The Truth About Girls (Vol. 2)

by TheMareWhoSaysNi

Working is Beneficial For Your Health (part 2)

Disappointing. That was the first word which had come to the three young girls’ minds when they discovered the details of their new job.

Everything costed five dollars. The booths they were working at eventually were nothing but foldable tables on which they spread their gewgaws. They had no chairs to sit on and nothing to shelter them from the wind. Unfortunately, the weather was particularly cold on this day and the wind was so strong the small parasols supposed to protect them had bent in less than five minutes.

To make matter worse, the jackets which were their uniforms were too large for them and did in no way replace the warmth of a good coat.

Of course, they were at a good spot, near the Royal Palace, right behind the huge square where the funfair took place each summer, as well as other events. However, the many tourists passing them by had no interest in their stock. The very affordable prices didn’t change a thing to this fact.

Their only comfort came from the fact that this was a temporary work. Whether they sell things or not, their pay would be the same, though a bonus was promised to them in case of good sales. After a few weekends, they would gather enough money and could finally go back to their former lives… if not take the time to unearth a more gratifying job.

The most annoying part probably was that they weren’t allowed to leave their booths in order to go to the toilets, nor to buy something hot to drink. It was a while now since they had finished Twilight’s thermos of coffee.

To lure customers, they had to keep on yelling how affordable their products were and to enumerate them. Royal Palace models, small flags, cups with the Queen’s face printed on it… Was this method useful? If asked, Twilight would have answered “rather repellent”.

“I wonder what’s the use of shouting our heads off”, she said while blowing on her hands.

“Be positive, Twilie, if we keep trying, we’ll eventually get results.”

“I wish I could be as enthusiastic as you are, Pinkie.”

“I’m not even trying to shout. I don’t like shouting, and people tend to scare me a little.”

“Oh no, don’t fret, Flutty, people are nice.”

“Yes, very nice… Just not interested”, Twilight sighed.

And to say that right now, she could have stayed in the warm in order to review her geometry and her matrix calculations… Of course, she had brought her lessons with her, but it was impossible to read with the wind blowing her pages and lifting her hair off her face.

A flash of hope outlined in their hearts when they saw the girls nicknamed the Flower Trio coming in their direction.

Since Rainbow Dash was dating Soarin, the gang saw them less than they did before. They regarded the threat embodied by the girl over, and the others way too focused on other topics than trying to “steal” their Breezie. Not that they stopped following Zephyr around, but rather that they considered they didn’t need to do this by sticking to his bottom anymore.

However, as soon as they were near them, the three friends immediately understood the three girls weren’t here in order to encourage them, nor even to comfort them.

“What the hell is this horror?” Daisy started. “Even the cashiers from Maremart are dressed better than you.”

“At least, we have a job”, Pinkie Pie replied.

“Well, I have a job”, Rose corrected her. “I help my mother at her flower shop.”

“This isn’t a job; this is a favor.”

“It’s better than selling schlocky craps”, the last girl finished.

They burst into noisy and overacted laughs, holding their ribs while pointing their fingers, the way they often did. Twilight had to hold herself back very hard not to make them run off with the help of their broken parasols. What held herself back was thinking about the new laptop she wanted to buy… She didn’t want to get fired after how difficult it had been for them to find this job.

“Hey, don’t you have better things to do than pissing people off?”

The Flower Trio froze, and no other sound escaped their mouths painted in fuchsia pink.

Their nightmare was confirmed when they turned around and discovered Rainbow Dash accompanied by her basketball player of a boyfriend, whose hand she was holding. For once they thought they could make fun of Twilight Sparke the egghead without Applejack or her to interfere… And here she was all the same. It felt as if she had a sixth sense to detect troubles about to happen from miles.

“Mind your own business! This square doesn’t belong to you!”

“Yeah, but these are my best friends… So, get the hell out of here before I kick your butt.”

“Who do you think you are?” Rose questioned, her fist clenched. “We’re not dirt or something… Come on and fight if you dare!”

