Back to School

by Thunder Roller

Job Search

After Star Gazer walked out of the front door of the house, Sunset chased after him, said a few choice words, and convinced him to help with the clean-up. Luckily, the bedrooms were left untouched, so the girls didn't have to stay at someone else's house while Air Guitar, A.R., and Star Gazer fixed the mess. Due to all of the damage, it took two weeks to fix everything and replace the un-fixable. There were holes in the walls to patch up, doors and walls to repaint, cups, plates, coat hangers, pillows, carpet, and duct tape to replace. Cleaning up was the hardest part of the job, but none of it was very easy.

After the two weeks were up and everything was done, Sunset sat on her couch to relax before going to her weekend job at the local supermarket, thankful that she no longer had to look at any eyesores. With a deep breath, she leaned her head back and rested her eyes. Just as she got comfortable, a knocking came to her door. There was only one person that she knew who would knock instead of ring the doorbell, so she got up, and walked to the door. Opening it, she saw the person she expected, Granny.

"Hey, Granny." Sunset said with a smile. "How can I help you?"

"Sunset, dear." Granny said, also smiling. "Air Guitar just told me what happened a couple weeks ago."

"Yeah, the bone-heads already fixed everything." Sunset chuckled. "It isn't that big of a deal. It's all in the past now."

"Not yet, it isn't." Granny disagreed, shaking her head. "I feel horrible for what my Grandson did."

"I should've known better than to ask him to feed Mr. Feathers." Sunset also disagreed. "But in truth, I have done WAY worse."

"That doesn't matter, Sunset. I want to make it up to you." Granny said, reaching into her flowery decorative purse.

"Granny, you haven't done anything wrong." Sunset discouraged. "You don't have to do anything."

"No, Sunset, I insist." Granny said, holding out a small wad of cash in front of Sunset. "This here is two hundred and fifty dollars. The amount it took to fix your house."

"Granny, I didn't pay for the repairs." Sunset said, waving her hand. "The boneheads did."

"Yes, but you should've never been put in that situation to begin with."

"I can't-"

"SHUT UP AND TAKE THE MONEY!"

Sunset was startled by the sudden outburst. But it wasn't Granny who shouted. Walking on the side-walk across the street, was a little kid around the same age as the Crusaders. He wore a red T-shirt and blue jean shorts. At the moment, he was looking toward them with his hands cupped around his mouth to act as a mega-phone.

After staring for a moment, the kid turned and continued his walk.

"Who was that?" Sunset asked.

"Loud Mouth." Granny chuckled. "He is A.R.'s nephew. But he has a good idea, Sunset. Because I'm not leaving until you take the money."

Sunset sighed in defeat and accepted the money.

"Fine, but I'm going to repay you for this."

"Just continue being the good neighbour you are." Granny said with a smile before turning around, and walking away.

Sunset shook her head, and took out her phone to check the time. Urgency struck her at seeing how late it had gotten.

"Oh crap! I'm going to be late!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later, Sunset had left for work, and the Dazzlings were lounging around lazily in the living room. Aria was looking at the newspaper, Sonata was watching T.V., and Adagio seemed to be deep in thought.

"Can you believe these idiots?" Aria asked, snapping the two girls out of concentration to look at her. "The mayor is wanting to raise the taxes in order to make the city a more 'Sophisticated' society. The city has an Academy for crying out loud! How more sophisticated can you get?! What is she wanting; Everyone to wear tuxedos and dresses?

"Talk about old world!"

"Well, what do you suggest she does?" Adagio asked.

"Leave things the way they fucking are. The economy is the best it has been in over a hundred years, the prices are at an all time low," Sonata tilted her head. "It means things are more affordable. And it is very rare to find a homeless person, and if there is one, then it means that he was too lazy to get a job."

"Which brings me to something." Adagio interrupted.

"Adagio, you’re interrupting my rant." Aria groaned.

"You can rant later. What I want to talk about is important."

