Night Crew

by NFire

Chapter 1.

“Oh COME ON!”

The yelling rang out through the weather offices like the clear tolling of a school bell. The ponies inside stopped what they were doing and looked towards the Weather Manager’s office in slow disbelief. Exchanging glances and wondering what in Celestia’s name could be going on in there. Shuffling of papers and work schedules stopped, as they all leaned a bit towards the door, wanting to hear more.

“You can’t be serious, a hundred BITS?”

Inside the office, the weather Manager stood behind his desk, one hoof to his face as he’d already gone through this with the pony standing in front of him. The mare in question had a light amber and gold mane, which went with the soft umber coloring of her coat, she wasn’t bad looking, just slightly.. well more than slightly peeved.

“Look, Fire, I told you, you destroyed half an acre of somepony’s garden, it’s got to be paid for!”

“But a HUNDRED bits? Moon and stars that’s half my pay! What was that pony growing? Platinum fruit for cryin’ out loud? There’s gotta be some thing left!”

Storm Cloud sighed, looking into her angry face, his slight accent came out fully as he explained one...more...time. “It was a prize winning vegetable garden, and the mayor has upheld the claim, it’s got to be paid. You destroyed the whole half acre, it’s blasted, demolished, kaput, gone to the other side!” He planted both front hooves on his desk and leaned over it, nose to nose with the mare, “It has gone off to join the bleeding choir invisible! It is NO MORE!” He snorted a puff of air into her face, making her back off just a bit.

He gathered himself back up, straightening his tie as he put his forehooves back on the floor, looking at the little mare as she stood staring at the wooden planks in front of his desk.

“Fire, yer a good weather pony, you work hard, but you keep messing with lightning, and we TOLD you, time and again, you weren’t to do that because of your..er...problem. This is the fifth time, we just can’t take the expense!”

“But I’m getting better!”

Storm sighed, getting out Hangfire’s file and setting it on the desk. “You know what this is? You. All you. This is the file containing all reports from the last six months.”

She glanced at it, noticing it was a bit thick.

“What did we tell you after the train tracks got hit?”

She mumbled something in reply.

He leaned forward, putting a hoof behind one ear, “Pardon?”

“Stay away from the lightning...”

“Right, and what did we tell you after that tower at Canterlot got whacked?”

“Stay away from the lightning...”

“Correct again, now, what did we EXPRESSLY tell you after The Royal Guard Barracks Incident?”

“Stay away from the lightning...”

“RIGHT again! Now, what does all that add up to?”

Her violet eyes stared out from under falling bangs as she replied, “Stay away from the lightning?”

“EXACTLY!” He slammed a fore hoof on the desk, “Now tell me why, by Sun and Moon can you NOT UNDERSTAND THAT?” His bellowing had reached new heights now, shaking the glass in the windows as the veins in his neck stood out a bit from the force of his anger.

Her mane blew out of her face backwards as she withstood the typhoon of anger from her boss, her eyes wide. Leaning forward slightly as he continued his tirade about her not listening, about the money that had to be paid, and he was tired of hearing what she’d destroyed next, like a sirocco from the desert she was blasted with his fury.

“WHAT in Luna’s name is SO HARD about the words, STAY AWAY FROM THE LIGHTNING?”

She blinked a bit, clearing her eyes and mumbled again, not wanting to anger her boss, “But I need the practice?”

“Go practice over the Everfree for crying out loud, at least there no one will be making claims against the weather offices! Stars above Hangfire, at least use some common sense!” He glared at her over the desk, wings pinned to his side, and this time, she could tell he really was at his limit.

“Go blast a Hydra or something, maybe keep some of those Everfree Forest plants from over-growing! Sweet Mother of Celestia! Just STOP BLOWING THINGS IN TOWN UP!”

He stopped his bellowing and stood back behind his desk, huffing a bit and slightly surprised at his own vehemence. He closed his eyes and placed a hoof on his muzzle, rubbing it a bit before he found himself calm enough for his next sentence.

“We’re going to put you on the Night Crew.”

She opened her mouth for a second, then shut it with a snap, a confused look on her face. “....Do what?”

“We’re putting you on the Night Crew, it’s time and a half, and it’ll be easier on all of us I think. It’s either that, or..” And here he put his hoof on the desk again with a slap, “We fire you.”

Hangfire thought furiously, she couldn’t lose this job, she loved being a weather pony! But..

“We have a Night Crew?”

“Well, it’s where we need weather ponies the most, gotta keep the storm fronts in place and do a bit of controlling, it’s not bad work, but alot of folks don’t know we do it.” He shuffled some papers on his desk, studiously avoiding her eyes.

She glared at him for a second, knowing something was up, but in light of recent events, she decided not to press the point. Sighing to herself, she nodded.

“Fine, I’ll take it.”

“Good! And maybe after a few months we’ll see about getting you back on the normal schedule, you report tomorrow night, give you a day to get your schedule adjusted and all that.”

“Okay.. and boss?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for not firing me.”

“Yer a good pony Hangfire, just need a bit of common sense sometimes eh?”

She nodded and opened the door, stepping out into the offices and desks of Weather Management in Cloudsdale, her ears hearing the clicking of the door shutting behind her, but strangely, nothing else. It didn’t quite hit her until she looked up, seeing everypony staring at her in dead silence, you could have heard a pin drop, to form a cliche.

Her mouth tightened a bit, seeing every eye in the place directly on her slump shouldered form.

“WHAT?”

Author's Note:

I have absolutely no idea where this will go, but I think it'll be fun. Enjoy the read folks, and laugh a bit if you catch the references. If any known characters come in, I shall update tags as the chapters are posted. So no fear, someone will have a cameo I'm sure. I enjoy writing about the non-famous folks, I mean, what kind of hijinks could they possibly get into right? I have slapped a T rating on it, due to what may come.

Comments

[VinnyMartello]

I positively love your vivid descriptions and insane emotion in the first chapter! It's completely opposite of how I would start a beginning chapter. But that's the beauty of it. It's a very different approach and I like it!