top of me, but trapped under a heavy mare that looked miniature to the eye, I stayed still for a few awkward seconds, gritting my teeth. I took notice that her eyes where a different color from each other. The left was a light purple that matched her fur but the orange to the right completely objected to her color scheme. Two crisscrossing golden arrows , the ones you shoot from a bow, were tattooed on her left flank while the other had a script.

“Joy! What have I told you about greeting our customers like that!?” A stern, authoritative voice shouted from the other side of the shop.

Joy and I both looked at a brown stallion. Obviously the manager of the shop, considering his styled solid black hair and his badge on his green and white uniform.

“And where is your uniform for Celestia’s sake?!” He raised a hoof emphasizing his question.

“Oops, sorry, Check List.” The crazy mare hopped off my chest and popped on a vest uniform out of nowhere.

He facehoofed. “Go to the back of the store and help Stacker stack the cans of tomatoes.” Joy followed her manager’s orders and zipped away.  Dusting myself off, Check walked up to me. The signs of wrinkles were already evident in his face and I could tell from the black sags under his eyes that he hadn't had very much sleep in the past few days or maybe even weeks.

“I’m very sorry for the inconvenience.” He said in an apologetic voice but with a smile. It seemed like he had done it many times before, for the same trouble maker. “If there is any way we can give you back your satisfaction just tell us.”

I hesitated for a second trying to get my bearings. “I-I saw that you needed staff” I pointed to the sign at the window.

He shook his head and I already knew what he was going to say. “Sadly though, I was just about to take it down as the job was already taken a moment ago. Is there anything else you would like help with?”

I sighed as my ears lowered. “No, it’s … okay.”

I began to turn around and walk out of the stall until a clutter of tomato cans fell and rolled onto the floor.  Pieces of the red fruit splattered everywhere as if somepony shouted ‘Bloody Marey’. A loud yell ran out. It didn’t feel like a yell in pain but more like a yell in frustration.

“I can’t take it anymore with that pink pony!” A purple pegasus with black hair and Thalia and Melpomene as a cutie mark screamed out. “I’ve been in this job for two hours and already that pink pony is driving me nuts.” She took off her uniform and threw it into Check’s face. “I quit!” And with that, she flew out of the shop at haste.

I swore, though the cars honking outside, I heard a cricket chirping.

“Well,” The manager said pressing one side of his lips together “looks like we do have a job open for you after all.” He beckoned. “Follow me.”

As he guided me to the back of the shop, I was at awe with how well off ponies were. Anyone could literality live here and have everything to their dispense. *Sigh* If only that was true years ago.

Anyways, we soon entered a staff common room where instantly a few of the younger staff members who were yelled at by Check for lounging around on a couch. I took a mental memo not to get on Check's darker side. Inside were couches of many sizes and colors surrounding coffee tables and a bulky TV on two filing cabinets.

He opened the door and we finally reached his office. Offering me a seat in front of his desk, I prayed to Chrysalis as this could be my last chance for tonight. We went through the standard protocol of paperwork; getting my name, address, phone number, etc. He then asked me a few questions which caught me off guard but somehow narrowly got through. Fortunately, he didn’t ask for any I.D and I didn’t need a PhD in medicine.

I nervously gave him the finished and signed papers and placed the pen I was writing with away from my cramping mouth. He scanned through the lines and gave me a short glare at me. I gave of a soft grunt. A metaphorical lightning bolt went through my head and a bit of me died on the inside. I had not been given that look ever since I first saw the queen. It was obvious that my neatness with a pen was not the best but nor was it the worst.

Who am I kidding? It was the worst. A new born foal could have probably written neater. The most I've ever written was about the amount of words in the first page of 'To kill a mocking Griffon'. And when I say first page, I mean the title page. Luckily, I think all, or at least ninety-nine percent, of the jobs here didn't need legible writing.

After he nodded and just accepted my papers, we worked on negotiating the times I could work and, most importantly, the pay. He planned me to work the night shift all week except Friday, as they had enough staff on that day, and, to my limited knowledge of the economy, he took advantage of me by giving a lower pay than the average garbage stallion. It was a problem that I talked with him about in a few weeks time but it was enough to pay the costs of living in the city.

He shook my hoof, gave me a uniform and welcomed me to the so called 'family', after I signed a contract. Leading me out of the office, he called out for Joy.
"Joy, where are you?!"

A stretch of pink skitted across the store and in a blink she was in front of me. "You called?" She asked in her high pitched voice.

"Take Smoulder and show him the ropes. He's your new manager assistant." He patted me on the shoulder and left into his office.

“Manager assistant? How did this sugar rushed mare get promoted to such a high level? Moreover, if Joy is the manager of the store than what is Check than?”

Joy took offence, "Hey! I'm a sugar rushed mare who is doing a fine job at keeping this company alive and Check is the C.E.O of the company."

"Wait what?" I blabbered.

"Hmm" She turned her head at me. I stood there not knowing how to react until she pulled my hoof. "Enough babbling. Come on, we have no time to waste." Moving at the rates of G-forces, we reached room after aisle after another room. “Listen carefully, you put the bouncy balls in the blue box and the gumballs in the red box. Don't get them mixed up or we'll get foals choking and a lawsuit on our hooves. Got it? Good."  She wasted no time at explaining what I need to do every day I work here and after a few minutes of face pulling running we came to a stop at the entrance.

"Ok, you got it all?"

My eyes swirled in their sockets. "I think ... I lost track after you ... after you said listen carefu-"

She wrapped her arms around my lungs and hugged. "Ohh, I'm so happy you got that all of that. You'll be a great assistant."

I was able to feed off her a bit until the pain in my back overcame. "Joy, not so ... tight."

She released me  and we said our goodbyes. How I was going to survive that mare was impossible to know, but I didn't bother. My bed/wooden floor was calling me and I had a job to go to tomorrow.