"Don't you say that every time you want to talk?" Sonata asked.

"Thank you!" Aria said through a half-hearted laugh.

"Well, I mean it this time." Adagio face-palmed. "Sunset has done so much for us, it isn't funny. She took us off the streets, gave us a comfortable place to live, helped us to make some friends, and is working her fingers to the bone to not only make us accepted amongst our fellow students, but to keep food on the table as well. I think we should give her something in return."

"Like what?" Aria asked. "A big 'Thanks for Everything' party?"

"Have you been hanging around with Pinkie Pie too?" Sonata asked.

"Not as much as you." Aria snapped back.

"Girls!" Adagio said, standing up. "What I'm talking about is us getting jobs!"

"Wait a second." Aria said. "The last time we got jobs, it failed miserably."

"Yes, but this time it isn't urgent." Adagio pointed out. "This time we can take our time, find something we really want. Something that suits us, and we will be good at. Not just some fast food joint, or a recipe for disaster."

"Too many little kids." Sonata said, shivering at the memory from Discord's Place.

"Exactly." Adagio nodded. "Canterlot isn't a small town. There are endless possibilities. We might have to test the waters first, but I have no doubt that we can find something good. Maybe even something we can make a career out of."

"Or we can just skim the 'Help Wanted' ads here in the paper." Aria said, finding the job section and putting it down on the coffee table.

"That works too." Adagio said, sitting down on the couch.

"Let's see." Aria said, skimming the paper. "Stocker at Dollar Store?"

"Next!" Sonata exclaimed.

"I agree." Adagio nodded.

"Alright, Poop Scraper at the Zoo?"

"Next!" Adagio and Sonata said in unison.

"How about Cosmetic at Canterlot Day Spa?" Aria suggested.

"Now, that sounds like something I can sink my teeth into." Adagio said with a smile. "I think I do my make-up beautifully."

"Here we go again." Sonata whispered into Aria's ear.

"I can be the talk of the town!" Adagio said, with a star in her eye. "Why, I could make every woman in Canterlot look like a Runway Model!"

"Then why don't you work with Rarity at her boutique?" Aria asked, resting her chin on her fist. "You know, model her dresses for her?"

"I don't like the idea of being a human manikin." Adagio shook her head. "No, being a Cosmetic will do just fine."

"Ookay." Aria said, turning back to the paper. "Sonata, how would you like to be a Dog Walker?"

"Oh, no no no." Sonata said, shaking her head vigorously. "Last time I did that, I had to walk a Great Dane. He saw a squirrel and I was being dragged for at least half a mile!"

"I'll put that down as maybe." Aria chuckled. "How about... nope, next one."

"What was it?" Sonata asked, leaning closer.

"You don't wanna know." Aria quickly said. "How about a crash test dummy?"

"I already do that for you two." Sonata groaned, rubbing her head at the memories. "Next one."

"How about the guy who gets attacked by police dogs for training purposes?"

"I got roped into that thirty years ago." Sonata complained.

"Alright, alright, let's be serious." Adagio said.

"I am being serious." Aria said. "Look, it's right here!"

Adagio leaned in closer, seeing that Aria was telling the truth.

"Why in the world would someone put that in the paper?" Adagio asked out loud.

"I feel sorry for the person who actually accepts that job." Aria said, shaking her head. "Oh wait, no I don't."

"Because they might actually deserve it?" Sonata asked.

"No, because it would be funny to watch." Aria chuckled.

"It wouldn't be funny!" Sonata shouted. "When I had that job, the suit nearly came off!"

"They did make those suits cheaper back in the day." Adagio nodded. "Oh, wait, doesn't Pinkie work there?"

"Being the guy who gets attacked by dogs?" Sonata asked, confused.

"No, Sugar Cube Corner is looking for an assistant baker/Cashier." Adagio clarified, pointing to the ad. "Help Wanted, Assistant Baker/Cashier for Sugar Cube Corner Coffee Shop. No prior work experience needed. Just Call, Apply Online, or Come in. Located at blah blah blah."

