Friendship is Failure #7: All Work and No Play

by DakariKingMykan

Intro: A Story of Hard Work

INTRO

His name was Bill Dollar. He was a light green Earth Pony with an orangey-yellow mane and tail. His Cutie-Mark was that of a dollar bill and coins, and he lived in Las Pegasus.

His older sister was Goldie Stocks, a golden yellow Earth Pony. She had a long orange mane with yellow streaks. Her cutie mark was that of a stock receipt.

They used to be so close; they always played and had such a great time. They even ran some lemonade stands, which was how they earned their Cutie marks, not for selling the lemonade, but making great negotiations, as well as giving some of their money to charity.

Then again, their parents were Peggy Bank, and Nickle Plate. Both were once simple working ponies that managed a single clothing store, but they managed to filter out their schedules and have time for both work and play.

They both were very nurturing to their children, and were proud of the way they got along so well. Sometimes, they would ask if they could join in their fun, and they even bought glasses of lemonade from their stands.

Then one day, they received big job offers at the First National Bank, due to their incredible marketing skills and work with numbers. They began to work much longer hours and much harder for many ponies in the city, and even all across Equestria.

Soon, they became owner of a chain of banks in Las Pegasus, but they had changed dramatically!

They were both very practical ponies; preferring to stick to their books and work, rather than have time for play or childish things. Hence why they were usually both in very strict and very bad moods after long and exhausting days at work, and even when they came home there was always more work to do. They brought papers, documents, and work plans with them everywhere they went.

Both of them neglected their children half the time and only seemed to take notice of them when they were working hard or making profits, like with their lemonade stands, but Bill ever wanted to really do was have fun and play, as such, his sister was pretty much the closest and only thing he had to a real relation and friend as she seemed to share his attitude.

Even during their play times, they would pretend many things. Like being pirates, or space-ponies on adventure.

When Bill made a cute drawing of his family in school and showed it to his parents, all they seemed to say was. “Very nice dear…”

“Just keep up the good work.”

Bill felt sad that his parents could appreciate anything outside of buckling down and hard work.

Even when he asked for simple help with his homework, his parents were much too tired and grumpy to help him, and sometimes shouted at him for supposedly getting in their faces.

“We just got home after a long day of work!”

“You need to start working hard and learning how to do things for yourself!”

Still, Goldie was there for him. She gave him lots of help, and she even liked the drawing he made. “You shouldn’t let mom and dad get to you like this.”

Her brother sighed, “All I want to do is have fun. What have they got against it?”

“I don’t know…” replied Goldie “But you’ll always have me. I love having fun, especially with you.”

Bill felt so appreciated and loved, and they shared a warm hug.

However, years later, things changed…!

When Goldie turned fifteen, her parents became very strict with her, telling her that she had to start growing up and leave all the fun and childish games behind. They told her to get a job, and put their hoofs down.

So, she did… she got a job in a simple clothing store helping to make sales. This meant she had less time for fun with her brother, and she came home exhausted from working so hard.

“Wanna play, Goldie?” Bill asked.

“Too tired… sorry.” was all she replied with and just left him.

When he made a picture of himself and her for her birthday to commemorate the pact they made to always have fun and look out for one another. She didn’t even look at it and just continued to go over work-plans she was given. All she said was, “I’m sure it’s nice.”

A couple of years later, when Goldie was Eighteen, she had become manager of a chain of clothing stores and a strong stock-market broker, but she like her parents had become a grumpy work-a-holic.

When Bill tried to speak with her, “You said we’d always look out for one another… and we’d always have fun.”

“There’s no time for fun.” she snapped at him “I have a lot of work to do and a lot of ponies to think about. I can’t spend all my time bickering with you!”

Bill felt shocked, as if he had come face-to-face with a hydra.

“Ponies change, Bill.” said his father, “And it’s time you learned how to take responsibility.”

That’s when his mother came down with a box loaded with all his toys, drawings, and anything remotely fun. “Hey, those are mine!” cried Bill, and he tried to take the box back, but his father held him back as his mother successfully took the box outside and loaded it onto a good-will wagon which carried everything away.

Bill then dashed up to his room only to find just a simple desk with blank papers quills and other work stuff needed. “What have you done?!” he shouted.

“You need to start living in the real world!” his mother said to him “Get a job like your sister did and make a life for yourself like we did!”

Bill finally lost his patience, “You call what you do a life? I call it BOR-ING!”

His parents and his sisters gasped and were livid at what he had just said, and they were further enraged when he said, “All you care about is work, and then you come home grumpy and miserable!”

All three of them were so outraged, that their parents punished him for mouthing off, by sending him to bed without dinner.

As time passed, things did not improve. Bill still found time to go to the playground and enjoy himself, and run lemonade stands, but it was no fun being alone.

When he returned home to talk about the profits he made from his stands, nobody seemed interested, unless to say something like…

“So you can run a lemonade stand, but you can’t get a job?” his sister sneered.

Bill wanted to protest, but his parents sided with his sister. “You need to do better than what you’re doing.” said Nickle. “Do you honestly think you can get through life on petty lemonade stands, and charity work?” added Peggy.

Bill couldn’t take any-more of this, “Fine… I’ll get a job! If it’ll make you all happy…!”

So he got a job, at a simple juice-bar since he was good at selling lemonade and other related drinks and sodas, but he was not enjoying himself at all; ponies breathing down his back and demanding more and more and forcing him to work harder than ever.

As time passed, he became just like his parents and his sister; a grumpy guy who scoffed at fun and games, but unlike his parents and his sister, he still retained his hatred for the way they had all treated him, and how his sister had betrayed him.

So, he left home vowing to never to return or want anything to do with his family or friendship, fun or games ever again!

For the first time ever, his family felt shocked beyond words of anything.

Xv=/�+

Comments

[Penn Hooven]

Still at it eh?

[DakariKingMykan]

8340076

Eeyup... It keeps me alive and helps me sleep...

[Penn Hooven]

8340080
Whatever works. I might not understand your reasoning, but that you stick to them on a brony site is kinda admirable.

[Pete100]

Honestly, I can’t blame him. However, I feel like he’s not taking into account that he could get a fun job or a job that he enjoys.

[DakariKingMykan]

11203176

Nope... the people are trying to SQUASH all fun out of the picture.

If it looks the least bit fun... throw it out.