Rainbow Dash only had to take an abrupt step forward the Trio and they immediately ran off, while swearing they would get her next time. A lot of talking but little action, like usually. Really, she wished one day someone would have the courage of the words… as long as no knives were to be include into the fight. Blades were for cowards, anyway. And those with psychological problems with them, of course.

The teenage girl turned to her friends behind their booths.

“Well, how is it going?”

“Not good”, Twilight answered, shrugging.

“We almost haven’t sold anything since we began”, Fluttershy added.

“But maybe the tables are going to turn”, Pinkie Pie said, showing something far away with her chin.

They all turned around and discovered a tourist bus had just parked near the square. In all likelihood, they were going to the palace. If they could get them to come here before they get into the castle, who knew, maybe they could sell a few more items.

“Palace models, cups with the effigy of the royal family, Equestria flags! Affordable, affordable!” the young woman was shouting while shaking her arms.

None of them could believe it when a few tourists got near her booth in order to take a look at her items. Pinkie Pie kept on behaving as if she was selling fruits and vegetables on a market. It would never work… Yet, within a few minutes, a part of her stock disappeared, and the sound of coins clicking against the iron of her little cash box could be heard.

“How does she do it?” Twilight asked Rainbow Dash, who shrugged.

“By the way”, Fluttershy intervened. “What are you two doing here?”

Soarin and her looked at each other with a knowing smile. All the time, the young man still held his girlfriend by the hand. Although he hadn’t said anything, his emotions were written on his face.

“There’s a very good stringed-instrument maker around here”, he explained. “So, I bring her so she would finally fix her guitar’s chord.”

“Soarin wanted to hear me play and sing…”

“You haven’t yet?”

“No, I haven’t had this chance yet.”

While they were talking, two teenagers from the Crusaders’ class had stepped nearer, and were looking at the items with an odd interest. They stayed a little in front of Pinkie Pie and Twilight’s tables, watching them with a little benevolent air.

But Fluttershy, as the good soul ready to protect the weak and the defenseless, let them come nearer without caution, even smiling gently at them. She really was too much of a soft touch… If someone would break into her house to rob her, she would give them anything, as long as the person would ask convincingly.

And what came around went around. Before she could even react, the two imps had stuffed sixty-five dollars of items in their coats’ pockets and school bags. With a few mockeries, they got away from the booth, running straight in front of them.

If the boss ever discovered she had been robbed, Fluttershy knew it, the stolen total would be taken on her salary. And her pay was precisely fifty-five dollars a day. There was no way she would stay in the cold for nothing in the end.

She shouted them to stop, but of course, the two boys acted as if they hadn’t heard. Especially as in reality, she hadn’t shouted loud enough, and with too soft a voice.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. And to say that when they met, the young woman was an escort girl… Who could have guessed? She was so gullible and lacked of experience…

Without hesitation, she gave Soarin her guitar case, and went to go after the two boys. When they realized they were followed, they tried to quicken their pace. But being young wasn’t an advantage for them today. In less than a minute, they both happened to be pinned against the ground thanks to a shoulder strike fit for a Roller Derby competition – unless it was lacrosse.

“I can’t believe it! Do they spread the word to be looking for trouble every time I’m around, or what?” Rainbow Dash questioned while giving back to Fluttershy her stolen stock.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome… As if I’d let them do this.”

Soarin leaned over and whispered something in his girlfriend’s ear, who nodded. Fluttershy and Twilight both looked away, both for a very different reason. The first girl was thinking about Big Macintosh, with who she couldn’t be today and who she missed a lot, and she didn’t want to seem jealous. The second girl always was a bit embarrassed in front of these kind of displays, and felt as if she was a bit of a voyeur if she watched them.

A problem not shared by Pinkie Pie, obviously.

“It’s a good idea”, Rainbow Dash claimed to the young man with a smile.

He put a quick peck on the reddish tip of her nose, and then she turned to her friends.

“We’re going to buy a gewgaw each…”

“It’s soooooo nice. You’re damn cute together.”