"That's something you might could do." Aria said, turning to Sonata. "They would train you and everything."

"And I get to work with Pinkie!" Sonata said, beaming with excitement. "Oh, it's going to be so much fun! We could throw parties, blow up balloons, and-"

"I think you have the wrong idea." Adagio interrupted. "An assistant baker helps the main baker in preparing sweets. You know, like cupcakes."

"Oh, well that still sounds fun." Sonata said, holding her smile.

"Good." Adagio nodded. "What about you, Aria? Do you see anything that you might like to do?"

"Most of these jobs are shit." Aria shook her head.

"Well, what about this?" Adagio said, picking up the paper. "A furniture Salesperson?"

"Like I said, most of these jobs are shit." Aria groaned.

"Okay, okay, let's get serious." Adagio chuckled. "Hey, this might be something you would be interested in. Apparently Canterlot Radio needs a part time host."

"In what?" Aria asked.

"It's not very specific. It's just a short little segment where the part time host gets to talk about whatever he or she wants."

"You could use that time to rant about something no one has the guts to rant about!" Sonata suggested.

"I'm sold." Aria said.

"Don't you want to hear about the-" Adagio asked before she got interrupted.

"No, shut up cheese puff, I'm sold." Aria interrupted. "As long as I get to rant about stuff, I'm good."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After deciding what jobs they wanted, the Dazzlings parted ways to apply for them. The Beauty Salon and Sugar Cube Corner Coffee Shop weren't as far away from the house as Canterlot Radio Station was. Adagio and Sonata could simply walk to them, but Aria had to take the bus, something she wasn't very happy about. Aria got stuck on the back of the bus, sitting next to a large man who insisted that he sat by the isle. He was so big, he seated just from breathing.

Aria could swear that she heard the seat screaming for help. If it wasn't bad enough that she was squashed by the window by a large man who sweated a lot, she was also stuck behind a man who probably hasn't taken a bath in years, who also had his window down. It was hot, stinky, uncomfortable, and just plain sucked. After thirty minutes of this torment, she finally came to her stop.

She didn't hesitate to crawl over the large man, and ran out of the bus, immediately inhaling the fresh air. After the bus drove away, Aria looked to her destination. At the top of a small hill, stood a brick building with a tall antenna with multiple dishes going up it, pointing in different directions. She figured that if she were to try to climb to the top of it, it would take her fifteen minutes. Not that she would try.

She walked to the top of the hill, and in through the glass doors. The lobby had black and white tiles, and white brick walls. There were many bulletin boards on the walls, as well as fliers for different upcoming events. If it weren't for those, she was certain she would get snow blindness if she stayed in for too long. To her right was a wooden desk with a woman sitting behind it, with her feet propped up, talking on the phone.

She wore a black T-shirt that sported Canterlot Radio's logo, A stallion with headphones on, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. She had wild, brunette hair with blond highlights, and creamy skin.

"Yes sir," She said on the phone. "I'll get those papers in tomorrow morning. I'm sorry, but I've got to let you go, someone just came in." Not waiting for a response, she hung up the phone and looked up at Aria. "Thanks for coming in. That guy always has a bug up his ass."

"Uh, yeah." Aria said, confused. "I'm here to apply for that job."

"Oh, are you?" She said, taking her feet off of the desk and leaning forward. "I've got an application right here. My name is Creamy Record, by the way."

"Aria Blaze." Aria nodded.

Nodding, Creamy Record took a piece of paper off her desk and handed it to Aria.

"I'm kind of surprised to see someone responding to that ad." Creamy said. "I thought no one reads the paper anymore."

"Did you only put it in the newspaper?" Aria asked, taking a pencil off of Creamy's desk to fill out the application.

"Yeah, the boss was too cheap to do anything else." Creamy nodded. "I suggested that we mention it on the radio, but he didn't want to do that. The only reason he even agreed to put it in the paper is because the staff wanted the segment. A time to just talk about anything, ya know?"

"Don't you guys do that anyway?" Aria asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah." Creamy shook her head. "The boss filters what we say. I say he's a fucking dictator."

"Who's your boss?" Aria asked.

"His name is Blueblood." Creamy groaned. "He thinks that he is the shit because his mom is a politician, and his aunt is a High School Principal."

"Do you want me to kick his ass for ya?" Aria suggested with a chuckle.

"I bet you could do it too." Creamy laughed. "The son of a bitch doesn't lift a damn finger out of fear of getting sweaty. But I like you, so try to actually get the job."

"Fine." Aria said, continuing to fill out the application.

Once Aria was done, she handed the application back to Creamy Record, who observed it.

"Well, given that Blueblood doesn't even want this, he'll be happy to hear that it will only be a weekend thing. I can't find a single reason why he wouldn't hire you."

"I'm still in school, so I can't exactly be here on the weekdays." Aria shrugged.

"It's alright, Aria." Creamy waved her hand. "Why don't you head home and relax. I'll call you when you get the job."

"When?" Aria asked, confused.

"If he doesn't hire you, I'll kick his ass personally."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonata happily walked down a familiar street, humming a tune as she passed by other pedestrians. Other than the trouble she gets at school, she didn't have a reason to not be happy. After all, she was going to get a job working with Pinkie Pie, the second person to accept her and her friends. It didn't take long for the particular Coffee Shop to come into view, and looking into the window, it appeared that Pinkie was working. Her excitement becoming renewed, she rushed into the Coffee Shop, immediately catching Pinkie's attention.

"Sonata!" Pinkie exclaimed, rushing toward her and embracing her in a hug. "I haven't seen you since, like, Yesterday! How are you?!"

"I'm doing great, Pinkie!" Sonata said happily as she returned the hug.

"What can I do for you?” Pinkie asked as she broke the hug. “Would you like a cupcake, or a slice of pie, or maybe some hot coco?"

"All that sounds great, but I'm actually here for the job." Sonata smiled.

Pinkie's eyes grew wide as she let out a long gasp. Even after all of the air entered her lungs, Pinkie held that position for a moment. Growing worried, Sonata lightly tapped Pinkie's forehead, not knowing how else to check on her friend. Then, without warning, Pinkie grabbed Sonata's hand and rushed her into the kitchen, startling Mrs. Cake, who was currently decorating a wedding cake.

"Mrs.Cake!Sonatawantsajobhere!Youknow,theoneweputoutintothepapers?Cansheworkhere?Pleasepleasepleasepleeeeeeease?"

"Pinkie, slow down!" Mrs. Cake pleaded. "All that I understood was my name and you saying 'please'."

Pinkie took a few calming breaths before she continued. "Sonata wants to be the Assistant Baker/Cashier. The job we put out in the newspaper. Can she work here? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleeeeeease?"

"Pinkie, Pinkie." Mrs. Cake said, holding out her hand. "Sonata will have to fill out an application, and I'll have to run it by Carrot Cake before we make a decision."

"Did someone say my name?" Mr. Cake said, walking into the room with Pumpkin and Pound Cake in his arms.

"Wah!" Pumpkin and Pound Cake said together when they saw Sonata.

"Hello again, you two!" Sonata said, walking up to them. "Have you missed me?"

"Son!" Pumpkin said.

"Nata!" Pound completed.

"I guess that's a 'yes'." Mr. Cake chuckled. "I assume you're one of Pinkie's friends?"

"Yes she is!" Pinkie said, wrapping an arm around Sonata. "Her name is Sonata, and she's wanting to be the Assistant Baker/Cashier!"

"Does she, now?" Mr. Cake asked, smiling. "Has she filled out an application yet?"