The teenage girl chose to act as if she hadn’t heard Pinkie Pie. It was the best she could do in order not to die from embarrassment. She really didn’t like to be said to be “cute”, meaning adorable. It was a bit too sappy for someone as awesome as her.

“You’ve already done so much by saving my stock.”

“It pleases us”, Soarin answered with a smile.

As if they were in their own world, the couple arranged on the change they both had, then decided to spend everything – twenty dollars, ten from Soarin and ten from Rainbow Dash.

“It will be a funny cup for when I drink hot milk at your place”, the young woman told her boyfriend, showing him a cup with the face of the Queen printed on it.

“We could personalize it if you want… to make it look a bit punkish.”

“Oh yeah. That would be very sweet!”

It was the biggest item they bought, rather focusing on pens, flags and small notebooks. For all that, the three girls didn’t complain. Except Pinkie Pie, thanks to the bus of tourists, it almost was equal to what they already had sold since the beginning of the afternoon.

“When will you be done working?” Rainbow Dash asked once their purchases over.

“Not before six”, Twilight answered. “But first we’ll have to help tidying the spot.”

Once again, the couple looked at each other, like in their own private bubble. It seemed like they could understand each other without a word.

This was something Pinkie Pie was envious of and wanted in her future relationship. She wasn’t the only one, in fact. Fluttershy too wanted that in a close future, Big Macintosh and her could do the same.

“Might be long enough for us to go to the stringed-instrument maker and all… Would you guys like to meet us at Sugarcube Corner after work? So you could warm up around a hot drink.”

“But we’re going to bother you.”

“Yes, maybe you want to be alone together.”

“We’re alone together since last night”, Soarin said, softly laughing. “One hour in your company isn’t going to kill our relationship, don’t worry.”

“Yeah, completely. After this, we’ll both go to the movies and watch “Leave Her to Heaven”. If we offer you to come, it means it doesn’t bother us.”

“Well, alright then…”

“Awesome. See you later, in this case, around six and a half.”

After greeting them, the couple got away, arm in arm.

At first, they all thought it would look weird to see their friend with a boy she was in love with – no matter what she claimed. All her love affairs had ended awfully until then, and most importantly, she displayed some kind of misplaced pride when it came to feelings of love. If she didn’t have much difficulty to talk open-heartedly about her family problems, it wasn’t the same thing with everything that had to be with sentimentality.

Yet, it needed to be said: her and Soarin were the perfect match. When she was with him, she was able to find an absolute balance between affection and casualness, all this with a disarming natural.

Pinkie Pie, self-proclaimed their number one fan, somehow was bothered by a small detail. It reminded her too much that she was single. She too wanted a sweetheart who she could stroll with, go to the movies and get peck on the tip of her nose. Because of a mystery she yet had to explain, she only met with stupid ones, or boys only interested into her generous breasts.

If only she could meet a childhood friend as well… But she didn’t have any other childhood friends than her sisters.

At least, it comforted her that she would soon be able to buy a brand new oven and fulfill her lack of affection with homemade sweets. Yes, because industrial crap… Thanks, but no thanks! It always was so full of sugar and fat.

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They weren’t unhappy that this first day of work came to an end. It wasn’t because of how hard it was, not really, but rather because of bore and cold. After Rainbow Dash and Soarin’s departure, they might have had something like three costumers, and among them a young boy changed his mind at the last minute.

When six o’clock rang and their boss arrived with his truck, they were hurried to close up.

It didn’t take much time to put everything into cardboard boxes, putting away the parasols and tablecloths, folding the table, doing the count of the day’s income, which weren’t very satisfying. Pinkie Pie was the one who had sold the most, with a total of exactly one hundred dollars, and Fluttershy was at the lower bar of their small ladder, with barely forty dollars in her little iron box.

The young man almost felt as if she didn’t deserve the seventy-five dollars their boss was giving her. Including the fact that if her friend hadn’t been here, she would have done less loss than benefits. In fact, she hadn’t even done any benefits at all. This situation really embarrassed her. It didn’t stick to her morals.

“I’m truly sorry”, she claimed in a whisper. “For the theft, I mean. I’d understand if you don’t want to pay me.”