"No, not yet." Sonata shook her head. "But I would really really really like to have the chance to work with Pinkie and see these cute little babies more often."

"Well, Mrs, Cake and I own this shop, so we can hire whoever we want." Mr. Cake smiled. "But we do have a protocol, so how about you fill out an application, and we'll call you with our decision?"

Sonata nodded. "Okay, where can I find an application?"

"I'll get it for you!" Pinkie said, running off.

"While we're waiting." Mr. Cake said, putting Pumpkin and Pound Cake in a playpen. "How would you like to try one of my new recipes before I put it on the menu?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just like the Coffee Shop, Canterlot Day Spa was within walking distance. It didn't take Adagio long to reach it. The building was two stories tall, had cream colored walls, and a purple roof. There was a short row of bushes on each side of the glass door that separated her from the spa's interior. With a deep breath, Adagio walked inside, being greeted by the sweet honeysuckle aroma.

The inside walls were painted a light blue, with the floors being painted somewhat like clouds. No doubt the design was to make the customers feel like they were in heaven. After a moment of taking it all in, she was greeted by a woman with light pink skin, blue hair that was pulled back by a white hair-band, and wore a white oriental gown.

"Hello, and welcome to Canterlot Day Spa!" She said in a prench accent. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Oh, no." Adagio said, shaking her head. "I was actually looking to see if I could get that Cosmetic job."

"Oh!" She said happily. "I didn't know someone would apply so soon! Well, my name is Aloe. My twin sister, Lotus Blossom, also works here. She will be happy to hear someone has applied!"

"How many people work here?" Adagio asked curiously.

"My sister and I normally take care of all the girls ourselves, but after Spring Break, we have been getting more work than we can handle! That is why we put a help wanted ad in the paper. But Bulk Biceps takes care of all the men. Thankfully we don't get that many men, so he is able to handle it."

"Bulk Biceps?" Adagio asked, starting to get nervous.

"I know, his name is intimidating, but he is actually quite sweet... if you can get past the shouting."

"I... I, uh." Adagio said, her eyes scanning for Bulk.

"Oh, honey, do please calm down." Aloe said, putting her hand on Adagio's. "He doesn't shout out of anger. He just doesn't know how to be quiet. Come, how about I give you a nice massage to calm your nerves, then you can fill out the application."

"Oh, alright." Adagio said, trying to calm down. "But no happy endings."

"Your loss." Aloe shrugged.

Author's Note:

WHOO! That took longer than it should have. Sorry for the long wait, life gave us a LOT of lemons. A lot of lemons means a lot of lemonade, and its hard for only two people to make all that lemonade. But, its here now, and hopefully life will get back on track.

In case you're wondering, that ad Aria wouldn't mention was a strip club. Do strip clubs put ads in the paper? I don't know, I get my news online. Anyway, like, comment, favourite, follow, all that good stuff!

Comments

[Darkness Moon]

interesting
let met see I understand,
adagio work in a spa,
aria works at a station rardio
and sonata sugarcube
right?

[Thunder Roller]

6950803 Ee'yup Well, not yet actually. Their applications still need to be approved, and then there is the interviews. But if those go well, then they'll have the jobs.

[Darkness Moon]

6950948 I do understand
very good chapter, I liked

[bcmorgan96]

Very nice.

[Sunatta]

I wrote a comment, for the sake of writing a comment.

[Thunder Roller]

6981370 I replied to your comment for the sake of chicken.

[Sunatta]

6981607 Chicken my one weakness.

[YxB]

PLEASE Continue Im SUPER Interested!

[Thunder Roller]

7058565 It will continue as soon as we can get our internet running properly again. With the plan we have we should have it running again next month but as it stands we can't make any promises on it.

[Noctis Prism]

Love this!

[Twilight_Shimmer]

Can you please space Pinkies text, I hate what it does to the page making me have to scroll right to finish reading a paragraph(s)

[MLPMekarm]

what's this about a happy ending??? now I want to see it.