“Don’t be silly. You’ve worked hard all day long in the cold. Of course, I’m going to pay you.”

He patted her back while giving her the small wad of banknotes, and Fluttershy felt she had no other choice than to take it. Maybe it was misplaced modesty, yet, she kept on feeling the guilt of doing something wrong.

Seeing her gazing at her money like dumbfounded, the man, which name was Mr. Savvy, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, a gesture that meant comfort.

“Well, if you really want to be forgiven, you still can help me putting away the supplies and boxes into the truck.”

“Alright”, she claimed with a smile.

It probably wouldn’t be enough to repair the moral misdeed, but if it fit the boss, it fit Fluttershy as well. She could sense that if she kept on insisting, she was going to make herself appear as someone weak, and easy to manipulate. Since she had sold less than the others, it was logical that she was doing more than the others.

However, when she turned around and remembered the beginning of the afternoon and the weight of the cardboard boxes, Fluttershy had to swallow. She wasn’t quite into physical efforts – though a bit more than Twilight – and she now had to lift up and carry heavy things. Not very clever. But it was too late, now. She had done everything there was to do in order to be in this situation.

She went down the flatbed, and with her eyes looked for the lightest box of the whole. It was hard to say… Roughly, they all were the same weight. If she couldn’t make up her mind quick, Mr. Savvy was going to do it instead.

“Hey, Fluttershy, what are you doing? Twilie and I are waiting for you”, Pinkie Pie said, now wearing a red coat.

Indeed, their friend was at the very end of the street, small like a dot, leaning against a lamppost and busy reading one of the books she'd brought with her.

“The boss asked me to help putting these away.”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes went from the track to the cardboard boxes to her friend. With her strength and her slowness, for sure, if Fluttershy tackled this task, Rainbow Dash and Soarin were going to wait for them for quite a while. It wouldn’t bother Twilight much, since she’d have more time for her reviewing, but even so…

Only one option was left to her: to take over the operation in order to guarantee the best of finish.

“I take charge of this. You tell Twilight and warn her I’ll meet you guys directly at Sugarcube Corner.”

“But…”

Fluttershy figured that Mr. Savvy didn’t really care who took charge of the supplies as long as it was done quickly enough, yet she couldn’t help feeling even more embarrassed when Pinkie Pie took the box she had in her arms and that she had lifted up with so much trouble.

She was the one he gave this mission to, because of the almost theft that could have happened at her booth, not even taking into account her small sells. And, was it really reasonable to let her friend do all this on her own?

On the other hand, the two lovey-doveys probably were waiting for them, and it was impolite to let them wait for too long, were they her friends or not. It was a dilemma she had to resolve urgently. She had to take her decision. Right now.

She was still thinking it through that Pinkie Pie already had done two round trips. Each time, she asked Fluttershy to move aside a bit.

That was how she made up her mind. Rather than doing her a favor, and doing herself a favor as well, she was bothering her by standing on the way. Her friend was a member of the female lacrosse team, a former member of a gang, she wasn’t weak and even less defenseless. She’d probably get by better without a clumsy oaf of her kind by her side.

“Well, I let you take this in charge, then…”

“Yes. It’s going to take me a maximum of ten minutes. Don’t fret!”

Fluttershy hesitated one more second, then left the place while looking back from time to time. Pinkie Pie seemed to be so busy that she didn’t even notice her absence. However, as she was getting nearer of the place Twilight was waiting them on, a question popped up into her mind… Where was Mr. Savvy hiding?

Comments

[Midday Giggle]

Oh shucks! Dash and Soarin are way too cute!

(I still think this souvenir-sellin is not going to end well. That Mister Savvy sure looks suspicious)

[Dusk_Writer]

Even the name 'Savvy' sounds suspicious xD We'll just see how this turns out!

Soarin and Dash are adorable aaaaaaaa

[MidnightShy21]

“It’s soooooo nice. You’re damn cute together.”

YESHH! YES THEY ARE!

Savvy sounds... Uh.... Not exactly... good...

I really enjoyed it! Good job.